Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

In article ,
"Steve Peek" wrote:

Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

Sorry about your disability. Why do you prefer turning the ground
instead of no-dig (no-till) gardening? In part, no-dig gardening is
simplifying gardening for us geezers, the other part is to keep the work
that the earthworms and the network of fungal hyphae that gives soil
structure. This includes the mychorrhizal network that is important to
plants, more so for perennials, but still important for annuals.

"The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow." - Anon

--
--
- Billy
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 16 April 1953
http://wn.com/black_panther_party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Steve Peek" wrote:

Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

Sorry about your disability. Why do you prefer turning the ground
instead of no-dig (no-till) gardening? In part, no-dig gardening is
simplifying gardening for us geezers, the other part is to keep the work
that the earthworms and the network of fungal hyphae that gives soil
structure. This includes the mychorrhizal network that is important to
plants, more so for perennials, but still important for annuals.

"The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow." - Anon

--
--
- Billy
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired
signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not
fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not
spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius
of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at
all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on
a cross of iron.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 16 April 1953
http://wn.com/black_panther_party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug

It's not the turning, it's for shallow hoeing of the weeds between the rows.

"Steve Peek" wrote in message
...

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Steve Peek" wrote:

Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily
manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

Sorry about your disability. Why do you prefer turning the ground
instead of no-dig (no-till) gardening? In part, no-dig gardening is
simplifying gardening for us geezers, the other part is to keep the work
that the earthworms and the network of fungal hyphae that gives soil
structure. This includes the mychorrhizal network that is important to
plants, more so for perennials, but still important for annuals.


It's not the turning, it's for shallow hoeing of the weeds between the
rows.

MULCH! Or just let them grow. That's what I do.
--S.

In article ,
"Suzanne" wrote:

"Steve Peek" wrote in message
...

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Steve Peek" wrote:

Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily
manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

Sorry about your disability. Why do you prefer turning the ground
instead of no-dig (no-till) gardening? In part, no-dig gardening is
simplifying gardening for us geezers, the other part is to keep the work
that the earthworms and the network of fungal hyphae that gives soil
structure. This includes the mychorrhizal network that is important to
plants, more so for perennials, but still important for annuals.


It's not the turning, it's for shallow hoeing of the weeds between the
rows.

MULCH! Or just let them grow. That's what I do.
--S.

I'd put down newsprint first, then the mulch. It's easier on my ticky
ticker.

"The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow." - Anon

Jobs Not War

==
--
- Billy
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 16 April 1953
http://wn.com/black_panther_party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug

On Apr 5, 12:37*pm, "Steve Peek" wrote:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

Steve,
I got a bit less than half of your lot and after I got most of the
heavy work out of the way preparing the soil (scree rock and big fir
roots in heavy wet clay), the little 2 cycle works well. Just get a
quality model. They are very light weight, relatively inexpensive,
easier to maneuver around, tills and weeds quick, mixes in compost
materials and nutes pretty good. Lot easier on the old joints than
taking the big one out for a spin. Have to say if you hit a good size
rock or a root it will jump on ya much more than the old heavy B&Ss.
Still you have lots of area to work.

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Apr 5, 12:37 pm, "Steve Peek" wrote:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

Steve,
I got a bit less than half of your lot and after I got most of the
heavy work out of the way preparing the soil (scree rock and big fir
roots in heavy wet clay), the little 2 cycle works well. Just get a
quality model. They are very light weight, relatively inexpensive,
easier to maneuver around, tills and weeds quick, mixes in compost
materials and nutes pretty good. Lot easier on the old joints than
taking the big one out for a spin. Have to say if you hit a good size
rock or a root it will jump on ya much more than the old heavy B&Ss.
Still you have lots of area to work.

Thanks Gunner, at least someone has an actual suggestion. I had a small 2
stroke that pretty much took the place of the hoe on most occasions, but I
actually plant a "green manure" crop on areas not in current use. In order
for that to be effective it must be turned in at least shallowly. I'm
looking at the Troybuilt Super Bronco. It seems to be the only real choice
for a mid-size tiller. The tilling path is only 17 inches so my row crops
can be closer together and more food produced from the same area.

