[rufty]

Hi,
Daft (first) question:

My veg plot suffers from really poor clay-ridden soil. I think the previous owner of the house burnt all their organic material rather than composted it (and used the plot to dispose of household waste and rubble but that's another story). Anyway I'm considering if I need a rotavator. I'm holding off because of the cost and the storage space it would require (garage is already quite full).
I've no problem with digging with a spade and fork in fact for me that's been the main benefit of my garden, that of getting fit, so I'm keen to not have an excuse to put in some elbow grease.
However I believe for clay heavy ground there's nothing better than a rotavator for breaking up the clumpy sods, except possible years of worms and plenty of compost; so it may well be the best thing for the soil.

As i say for me the whole point of having this vegetable plot is one of health and pleasure, so standing behind a two stroke engine kind of gets in the way of that so i don't want to do it if there is no good need.
Any thoughts? Should I go for a small electric tiller type thing, or are they not up to the job of really poor soil?

Thanks

Chris

[mumofstig]

Reason for not having one ( as long as you are fit enough to dig)

if you continually rotovate you will get a hardpan layer just under the depth of the rotovator tines and the clay will be waterlogged above it in winter, and you won't grow very good parsnips

It's taken 2 years of digging for me to break up the hardpan on my plot..because of a disability the previous plot holder only ever rotovated.

[rufty]

Well I'm kind of resigned to the fact that the ground will be not hugely productive for possibly several years, as long as I'm going the right things to get it productive.
I guess I should rephrase my question as "Is there much benefit to a rotovator, if the ground is regularly dug, green manured and all available compost added?" i.e. relying on worms and suchlike to do the rest.

[Bigbadfrankie]

How big is the area to be rotovated

[grendel]

hire one for a day every now and then.
Grendel

[compostqueen]

I've never rotovated my plot, ever. I don't dig it either and it's perfectly good with all the compostibles and muck it's had on it

Clay is difficult though and it might need turning over with a rotovator at least once. You can turn muck in at the same time I suppose. There will possibly a service offered by your Allotment Association 

[Fen]

I've worked on heavy clay soil for years, on gardens and farms. Rotavator will do more harm than good in most cases. Clay soil needs careful management. Dig as much as you can in the late autumn, burying any available organic matter. Leave the surface really rough and let the weather, particularly the frost, break it down. Don't touch it until its dry enough to work in the spring. Dig any available land, as it becomes free during the winter, even to the extent of digging between brussel sprout and broccoli plants.

[Growster...]

'Patch Growster' suffers from hard-pan problems, as did the other 'Plot Growster'.

I can't get a fork into the subsoil to double dig, unless I get a damn great hammer, and that's not a reasinable task in anyone'd books!

Also, all the patches near me, have cliff edges at one perimeter, where they've used a rotovator up to the edge, and let it claw away until there's a drop of anything up to 18"!

This has done littel for the goodness of the topsoil in my opinion, and I really need to make sure that it doesn't happen on our patches!

[Vit]

1)forget about 2-stroke rotovators
2)hire one if you don't really want to buy
3)rotovator will help well to mix compost and manure with your soil