On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 22:16:07 +0000, Dogger wrote:

My allotment hasn't been used for about five years. I dug it over last
year and it was like digging over the Gatwick runway.

I was thinking of getting one of those mantis cultivatiors. Any one
got a view on them?

I had one years ago. It did a *good* job of cultivating fairly hard
soil, 'though I didn't try it on tarmac. :-) It was very sturdy and
uuintimidated by rocks of up to 3" diameter. It was a perfect *bear*
to start, although some methods and incantations were recently posted
on rec.gardens. One advantage was its portability -- it was small and
light enough to throw in the back of my car. Its path isn't wide --
8-10", so most suitable for tilling small areas. I've never heard of
anyone getting rid of a Mantis because it broke down. Mostly it's
frustration with the starting and need for a larger machine.