Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
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? |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Rototilling while ground wet?
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
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 -- http://cannaday.us (genealogy) http://organic-earth.com (organic gardening) Uptimes below for the machines that created / host these sites. 01:28:00 up 4 days, 9:12, 2 users, load average: 0.15, 0.19, 0.17 01:23:00 up 105 days, 4:35, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
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? |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Wet, wet, wet | United Kingdom | |||
Wet, Wet, Wet | United Kingdom | |||
Evergreen recommendation for Portland, OR (wet, wet, wet) | Lawns | |||
Evergreen recommendation for Portland, OR (wet, wet, wet) | Lawns | |||
Wet, Wet, Wet | United Kingdom |