Steve
(who actually grows and preserves a large portion of what his family eats
year round, not just a few summer veggies)

"Steve Peek" wrote:
"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Apr 5, 12:37 pm, "Steve Peek" wrote:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve

Steve,
I got a bit less than half of your lot and after I got most of the
heavy work out of the way preparing the soil (scree rock and big fir
roots in heavy wet clay), the little 2 cycle works well. Just get a
quality model. They are very light weight, relatively inexpensive,
easier to maneuver around, tills and weeds quick, mixes in compost
materials and nutes pretty good. Lot easier on the old joints than
taking the big one out for a spin. Have to say if you hit a good size
rock or a root it will jump on ya much more than the old heavy B&Ss.
Still you have lots of area to work.

Thanks Gunner, at least someone has an actual suggestion. I had a small 2
stroke that pretty much took the place of the hoe on most occasions, but I
actually plant a "green manure" crop on areas not in current use. In order
for that to be effective it must be turned in at least shallowly. I'm
looking at the Troybuilt Super Bronco. It seems to be the only real choice
for a mid-size tiller. The tilling path is only 17 inches so my row crops
can be closer together and more food produced from the same area.

Steve
(who actually grows and preserves a large portion of what his family eats
year round, not just a few summer veggies)

If you have money to burn about $50k. How about a small compact tractor.
They can mow the lawn, can add a five foot tiller, front loader, remove the
snow, rear baggers for lawn clippings and small enough to fit in your
garage. About the size of mid size car.

Easy on the back but hard on the wallet.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

"Steve Peek" wrote:
"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Apr 5, 12:37 pm, "Steve Peek" wrote:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve



If you have money to burn about $50k. How about a small compact tractor.
They can mow the lawn, can add a five foot tiller, front loader, remove the
snow, rear baggers for lawn clippings and small enough to fit in your
garage. About the size of mid size car.

Easy on the back but hard on the wallet.

You have a wallet? A little ostentatious, don't you think, or is it just
an heirloom?

Doing my gardening with newspapers, alfalfa, a pointy stick, and sweat.
Total cost $18.


"Tickle the earth with a hoe, it will laugh a harvest."
- Mary Cantell
--
- Billy
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 16 April 1953
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8559254-11yearold-takes-on-genetically-modified-food-producers-video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

"Steve Peek" wrote:
"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Apr 5, 12:37 pm, "Steve Peek" wrote:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a new rear tine tiller? Due to my
disability I can no longer use my 30 year old troybuilt horse. I need
something big enough to cultivate over 4000 sq ft. but easily manageable.
Thanks,
Steve



If you have money to burn about $50k. How about a small compact tractor.
They can mow the lawn, can add a five foot tiller, front loader, remove the
snow, rear baggers for lawn clippings and small enough to fit in your
garage. About the size of mid size car.

Easy on the back but hard on the wallet.

You have a wallet? A little ostentatious, don't you think, or is it just
an heirloom?

Doing my gardening with newspapers, alfalfa, a pointy stick, and sweat.
Total cost $18.


"Tickle the earth with a hoe, it will laugh a harvest."
- Mary Cantell

When gas gets much higher, I will have get out my scythe.

For those with health problems a pointy stick may not do the job. If one
has a heavy duty machine like a tractor, a person in their nineties or with
disabilities can can do the job of those that are twenty years old without
disabilities. I am partial to the John Deere 4300 series.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

On Apr 10, 8:10*am, "Steve Peek" wrote:
"Gunner" wrote in message


Thanks Gunner, at least someone has an actual suggestion.

Steve
(who actually grows and preserves a large portion of what his family eats
year round, not just a few summer veggies)

No, thank you Steve. It is nice to interact with someone w/o a hidden
agenda.

I read somewhere in all the face saving subterfuge in another thread
that you teach a bit of foraging ? I'm a bit of a rank amateur
culinary anthropologist of Meso and Arido American cultures, pre and
post Colombian. I also have a fair amount of time actual field time
in my earlier travels (PreOldFart). So am always interested in most
aspects of local forging, foods, customs, methods and recipes.

