[rowlandwells]

last year was probably one of the very few i didn't plough the lottie to overwinter i know its a rule of thumb to dig or plough the land before winter sets in so its going to be interesting to see how the ground performs i spread horse dung on the ground in the winter  i pulled all the leaks scuffled all the ground ready to plough the ground this week

have been setting the following in the greenhouse broad bean onion seed cabbage seed onion sets and beetroot in modules so i won't need to get the ground down to fine should be ok after i have rot-ovated  the ground

whats your opinion on winter digging 

[JayG]

If your plot is a virtual clay pit you have very little choice but to dig as you really have to do something to break it up and try to improve its condition and drainage by adding manure, sand or whatever.

If you've got a virtual sand pit there isn't much point winter digging or adding much to it as most of it will have disappeared by spring and bad drainage and compaction are certainly not the issue!

Those are the two extremes; most of us have something in between which is why you probably get a range of opinions!   

[digalotty]

i dug over as winter set in and have found that i dont have half the weeds that most have now and it is so easy to fork through now it was well worth it

[mumofstig]

I agree with Jay (for a change    )

On the plot I have sandy soil in beds and they just needed a quick fork over, but the garden beds are heavy clay and they really are better for being dug deeply, every year if my back is up to it

[drmoonshine]

well half of my plot was dug and half was not  

the half that did when i dug it i thought to myself thats never going to breakdown into nice fine soil...... how wrong i was if i stand on one of my plots i sink a good few inch lol....
i also have very little weeds. theres the odd one or 2 in places but much easyer to pick out then having to fork a clump of ground up and shack the living daylights out of it to free the soil from the root ball.....  i was able to get organic matter in my soil over the winter. it gave me something to do when not much was growing. the only thing that i can complain about it damn stones its the same everywhere there seems to be a mass of stones all shapes and sizes. witch where not there last year. all im going to do is rake over the top and get the ones i can see off fork my ground over and repeat (this i have done)

the ground that i did not dig is well not a nightmare but its alot harder work... i have to stick fork in ground hurl up a mass of soil and weed shack hell out of it through in bin and get proper stuck in there making sure i never missed anything... if any possatives have come from not digging part of the ground it would have to be the mass of lady birds enjoying it. i dont even know if there ment to be around just yet but there was tons of them when i was digging i had to pick each one up and move away from where i was digging lol..... not that i minded as long as they do there job when the good old black fly come pay me a visit......

my thoughts are digging over winter is to me a must it saves bags of time the following year. winter to me is a kind of year end tidy up. you've had fun all year ect ect and not its time to get ready for the next year

[Gandan57]

I have clay with yellow clay subsoil just under a spades depth down and I don`t rotavate so I winter dig as much area as possible, as what a difference now after the frosts have done their job. When I dig I use a spade as there are no stones and I try not to break up the clods to leave air pockets so the frost penetrates deeply.

Then I use my three pronged canterbury hoe which has 8 inch tines to break up the soil to a reasonably fine tilth, rake it level and plant. I usually water the drill before sowing the seeds which stops the seed falling down holes and cover the seed with old spent compost.

[TerryB]

JayG said it all, dig heavy soil, cover lightsoil.
All so it gives those of us who need to go up to the plot, even in winter, something to do. 

[Aidy]

I have, being in Blackpool a beach to put my plants in.
So yes, I winter dig my plot over, normaly around Novemeber through to December.

Cack goes on in January through to March and dug in again.



The alternative to not digging is sat around listening to the old boys moaning about everything thats wrong in the world, on and on and on.
Call it relaxation if you will.

[rowlandwells]

i think your probably rite in what your saying JayG on both plots there is a real difference in soils I've just ploughed up both plots some ploughed quite good the heavier ground took a little more out of the tractor but i have to say the brassica and the spud ground looks good after a bit of TLC i should be alright to set it will be interesting to see how the weeds em-erg 

any way thanks for all your comments RW

[compostqueen]

I don't do winter digging. Don't do any digging at all for that matter 

[NASH]

Nor me