Best way to clear ground?

[Guiggs]

Got the use of a very overgrown orchard,
Like almost all bramble, some of which would be up to the eves of a house.
It needs some fencing and there's 2 houses backing onto it so I need to consider the inhabitants.
I would say pigs but I'm not sure that would go down to well!
Any other suggestions?
Just to add there's no means of mechanical access so some kind of animal!

 

[Alicecow]

Goats?

 

[Alicecow]

Or donkeys.

 

[marcot]

Pigeons?

 

[Guiggs]

Goats?

Aren't they escape artists?

 

[Guiggs]

Or donkeys.

Too noisy and I doubt they could move in there!

 

[Alicecow]

Aren't they escape artists?

Probably. Some people chain them to something. Dog collars fit goats.

 

[Alicecow]

Too noisy and I doubt they could move in there!

Some are quite quiet. Some cry at anything.

 

[Guiggs]

Probably. Some people chain them to something. Dog collars fit goats.

Hmm, cue me trying to untangle goats from huge bramble patches 15 times a day... that would only end one way for the goat.... BANG!

 

[kfpben]

Pigs, I had a quote of £1500 to remove 40 years worth of overgrown scrub, old rubbish etc.

I got a dozen pigs in and they did it for free!

 

[Downton_shep]

Just to add there's no means of mechanical access so some kind of animal!

Not even a robot mower?

 

[exmoor dave]

Got the use of a very overgrown orchard,
Like almost all bramble, some of which would be up to the eves of a house.
It needs some fencing and there's 2 houses backing onto it so I need to consider the inhabitants.
I would say pigs but I'm not sure that would go down to well!
Any other suggestions?
Just to add there's no means of mechanical access so some kind of animal!

Damn it!
I was going to suggest the title should have been "coolest way to clear ground"

 

[Guiggs]

Not even a robot mower?

Would have to be one hell of a mower!

 

[Guiggs]

Pigs, I had a quote of £1500 to remove 40 years worth of overgrown scrub, old rubbish etc.

I got a dozen pigs in and they did it for free!

How long did it take?
Will they clear brambles, so think you can't go through them and 4-5 m tall in places?

 

[Downton_shep]

Would have to be one hell of a mower!

There not cheap to hire but they would certainly do the job!

 

[holywell farmer]

Got the use of a very overgrown orchard,
Like almost all bramble, some of which would be up to the eves of a house.
It needs some fencing and there's 2 houses backing onto it so I need to consider the inhabitants.
I would say pigs but I'm not sure that would go down to well!
Any other suggestions?
Just to add there's no means of mechanical access so some kind of animal!

360 digger

 

[kfpben]

How long did it take?
Will they clear brambles, so think you can't go through them and 4-5 m tall in places?

About 6 months to fully level the whole area. Yes they go right through brambles- we had them that high too!

I'm not sure if breed makes a difference. Ours were saddlebacks. Try and buy some trained to electric fence if you can. They can be right little barstewards if they don't respect the fence.

 

[Paddington]

After clearing a corner of a field by hand which had probably last seen a plough in WWII for some veg. beds, I decided an alternative was needed to clear ground for 'er indoors polytunnel. Electric fence went up and a sow came up from the pigs runs after breakfast and put inside the area. By coffee time she was going great guns and had dug a trench up the middle of her new run, my cunning plan was working. . Unfortunately this coincided with the start of the 2006 heatwave and in the afternoon she downed tools and fell asleep in the trench she had just dug. My encouragements for her to carry on working ( with half hour wallows) were criticised by people who had thought my eco-digger a good idea and it was left to P. Bear to finish the job off .
In the winter you'd have no problems, a good fence, some shelter, some hard feed and some pigs and Robert's your uncle.

 

[Sharpy]

I cleared a garden of 8ft high brambles with a strimmer fitted with a brushcutter head. Started at the top and worked my way down, swinging left to right, dropping about 3inch each time. It took about 3hrs to clear an area about 10m by 30m. What was left was easy to clear up.
Even if you go the biological clearance route you may still need to clear and fence the boundaries.

 

[Al R]

Agent orange (or any other of the Rainbow Agents) would be by far the best way but it's a bit hard to get hold of now!

Pigs, they do a fantastic job on everything!