How do I clean the back of my garden?

[boringlyboring]

Trying to sort my garden out this year, but before I start making plans I need to clear the back of it as it seems to have been used as a bit of a dumping ground by previous owners.

There is a mixture of broken up cement, pebbles, plasterboard I think, bricks and other bits like that. There are nettles growing in between and I think vines from ivy are going through it. Dried leaves which have fallen from around, and some sort of black mat is sticking out which I can’t pull out.
It’s all a bit of an entangled mess, a lot of the bricks etc are partially buried.

Can’t use a lawnmower or strimmer over the area, so I have just pulled most of the grass up by hand before it gets overgrown. Tried to rake it to get most of it out but it’s not done much, rake gets stuck or it doesn’t get much of the smaller stuff up.The bits of plaster just break up into smaller pieces

Have tried just pulling stuff up by hand but think I’d be there years.

The only thing I can think of is just to get a shovel and start digging it all up but some concerns with this - it’s a slight slope at the back already so don’t want to end up with a ditch and I’ve no idea how deep I will need to dig to get the majority of the crap up.

I’d love to clear it so I can start planning on what to do with the garden (there are a couple of trees at the back and I’d love to plant more or make a seating area around them that sort of thing).

Any ideas welcome?

Wow - that sounds very very hard .and I don't know what to suggest .

The only thing I can think is sheer manual labour - strong teenagers ,wheelbarrow ,one of those hippo bag soft skip thingy ...

Have you got side access to get a wheelbarrow down ?

Also ,shooting the ppl who dumped it all there .

Is it possible to get rid of the plasterboard and any other bits easy to remove. Pull up as much weed as possible and then build a raised bed over it?

shooting the ppl who dumped it all there .

After forcing them to clear it of course

I want to get the fence replaced so I could ask whoever does that if they’d clear it, for a price of course. To be fair, I started digging a bit today, and it’s not too hard but once I get to the tangled bit I gave in. Forgot to mention theres some mesh wire in there too, which used to mark the boundary decades ago I guess. But instead of removing it completely when a fence was put up, they’ve cut part of it down and left it. I can’t see the end of it so no idea if it goes deep in the ground.

Dont that’s a good idea. Luckily you can’t actually see the mess until you’re right at the back, as it’s flat rather than a mountain of crap. The raised bed might be difficult to navigate around the trees but I’ll have another look with the idea in mind. I would really love to plant something around there if I could.

The plasterboard is actually the most difficult to remove as it’s all in bits and just breaks (and there’s millions of pieces). If I managed to clear the majority and the big bits, and then topped up the soil will it ‘ruin’ the area for planting do you think? I’m not sure plaster it affects the soil in anyway.

I might just give up that bit of the garden and put a new fence up in front of it all - out of sight out of mind and all that.

First, get a tetanus vaccine.

That all sounds like it will be hard work, yours or somebody leafletting for work through your door or looking for work on noticboards/facebook. Are you sure it's regular plasterboard not containing asbestos? Sorry not sure how you can tell without getting it tested.

Invite the neighbours / DCs / family round , bribe with beers and burgers many hands . . . .
The black matting will probably be a weed suppressant mat which I think is normally put down and then a foot or so of topsoil put on top of it . So it will be a bugger to get up but hopefully the soil underneath the mat will be in good condition ( free from bricks and plaster board )

I can only assume it’s not as it doesn’t ‘the mess’ looked freshly chucked when we bought if you know what I mean. But I suppose it could be old asbestos chucked out before they left. Might be too late for me after today anyway

My neighbours are mainly pensioners! I’ve already been roped in to weed NDNs patio

I’m guessing from the replies there’s no way but to just wade through it whether it’s me or someone else doing it. I might have another go at it but focus on small sections at a time before calling someone in. It’s silly but even though it’s not my doing I’m still a bit embarrassed that it’s my mess!

Yes actually I could invite family round for a ‘bbq’

boringlyboring I've had a quick google and found this to add to your woes

Although plasterboard is designated as NON-HAZARDOUS waste, it has specific disposal issues when mixed with biodegradable wastes (like food). A reaction that produces hydrogen sulphide, a strong smelling, toxic gas and a constituent of acid rain can occur.

so I think it will have an effect on the soil .Maybe start a new thread to attract soil experts ?

And add a preliminary step before the shooting - torture /stocks/parading with a sign that reads "I dumped toxic waste for purchasers of my house to find " ?

I'd hire a jackhammer and a small skip and just get rid of all the soil that's got rubbish in it. The soil will be much eaiser to dig out once it's broken up. Then you can order new decent soil and start afresh. I can sympathesise as I had to smash out some ancient breeze block raised beds when I bought my house. It felt like neverending hardwork. In hindight I wish I'd just used a jackhammer rather than a Pickaxe and my (lack of) strength!

If you're not on a really tight budget I'd hire someone into clear it. A ground works company will have diggers and can clear it out and replace the top soil in a day.