Need a Rototiller, which one?

[Tallman]

I have all the mulch that I would ever need, and it's great. Several years ago I read about a lady named Ruth Stout who never tilled or plowed her garden. It was totally mulched at all times. Has anyone tried this method?

 

[sylvie]

I have all the mulch that I would ever need, and it's great. Several years ago I read about a lady named Ruth Stout who never tilled or plowed her garden. It was totally mulched at all times. Has anyone tried this method?

Yes I was referring to that method. It works. I think she used salt hay, but I've thrown on shredded leaves and any hay I could get for cheap. Once I cleaned out our friend's feedmill for free hay and straw that was scattered all over the ground.
The hay adds so much to the soil and the micro-environment.
Some feel that straw is better with less seed in it.

 

[Tallman]

Some feel that straw is better with less seed in it.

My great uncle would not use straw because of certain weed seed that might be contained in the bale. In S.E. Kansas, we have the great bluestem grass. My tenant bales my meadow for me and leaves me with about 10 big round bales. I use some for mulch and give a neighbor the rest. This is a wonderful mulch.

 

[Big Daddy]

I have all the mulch that I would ever need, and it's great. Several years ago I read about a lady named Ruth Stout who never tilled or plowed her garden. It was totally mulched at all times. Has anyone tried this method?

We have her book. It's abut 25 years old and she looks to be about 70. So she's probably not mulching anymore. She says to put down about 1' of straw or hay over the entire garden. Obviously this was before hay was 9.00 a bale. Then you make holes to plant your stuff. It keeps the ground from getting hard and controls weeds.

Last year I bought 4 round bales of oat straw for 35.00 each. The intention was to mulch the whole garden. So I spread straw all over the garden about 1' deep after I tilled. We then planted and set up our soaker hoses. A couple weeks later I moved some straw aside and noticed a beautiful blanket of green grass. Our entire garden was now a lawn. The oats overwhelmed the crops and so we had no garden. So I raked off all the straw and used it for horse bedding. This year I rototilled it a month ago and let the chickens loose on it. Hopefully they got the seeds.

I will say the garden was easier to till than usual.

 

[Mackay]

Thanks everybody for the advice. If we do get a tiller I guess troy built is the way to go.

Since our garden will be on new ground I do want to till but I have also been reading about the no till garden.

I want my garden soil to be fluffy! and I think I can create that as there is little to no clay in our area.

I am wondering if just leaves from a wide variety of trees will work as good as straw or hay.

Sorry to hear about your garden turning into lawn, Big Daddy. A lesson learned there.

here is an article about Ruth Stouts work:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2004-02-01/Ruth-Stouts-System.aspx

 

[Tallman]

Thanks everybody for the advice. If we do get a tiller I guess troy built is the way to go.


I am wondering if just leaves from a wide variety of trees will work as good as straw or hay.

As I mentioned earlier, I would recommend the Kohler engine.

I have read that some leaves have an oil in them which you do not want on the garden. I'm thinking of walnut and oak. You might research this.

Good luck.

 

[cjparker]

Don't get a Mantis. Too narrow a swath, like a Barbie's Dream House version of a tiller. And they're built crappy.

 

[ercoupe41]

Check out Earth Tools, http://www.earthtoolsbcs.com/, they have very heavy duty tillers that will blow away any of the troy built tillers, which are not troy built any longer but MTD product. I bought a Grillo 107D which is a diesel that I run on 100% biodiesel that has been a great machine over the last two years. We have the rotorary plow, flail mower, sickle bar mower, tiller, and a grader blade. I will admit the sickle bar and grader blade are not as usefull as I had hoped but the rotorary plow and flail mower are worth every penny and then some. We have very rocky soil where we are and the rotorary plow will roll basketball size rocks right up out of the ground. I use biodiesel as regular diesel was giving me headaches when using the machine. This is a multipurpose tool that will last my lifetime. And no I have no affiliation with Earthtools, other than as a satisfied customer, or with Grillo. Great product check it out.

Mark