Paying someone to dig for me?

[Philbasford]

Me and the Oh really enjoy our allotment, however for the next few months we are going to be rather busy and dont wish to spend ages digging the allotment over.  Also ive strained my back so dont wish to cause any further problems!

Am there thinking of paying someone £50 to do a full days work , to completely dig and clear all the beds,  Someone of the beds are a bit compacted.  Would use gumtree to find a hard worker (i hope).  I wouldnt pay them if they did hardly anything or what i instructed them to do.

Would this be money well spent?

[Philbasford]

[tim]

If you can get a good worker for £7/hr, yes - very well spent!!

[raisedbedted]

Indeed, if you can find someone like that then give me their number, have a new garden of puddled heavy clay waiting for them.

You would also need to get them back for weeding / planting etc as presumably youll be too busy for that too.

Have you thought about Veggie Boxes instead !!

[lightyears]

maybe you should put an add on your local gumtree or similar, you'd be amazed at the response you get these days for such little cash. I had a polish couple do my garden and they worked for 10 hours, refused breaks even though i offered many and were very welcome of the cash i gave them(above min wage etc)

[Philbasford]

Yes i am going to use gumtree, when i  needed a long trench digging for the water pipe we were putting in , i found a polish person of gumtree who worked very hard.

I shall advertise in the feb when the ground has thawed.

I wouldnt want them to do anything else "raisedbed", just this  bit.  We have had allotments for a few years , and this is our second year at this one.  It just with time constraint etc and the enjoyability.  I am more then happy to spend hours weeding and other stuff, but dont fancy back breaking work.  Why do something if it something of a chore

[sarah]

When I was struggling with the winter dig and ill health a couple years ago I got a friend to dig it for me in return for a regular supply of surplus crops. it worked out really well and they were always happy t come and do an hour or two heavy work in return for crops.

[lewic]

Unless your allotment is very small, I doubt anyone could dig the whole plot in a day. Last summer one neighbour hired a rotovator and managed to do their plot in a day, but this had been roughly dug first.

I was thinking of paying a friend who is a gardener £10 an hour for some heavy digging when the weather gets better, but would make sure I'm there to keep an eye, as he is not the best timekeeper!

[raisedbedted]

I wouldnt want them to do anything else "raisedbed", just this  bit.  We have had allotments for a few years , and this is our second year at this one.  It just with time constraint etc and the enjoyability.  I am more then happy to spend hours weeding and other stuff, but dont fancy back breaking work.  Why do something if it something of a chore

Sorry as an allotmenteer of over 20 years I have never regarded digging as a 'Chore', more as part an parcel of having an allotment.  Guess times have changed.

[PAULW]

Totally agree with you TED, To dig and check the condition of your soil to me is the main part of owning an allotment digging starts when the spuds come out ready for the onions to go in and then the rest of the plot is rough dug and left for the winter weather to break down the clods.

[tonybloke]

the rest of the plot is rough dug and left for the winter weather to break down the clods.

the weather is only breaking down the clods 'cos you made them by digging in the first place!!

why dig at all?
see and read this thread
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,56002.msg569873.html#msg569873

[BarriedaleNick]

Yes and No Unwashed.

I like a dig myself and I take it bit by bit.  However we have an infirm guy two plots down who paid someone to do it for him though we did rip the pish out of him till we realised he was a bit frail!!  £50 for day if you can get it is v reasonable if you think you can't do it yerself.  Other than that I'd say do it yourself and take it easy.  Start slow and do it bit by bit. 

[SMP1704]

Last year my birthday present was to pay someone else to take out a double row of blackberries that ran the width of the plot (6m)  I paid £130.

As a one off, I would say why not.  As a longer term plan, perhaps it is about reconfiguring the plot so that wholesale winter digging isn't necessary.

Do what will work for you and don't let other people's opinions guilt you out.

[tonybloke]

Yes and No Unwashed. 

Unwashed? he ain't even posted on this thread??

[Squash64]

Yes and No Unwashed. 

Unwashed? he ain't even posted on this thread??

I had to look twice at Philbasford's profile name - it's a bit disconcerting to see a face that we know as someone else there!

[tonybloke]

Yes and No Unwashed. 

Unwashed? he ain't even posted on this thread??

I had to look twice at Philbasford's profile name - it's a bit disconcerting to see a face that we know as someone else there!

I think it's a picture of some sort of 'pop star' type person? ;)

[gardentg44]

Its Roy Orbison

[Mortality]

Its Roy Orbison

nope its not, It's Bono from U2

[cornykev]

None its Ace in his youth.    ;D ;D ;D

[Columbus]

Hi all,

In similar circumstances I bought a Mantis Tiller, I can till and weed a rough plot in a third of the time with no back pain at all.  ;D I couldn`t recommend it enough.

Otherwise I never aim to dig more than a yard wide strip in a day, Some days I do more but what I do is always done properly which saves work and time later.

I`m now recovering from bruised ribs and as soon as the weather clears I will be tilling my plots ready for spring. If there was someone on our site having back problems, as a one-off I would clear it for them for free. (Pass it foreward).

You could have raised beds and woodchip mulching and keep your independence but how you spend your money is up to you.

Best of luck, Col

[BarriedaleNick]

Yes and No Unwashed. 

Unwashed? he ain't even posted on this thread??

d**n - Same avatar or a least unwashed's old one????