To dig or to rotivate?

[peter]

Hi everyone, I have just taken on a new lot which was very overgrown.  I have strimmed the area and cleared the brambles.  I intend to dig it over but someone has offerred to rotavate it.  Its tempting when I look at all that work!  Any suggestions?   ???

[peter]

[Mrs Ava]

Well hello there  ;D.  There have been lots of discussions about rotivating plots.  From my own experience, don't do it!  :o  We had a family plot covered in brambles and bind weed.  We strimmed and pulled and got ourselves exhausted and cut to ribbons and decided to rotivate the lot.  In my opinion, we made things worse, all the roots from the bind weed and brambles were sliced up into nice little cuttings and the weeds doubled!  After that, we never really got on top of it and after many years of struggling, we lost the battle!  :'(  As hard and lousy as it is, I think the only way is to manually dig the weeds out, little at a time, taking it easy, then, when areas are clear of roots, if you want to, rotivate to break down the lumps.  Sorry...probably not the answer you were looking for, but I am only going from my experience, I am sure  others have been down the same route.  Good luck with it!

[Hugh_Jones]

You really have to consider the pros and cons, and then make your own mind up. The pros are:-
1. You`ll get it done quicker
2. It may save a lot of work.

The cons are:-
1. Unless several passes are made the rotovator is unlikely to get down more than 5 or 6 inches
2. Any deep rooted weeds (dandelions, docks, brambles etc.) which go deeper than that will simply be chopped off at that depth and will certainly spring up again rejuvenated.

But that`s gardening for you.
3. Any strong perennial weed roots (the dandelions etc. again) within rotovator depth will simply be chopped up and the bits transplanted all over the plot to grow again.
4. You`ll almost certainly have to dig it all over again properly by next spring.

Whichever course of action you adopt, by next spring you will probably wish you had done the other., but that`s gardening for you.

[Colin_Bellamy-Wood]

Hi Peter, and welcome to this Board, hope you will enjoy it.  

I concur with Emmajane.   I took mine on May 2002, it was like a builders' yard, and needed several trips to the tip.   Overgrown vegetation was another problem.


I had the fortune to be retired so had plenty of time.   I hadn't built my compost bin when I started clearing the vegetation, so I pulled it all into a heap in a corner, bit by bit.   I also had some chickens to help (borrowed).   Having laid out my plots and paths with bits of string wrapped round bricks, I started digging.

The Association's rotovator would not have been able to cut into the compacted earth.   So I just dug and turned over the clumps.    I didn't rush at it, but did a bit at a time, each day feeling good enough to do a little bit more than I did yesterday.    Once I had dug it all, which took some time, I started at the beginning by forking it all, and reduced the big clumps to small clumps.   By this time I was able to work for longer stretches at a time.   Then I left it for the winter rains and in particular frosts to break the clumps down further, and kill any weeds.

Come February this year, it was time to fork it all over once more, and I then used the rotovator.   I grew more weeds than produce - it was a nightmare.

I've dug up all the spuds, and trench manured those two plots ready for next year.   The soil is lumpy but will soon break down - but there's no weeds, and when they do appear, a quick hoe-ing will get rid of them.   Where I had the onions, I've forked it all over and pulled weeds and weed roots out by hand.   This was a laborious and time consuming effort but one I reckon was well worth it.   It took me about 2 weeks to do a plot 26 ft by 7ft.  It was important not to rush it or I would have hated it.   And the objective is to enjoy it, ain't it. ;D

I am quite determined that this year I will do without the rotovator.   Hopefully the effort put into digging and pulling weeds now, will reduce the amount of weeding later.

There have been several other messages on this theme earlier which you may wish to look up by using the search facility at the top of the Home page.

[cdchater]

Hello Peter

Sounds as if I'm in the same position as you! - I've just taken over an overgrown lottie and have just strimmed away all the weeds (most of them waist height!). That was a very satisfying task!!!

Now I'm deciding how best to dig over the plot - and at first I was going to rotavate the lot. But, I've been given a lot of advice on the matter, and I've decided to hand dig. At first it seemed a very daunting task but I think I've planned well. I've sat down and drawn out a plan of the lottie, where I want my shed, compost heap and paths to go. I've even left an area for future development (which I will keep maintained by strimming it every so often). This has cut down on a lot of digging!

Now I intend to mark out my beds using string and bricks and one by one I'll dig them over - pulling out any nasty weeds as I go! It's a big job, but if I get one bed dug over a week, then I'm hoping it won't be too bad!

Hope the above helps - let me know what you decide to do!

Regards,
Claire

[Ceri]

I hoed the whole lot two or three times and now I've covered with a roll of damp proof membrance - much thicker than normal polythene - through autumn I intend to lift bit by bit, dig in (or plonk on top!) manure where I'm going to need it and cover back up.  Saying that, although my plot hasn't been cultivated for a couple of years, before that it was cultivated to death and I have pure fine top soil to a depth of up to 4ft in places underneath all the marestail and thistles.

[peter]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice! :D
I started digging last night!!!  :o  I turned over each clod and removed the weeds.  Very therapeutic, very slow, but time to meditate!
I agree with all your thoughts.  I note there is some horsetail growing in the next plot and possibly there is some on mine.  A rotivator will just create hundreds of new plants I guess!
Thanks for the encouragement though!  I'll be out a lot this autumn!   8)

[teresa]

Hi Peter

Hot baths with radox, painkillers and glass of something before bedtime helps.
Also if you can plant something as your digging your way down the lottie helps to keep your spirts up.
Onion sets can go in now and I am sure the lottie holders will have something for you.
I too took mine on in June and cut down dug by hand and planted feel realy good now picking runners etc.
Teresa

[Ozzy_aka_Pothead]

Yo Peeps

Would the time of year affect whether rotavating would simply spread the weeds?

Maybe rotavating just before the first frosts are due could kill em off?

also as suggested by Ina, your could always chopped their eds orf when they appear?

Cerig... the damp proof membrane.. what color is it?
and could you yogi me sum planks
please :)  I have yogi you sum cheesecake and jaffa cakes :)  oh and 10 billion quid, so as you iz now dead rich, can you lend me 30 bucks so I can buy some damp proof stuff :)

cHeErS

oZzY O-) (thats me doing me
 
  cyclops impression that iz)

[Ceri]

Ozzy - the dpm is a roll of thick black polythene - buy it from builders merchants  - you get a roll 4 m wide by 25m long for £30 - ask for Vizqueen (this has degeneration over the years to Vizscreen by many).  You mean the scaff boards haven't arrived yet - must be another ethereal post office strike.  Haven't got the 30 billion - used it as cellulose for my compost mate - you should have asked last week, had it then.  sorry

[Ozzy_aka_Pothead]

Yo ceri

so the bread didn't turn up?  the bloody cheek of sum yogi trancendental thought trenfery ohm ohm ohm peeps, tut, I dunno,tsk, I bet the peep in charge of delivering the dosh got tempted meself, money does funny things to peeps especially the  imaginary ones, still me own fault, id never send 30 billion in a envelope with a 27p stamp on it, so why oh why oh why did I tink telepathy would be any safer?  Naughty Naughty ;) ;)

Thanks for the info ceri, builders merchant just dow the road, so will pop in and get sum.

I am sending you sum washing line rope, I got 3 lines each one 20m long... £1.00 for the three in hypervalue,  need to mark out my paths... anyway I am sending this and a few jaffa's by RECORDED trancendental delivery.... best be safe :)

cHeErS oZzY %)

bet ya ten parsnips that the one who took your stash.. had me planks away too!

[Beer_Belly]

and took my last pumpkin ! bastewards !