Tiller Anybody use a disc harrow AND a tiller

[Indian Territory]

We are turning over acreage that has grown nothing but hay for the last 30 years. Our intention it to plant a 1-2 acre vegetable garden, out of which we may sell some produce for supplemental income. The field is very flat and even, with a slight south facing slope and few to no rocks.

While I know everyone has their own opinion on the matter (to the point that the conversation has taken on a near political/religious fervor), I have determined to first turn the sod using a moldboard plow. The ground is simply too compacted without this step. After this my question begins. I have a small tractor (after all this is horticulture we're doing, not agriculture), so any disc harrow i could pull would be comparatively light when stacked up against the big boys. I'm talking a 5-foot harrow at about 500 pounds, used to beat the furrows and clods into shape after the turned vegetation has dried.

So here goes: Is there anyone out there who both disc harrows AND tills (3-point PTO tiller) their large gardens before transplanting?

Thanks. Looking forward to a few perspectives.

 

[jeff9366]

I'm talking a 5-foot harrow at about 500 pounds, used to beat the furrows and clods into shape after the turned vegetation has dried.

So here goes: Is there anyone out there who both disc harrows AND tills (3-point PTO tiller) their large gardens before transplanting?

The first effective "size" of Disc Harrow has 18" diameter pans. A box-frame Disc Harrow with 18" diameter pans applies less than forty pounds pressure to each pan, requiring multiple passes over the field to smooth plow furrows. If you invert soil with a 12" moldboard plow, Disc Harrow with 18" diameter pans could require four to six passes to smooth. An angle-iron frame Disc Harrow is lighter than a box-frame Disc Harrow, requiring more passes.



A PTO powered, forward rotation roto-tiller is the right choice for smoothing plow furrows using an 1,800 pound bare weight tractor.

 

[oosik]

I have 80 acres. Very little of it has ever been "turned" with anything. It's all virgin grass land. I tried tilling about an acre or two with a disk harrow. It was a joke. My disk harrow is a light Land Pride type. I considered borrowing a heavy disk harrow from my neighbor. His were all designed to be pulled by a 350 hp or bigger tractor. Another joke.

In the end I borrowed a very large - 108" wide - 3-point, PTO driven, rototiller. It got the job done in just two passed over the acreage. I now have a very nice patch of clover. All the wild animals seem to enjoy my efforts.

 

[blackd]

Let's think/talk about the future years of your gardening. After the 1st year of ground breaking the tiller is the better choice for working the ground to 7-8" depth. A light disc will not get that deep. Otherwise you are approaching a no-till approach to gardening. BTW, after the 1st year ground breaking a tiller can be used in one pass thereafter unless the weeds have gotten totally out of control.

If you live in deer country a tiller is better for working the ground in smaller deer fence enclosed gardens. I can till my 50X50 garden by taking down the two opposing sides of the deer fence alternating directions annually. A tiller also better incorporates organic matter into the soil than a disc.

Also don't forget to have a soil test done. For an acre you can mix samples different areas for a single test, or mix samples from smaller areas if you suspect there are different conditions for several tests. I use AgroLab and their $10 basic test for gardens. Home | AgroLab Order their free bags and establish an account. I send in ~5-6 ounces of soil in a bag for $1.60 postal charges and get a test response in ~3-4 work days after they receive.

Just my opinion after using both light discs and tillers for decades in gardens and food plots of your size.

 

[gstrom99]

+1 on the tiller choice. I've been able to use my 3 pt disc in Indiana for my food plots, where the soil is loose and sandy. In Iowa where the soil is more loamy (is that a word?), I'm also going to have buy (or rent) a tiller.

 

[morris lipham]

We are turning over acreage that has grown nothing but hay for the last 30 years. Our intention it to plant a 1-2 acre vegetable garden, out of which we may sell some produce for supplemental income. The field is very flat and even, with a slight south facing slope and few to no rocks.

While I know everyone has their own opinion on the matter (to the point that the conversation has taken on a near political/religious fervor), I have determined to first turn the sod using a moldboard plow. The ground is simply too compacted without this step. After this my question begins. I have a small tractor (after all this is horticulture we're doing, not agriculture), so any disc harrow i could pull would be comparatively light when stacked up against the big boys. I'm talking a 5-foot harrow at about 500 pounds, used to beat the furrows and clods into shape after the turned vegetation has dried.

So here goes: Is there anyone out there who both disc harrows AND tills (3-point PTO tiller) their large gardens before transplanting?

Thanks. Looking forward to a few perspectives.

I kill all the weeds with roundup, wait a couple or three weeks to decompose, disc once and tiller over it once.

 

[Egon]

Rototiller should do it all. First pass on sod might require the removal of some tines. The first pass is slow going. The rest get easier with each pass.

For first discing sod it requires much larger tractors and heavier discs. Say real farm size.

 

[Indian Territory]

Thanks. You guys are fast. I already own the tiller. A Titan 4'. Pretty happy with it. (Wish it wasn't offset; my tractor's not wide enough to need it.)

Anyway, the reason for my question about disc harrows is time. While I'm not campaigning to spend another ~$1K of my own money, I do worry about having to roto-till 2 acres of ground at 1mph. Is there any logic to plowing then disking the area, and only after that tilling the rows as they become ready to be planted (a kind of seedbed preparation). I don't want to add more expense or time to my process, but neither do I want to do things the slow (i.e. harder) way.

Thoughts?

Postscript: I wish I could depend on something as simple as Roundup, but we are an aspiring organic spot in the much larger field.

 

[K5lwq]

You can till with a tiller faster than you would be able to turn it with a single bottom plow. Then it will take multiple disk passes with a disk after plowing. You will have a much nicer seed bed with the tiller.

If it were me, I would be looking for a larger tiller. A 5' tiller should not be an issue for your tractor. JMO

 

[ptsg]

+1 for the tiller. As said before, first pass slower, then one or two more to reach the desired result.