to let the council rotavate or not?

[Crystalmoon]

Ive just been looking at the paper work for my new allotment (that I havent even seen yet!) and Im wondering if I should tick the box that asks the council to rotavate the plot. Im not even sure if I understand what it means...Im assuming its heavy duty turning over of the soil? I really am a total novice to growing anything apart from mustard & cress & other easy to sprout windowsill items  :D I know nothing about soil types etc & dont actually have any tools yet either  :o
....feeling abit scared now the reality has just sunk in...what have I let myself in for  :D   

[Crystalmoon]

[betula]

You need to see the plot before you decide.If it has been well maintained you wont need to.If it has not I would let them do it. :)

[Lauren S]

Hi Crystal,
Please don't be scared, it's only weeds and earth.. When you see your allotment for the first time you might gasp at the *state* it's in  :o. Please don't be put off. (Take a look at my blog).. Don't look at the entire plot as a major marathon, think of it as several little walks. Think of it in feet and inches and yards not in miles and miles  ;D. Divide it up even at first you do it just mentally..Set your self a little target each time you are there. Like "Today I'm going to dig up as far as that big weed" Don't aim to compete with the *Joneses* on your site, they have probably had their  jungle free plots for several seasons.
Ask your lottie neighbours what type of soil it is. Listen to any tips and tricks from your lottie neighbours, BUT always make up your own mind how you will do things, you quickly get a feel for what is right to you.  ;). Don't be bullied by the *Old Boys*  ;D.
Ask on freecycle in your area for *Any Garden Tools* or go to car boots, always tools somewhere there.
Good Luck
Lauren

[gardening-gal]

Hiya, welcome to A4A I have just joined aswell. My plot is covered in weeds but its not  to bad, its not overgorwn.
So I am going to start by digging it and pulling all the weeds out.  I've read on here that the rotavator will just chop everything up so if you have weeds like nettles and bindweed, couch grass they will just resprout. Once I've got all those so of weeds out then I might get them in to give it a proper good turn.

Everyone was new at one point so don't worry, you learn as you go along and this site is full of great information. Don't be afraid to ask anything someone will know the answer :)

[SMP1704]

It is true that rotavating will chop up weed roots but then so does digging.  In my experience with Horsetail, the areas that I dig always have a lush growth the following spring but the rotavated areas have far less.  Why - well my own theory is that the rotavator chops things up far smaller and so in the first year the root does not have enough energy to regenerate.

I would recommend going over rotavated soil with a spade again and remove any pieces of root that you find.

Crystal in your case I would go look at the allotment, but in your situation - no tools etc having the soil turned for you would be helpful.

[BAK]

As gardening-gal and smp1704 have intimated it depends on to what degree the plot has perennial weeds such as bindweed, couch grass and ground elder. A rotovator will chop them up and each piece will grow, thus making the problem worse.

If it is not obvious to you then ask your allotment neighbours if the plot has been cultivated in recent years. If it has then chances are that the majority of weeds will be annuals and therefore rotovating should be ok.

Personally, I would fork the plot and remove any weeds by hand before thinking about rotovating ... but I think that digging / forking is good for the soul ... others have a different view on this matter!

In terms of how heavy a job digging may be, simply work on a small area - say a metre square - and you will discover how heavy / light your soil is.

[Deb P]

One big plus to hand digging is that you get to know your soil, as BAK says, but also it allows you to uncover who knows what junk previous tenants may have buried!

I have uncovered all sorts on my plot in the past two years, buried plastic bags full of bathroom tiles, bricks, rusted bits of tools, bags of nails and screws...I found paths made of stone slabs that were totally covered up!

If you do decide to have it rotovated, the only thing I would say is cover the ground up asap afterwards, either plant it up, or cover with cardboard/plastic/weed suppressing membrane, or the weeds will be back...... ;D

[gardening-gal]

I love digging I find it extremely theraputic, I get great satisfaction from digging. ;D

[saddad]

Personally, I would fork the plot and remove any weeds by hand before thinking about rotovating ... but I think that digging / forking is good for the soul ... others have a different view on this matter!

but not for the back! I'm a convinced digger...
;D

[Crystalmoon]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement & wise words  ;)
Yes Im getting abit ahead of myself ....LOL...havent even seen the plot yet.
Im sooooooo excited, cant wait for Monday.
Went to the library today & got lots of gardening books to keep me occupied  ;D 

[Tee Gee]

Personally I wouldn't let them rotovate it.

There is no better way of getting to know your plot than by digging it with a spade.

You will be able to see the good and not so good areas which will help you with your choice of planting in the first year.

You might find the soil is deeper at one than the other as my plot  is.

The soil on my plot is deeper at the bottom of it where over the years the soil has been washed down from the top of the plot.

Knowing this I plant accordingly!

OK it will be hard work but it will be worth it in the end!!