Where do I even begin with clearing this?!

[Overgrownladygarden]

You couldn’t see the wall yesterday, completely overgrown with ivy/brambles which I’ve ripped out

How do I clear the actual bed? There’s a tree stump in there an about 10 inches of thick ivy/woody roots etc

Is it just a case of a big fork and graft

You've done an amazing job so far. I have done similar in my own garden over the past couple of years and it can be a long slog. One of the most helpful things someone told me is to keep track of what you have done rather than looking at what you have left to do - it helps with the motivation.

If there's a stump and it's not rotten enough to get it out by yourself, it's worth getting someone in to get rid of that. If you haven't got the money, it depends on the tools you have. If you have one of those enormous drills (about a foot long drill bit) that will break it up. If not, using wedges and a massive hammer can split the wood.

For the brambles and so forth, just getting them clear and taking them to the tip is a great start. Digging the area over is heavy work with a good fork (not the £6 ones from B&Q: they're shit, not surprisingly).

I used a rotorvator to get it all started (cost £70 to hire for 2 days) but it was quite hard to handle and I still needed to double dig afterwards to remove all the roots of the rampant weeds.

Basic answer to your question is yes, lots of work with a fork. Be prepared for it to take bloody ages and be exhausting! It will be worth it in the end.

Yes I think reminded myself what I have done is a great idea, I came out this morning and it seemed like an impossible task!

Ex is a tree surgeon so I reckon he’ll grind the stump out for me if I ask nicely!

Better get started before the sun comes out properly 😬

With the ivy roots etc, saw them off as low as low as you can so that you can see what you're dealing with. Once you can see bare earth, even with roots in it, you will feel as if you have made progress.

I have bought tools over the past two years and the ones that are useful are:

1. good fork - most important of all
2. reciprocating saw - like an electric bread knife - I use it for cutting anything below 8cm, including things that are in the mud. The Bosch one is a bugger to get blades for so if buying in B&Q or similar look for one that you can get replacement blades for easily.
3. hedge cutter - cuts everything under 3cm really easily
4. big knife - for cutting roots out of the ground

Good luck! See how far you can push the tree surgeon ex - eg using van to remove brambles etc. Hateful multiple trips to the tip with load after load of brambles and so forth were my least favourite thing.

Luckily I live on a farm so the farmer is more than happy for me to dump them on his bonfire!

Ah...excellent. You might find you're much quicker in sorting it than I was with my tiny hatchback Keep a nice photo diary as you go.

You've done a really good job so far, well done.
You can buy stuff that rots tree stumps, I can't remember what it is, hopefully someone will advise. We used it successfully at a previous property and it did the trick. Just poured it in and this massive root broke down over a few months.
Good luck, you're doing great.
I ripped out blackberry brambles, took me a whole weekend to break the back of it, so I feel your pain.

Leaving the stump could be an option. Amazing wildlife resource, and it It's flat enough you could set a planter on top to give height.

Depends where it is, of course, but I have some stumps I am leaving to rot down. Happy beetles!