Well, weed killer takes a few weeks...You should have put in the lease that the landlord remove debris prior to you moving in, hire someone to clean it up, charge the landlord and postpone your garden party for at least a couple of months unless you want to hire a landscaper to do an instant yard! JMHO Nancy

From what I have heard....Being in an old part of town there... the soil could easily be full of lead... From lead paint and automobile exhaust (prior to lead removal). So.... Disturbing the soil... Breathing it's dust... Etc might not be a good idea. You can get soil lead tests done as well

I would think the best idea is to make clean walkways and sitting areas using pavers... gravel.. Mulch.... Etc.... Then make raised beds with clean soil for any planting you want to do. You won't need to cover it in plastic since you will only be building up.

or.... You could go all Shawshank on it all and remove one pocketful of dirt every day... And scatter it as you walk to work..... Though you might have to wear a respirator because of the aformention lead issue. Then bring in a pocketful of clean soil... (Just to stick to the theme) .... Until you have a clean base to work with.

Either way.... That space could really end up being great... I can see the string lights now!

What about removing a few of the fence boards to give access to and from your driveway/lane/sidewalk etc. Wouldn't be too difficult if the boards aren't nailed in.

I would agree that with that much junk already visible in your topsoil now I think a soil test might be a wise investment. If it is contaminated, nice deep raised beds might well be the best option. Good luck with your party!

Harry

I have a nasty feeling I can see Japanese Knotweed in the background. I hope I am wrong. Check some pictures on line or post on the Name That Plant Forum. If I am right you have more than just lead to worry about.

The fence boards seem to have been attached horizontally, not vertically. Of course that means after removing a few of them, it's easier access for everyone, if OP is allowed to do that by the landlord.

I agree with the others that you dont need soil right nobt, but if you do get some kind of bagged soil, you dont necessarily need the wheelbarrow. Just get the bags into your backyard and from their, carry them the short distance to the spot that they are needed in.

You might want a way to sift through the first few inches of dirt that you dig up though, to get those pieces of glass, rocks, or other trash removed.

I'd sift out the glass with a screen of wire over a bucket. Is any nearby place available soon before you do all this work?

Just search for "Brooklyn lead in soil" and a lot of urban gardening hits pop up for people in your situation.

http://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/testing_your_soil

http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2015/12/urban-garden-lead-soil/420987/

Lead is only a problem if you're growing vegetables, and you haven't said what you plan to do. I would not worry too much about handling the soil (i.e. wearing a respirator) - the most effective entry pathway is ingestion, so IF you have elevated lead (a test is cheap, and you may be able to get a std. soil test for nutrients and organic matter + Pb in one test) - if it is elevated, wash your hands and your veggies before eating. Also, children are far more susceptible to Pb than adults, so unless you are pregnant or planning to be, don't lose a lot of sleep over it unless your test comes back REALLY high. Let us know what you find if you do it.

Start a compost pile for all those weeds. Pick a corner and either make a pile or get some pallets or a circle of chicken wire and throw stuff in. Kitchen scraps too. Less stuff to haul through the house to get rid of, too.

I do think it's generally better to work with the soil you have rather than trying to replace it, especially if you rent. I put some little flower pots around the garden and toss rocks and trash into them when I find it. When the pot is full I pick it up and get rid of the contents as appropriate.

Keep us posted on your progress, and happy gardening!

Sorry, I mis-read gardening party for garden party!

I recall many many years ago placing a keg at the far end of the garden with shovels at the entrance to the garden. The hope was to dig your way over to get a beer. Instead, everyone tromped over to the keg and made a nice hard packed path through the garden! Good luck! Nancy

I would withhold the booze for at least 30 minutes or you will not get much gardening done.

If it were me, I would get a couple big, empty tree containers from somewhere and a good pair of loppers and just start at the back door, or any corner you chose, and start cutting that stuff down and cutting it up to make compost out of it. Put the tree container compost bins somewhere along the fence and start filling them up. Drag a bucket along while you work to pick up the inorganic debris/garbage you come across.. In fact, that is just what I did at my first house with a backyard that looked somewhat similar to yours. It is a real drag that there is no gate back there anywhere with a nice, big alleyway dumpster to access, though. Might look at a sat map of your area and see if there is anywhere, any way, any reason to put in such a gate in though... Once your weed cuttings have broken down a bit in your bins (maybe starting in 3 months or so), drop a couple handfuls in another bucket, add water, let the stuff stew for a couple weeks, take out a cupful, strain it, put it in a garden hose sprayer and use it for fertilizer on your cleared areas. It's called weed tea, and makes a good, cheap soil booster, useful at least until you get some real grass seed taking hold, and some real plants (desirable plants, that is) planted in there. Oh, final tip, pulling weeds is usually much easier after it rains....

Oh!! One more thing.... Save any rocks, or bricks, or cinder blocks, busted or not. When you do get a path cleared... Use the rocks to mark the path along the sides, and fill the path very heavily with mulch. Later you can get decent border stones or pavers, whatever, for more permanent paths if you want, but by then, your mulch paths will at least have been hard at work enhancing the soil under your feet, and you can alter your path, and use the old one as better ground to plant things in.

Oh!! P.P.S.: Wear heavy duty gloves, sturdy soled shoes, and you and anybody working with you should absolutely make positively certain that your tetanus boosters are up to snuff. No joke.