plow or rototiller

reynoldston

reynoldston

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I have been putting a garden for years now and every spring I rototiller the soil. I was just looking at the garden tractors with the dirt plows trend. My question would be which would make for a better garden rototilling or plowing? It looks like a plow goes much deeper in the soil then a tiller? When I rototill the soil all I do after is run a garden rake over the soil and plant. Now if you plow it looks like you would need more then a garden rake to level the soil to be able to plant? Also it looks like it would bring up a lot more stones and rocks.
 
F

fastback

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Years ago I used a plow and your right it does go deeper. After plowing I used a wheel harrow. It did a nice job. Now I use a roto-tiller due to the small size of the garden. You can't beat the way the tiller fluffs the soil. I always pick the rocks as I go and I always have rocks.
 
reynoldston

reynoldston

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fastback said:
Years ago I used a plow and your right it does go deeper. After plowing I used a wheel harrow. It did a nice job. Now I use a roto-tiller due to the small size of the garden. You can't beat the way the tiller fluffs the soil. I always pick the rocks as I go and I always have rocks.
Click to expand...

I think the rock grow???
 
K

KennyV

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With a plow you will have to harrow like fastback said...
Wheel harrows are the best... If there is a lot of clay, you may need to disk harrow and then spike harrow... a lot of passes compared to a rototiller...
If you think your getting too much deep compaction, you can pull a subsoiler through the area...

For garden plot prep you are doing the best with a RotoTiller...
If your doing acreage then a large plow & disc system will work out... But even large fields are leaning toward minimum till... :smile:KennyV
 
Grass ala Mowed

Grass ala Mowed

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There are a lot of rocks in the soil, especially in NY. The glaciers picked up millions of tons of rocks and boulders, ground them up and left them when they retreated. Then we come along and plow, till and otherwise loosen the top layer so the frost can heave up fresh rocks every winter. Down here in coastal VA, we have mainly old sea bottom from when the shore was at the peidmont and not nearly as many rocks.
 
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fastback

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I can attest to having a lot of rocks. I have lived at this location fro 26 years and I am sure I remove on average 2 huge bolders per year. I'm talking the small ones at 4 ft in diameter. I removed all of the large surface ones with my Ford 1900 with loader. Now I have the MF 2310 and I have the backhoe to remove large bolders either by bucket or by backhoe. I have tried to remove as many as possible to facilitate mowing. Sometimes I start with just a small stone just high enough to hit with the tractor mower, but once I start digging I find it attached to a hugh stone. I'll try to attach a picture. Some of these rocks are so large I just dig a big hole and roll it over.

Well I just tried to do a picture and it didn't work.
 
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fastback

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Tried again.
 

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