I'm trying not to get depressed but argh!!!

[Victoria26]

Just think of the stomach and thigh muscles you're using doing all this lifting and manouvering.

Every cloud / silver lining and all that. (You know it'll be worth it - remember to take piccys!)

[SarzWix]

I was thinking that myself snuffer, particularly when Gryfon has been struggling for 3 years to tame this garden. But, as you say, a lot of people don't like going that route.

[Gryfon]

I did start by not wanting to use any weed killers but after being beaten by then Mr G did spray in the greenhouse just to clear the head high brambles and bindweed! I'm trying not to use it near the lawn as the dog and children run around near there, so that's a digging job. Just need to try and get the bindweed roots up from the greenhouse before they start taking over again.

There are times when I wish it was just a flat piece of land

[Creemteez]

Desperate times call for desperate measures, luv. Get the Round-Up out! It's not as bad as some weedkillers and breaks down on contact with the soil according to the blurb on the canister. (Please don't all shout at me!)

[Comfreyfan]

I agree with Bramble, don't try and do it all at once and don't beat yourself up about the bits that haven't been done yet!
Just keep chipping away at it one bit at a time - get your greenhouse cleared and a few plants growing in it and you'll feel like tackling the next bit.
I battled with my garden for 10 years, trying to do it all at once. Had to clear the greenhouse with a hedgetrimmer once because it was full to the roof with next door's invading honeysuckle! It was only when the current Mr CF moved in and started making smaller beds it became manageable.
I still have areas where the couch grass, bindweed, nettles, brambles and creeping buttercup are winning - but those are my natural areas - we're always being told our gardens are too tidy for the wildlife!

[Snadger]

Desperate times call for desperate measures, luv. Get the Round-Up out! It's not as bad as some weedkillers and breaks down on contact with the soil according to the blurb on the canister. (Please don't all shout at me!)

It's bad enough that there's talk of banning it soon methinks!

[snohare]

'Tisn't the glyphosate that they are worried about from what I hear (although it does have a breakdown product that is left in the soil), it is the chemical carrier they mix it with to make it sprayable. (Tailor made for the molecule.)
I'm a hard core greenie, but even I have been known to bruise a few particularly bothersome nasties and then brush them with Roundup from a bucket. (Use Nitrile gauntlets for this, not just standard rubber gloves !) Man, it was a wonderful sight to see them all gone so quick, only problem was what I did with the gloves, brush etc.

[miffy]

I've been tackling the weeds on my plot bit by bit since last September, doing a bit, covering it with plastic and doing the next bit. That way i have been able to see the progress, it can be very disheartening though when it all comes back again. I had nettles six feet high, i didn't know they got that big until i had my plot! I also have lots of couch grass, docks and dandelions with their unfeasably long roots.
You will get it done though i know you feel pretty peed off at the moment, i took photos of my plot before and am during and will after, it helps to see how much you really have done when you are in the midst of it all. I am sure you've done more than you think.

[coreopsis]

Looks like I'm lucky having "just" ground elder

[snohare]

Yes, don't forget it's edible Coreopsis ! Why, you already have a crop...

[Gryfon]

I have taken a video I shall try to get on my blog soon. Managed to clear a fair bit, 4 big black bins and 5 big green bags worth so far, still have loads to get rid of though. I'm trying to work out hot to get some thick ivy and bramble roots out which are right next to the greenhouse wall now without breaking a fork or the wall!

Maybe I should just concrete the whole garden

[snohare]

Sounds like a case calling for a grubbing mattock or azada and a carefully dug deep hole...!
A grubbing mattock in case you don't know is like a pickaxe, but has an axe on one side for chopping roots, and on the other side has a wide blade at right angles to the axe, used for scooping out soil and stones. An azada is a lightweight version but with just the adze blade, much niftier to use but really best for general gardening where it excels.

[MrsC]

Gyrfon, stick at it, my garden is established now after 5 years of hard work (now in my 6th) I had to get a lottie though didn't I just to start all over again lol! Little by little, (should take my own advice though) as I am still impatient with my lottie, but in my heart I know what is best really! Here's a pic of my garden last year, when I first took it over it was a bombsite (literally) moved tonnes of bricks plus god knows what else, trees, weeds beyond belief! You'll get their in the end, I stopped looking at the full picture and started looking at parts of it and concentrated on that.

Take some pics yourself!

[Alison]

It's bad enough that there's talk of banning it soon methinks!

As far as I'm concerned, it may be better than some, but it's still best to avoid. It may (well, it is!) harder work to do it all by hand but it's incredibly satisfying seeing the progress and I KNOW that they'll be no detrimental effects on my crops from a bit of honest sweat on them, whereas I'll always have a niggling doubt if I go the chemical route. If you want to give the likes of Roundup a go then fair enough but it won't ever sit comfortably with me.

[snakeshack]

I must admit Id be tempted to get out the old agent orange,if you can cut it off at ground level and wait for it to start resprouting this would be the best time to spray.
then you would only need to do it once.
remember its better to light a candle than curse the darkness..........pass the flamethrower