Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Long Grass

jamesamosjamesamos Posts: 2
in Problem solving
We have a reasonably large garden - we mow the lawn and manage the borders. However, there are quite a few areas of long grass which need to be cut down every few months. It's doesn't cost much to get the local farmer to come and do it, but we would prefer to be self sufficient and manage it within our own schedule, not his. It is too much for our ride-on mulch-mower to cope with, and yet we don't want to have to spend a large sum on a small tractor and flail. There are also some low hanging trees and tricky areas to access, including banks. Can anyone recommend a good piece of machinery that we might be able to buy second hand, that would do the job - without spending a disproportionate amount of money? Thanks for your help!

Posts

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Scythe?
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited November 2018

    Lots of different ones available at a wide range of prices ... or of course there's the second hand market ....


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Borrow some sheep or a pair of donkeys?
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • jamesamosjamesamos Posts: 2
    Thanks for the comments and advice. Dovefromabove has the winning suggestion so far! Not sure I'm up for scything, and although sheep and donkeys would do an excellent job, they would need to be fenced in! The rest of the garden would also get shortened!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    You can get almost invisible mesh fencing for livestock.  We have just such an area in our "garden" - almost half the plot fenced off for paddock which our horse owning neighbours have asked if they can use.   Suits us.   We'd rather look at horses or cows or sheep than wild long grass full of nettles and brambles that we'd have to strim/mow/scythe ourselves.   
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    jamesamos said:
    Thanks for the comments and advice. Dovefromabove has the winning suggestion so far! 
    Google Allen scythe. When we had the small holding we got a secondhand one (couldn’t remember what it was called when I posted earlier ;)  ).

    It was brilliant for topping ungrazed patches of meadows and the driveway verges when the daffodil leaves had died down ... that sort of thing.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    You can also hire a scythe mower. Might tide you over until you can decide what to buy. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    How many acres have you got to cut James, Hostafan (on this site) has a huge amount and uses a ride on. Also he has a large tree area which he also cuts with the ride on, once it’s down it’s easy to manage next time. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

Sign In or Register to comment.