Take things slowly and don't overtax your back. Use a fork rather than a spade - it's lighter. Avoid compacting your freshly dug earth by creating pathways. Consider raised beds or a no dig system to reduce work later. Potatoes are an efficient way of breaking up soil and bringing nutrients to the surface.
27.03.10
One month on and I have finished digging over the whole plot.
I was told to take it easy and that I wouldn’t have the plot ready in first year and to just plant potatoes as they are great at clearing plots of weeds and breaking up the soil but I am greedy and impatient so was determined to get it finished in time for a proper April sowing of a wide variety of vegetables. Luckily I have time on my hands to devote to this and the threat or promise of any possible future full time job has made me want to make the most of the time I do have available now.
On average I did 3 hours every day of digging. I calculate it has taken around 75 hours to prepare the ground and clear the plot of weeds. I do hope that with regular harvesting and work I won’t have to do this every year. I'm sure all the work is very healthy and my arms definitely look more toned but my back also complained a fair amount. I can sympathise with the wartime cartoons of men bent over double after their efforts to Dig for Victory. At least I don't then have to go to work on top of it.
I am planning on building raised beds in the future to cut down on the amount that I walk on the growing areas – this should make digging much easier. My neighbour spotted me hopping like a mountain goat (or a flatlands goat) from one part of the plot to another and was horrified at the amount of damage I might be doing to the quality of the soil. He insisted I get some scaffolding boards to initially create permanent pathways and eventually, in the autumn, create these raised beds.
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