[steve chip]

 hi there all, ive not long been giving a small area of my uncles plot and he has kindly given me a weed and bramble infested area which looks to me like it will take decades to clear  really could do with some advice on how to tackle it and what would be the quickest way of getting a good patch of soil so i can try and get soething growing for this year... many thanks, steve 

[Yorkie]

There's an article on clearing the plot in the Growing Help section - click the link underneath the banner at the top of the page.

With brambles you will have to dig the roots out.

Weedkiller will work on many lesser weeds in a few weeks' time but it's a bit early yet.

[steve chip]

thank you for the help, i was told by my uncle that he tries to avoid putting any weed killer down or any other chemicals for that matter so when it comes to the weed will it just be a case of alot of digging the soil over a getting them out by hand?

[Yorkie]

You can use a barrier to stop the weeds keeping growing e.g. weed fabric, thick cardboard, plastic (for short periods of time preferably).  But yes, for perennial weeds such as brambles, bindweed, couch grass, marestail, ground elder, docks - then it's digging ultimately.

[steve chip]

ok then thanks for the help, much appreciated..

[ilan]

Firstly cut down as much of the weeds as you can , these you can use to start a compost heap , then unfortunatly its a case of digging out as much of  the weed roots as you can  put into black sacks and leave these in the sun then stack up for a year or so . personaly I would then just grow into the soil as is after raking etc , If the weeds are growing then so will veggi plants you can feed with blood fish and bone meal to give it a bit extra , I personaly think that rushing out and digging in manures will give more grief than it will cure so enjoy it for this year and start making your own compost for next

[Yorkie]

Sorry but I don't agree with the advice to grow plants alongside the long-established weeds without digging the weeds out first.

It is highly likely that the weeds will out-compete the newly-planted small plants for water, nutrients, and height / shade / light.  The plants will not thrive and their crops will be the poorer for it.

[mattwragg94]

ive just started to tackle my neighbours garden/jungle the brambles where waist high (last year they where about 3m high, but i cut them down), i just cut them down to ground level, and start digging with a sharp spade, i usually helpsif the ground is moist, so i do it a few days after rain has fallen!

it might look bad but once you start it wont seem as bad, just set yourself targets and you'll get there in the end. unfortunately the best way to get rid of weeds is with a bit of elbow greece.

[WOODY7]

im in the same position as you Steve although half my plot just needs a bit of digging over , the other half is very overgrown i intend to use Glysophate weed killer on this part as from what ive been told its very effective and the soil is ok to grow veggy`s in after a couple of days (after digging over ofcourse)im going to leave mine for a couple of weeks after spraying . hope this helps

[mattwragg94]

woody7 is correct glyphosphate is inactive once it hips the soil, as it gets absorbed by the leaves. however as others have said you will have to wait a couple of weeks before you can apply it.

[ilan]

Sorry if my post was misleading but I did say dig out the weeds !

[Yorkie]

Sorry if my post was misleading but I did say dig out the weeds !

I think I slightly mis-read it too 

[rufty]

Well this is what i have done so far in a similar situation:
1) dig over the plot removing weeds as i go (working in manure & free council compost)
2) Plant year 1's crop to find that I still had constant weed problems and lacklustre growth from the plants
3) overwinter with a green manure - that seemed to help suppress the weeds

This has lead me to a new strategy for this year where I'm not bothered about production but very bothered about helping the soil long term
4) Remove any existing weeds - into the water bath to rot down
5) Any other plant material on the compost heap
6) dig over the plots
7) cover lightly with cardboard/chippings from the local tree surgeon.

Now the plan is that I'll be raising any crops this year to the seedling level indoors then planting them in holes I make at the time of planting out in the cardboard sections. That way they rot down and suppress weeds.
At the end of the year I then turn the plots over again and job is a good one.

That's the plan anyway. Also things like onion sets and garlic has/is going in under the wood chipping'd section - they should have no trouble growing through the thin layer i have put down, but the weed seeds should not be so lucky. Once they're established, put down more mulch carefully around the shoots
For the pea area it still has it's forage rye in, but will again soon be dug in, left to rest, then peas planted then chippings down again as a mulch.
The area that would be potatoes in a normal rotation I plan to use as a constant green manure area in the hope that that will improve the soil and suppress weeds there.

If it doesn't work I've not lost anything, but if it does then I'll know at about this time next year.
Now I'm not going to recommend this technique to anyone until I have tried it out, but a strong mulch and carefully planted seedlings and then more mulch seemed like a foolproof plan (as long as the mulch rots down in time to not steal the nitrogen from the soil next year). I'll report back in about 14 months...

[Yorkie]

Rufty,

I would ensure the plants are bigger than seedlings before you plant out through cardboard and wood chippings.  The latter are quite likely to blow around, potentially damaging the seedlings' stems beyond repair.

[Christine]

With regard to Steve's original question - I fear that much digging is required. But do part of the area at a time so that you can plant something as you go. This will give you a clue as to how fertile the soil underneath the brambles and weed infested patch really is.

You may find that the soil is not very productive as you get down to clearing it so you might need to investigate things like manure and the building of a compost heap to improve it. Just don't put the brambles (or dandelions, docks, nettles, thistles, bindweed, mares tail and such) onto the compost heap - these go far better on a bonfire or bagged up and taken to the tip.