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[clhw AT infoave.net (clhw)]

goats?
don't you have some?
they will help clear the brambles out.

otherwise, it takes several years of repeated, close mowing and some
grubbing out the roots

>I've got 1 1/2 acres plowed up. This field is old tobacco land that
>was left fallow a long time and 3 years ago had 4' pines on it. I have
>bushhogged it since then and ran some goats on it.
>
>I figure it's going to take a year of all out war on the weeds and
>brambles that will be trying to make a comeback. I'm going to plants
>as many cover crops as a can on it this summer - fall and plow them
>down.
>
>My reasoning is that the cultivation is going to help kill off the
>brambles that are going to try to come back from roots and the green
>manure crops will improve the soil.
>
>I'm thinking to seed it to winter rye now, plow at the end of may and
>plant cowpeas. Plow and lime at the end of August and plant buckwheat,
>plow again at the beginning of October and plant winter rye, austrian
>peas and crimson clover.
>
>If a disking will knock back the brambles, I'll skip any plowing I
>can. I'll just have to play that by ear. I know that the brambles in
>my garden were tough to get under control and I still have problems in
>areas 2 gardens later.
>
>Any suggestions?
>
>Rob - Va