[Baz]

What with no rain for must be 6 weeks in my area,  (though of course, the weeds have been slowly growing) and my autumn sown onions and greens sitting in "pan" hard dirt, (crack's appearing) making hoeing impossible, I today, ran my strimmer up the rows of onions with minimum casualtys!

At least, i can now see I have "rows"    ........(click image)



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The "greens" on the right side will soon be "out of it".......but cannot cultivate that patch until we get the rain...........I did start to do a "rain dance".........but ran outa breath very quickly........might be worth a "shower"!  

[shaun]

loads of room there to get a rotavator between the rows then its on your hands and knees with a hand fork baz  

[Baz]

loads of room there to get a rotavator between the rows

Ho no there ain't, Shaun! ........tried that a coupla weeks ago, with the outside tines off.......trouble is the body of the Rvator is to wide an just knocks the plants down..........one o them little "Mantis" machines would be just the job for scratching the surface between rows

And dry as it is, "scratching the surface" thats all any rotovator will do at the mo!

Want a JCB with a jackhammer on the backhoe!

[shaun]

yes baz your right mate go the mantis route then when or if you get some rain,it is dry though it looks like concrete.

[corndolly]

I would hoe off the weeds at concrete level ! I find on hands and knees using a wallpaper scraper works well.

Then I would use an electic drill !  or anything pointy and sharp, to put holes in the soil so that when it rains the water does nt just bounce off or evaporate before its had chance to soak through the concrete crust.

After a soaking I would mulch to keep the moisture in .