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Tips For Clearing An Overgrown Patch
18 Answers
I've inherited a derelict cottage with an acre of land. I can't get planning permission to make the cottage inhabitable so plan to use the garden for growing vegetables. But for the last 30 years or so there has been grass, nettles and other undesirables having free reign on that plot. I don't want to use any chemicals. Any tips?
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We rented a cheap allotment which hadn't been worked for over 15 years. The weeds were waist high. We spent hours and hours digging it and pulling it all out, then rotavated it which I didn't realise was the worst thing to do as all the vicious weeds came back twice as high. We lost the battle and gave the allotment up.
Here, in the U.S., we've successfully established both flower and vegetable gardens in plots that match your description.
First, raking up the loose debris and burning it will be a start, but equally important is thoroughly "rotovating" (we'd call roto-tilling) the entire plot. Then, use a pre-emergence weed killer applied as directed. They only attack the seeds and root systems of those perennial and annual weeds that are already in the ground and will spring up when the soil reaches the magic temperature of 51 deg (F) in the Spring.
We use a granular product called Preen but there are several that are completely safe and non-toxic.
Then, before winter sets in, buy a roll of thick black plastic... you know the kind... it rolls out and is about 4 feet wide and you can cut it to length required.
Place the black plastic over the plot, overlapping the edges and secure it with boards or other material you have available. Leave it for the entire winter and even into the first warm days of Spring. This will sterilize the plot and allow the pre-emergent weed killer to do its thing.
Come spring, after, again, soil warm up, roto-till (Ooops- rotovate) the area yet once more to produce a finely tilled soil.
If it's been sitting for a long time, you might want to mix in several bags of common sand and peat moss to mediate the soil.
Best of luck!
First, raking up the loose debris and burning it will be a start, but equally important is thoroughly "rotovating" (we'd call roto-tilling) the entire plot. Then, use a pre-emergence weed killer applied as directed. They only attack the seeds and root systems of those perennial and annual weeds that are already in the ground and will spring up when the soil reaches the magic temperature of 51 deg (F) in the Spring.
We use a granular product called Preen but there are several that are completely safe and non-toxic.
Then, before winter sets in, buy a roll of thick black plastic... you know the kind... it rolls out and is about 4 feet wide and you can cut it to length required.
Place the black plastic over the plot, overlapping the edges and secure it with boards or other material you have available. Leave it for the entire winter and even into the first warm days of Spring. This will sterilize the plot and allow the pre-emergent weed killer to do its thing.
Come spring, after, again, soil warm up, roto-till (Ooops- rotovate) the area yet once more to produce a finely tilled soil.
If it's been sitting for a long time, you might want to mix in several bags of common sand and peat moss to mediate the soil.
Best of luck!
"I don't want to use any chemicals"... with 1 acre to be cleared for the first time in 30 years. Either you dont understand the task involved or you have all the time in the world to do it.
1 ... Get a fork and a spade :- use the fork to loosen the ground before you dig each sod out before breaking it up and removing the weeds etc.
This method should take many months or possibly years if only done at the weekends.
.... and dont forget to keep returning to the bits you did earlier, because they will have more weeds on them before the acre is cleared.
2 ... Hire a proper strimmer and a face guard. Then strim the whole lot down to the ground. Get yourself some of this ... http://
Rosate 36 only works of plants with leaves, not bark. When it touches the ground it becomes inert.
Leave the plot for a week or so, then the weeds will show again.
Spray it again, and repeat the procedure once more.
More than likely nearly all of the weeds will be gone.
(Some weeds require specific chemicals to kill them)...
The ground is then ready to plant on.... as Sunny Dave says spuds are favourite for clearing the ground.
I have 2 allotments that are 60 sq. yds each. I find that quite an area to look after .... There are 4840 square yards in an acre that equals 60 allotments.
My first thoughts are clear it ... caravan club site, horse stables, and paddocks, chickens, free range eggs. the possibilities are endless.
On second thoughts... chickens would clear it for you. just provide shelter and let them get on with it. They will clear everything that grows.
Good luck ..!
1 ... Get a fork and a spade :- use the fork to loosen the ground before you dig each sod out before breaking it up and removing the weeds etc.
This method should take many months or possibly years if only done at the weekends.
.... and dont forget to keep returning to the bits you did earlier, because they will have more weeds on them before the acre is cleared.
2 ... Hire a proper strimmer and a face guard. Then strim the whole lot down to the ground. Get yourself some of this ... http://
Rosate 36 only works of plants with leaves, not bark. When it touches the ground it becomes inert.
