Rotavator - Do i need one?

hello all

i need to level my front garden as at the moment its more like the somme than a garden

it has quite a lot of stones mixed in an being in the North West the soil is basically clay.

i need to break up all the s***s an clods to level it an hopefully turf it.

is it recommended to use a rotavator or just turn it all over by spade?

apologies for the picture quality

​

 

I disagree on the grit point. A previous owner of my place dug grit in to loosen the clay. That part of the garden sets like concrete and the presence of grit just offers even more resistance for the spade.

 

MOT? The only MOT I know is the one strikes terror into the soul of motorists once per year.

 

The stuff in my garden doesn't really look like that. The stuff in the pics is similar to some stuff my builder gave me when i was doing the patio. That stuff packed down very firm very easily, and was nowt like the stuff in the soil at the other end.

 

I was told that heavy clay needs sand adding I haven't gone that route (yet), but would sand have the same effect as grit?

 

One of our knowledgeable buddies on this very forum has the answer, with pics, in this most impressive and inspirational thread (which I actually sometimes refer back to as something to aim towards).

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/improving-clay.21951/

 

ThankClue

 

So long as it is Sharp / Horticultural sand it will help, but the two do slightly different things.