Tiller Tiller vs. Harrow

[Redgoatea]

Okay so gardening is not my thing but my mom wants to plant one. The way she does things it's probably going to end up about 1/2 acre.

So can I just use a disc harrow to break up the soil before planting and after harvest or do I need to go with a tiller??

Other than pricing I'm completely clueless on both implements but I'd like to go with something to attach to my JD 870. Any thoughts?

 

[Kiotisooner]

I have a garden that I use a 4 ft. King Kutter tiller on. It is a great tiller, I think the heaviest among the 3 point tillers, gear drive. I pull it with a Massey GC2300 tractor. My garden is about 2200 sq. ft.

 

[bp fick]

A half acre garden is 200 feet by 220 feet, give or take. Big undertaking!

Anyhow, a harrow of any kind, disc, spring tooth, spike tooth, etc is for smoothing out, breaking up plowed soil. It isn't really a substitute for plowing.

Here is what I do on garden plots of that approximate size.
First, I use a simple $150 middle buster plow.
I follow up with my field cultivator. $250. It makes an excellent spring tooth harrow. Move/change the tines, it cultivates. Handy.

So, for $400, I have a well tilled garden. The bonus is that both implements are useful at other times. Very useful.

A good tiller begins at $1500. Tilling is it's only purpose. Very convenient.

The choice is yours, really. Glad to respond to any other thoughts you might have. I have a little video link in my signature.

 

[gwdixon]

A disc harrow breaks up the soil quite well. The first time through it will take multiple passes but after the season and in later years it will be a couple passes and done.

The problem is that the disc harrow won't leave the garden ready to plant. Depending on your mom's condition, it will take a lot of work and a long time to rake and level a half acre.

A tiller will make the soil garden-ready, perfectly flat, and well-churned in a jiffy. Mom can just go out and stick the plants or seeds in the ground.

The first time with the rototiller could take two passes given that the Oregon coast is wet enough to grow grass year round.

Then after the season the rototiller will churn all of the plant material back into the soil. A disc harrow tends to stir it up - not a bad result but nowhere near a rototiller.

Money likely is going to be the deciding factor. However, once you have a rototiller there will be many uses found for it. The cost could eventually be recovered by doing other garden plots in the neighboring area.

 

[foggy1111]

A tiller makes the nicest garden IMO.

 

[sweettractors]

Okay so gardening is not my thing but my mom wants to plant one. The way she does things it's probably going to end up about 1/2 acre.

So can I just use a disc harrow to break up the soil before planting and after harvest or do I need to go with a tiller??

Other than pricing I'm completely clueless on both implements but I'd like to go with something to attach to my JD 870. Any thoughts?

The tractor tiller will be the quickest and easiest. The conventional way would be to plow then use a disc harrow to prepare the seedbed. A disc harrow alone will not go deep enough. Ken Sweet

 

[jinman]

A half acre garden is 200 feet by 220 feet, give or take. Big undertaking!

BP, by your dimensions 200 x 220 = 44,000 sq ft, an acre is 43,560 sq ft. I believe you meant to say that a half-acre garden is 100' x 220' or 22,000 sq ft.

 

[bp fick]

BP, by your dimensions 200 x 220 = 44,000 sq ft, an acre is 43,560 sq ft. I believe you meant to say that a half-acre garden is 100' x 220' or 22,000 sq ft.

:ashamed::ashamed: ooooops! Thanks jinman. Had my back. Dang stiff typing figers, ah.. fingers.

 

[Duffster]

I like the way BP does it. IMO a tiller nor a dics can be used alone. It needs to be plowed first.

 

[bp fick]

This question comes up every month or so.

Of course a tiller, whether the old walk behind or the PTO tillers are wonderful. I wouldn't part with my walk behind for the cleaning up of rows, working in tight areas, etc.

I wouldn't mind a 3 pt/PTO tiller either. If I had $1500 spare laying around. :laughing:

To these frequent inquiries, my replies merely try to point out a very affordable option that very often gets over looked.