[RJR_38]

The plot I got in November was a jungle and had a range of challenges for me - luckily each was more or less in a 'section' so I could tackle one at time.

So far I have beaten the waist high stinging nettles section, the brambles section and made good inroads into the millions of rocks and stones section.

The last major bit I have to deal with is Ivy. The area is about 20m squared in total and is completely covered in ivy - it covers the floor and then goes up the wire fence that separates our plots from a section of housing.

Any ideas on the best way to tackle ivy or things I shouldn't do? I was just planning on ripping it all out by hand as much as possible and then digging it all over? Would this work do you think? I am pretty sure the soil underneath will be very stony as the section before it was full of stones

[jonewer]

I absolutely loath and detest ivy.

Dig it out. Beware the roots can be enormous!

I have some in my garden that I cant dig our because its so close to the wall of my neighbours garage, the roots actually go under the foundations. I'm going cut it back and nuke it with direct applications of weapons grade glyphosate in the spring.

[Auntiemogs]

If you don't mind spraying, I would spray first to kill off as many roots as possible and then pull/dig out...

[RJR_38]

I have done everything else without chemicals and I am going to do my best to avoid them altogether on my plot. I got into gardening through my love of cooking and food so I want to be as organic as I can.

Looks like it is just good old digging as I suspected then!

[RichardA]

I purchased the orchard next door (half an acre) and had to tackle nettles, bramble briers and ivy as well as taking down some overgrown and neglected trees. I did it all manually hacking down and then digging out roots plus bricks etc and am now totally on top of it and it is producing well as a large veg garden. I use very very few chemicals (occasional rat poison and some lime plus growmore) and am glad I started out as chemical free as I could.
I wish you every success.
R

[RJR_38]

That sounds like quite an achievement Richard! There is hope for my small jungle yet

[Ema]

Do those blow torches not kill ivy?

[Annen]

Lots of birds and insects like ivy.  Do you need to take all of it down?  If the soil is stoney you might not be growing anything there anyway, so it might not be doing any harm just where it is.

[RJR_38]

Sadly as the ivy is all over the floor of my plot then yes I do need to take it down. I will leave the ivy up the fence but as it is over the area where I eventually want to plant fruit bushes etc then I need to begin the process of clearing it and getting the soil ready so I can put pots or something there for this summer and then plant out fruit bushes next  winter.

I hard a go at an area of it today - the ivy itself wasn't too bad... It was all the baby nettles underneath (with their giant root bulbs and systems) that was the real pain - I thought I had finished the nettle fight for now!

[davejg]

Yes Ema, the flame guns do kill it. The best thing to do is cut it back to ground level then flame all the small shoots as they appear, like bindweed it cannot survive long putting out new shoots while supporting the old dead ones.

[Annen]

I thought I had finished the nettle fight for now!

Nettle fights are never finished.....

[RJR_38]

I thought I had finished the nettle fight for now!

Nettle fights are never finished.....

Oh brilliant, thanks for that... I have been taking out solid, almost wooden root balls bigger than my fist