George:
Maybe I can help you; maybe I can’t, with your inquiry on whether any Forum Member has, or ever used a Rotovators. (As way of explanation, here in the US of A, we probably would refer to this piece of garden equipment as a Rototiller. So just substitute the words, they mean the same.)
I’m going to quote some wise words from a book entitled ‘Gardening Made Easy’, published by the Meredith Publishing Group, which is a famous publisher known for its Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) magazine. I can remember my mother, years ago, subscribing to this magazine.
“GROW YOUR GARDEN: SOIL
The key to gorgeous flowers and pumped-up plants is the soil they grow in. They need rich, loamy soil that nourishes and supports them.
Start with good soil, and your garden will reward you with healthy, happy plants. The type and quality of your soil affect how well your plants will grow—and how much extra time you will spend working in your garden.
All soil is not equal. The ideal soil is loam, a humus-rich balance of silt, sand and clay. Healthy soil is easy to dig in, well-draining so it isn’t boggy and has enough organic material to hold moisture to hydrate plant roots. How do you know what kind of soil you have? Start with a good soil test. You can buy a kit and do it yourself or you can send a soil sample to your state extension service. A soil test measures the levels of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in your garden.
Here are some guidelines for ensuring nutrient-rich, easy-to-plant-in soil:
FIX YOUR SOIL FIRST, for long-term success it’s better to feed the soil than the plant.
FEED IT EVERY SEASON, feed your soil in spring, summer and fall and every time you plant, using organic matter such as compost, rotted manure and chopped dry leaves.
TAKE A CRUMBLE TEST, work soil when a fistful of it crumbles easy in your hand. Don’t dig in your garden when soil is too wet or too dry because that damages the soil.
TREAD LIGHTLY, don’t walk on your beds. Stepping on soil compacts it, preventing air, water and nutrients from reaching plants.
DON’T OVERDIG OR TILL, excessive digging or rototilling destroys structure, leaving it powdery or rock hard.”
With this last line guiding your thoughts George; let’s find out why you want a Rototiller, and where you are going to use it.
How big is the area that you want to till? What is there now, has it been tilled before, or is it virgin soil, still in weeds, wild grasses, etc. When you are through working with the plot, are you going to plant something in or on it? Will it be part of your garden landscape?
My own experience with Rototillers, began just after I had retired and starting pretending to be a full-time farmer/gardener. My vegetable garden came as my first project. So I started by clearing an area
of blackberry bushes (an invasive here), and started working the soil by turning it over with a garden shovel. That meant that weeds and grasses and other assorted flora got turned over and buried approximately 4 to 6 inches below the surface.
My father had purchased a Rototiller when he and my mother were raising us hungry children. Since their deaths, this rototiller had been stored back in a corner in the garage quite for quite a few years, until I had remembered it was there. I pulled it out of storage, cleaned up the spark-plug, changed the oil, put in fresh gas (petrol) and sure enough it started.when I pulled on the rope cord attached to the pulley. No automatic starter on this baby! I chased after it, as it pulled me out to the garden area.
I set it in motion, by pulling the lever that tightened the belt against the engine pulley. I might explain that the digging tines were on the front of the tiller, and two regular wheels approximately 8” in diameter behind the tines. The tines started to turn over and slowly the front end with the tines sunk into the soil that I had previously worked with the showel. Down, down, it went!
I grabbed the two handles and pulled backward against the force of the engine, but no way good I get the machine to go forward on its own power. Since then, that is the way I have rototilled my vegetable garden, by pulling against the engine. (And what a job that’s been!)
I had used this method to till the vegetable garden every since, except last year I think I wised up a little bit. I started reading some books, authored by such gardeners as Eliot Coleman (known for his 12 months continuous vegetable harvest and the broadfork), Mel Bartholomew (Square Foot Gardening), Derek Fell (Vertical Gardening), etc.
The concept I am using now for renovating or rejuvenating the vegetable beds; is after final harvest in late fall I start placing on top of the beds, material such as cut up tree pruning, decaying leaves, and other clean composted material, along with rotted steer manure, and rake or work that material into the top 2 to 3 inches of dirt. The theory here is that if you can bring the soil into contact with the nutrient rich materials that I’ve added, they will rot and decompose by themselves. Then the sun and the rain will take over and work the wonders of the decaying materials into the soil, promising a good harvest for the next season.
So, George, I think the whole premise here, is when and if you do purchase yourself a new renovator, don’t bury the things that you are trying to get rid of such as weeds along with their seeds, plant diseases, and other pests. Put the beneficial goodies on top of the surface of soil, so if you do get weeds they will be easier to control. Don’t bury the seeds way down there to germinate several years later, when you till with your renovator and turn them over again. If you are going to get weeds, keep them on the surface so your can control them!
If you follow this link, you will see a video about a new ‘rototiller’ for me, that I use to work these nutrients into the two or three inches of my vegetable gardens.
http://www.thepowerpaws.com/So, tell me and other Forum Members, George, what do you want to do with you new Renovator?
- Toby
