Allotments 4 All

Hi All,

About to dig at the weekend and wondered if it is better to use a spade or fork.

I was planning on using a fork to dig up the soil and remove the roots and just turn it and break it up a bit as i go along.

Otherwise i will use a spade and have to take out sections - but still break them up to get rid of weeds etc.

Is there a particular method that is best for a new allotment that has been left to its own devices for a while?

Thanks
Liam

I find a fork best, it means the couch and bindweed don't get chopped up into smaller bits...

Quote from: Barnowl on January 25, 2008, 15:34:26
I find a fork best, it means the couch and bindweed don't get chopped up into smaller bits...

I totally agree with Barnowl on this. Fork It I say  ::)

I say dig.

But do it properly.

For me depends on weather  and soil type! My clay sticks together in cubes and is too heavy to lift with the merest smidgen of rain so usually the fork!

I can't remember the last time I used my spade ! Use the fork ALL the time.

QuoteMy clay sticks together in cubes and is too heavy to lift with the merest smidgen of rain so usually the fork!

Get real. If it's too heavy cut a smaller brick.

I use a spade if the ground's fairly clear, but if it's full of couch grass roots etc then usually a fork - but not always! As you may have gathered, there's not really any 'right' way. If it's a new plot, try starting off with a fork, and if it doesn't suit you, try a spade  :)

For first dig of new soil I use spade and fork. I cut out the first spits with a spade and turnover - fork them through so I can pick out the roots. Then with the fork I prong into the trench and loosen the subsoil. It takes a bit of time but the first dig is important to try and get as many weeds out as possible. I have done this on both clay and lighter soils.

I like to use a spade and turn what I have on the spade completely over with any roots sticking up in the air, I'm like a human JCB. :)

HI Liam, Try both, which ever you feel more comfortable with and find easier for you that's the one  to use .. ;)  Which ever you use take it steady, your back is valuable and tomorrow ain't started on yet.. :) Good luck with it ..

Agree with Growmore. (About the back, as well!)

I know the arguments for a fork, but I just can't get on with one. I use it for other things, but not digging. But my spade is rather old (not sure how old, but a present from my father, who died 30 years ago) and extremely sharp, so it goes through my soil (London clay, much improved with constant digging & liberal doses of horse manure) like the proverbial knife through butter.

Yes, try both, and one should feel more natural. Don't forget, you'll be using it rather a lot over the next 50 years or so!

Appreciate the previous comments if weeds are an issue. Strangely, I dig with a shovel. (No, I'm not a duckegg). One can shift a huge amount of soil,
it's quick/efficient & excellent for producing a strong back (if you have one to start with of course).
And - I ain't young!!

QuoteBut my spade is rather old (not sure how old, but a present from my father, who died 30 years ago)

Same old spade: 2 new heads and 3 new handles,
still as good as the day it was made. ;D ;D

Quote from: Eristic on January 26, 2008, 18:29:26

Quote
Same old spade: 2 new heads and 3 new handles,
still as good as the day it was made.

No new heads. No new handles. But sharp enough to carve the Christmas joint.

Sorry - having problems posting again. That was the mark 3 version.

If I do a copy & paste before I send it seems to work. If I just post it all hangs fire & snarls up on me.

Dan????

Got to be honest I just don't seem to be able to use a spade at all, so my lottie has been done with a fork and a cultivator (garden claw thingie) afterwards to break it up a bit better.  Maybe my technique is wrong but i can't seem to get the d**n thing into the ground even if I jump up and down on it!!!  :o  And I find the spade hurts my back far more.  Just do whatever is most comfortable for you I guess.

I use a border fork and a border spade but a fullsize spade if I'm shifting soil. How does everyone keep their tools clean and sharp and how often do you do whatever you do?

Apart from cleaning off surplus mud, I'm afraid I don't do anything to my tools. I suspect my spade is so sharp because of all the stones in my soil.

I'm all for a fork... except when digging a trench....
::)