Care to share a bit of your interest and knowledge of your corner of
the world ?
I'm between South Puget Sound and the foot hills of Mt Rainier these
days.

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Apr 10, 8:10 am, "Steve Peek" wrote:
"Gunner" wrote in message


Thanks Gunner, at least someone has an actual suggestion.

Steve
(who actually grows and preserves a large portion of what his family eats
year round, not just a few summer veggies)

No, thank you Steve. It is nice to interact with someone w/o a hidden
agenda.

I read somewhere in all the face saving subterfuge in another thread
that you teach a bit of foraging ? I'm a bit of a rank amateur
culinary anthropologist of Meso and Arido American cultures, pre and
post Colombian. I also have a fair amount of time actual field time
in my earlier travels (PreOldFart). So am always interested in most
aspects of local forging, foods, customs, methods and recipes.

Care to share a bit of your interest and knowledge of your corner of
the world ?
I'm between South Puget Sound and the foot hills of Mt Rainier these
days.

Gunner, most of my knowledge has been passed to me by previous generations.
I was actually born within 25 miles of where I now live. I've spent many
hours with the older folks foraging & learning what they knew. I guess I was
a bit of an odd child but early on I realized they had knowledge that was
valuable. If a young person will show just a tiny bit of interest those old
folks will share both intellectually and physically.

The beans that I grow have been in my family and one other for well over 120
years. I was in my early 20's and saw them being grown by an old fellow down
the road from me. Just walking up on the porch and asking about them earned
me a pint jar of seed to plant the following spring. That same fellow later
taught me a lot about beekeeping and wild plants. Once while looking for
morels I came upon an elderly Cherokee couple picking plants in the forest.
I learned 2 new food plants that day.

Western North Carolina is blessed with a huge biodiversity. There's almost
always something to eat to one who knows. I tend to graze my way through the
woods sampling as I go. This time of year a handful of ramps and morels with
a few eggs is a meal fit for royalty. No one eats better than I! I'm not
quite sure what you want, ask questions. If I know the answer I'll be glad
to share.

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

If you have money to burn about $50k. How about a small compact tractor.
They can mow the lawn, can add a five foot tiller, front loader, remove the
snow, rear baggers for lawn clippings and small enough to fit in your
garage. About the size of mid size car.

Easy on the back but hard on the wallet.

You have a wallet? A little ostentatious, don't you think, or is it just
an heirloom?

Doing my gardening with newspapers, alfalfa, a pointy stick, and sweat.
Total cost $18.


"Tickle the earth with a hoe, it will laugh a harvest."
- Mary Cantell

When gas gets much higher, I will have get out my scythe.

For those with health problems a pointy stick may not do the job.
The soil is soft from having been groomed for years, so pretty much all
I have to do with the stick (old shovel handle actually) is to lean on
it some to make a hole that the seedling will go into. The newspapers
and mulch get rid of the weeds, so there is no weeding. They actually
become part of the mulch. The drip irrigation is already laid out, but I
have the occasional repair to make which is no big thing, cut, insert a
barbed connector, insert barb into new length of drip emitters, and I'm
back in business. I normally put tomato arbors over my plants to protect
them, which is just habit from when I had two young dogs that would dash
from one side of the yard to the other, heedless of prized plants. Last
year, I used clear plastic to cover the beds of the tomatoes and
peppers. This year, for the beds that don't get plastic, I covered them
with chicken wire to discourage ol' rascally raccoon. As you can see, it
isn't brute force. It's time and patience. Tractors may allow you to do
more in a shorter amount of time, but they have their maintenance too.
Where I live isn't flat. It seems that every year, some one who has been
driving tractors forever, manages to roll one down a slope. Not pretty.

If one
has a heavy duty machine like a tractor, a person in their nineties or with
disabilities can can do the job of those that are twenty years old without
disabilities. I am partial to the John Deere 4300 series.
--
- Billy
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 16 April 1953
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8559254-11yearold-takes-on-genetically-modified-food-producers-video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

If you have money to burn about $50k. How about a small compact tractor.
They can mow the lawn, can add a five foot tiller, front loader, remove the
snow, rear baggers for lawn clippings and small enough to fit in your
garage. About the size of mid size car.