Leave the plot for a week or so, then the weeds will show again.
Spray it again, and repeat the procedure once more.
More than likely nearly all of the weeds will be gone.
(Some weeds require specific chemicals to kill them)...
The ground is then ready to plant on.... as Sunny Dave says spuds are favourite for clearing the ground.
I have 2 allotments that are 60 sq. yds each. I find that quite an area to look after .... There are 4840 square yards in an acre that equals 60 allotments.
My first thoughts are clear it ... caravan club site, horse stables, and paddocks, chickens, free range eggs. the possibilities are endless.
On second thoughts... chickens would clear it for you. just provide shelter and let them get on with it. They will clear everything that grows.
Good luck ..!
It seems a shame that you can't make the cottage habitable but if its seen that you are making good use of the land, then maybe it can be negotiated later on, who knows.
My first consideration would be, is there any trees/saplings worth saving ?.
Its admirable that you have decided not to use chemicals. I don't think you need them.
Invest in a good brush cutter or rent one by the day.
Once the debris have been cleared, I think you'l have a much better idea of the areas of the site that you want to cultivate.
Regular cultivation of the soil in the early stages, should interfere with any weeds or seeds that may be ready to re-establish.
It may be well worthwhile making a soil PH test to get an idea what will grow well on the veg plots.
I would save the odd nettle patch for wildlife, if thats possible.
Good luck - Chip.
My first consideration would be, is there any trees/saplings worth saving ?.
Its admirable that you have decided not to use chemicals. I don't think you need them.
Invest in a good brush cutter or rent one by the day.
Once the debris have been cleared, I think you'l have a much better idea of the areas of the site that you want to cultivate.
Regular cultivation of the soil in the early stages, should interfere with any weeds or seeds that may be ready to re-establish.
It may be well worthwhile making a soil PH test to get an idea what will grow well on the veg plots.
I would save the odd nettle patch for wildlife, if thats possible.
Good luck - Chip.
I know that the thrust of your question relates to how best to use the land, but my comments relate to the dwelling house potential.
You say that the cottage is derelict and that you cannot get planning consent to make it habitable.
This does not hang together well with my knowledge of planning case law. The term that planners will (or should) use is abandonment. If a dwelling is declared abandoned, the new planning consent would be required. A derelict property does not lose its planning status, though a derelict property may have been declared uninhabitable. Neither of the use of these terms by the local authority should mean that the property cannot be returned to its previous use as a dwelling.
I'm not sure if you have merely decided that you never want a dwelling there again, or that you have given up the fight to regain its former use, but just bear in mind that a plot with dwelling consent is always going to be more valuable than plain old agricultural land.
Lastly, please do not believe that cultivating the land in some way helps you achieve a dwelling opportunity back on the site. It doesn't. The best bet if you ever want a dwelling again is to gain agreement that it's former use has not been abandoned. There is considerable case law that drives my statements above.
You say that the cottage is derelict and that you cannot get planning consent to make it habitable.
This does not hang together well with my knowledge of planning case law. The term that planners will (or should) use is abandonment. If a dwelling is declared abandoned, the new planning consent would be required. A derelict property does not lose its planning status, though a derelict property may have been declared uninhabitable. Neither of the use of these terms by the local authority should mean that the property cannot be returned to its previous use as a dwelling.
I'm not sure if you have merely decided that you never want a dwelling there again, or that you have given up the fight to regain its former use, but just bear in mind that a plot with dwelling consent is always going to be more valuable than plain old agricultural land.
Lastly, please do not believe that cultivating the land in some way helps you achieve a dwelling opportunity back on the site. It doesn't. The best bet if you ever want a dwelling again is to gain agreement that it's former use has not been abandoned. There is considerable case law that drives my statements above.
An acre of land is more than enough to install a digester (Klargaster), and I'm not sure that you still can't have septic tank, if you wanted.
Water supplies involve a trench and a long length of blue plastic pipe. Depends how many hundreds of metres to the nearest water utility main pipe, but a few thousand I would have thought.
Depends where this site is, but the site with planning consent could still be worth compared to an acre of agricultural land worth perhaps £10k.
Water supplies involve a trench and a long length of blue plastic pipe. Depends how many hundreds of metres to the nearest water utility main pipe, but a few thousand I would have thought.
Depends where this site is, but the site with planning consent could still be worth compared to an acre of agricultural land worth perhaps £10k.
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