Yesterday was hard, hard work. The remaining garlic, onions and shallots all needed digging up and drying. I cleaned them up and laid them out in the greenhouse to air.That left the bed to be dug over, not so easy when the soil is as hard as concrete. After three solid hours of backbreaking forking I had converted two thirds of the concrete into small, hard boulders.
Our neighbouring plotholder chose this moment to explain that I was doing it all wrong. He produced a spade and proceeded to demonstrate the correct method of digging soil. After one shovel-full, he pronounced that the ground was as hard as rock and that I would break my back trying to dig it like that. Considering I could hardly stand and my legs had turned to jelly, this wasn't much of a surprise.Neighbour then produced a miracle tool from his shed and won my everlasting devotion.
3 comments:
I just wish he'd produced his rotavator before I'd half killed myself digging! Well done with the potatoes though - what type do you grow?
If you water it first, generously!, then dig, it's a lot easier.
We've got a rotivator, but it's hard work to keep it in the ground and therefore get it to dig deep enough.
It also chops weeds very small, ie 100 bindweed or couch plants instead of one!
However I'm not complaining, I've got 5.8 allotments, and it will help on 2.8 of them.(The others have raised beds and fruit on them)
One of the other Plotholders suggested watering daily for about a week before digging but he said that the ground is so dry that nothing but continous rain for about 4 days would make much difference.
The raised bed idea is tempting...
Spouse has offered to contribute towards a rotovator having listened to my whinging about aching back, leg and arms for the past 2 days!
Post a Comment