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To till or not to till?

Proud Marine Dad

Proud Marine Dad

I was curious as to how you all feel on this subject when it comes to tilling the soil in your garden?

I know there are two thoughts on this, one being that tilling disturbs the ecosystem in the soil and can kill earthworms, etc.
Tilling also can compact the ground even more as the tines of the rototiller pound the ground.
I have an electric Mantis tiller and I don't think it compacts the soil as much as the tines are a different design.

The other school of thought is that tilling is not detrimental to the soil and from what I have read there is no proof that tilling is bad.

My soil is not bad for about the first 8-10" and then it is compacted clay hardpan that is a PITA to do anything with unless I rent a small excavator. ;)

Your thoughts?
 
I say till it up! :) I also have clay and there is absolutely no way I could grow peppers in it without tilling in amendments. Still a work in progress, check out my glog to see my beds before and after. I will be adding a whole bunch of worms this week, already a lot in the soil. But with the top layer of compost I added the worms will have plenty to eat and will continue aerating my soil.

Good luck! ;)
Melissa
 
I too have clay, and just got done tilling out about 600 square feet. Took me about 3 hours to till out that area to about a foot and a half in depth. I still have some more depth to go for the garden area but it's a great start and saved me probably over a weeks worth of time if I had done it by hand.

2 cents..
 
The problem here hooda is that the clay is too hard for most tillers so I guess a jackhammer and some gypsum are in order. :banghead:

The deepest tillers I have seen only go about 12"
 
MotaMike said:
The problem here hooda is that the clay is too hard for most tillers so I guess a jackhammer and some gypsum are in order. :banghead:

The deepest tillers I have seen only go about 12"
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My clay was rock hard and my small $119 electric tiller handled it like a champ. Till a good amount, rake it all to one side and go deeper if needed. Till in some compost if you can, pumice to help aerate too.
 
I double dug my garden, and I posted a DIY video on it, but I also didnt have concrete....

I went through the dilemma of disturbing the ecosystem, but what sold it for me was the fact that I was able to break up and aerate the soil down about 2 feet. The spading fork worked wonders and I think it would do well on a clay type soil. Maybe till it up, move a section with a shovel, then use the spading fork to break up the clay. Could be the best of both worlds.

Also, I really wasn't worried about the ecosystem because I have seen hundreds of gardeners till soil with great results.
 
Hi Mike, I live in red clay piedmont NC. I have used what was marketed as Soil Buster. It worked great with my lil' Troyblit tiller. Also if you add vermiculite it should help with drainage.
 
Thanks guys I am going to have to do something as my tomatoes are pathetic every year.
We have somewhat cool summers here and having hard soil added to that makes for some weak crops of tomatoes.
I couldn't get 12" deep into this soil even using a pickaxe without really sweating.

I took these pictures back in 2009 when I tried to double dig with a pickaxe, garden fork and Mantis electric tiller.
The tiller makes the soil beautiful but the hard pan was a pain. Maybe a product like mygrassisblue mentioned or growing some deep penetrating crops in the off season would help.

2009_1119GardenSoil0003.jpg


2009_1119GardenSoil0001.jpg
 
I also have clay. I only till my rows. I don't see the point in tilling the walkways between them. It seems like a waste of time and soil amendments to me. Then I add a bunch of compost and manure, and till them a couple more times. So now I have raised rows which are over a foot taller than the walkways. I cover them with black plastic mulch, and I cover the walkways with landscape fabric. I never have to weed, and I only need to water about half as much as I would a regular garden. The soil doesn't get compacted again from rain and watering, and the mulch keeps the soil warm which my plants love. They grow bigger and faster than they ever did in a normal garden.

Anyway, I don't believe any of the nonsense about tilling ruining your soil. It's just something lazy people say so they can feel better about themselves. :lol:
 
muskymojo said:
I also have clay. I only till my rows. I don't see the point in tilling the walkways between them. It seems like a waste of time and soil amendments to me.
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I do the same thing. Walking just compacts what you put into it so it kind of defeats the purpose.

Then I add a bunch of compost and manure, and till them a couple more times. So now I have raised rows which are over a foot taller than the walkways. I cover them with black plastic mulch, and I cover the walkways with landscape fabric. I never have to weed, and I only need to water about half as much as I would a regular garden. The soil doesn't get compacted again from rain and watering, and the mulch keeps the soil warm which my plants love. They grow bigger and faster than they ever did in a normal garden.
Click to expand...

Sounds great, I guess I need to do something similar. I think I may buy a couple of bags of Patio Plus soil and blend into it. This garden is only about 8' x 18'

Anyway, I don't believe any of the nonsense about tilling ruining your soil. It's just something lazy people say so they can feel better about themselves. :lol:
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Actually the ones who say not to till are the ones who advocate double digging which is anything but lazy. ;)
 
I was joking about the lazy people (kinda), and was talking about the method where you just throw some newspaper and compost and such on the ground to encourage the worms to do all the work for you. Then wait, and wait, and wait some more for your soil to become better.
 
I have a sandy loam soil and tilling is the best way for me to mix in the cow compost. I built a drip tape irrigation system last year and cover the ground with straw. I have no problem growing monster plants/pods. I'm convinced it helps to aerate the soil which promote plant growth.
 
You could always go up. Raised beds will give you the depth without the backache. I did that last year, and if you put the right soil in there it should work pretty well. If you can go down about 6 or 8 inches into your local soil, and build it up about 8-12 inches, it may be an option.
 
MGOLD86 said:
If you can go down about 6 or 8 inches into your local soil, and build it up about 8-12 inches, it may be an option.
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That is what I am going to shoot for Matt or at least raise them on furrows as many on here grow with the black weed cloth.
I think tomorrow I am getting out the pickaxe and Mantis tiller.
 
If you want to look into it further look up "no-till" gardening. That should help.

If you do not till you need living soil that the microorganisms do the work for you. It is up to you to keep a organic base and feed them or it will not work. It is harder to have no-till in northern climates compared to warmer zones.

The till is conventional. Most farming uses till as it is more productive.
 
Till it up and plant!! Do you really think tilling your garden is going to impact the ecosystem? I also can't see how a tiller would compact the ground. Two weeks ago a tiller made my dirt fluffy. IT'S SO FLUFFY!

But it is your garden do as you like
 
I agree with the raised beds crowd. Got to your local home improvement store and get some 2x6 treated in 12" lengths, frame it up and then fill it in with good dirt that has manure/compost added, then til it again with your mantis to distribute everything nicely. Like Melissa said, get some vermiculite to throw in there as well. You will have some nice plants this season if you do.

I built 12x2 boxes 4 years ago from 2x6 12' boards and they are still holding up just fine. I tiled down maybe 9" or so so I have a nice depth of about 15" for my peppers to do their thing in...

SouthFence.jpg
 
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