Our garden has a 2mm layer of topsoil, a few inches of clay and then great lumps of chalk, all with an unhealthy seasoning of bits of flint. War has been declared and the main battery was wheeled out this afternoon - a petrol rotavator.
It's bloody great! My arms and back ache from trying to hang on to the thing but I've got almost a thrid of the garden into a lovely tilth down to a foot or so
. In the process it's chucked enough flint bits to give me about half what I'll need to add to some concrete to make a path to the shed and compost heap.
I'll probably be crawling around on my belly mewing in pathetic agony by the end of Saturday but our garden will be well on way to being productive this year.
Just bring on the pain, and the petrol!