[BigPaddy]

I have a heavy clay soil on my new allotment, buried beneath couch grass. Given the weather I am digging when wet, I know that's wrong, but what choice have I got?

I am digging raised beds. Rough digging first, taking out most weeds, but leaving big clods. I am letting these dry into rocks. Sounds bad, but I have an azada which is excellent at smashing these up. I am then covering with black weed suppressing fabric to warm the soil. This is also keeping some moisture in and making the soil more workable. I have even planted my early spuds at last!

So I have small chunks, which need breaking into a tilth. I have also started what plant I can in pots (cool paper pots mostly). I reckon these will help me reduce the preparation required for planting, but I do want to plant salads etc. direct. I dont want to rent a rotavator as I am doing one bed at a time and want to 'learn' my soil, tree hugging comes next!

My question then (eventually) is will a hand cultivator like this http://www.cselinks.com/shopping-emporium/product.php?p=4964562&c=474 be worth buying? If not what is the best way to create that tilth with maximum effeciency and effectiveness?

Sorry for a long post.

[vegmandan]

The best thing is to dig it over in early Winter and let the frost do all the hard work in breaking the clods down.

If you leave big clods over winter the frost and rain will break them down for you.

Then you can let the cultivator do the easy work and finish the work off.

I know it's probably too late but that's what I'd do next year

I use a basic 3 pronged hand cultivator which breaks the soil up to about a 4inch depth and then just use a rake to make a finer tilth.

[Trillium]

I often have the same problem BigPaddy, and for the lettuce, I'd direct seed them. For the soil, I prep the bed as best I can, manure, etc, then take the spade and do a random fast chopping motion over the lettuce row (prior to seeding of course) until its a bit finer. When its heavy clay, it's the only method until the plot gets a few years of tilth developed.
If the clods are still heavy, then pour some potting mix into the row, set the seed on, and top with a bit more mix and water to hold it in place. Should give you a good start this year.

[BigPaddy]

Thanks for the replies.

Good plan Trillium, that will give me something to be doing.

I also thought I might try a no dig bed or two and plant into compost. It will be interesting to see how that goes against the double dug ones. if nothing else I can dig it next year

[Celtic Eagle]

Hiya Paddy

Yep smash it up with a asada or mattock I can spell that !  might be woreth trying to pick up a soil miller if you can right it got about 5 star shaped wheel bout 8" across then behind that it has a U shaped how which swings cos it's not fixed  hard to explain but a great tool I picked one up for 50P on a car boot wouldnt be without it  Sort of breaks up lumps and hoes at the same time

[compostqueen]

I got a free Ibis hand cultivator off the internet and I use it to chop soil up a bit. I don't dig and I find you only need a tilth for seed sowing so I use a sieve to make enough just to sow in, mixed with a bit of home made compo, sand or leaf mould