i'm ready

pete black · Mar 17, 2013

tried out the new tractor tiller yesterday and was amazed at what it can do. garden was plowed and disc'd before i purchased the tiller. i have a couple of questions though; 1. is it good for the soil as it is so finely pulverized. 2. what happens to the bermuda grass, is it so finely shredded that is it killed or just more evenly spread throughout the garden. 34 hp kubota with hudrostatic handled it easily and could take a 6 ft. with ease.

JD Seller · Mar 17, 2013

Many soil experts say tilling the soil real fine like that is not good for the soil tilth. I never liked a garden worked down too fine as t can cause much worse crusting with the right weather conditions.

For your grass question: You just spread more fine pieces around. I am not familiar with Bermuda grass but if you did quack grass or Johnson grass that way it would be a carpet in a few weeks.

oldtanker · Mar 17, 2013

The fine seeed bed is OK but because of the action of the tines they will create hardpan. Plowing once a year or so should solve that problem. The other problem is the tiller will kill the earth worms. It kinda grinds them up.

When I went from a tiller back to a plow I had to plow 3 times to break up all the hardpan.

Rick

Janicholson · Mar 17, 2013

best of luck with Bermuda. Almost any chunk of root rhizome will make a new plant. Were it to become an issue, the only way I know to manage it is to kill it off with herbicide (not good for garden plantings. Once dead (and controlled with a border or edge use of roundup) the garden might be workable. I hate to be a pessimist, but it is pervasive. Jim

James Howell · Mar 18, 2013

Looks like you did a good job preparing your soil bed.

An old-timer once told how to get rid of Bermuda grass:

<li> Spray to kill it</li>

<li> Dig it up by the roots</li>

<li> Put it all in a pile and burn it</li>

<li> Haul away all the ashes</li>

showcrop · Mar 18, 2013

It looks like it may be fluffy enough that there may be inadequate moisture for germination. The old rule of thumb for hay seeding is that if your pick-up tires sink in more than 1/2 inch you need to roll it.

Richard G. · Mar 18, 2013

Drove by a garden for years at work. They tilled it every year to the point it looked like a pile of fine ashes. Their sweet corn never got over about 2 feet tall and never looked healthy and the rest of their garden never did well either. I think tilling it once and a while is great, but if you keep it broken up too fine, it destroys the natural soil structure and a good rain makes 'concrete' out of it. Soil type makes a big difference also.
Richard in NW SC

VicS · Mar 18, 2013

Looks good. I can't believe a tiller packs the ground any more than disking it multiple times. It is hard to not make multiple passes with a new tiller in the spring! (me too) I try to scatter hay-ring hay every year on my garden, so it isn't so fine. And I set the cruise at 2.5 mph on the little JD.

PJH · Mar 18, 2013

Looks nice Pete!

I know of a lot of nice gardens that have been tilled for a lot of years. I don't know anything about Bermuda grass, but you're probably either gonna mulch or cultivate your garden. It can't get established if you tend it normally. Now if you plant the garden and never come back, well - you know how that would work, even without Bermuda grass. Folks gripe about seeds in manure. Not a problem if I cultivate or mulch properly.

i'm ready

pete black

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JD Seller

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oldtanker

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Janicholson

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James Howell

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showcrop

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Richard G.

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VicS

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PJH

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