garden tilling

[lancem]

I am going to plant a 3/4 acre garden this year. To get the ground ready for planting, I am thinking of getting a Middle buster and a cutting harrow for my Ym2000. Do ya'll think this is the best way to go? The ground is good old Georgia red clay. Thanks

 

[winston1]

I guess budget might have something to do with your choice. I would choose a turning plow over a middle buster if going the plow route. If your budget would allow a tiller would sure be nice. I actually use a turning plow and a tiller. I think Carey only uses a tiller. I think I have heard him say he has some of that red clay. We sometimes use different terminology for implements. When you say cutting harrow I think about a tandem disc. Am I off base?

 

[careyo63]

Hands down on that one Winston. But don't get me wrong!! Middle Buster and Plow His ym2000 can surely handle it. The old Ford is still setup that way. My Grand father was pretty darn good with. Kept his family fed.

Carey

 

[955er]

Might also want to hit that 3/4 acre with some roundup first. It'll cut down on the weeds later and make it easier to plow/till.

 

[lancem]

Yes , i was thinking budget. But I could do a bottom plow and a harrow if that would be better.

 

[careyo63]

Lancem
This is what I bought from Fredricks. It's a RS1400 With new Tines. Might be well worth a Dr. over there for you on the price it was right there as for what you will probably give for a Plow and Harrow.

Carey

 

[KFree]

I did my garden a little different. Where I'm at in TN, there is a lot of clay. I thought about what I would need to do about a 1/2 acre that hadn't seen anything but a bulldozer. The ground was really compacted. After talking to a few *more experienced* farmers, I hired a guy to come out and till it up for $50.

After watching him go through that hard clay and rock gardens with that tiller on his old JD tricycle, I knew that:

1. I needed a tiller. OK, there was some lust involved.

2. I was sure glad it wasn't my tractor getting seriously abused.

3. If it had been plowed, the dirt would have been pretty lumpy even after being worked. It certainly wouldn't have looked like the dirt in Carey's picture.

4. I could get by without a tiller for the first year.

I ended up getting a RSB1401 the next year for $500 from a local dealer.

fwiw,

Keith

 

[TGeorge]

I have an RS1200 Yanmar tiller that I bought used from the dealer from whom I bought my YM1500. It has operated flawlessly for 3 years now. I used it to break up ground that had not been plowed for more than 30 years. Two passes and it was ready to plant. This soil is part Alabama red clay. The big advantage of a tiller is that you don't have to do anything extra to prepare your seedbed. I would look into finding a used tiller.

 

[YannyMan]

How wide is the RS1200?

 

[California]

1200 mm.