15 replies to this topic

[runner604]

What is better for the soil. Tilling or plowing?

[Texas Deere and Horse]

runner, First off, WELCOME to GT talk, glad to have you here. When ever I open up new ground, I like to plow in the fall and then till in the spring. I also plow my garden every couple years to turn last year residue down deep into the ground. I hope this helps and again, WELCOME !!

[ducky]

Welcome to GTTalk runner.
I plow in the fall to turn under crop residue and till in the spring when dry enough. Intital thing in the spring is a lite cultivation to break the crust and speed drying.

[Cvans]

Plowing in the fall is the preferred option especially on new ground. I have done it in the spring but that doesn't give last years biomass time to break down. Tilling in the spring seems to work good for weed control and seed bed preparation. If you are fortunate enough to have to room, plant your rows far enough apart to allow tilling down the rows. I have found this to be the easiest way by far to control weeds. Cultivators and harrows can also be used for this. Try to avoid using a disc for weed control in the rows as they tend to move the dirt outwards and can cover the plants.

[trowel]

welcome to , good to have you,
i like to plow and roto till in the spring, then till in organic matter and cover the garden in greens for the fall and winter,

[poncho62]

I do both spring and fall.....cus its fun.....

[Cvans]

[olcowhand]

I do both spring and fall.....cus its fun.....

Another I plow in the Fall, then again in the Spring, just for fun. Fall is plenty, but what the heck, we do this cause we enjoy it! After Spring plow, I wait for rains to smooth the furrows, then hit it with my rear pto tiller. I usually never till in the Fall, as the residue tends to wrap the tiller shaft.

[grnspot110]

I too, prefer to plow in the Fall & till in the Spring! ~~ grnspot

[KennyP]

Since my garden is only 4' wide, I guess I'll till some leaves into it.

[caseguy]

runner604 Welcome to GTTalk! I'm kinda new to plowing, so I will have to defer to those who have the experience. I hope to plow my garden under this fall...whenever it stops producing that is. I have to agree that in years past, I had trouble with garden debris getting caught up in the tiller tines. We're glad to have you here with us. Thanks for signing up and hope you enjoy the forum.

[mjodrey]

runner604,welcome to the forum,glad to have you with us.

When I used to have a garden,I also preferred plowing over tilling.

[KennyP]

Welcome, runner604. I forgot my manners earlier. Sorry.

[wawcub47]

welcome!! glad to have a new member!I usually plow the residue under in the fall and till in the spring. the last 2 years ,because of the rain, i have plowed in the spring. i plow with a cub cadet 70 and till with a repowered ariens tiller. again, welcome

[Dirtdoc]

Welcome to the site, I'm pretty new here myself and I love it! Now to your question.. Plowing will bury trash better than a tiller. That's why so many use it in the fall. Tillers are great at smoothing and breaking up tight clods. But I feel if you use it as a deep soil preperation you could run the risk of losing most of your soil moisture very fast. It really fluffs up the ground. My usual method is to fall plow, in the spring run a small field cultivator I built over it to air out the top 3", then hit it with the tiller very shallow to break clods and smooth it out. It is very helpful to use a little more covering pressure on your seed to make sure it has good soil contact. Too much air can dry out the seed before it fully germinates and then the seed dies. With shallow spring tillage you conserve alot of soil moisture, saved my garden this year. Hope this helps...Greg