How do I get that fine powdered garden soil?

[motownbrowne]

Too fast for roto-tilling, you mean? I thought the Ford 801 series tractor was originally designed for the small farmer, which means it would have had to been designed for tilling in some capacity??

Nope, designed for tillage, but not rototilling.

Originally designed when tillage was done with a plow followed by a disc or spring tooth harrow and a drag harrow.

That said, especially with the sos transmission, you'll be able to manage it. Here's some rules of thumb.

Don't Till when wet.

Don't till anything 20 times. 5 would be a lot.

You don't need or want fine powdery soil. The soil has structure for a reason, it will drain better and grow better crops if it's not over tilled.

Get a soil test.

 

[wupham]

The only thing I would add is to break new ground in the fall, if possible. Even if you get clods, the freezing and thawing over winter will break them down or at least loosen them so tilling leaves a nice seedbed. A soil with good structure will break apart into particles that look like grape nuts. That type of structure gives you the good properties of sand (good aeration, soaks up water fast, easy to till) and the good properties of clay (high water and nutrient holding capacity). Whatever you do, don't add sand to loosen a tight soil. You are essentially making concrete with the clay acting as the cement. Organic matter is the way to go.

 

[breadtrk]

You may already know about this but leave the back flap of the tiller all the way down in the closed position will help make it fine too.

That said, I agree with the rest, you can get it too fine.

 

[Ed of all trades]

As Wupham just said winter will take care of the clods so don't think that your garden is forever cloded. If you can give up gardening this patch this year grow buckwheat on it. Plant a crop, I plant mine with a walk behind one row seeder, it is what I have, put the rows about 6" apart and in about 30 days when it is in full bloom till it in. It tills in easy and in a week after that plant another crop, till, plant ect. until it is time to plant a winter cover crop. Buckwheat also kills weeds and next year you wont think it is the same land.

 

[CalG]

A very heavy layer of organic material as mulch will have that soil softened up in time for fall planting.

It takes a lot of material though (Do you know anyone with a chipper?

If you have clods, the soil was too wet when you tilled. 'Just the way it works.

 

[SmallTrac]

Lots of good advice here. The only item I see left unused are your own grass clippings. If you don't have a lot of weedkiller or pre-emergent on them, then they should be safe for composting. Personally, I like to make compost piles in my garden in an area I am not going to use for a year. At the end of the year (beginning of spring) the compost is ready to be spread and the soil under the compost pile will never be the same--in a good way. Earth worms will have worked their way in and rain will have leached compost nutrients directly into your soil. I have done this on red clay and after a year it looks like black loam. Can't say enough about compost or grass clippings.


SmallTrac
SubCompactTractorWorld.com

 

[PHPaul]

Slight thread drift here, but if you're serious about gardening and have the room, DO consider getting into composting.

A short composting tutorial

 

[KFhunter]

I had to make a garden plot in a hurry a couple days ago when a family member wanted to plant a bunch of stuff and the old garden was full up.


1st I rototilled 2 inches down to break up the sod, it was knee high and thick bottom land soil - dark and rich.
2nd scrape off the sod off with the FEL and pile it up to compost

3rd then rototilled it deep as it would go, which on my little tiller is about 6 inches

4th then I top dressed with compost from a compost pile I keep going all the time and tilled shallow to help spread it out


It should work fine but not 100% ideal - quick fast and in a hurry

 

[2458n]

Find someone who keeps their horses on sawdust. There is a woman who always has a ad in our country living monthly. It is easy to load and after it is aged a bit you have a great addition to your clay soil. I use it on both sides of my driveway about two inches deep and cover with black mulch for the topper.

 

[Dozernut]

I find that running a sub-soiler through the garden every year helps immensely. This helps with drainage. Running a tiller every year serves to compact the soil, resulting in shallow root growth. So tilling after sub-soiling has shown a marked improvement in my garden. The other tips about the news papers and clippings were spot on. Lots of good advise here.