Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: pakaba on February 17, 2007, 19:04:19
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Hi
Ok it says 'the basics' so i'm asking the basics..... how do you dig? ??? and with what? ??? ???
I've been down the plot alot this week and feel i've got knowhere fast but done alot of work to get there. Should i be using a spade or a fork? I've been told that i shouldn't stand on the soil but how can i dig and not stand on it. , I've tried balancing on a plank of wood but keep falling off stomping onto the soil.
I'm feeling a little over whelmed at the moment and and could really do with some advice the ground is so wet and so heavy i can't imagine ever having enough time to get the whole plot up to scratch and planted.
many thanks
Pakaba
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Think you will find it will be easier to dig with a fork once the soil as dried out enough for you to get on it. Do not know who told you not to stand on the soil whilst digging but who ever it was is wrong. Unless he/she was advicing you not to get on the soil while it is so wet. Do not worry to much about not having time to get things done because believe me if you love to garden you will soon be on top of things again.
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Hi pakaba
I always use a fork as I find it easier than a spade but that is just me. Also have a light weight one as the normal is too heavy for long periods.
I only do a bit at a time then move onto another job and go back to it, and if I feel that it is too much I stop
Hope that helps but will watch so see what others say
Good luck and happing digging / forking ;D
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Also Pakaba, have a look at the raised bed thread currently on here. You don't have to have wood surrounds but dividing the plot up into smaller beds which you don't tread on might make it all a bit more manageable. :)
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I think the best advice anyone can give about digging is to say "buy a good stainless steel spade". It does make the job so much easier. I was taught "barstard digging" which was going down 3 spits deep, then "double digging" 2 spits deep but now I settle for just one good spade depth. I like to spread the compost or whatever over the surface and then with a sharp spade you can turn it in well. You need to open a trench at one end and move the soil to the other end ready to fill the last trench. For my sweetpeas and runner beans I still go 2 spits deep to ensure plenty of moisture for the roots.
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We use a fork here but rarely go below one spit...
:-X
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Had heard from my parents about a thing they called a "terrex" spade, and back in November I saw the chap on the next door plot using one. The action of the spade was to just throw the spit forward whilst flipping it over in a single action. He seemed to be flying through the bit he was digging, so I spoke to my parents and they have now given me their old terrex spade.
Well, I must say, having used it a couple of days ago, that even with my dodgy knee I was able to get much more turned over than I would normally achieve.
It does only turn it over though. We still have to go back later and break up the lumps and level it out again, but hopefully another coldsnap will help with the breaking up. I will try to do the digging in the autumn this year, which I was unable to do last year.
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Last year (my first year) I used string and pegs to mark out 8x4 beds. I then used a fork just to dig those growing areas and had earth paths between.
I then discovered the plot was infested with Horsetail and by forking I had missed loads of roots that were just waiting for the right moment to spring into action and smother my strawberries etc. :'( If you are lucky you could get away just with the fork.
This year I am using a border spade and although I will still have 8x4 beds, I am digging over the paths. This way I have removed a huge amount of root........have to wait til April to see if it's had any effect. I have found yr 2 digging much easier and quicker (not much help now I know, but you can tell yourself "It'll be easier next year" ;)
With regard to standing on the soil; this time of year I have a plank about 30" from where I am digging. This just means that I don't get REALLY muddy boots. Once the area is dug, I try to rake from the edges rather than standing on the soil, although sometimes you need to tramp down to soil to get rid of any air pockets.
I think it depends on preference and conditions.
Hope that helps a bit.
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I dont ;D. According to my other half, I dont do it properly ::) so he is my labourer...
He bought an azada from here http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm (http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm) last year & loves it. It took him several weekends to skim the turf off & dig over one of my 4ft by 20ft couch grass covered beds last spring with a spade & fork....it took him only a couple of hours to do most of the second bed the day after the azada arrived :o
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It don't matter if you stand on the soil prior to being dug. You can work your way backwards as you dig so you don't walk over what you have dug. If you are stuck for time then dig it with a spade. You can always turn it in with a fork when you are ready to plant or sow in the same area. A spade will make you look like you are getting somewhere fast. You can always go over it in slow time to remove anything you need to.
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I find it faster to use the digging hoe (AKA Azada). The only drawback is that it slices off the roots of anything that goes down deep, so I'd rather use the fork on those. The spade comes out occasionally for things that are so deep-rooted the fork won't shift them. I usually go backwards, except when I'm lifting spuds.
