The Walden Effect: Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Reclaiming new garden space

using Stihl weed eater to reclaim new area for garden

Wild brambles eat through the Stihl FS-90R trimmer line pretty fast, but it's worth it for the extra garden space we've reclaimed this year.



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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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I have also been reclaiming land that is cover in briars and enormous weeds. I have found two options that have worked very well. I use a brush blade on the weedwacker, it saves on string as well as not leaving bits of plastic all over. The other option that have been favoring this year is a scythe with a short heavy brush blade, the advantage is I can do this with the kids around because it is quiet and does not throw stuff all over. I have found that with a sharp blade it is faster that the string trimmer. The other nice thing is that with a scythe I am comfortable trimming very close to fruit trees without the risk of damaging the tree. The scythe supply company in Perry, Me is a great source of equipment.

Comment by Henry Thu Aug 15 07:40:49 2013
Have you considered a few of the many Stihl metal blades? We have been using the metal brush knife for a while and really love it. It tears through 1/2" thick locust bushes and scrub brush wiith ease. We love never having to fool with string (especially considering its an expensive disposable)...it is also nice being able to sharpen as well. Here's the link: http://www.stihlusa.com/products/trimmers-and-brushcutters/accessories/trimmer-heads-and-blades/brushknife/
Comment by Robert Thu Aug 15 07:53:08 2013
We use the titanium line and it lasts much much longer than the regular line, but I've discovered that if it sits around for a couple of years it weakens to the point that it is no stronger than the regular stuff, is gotta be fresh.
Comment by bob Thu Aug 15 12:47:21 2013
Get Goats the original land clearers!!!
Comment by Donna Thu Aug 15 13:03:57 2013





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