dig witha fork or spade?

[davee52uk]

Although I have one I never use the fork. I always use a spade.

I once used the fork and one of tines snapped in the ground!

[davee52uk]

[shaolin101]

Thanks for the tips everyone.

I used the fork for general work but what i thought was a bramble seems to be a massive rose bush - with some of the sharpest thornes i have come across!

Those roots go on forever - there is one massive plant and about 6 or 7 smaller ones surrounding it - no matter how much i dig with the fork the soil falls back in. The plan for those parts will be to fork up as mych as i can - then get the spade and just dig deep to get as much of the roots out as i can. It is a tedious job (will upload pictures of it when i can) but i think after that it will just be pulling out anything i do not want as it grows because i think the roots go from my plot to the one next to it - and vice versa as i found some long stems that have landed on the floor of my plot from theirs and rooted itself.

all in good fun i suppose.

[bupster]

If it's brambles, use a spade to hack away at the roots and pull out the biggest, nastiest clumps - they don't like being disturbed, so you'll have weakened them already. Then a fork should be easier for the long roots. I have lots of couch, and the record length I've pulled out all at once is over three foot - very satisfying, and you know you've got the lot! Spade chops them up smaller.

[jonny211]

Dynamite.... plant, light fuse and run.

I wish  ;)

I'm clearing a plot and when it's wet I skim the grass and top couple  of inches off with a spade and dump this in the barrow. Once I've skimmed a small patch then I fork it over to remove any serious weed roots. Slow going but I'm trying to get as much of the couch grass and bindweed out now rather than deal with it when veggies are under way.

Jon

[bupster]

Yup, that's how I'm dealing with my horrible brambly bit too. Might get the use of a strimmer this weekend though, gales permitting.