On Mon, 4 Apr 2005 18:08:56 +0000, JustJo
wrote:


Hi

I moved into a previouly empty house about 6 weeks ago and now the
weather is starting to get better I have donned my gardening groves and
started to find the garden under the jungle in my back yard!

The brambles were awful at the bottom of the garden so I had then all
sawed down but already the stumps are starting to sprout little leaves
again.

I tried to dig out the roots but they are see thick and complex and
frankly, I'm just not that strong

I have a young daughter and I was hoping to make that part of the
garden into a veg patch so I'm not keen on poison. Do I have any
choice?

You don't need great strength, you just need a 'grub axe' aka
'mattock' These look rather like a stubby pick axe - available from
builder's merchants, farm suppliers or
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...sfile=1&jump=0
The one you want is the upper of the 2 illustrated - you will also
need a handle, shown on the same page. I spent quite a bit of this
last winter hacking out a big area of Rhododendron ponticum with one
of these, you just need to take your time, think about what you're
doing and hack the thick roots one at a time. Learn to make angled
cuts that cut the roots rather than trying to break them by hitting
them at 90 degrees - that just stops the axe and jars your wrists.
Healthy exercise, no poisons and when you get 'em out like this
they're gone for good.

=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html