Garden Tiller

[AlittleSalt]

Christian1971, this may have already been mentioned? There's also the option of renting a tiller for a day.

After seeing all the earthworms I saw today while digging after a lot of rain - I'm thinking of going no till myself.

[christian1971]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Christian1971, this may have already been mentioned? There's also the option of renting a tiller for a day.

After seeing all the earthworms I saw today while digging after a lot of rain - I'm thinking of going no till myself.

Could you expand on the no till method. Would it be possible to simply dig large holes in my yard and plant seedlings. Or would grass compete with tomatoes?

[BigVanVader]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

Now Vader, that brings up a whole new subject, I plan to put in a no till/woodchip area to try this year. I know the woodchip/BTE garden method is all about adding compost regularly but I still want to see the difference. I happened to find a Utube about the no till and this really made me think about it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1aR5OLgcc0

Sorry didn't mean to derail the thread......BUT no-till is just so much better than tilling in my experience.

[AlittleSalt]

I cannot explain no-till as well as others can here. It basically means that you remove grass and/or weeds, but you don't till the soil.

I can answer the second and third parts easier. Yes, you can dig holes in your yard to plant seedlings, and yes, the grass will compete with the tomatoes. In this way of looking at this - grass is a weed. A weed is defined https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=define+a+weed Grass is a very difficult plant to remove from a tomato bed - especially Bermuda grass.

[OzoneNY]

I bought a used honda 110 on Craigslist for $50, My garden is 6X12 and the heaviest clay soil that you could bake and make floor tile with. Did the job and then I sold it 2 weeks later for $50

[Gardeneer]

I dig my garden w/ shovel. Years ago I made close to 600 sq-ft garden out of raw GA clay soil. And amended it with lots of leaves, manure, top soil. Even I screened to get a lot of rocks out . Bu then I was few year younger.
Currently I have mostly raised beds , filled with purchased material. Bu still I dig them. The last time ( ~ 2 months ago) I got lots of tree roots out of some of them. If you don't till or dig/turn w/ shovel and you have trees around, the beds will be invaded by tree roots soon.
Digging / tilling has another advantage, me thinks. And that is aeration and fluffs up the soil so that roots will have easy time to grow in it.
Gardeneer

[BackyardFarm]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

If you paid somebody with a tractor to till it once in the spring, and then you mulched extensively, you wouldn't need a tiller.

^^ This is what I would say too. Plus the mulch will break down and add some fluff to your soil. Maybe you can even find someone who will trade tomatoes or a couple loaves of homemade bread and jars of jam for tilling. That's what I do!

[BackyardFarm]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Sorry didn't mean to derail the thread......BUT no-till is just so much better than tilling in my experience.

No till is awesome garden sauce. I'm converting the rest of the garden to no-till raised beds this year. I'm so looking forward to it!