Tilling - breaking new ground, for the first time

rossn · Apr 8, 2017

I received my compact tiller last week, and am ready to get going with the garden prep -- however, need some advice on tilling and amending the first time! My soil is 60% Sand, 20% Clay, 20% Silt. It's rock hard when it's dry. Surprisingly, I haven't found many rocks in this soil, since I moved in a year ago.

The primary area I'll be working with my Massey Ferguson SCUT is 80x30. Last summer I worked a patch of it - about 1/4 of it by using a single bottom plow (for the first time) and hand tilling it. The ground was rock hard at the time, and it required a lot of work. Ultimately, I'm looking to break up the entire area and till in about 1.5-2" of compost.

Over the past two weeks, we've received several inches of water, either though rain or snow. It last rained maybe 4 days ago. No rain on the forecast before next weekend. The ground is no longer frozen, and our typical last frost date is May 10, though I'd like to get some cool weather stuff going soon. The attachments I have are a single bottom plow, a 48" tiller, and next week I should receive a subsoiler/potato plow.

My questions are:
- what to do when (given current state of moisture)
- how many passes to make
- how to be sure I'm not over-working the soil
- when to apply the compost (and any natural fertilizer) in the process
- if I need to have some period of time between passes and planting (possibly with a final pass) to kill any weeds/grass

That's a lot, so thanks in advance!!

big bubba · Apr 8, 2017

are you intending to utilize this plot for garden this year? short order. sounds like you're on the right path. may consider putting in a cover crop this spring and the fall. legumes are great in spring, wheat in fall? good luck. maybe post in garden forum?

jenkinsph · Apr 8, 2017

I would plan for about April 23rd or so and till it deep as you can about 1 mph. Then add the amendments you want and till perpendicular to the first direction before planting at about 1.5 mph. That should do it.

boggen · Apr 8, 2017

when you see farmers out in the fields planting, then it is time to get the garden planted.

leonz · Apr 8, 2017

A soil test should be done first, then add what is needed to the soil, you need to take 6 samples preferably in a four hundred square foot area for each sample and mix them together and take one sixth of the to have a soil test done either at a county extension office or a garden store that does soil tests.

What you need to do is break the soil up to the maximum depth of the tillers soil working depth and then take your samples.
Just so you understand rain and snow is the "poor mans fertilizer"

Putting in two cover crops spring and fall will not hurt you and the cover crops add nitrogen to the soil.

Your going to have to make a number of decisions as to how you plan to farm your plot.

Raised beds work very well for row crops but you will need a tiller than can form raised beds AND the raised
beds will let the row crops emerge quickly and block the weeds from the sun. especially if you use a
10-10-10 fertilizer in the raised bed before you make the beds.

I broke up my clay soil so finely after I shoveled sand on it that I was able to simply use a steel rake
to form the narrow beds with 18 inch row spaces and the top of the bed was wide enough to plant the seeds by hand- if you have a single row push planter that makes the job quicker too.

The weeds will be so deprived of light that they will be easy to dig out with a pointed shovel and you
just dump them on the ground as they wont be able to go to seed or continue to grow.

So you need to break up the soil and take samples and have them tested before you decide what to do next
as the soil test will tell you exactly what you need.
.

Halftrack · Apr 8, 2017

Unless you have a lot of trash to turn under, I would skip the plow. When you get the subsoiler, try it out across the patch and you will find out real quick if it is too wet. When you can pull it at 12 inches and the soil breaks into chunks, then do the patch with 18 to 24 inch intervals, then consider tilling twice. The second tiller pass should get you down about 8 inches. Should be good to go. Compost should go on after the subsoiling.

rossn · Apr 9, 2017

Thanks for all the great responses! I didn't realize there was a Lawn and Garden forum, so thanks for letting me know.

I've gardened for a number of years, so the timing question is less about planting, and more about timing for working the soil. There are a ton of weeds growing in the grass I'll be turning, and no doubt last year a lot of weed seeds produced when I didn't have a way to mow it yet. I wasn't sure if it was better to plow or till the top bit this weekend before doing the full tilling and turning in compost next weekend.

I tried tilling a test patch yesterday, and the tiller seemed to do well with the moisture in the soil. However, even with the feet all the way up, I could only get 2.5 inches deep with a single pass (pic below). Does this sound right? I wish it could go deeper on a single pass. Perhaps I'll have to make 3 passes with my tiller.

Here is what I'm thinking - let me know
This weekend: either till first pass 3" or plow to start the weed killing process
Next weekend or the following weekend: run subsoiler. till down to 7 or 8" (2 more passes). Add 2" compost. Till final pass at 90 degrees (and faster) to turn in compost. Make rows.
4 weeks from now: plant

About your comments...

Thanks for the tilling speed info... I'll have to figure out what 1 or 1.5mph feels like! I did notice my XB tiller turns at 250RPM, vs the regular KK tillers turning at 210MPH, so maybe I'll have to move slightly (20%) faster.

