Avoid Tilling Wet, Soggy Soil

•Tilling wet soil often results in large, hard clumps of soil that can interfere with planting. If time permits, wait

a day or two after heavy rains to allow the soil to dry before tilling. Test the soil by squeezing it into a ball. If it compresses too easily, it is too wet to till.

Avoid Making Footprints

•When possible, walk on the untilled side of the tiller to avoid making footprints in the freshly tilled soil. See FIg.

4-3. Footprints cause soil compaction that can hamper root penetration and contribute to soil erosion. They can also “plant” unwanted weed seeds back into the newly tilled soil.

Suggested Tilling Patterns

•When preparing a seedbed, go over the same path twice in the first row, then overlap one-half the tiller width on the rest of the passes. See Fig. 4-11.

Figure 4-11

•When finished in one direction, make a second pass at a right angle . See Fig. 4-12. Overlap each pass for best results. In very hard ground it may take three or four passes to thoroughly pulverize the soil.

Figure 4-12

•If the garden size will not permit lengthwise and then crosswise tilling, then overlap the first passes by onehalf a tiller width, followed by successive passes at one-quarter width. See Fig. 4-13.

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2

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Figure 4-13

Section 5 — Operation

 

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