Tilling Depths, PreparingSeedbeds, Cultivating

TILLING

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Tilling Depths

_=i, WARNING: Before A L• tilling, Contactyour

m, m. telephone or utilities company and inquire if underground equipment or lines are used on your

property. Do not till near buried electric cables,

telephone lines, pipes or hoses.

•Avoid pushingdown on thehandlebarsin anattemptto forcethe tillerto dig deeper• Doing so takesthe weightoff the poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction•Without the wheels helpingto holdthe tiller back,the tineswill attemptto propelthe tiller - often causingthe tiller to skip rapidly acrossthe ground• (Sometimes,slight downwardpressureonthe handlebars

will helpgetthrough a particularlytough sectionof sodor unbrokenground,but in most cases this won'tbenecessary.)

•Avoidtrying to digtoo deeplytoo quickly,especiallywhenbustingsod or when tilling soil that hasn'tbeentilled for sometime• Useshallowdepth regulatorsettings(onlyaninch ortwo deep)for the first passesthrough the soil• Witheachsucceedingpass,diganotherinch ortwo deeper• (Wateringthe areaafew daysprior to tilling will maketilling easier,as will letting the newlyworkedsoil setfor a dayor two beforemakinga final, deeptilling pass.)

•Whencultivating(breakingupsurfacesoil aroundplantsto destroyweeds,seeFig.4-9), adjustthetinesto digonly 1"to 2"deep• Using shallowtilling depthshelpspreventinjury to plantswhoserootsoftengrow closeto the surface. If needed,lift uponthe handlebarsslightly to preventthe tines from diggingtoo deeply. (Cultivatingon a regularbasisnot only eliminatesweeds,it also !oosensandaeratesthe soil for bettermoistureabsorptionand faster plantgrowth•)

ChoosingCorrectWheel &Tine Speeds With experience,you will find the "just right" tillingdepth and tillingspeedcombination that is bestfor your garden•

Setthe enginethrottle leverat aspeedto give the engineadequatepowerandyetallow it to operateat the slowestpossiblespeed...atleast until you haveachievedthe maximumtilling depthyou desire. Fasterenginespeedsmaybedesirablewhen makingfinal passesthrough the seedbedor whencultivating•Selectionof the correct enginespeed,in relationto the tilling depth,will ensureasufficient power levelto dothe jobwithout causingthe engineto labor.

Let theTiller Dothe Work

AvoidMakingFootprints

AvoidTilling Soggy,Wet Soil

Whiletilling,relaxandletthewheelspuIIthe tiller along while the tines do the digging• Walkonthe sidethat is not yet finished(to avoid makingfootprints in the freshly tilled soil) and lightly, but securelygrip the han- dlebarwith just onehand,

Wheneverpossible, walk on the untilled side of the unitto avoidmakingfootprints in your freshly tilled or cultivatedsoil• Foot- printscausesoil compactionthat can ham- per root penetration and contribute to soil erosion. They can also !'plant"unwanted weed seeds back into the freshly tilled ground•

Tilling wet soil often results in large, hard clumps of soil that can interfere with plant- ing. If time permits, wait a day or two after heavyrains to allow the soil to dry before tilling• Testsoil by squeezingit intoa ball. If it compressestoo easily,it is too wet to till.

PreparingSeedbeds

•When preparinga seedbed,go over the same pathtwice in the first row,then overlapone-half the tiller width on the rest of the passes(see Fig.6). When fin- ishedin onedirection, makea second passat a right angle,as shown in Fig.4-7. Overlapeach passfor best results (in very hardground, it maytakethree or four

passesto thoroughlypulverizethe soil.)Fig. 4-6Fig. 4-7

			Cultivating
• Ifthegardensizewillnotpermitlengthwiseandthencrosswisetilling		thenover-	With nlanninn ,,ou can		_,_v_,		_r_
laptillerthe.first passesbyone-.halfa			aIIow e_oughr'oon_m		_- _) "	_	"-(_ "
width,followed bysuccessivepasses	_		betweenrows to Cut vate		_	_	,_
at one-quarterwidth"(seeE'g4-8)	_		tseerig. ,4-u).Leaveroom		_'	_	#_
............			tseerig. ,4-u).Leaveroom		¢2,._	@	#_
'			•	._,	_	_._	t,.2j	_	'
'			' for the hood width,	._,	_,-_,			_	'
			plus enough extra	_	4_',,			_11
	Fig.4-8		room for future plant		Fig. 4-9
			growth.