[ConfusedGardener]

I've read through the guide about clearing a new plot, but still not sure how to tackle this one as it's quite large (about 150' x 40'), and by the looks of it, it'll be a nightmare to dig by hand.

Here are a few photos I took earlier:

Overview of the plot, which is on the right next to where I'm digging the veg plot. Where the dried brown stems are is where I'd like the orchard to go. The larger trees in the background mark the boundary of the plot.

Large image here: http://imageshack.us/a/img138/2059/plot4326l.jpg

Here you can see where some of the stems have been cut down and removed.


On the plot itself in an area that has been flattened.




Closeup.


Large image here: http://imageshack.us/a/img20/9438/plot4331l.jpg


I think if we were to dig it by hand, it'd be a couple of years before we could get trees in and the ground lawned, so I was thinking a small mechanical digger could be useful, and we may be able to get access to one from one of our neighbors. Even so, I'm not sure how exactly to tackle the plot. Perhaps rip up all the top soil, pile it up and let it sit for a year or two?

Anyone have any suggestions?

I should add that I don't want to use any chemicals.

[Trillium]

Wow. You sure have your work cut out. First thing I'd do is to strim all that heavy brush and dead stuff and rake it up (for compost). Then you can see what you actually have to deal with before making any decisions.

[DD.]

I take it that your contract allows planting of trees. Ours doesn't and this is quite common.

[parsley]

I take it that your contract allows planting of trees. Ours doesn't and this is quite common.

Ours does but only dwarf stock trees. I have 2 unidentified fruit trees I'm waiting to come into leaf.

By the looks of the plot they might just be glad someone's willing to take it on! Best of luck, I know a good chiropractor if you need one 

[allotmentann]

If it is to be used only for growing trees, do you really need to clear it all? Could you cover with weed control and plant through that? Then you could  either remove and clear gradually, or just cover with  mulch while the weeds die off. A plot on our site has done this very successfully.

[rawrecruit]

what a lot of lovely wood! Someone posted on another thread
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=103679.15
(page 2) about hugelkultur and here is the link they gave
 http://permaculturenews.org/2010/08/03/the-art-and-science-of-making-a-hugelkultur-bed-transforming-woody-debris-into-a-garden-resource/
which has lots of interesting discussion including how to use these heaps for planting trees (see the comments section) if you wanted to!



edited for clarity

[rawrecruit]

My parents planted about 150 trees around 10 years ago and as it was a blisteringly hot summer and we didn't have any hoses long enough (this was over a couple of acres) we had to water the new trees by hand twice a day.... so just wondering if you've got enough water on site... just in case we actually see the sun this year! 

[ConfusedGardener]

Thanks to everyone who replied.

I should say, It's my own land, so I can plant trees without worrying if I'm breaking any rules.

I do have a strimmer, but it's electric and I'd need a 500' extension to reach to the nearest socket. I guess I'll either have to get a petrol strimmer, or cut the brush down manually. Not sure what type of tool would be appropriate for this?

After reading all your replies and thinking about it, I'm thinking that a mechanical digger would be overkill.

So I could (as allotmentann suggested) clear the scrub, cover it over with weed control fabric, and dig holes for the trees and have them planted in the ground this autumn?

I'll do as Trillium suggested, and compost what I cut down. Providing I don't find any complications (I'm not sure what's the worst I could find under the brush?) I'll go ahead with the rest of the plan.

I'd like to have the space around the trees covered in lawn eventually, so I guess once the fabric (and mulch underneath the fabric perhaps?) has done it's job, get a rotorvator and use it to smooth out the top layer of soil so that the lawn can go on top.

Does that sound like a good plan?

rawrecruit - Thanks for the links (going to have a read of them after I post this), and for the heads up regarding watering. I hadn't considered that aspect. I'll probably have the same problem with the veg plot next to the orchard!

I'm hoping that soon after the trees are established their roots should have found the water table which is quite high on our land. The trees are a bit lower (perhaps 1-1 1/2') below the veg plot, so should be closer to the water table.

We already have two (approx 60l) water butts (and I'm thinking about putting in more, as well as storing water in bins when the butts fill up) which are uphill from the plot/orchard, so I'm thinking I could just run a 500' hose down to them.

I was also considering building a small reservoir which could either be fed from guttering of the house and/or from land drainage pipes which I'm considering installing on a boggy patch of our land.

