Clearing an over-run garden

21 years ago

Hi folks. I've recently bought a house and in the process inherited a small front and rear garden in terrible shape, with grass of about 2 or 3 feet high and weeds everywhere.

What I want to do, mainly becuase the land is so uneven, is clear everything away right back to the soil, and start again. I'm planning to lay a combination of decking and stones so the existing grass isn't needed, even if it didn't appear to be a scale map of the Rockies...

The thought of digging up about 30 square metres of land with a fork doesn't exactly appeal, so what I'm really looking for is hints and tips on lifting grass i.e. what tools to be using, if there might be equipment I could hire, what to do with the grass and plants afterwards (throw them away is the only thing I can think of!).

Any advice would be gratefully recieved.

Ian

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Comments (5)

rowdy
21 years ago
What about renting a sod cutter? Would you be able to use that in the area? Or cutting the grass and then tilling the soil?
jnrduggan_hotmail_com
21 years ago
I have considered hiring a sod cutter, but I'm not sure how they are on uneven ground. As for tilling the soil, wouldn't I have to remove the grass in some way to prevent it from growing back? Or can you just mix it all up as it were adn then cover it with sheeting and go from there? This is my first serious attempt at garden repair you see.
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elgrillo
21 years ago
If you have a grass like bermuda that puts out runners, then it will grow back. Ways to kill it are to spade or rototill until it dies, use a herbicide, or mow it down and cover it with black plastic for a few weeks to bake and smother it.

Maybe the quickest way would be to mow, use the black plastic to kill, thatch to remove vegetation, then move only as much soil as you need to suit your needs. You could add sand to level the area, pack it, then lay your bricks. Bermuda type grasses might continue to come up between bricks and underneath decking if not controlled with a herbicide or dug out once in a while until gone.

Best wishes,
El Grillo
jnrduggan_hotmail_com
21 years ago
Thanks for the good tips guys. With regard to the black plastic, will that work fine even at this time of year, i.e. without the heat? Where I live it's creeping into autumn and the temperature is dropping swiftly towards cold.

I guess I could try a small patch and see what kind of results I get.

This gardening lark is tricky I tells ya...
SaxonManFinland
21 years ago
Had exactly same problem and issues as you, but my garden is huge so tried different ideas in Different places.......AND I DO NOT LOKE HARD WORK. Best results were to Spray Roundup (systemic Herbacide) leave for three days then cover with Breathable material and then put Gravel on top.....Looks Good after a year.

Without Herbicide its OK as well, without Herbicide or Gravel it is slowly killing whats underneath but the strong weeds persist in lifting the cover. Using Herbiced and then Woodchips is a dissaster.Now have to hoe weekly and its a mess.What ever you do put a cover down, BUT I reccoment you do not use a Thick none breathing Plastic, as you will loose alldrainage and can get a smelly mud heap underneath it and the ground will be US for future use.