"Eigenvector" wrote in message
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"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
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"Eigenvector" wrote in message
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The soil my yard sits on it extremely rocky. It's very nice soil, all
glacial till and stream bed composition, but more rocks than I care to
count. Digging a hole is an exercise in futility as I will encounter
round rocks about the size of a baseball or grapefruit more often than
not.

I would like to take a rototiller to a patch of land but fear what will
happen with all those damn rocks. What kind of things should I look out
for when rototilling really rocky soil? Do I need a special tiller,
should I simply not do it, would renting one be a bad idea (I'm thinking
of damage to the unit), would a rototiller not do a good job? Are there
other options besides a tractor?


What kinds of plants do you want to grow in the area you're talking
about? Some plants don't mind rocks, while others MUST have soil free of
rocks. Carrots would be an example of the latter.

I'm not really asking about that part right now. I'm just wondering if a
rototiller can handle large rocks and difficult soil without damaging the
unit.

I'm gathering from the fact that no one wants to directly address the
question that the answer to it is "no". So now I know what not to do.


Charlie's right about the tiller having a bad day with large rocks.

I asked about the plants because if this were a vegetable garden, and you
were cycling multiple crops through it each season, you'd want to get it
really clear of rocks because you'll be working with that soil every year.
You'd want it to be easy.

On the other hand, if this is an area where you're putting in a fixed number
of shrubs, why clear the entire area of rocks? Focus only on the spots where
each shrub will be planted.

It's summer. High school kids need jobs. Hire one or two to de-rock the
area. Just make sure they understand how much force can be applied to a
pitch fork before it breaks.