On Wed, 24 May 2017 08:57:43 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Tue, 23 May 2017 02:57:27 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I am thinking of getting one of these - I understand that I'll have to
turn over hard soil first but then these will make a finer soil.
They come with up to 2 yr g'tee at about £120-130.
Digging is hard for me to do now and cost of hiring seems high.
Maybe could remove some tynes to make whats left more powered.
https://www.tesco.com/direct/the-han.../751-5060.prd?
skuId=751-5060&pageLevel=sku&sc_cmp=ppc*DNF+Seasonal*PX+-+Shopping+GSC+-
+Gardening+Capture+All*PRODUCT
+GROUP751-5060*&gclid=CIm9xIrahdQCFReRGwodYssIeg&gclsrc=aw.d s

Thanks in advance davej

Are electric tillers really up to the job of doing anything other than
turning loose soil? If you're going to have to dig it over anyway to
start with, that's the hard bit done; if you can do that then knocking
down the lumps would be fairly easy by comparison.

Agreed

Is it really going to be more expensive to hire one for perhaps a day's
work? If you buy one it'll sit in the shed/garage unused for 99%
of the year, taking up space. This, from Jewson's, for example
http://tinyurl.com/qzj88oa Approximately £90 for the weekend, and you
get to take it back :-)

But if he buys one for £130 and uses it for two seasons he'll be £50
better off than hiring. And it has, he says, a 2 year g'tee

I've only ever used a tiller once, for rotavating a new garden that had
been compacted by building work. It was a mighty beast, Atco IIRC,
but it was forty years ago and the memory fades. Did a good job, and
fast, whatever the make. But as Muddymike implied, they do tend to drag
you around. My next-door neighbour was watching me and was frightened
every time I approached the intervening fence, at speed, that I'd go
straight on through!

You also need to put a fair bit of weight into them otherwise they just
skid across the surface. A few seasons of this will leave a very hard
pan below with a 'polished' surface between the hard pan and the finer
tilth above.

Alternative approach is to get a 'gardener' in for the heavy work of
digging over - I use the word 'gardener' loosely as they need to have no
particular skill other than wielding a spade/fork and breaking the lumps
after.