I have a manure cover for the past month and am ready to dig in to the soil so we can plant
Anyone recommend a good way of digging in this manure the choices being rotervator and spade
Rotavator all the way for me ;D
if its rotovator then be carefull it dont jump out of the ground when it hits a tuff bit of muck like mine did last year!! the d**n thing jumped out the ground then it hit a hard bit of ground and i was flying across my lottie at warp 9 hanging on for dear life of my 12hp rotovator. I did see the funny side afte a few beers :D
;D ;D ;D
Not laughing........................honest.............ahem
Lushy ;D ;D
Quote from: lushy86 on April 11, 2009, 21:41:44
;D ;D ;D
Not laughing........................honest.............ahem
Lushy ;D ;D
i am afraid i am ;D ;D ;D
;D ;D :-[
Perhaps a fork might be safer.......... ::) ;D
;) ooops
I would go over your lotty with a fork just breaking the surface then when you go over with the rotovator it will have something to bite into, otherwise the rotovator tends to just bounce along the top, unless you have a machine like an 'Howard Gem', :)
Quote from: the-goodlife on April 11, 2009, 17:47:39
if its rotovator then be carefull it dont jump out of the ground when it hits a tuff bit of muck like mine did last year!! the d**n thing jumped out the ground then it hit a hard bit of ground and i was flying across my lottie at warp 9 hanging on for dear life of my 12hp rotovator. I did see the funny side afte a few beers :D
Get a Howard Gem, set it to full depth and slowest forward rn a "caaarpark into a seedbed" to quote an old market and rumble it in to the soil before you start ..... it will take a while but it will go in properly and if it hits a hard spot...... well chances are it won't even notice..... Gem's will turn a "carpark into a seedbed" to quote an old market gardening friend of mine..... you just have to adjust to a slightly slower pace of life.... and be willing to compete on ebay with the "classic rotovator" crowd......
chrisc
A spade would be my choice!
Quote from: Deb P on April 12, 2009, 00:30:12
;D ;D :-[
Perhaps a fork might be safer.......... ::) ;D
You obviously have not seen me at work! ;) ;D
I wouldn't dig it in at all. The worms will do that for you.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 13, 2009, 19:28:43
I wouldn't dig it in at all. The worms will do that for you.
I was going to say that, and feel chuffed that someone of your experience agrees with me, Robert. ;D
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 13, 2009, 19:28:43
I wouldn't dig it in at all. The worms will do that for you.
Ditto! ;)
Quote from: chriscross1966 on April 13, 2009, 18:32:09
Quote from: the-goodlife on April 11, 2009, 17:47:39
if its rotovator then be carefull it dont jump out of the ground when it hits a tuff bit of muck like mine did last year!! the d**n thing jumped out the ground then it hit a hard bit of ground and i was flying across my lottie at warp 9 hanging on for dear life of my 12hp rotovator. I did see the funny side afte a few beers :D
Get a Howard Gem, set it to full depth and slowest forward rn a "caaarpark into a seedbed" to quote an old market and rumble it in to the soil before you start ..... it will take a while but it will go in properly and if it hits a hard spot...... well chances are it won't even notice..... Gem's will turn a "carpark into a seedbed" to quote an old market gardening friend of mine..... you just have to adjust to a slightly slower pace of life.... and be willing to compete on ebay with the
chrisc
hmm... a bit more red wine in that reply than is coherent.....lets try....
Get a Howard Gem, set it to full depth and slowest forward and rumble it in to the soil before you start ..... it will take a while but it will go in properly and if it hits a hard spot...... well chances are it won't even notice..... Gem's will turn a "carpark into a seedbed" to quote an old market gardening friend of mine..... you just have to adjust to a slightly slower pace of life.... and be willing to compete on ebay with the "classic rotovator" crowd......
chrisc
Thanks for the advise. Chrisscross whats a Howard Gem ?
Do some of you really think don't dig in the manure.That would make planting more difficult as you can't prepare a descent seedbed./ok for spuds i guess.
Or am i missing something ?
A Howard Gem is a big "beast" of a rotovator...
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e190/Plot52/DSCN2504.jpg)
you can't make a seed bed but you can transplant most things...
Quote from: saddad on April 16, 2009, 21:57:00
A Howard Gem is a big "beast" of a rotovator...
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e190/Plot52/DSCN2504.jpg)
you can't make a seed bed but you can transplant most things...
wow propper job, thats even bigger than mine
(http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj257/studyoulike/25042008006.jpg)
Quote from: Maidenheadtaff on April 16, 2009, 21:50:14
Thanks for the advise. Chrisscross whats a Howard Gem ?
Do some of you really think don't dig in the manure.That would make planting more difficult as you can't prepare a descent seedbed./ok for spuds i guess.Or am i missing something ?
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/index.php?main=books
just so you don't feel that you're missing something!!
rgds, Tony ;)
But at least yours is in the original livery and decals.... ;D
Quote from: Maidenheadtaff on April 16, 2009, 21:50:14
Thanks for the advise. Chrisscross whats a Howard Gem ?
Do some of you really think don't dig in the manure.That would make planting more difficult as you can't prepare a descent seedbed./ok for spuds i guess.
Or am i missing something ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Howard-Gem-Rotovator_W0QQitemZ180346229185http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/howard-gem_W0QQitemZ110376695721http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Howard-Gem-Kohler-26ins-Rotovater_W0QQitemZ360147669783I would expect all of these to make about 500 quid, maybe a bit more, the smaller 300/350 models are probably more useful to the average plotholder, the really small 200's are probably best avoided as they are very small two-stroke machines and not really up to the same sort of work as the big ones ..... the best Gem to get would probably be a recent one with an 810cc twin-cylinder Kohler diesel but the early JAP sidevalves are the "classics"..... though it does sometimes feel as if you're doing your groundbreaking with a sort of portable earthquake....
tillerparts do pretty much all the bits for Gem's, even things like early carbs and magnetos (though not hard to convert to points....)
chrisc