[cadalot]

Hi Dave - Thanks for the warning, That's why I've invested in the tiller - having real trouble with my knees don't want back problems as well   

[DD.]

I must have been 15 years or so younger when I got it, didn't have the allotments to deal with and it still caused me problems!

[gavinjconway]

I have one of those twisters at home and they are great..  Use it all the time..

[JayG]

I've got one too, but I found it very difficult to use without the twisting action feeding straight through to my lower back (it's buried somewhere at the back of the shed now!) 

[mumofstig]

another thing to cross off my list then 

[cadalot]

I'm thinking it will also be useful with turning up the compost in my plastic compost bin

[JayG]

I'm thinking it will also be useful with turning up the compost in my plastic compost bin

It could be, although you might have to stand on a chair to produce the leverage to really "get in there!"

We all seem to have different experiences with certain tools - I use one of those folding "V" compost stirrers which works quite well for me as long as I've not got yards of intact runner bean vines in there, but others don't seem to get on with them. 

[gavinjconway]

I'm thinking it will also be useful with turning up the compost in my plastic compost bin

Nooo - not really made for that... A long rod with an L shape on the bottom is best for that..

[cadalot]

So your telling me I need to buy another tool........

[gavinjconway]

Yup...

[Growster...]

We really are seriously saving up for a Mantis (I'm not paid to say that, but it seems to do everything we need)!

I need a tool to rummage the top eight inches, (we've dug it all properly before), do the edges properly and shove the manure down a bit for most things we want to grow this year.

So in future, it won't be deep cultivating, but just 'Eightinching'!

Wouldn't start for several weeks yet, it's far to mucky, and also, we've still got several beds growing leeks, PSB, kale, carrots, chard, celeriac, parsnips and brussels...

[sunshineband]

Cooo

There's posh 

[allot2learn]

I have a German version of the Mantis, and although it may not be in the same price bracket it has done the job for the last two years, and I paid 50 quid for it, used. It "Tills" better on the back stroke, ie if you pull it backwards through the soil, but does give me a nice fine tilth, which is what I was looking for.

I do dig but use the tiller to break the soil down after a frost.

[gavinjconway]

We really are seriously saving up for a Mantis (I'm not paid to say that, but it seems to do everything we need)!

I need a tool to rummage the top eight inches, (we've dug it all properly before), do the edges properly and shove the manure down a bit for most things we want to grow this year.

So in future, it won't be deep cultivating, but just 'Eightinching'!

Wouldn't start for several weeks yet, it's far to mucky, and also, we've still got several beds growing leeks, PSB, kale, carrots, chard, celeriac, parsnips and brussels...

Also remember that a rotavator or any type of ploughing tool will create a pan at the lowest part of the dig over time. So you need to break the "pan" by digging or like on a farm you would send in the Tyned Ripper.. this must be deeper than the pan - creating cracks in the soil to aerate etc.

So I'd defo dig deep below your "eightincher"  pan that will develop from the roty - dig and then fork it deeper to crumble the soil sounds good..

[Totty]

I have a large amount of ground to get growing on this coming year. The beds were a matt of moss and annuals. Previously well looked after soil. In coming years, with more time, I will opt to hand digging and incorporating manure along the way. This year though I had 10 tonnes of muck to get in so had to cover the ground with it and wait until conditions improved a little before deeply rotavating it all in with a large rotorvator. When the surface is nicely dry in early spring I'll add some BFB and mantis tiller it nice and fine before raking. Should be perfect. With luck.

Totty