Help!! I recently cleared by strimmer a garden that has been left to grow for 18 years, there are 12" ant hills all over it together with brambles, and other vegitation. It is all laying flat after being strimmed, what is the best way to proceed with trying to achieve a lawn?? rake,burn or just cultivate/rotovate and plough in all the downed (strimmed) vegitation . p.s. It is a very large garden

Please help!!

Craig.

Assuming it's summer where you are, I'd call your state cooperative
extension office and ask them what's a good cover crop for this time of
year. In much of this country, it's way too hot to start your typical lawn
grasses. Or....any real farmers nearby? One of them could probably give you
some tips. Plow the cover crop under at the right time, and plant your
grass.

"cjames4999" wrote in message
...

Help!! I recently cleared by strimmer a garden that has been left to
grow for 18 years, there are 12" ant hills all over it together with
brambles, and other vegitation. It is all laying flat after being
strimmed, what is the best way to proceed with trying to achieve a
lawn?? rake,burn or just cultivate/rotovate and plough in all the
downed (strimmed) vegitation . p.s. It is a very large garden

Please help!!

Craig.


--
cjames4999

cover in black plastic and let it burn itself out then till it under
"cjames4999" wrote in message
...

Help!! I recently cleared by strimmer a garden that has been left to
grow for 18 years, there are 12" ant hills all over it together with
brambles, and other vegitation. It is all laying flat after being
strimmed, what is the best way to proceed with trying to achieve a
lawn?? rake,burn or just cultivate/rotovate and plough in all the
downed (strimmed) vegitation . p.s. It is a very large garden

Please help!!

Craig.


--
cjames4999

Assuming it's summer where you are, I'd wait till late summer, then
spray it with glyphosate (Roundup) to kill all the existing vegetation.
When it's dead, you can remove the large debris, then roto till it.
Get the soil tested and apply any lime as needed before tilling. Then
get it leveled out, and seed it with the appropriate grass in late
summer/early fall, which is the perfect time.

"Jim Desrosiers" wrote:
cover in black plastic and let it burn itself out then till it under

Or spray it with roundup in August, then prep -n- seed in early September
just like most everyone else does.

"cjames4999" wrote in message
...

Help!! I recently cleared by strimmer a garden that has been left to
grow for 18 years, there are 12" ant hills all over it together with
brambles, and other vegitation. It is all laying flat after being
strimmed, what is the best way to proceed with trying to achieve a
lawn?? rake,burn or just cultivate/rotovate and plough in all the
downed (strimmed) vegitation . p.s. It is a very large garden

Please help!!

Craig.

"Large" is not descriptive enough. Some people think my 1200 sg ft garden
is big but my father's was over an acre. It makes a difference. If you cut
it with a string trimmer I assume nothing was very large in diameter (the
branbles ?) but, from what I gather, I would still rake it off rather than
try to till it in. If it is an acre or more I would probably plow (if you
have at least a 14" moldboard). I have plowed some stuff in but then you
eventually have to disc it or till it to smooth out the furrows. I then
use some old chain link fence (weighted down) to drag over it with my garden
tractor to smooth it even more.