Tool for double digging...

Mrs Growster gave me a fork attachment for my Terrex Backsaver spade yesterday for my birthday, (there's no limit to passion on 'Plot Growster'), and I expectantly ground off the old bolts of the spade blade, (seized up), fitted the fork, and gave the whole thing a damn good refurb.

And then down to the plot for a bit of action!

The technique is slightly different, because the fork tends to break up the spit easier and the throwing action results in a good initial break up of the topsoil.

But, because the fork can get a bit further down than the spade, well, 'Clang'; the subsoil reverberated like concrete!

I certainly didn't double-dig much when we had the plot in the eighties, and the previous gardners didn't do that much of anything at all, from talking to neighbours, so I'm weighing up the prospect of raising the level with black gold and compost, and double digging the whole plot...

Double-digging seems most likely, and we've only got 110 s.y., and I'll do it in stages, so that will see it through the next few years if I do it properly.

So, beware the new fork - it brings new challenges...;0)

For big/suitably proportioned plots the backsaver is a lovely piece of kit and it's great to know that it's still made - tried really hard to find one of these a few years back and gave up. Know a chap in his 80s who has replaced three springs during his lifetime, but is still on the original, which lives outside all year round. I think his was made by Wolf though.

My plot is a long/narrow lozenge/kite shaped and unfortunately doesn't lend itself to being worked with the backsaver because of the way it 'flicks' the soil forward. If I ever move house I'll make sure that I can have perfectly rectangular beds with a bit of 'fallow' at each end!

How do you double dig with it? I'd have thought that once you've dug the first trench that the bulk of the fork/step peddle and the movement required prevents you from actually getting into the ends of the trench? Nice to know that you can get a fork attachment for it though.

BTW - I do the second part of double digging with a Cambridge hoe (I think that's the English word for it) - basically it's a three-pronged digging hoe/enxada/azada that seems to be designed for the purpose - it loosens the second spit of soil very well indeed without acually turning it over, which is just what I need as my subsoil is less than two spits deep.

SS

I'll get some pics of the beast... (can't go out yet, baby-sitting while I work...!

The link is on the website here, http://www.backsavergardentools.co.uk/ and I just rang them up to ask if they had any spares! He was extremely helpful, and went off into the stores to find out if there was one in stock! Takes me back that sort of good service! It arrived in two days, well packed up too!

As for the second part of double digging, I agree, it may not be that fantastic, so I'll do an enhanced 'fork furtle' (thanks a bunch DD) and stir up the bottom with a normal garden fork - unless I can think of a way to use the Terrex in perhaps a wider trench.

I will be digging in a lot of manure for the next year's crops, so it may be the Terrex won't work best - I'll find out.

Agree about working round corners. It can be done, but occasionally leaves mounds where there should be valleys, and vice versa... I tend to set out a point where I want to finish everything up level (we're on a slight slope), and make that the datum for the rest of the plot. Next year though it will be more patchy as hopefully. we'll still have some veg in the ground!

There's a couple of pics of the fork attachment at the top now Swing Swang and Argyllie.

Interesting comments from users here, as the technique definitely varies with one's own way of working!

Muckshifter, I agree about chucking it either left or right, and in fact, it's pretty accurate with practice! I always remember the ironmonger who sold me mine, ("Point it over there, (clonk) and there it goes...").

The spring you mentioned Swing Swang; was it the small silver spring which brings the lever back down, or the big double bow spring, which is the 'engine room'? I wedge out the small silver one when it gets a bit loose, and this helps!