Easy on the back but hard on the wallet.

You have a wallet? A little ostentatious, don't you think, or is it just
an heirloom?

Doing my gardening with newspapers, alfalfa, a pointy stick, and sweat.
Total cost $18.


"Tickle the earth with a hoe, it will laugh a harvest."
- Mary Cantell

When gas gets much higher, I will have get out my scythe.

For those with health problems a pointy stick may not do the job.
The soil is soft from having been groomed for years, so pretty much all
I have to do with the stick (old shovel handle actually) is to lean on
it some to make a hole that the seedling will go into. The newspapers
and mulch get rid of the weeds, so there is no weeding. They actually
become part of the mulch. The drip irrigation is already laid out, but I
have the occasional repair to make which is no big thing, cut, insert a
barbed connector, insert barb into new length of drip emitters, and I'm
back in business. I normally put tomato arbors over my plants to protect
them, which is just habit from when I had two young dogs that would dash
from one side of the yard to the other, heedless of prized plants. Last
year, I used clear plastic to cover the beds of the tomatoes and
peppers. This year, for the beds that don't get plastic, I covered them
with chicken wire to discourage ol' rascally raccoon. As you can see, it
isn't brute force. It's time and patience. Tractors may allow you to do
more in a shorter amount of time, but they have their maintenance too.
Where I live isn't flat. It seems that every year, some one who has been
driving tractors forever, manages to roll one down a slope. Not pretty.

Machines can be dangerous if used improperly, Including cars.

My soil is in bad shape. I use raised beds for the veggie garden. Fifty
years or more of modern farming techniques before I purchased the land. I
like where I am at. The soil is better now under my care. I have more years
to go for improvement and In the mean time the heavy equipment helps.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

If you have money to burn about $50k. How about a small compact tractor.
They can mow the lawn, can add a five foot tiller, front loader, remove
the
snow, rear baggers for lawn clippings and small enough to fit in your
garage. About the size of mid size car.

Easy on the back but hard on the wallet.

You have a wallet? A little ostentatious, don't you think, or is it just
an heirloom?

Doing my gardening with newspapers, alfalfa, a pointy stick, and sweat.
Total cost $18.


"Tickle the earth with a hoe, it will laugh a harvest."
- Mary Cantell

When gas gets much higher, I will have get out my scythe.

For those with health problems a pointy stick may not do the job.
The soil is soft from having been groomed for years, so pretty much all
I have to do with the stick (old shovel handle actually) is to lean on
it some to make a hole that the seedling will go into. The newspapers
and mulch get rid of the weeds, so there is no weeding. They actually
become part of the mulch. The drip irrigation is already laid out, but I
have the occasional repair to make which is no big thing, cut, insert a
barbed connector, insert barb into new length of drip emitters, and I'm
back in business. I normally put tomato arbors over my plants to protect
them, which is just habit from when I had two young dogs that would dash
from one side of the yard to the other, heedless of prized plants. Last
year, I used clear plastic to cover the beds of the tomatoes and
peppers. This year, for the beds that don't get plastic, I covered them
with chicken wire to discourage ol' rascally raccoon. As you can see, it
isn't brute force. It's time and patience. Tractors may allow you to do
more in a shorter amount of time, but they have their maintenance too.
Where I live isn't flat. It seems that every year, some one who has been
driving tractors forever, manages to roll one down a slope. Not pretty.

Machines can be dangerous if used improperly, Including cars.

My soil is in bad shape. I use raised beds for the veggie garden. Fifty
years or more of modern farming techniques before I purchased the land. I
like where I am at. The soil is better now under my care. I have more years
to go for improvement and In the mean time the heavy equipment helps.

Are you tilling the soil?


For some reason, Nad, I thought of you ;O)

"The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there."
- George Bernard Shaw
--
- Billy
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 16 April 1953
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8559254-11yearold-takes-on-genetically-modified-food-producers-video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug