Small tiller-anyone have one?

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>Since curmudgeon asked what our hobbies are and there seem to be quite a few gardeners, does anyone own a small tiller? Recommendations? Thanks.</p>

[Onward]

<p>We have a mantis and it does a good job in the garden. I always have trouble starting it but my husband gets it going on the first try. It is by no means able to break tough sod in the yard. The edger adapter is handy though.</p>

<p>Funny thing is that leading garden experts are leaning away from rototilling as it destroys the soil structure and brings weed seeds to the surface but I still use it.</p>

[BunsenBurner]

<p>H and I decided to get a “cheap” Honda. Love it. (It ain’t cheap - $400, but physical therapy is even more expensive).</p>

<p>[Honda</a> Power Equipment - Honda FG110 Mini-tiller and Cultivator](<a href=“http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/models.aspx?page=models&section=P2TL&category=mtc]Honda”>http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/models.aspx?page=models&section=P2TL&category=mtc)</p>

[toblin]

<p>I thought this was something to do with small sailboats.</p>

[ebeeeee]

<p>We have one but I have no idea which one. It lives with the barely used paint sprayer and other tools which DH feels are a necessity.</p>

[LongPrime]

<p>Have a Mantis. Works great when I use it and when its working. (Gasohol has cost me several hundreds of $$ - and one of the reasons I no longer support the R’s and a few D’s, who supported production of alcohol and corn subsidy).</p>

<p>Tiller makes big worms into small worms, and for this reason DW doesn’t like me to use it - however she only does the supervision, I got to do the work.</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>Thank you. I am trying to decide if I really need one.</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>the current wisdom is not to till.
[Fran</a> Sorin, Gardening A-Z - No-Till Soil](<a href=“http://www.fransorin.com/gardening/mediastory.asp?Product=761]Fran”>http://www.fransorin.com/gardening/mediastory.asp?Product=761)</p>

<p>

Do you still think that tilling soil is necessary if you want to have healthy plants?</p>

<p>Lee Reich, the author of Weedless Gardening, says that not only is it unnecessary to till but it actually creates a lot of problems. First, untilled soil has a lot of dormant weeds within its layers. Once it’s tilled, the weeds get the air and sun they need to take off and grow like wild fire.</p>

<p>Reich says that tilling puts so much oxygen into the soil that it actually burns the organic matter faster than it can be added. Rather, soil amendments should be left on top of the soil where they can break down at their own pace.</p>

<p>Finally, Reich advises that when planting a tree, shrub or perennial that a hole be dug to a minimal depth, just enough to get the plant material in the ground.

</p>

[BUandBC82]

<p>We have a small one, I think it’s a mantis, but it’s useless when the dirt in your yard is red clay. I tried really hard to get a good flower garden started when we first moved to NC. We bought the tiller, started tilling, and it wasn’t strong enough. If you have a garden area set up already, with real dirt, I think it would be great.</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>With real dirt–love that. What I have is an area back in the dark corner of my partially wooded yard where I have been growing mostly deer food plus some wild roses and wild raspberries. I have decided to salvage what I can from what’s left of the nicer deer food plants and relocate them. Then I am going to let the pachysandra (too lazy to look it up) take over, which it seems to want to do. I think that interspersed with the real dirt, might be some real rocks, so I may need to just have at it and take the Advil at the end of the day.</p>

[dragonmom]

<p>As someone who grew up with boats, you can add an extension to the tiller. But if you are male, who would admit to needing that…
Sorry, back to the gardeners.</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>We have clay soil as well ( or sand). Just don’t mix them!
Cause then you will have cement
[Choosing</a> a Soil Amendment](<a href=“http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07235.html]Choosing”>http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07235.html)
amend, amend,amend.</p>

[toblin]

<p>As someone who grew up with boats, you can add an extension to the tiller. But if you are male, who would admit to needing that…</p>

<p>Referring to your own garden/situation no doubt?</p>

[BunsenBurner]

<p>Ek, just try to get a potato field ready for planting using a shovel, and I guarantee that you will become a tilling advocate :)</p>

[jyber209]

<p>For my 50th birthday treat (almost 10 years ago), I had a landscaper clean up and redo my badly overgrown large main perennial bed and also build me an area of four raised beds for vegetables, with cedar mulched paths between them. </p>

<p>He did till and added some soil.</p>

<p>Since then I have never tilled. I garden organically and maintain two compost piles. In the fall I throw chopped leaves on my raised beds and cover them with newspaper to prevent weeds. In the early spring I throw compost over the newspaper. I can generally plant right through the weathered newspaper. From time to time I throw crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, etc. right onto the soil.
My soil, once heavily clay, is pretty good now. </p>

<p>IMO you do not need to till regularly. If you want to do it to prepare the initial bed, that should be the end. So why not just rent, rather than buy, a tiller for this one-time use, saving money and storage space?</p>

<p>You may want to google “lasagna gardening” and “Ruth Stout’s no-till gardening” for other ideas. I am not as free as Ruth Stout (and do NOT garden “au naturel” as has been said of her! ;)) but reading this stuff can give you another perspective.</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>Thanks jyber. I will take a look at those. And for the benefit of those who live on my little cul-de-sac, I will not try it “au naturel.”</p>