Need Some Tiller Advice

[Git-R-Done]

OK what is the difference between "Disc Harrow, standard duty" VS "Rotary tiller, gearbox drive"? My small garden area is about 25'X25'. Would it be smarter to just get a stand alone gas VS Yanmar attachment for tractor? Figure while 0 interest might just throw into deal.

Also anyone here that has a 221 that uses a tiller chime in.

Git-R-Done

 

[Williy]

If you get a gas tiller to attached then you have to have gas for it and all the hassle of another engine etc. Me thinks it would be easier to just hookup a rototiller with PTO than having to hookup a tiller the have to pull start it to get it going, first add the gas etc. Woods also makes a tiller. The disks don't leave the soil nice and fine like the tiller but
I suppose if you disk a couple of times it could be about the same?

willy

 

[Williy]

If your garden is already been tilled I believe you can use
a disk as it should do what you want and save some money.

willy

 

[CH4Ohio]

OK what is the difference between "Disc Harrow, standard duty" VS "Rotary tiller, gearbox drive"? My small garden area is about 25'X25'. Would it be smarter to just get a stand alone gas VS Yanmar attachment for tractor? Figure while 0 interest might just throw into deal.

Also anyone here that has a 221 that uses a tiller chime in.

Git-R-Done

I'm not clear on what size tractor you're talking about (HP, rear wheel spread, etc.) but there's absolutely no comparison to what a good tiller will do vs. a disc harrow. Your garden area is not all that big -- any decent rototiller could work this area up to a fine seedbed in short order. On the other hand, you could drag a disc over it all day and not have it real fine. In fact, I leave ridges on both sides of my disc.

A 3 point disc doesn't compare at all to a 3 point tiller. For your size garden, a nice rear-tine gas tiller would give you a more satisfactory seedbed than a disc. Plus you can use it to weed between rows after planting.

FYI, I have a King Kutter 60" tiller that I use behind a 30 HP Kubota. It does a great job! I've used Befco and Kubota and Woods tillers and this KK tiller has been better than any of them. You can make a couple quick passes, when the ground is dry enough, and it's almost like powder.

If you go with a 3 point tiller, just be sure to get one that is wide enough to cover your rear tire tracks.

I have a 10 foot disc that I bought to tear up a couple small fields. I wouldn't even consider using it for a garden area.
Good luck.

 

[CADplans]

In this day and age,, your garden has about a negative 200% chance of producing anything ,,
unless there is a fence that can protect the produce,,
Wildlife are far better protected than your vegetables,,

That said,, your 25X25 garden plot will need a 125X125 fenced in area if you hope to use a tractor mounted tiller.

For a 25X25 plot,, (which is very small, IMHO) a little Mantis tiller, or equivalent is the best choice.

A tractor mounted tiller is too powerful for a plot that size,, and will quickly ruin the tilth of the soil.
(You will quickly find yourself tilling the plot a dozen times a year,, just out of boredom)

Over-tilling is FAR worse for the soil than under-tilling.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Good luck with your garden! Very few activities are as rewarding, in my opinion, as raising a garden. It's true that we have to compete with some wildlife and pests, but that's always been part of the game.

I always plant more than we can handle -- the deer and rabbits sneak some and we still have enough. The bugs will sneak up on us and it seems like they just came out of nowhere overnight. That's part of the challenge.

Your garden is roughly the size of a 2-car garage -- you can get plenty planted in an area that size.

I would say that the only thing you can do wrong with a tiller is to work the soil when it's too wet. That can create cakes of mud that ruin the texture of the soil for years. If you're tiller is making mud slices, stop and wait till it dries out some. If you can grab a fist full of soil and squeeze it into a ball, it's too wet. If you're not sure, it's too wet. You'll know when it looks right. As long as it's dry, you can use a tiller to weed or cultivate as much as you want.

All things considered, I could probably buy produce at the grocery cheaper than what I spend on my garden, but you just can't beat the taste of fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, asparagus, etc. Add to that the satisfaction of watching your crops grow.

I think this country would be in a much better place if everyone had a chance to raise a garden. . .

 

[fried1765]

Good luck with your garden! Very few activities are as rewarding, in my opinion, as raising a garden. It's true that we have to compete with some wildlife and pests, but that's always been part of the game.

I always plant more than we can handle -- the deer and rabbits sneak some and we still have enough. The bugs will sneak up on us and it seems like they just came out of nowhere overnight. That's part of the challenge.

Your garden is roughly the size of a 2-car garage -- you can get plenty planted in an area that size.

I would say that the only thing you can do wrong with a tiller is to work the soil when it's too wet. That can create cakes of mud that ruin the texture of the soil for years. If you're tiller is making mud slices, stop and wait till it dries out some. If you can grab a fist full of soil and squeeze it into a ball, it's too wet. If you're not sure, it's too wet. You'll know when it looks right. As long as it's dry, you can use a tiller to weed or cultivate as much as you want.

All things considered, I could probably buy produce at the grocery cheaper than what I spend on my garden, but you just can't beat the taste of fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, asparagus, etc. Add to that the satisfaction of watching your crops grow.

I think this country would be in a much better place if everyone had a chance to raise a garden. . .

DITTO!

 

[Williy]

No worry about varmints just use some water, dish soap, vinegar,
hot peppers, cayenne pepper put in blender and spray some plants
when they first come up it only takes one bite and they don't seem to want to come back for seconds

if you have a strawberry bed when the flowers start buy some red
marbles and scatter them in the strawberry bed and the birds will
not bother the strawberries as they are too hard

willy

 

[Egon]

Twenty five feet by twenty five feet??

Garden spade will work best!

 

[rScotty]

That's a great size tractor and garden plot for working a PTO-powered tiller. Small plots are common all over the world and exactly what small tractors were originally designed to do. Yes, you will have to be creative with your tillage path in a small plot.
Yanmar makes some of the best powered rotary tillers - but there are others makes as well too. All will fit a standard PTO and 3pt hitch. A rotary tiller can do wonderful things for your garden soil - and I bet you will enjoy it, too.
rScotty