Bramble horror!!!!!

[chris]

Shame you're not moving in when it'd be fruiting I had a large plot, similar. A chap used a brush cutter, and took the top growth off, we stacked it and it was burnt. Roots dug out as and when I needed the room, little and often as TS says

[DiggyBob]

Don't tell me about brambles

Hi, I went through this last year on my nwe allotment.

If you go to my blog An overgrown allotment versus a dodgy bad back and navigate to the beginning you will see how I tackled the problem if it is of any help.

Good Luck

DiggyBob

[Florence Fennel]

Hello, a very warm welcome to the Vine and good luck with the bramble clearing!

[shellie]

Will do, thanks all x

[veg man]

Hi and welcome little bit at a time you will soon get there

[woody21]

I had to deal with some monster brambles like yours and some that had grown up and round trees and over the top. 2+ inch bramble stalks are pure evil things but it was me who let it get like that.

I found a sharp strong hoe usefull for cutting through them near the base but it does take a bit of force but was effective and ratchet loppers for the thicker stuff. I dont have any garden shears so just managed with what i have.
I have bought a big strimmer with brushcutter but it a bit of a scary thing, ive only started it up and am wary of using it even with safety gear, Doing it manualy is safer.

The Bushwood mower as suggested would be great and safe to use, dont be tempted to use a rotovator to get the roots as you just break them up and spread them everywhere and they arent too bad to dig out if you loosen enough soil before levering them up, i did break an old spade and fork trying minimal digging.

Its rewarding to do it without chemicals

[vikkib]

Yikes! Good luck!

The only thing I'd add to all the great advice above is some decent gloves, I've had many pairs that claim to be thorn/bramble proof that... well, simply weren't!

I recently bought a pair of 'Gold Leaf - Soft Touch' gloves and although pricey at about £23 they are amazing! The leather on the palm is fantastic and I can grip the brambles on the plot firmly and not get spiked! It makes chopping them up and digging them out soooooo much easier!

I was lucky enough to only have a few brambles... you might need overalls made out of them!

Welcome to the Vine!

[Two_Sheds]

dont be tempted to use a rotovator to get the roots as you just break them up and spread them everywhere

That's good advice for couch grass and bindweed, but as brambles root from the tip, chopping up the roots isn't a problem.
I chop bramble roots up and put them straight in my compost bins (ivy too) ... none of thems ever rooted

[Lando]

A mini digger should do it if you have access. You see them working on small roadworks. You should be able to hire one for about 150 per day

[bubblewrap]

I think this is a little over the top.
I have managed to dig up bramble roots using only a spade ..............yes it's hard work but using a mini digger you are likely to miss some.
£150 that's more that I've spent on my allotment in the past five years.

[shellie]

UPDATE,,, Although I haven't moved in yet, got 2 gardeners who came and cleared the garden. I do have pics of before and after, not sure how to upload photos from my phone? x

[vikkib]

UPDATE,,, Although I haven't moved in yet, got 2 gardeners who came and cleared the garden.

Brilliant!

Now you can put your energies into the more pleasurable aspects of the gardening!

I do have pics of before and after, not sure how to upload photos from my phone? x

I'm afraid I have no idea how to do it from a phone; mine does very strange things when I try and use the Vine!

[veggiechicken]

UPDATE,,, Although I haven't moved in yet, got 2 gardeners who came and cleared the garden. I do have pics of before and after, not sure how to upload photos from my phone? x

What a relief Shellie What are your plans for the area now?
Just looked at the photos on your profile At least you've found some toys

[shellie]

Hi I managed to get the pics on my profile page, thank God its done, hubby got toooo many plans to mention lol x

[shellie]

Hi Veggie, apparently the toys are not the persons that lives there now, she said when neighbours moved out, they chucked them over her fence haha. Hubby said he's paving, grassing, shed and mini allotment! I think he thinks we have a field! X