"Norman Sandland" wrote in message t...
Every Spring I get a brochure for the Mantis Rotavator together with all of
its bits and pieces - quite unsolicited (I must have ticked a box on
something years ago). It normally goes in the bin straight away. This year,
I thought I would enquire if anyone has ever tried one of these beasts or
any other rotavator. I have always been a spade and fork man - grow all my
own veg., have an allotment and about a quarter acre garden. Now that I am
coming up to 63 I thought I might explore further if rotavators are worth
their storage space let alone their costs.

The Mantis is light at 20lbs. Whilst it lightness is an advantage from the
point of view of carrying it, how is it heavy enough to dig in to produce a
ten inch tilth. It also rotates at a high speed - twice as high as other
rotavators. I have always thought that these things chop the perennial weeds
up so that you multiply the number of weeds that regrow!

Anyone with advice on this and other rotavators would be welcome to express
a view.

Norman,
I use an old rotovator with wheels which drives itself (3 speed).
Much easier than wrestling with it.
It is even easier to use if I have the wheels at their widest setting.
Different blades for different jobs. Straight ones for cutting turf or
first go on hard ground. L shaped ones for weeds/grass so they chop it
rather than tangling. Straight blades, hookshaped for deep digging and
achieving fine tilth in clean soil.
I'm always amazed by people who say "dig over by hand and remove all
the perenial weed roots". Yeah right. Unless you are digging an area
the size of a postage stamp, you never get them all. At least I don't.
But I find that perenial weeds that regrow in rotovated soil are easy
to pull out whole during normal weeding. I still use a fork of course
and I'd not launch into a patch of couch grass without a bit of
clearing up first.
Unless you are gardening on a sandy beach, it takes a decent machine
to produce a ten inch tilth, not a two stroke mosquito - particularly
as the time of year when you are trying to get your soil ready is
often in spring before it is at its easiest to dig/rotovate. I try to
give the empty parts of the plot a workover in autumn before it gets
too wet, then midwinter if it freezes. In spring I keep an eye out for
those rare spells of enough dry weather to dry the surface of the
soil. Stay off if its wet.
I fing that the occasional session with the rotovator saves me
literally hours of digging.
Unfortunately because you need to go when the conditions are right,
hiring is too hit and miss. Good way to try out a machine but no good
as a way to run a veg plot. By the time you've got yourself organised,
picked the thing up, paid the man a significant percentage of the cost
of a new machine (!), it rains. Then its hard to not use it and you
end up with a mess. Never happens if you have your own, coz you only
go onto the soil when conditions are right (well maybe once, inspired
by the arrival of spring, enthusiam overpowers judgement and you get
out there when its too wet, and 15 minutes later wish you hadn't! Mind
you we all do that with a fork occasionally too !)
The other advantage of your own machine is that you get a much better
soil from rotovating a little but often. Go over the plot, let the top
dry off, and go over it later in the day or a few days later if you
need to let weeds die off.
Those are my thoughts anyway.