Topic: Rotovator/Cultivator advice

[Ian Pearson]

Quite apart from the exercise, digging it will let you get to know the exact characteristics of your soil, and how it varies across the plot.

[cacran]

I have both a lightweight electric rotovator and a really heavy duty one. I used them both only once. I was told that it was not good to
 use them every year, spreads weeds and spoils the soil. After getting the allotment dugover I now cover each bed in the winter. It kills
most of the weeds. When I  uncover the beds, I use the garden claw. I works a treat. I pull out the few remaining weeds and bash out what few lumps are left with a hoe or back of the rake and roughly rake it over before planting. I am going to sell the big rotovator if anyone is interested.

[Melbourne12]

you guys ever used one of these before?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B003KIY8WU/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

trying my best to make this digging as pain-free as possible 

We have two!  As gavinjconway says, it's only good for soft soil, but it works well as a cultivator.  We refer to ours as "twizzlers".  Although they're easier on the lower back than using a fork, you'll feel it in your shoulders the next morning if you've done a hour or two of "twizzling"!

[artichoke]

I have been admiring a new allotment neighbour who inherited a very neglected plot last week. He sliced off the surface weeds using what he called a mattock (did not see that stage: "Chillington hoe?) and has since been steadily doing heavy digging every day, dragging out bad weeds as he goes. Within a week he has completely dug half the plot (normal size plot, sorry cannot be exact) and put in impressive rows of potatoes. He is 67 and seems tireless. He says the soil is good, so it is better than your sludgy clay - but I bet he would have attacked that with similar vigour. Good luck with it.

[BarriedaleNick]

I remember when I first had a plot in Tottenham and decided to rotavate it.  I scraped all the surface weeds to uncover a perfect slab of clay (it was an old brickworks) so I hired a heavy duty rotovator.  All it did was to spin round and propel itself forward without actually getting stuck into the clay.  It matter not what pressure I tried to put on it - the dammed  thing would not get stuck into the clay.

As I only had it for a long weekend I had at the soil with my digging hoe or mattock and then had another go.  After a back breaking weekend I did have something that looked like a clear dug plot..

It failed me in the long term though as in my innocence all I had done is spread bine-weed all over the plot!

[Golach]

Not going to hijack the thread but was going to ask the very same question so save me posting a similar thread.

We've been digging our allotment but find the grass just keeps coming back.  I don't want to use weedkiller.  One of the other allotment holders suggested yesterday that we skim off the top layer of grass then dig over.

I take it Matt's in Bristol (by his nic).  I'm just 35 miles up the road and have the same type of soil.  I know brassicas love it so looking forward to my favourite veg later in the year (cauliflower & broccoli Mornay - yum).

Our council is getting a bit stroppy and in their newsletter (got it last week along with the rent bill - they haven't put the rent up for this year), they're saying they want all the new allotments to be 2/3rds cultivated and things growing in them within 3 months of signing for the allotment or get evicted.  Given the state of the allotments - I took over the first one in September last year, the grass was taller than me - over 5ft and it hadn't been cultivated for donkeys years.

My second allotment I only signed for Christmas week.  It's quite interesting as I've discovered the previous tenant had put down a lot of weed mat and old carpet, which, of course has now been covered by lots of grass.  Growing among the grass are some very nice strawberry plants and some raspberry canes.  Already partly unearthed an obviously very good quality net - just need to find where the rest of it goes as once it's dug up I can use it again.

Found a plastic type tarpaulin covering a mound.  Pulled the tarp away and discovered the biggest ants nest I've ever seen.  it was 2ft high by about 3ft in diameter.  The poor ants were desperately trying to save their eggs.  I did feel a bit sorry for them (black ants) but the nest seemed to be comprised of really good soil, very fine so the ants had done a good job of breaking down the clay soil there. 

I have contemplated rotovating Plot No.1 and my boss can get me a weekend deal at a very reasonable cost with the rotovator delivered and collected but I'm also worried about chopping up the weed roots and ending up with more weeds/grass than I have now.

Did buy an Azada from Get Digging.com and that really is a great digging tool.  Got the heavy duty one.  It's too heavy for me but my son works it.  One of our allotment neighbours showed him how to use it properly.

[BarriedaleNick]

It is a tricky decision to make.  If you have couch grass (it has thick white roots and shoots up from the roots everywhere) then I'm afraid rotavating is going to cause you grief in the long term as it will grow from a tiny bit of root.  However if you have "normal" grass then it may well be worthwhile as it probably wont regrow if you dig it over properly after skimming over the surface as suggested by your fellow plotholder...

[Golach]

Yep.  It's couch grass but there is something very satisfying about pulling out a massive root and thinking "That one won't grow again"