Alan wrote:
Hi,

I need to dig my garden. Around 100ft long, approx 10ft wide for
most
of its length but opens out to about double that at the bottom so
perhaps 1300-1500 square feet altogether.

I guess I'm looking at hiring some kind of rotavator to do this
job.
I've looked on HSS' website but it looks a bit expensive - around
£50
for one day. Can anyone suggest a good alternative that might save
me
a few quid? Living in East London (Hackney).

Mind you, there's a branch of HSS about 400yds from my flat so
maybe
the convenience outweighs any cost concerns!

In my boring way, I wonder why you're so sure you need to dig the
whole space. If you've thought it all out and know exactly why, by
all means treat my attitude as mere impertinence, and ignore what
follows! Then I suppose the best bet is ringing round the hire firms
in Yellow Pages, checking on delivery charge if any, VAT, all that
stuff.

It's just that a lot of people who haven't tried it can misunderstand
what a rotavator does. Maybe you don't really need to have your whole
plot loosened; and if it's clay it'll very likely be lumpy afterwards
even if you have good weather. If there's hard rubbish in the soil,
the machine won't like it -- and glass is a real pain in the ace. And
I'm sure you don't actually want all your problem weeds spread and
multiplied (that's one of the things a rotavator does for you, for no
extra charge)!

I'd say design first, and mark out the beds and other features; then
you know which bits will want digging, and it may turn out that you
can do that just as easily by hand. (Hand digging is a better way to
cope with the thug weeds, unless you use a herbicide.) If the ground
is compacted, it would be better to leave it that way where you'll
have paths and paved areas, shed or greenhouse base, and maybe even
the grassed areas.

Does any of this ring a bell?

Mike.