Preparing a Garden Bed...

Hello All!

When you prepare a garden bed, do you use a Spades, Shovel and Forks, but find it is a lot of hard work and time? Or do you use a diesel rotavator to get the job done even though its not eco-friendly?

I am a product design student in my final year at Northumbria university and have to undertake a major final year project which finds a problem that a product can solve; I have been in touch with a community that is constantly increasing its ability to be eco-friendly, sustainable and provide for itself from its surroundings; such as, growing their own veg for the community etc. The community have suggested a pedal powered rotavator may be a good idea, because they are spending a lot of time and hard work to prepare the beds just using spades and shovels to tackle 1/4 of an acre at a time yet our legs are much stronger than our arms and may be able to do the job more sufficiently.


So do you think that it is a good idea and there is a need for a product like this? Or would you even want a product like it for your allotment/garden/community yourself? All opinions and thoughts will be greatly welcome!

Suze

 

Suze

A lot depends on the size of the plot, the type of soil you have and the gardener him/herself. I have also found that using the right tool for the job makes a hell of a difference to how difficult or easy the job is. I am a bit of a tool snob. I just refuse to buy tools that are of poor quality. They never last long, usually break at the worst possible time and are not the most comfortable items to use.

Due to lots of previous injuries and the ongoing worsening of my health in general, I am unable to do anywhere near as much as I used. My neck and shoulders just cannot take the punishment. I can do light digging and forking over as long as I take it easy.

The soil in my garden is slightly clay. Bit heavy to dig after rain or soil that has not been touched for a while. Other members may well have completely different circumstances.

When using a rotovator or tiller, the size of the plot does to some extent determin its value to the gardener. Using a power tool can be just as much hard work as using a spade. Horse for courses.

I would think that a rotovator or tiller powered by a person pedaling would be very very hard work, unless of course the gear ratios were carefully calculated. Might need a bit more thought on that one Suze.

Good luck with your research.

Chopper.