2 answers
★ Best answer
I had a plot that sat unused for several years - grass up to my knees, shrubs here and there, everything tangled together. The most important thing I figured out: you need to work layer by layer and not try to do everything at once. First I mowed the tall grass with a trimmer, then cleared the deadwood and branches by hand. Only after that did it become clear what was actually growing on the ground and what could be salvaged.
Here's the catch that nobody really talks about: under dense grass you often find poorly drained soil that's actually boggy or completely choked with rhizomes from perennial weeds. If you just mow and leave it, everything grows back in a couple of weeks. You either need to dig up the plot in spring, or if that's too expensive, treat it with a selective herbicide (selective so you don't poison what you're planning to plant later). Another good option is to cover it with dark plastic for a month or two - the weeds will suffocate.
And one more thing: check if there's any construction debris, glass, metal lying around. It's easier to find now while the grass is tall than to hit it later with a plow. After clearing and the first treatment the soil already starts looking alive, and you can see what to do next 🌱
Start with clearing it out! First, you need to figure out what's actually growing there - if it's tall weeds and young sprouts, you can grab a brush cutter or trimmer and mow everything down to the roots. If there's literally a forest of shrubs and trees, you'll need to arm yourself with hand saws or bring in someone with a chainsaw. Getting all that stuff hauled away afterward is the dirtiest job, but it's necessary. Don't leave the roots in the ground, or everything will just shoot back up!
After cleanup, think about the soil. If the plot's been neglected for a long time, the soil is definitely clogged with roots, compacted, and full of weed seeds. Run a rototiller over it or dig it over with a spade - at least 20-30 centimeters deep. If you can manage it, strip off the top layer of soil and bring in fresh dirt - more work, but you'll get better and faster results! At the same time, you can spray with herbicide to kill off any remaining roots and seeds.
After you've cleared and treated the soil, it'll be obvious what to do next - whether to plant a lawn, build raised beds, put up a greenhouse, or just leave it fallow for a season. The main thing is don't rush into planting! Give the plot time to recover, or everything will just get overgrown with weeds again and all your hard work will be wasted.
Your answer
Log into answer.