fork or tractor?

[Simba42]

This is the weekend we start on our allotment. And a friend has throne a spanner into my plans.

I had plans of making 10   x   5mx2m beds with scaffolding plank sides to keep it neat and tidy. I was going to do the first 2 beds by hand and see if hiring a rotavator would be worth it.

My friend has offered me the use of his Massy Ferguson with rotavator attachment which would do the whole plot in 4 parses. But would mean I have no paths or raised bed.

Should I go small and simple with a fork? Or plough the lot and start from a blank rotavated canvas?

[Simba42]

[Uncle Joshua]

Having a tractor to do it would saved time but all those weeds would come back twice as strong, I'd stick to your original plan and use the good old folk.

[Wasp_Box]

I rotovate my plot and it's fine on the weed front BUT I cleared the perennials first and I hoe to stay on top of annuals. Also, I can rotovate whenever I wish to.

If you are just being offered a one-off then I would have a think about it. If you have a lot of perennial weeds it could make things a lot worse.

I love my ancient rotovator and recommend them wholeheartedly. It takes a lot of the back-ache out of allotment life. I've used it for about 6 years and have never had a problem with damage to the soil structure (it does get well manured every year though).

[Larkshall]

I use a rotovator (which is many years old) and as it is my own I can redo it whenever it is necessary. If you are relying on someone else they may not be available when required. When you use mechanical methods you have to think like a farmer, rotovating needs doing repeatedly to kill weeds and breakdown the soil (if it is heavy land). You also need to get down to 10 or 11" depth (in other words, the base plate of the engine needs to be just above ground level). It is quite common for farmers to go over the land five or six times before sowing or planting. Rotovators are excellent machines when used properly, but getting someone in to do the job once is no good. Digging is slow, laborious work and each forkfull needs to be broken down and the weeds and roots pulled out. Remember, if you leave permanent paths they will become infested with weeds which spread into the adjacent land.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Do watch out for your paths. My original one spread couch everywhere for several years until I finally got round to digging it up.

[Wasp_Box]

Larkshall has it just right. If you're thinking of getting a rotovator, read this.

One other thing. Learn how to use it. I have seen so many people fighting their rotovator. It will always win (well, unless it's one of those Mantis toys)! Best advice is get someone who uses one to show you how to "go with the flow".

[saddad]

We use the fork but I could see the attraction of breaking it all up with the tractor first,......
:-\

[sazhig]

Having seen what the previous owner of my plot did to it with a tractor I am personally staying very clear of all things mechanical....fine if you know what you are doing.....but we are having to deal with lots of rather large troughs & hillocks that need levelling out ::)....The plot next to ours (which he also used to have) had what looked like the beginnings of a large pond it was so uneven :o...

We are going with the slow & steady by hand method - strimming & then digging over each bed (with an azada which have proved to be much quicker & easier than with a conventional spade) & mowing the grass in between the beds to keep them in check until we can afford to put down some bark or similar.

[growmore]

I would start from blank canvas and rotovate ..That way the paths and the beds will be where you want to put them...Sure you will get some weeds grow but they will be easy to pull out or hoe  when small,,,Cheers ..Jim

[agapanthus]

Definitely the fork! My plot was ploughed and a lot of
perennial weeds were broken up and multiplied
and were also driven deeper into the ground,
so that meant double the work and with the furrows
and hillocks to tackle it was a nightmare >:(

[okra]

I would take the opportunity to rotavate and cover areas not to be used with old carpets ect which should keep the weeds in check

[emmy1978]

I use a fork! The chap next to me used rotavator last weekend and obviously knew how to use it. Had his wife trailing behind pulling out weeds as they went. That said they only use their plot from now till november so it obviously suits them.
I enjoy digging and bashing up soil clods and weeding by hand (yes i know, mad, but there it is!)
The result though is that the couch is gone, the soil is beautiful and clear and it's looking like it's going to be easy to keep on top of it. I'm going for Hugh FW's one dig then no dig method!! It's my first year so we'll see how it goes next year!

[LauraB]

I'd fork, but I'd also do the paths if you have a perrennial weed problem.

I can see the attraction of doing it with a tractor, though, oh yess. I am so sick of digging.

[norfolklass]

I'd fork, but I'd also do the paths if you have a perrennial weed problem.

I can see the attraction of doing it with a tractor, though, oh yess. I am so sick of digging.

absolutely agree with both: fork and sheer determination and bl**dy-mindedness is the way to go ;D

[kenkew]

You don't say if this is a new plot or existing one, but either way, I work out you're looking at 100sq metres...not too OTT for a couple of determined people. I started from scratch, alone, on a very rough patch of 150sq metres and had it going quite well in one season using hand tools. ( Although the following year I employed my 'toy' Mantis tiller).

[bennettsleg]

My predecessor used to plough our plot.  As we're on really stony ground it brought up all the really big stones meaning there are places I can't stick a fork in a full-tine depth.

I'd rotorvate, weed suppress your marked beds until you can get round to working on them and cover your paths permanently (weed suppressing cloth, newspapers, wood chips, straw etc).

I thought that repeated rotorvating could cause soil impaction? Bit bemused now...

[Wasp_Box]

I thought that repeated rotorvating could cause soil impaction? Bit bemused now...

Yes, I was worried about this but it hasn't happened and shows no evidence of happening. In my experience, as long as plenty of organic matter is added to the soil I don't get a problem at all.

I should add that our allotment is pretty heavy clay and gets a full load of manure every year. If yours is different then I suppose impaction could be an issue.

[Eristic]

The compaction layer that is often visible after rotovating is in reality the boundary between cultivated topsoil and undisturbed subsoil. It is only noticable because the rotovator pulvarises the upper layer and has a tendency to throw the loose soil backwards. A similar situation probably exists after digging with a spade but the layer above tends to be heavy and lumpy so not noticable.

It is because of this boundary between layers that show growers resort to the torture of double-digging, where  the subsoil is forked loose and mixed with compost. Not a job for anyone new to growing.

Rotovators are best used to smash up all the lumps after the ground has been dug over with a spade. This way you get a good depth of cultivated soil that is easily prepared for seed sowing. Also if the ground has been dug by hand first,  all the roots tend to be left intact and are either spread all over the surface for collection afterwards, or wrapped round the digging tines.