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Post by daylilydude on Apr 26, 2015 18:49:09 GMT -5
I was wondering if when you till your garden do you till it only in one direction back and forth, or do you cross it too, just to make sure it gets a good tilling?
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whistech
Pro Member
Posts: 300
Joined: April 2013
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Post by whistech on Apr 26, 2015 19:53:10 GMT -5
I till in one direction only.
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 26, 2015 21:11:48 GMT -5
I use to just go one direction, but I was missing spots sometimes, so I started going 2 directions if I had the extra energy to get the second direction done
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Post by paulf on Apr 27, 2015 7:02:49 GMT -5
I usually go north/south, then east/west. This year because I tilled really well last fall all I am doing is raking the garden smooth. Kind of a semi-no till.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 28, 2015 20:20:41 GMT -5
Hmmm... is there a thing as too much tilling?
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swamper
Pro Member
Posts: 208
Joined: March 2011
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Post by swamper on Apr 28, 2015 21:22:32 GMT -5
the minimum amount of tilling you can manage is the best strategy. tilling harms soil structure and leads to rapid oxidation of organic matter. In hot climates carbon will rapidly disappear from soil to the atmosphere. the only time i'd till in two directions would be if i was breaking up sod.
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 29, 2015 0:29:05 GMT -5
I agree with swamper, I have mostly stopped tilling, only do it now to break up new ground, but when I do, I till in 2 directions, then till in wood chips, charcoal, and straw into the ground. tilling hurts the worms and the bacteria and all the other life in the ground just cover everything with rotting leaves and/or wood chips if possible but my new method could be due to my tiller sounding like it is wearing out.
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Post by coppice on Apr 29, 2015 2:47:39 GMT -5
Hmmm... is there a thing as too much tilling? I know that the more you till the more worm populations crash. By way of anecdotal experience, I had a neighbor who tilled spring & fall, plus used a mini-tiller between rows in the summer. He was very happy with having no worms to speak of (to him it was a triumph). So maybe yes.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 29, 2015 4:57:22 GMT -5
Hmmm... is there a thing as too much tilling? I know that the more you till the more worm populations crash. By way of anecdotal experience, I had a neighbor who tilled spring & fall, plus used a mini-tiller between rows in the summer. He was very happy with having no worms to speak of (to him it was a triumph). So maybe yes. A mini-tiller... mine is just called a hoe...
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 29, 2015 7:12:48 GMT -5
I just till in one direction, partly due to the trenches I make with a tiller attachment, that makes raised beds (great when it rains too much!), plus I have those fences running in the same direction that I grow things up on. BTW, every time I till, that worm population seems like it's still doing well, even when I till that first row every year in the cold, for the greens.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 29, 2015 9:35:21 GMT -5
tiller attachment, that makes raised beds pepperhead212, could you show me a pic of this attachment, as that sounds like something I would like to use in my in-ground garden as it has a slight hill...
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 29, 2015 20:19:31 GMT -5
I'll take a photo of it tomorrow, @daylilydude. My garden also has a slight incline, toward the house, so when it rains hard, the water collects in the trenches (assuming it has been raining a lot recently, otherwise it is gone!), and slowly disappears, with the water at the far end of the trenches staying the longest.
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Post by izitmidnight on Apr 29, 2015 23:28:31 GMT -5
Since I am dependent on someone else tilling, am lucky if it gets tilled in one direction. Mostof the time, the tilling is turning over with a shovel and then hoeing.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 30, 2015 4:14:04 GMT -5
Mostof the time, the tilling is turning over with a shovel and then hoeing. Oooo... old school tilling izit how big is your garden??
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Post by izitmidnight on Apr 30, 2015 6:07:46 GMT -5
800 sq feet for the vegetable garden and the same for the. Flower bed.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 30, 2015 19:23:36 GMT -5
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Post by daylilydude on May 2, 2015 7:15:26 GMT -5
So pepperhead212, on the very first time, did you till the whole bed, then run the trencher to make the " raised beds" and trenches?
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Post by pepperhead212 on May 2, 2015 8:53:27 GMT -5
Yes, @daylilydude, I tilled the entire garden, then did the trenches. And early on (I got the tiller in '89!) I did till in both directions, to break things up real well. It started out about 1/6 the size it is now, and after 4 seasons, since tilling was so easy, most of my back yard was a garden!
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Post by daylilydude on May 2, 2015 20:23:58 GMT -5
Well I made a tilling blunder... I tilled half my garden when it was still damp and now I have very hard clods of dirt bigger that a golf ball out there... so can someone tell me how long before I can till it again and use it??
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Post by pepperhead212 on May 2, 2015 23:05:38 GMT -5
Hmmm...I never really noticed anything like that, and I have tilled when the soil was really too wet, because I had to plant something, and several more days of rain were coming! Probably just different types of soil. Maybe just run it over a small area, and see how it does now?
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Post by daylilydude on May 3, 2015 5:31:39 GMT -5
Probably just different types of soil. Probably pepperhead212, as I have clay in my soil , been working compost in it a little at a time to help with that.
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Post by daylilydude on May 4, 2015 20:06:01 GMT -5
pepperhead212, here is a pic of what I'm talking about... The good thing is I ran the tiller on a part of the garden at the top of the little slope and they broke down into much smaller chunks, so maybe by this weekend I can run it thru the garden again and break it up so I can plant that bed also... crossing my fingers...
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Post by daylilydude on May 7, 2015 20:12:23 GMT -5
I ran the tiller for a couple of hours this evening and it seems to working, as now they are a lil smaller than a marble, so I'll let that dry a day and go cross ways to see if I can break it up even more...
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