Hi all, at a bit of a loss here. I’m basically a complete newbie when it comes to garden maintenance and this back “garden” has gotten way out of hand. I’ve never really done anything since I moved in. My partner’s cut a few things back when they’ve gotten really out of hand but nothing beyond that.
i’ve got a bit of time on my hands and I want to clean this all out, make the patio tiles look a bit fresher. I also don’t know what to do with all the old compost in the pots? I appreciate any advice. I’m just a bit overwhelmed with where to start. Thank you!
by infosackva
17 Comments
Get rid of the junk for starters, all the old plant pots, pallets etc and weed the gravel & patio area.
If the gravel has weed barrier under it is should be easy to pull out, if you don’t have any tools just use a fork ( as in a knife & fork from the kitchen ) to prick them out.
Just doing that ill make it look 100% better.
If you are able bodied and able to bend over or kneel down it will make it easier as well, get yourself a basic kneeling mat from a garden centre.
would take me about 5-7 hours to make that mint – being meticulous and taking the time to get all the weeds up.
Don’t feel overwhelmed, its really not that bad.
Get a weeding knife and spend 20 minutes daily grubbing up the weeds between the pavers. Pull the ones in the gravel – do it when the soil is damp ie a day after rainfall. Borrow a pressure washer and do the pavers, fence and shed, then paint or varnish the wood. Get some secateurs and trim the hedge.
Wedding and painting fences will make a huge difference
Clearing the junk, broken pots and rubbish will make a huge difference, and allow you to see the space well.
Weeding the gravel using a hoe and patio with a weed knife, and trimming the hedge by the fence will be the next steps.
White vinegar and handheld pressure sprayer on the weeds. Take all the random crap lying around and tip it.
Hi everyone, yes I’ve been meaning to get rid of the rubbish to the tip for a while but it’s currently impossible to get a tip space because of the bin strikes at the moment!
Thanks for all the helpful comments 🙂 TIL what a weeding knife is
Clearing out the stuff you don’t want. Cutting back the plants that are overgrown. Weeding (I’m sorry) and painting the fence is a good start.
A good stiff garden brush a Dutch hoe (for th weeds) and a lick of paint
Stop being idle
1. Get rid of any rubbish and tidy things as much as possible
2. Weed the gravel and patio
3. Trim hedge
What’s in that sinister looking box at the end?
In all honesty, it doesn’t matter where you start, just start. You already know that really
I’d start by cleaning and organising things, then disposing of thing you don’t want or need.
Tip all the soil from the pots into the flexible bucket thingy with the handles. You could grow potatoes in that later if you want (with drainage holes added) if not its easy to move.
I have tipped spent soil into the communal garden or into a neglected hedgerow nearby. Probably shouldn’t but it will give the hedges some nutrients and it’s better than it getting bagged in plastic and chucked in landfill
Weed killer first then pull them out after it has rained and they pull up easy. Could be a lovely garden. I’d use that gravelly bit for growing some taters and courgettes next year
As others have said, just get started 🙂 I’d take it section by section personally, dividing into the patio, gravel area and then the patio at the back.
First gather all the rubbish and put in a pile ready for a tip trip. Big stuff like the pallet you could maybe shift on fb marketplace for free and have it collected. Pressure wash the fences and paint them too if possible, I like Ronseal ducks back.
Sweep and pressure wash the patio. Put any large pots you have with living plants in on the patio. Use google images to identify what the plants are and then google how to care for them.
Once you’ve sorted that, have a look under the gravel, is there soil? I’d be tempted to keep the gravel for now, slowly sweeping it off areas around the edge to dig down and plant plants in (rather than removing it all and then realising you have a large and costly space to fill!)
The final third I would probably take a similar approach. Firstly get rid of that hideous broken shed thing! Paint the shed in the corner a nice colour. I’d then probably start lifting the paving slabs one by one and planting in whatever’s underneath leaving a small, ‘winding’ path to the back gate.
Work out where the sun is coming from and how much sunlight/light it generally gets on a daily basis. Google how to test your soil to see what kind of soil it is. You can also do some trial and error but I think knowing helps guide you.
Pick simple and easy plants. Salvia are great. Sedum should be good too. You could also try a jasmine and spiraea. Perhaps some bulbs too when the autumn comes round.
If it’s sunny, try rosemary, if it’s shady look at ferns. The RHS website has a ton of info, the gardener’s dream website also has little guides under each plant.
Finally, utilise google/pinterest/gardening shows like garden rescue to give you ideas and find out what you like and what you might use your garden for. Enjoy!!
By deweeding