rotavator or fork bit long

[kittykat8]

My first plot when I took it over had been used to death and the soil after the winter before was compact and did not seem to have much depth. last summer I only gre runner beans on most of it and had one raised bed at the other end and grew some onions.

This winter I rotavated it, then I put loads of manure on it and some half rotted leaves on it and then re rotavoted it..Yesterday started to fork it over full of very very fat worms but only managed a quarter of it..

Some one asked me why I did not use my rotavator as it would help the soil dry out as my soil was quite wet. I said that I did not want to kill the worms

The reply was that it would not kill that many worms what should I do fork or use the rotavator which would save me loads of time.


marion

[kittykat8]

please advise fork or rotavate

marion

[paplay]

Not had much experience of rotorvators as a)our beds are too small to use one and b) have sooooo many rooty weeds and believe rotorvating would just chomp them up and multiply them! However - sounds great for your situation - esp if chomping them up will multiply those worms!!

[crichmond]

forking it over is best as the weather will then break the soil down, using the rotavator can make the soill comoact even more as it breaks the soil up much finer than forking, also you wil find it easier to rotavate if it is forked over in spring as it gives the rotavator something to bite into.

[shirlthegirl43]

I don't have much experience of digging yet but think you are supposed to wait for the ground to dry before doing anything to it. If it sticks to your boots, keep off it.

If you already rotovated it twice, I would have thought leaving it now and then a good raking to give a fine tilth at planting time would suffice.

[Matt.]

I'd stick with the fork. In my experience the rotovator didn't go as deep as a fork plus it chopped up the weed roots. As you've already manured it the soil should be obtaining a nice structure and only need a light effor if that.

[HeyWayne]

I'd be inclined to steer clear of the rotivator as I have a problem with bindweed, but I guess each plot/plotter is different.

[wormlady]

I would have thought a rotorvator would kill more worms than a fork and since worms are a gardeners best friend (and given my user name!) I would stick with the fork:-)
And of course you dont have to do the whole plot in one go - let the worms do the work for you on the beds you wont need for a while yet.

[axe70]

chomping them up will multiply those worms!!
sorry that is a myth if you cut a worm in two you end up with a dead worm in two parts

[Nicos]

I'd fork it.
Remember that you walk behind the rotavator and that you will be compressing it a bit again as you go.
And yes- the depth of forking will be much deeper.
And yes- my soil is too wet to dig/fork over yet.
And yes- it would save you time.
Poor little worms...let them get on with their job!

[middlefield]

I've rotavated and dug by fork.

While rotavating was quick, I found it simply multiplied lots of the perennial weeds.

Digging with a fork is a much, much, much slower process. However, the end result is better soil (you go deeper with a fork) and less returning weeds.

Personally, I won't be rotavating again, it caused me more problems than it was worth. I now cover large areas with black plastic and dig over manageable lots, the lack of light is a good killer of the covered area, and once removed its not too bad a job to dig over.