overgrown garden need help where to start

I have a very large and very overgrown garden and just don't know where I should start or when

We can now see the basic structure of the garden now we are in in winter but I have nettle stems and couch grass and just rubbish stuff that is the remnants of the wild place that it was over summer - just waiting to come back in the spring

Is it too early to tackle this stuff? does it need digging out, or strimming or burning?

Can I do it now?

I'm bothered that if all this old stuff is so difficult - how bad is it going to get - I need advice on how to start and what tools I need to buy or hire

I have about an acre of garden which was once I am sure lovely - but is just a jungle in waiting at the minute and I keep looking at it thinking - yes I'm going to tackle this - and then just end up moving stuff about once I'm out there because I don't have a plan of action nor am I sure when I should be doing what - right now this isn't about planting schemes its about reclamation!

Advice greatfully received

 

First job, strim it right down. Then sit down and have a good think about what you want out of the garden, draw a plan of what you want and where . As it`s such a large area I would suggest spraying it all with weedkiller during the spring. You will need to do that several times. THEN the work will really start.:gnthb:

 

Oh dear, seems like you are a tad fed up.
Fear not though, help is at hand.

First thing you need to do, is make a sketch of the garden, recording shape of beds, pathways, features ( i.e. trees, ponds etc), and anything else you can work out. Spend a bit of time on this, get as much info down on paper as you can.

Once you have this, you can make a plan. The plan should include lots of small areas that you can tackle one by one. Build into the plan a place to have bonfires, and maybe another to site compost bins.

Once you have the plan, tackle 1 area at a time. Don't stray from the plan - stick to it, or you will never finish any of it.
You will find the best way forward is to do a little, often.
If you try and do the whole acre in one, you will get nowhere.

As for tools, I'd begin with a decent digging fork, stout boots and gloves. Be prepared to get dirty, frustrated, tired, and most of all happy.

You will get there in the end!

ttfn

 

Hi HJPK, Welcome to GC..
You will get loads of advice from members here, they love this sort of thing, all i can say is weather permitting you should start Now before it all starts growing again, and it will...

 

HJPK, as it`s such a large area cut down then ,kill off the weeds first.:gnthb:

 

I would stick to a plan, and tackle it bit by bit.
Thats the beauty of the forum, you will get different opinions, and as you get started, follow whats best for you. Just wondered where in the country you are ?

 

Hello HJPK.

I'm afraid I can't assist you with your project due to my location .... but I can wish you a warm welcome to GC and I know you will get the advice you need in order to achieve your goals ... but it will take time, patience and probably hard labour ....

In the meantime, enjoy the forum.

 

I always find that pictures (if possible) are a great help to our experts to give you as much help as possible, and also for us not so talented garderners to follow your progress and most important of all to give the support you may need when the time comes. Plus we are a nosey lot here on G.C anyhow..:wink:
robert

 

Oktarine, when you have an acre to deal with, doing it bit by bit raises the question, How do you maintain what you have done, when trying to get the rest under control? :gnthb:

 

Planning !
Once you have cleared an area, it's much easier to maintain. Its pretty easy to see really good progress when its a bit at a time.

If you tackle an acre on block, weedkilling or not, you wont see any progress for a long time, and thats why so many get dis-heartened. Why spend out on all that weedkiller?. Dig a bit, weed it, clear it, and move on to the next bit. Hard work is far more satisfying to look back on.

Don't get me wrong, it wont be easy. But I still think a little and often is the best way forward.

Just my opinion of course.

 

Of course, and you`ve tackled lots of jobs this size?:thumb:

 

I very much appreciate this advice & so quickly too!

First off its a bit of an odd garden - I have 3 acres in all - its just farmland that has been fenced/hedged off and a house plonked inside it - the 'garden' is just fenced up near the house with 'land' around the whole lot

I don't think the garden realises its a garden

The guy who lived here before obviously was a keen gardener and seems to have spent an age doing odd stuff and had the time to keep at it - but then ill health set in and it was just left

He was 'eclectic' to put in mildly - Christmas trees dotted around with apple & plum trees - ivy climbing up all the trees - laburnums, conifers, ash (actually I have ash sprouting up all over the place) & sycamore hollies and ornamental cherries

Massive bushes (forsythia, buddlea, snowballs, little copper beaches and blackthorn & hawthorne hedges) - all with brambles, nettles and creeping everything

Couch grass and cow parsley

There is a rose garden - in quarters in the middle somewhere - beautiful old roses - like albas and damasks - stuggling with willowherb & coltsfoot

Now its all died back we have more idea of what is around - but I dread the spring

We have a gravelled drive and front of the house with weeds all over it - grass, mallow, dead roses up the front of the house that have gone back to the original dog like rose

I have an unholy mess

I think the idea of weeding like a navvy might get lost because the acre garden will be invaded by weed seeds from the other 2 acres of wildnerness - I have drafted in chickens, old pony and old sheep to help with the none garden land - but I find the manure - with the chickens particularly - that the weeds grow even healthier after they have moved stuff around and pooped everywhere!!

I think I would like to reclaim the rose beds - to see what is salvageable and am happy to weed that - I would like to see the front of the house de weeded and looking neat

I could strim now hard back - but what weedkiller would be best - I would need loads of it and wonder if it would be worth talking to the farmer next door to 'borrow' his industrial strength roundup.

I don't intend to give up on this - and I went on a hedge laying course so I know what to do with all the crummy hedges

My Thanks
Heather (HJPK sounds a bit daunting!!)

 

Heather, as I`ve said, strim it then spray it. Talk to the farmer he`ll help. He doesn`t want the weeds, either. I would lift what you want to keep and heel them in somewhere safe. Then dig up and burn what you don`t want.

 

Errr Yes actually,

I "cut my teeth" as it were at Coombe Abbey Country Park in Warwickshire, as well as having volunteered on many projects around the country, Ryton Organic Gardens for example.

The veg growing is my "New" area, but clearing large spaces from scratch is one of my past attributes.

And As i stated, thats only MY opinion, I never said that yours wouldn't work!

 

And you`ve done these jobs totally alone?:gnthb: