What did you do in your garden today?

[alp]

That's what I was thinking!

Get the hard work out of the way, sure, but once that area is planted, he won't be tilling anymore. If he puts in a veg patch, he might use it once or twice in the spring, but once the soil is amended enough, it should be easy enough to do with a shovel.

Totally agree!

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks MaryMary for your suggestion to hire before buying and for the two links I've just browsed; very kind of you.

A lightweight tiller hire costs around £57.54 for the first day whilst an heavyweight tiller costs around £91.56 for the first day; this includes tax but excludes deposit and delivery/collection which really do bump up the price. A lot of ground can be tilled in a single day especially with the heavyweight tiller and even if it costs over £100 it would be a one off cost however I never hire any kit I always buy this gives me full control and doesn't put me under any pressure to get the job done quickly. The reasons I like to buy are my personal black cloud Blackie who is ever present as soon as I venture outside; another reason is I find it a great deal cheaper. Please take my example of when I needed a cement mixer to aid me installing flood defenses; I could have easily hired the mixer but I browsed eBay and bought a new mixer; the day the mixer was delivered I had already dug out a trench to accept a concrete base but instead the trench was kindly flooded by Blackie and for a full week Blackie was relentless; I owned this mixer for six weeks then sold it in excellent condition for £30 less than I paid for it; I didn't have to pay delivery charges and the buyer collected it; six weeks hire of a cement mixer cost me £30 and I could wait until Blackie let up?

Due to our steeply sloping site quite a bit of time would pass before an heavyweight tiller could be brought up to the job involving steps; once the tilling was completed then an equal amount of time would be needed to get the tiller back out of the garden and even more time spent cleaning the tiller before it was collected; I've erected a new garden hut so if I were to buy a tiller I already have storage for it on the job so dragging it up into the garden would be a one off and I could take my time? I already have a petrol lawnmower; chainsaw and hedge trimmer I also have a pressure washer but I have the new hut and also the old shed so storage isn't a concern.

Thanks for your kind comments alp. As you rightly say I could carry on digging with the spade then I wouldn't need a tiller at all in fact on a YouTube video a guy using a decent sized tiller suggested digging with a spade first to break up compacted soil and grass etc so for me if I dug by spade buying the tiller would go against the labour I wanted to save and again as you and MaryMary state once the ground is prepared the first time it would be very easy to go over again with a spade? I'm undecided but I tend to do jobs the way I usual do them involving hard graft. Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to post and I take seriously all suggestions and advice.

Here are a couple of pictures one is the new cement mixer I bought; the other is the moat I dug filling nicely courtesy of Blackie.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Verdun]

For me, digging is more preferable than using a tiller......more thorough and more effective.
Used to think a tiller was great but I soon got to see the drawbacks......a hard pan can be created, soil never properly cleared of stones and roots to name just a couple.

Busy morning teaching and unlikely to do anything in the garden later.....besides most everything is tidied and sorted apart from moving the odd plant.

Played the role of listener and pacifier yesterday. Why do youngsters think minor squabbles are world destroying events??

Pleasant weather....mild but no sun.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks Verdun. I don't mind digging but it's definitely hard graft in our garden because it's not been turned over for at least 30 years and it's full of all kinds of nasties like roots and stones; the area at the top of the garden where I'm now working has decent heavy soil and I can put the spade in to full depth once I've chopped through the grass and moss thatch; as you rightly state hand digging is best because stones and roots etc can be removed whereas these would possibly damage a mechanical tiller. If these tillers are better to use once the ground has been turned over first removing all the debris then the hard work surely is already done making the tiller obsolete?

I've decided to dig by hand so have made a start this afternoon turning over a decent sized patch removing roots and stones as work progressed; initially working in brilliant sunshine it was quite pleasant and I was wrapped up for the North Pole but once the sun disappeared it turned very cold and Gale was present supplying a bitterly cold breeze; I'm just surprised Blackie didn't join in giving me a good soaking? I thought it wise to quit when I did because I was sweating in my clothes but daren't remove my heavy coat because pneumonia is ever a threat to us dinosaurs.

I'm planning on making a few paths and these hopefully will be covered in wood chips so I'm making it up as I go along; nothing is fixed or planned I'm just seeing how it develops and if I don't like it I can easily change it at this stage; if I only dig for an hour each day it won't take too long to dig the garden over after all the hardest parts are already dug over these being the steepest sections with most roots. The pictures below show the dense thatch and the grassed area I'm now starting to dig; it's 60' across the garden top so I'll take it little by little but the rate I'm progressing I think I'll complete most of the digging in time for the really bad weather. The picture of the spade is rare because the sun is shining but the soil is soaking wet; heavy and clinging. I'm delighted though by the quality of this soil; this is the best area of the garden and the soil should support anything I wish to plant.

Youngsters can be most frustrating to deal with Verdun and as you say a minor squabble is the end of the world; I know I used to be a youngster once and still haven't grown up.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Verdun]

I sense a well thought out plan, albeit off the cuff and prepared for the unexpected as you go too Colin.
Ideal winter job and, boy, will you be pleased when spring arrives
Ha ha....I understand totally. Just as mischievous in my head as I was as a kid. One or two call me Peter Pan, cos I dont grow up. (Hmm! Not sure if thats a compliment or not! )

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks Verdun

Yes I do have a plan; to dig like mad before winter really hits us and winter is about upon us with just a couple of days grace tempting me into the garden whilst the temperature is a scorching 6C; the forecast is grim from this Friday onwards but then there is little between summer and winter these days; I think it hit an high of 9C here today which is warmer than some of our summer days. I'm making the most of it whilst it lasts.

I'm sure Peter Pan is a compliment but what about Petra Pan; would this be more appropriate?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Verdun]

Petra?

 

[alp]

Played the role of listener and pacifier yesterday. Why do youngsters think minor squabbles are world destroying events??

Haha! Listen to who's talking!

 

[Verdun]

Wot??? I Take everything in my stride. Things get too much and I grab a few donuts
Anyway, I think.....think...its all sorted now; until the next earth shattering tiff!

 

[alp]

Say no more!

I weeded a bit in the garden and dispose of a lot of dead cuttings. My heart bleeds.. Just how do you keep your cuttings alive? Light? Temperature or propagator. And I thought osteospermum cuttings were easy to take. No, they died on me. Is there an emoji for head scatching / soul searching!?

 

[Verdun]

Easy to take but need to keep dryish alp

Wow! How did that happen? I somehow ordered another plant today. I'm head scratching too alp..

 

[alp]

Do I need to have half compost and half sand?

Listen, Verdy: Don't worry about ordering more plants.. As long as you have the cash and you haven't got these plants and they please you, order them.

They speak to you, to your heart, to your soul .. and that's what matters. You can't take anything with you. Live and not hoard.. I'm hoarding for my son and my security. You're more or less SORTED! Not earth-shattering worries, so why not?

Listen: Your overbearing BOSS is speaking!

 

[Verdun]

Half sand or, better, perlite alp.
Thanks boss.....ha ha.
Nobody is "sorted" .....I will have to rob another bank. (That's between you and me tho alp)

 

[alp]

Half sand or, better, perlite alp.
Thanks boss.....ha ha.
Nobody is "sorted" .....I will have to rob another bank. (That's between you and me tho alp)

When? I will keep watch!

 

[Greenhorn]

This weekend I planted seed for the following...
Achillea millefolium - Western Yarrow
Baileya multiradiata - Desert Marigold
Linum grandiflorum rubrum - Scarlet Flax
Layia platyglossa - Tidy Tips
Linum lewisii - Lewis Flax (Blue)
Oenothera speciosa - Showy Eve Primrose
Penstemon Parryi - Parry's Penstemon
Baileya multiradiata - Desert Marigold
Linum grandiflorum rubrum Scarlet Flax
Linum lewisii Lewis Flax (Blue)
Lavandula stoechas – French Lavender

Last Weekend I planted seeds for the following...
Scrophularia californica - California Bee Plant
Clarkia unguiculata - Elegent Clarkia
Salvia mellifera - Black Sage
Penstemon centranthifolius - Scarlet bugler
Salvia spathaceae - Hummingbird Sage
Collinsia hetrophylla - Chinese Houses
Eriogonum fasciculatum var. Fasciculatum - California Buckwheat
Mimulas aurantiacus var. punicus - Red Bush Monkey Flower
Encelia farinosa - Brittle Bush, Incienso
Dichelostemma capitatum - Wild Hyacinth, Blue Dick

These are mostly natives and wildflowers.
Working on my soil mixes while doing so.