Here’s a few pictures of the side yard. It has overgrown weeds, dead plants, has a walkway that’s created with compacted stones (which I want to remove), walkway edging (that I want to remove). Basically clean this up so I can then think of what to do here.
I was thinking of removing the weeds using a hoe as a start, pulling out dead plants and getting rid of the garbage.
Does that make sense? Should I wet the ground first?
How do I remove the compacted walkway?
Any other tips or suggestions?
I plan to do most of it DIY over a few weekends
Thanks in advance.
Edit: Thank you all. The consensus seems to be to weed whack it, clear it off and tarp it over to prevent future growth. For the walkway, I'll keep it as is for now and decide once its a bit cleaner to give me ideas.
by mp1845
32 Comments
Weed whack everything down short, then blow it to a pile and then put it in barrels or bags however, your town takes it
Use a string trimmer and use a rake to get all the trash out
Literally a weed wacker will do it all
The first question would be what do you want to do ? Like why remove the compacted walkway ? Are you planning to plant stuff there? Why not pots or raised plant bed ?
Honestly take some photos and ask ChatGPT to give you some inspiration before you do any of the work. If you do plant to remove the compacted walkway you will need to probably rent machinery.
But if you just want to clean the path, then Rent a Weed whacker and buy weed killer. Fairly simple process then a rake and/or leaf blower. If you don’t want to use chemicals you can put a black tarp on it to kill all plants. But first clear it out with the weed whacker if you just want to have some clarity
Weed whacker, rake, pants, goggles.
Hire someone to come and till it all up then plant grass seed
Burn it. Not joking. Great fertilizer.
Think of it as a blank canvas, and it becomes less overwhelming. Don’t try to tackle it all at once. Landscaping can be enjoyed as a journey, not a destination.
Remove the wood and debris first.
Removal of the dead weeds with a torch is the fastest option, but take care not to let it get out of control since most of that looks dry.
Then, take it in a small section at a time, depending on what you find and what you have as a vision.
U
Take it one year at a time.
Hire a neighborhood kid.
Pick up everything that isn’t attached to the ground or to a building.
My yard was very similar. Weed wack the stuff on the boarders. Rake away from the borders. Pickup the larger sticks/branches. Use a mower with a bag attachment to chop everything up and collect it. Should take 1 weekend at most.
Snipper, snip as much as you can
Then poison everything with a weed poison, in a week or two just take everything and snip more whatever is left
20 minutes with a steel rake?
start in a corner and work your way out…use a fork, a pair of scissors or whatever but start!
I just spent past week cleaning up my side yard which looked very similar to yours. Rake and hoe. Dig out some dirt about 6’ away from house to create drainage swale. Rake in some seed, a little straw cover and water. Added some weed mat 1’ weird and flat rocks at edge of house (sloped away from house). Went to landscape store and got some bushes and small fruit tree to plant.
Pick up all the trash and junk then weed whacker run over with mower on maximum height
I used to work in landscaping I would take a weed whacker to majority of it and then get yourself a backpack blower and blow the hell out of it. You be surprised with a backpack blower can do.
Burn it
I’d hire it out to a neighborhood kid w/a rake for $50
One pull of the rake at a time, just like millions before you! I wouldn’t be so worried about whacking it, 90+% of it is dead! Getting rid of all that dead crap will eliminate 80% of the problem. The rest will be easy after that!
Honestly, that yard wouldn’t last past lunch with me, lol!
Slingblade mmhmm.
Start with a weed wacker and some music, then a rake.
Buy a goat.
Rake. Weed whacker. Put it in a pile
Move the big stuff to one side then start tilling then rake. When you’re done with one side go grab a beer.
A rake seems like the logical first step
Call ICE and National Guard. Those guys clean shit up!
Meth.
Just start…. It’s not complicated. You’ll figure out what works pretty quickly
Remove debris, wood borders, pavers, etc.
Move potted plants and everything else possible to a temporary location.
Use a line trimmer to cut down all the weeds and plants.
Use a rake to clean up all the grass.
Use a shovel or bow rake to level the dirt and fill in holes.