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clearing an overgrown garden to make it low maintenance

Julie151Julie151 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I have been asked by a friend to help her clear her overgrown plot 8m x 5m to make it a very low maintenance space that she can use to sit out in in the summer and dry her washing in.She wants a cheap, quick fix.She has health issues and mobility issues. She is not a 'gardener' so i dont envisage planting anything. At the moment the garden is membrane covered in gravel covered in weeds - grass and brambles mostly. I have started clearing the brambles by cutting them down and digging out the grass. My question is - how to kill and get the roots get the brambles out and how to stop as much regrowth of weeds as possible before putting more gravel over. I know its not very enviromentally friendly but is there are a way of 'poisoning' the soil with eg salt or residualweed killer to prevent regrowth. There is little chance of contamination of other plots and there are no plants to be saved.

Posts

  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    Basically, you have two options. 1st - dig out all the roots, 2nd use a weedkiller on the green parts of weeds. Cutting the weeds back and then using a weedkiller on the soil doesn't work. Weedkillers work through systemic action - the plant above the ground absorbs it, sends it to the roots, and then dies completely.
    But even if you do this, it won't be completely maintenance-free, new weeds will self-seed in the gravel and grow.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    I would actually say the method is a combination of the digging out and then spraying the regrowth because it's highly unlikely that all the bramble roots will be removed.  Spraying the new growth once it's about 9" long seems to be pretty effective from my own experience.
    If the existing membrane is in reasonable condition it should be effective in limiting the ability of new weed growth to establish.  BUT it will still be necessary to spray weedkiller regularly to kill off new growth.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Even if she is not a gardener she might consider it nice to look at something.  Shrubs under planted with bulbs & herbaceous perennials in at least one border would only need attention once or twice a year.  This bed can be mulched which will stop weeds. If there are not too many bramble stems a good way to get rid of them is to put lawn weedkiller in  a pot  and put the cut end of the bramble in leaves and all. The weedkiller will track back and kill the roots.  Much more economical than wholesale spraying.  As before the plant needs to be in active growth at the start. 
    AB Still learning

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Maybe think of artificial grass. 8/5 metres is a lot of gravel and the grass is nicer to look at and easier to walk on, as she has mobility issues.
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    If she has mobility issues depending what they are then using gravel can be problematical if, for example, she is unsteady on her feet. It can make walking about difficult or even dangerous.

    Though I don't like large expanses of slabs it may be more suitable in the long run if she is staying there for some time.
    Gravel as already mentioned will still need ongoing maintenance.
    Using gravel in smaller amounts or areas with mat forming plants like thymes or chamomile if the conditions are suitable.

    If money is tight then keeping an eye on local sites like freecycle can turn up good sources for paving slabs.

    Perhaps she could offset the lack of greener gardening with some nice feeding stations and water for birds and other wildlife.
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