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I don't "dig properly" either. I am wrenching beds out of my meadow grass/weed new allotment (having covered it with newspaper/cardboard to slow the stuff down or even stifle it) by taking out a great deep cubic lump with a spade (stainless steel, I absolutely agree it is worth it), bashing it to bits and putting the weeds in a sack to rot down.
Then I take out another great cubic lump, bash it to bits and put the weeds in a sack.
Then I take out another great cubic lump, bash it to bits and put the weeds in a sack.
And so on. It must be painful to watch if there is a "proper" digger nearby, and it is slow, but the bed in the end is almost ready to plant into, crumbly and reasonably weed free. I add soil improvers and fertiliser and seeds/plants. Those weeds that do grow back can be quite easily pulled out because the soil is soft and crumbly.
The reason I do it like this is because over the years I have watched so many people simply turning over their lumps, burying the weeds, and swiftly moving on. They get a lot more done than me, but as they move on down the plot, the couchgrass shimmers green over where they started a few weeks ago, and because the soil is still in hard lumps it cannot be just pulled out. They have to dig it all over again, or often give up and you don't see them again.
I don't do much digging after this first dig - some gentle turning over and raking. Such a treat after the first hard slog.
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I use an azada too, I've found it brilliant for digging ground that hasn't been dug for a long time. It excels in levering out couch, dock and dandelion roots, you can go deep in one spot to do that. I also concentrate on getting the ground as weed free as possible first.
If your ground is really heavy and wet, I would keep off it until it dries out more. ;D
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I took on my allotment two years ago and quickly gave up the idea of having it all cultivated straight away.
It was (is?) infested with every type of perennial weed, so I've covered a lot of it and just reclaim a bit more each year. Even after two years I'm still only cultivating about half of it... but like everyone else has already said, if you do the job properly the first time you save yourself headaches later on.
I've found another advantage to covering sections - As you pull back the carpet / plastic the soil underneath is much dryer and so lighter and easier to turn...
So don't give up. Set yourself a realistic goal and enjoy it!
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Either way, what ever happens digging is the hard bit. A few people suggested rotavating, but on my plot that hadn't been dug in 20 years it just mashed up the roots and spread the weeds everywhere.
Second thought was to do a small bit at a time as thoroughly as possible - I find that my 2.5m x 1.5m square is the most for a weekend before your arms feel like dropping off. One square a weekend is enough - you'd have the lot sorted in a month or two! :( All I do is use a fork and pull out the major grass and weeds and then give a good hoeing so it's flatter and easier to pick off the smaller weeds left
Shame there's no quick fix.
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I use a fork Pakaba, just give it a quick turn over as KT says walking backwards will not be a problem because you will be turning over what you have already trod on. I did mine last week and it was very wet so give it a quick turn and don't get bogged down, everyone has their different ways but believe me this is the easiest in these conditions, happy digging. ;D ;D ;D
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i use a fork too as I find it much easier than a spade. If you want to dig a hole I guess a spade would be better, but for turning the soil and getting the dreaded couch grass out then my lovely old D handle sharp as hell fork seems to do the job. ;D
Alan Titchmarsh's books How to be a gardener truly cover 'the basics'. When I started gardening I found them invaluable, also the RHS Learn To Garden is excellent.
Happy diggin'! ;)
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Hi Pakaba, Hi all, :)
I use a fork unless I`m digging a hole then I use a spade.
I think it breaks up the clumps and help me get the weeds
out. Some of my plot neighbours use stainless steel spades
but they have much better soil than me and less weeds.
Col
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I'm like Columbus, a fork for 'forking over' then a spade for digging things out or digging planting holes. However, that said, I have found when digging and the ground is wet, I get on better with a spade.
I think you will find eventually you will get your own method and digging technique which suits you. Some people like to dig (ME!), some don't. I love the look of a freshly turned bed all chunky and clear. The fork is very good at smashing down those chunks once the sun and wind have been on them and dried them out.
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I do very little digging really (thats what worms are for) I skim and turn green manure and just dump compost on the surface.
Have a look at the Methods of Cultivation section on the A4A Wiki pages. They have lots of tips on ways of avoiding hard work!
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I use a fork for 'new' ground i.e to remove the couch/weeds and a spade for ground that's already been dug over and for digging in green manure. If you dig moving backwards, you won't then stand on soil that you have just dug over - perhaps that's what was meant by not standing on the soil?