The other option is getting a license to abstract water from the small river that runs along the boundary of our land, and is perhaps 40-60' away from one end of the planned orchard.

I think options 1 and 2 make the best sense, as during a very hot summer there is a danger of the river drying up, and I'm pretty sure I could only abstract water during the wetter parts of the year anyway.

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions!

[ilan]

Think I would clear the ground cutting off all that dead stuff get it as flat as you can  Then either use a weed killer Glysophate . or if you get it flat simply mow it all those weeds will eventualy die as only a few will stand the mowing If you have the time then wait till next year or later this year and plant bare rooted trees as they are cheaper to buy and tend to get away well Many pot grown ones will have sat in a garden centre with indifferent care and may be pot bound . keep the grass away from about 18ins circle from the trees

[Trillium]

Underneath that mess of woody stuff you might find some rhubarb, asparagus or nice flower clumps that you could move elsewhere before you cultivate the area for grass. True, you could also find some nasty surprises like ant hills or wasp nests but I always like to think positive 

You could always hire a petrol strimmer for the day to chop up the rough stuff. It would be worth the small cost.

As for water, better always to be safe than sorry. I have 50 gallon water butts around my property and young fruit trees do require a lot of watering their first year in case its not a wet year for you. Last year I put down several inches of wood chips mulch all around each of my fruit trees and extending beyond the drip lines where you'll always find roots regardless of popular thoughts on drip lines.

[ConfusedGardener]

Thanks again for the replies Trillium and ilan. All this advice has been very helpful!

I'll keep my eyes peeled for any surprises (good or bad!) under the brush. There are already a couple of clumps of daffodils/snowdrops I've spotted that I'll have to transplant to a better spot.

I think I will have to buy a petrol strimmer as there will be plenty more strimming to do on other parts of our land. I'm wondering if it might be worth getting something a bit heavier duty than a strimmer though - in the past when I've used our electric strimmer, I spent more time replacing the line than I did strimming, and that was on relatively lite jobs.

I once used a tool called a "debrucier" (I think) which my friends dad had, which is like a strimmer, but instead of the line it had a round blade just like the ones circular saws have. I was also considering a hedge cutter, but rather than building a collection of expensive power tools, perhaps I could just use the debrucier in it's place - I don't have any hedges that need precise trimming.

What I may have to hire is a rotorvator, which I think would be useful for breaking up the top layer of the orchard soil so it could be easily leveled out prior to laying the lawn. Or would there be a better way of achieving this?

[Trillium]

If there's already grasses and weeds in place, a rotovator won't be able to work properly. More often it will jam up, which has been my experience on grass, and take up to three times longer to get the job done plus you still have to rake out grass clumps.

If you have a neighbour with a farm tractor and a scraper blade, it might be worthwhile 'renting' his services if you need a level area. My neighbour came with a front end loader and did a reasonable job for me but he went a bit deeper than I wanted (because he couldn't really see the area ahead) and I had to do some filling afterward to get it to where I wanted it. More work that I didn't really want to do.

As for a heavy duty strimmer, we have something called a Bush Hog over here that you push like a lawn mower but it has the big circular strimmer blade up front and can take down shrubs and small trees. Is that what you were thinking of? To justify the purchase cost, you'd need to do a LOT of strimming. Perhaps a hire would be more in line.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want a lawn in the orchard area? More people are switching to stands of alfalfa and clover which both increases soil health and attracts bees, plus there's no mowing except at the start of the year.

[snowdrops]

I think as others have said clear the top dead stuff & see what comes up,compost all of that,shredding it will speed that process up & composting it will give you something useful back. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day,tackle a small area first.Waiting for bare rooted trees is a very good suggestion,save you all the watering during this 'summer' & buying you time to get the land sorted.

[ConfusedGardener]

Thanks again for the replies.

Ok, then I'll skip the rotovator, and see if I can find someone with a tractor/scraper blade.

The closest thing I can find to a heavy duty strimmer is this, but it was a long time ago and I can't remember exactly. Either way, it's out of my price range.

The main reason I wanted a lawn there is that I think it would be a nice place to relax on a sunny afternoon, but I like the idea of having at least some clover there too.

I like the idea of getting hold of a shredder to speed things up a bit, and I will definitely be waiting for the bare rooted trees. Thanks for the advice snowdrops.

[ilan]

Hi I have a petrol ryobi strimmer that has the interchangable blades and you can also convert to a hedge trimmer as well worth looking for similar