How to Clean a Ditch

Clean obstructions of leaves and brush from ditches using a garden hoe. The garden hoe will prevent you from encountering a snake who sought a cool place to rest and give you a weapon if you encounter a poisonous snake.

Wear rubber gloves to pick up the debris you pull out of the ditch. Place it in garbage bags or a wheelbarrow. You may burn the brush after it dries, if your local ordinances and burn times allow brush burnings.

Shovel out obstructions of soil caused by bank collapses and erosion. Cart the soil to another area of your property with a wheelbarrow or bucket.

Reshape the banks on each side of the ditch if the soil eroded or the bank collapsed. Cut the ditch to have steep sides and scatter gravel to prevent future erosion. During the late spring, summer and early fall weeds and grass will quickly grow back in the ditch to further prevent erosion and bank collapses.