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I find it faster to use the digging hoe (AKA Azada). The only drawback is that it slices off the roots of anything that goes down deep, so I'd rather use the fork on those. The spade comes out occasionally for things that are so deep-rooted the fork won't shift them. I usually go backwards, except when I'm lifting spuds.
Hi Robert, I live in Brum..where can I buy an Azada?
Geo.. :)
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i can't offer you anywhere you're certain to get one locally, but I keep an eye on the Rag market. There's a stall in there that has them now and then, down by the entrance at the outdoor market end. He sells ironmongery and stuff, and he's on the main aisle, you can't miss it. It would be worth an enquiry, as they're under a tenner when he has them.
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Hi Geo,
Just type azada into your search engine, there are a few firms selling them on line, there are different sizes, so do a bit of research before deciding which one to buy.
Adrian.
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I dig using a spade to turn the soil over in Autumn/winter leaving it in largish lumps, the aim being the frost helps to break up the soil. In the spring I then rotivate to break the soil up into a fine tilth ready for sowing.
Once the soil is in a really good condition you could just use the fork to dig over the winter/ early spring and rake area or just loosen soil slightly with fork just before sowing/planting.
If there are lots of weeds especially things like couch and bind weed like I have on a new allotment I have just taken on then I will use a fork, break up the soil and remove the weeds and large stones (there are so many). This will not need rotivating as I have used the fork to break up the soil and it will not be long before I start sowing.
I particularly use the spade down the sides of the plot and ends to keep a good edge to the plot.
Talk to and watch other plot holders, use this forum and then from all the information you have decide what you will do. You will be fine, in no time at all you will feel like a pro.
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Hi pakaba,
I've just taken on a new plot and it is covered in weeds and grass so also have a lot to do in time for planting! I am new to all this digging lark and have been using a fork and going down one spit. I find that it pulls up a lot of roots that I can pull out and I bash the big bits and then leave them to break down by nature. Yesterday I went back to a strip I had dug last weekend and it was lovely and crumbly. Here is a pic of what I dug yesterday, and I do what others here have mentioned - walk backwards and you dig what you have stood on...
It is the whole width of the upper portion of the pic, where the plank goes across. The bottom bit is the part I said is now all crumbly and nice. It took me about five hours and yes I'm a bit achey, but at least there is progress! (It used to look like the bit by the tarpaulin, i.e. very grassy!
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i297/sally_cinnamon_photos/Allotment/2718thFeb07.jpg)
PS I have found that if you repeatedly stand on wet soil it will turn to mud and set really hard. I found that out because I had tried to squish down some soil to make a little path by my compost heap and now it is like concrete! Lucky its not near my beds... ;)
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Thanks for the replies...Found one ;D
http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm (http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm)
Geo.. :)
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Thanks for the replies...Found one ;D
http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm (http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm)
Geo.. :)
Yep thats where DH got his & his FILs from (FIL borrowed ours & asked us to orer him one as well as he liked so much!)...really good quick service & minimal packaging to worry about getting rid off. I think we got the heavy duty one...
Saz
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Hi pakaba,
I also endorse the "AZADA" the rest of the world uses it, so why not Britain, I love mine. You'll have your plot turned in no time.
Regards Peter.
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I ordered the heavy duty azada..looking forward to using it...
G e o.. :)
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I have always used a fork to dig my soil, which is very stony/chalky, so is the most practical.
Traditional teaching says to use a spade to turn over the soil and then use a fork to break down the clods (or let the weather do it for you if you have time), but i personaly have never got the hang of this method.
I think the bit about not treading on the soil refers only to the bit you have dug not the whole lot! Obviously you dont want to trample over you nicely dug over soil!
The best way in the long term to avoid walking over dug over soil is to make paths and beds, that way you only walk on certain areas and only have to dig certain areas.
Hope this helps
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I have a new allotment which I am digging over one gripe deep It is generally very loose and well draining so I believe any roots that need to go deeper will have no problems. However, the land was overgrown with brambles etc. and I have having extreme difficullty getting the old roots out any suggestions? Another problem is a tree which the council have felled in an adjoining allotmenmt leaving the stump and roots whcih travel in part through my site at a shallow depth. Putting in a central path I have needed to chop through each root either side but any tips on how to get rid of the rest or is it a little at a time and hard labour?
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The tree roots will rot away in time. When it comes to brambles, this is a problem I have as well. Persistence pays; just go round occasionally in the growing season and pull out whatever's appeared since your last visit. It dies out in the end.