I did have a soil test done, though think I need to find someone who can review my soil tests and advise what type amendments (other than compost) are best for my results. I am planning on rows, and need to figure out the fertilization approach with that. I probably will make a garden bedder next year, and may try plastic mulch then. leonz -- are your raised sections 18" wide or the space between them? Trying to figure out the best distance between and for the rows themselves, though I have heard 18" is typically good, with drip tape.

leonz · Apr 9, 2017

When you do a hand raked and leveled raised bed its best to have 18-24 inches between rows and then level the bed with the flat side of the rake which creates a nice shelf for planting seed in the center especially for wide rows of peas and single seed row crops. I do all my rows with a troy built tiller with the bed builder raised all the way up and the depth all the way down to 8 plus inches which creates a huge pile of soil on both sides of the row and you can then rake and plant and water the seeds and boom in a week you will have your first seedlings.

You always till in your low value fertilizer in the row where the bed is to be made and that way the roots have a season long source of slow acting fertilizer.

Can you provide us with a picture of your tiller please??

The folks that did your soil test should have told you what you needed or at least they should have.

The soil test tells you what amount of lime you need to bring your PH to neutral and what trace minerals you need.
Deep mined gypsum will dissolve your clay and let you build up the green manure crops root structure in the first growing
seasons that will create the natural nitrogen for the soil and reduces the need for a man made fertilizer with Nitrogen, Phosphorus
and Potash.

Just remember that the hard pan will be the layer of soil under the maximum tilled depth. The use of tall raised beds lets the sedd roots grow unhindered and you can continue to hill soil up to aid in seedling root growth. Potato and other tuber type root crops do very well in raised beds.

Creamer · Apr 9, 2017

Either the subsoiler or plow will be handy to loosen the soil to allow the tiller to cut it up. If there is a lot of trash, i.e. ground cover, the plow will turn it under which will be nice. If this is the case do not till it back up - just let it rot. Do understand that rotting plant residue does consume nitrogen though but how much is available in your soil is relative to what its uses have been in the last decade. that is to say if it has been growing grass or similar don't worry about it and plow it under and you will be fine. If it has been cropped with nitrogen hungry crops like corn you will be short.

Time to work the soil - as soon as it is not muddy. If it is in a well drained area you do not have to wait for the farmers to get rolling as they have to wait for a whole field to be ready.

Working it deeper than 9" in your soils is not necessary unless you have a reason to believe it is over compacted, i.e. heavy traffic or corral situation or whatever.

MPH for the deeply tilling it is somewhat irrelevant. The bottom line is that you have to go slow enough to let the tiller dig deep enough. Some have added some weight to their tiller but I tend not as that increases other stresses. If you loosen the soil by plowing or ripping the tiller should dig down. When you till it should not be bringing up mud - if it does it is too wet. That mud will become hard clods and difficult to break up. Better to wait until it tills nicely than creating a mess.

Raised beds i would not recommend in your area unless you intend on heavy watering as raised beds provide great drainage and do not tend to hold the water around the plants.

Don't make a big deal out of this. Loosen the soil till it (with amendments if desired) and plant it and enjoy this first year. The soil will help itself through natural processes and next year will be better.

Enjoy! gardening should be fun!

boggen · Apr 9, 2017

it can take a few passes to reach depth.

row widths = width a small little walk behind tiller to remove the weeds. vs out there on hands and knees pulling weeds from the rows. figure a couple extra inches wider for the little walk behind tiller.

putting plastic down or like between rows *meh* more of a pain. more so with wind and laying blocks or like on the plastic to keep it held down, then you end up walking on the plastic putting holes in it. and of course that is were another weed comes up through. use the big tiller to do entire garden, then the little walk behind tiller once all planted, to get between the rows. to make your life easier.

the only area needed to get on hands /knees to weed is the individual area were you planted stuff.

there are 3pt hitch stuff you can get to pull behind tractor to weed between rows. but you need a tractor that is raised up off the ground 12 plus inches. to really use them through out the growing season. on small little SCUT tractor. you would end up rolling over most of the plants and harming them. vs using a little walk behind tiller between rows.

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some folks use a total kill chemical, before planting, and there are steps you need to take when using a total kill. but i would not worry about it to much, you can skip it and continue on. you will be pulling some extra weeds this year. but *shrugs*

about best suggestion i could make. is till up first couple inches. then use a drag harrow, or chain link fence or something and drag across the tilled up area, to try and get all the grass clumps out. so you remove some of the weeds later down the road. once that is gone. then continue on tilling deeper till you get to the depth you want to till down to.

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seeing this is new area were garden going in. double check calling up julie / what is it 881 or 811 or 118? or 114? i forget the 3 digit number. to have your local utilties come out and check for gas lines, telephone lines, electrical lines, etc... to make sure were you plan to put garden. nothing is below. they local utilities will only mark from street to the box/meter on your property normally, but some folks have easements and like with wire trunks for telephone and like running through there property. this is a free service as far as i know nation wide.