Help with clearing backyard

Hi all! I hope you all can help. I have just under an acre of land, and my backyard is the larger part of the property. I had the area cleared about a year ago after having some unhealthy trees cut as well. I had the tree service push the downed trees to the back of the property as a wildlife refuge area. I would like to plant the rest of the area with native wildflowers and use stone pathways. My problem is this: I've not had time to stay ahead of the weeds in the back part of the yard. Now I have weeds and brush again and I'm not sure of a good way to clear that land. Any suggestions for an easy (meaning: I can do it without a backhoe!) way to clear the land and plant seeds, bulbs, etc.? What is the best way to cut the weeds/brush (it is a large area) then get the soil ready for planting?

Do you know anyone with a small tractor with a bush hog attachment? That would be the easiest way to clear out all the brush and weeds. Some of the lawn service folks provide this service around here. After the brush has been cut, you might want to spray something like Round Up to finish off all the undesirable trash, then in a couple of weeks it would be safe to start planting.

If it were a smaller area, I'd cover it in newspaper and mulch and wait until the spring when it has all broken down to plant... don't know if that would work for you with that much area with though.

If I was in your shoes, I'd draw a paper diagram of that pathway winding through your future wild flower meadow. I'd start killing the entire area with weed killer(stronger brush killer kind). Once all weeds/brush are dead (about 7-10 days), they will be easy to pull up and throw on top of those downed trees for added wildlife shelter. With that path in mind, lay down weed cloth as in your diagram, then cover with wheat straw. The remaining planting area can be made into lasagna beds as monk...suggested in the above post. Since you will have a clean slate, I'd draw some anchor plants in the design here and there for some substance and help create turns and curves. Even if you have no idea at the moment what those small trees and shrubs would be, I'd earmark spots for some. These would help create turns in your pathway and help create small island beds that will be much easier to control future weeds. Draw in some hardscapes here and there, like a sitting bench, birdbath, butterfly puddle & sunning rocks. Wildflowers alone in a wide open bed/meadow can take years to get established planted by themselves. Weeds will take them over if you don't give the wildflowers a head start advantage. I feel planting/sowing small groupings of wildflowers in island beds among your pathways should be easier for you to manage on a time restraint.

Thanks everyone for your great ideas! I will probably have to go with the chemical weed killer (will that be detrimental to the wildlife?) rather than the bush hog idea. The area I need cleared is on the back side of my property and there is a fairly deep stream that separates that area from the house. I had the stream area lined with rocks and had a walkway bridge built for it, but I can't get anything big past that point. So I'll try the weed killer and mulch idea.

Thanks again everyone! You rock!

Oh your creek bed and bridge sounds lovely!

They are so pretty, and the guy who built my bridge also handbuilt an arbor with a swing for me, too. Sad thing is that I just can't keep that area cleared! I've planted daylilies (I LOVE them!) and several shrubs but the brush is getting ahead of me. I'd love to dam up the stream for a pond but that will be WAY too much work--not to mention mosquitoes!

I understand. I've been battling the brush clearing around my pond for the past two years. I just takes time and alot of smothering.

See if anyone would loan out their goats to ya for a while. Goats - a weeds worst enemy....LOL

Janet

A goat--or two--would work! Or--I just need to deal with the heat here in GA and do it myself. Better take a week off tho...!

look into some Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats. Goats love weeds. Did you know that the tongues of goats can handle thorns and a lot worse was better than sheep. Hence the saying: Gaots - a weeks worst enemy..

Nigerian also love the heat, as they originated in Africa.

Janet

ps good luck and remember to only work early morning and late evening so you do get heat stroke.

I would love to have a couple of goats--my neighbors wouldn't like it I bet. :( I just love the round little soft bellies on goats. I was raised on a farm but Mom would never let us have goats--'they'll eat us out of house and home' I believe was her mantra.

Ok, so I bought a Troy-bilt gas-powered brush cutter (cheaper than a landscaper). Now I just have to figure out how to use it without lopping off a toe or foot or....Once I get the brush short enough, then I can spray with brush killer, mulch it and leave it to overwinter, then rototil next spring. I think....

Sounds good but ACK!

Once you till. Leave the ground exposed a couple of weeks. Tilling will unearth new weed seeds. Let those go ahead and germinate, then kill with weed killer. I don't know how big your area is but if you've got access to lot's of newspapers that's a good way to block the sun from germinating weed seeds. If it is practical for you to lay paper, after you use weed killer but before topping with mulch, you could lay down news papers, wet it, then cover with a thin layer of mulch. Then in September or October, sow mega wild flower seeds on top then cover with more mulch. That will be a calling card for earthworms and the wildflower seeds sown in the fall will germinate first when spring comes in hopes to crowd out early weeds.