Best tools for removing ground cover?

Question

We're finally ready to tackle the backyard of our house now that the weather is warming up! The previous owners let it become a jungle of weeds and blackberry thorns and saplings, and the ground itself is incredibly uneven and needs to be leveled.

What tools will be the best to churn up that top layer of soil and weeds so we can work on filling in the uneven spaces? I found something called an Iron Rake, but the reviews are mixed and all of them look like they're poorly-made. Anyone have any tried-and-true solutions?

Edit: Yard is a little bigger than 20'x20', plus a 10'x15' space for a future deck.

Answer 1

At that size start with loppers/shears or a machete and cut all the stems/trunks/brambles/etc. If you have any big ones, come back with a saw.

The followup work may go better if you divide the ground up into a grid of manageable size blocks - it's more humanly possible to clear out a 3x3 or 4x4 foot block than it is to attack the whole backyard, even if the whole backyard is only 20x20 feet or so. Do one, and stop, or two or three, whatever works - it just makes the progress more visible to you doing it.

With saplings in play, a mattock and/or pick will be useful to get the roots out and break up the uneven soil. You might also need to dig out rocks, or dig holes to drop rocks into, below the surface. A good quality stone rake (also called a bow rake, evidently) (which might or might not be what your "iron rake" was referring to) will help to even the soil once the obstacles are removed from it. Things move differently if you use the straight back of the rake and the toothed side of the rake, both can be useful.

You might need to shop somewhere that does not only have the cheapest hand tools China will shovel into a container to get a good one. Or try someplace with used tools available to find old ones that were made better.

Answer 2

For clearing the vegetation, it's sometimes possible to hire a few goats. My ex did this and it worked well. They seemed to particularly enjoy the brambles. You do need a good fence or somewhere to put an electric one though - clearly goats can't levitate, but no one told them that. Saplings will need some attention afterwards, though the goats may well strip them bare and make your task easier.

After that you'll have a better idea of what the surface is like underneath, and whether you're going to be levelling on a scale that needs a mini digger or a spade

Answer 3

• Loppers to take down saplings.
• Bowsaw if the saplings are over 20-25mm thick
• Slasher to reduce bramble or blackberry vines
• Garden rake to scoop up all the offcuts and dump them into a wheelbarrow for disposal.

Then I'd use a product like "Woody Weed Killer" painted onto the exposed/cut stumps, using a disposable chip brush. That will reduce the chance of weeds growing back from roots.

Give that a week or two to act, as per instructions on the tin.

Then I'd get stuck in with a garden fork and methodically dig out all the roots. This will also break up clods. You might choose to dig in some mulch or compost or whatever you have to improve the soil.

Now would be a good time to lay out any pathways or walkways you want to add. Also decide if you want grass/lawn or a garden or a combination. Garden will require better soil, and grass wants a nice compact base with a couple inches of softer soil on top all about the same density.

Good luck!

Answer 4

In addition to the answers above, and depending on the size of the "saplings," a pullerbear may be useful too. It'll pull out the saplings including the roots; the other methods will require you to dig or wait for a stump killer type product to do its work. It's not infallible, but it's pretty satisfying to yank the whole weed out at once.

Also consider an electric hedge trimmer, once you've got the larger vegetation out. Cut down to about 6" with the trimmer, then go over the rest with a lawnmower or something like that.

Finally, rent a tiller, and churn up whatever is left.