Garden rehab questions

I've got the stone guys here replacing our retaining wall (wood to blocks)
and I'd like to get rid or everything but a small bush and some herbs (I'll dig the herbs out)

Can I use roundup and kill all the other things?
Then, I'd rototill and cover with more top soil mixed with peat and sand.

I'd like to plant this summer

If I can't use a short term plant killer what should I do?

TIA

I find it easiest to simply dig up medium and larger plants that I don't want and then throw them out. Small stuff can just be broken up and buried.

There is a fairly active debate in various threads of Gardenweb about the safety/desirability of using Roundup.

I'd just turn the soil over (either by hand or rototill) and pull any root bundles you see, then just rake the soil a few times to find any remaining roots. That should get rid of most of the plants you don't want. You can then mulch between the rows to stop any other weeds from starting up over the summer. If you have a weed burner you can also give the surface a once over before turning the soil to pop any seeds that may be on the surface. You might want to till in some compost along with the soil, sand, and peat.

I'll second Attrill. I've avoided chemical weed control in my food bed, and have managed pretty good control with fire, mulch, and modest tillage.

If you had more time, a good way to sterilize the soil without fire is to place black plastic over damp soil, and let the heat buildup from solar heat cook and kill seeds left in the earth. If you have the space, lay down strips of black plastic between your plantings. At the end of the season, reserve some time to cover all w. plastic, and let the last warmth cook the garden. Then rake in autumn leaves and let rot over winter.

gdenby wrote:I'll second Attrill. I've avoided chemical weed control in my food bed, and have managed pretty good control with fire, mulch, and modest tillage.

If you had more time, a good way to sterilize the soil without fire is to place black plastic over damp soil, and let the heat buildup from solar heat cook and kill seeds left in the earth. If you have the space, lay down strips of black plastic between your plantings. At the end of the season, reserve some time to cover all w. plastic, and let the last warmth cook the garden. Then rake in autumn leaves and let rot over winter.

Neat idea... A friend found a link to the process but I'm not sure I've got the time (6 weeks)
http://www.thisland.illinois.edu/57ways/57ways_15.html

Looks like I'll be pulling weeds all summer

Roundup will definitely make your life easier if you want to go that route.