[02rlgudgin]

if i needed a rotavator or something for my allotment does the council give me it free of charge cos i read some where tht they do

[richyrich7]

No idea, all depends on your council, In Leicester they may come and strim it if your lucky, apart from that your on your own. Give them a ring and see what they say, ask nicely you may be pleasantly surprised.  

[flatcap]

we get nowt off our council

[lucywil]

our council will rotivate ( well it's more like a tractor with a plough on the back) free of charge but it our experience its only worth doing if there's no weeds (never gonna happen) else they just multiply.

[Aidy]

Our council will rotovate it but unless you keep on top of the ground it will far worse than now, rotovating once IMO is not a good idea, it needs to be kept going, best to dig the weeds out and clear small areas.

[wellingtons]

... have one, or possibly two, that we can use, but I never have.  But it's for the use of all the allotments in the area.

[Oliver]

Our council will rotovate it but unless you keep on top of the ground it will far worse than now, rotovating once IMO is not a good idea, it needs to be kept going, best to dig the weeds out and clear small areas.

Agreed - nothing beats digging the plot the old fashioned way to start with, getting all the perennial weeds out by hand. Then rotovating regularly is easy as the ground is soft and clear.

Rotovating a plot full of couch, bindweed and other nasties will just multiply the problem.
Oliver (I know its easy for me - I just lie on the roof and watch every one toiling away - the the results are great!)

[MisterPlough]

I haven't invested in a rotivator and don't plan to. I'm new to this so may eat my words in the future, but I feel that each clod of earth that passes through my fingers as I de-weed and de-stone my plot makes that earth mine.

If my plot were larger I might think otherwise but the notes of caution from the others about multiplying the weed problem are worth listening to.

My plot is not a council plot so I wouldn't know about council help.

Good luck

[Trillium]

I agree with everyone else, spading over is best, primarily for controlling weeds by not letting the rotovator chop them up and spread them everywhere instead of the few places they started. However, I do use a small rotovator to blend in all the amendments I add - shredded leaves, peat, manure, bone meal, etc. My soil was so poor that there wasn't a topsoil layer to save or develop, and the stones and boulders within were enough to build walls with. Once I dug up what I could (still find the occasional boulder, and dandelion connected to China), I didn't have the back strength left to mix in the amendments so the rotovator was my tradeoff. Still is.  

[Eristic]

Whenever possible I will avoid using a rotavator as they generally do not achieve much in heavy London clay. Ususally they lull the user into thinking that their soil has been well cultivated to great depth when in fact the tilled soil only amounts to a few inches after settlement.

I use my machine as per avatar for breaking clods down to a fine tilth after the digging is done. Some say this is silly or unnecessary and I partially agree. If there is time to leave the dug ground to weather, there is no need but if pushed for time in late spring it has its uses as clay soil can quickly turn into piles of rock-hard nuggets if allowed to dry out.

[muntjac]

rotavators are fantastic machines  i dig only as i said every few years double digging when i do ., use a rotavator to drag down manure into the soil when it needs a refresh and its a lot easier than digging trenches .but as i do put loads more in when you do dig it over

[shaun]

there is a big myth going on here that rotavators spread weeds its so untrue.once you have your soil dug over and loose.you can use the rotavator like a hoe you dont have to go the full depth every time you use it you can just break the surface disturbing the young weeds and they will give up.
ok i'm not saying rotavate a plot full of couch or docks or stuff like that just day to day weeds.
also as the rotavator turns the weeds in to the ground its a bit like a green manure.
you will never have a weed free plot dont matter what way you choose to control them.even if you use round up  :evil: they will come back in a month or so.
but for me i just keep digging by hand and rotavating.