You said you were unsure of how to dispose of all of the greenery you want to get rid of. We have a green bin, but when we did over our garden a couple of years ago after the builders had been in (and after a few years of our own neglect) we were using those big builder's dumpy sacks to put all the brambles, ivy and other assorted greenery in. As well as filling the green bin too - check with your local council if they run that service. We were lucky in that my self-employed SIL works in grounds maintenance so he was able to dispose of them for us. If you take that route - don't overfill them, they get heavy! You may have to pay someone to take them away. Our front garden in the process of being sorted. It took us a few months to do all the garden but it was immensely satisfying. And when I say we it was mostly me as my OH's health isn't up to too much hard labour!
You could mark out the garden with sticks & string, and do small areas bit by bit - that way it doesn't seem so overwhelming, and you can see your progress more easily. The hardest part is starting, once you've got into it, it won't seem half as bad. 😊 Post photos of it here as you go, so we can spur you on and help if necessary.
Thanks for all the suggestions and encouragement. I think maybe I need to sharpen my spade. Could that be part of the problem? It just doesn't cut through this coconut matting stuff.
I'm not sure that a spade is the way to go to be honest. If you want to pull it away l wonder if a rake might be better. Once it's weakened it should start to give. I bet someone has a better idea than me.
You mentioned lack of upper body strength. Like @Slow-worm I use a fork nearly all the time, much easier to wiggle into the soil. The spade I have is a border spade, which is narrower and lighter and easier to use than a full size one.
It helps too to wait for the right soil conditions. If your soil is at all clay-ey it will be rock hard when dry and claggy when wet, so you have to pick the moment when it is soft enough to dig, but not too sticky to lift out roots without lifting half the garden with them
I use a border fork and spade too. Much more manageable than full-sized. I have a full-size spade but I only use it for shifting lightweight stuff like dry-ish compost (I don't have a proper shovel).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
This makes a lot more sense! Thank you all. It's such hard work with the spade and I've tried it now and the fork is much easier. But if I want to completely get rid of this top layer of grass/moss/matting (I don't want any lawn, just planting and pathway) will I be able to achieve this with a fork? I guess the fork will help me to break up the dense matting, lever it up and loosen a bit - perhaps at some point I'd still need to go in with a shovel and lift it up?
Are there some neighbours that might be able to give a hand? I have a dodgy back and ask younglings locally to come and give a hand, digging, lifting etc. Even an hour (at £10- £15) can get a revolutionary amount done and it feels like a blooming miracle every time. I certainly wouldn't have the gardens I have without help. Having friends over to help is also a huge moral boost. I personally find it very much more fun working with other people in the garden - a total gamer changer.
I had wondered about something like that. My neighbours are all older and more feeble than me, but I had wondered about trying to lure in some younger ones I know what you mean about that transformational impact - it's a bit like when I moved into the house, just watching the removals men and what they can do in an hour. I will ask around!
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Our front garden in the process of being sorted.
It took us a few months to do all the garden but it was immensely satisfying. And when I say we it was mostly me as my OH's health isn't up to too much hard labour!
The hardest part is starting, once you've got into it, it won't seem half as bad. 😊
Post photos of it here as you go, so we can spur you on and help if necessary.