The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Peter

--
He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I
could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far
from being gruntled.
P.G. Wodehouse 1881 -1975

"Peter James" wrote in message
news:1jhg2rh.1izz5q71pse526N%pfjames2000@googlemai l.com...
The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me.
The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture
still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Peter

Time to visit the hire shop?

Mike

"Peter James" wrote in message
news:1jhg2rh.1izz5q71pse526N%pfjames2000@googlemai l.com...
The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Peter

what about starting out with some type of lazagna garden or a modified type.
Mulch over the pasture to create you garden beds and plant into what you
have. Do 1 year of gardening on those beds and move on to another patch. At
the end of 1 year the original gardens will have loose and crumbly soil
underneath and be fine to dig. Break the allotment in a garden at a time and
initially use a no dig approach.

rob

On 24/04/2010 08:42, Peter James wrote:
The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Congrats on the allotment. As to the rotorvator/digging; hire or borrow
one or get lots of friends round (older children?)for a digging party
(beer and sandwiches supplied) . It can be false economy to think "Ooo
I'll do it myself it will cost nothing" Then spend two days (or more )
in back breaking labour (that you wouldn't have done for pay) then spend
the next couple of weeks in bed 'cos you have 'done your back in' and
the next couple of years visiting a chiropractor/physiotherapist .

Peter James wrote:
The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Peter

I'm still on the waiting list myself, but hoping might filter to the top
of it some time in the next year or ten.

On the offchance you're anywhere within cycling distance from Corsham,
Wiltshire I'll happily lend you a hand with the digging - you're welcome
to email me.

Cheers,

Jim
--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride

Peter James wrote:
The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

We hire one from the bloke with the allotment next to us. I think it's
about 20 quid for an afternoon, iirc.

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-04-24 09:16:06 +0100, "Muddymike"
said:


"Peter James" wrote in message
news:1jhg2rh.1izz5q71pse526N%pfjames2000@googlemai l.com...
The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me.
The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture
still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Peter

Time to visit the hire shop?

Mike

Or throw a digging party with beer and sandwiches on offer to all who turn
up with a spade and a willing heart!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon


What a good way to find out who your friends are :-)

Bill

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message m
from (Peter James) contains these words:

The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place.

If there are other newly allocated allotment holdrs, you could all
contract a man with a tractor to
plough and harrow it for you.

Failing that, I would kill the pasture by eliminating light (old
tarpaulins/carpet). Look up permaculture no-dig gardens.
I made my entire garden that way, with cardboard straight on top of
long-established lawn, no digging other than making planting holes
through the cardboard.
Covering-mulch materials I've used include lawnmowings, seaweed,
manure, sheep wool, cut bracken, nettles, comfrey, woodchips, woodash.

http://www.permaculture-magazine.co....ticle_15a.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykah...7607416424598/
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/node/73
http://www.srga.org.uk/node/14
http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=16836.0

Peter James wrote:

The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Peter
Thanks for all of the repllies. Lots of suggestions and a lot of
interesting comments, thank you all. And for those who offered help,
I'm in Cornwall. A long way to cycle I'm afraid.

Peter

--
He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I
could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far
from being gruntled.
P.G. Wodehouse 1881 -1975

[quote='Peter James[_2_];884895']Peter James wrote:

The good news is that my allotment has been allocated to me. The bad
news is that it's in an old cow pasture with the old pasture still in
place. My back is cringing at the thought of all that digging.
Shame I can't afford a rotorvator.

Peter

Whatever you decide, don't plant potatoes for the first few years because of wireworm that lives in grassland and will feed on your spuds once the grass has gone.