Development of the hard pan is a common phenomenon especially in areas that have been cultivated for long periods or undergo frequent waterlogging. I have encountered such in the past. I use hoes to break it up but its laborious and not suitable over larger areas.
Which tool do you use to break the hard pan?
- Thread starter remnant
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2015
- Messages
- 606
- Reaction score
- 941
- Location
- Close to The Garden of England
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
Sorry, can't help you here. I never allow any real hardpan to develop. My ground gets dug regularly, even if it's just to break the surface inch or two. This is done with an ordinary garden fork.
When I had new ground to break I used a rotavator.
When I had new ground to break I used a rotavator.
I have claypan problem each summer. Only way I found was to deep dig the whole garden with sharp spade each autumn and leave it to freeze during winter (which judging by your flag is mission impossible ) and then from spring to autumn dig with hoe every 2 weeks and after every rain. As for waterlogging collect the water away from the plants, surround each bed with small canals for the water to drain as far as possible. I live on a hill so I have natural draining but my grandma had fields that were in the bottom of a hill and were flooded every year and she always had canals between each row of plants. Something like this.
In big fields rotovator definitely works wonderfully, but once you've planted something it's hoe time
) and then from spring to autumn dig with hoe every 2 weeks and after every rain. As for waterlogging collect the water away from the plants, surround each bed with small canals for the water to drain as far as possible. I live on a hill so I have natural draining but my grandma had fields that were in the bottom of a hill and were flooded every year and she always had canals between each row of plants. Something like this.In big fields rotovator definitely works wonderfully, but once you've planted something it's hoe time