Our back yard has poison ivy. How do I get rid of this? I think there's quite a bit. Should I hire someone to dig it out? Not sure this is something I can do myself.

Not sure if you want to even attemp it. Rent a Billy goat or two and watch them chew it up.

two traditional chemical solutions are Round-Up and mixtures like Weed-B-Gon. neither are overnight sensations, and you still have to wrestle out the woody shrubs, which remain offensive because the irritating oil is still there.

if you can, this is one place where hiring a pro to scrape it all off with a machine and dump it in a dumpster should be worth it. two other noxious weeds that I wouldn't for a minute deal with if I could hire somebody are giant pigweed, evil beyond the devil's hand, and wild mustard, which can also raise dangerous bloody boils on contact.

myself, then I'd soak the ground up with Round-Up and put down an inch of clean, level soil before starting over. the Round-Up could remain killer for a month, so I'd separate the soil and replanting from the treatment to avoid knocking out what I replanted with.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,

If you tackle the eradication yourself, you may consider the cheap, disposable, one piece, jumpsuits they sell at the home stores for painting or insulation work. Then you are at least protected on the main parts of your body, and won't have to wash clothes. (otherwise, find some disposable, heavy clothing that will protect you)
Disposable cap, gloves, socks and old shoes would be my choice too.