Content
- 1 Choosing the right tool
- 2 How deep should you dig the ground?
- 3 How to quickly and easily dig up a garden
- 4 How to quickly dig up virgin soil
- 5 How to properly dig up the soil under a garden bed
- 6 How to dig up an overgrown area with a shovel
- 7 How to dig frozen soil with a shovel
- 8 Is it necessary to dig a garden in the fall?
- 9 Conclusion
For some, a garden is an opportunity to provide their family with tasty and natural products, for others it is an interesting hobby, and for some it is even a real means of survival. In any case, cultivating the land when cultivating a vegetable garden is the most significant and labor-intensive part of all work. Digging up a garden with a shovel is not so easy in some cases, but in small areas this method is still one of the main ones for cultivating the land.
Choosing the right tool
However, with the development of modern technologies, many improvements to the ordinary shovel have long been invented.They allow you to speed up the process in some places, and simplify it in others so that digging the ground by hand is not so difficult, and the consequences of physical activity do not have such a strong impact on your overall well-being.
Pitchfork
One of the most ancient devices, which is often used to dig up a vegetable garden, is an ordinary pitchfork. However, forks are traditionally used to dig up soil. They differ from ordinary forks in having more powerful and shorter teeth, which in their cross-section are more reminiscent of a trapezoid. Most often they are not welded, but forged.
A pitchfork is a much more convenient tool for cultivating land than even a shovel. It is not for nothing that many subsequent modern improved devices were made precisely on the principle of a pitchfork. After all, they allow you to simultaneously lift layers of soil and loosen them without cutting the roots of weeds. At the same time, the overall load on the body is significantly reduced due to the fact that a significant part of the soil passes through the teeth, and there is no need to tear it off the ground.
As a result, the forks are particularly well suited for digging up particularly wet and heavy soil, which can stick too intensely to the metal parts of the products. Therefore, they are most often used to dig up clay or rocky soils.
In addition, the use of a fork is more than justified to easily dig up an area of the garden that is overgrown with grass. Because sharp teeth are much easier to penetrate through the grassy turf of a garden than the solid blade of a shovel. At the same time, they do not cut the roots of perennial weeds, but pull them to the surface of the earth in their entirety. This allows you to get rid of weeds more effectively later.After all, many weeds, such as wheatgrass, can easily germinate even from small pieces of rhizomes left in the ground.
Forks are also indispensable when digging a site on two levels, when it is necessary to loosen the second, lowest layer of soil with their help.
To dig up a garden with a pitchfork, you only need to apply a minimal amount of effort. But for large areas of land, even more labor-saving devices were invented, which will be discussed below.
Shovel
A shovel, of course, is an unsurpassed tool in its versatility of use, since with its help you can not only dig up almost any area, but also dig a hole or trench of almost any size. With a shovel you can dig up annually cultivated garden beds, flower beds, and virgin plots of land overgrown with perennial weeds that have not been cultivated for several years. Of the hand tools, perhaps only a shovel can fully cope with virgin soil. A pitchfork can serve as a good addition, but too dense turf can only be overcome by a well-sharpened shovel.
To quickly dig up a garden with a shovel with minimal effort, the length of its handle should be such that its end reaches the elbow when the blade is immersed 20-25 cm into the ground. Sometimes a shovel handle with a special grip is used. But digging with it can be less convenient. It is suitable for those whose fingers do not have much strength.
A rounded shovel blade can also make work easier because it goes into the ground easier than a straight blade.
Miracle shovel "Mole"
The constant striving for perfection and facilitating the hard work of digging up soil on a site has led to the emergence of a variety of devices, among which the miracle shovel is the most popular. It has many different modifications, but they are all created according to the same principle.
The miracle shovel Mole is a unit consisting of two counter forks, width from 43 to 55 cm. The number of teeth can vary from 6 to 9. The main working forks are movable and are bolted to the frame on which the counter teeth are located. A foot rest is also attached to it, which allows you to easily drive the shovel into the ground without additional stress on your back. After which the handles of the tool handle are tilted first towards you and then down. In the last action, the working forks push a layer of soil through the counter teeth, freeing the soil from weeds and at the same time loosening it. Digging soil for a garden correctly means trying not to mix the top and bottom layers of soil unnecessarily.
Despite the significant weight of the miracle mole shovel, about 4.5 kg, it is not difficult to work with. You can only drag it around the site. But most of the effort to penetrate into the ground occurs precisely due to the weight of the tool itself.
In the video you can clearly see how to dig the ground with a miracle shovel:
In addition, thanks to more convenient operation, the process of digging up the garden is accelerated. In 1 hour you can cultivate from 1 to 2 acres of land, depending on its density.At the same time, fatigue, especially in the back and arms, is felt minimally. Therefore, the miracle “mole” shovel is especially popular among women and the elderly, for whom digging up a garden previously seemed almost impossible.
There are also limitations in the operation of the miracle shovel “Mole”. It will be difficult to dig up virgin lands with it; it is more suitable for digging up beds or flower beds in the country, slightly overgrown with weeds.
In addition, due to the rather high handle, it will be difficult to operate in a low greenhouse.
Ripper "Digger"
The principle of using double forks to lift and loosen the earth is used in many designs, particularly in the "digger" ripper. Compared to a mole, the digger has differences in design:
- The forks are mounted at an angle to each other on hinges, and there is no fixed frame.
- The device initially has two handles, which are then connected together in the handle.
- The footrest takes up more space, which allows you to make the tool wider and makes work even easier.
But all these differences are unimportant; in general, the principle of operation of the “Digger” ripper is not much different from the miracle shovel.
But precisely for the same reason, the unit may be unsuitable for narrow beds or flower beds.
Shovel "Tornado"
Tornado is a fairly well-known brand under which many garden tools are produced. The “tornado” shovel, in its design and operating principle, is practically no different from the “mole” miracle shovel.
But there is also a “tornado” ripper, which is a long pin with rounded long handles at one end and sharp teeth twisted clockwise. It allows you to dig up and loosen the soil to a depth of 20 cm. The handle of the tool can easily be adjusted in length to the height of the person working with the “tornado”.
Due to the small size of the tool, it is especially convenient for them to work on small plots of land, under trees or shrubs, in small flower beds or narrow beds. “Tornado” allows you to cultivate even areas of land that are slightly overgrown with grass, but it is of little use for large areas.
Rotating miracle views
A somewhat similar operating principle is used when operating the rotary miracle forks. They consist of a long pin with a T-shaped long handle. The main rod is also adjustable in length in order to maximally adapt to the height of the person working with it.
At the bottom of the rod there are forks attached to it, which are driven into the ground and then turned by the force of a handle used as a lever.
When working with rotating miracle forks, forces towards the back or legs are also eliminated. Naturally, labor productivity also increases. But the tool is poorly suited to working with heavy or rocky soil.
Fokina flat cutter
This amazing instrument was invented not so long ago, at the end of the last century. But it has already gained great popularity due to its lightness and versatility.
Using a Fokin flat cutter you can quite easily carry out the following types of work:
- loosening the soil;
- crushing pieces of earth;
- formation of beds;
- cutting and removing weeds;
- hilling;
- cutting grooves in the ground for sowing different crops.
At the same time, there are several models of flat cutters, differing in blade size. Thus, the flat cutter is suitable for processing relatively large areas of land (up to several hundred square meters), and for narrow places where it is difficult to get to using any other tool.
Hand cultivator
Hand cultivators are a whole class of tools designed to dig up a vegetable garden, loosen and create beds.
There are 3 main types of hand cultivators:
- rotary or star-shaped;
- cultivators-rippers;
- root removers.
Based on the name, in the first type of cultivators, several star-shaped rippers are mounted on the central axis.
By pressing on the handle and simultaneously driving the unit along the ground, the soil is loosened and weeds are simultaneously destroyed. But these models are poorly suited for processing heavy types of soil, especially if they are covered with hardened clay crust.
In the latter cases, it is necessary to seek help from a cultivator-ripper. It has several rather short, but very hard and sharp curved teeth scrolling on its central axis. With their help, this unit, with some effort, is able to cope with fairly dense and heavy soils.
Root removers are ideally suited for spot loosening the soil, removing weeds with powerful and deep rhizomes, as well as for digging holes when planting seedlings of garden crops.
How deep should you dig the ground?
There are several approaches to cultivating land. Some gardeners believe that the soil must be dug up annually to at least the depth of a spade bayonet, that is, 25-30 cm.
Others, who advocate a more natural, organic approach to growing plants, consider it necessary to only slightly loosen the top layer of soil every year, up to 4-5 cm deep. This should be enough for sowing and for the initial development of seeds. In the future, the roots of the plants make their own way, using natural passages in the soil. True, with the second method it is necessary to annually create a significant layer of organic mulch on the beds, at least 10-15 cm thick.
In any case, if you are dealing with virgin soil, that is, a plot of land densely overgrown with grass, then initially it must be dug up at least once. This is necessary, first of all, to remove the rhizomes of weeds, which will not allow young shoots of cultivated plants to fully develop.
How to quickly and easily dig up a garden
To quickly dig up a garden, it is advisable to adhere to the following technology:
- First, use pegs and a stretched rope to mark the approximate boundaries of the future vegetable garden.
- Then a trench is dug along one of the sides, approximately the depth of a shovel. The width of the trench in this case is also equal to the width of the shovel blade.
- All extracted soil is immediately freed from weed roots and possible mechanical additives (stones, debris).
- The earth from the first trench is put in a separate place so that it can be used later.
- Parallel to the first one, the next trench is dug, the earth from which is used to fill the previous trench.
- According to this scheme, they continue to dig up the ground until the marking of the area prepared for the garden is completed.
- Then the last trench is filled with pre-set earth from the first trench.
How to quickly dig up virgin soil
Virgin lands are usually called areas of land that have not been cultivated for 10 years or more. They are usually covered with a thick layer of turf, which makes it difficult to both sow and care for garden plants. But in the rested soil, many substances useful for the growth and development of plants have been accumulated, which can serve the benefit of the gardener. It may not be possible to quickly dig up virgin soil at your dacha right away, but the result will be worth the effort.
There are several ways to process virgin soil, but only one can be called fast - creating bulk beds. In this case, the surface of future beds is covered with cardboard or other materials, and the row spaces are treated with herbicides. Then the future beds are covered with pre-prepared fertile soil on top. It is where seeds are sown or seedlings are planted.
This method, despite its speed, is very material-intensive, since the land for planting will have to be specially mined externally. If time allows, you can do differently. Simply cover the areas allocated for the beds with a layer of cardboard, press down with heavy objects and leave the soil to mature for the whole season. In this case, by autumn the entire grassy part of the turf will rot and the soil will be ready for processing using any of the tools described above.
You can dig up virgin soil at your dacha with your own hands by simply turning the cut layers of turf over with the green grass facing down. Potatoes are planted in the resulting gaps, which, after sprouting, are generously mulched with any organic matter.
By autumn, on the former virgin lands, it is possible to harvest a potato crop and obtain land that is quite suitable for further cultivation.
How to properly dig up the soil under a garden bed
There are several basic rules on how to properly dig soil with a shovel so as not to cause much damage to your health:
- You should not try to dig up the entire plot of land at one time, especially if its area is quite significant, and the experience of physical activity after winter is reduced to zero.
- The shovel must be installed vertically in relation to the ground, so that with minimal effort the bayonet can penetrate the ground to its maximum depth.
- You should not put too much soil on the shovel at one time. It is better to make more small but frequent movements.
- There is no need to dig up soil that is still wet from winter or frozen. This can lead to even more compaction of the earth. It is better to wait a little until the soil dries out a little.
- You should not walk on an already dug up piece of land before sowing or planting seedlings, so as not to reduce all the effort spent to zero.
How to dig up an overgrown area with a shovel
There is another way to dig up an area overgrown with grass. To do this, it is pre-treated with one of the herbicides. After a few weeks, the site is dug up using the technology described above. A week later, a complex of mineral fertilizers is applied and the soil is loosened again.
The land is ready for sowing and planting.
How to dig frozen soil with a shovel
As mentioned above, digging up frozen soil to set up a vegetable garden does not make much sense, since after this procedure the soil can become even more compacted. But if there are some special circumstances that force you to dig frozen ground, then you can use the following techniques:
- Light a fire at the future digging site and, after it burns out, dig into the warm soil.
- Use a jackhammer or pick and only after removing the upper frozen horizon, continue digging with a shovel.
Is it necessary to dig a garden in the fall?
Autumn digging of the earth is especially necessary during the initial development of an overgrown area or virgin land. In this case, it is best to dig up the soil in large layers and leave it in this form until winter. Frost penetrates into the resulting cracks and freezes the weed seeds more reliably, preventing them from developing further in the spring. It is best to dig the ground in the fall while simultaneously adding phosphorus fertilizers to the soil so that by spring they become available to plant roots.
In addition, after autumn digging, the soil is usually well saturated with oxygen.
But if the garden has been developed for quite some time, then there is no particular point in digging it up in the fall. It is better to lay it with an additional layer of mulch, which, having rotted, will serve as a good fertilizer for plants in the spring and summer.
Conclusion
Digging up a garden with a shovel means carrying out more thorough and reliable cultivation of the land before planting cultivated plants. And the abundance of improved models of shovels and forks will allow this work to be carried out in the shortest possible time and with minimal effort.
