Rototilling while ground wet?
 

I want to start preparing my backyard vegetable garden for planting here
in suburban Boston, but we've had quite a bit of rain in the last week.
How bad is it to rototill while the ground is still wet?

Rototilling while ground wet?
 

Rick Charnes wrote:

I want to start preparing my backyard vegetable garden for planting here
in suburban Boston, but we've had quite a bit of rain in the last week.
How bad is it to rototill while the ground is still wet?

Short answer: Very.

Longer answer: It does depend on just how wet it is. At the muddy
extreme, a small rototiller may just bog down. If it's drier than that
but still wet enough that the soil stays in large or small clumps, you
end up with a collection of clumps that subsequent rain tends to flow
around, not through. (A lumpy soil is also harder for plants to sink
roots into.)

--

programmer, author http://www.midnightbeach.com
and father http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs

Rototilling while ground wet?
 

Rototilling while ground wet?
 

Rick Charnes wrote in message et...
I want to start preparing my backyard vegetable garden for planting here
in suburban Boston, but we've had quite a bit of rain in the last week.
How bad is it to rototill while the ground is still wet?


If this is your first garden and you're planting over "lawn", you need
to dig up the sod before you till.

Tilling wet ground is a sticky mess; better to wait until it dries a
bit.

Mark, BTDT

Rototilling while ground wet?
 

Rick Charnes wrote:

I want to start preparing my backyard vegetable garden for planting here
in suburban Boston, but we've had quite a bit of rain in the last week.
How bad is it to rototill while the ground is still wet?

You might want to lay black plastic garbage bags over future
garden(currently lawn). Eventually is kills off grass and weeds from
lack of light and lack of ran I just did this last week which was
good, cause we had seriously soaking rains. I dug up a 4'x4'x8" patch
today and added my amendments, tore up the sod, tilled under and such.

If I hadn't covered the area it would probably be somewhat muddy
still.

DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
2nd year gardener

Rototilling while ground wet?
 

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 14:33:54 -0400, Rick Charnes wrote:

I want to start preparing my backyard vegetable garden for planting here
in suburban Boston, but we've had quite a bit of rain in the last week.
How bad is it to rototill while the ground is still wet?

If your ground is almost entirely sand, not too bad. If it's anything
else, suicide. Not only will the immediate results dismay you, you'll have
to redo the job once the soil has properly dried.

Find something else to do while the soil dries.

Bill

--
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Rototilling while ground wet?
 

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 14:33:54 -0400, Rick Charnes
wrote:

I want to start preparing my backyard vegetable garden for planting here
in suburban Boston, but we've had quite a bit of rain in the last week.
How bad is it to rototill while the ground is still wet?

DON'T DO IT!!! It will destroy your soil structure, turn it into a
bunch of clods and just make a mess and be a horror story to try to
control the tiller in it. It would be easier to just spade up what
you need for now if you must work it.

Janice

Rototilling while ground wet?
 

I go with the idea of no till. Keeps the soil structure intact and much
easier on my back.
Never work in wet soil. Not good for the dirt
Nicole
"Rick Charnes" wrote in message
t...
I want to start preparing my backyard vegetable garden for planting here
in suburban Boston, but we've had quite a bit of rain in the last week.
How bad is it to rototill while the ground is still wet?