Getting the vegetable patch ready with a tiller: when to till, how deep and which model

The tiller is the machine that saves the most hours in a vegetable patch — and the one that does the most damage to the soil when it is used without judgement. Tilling is not a case of the more the better: it is a question of timing, moisture and depth. This is what we explain in the shop to anyone buying or hiring one.

Front-tine tiller or cultivator?

In practice people use the words interchangeably, but they are two different machines:

• The front-tine tiller has the tines in front of or under the engine and pulls itself along on those same blades. It is light and manoeuvrable: ideal for plots up to 200-300 m² and for working between beds. The Honda F220, 55 cm wide, is the classic example.
• The rear-tine cultivator has driven wheels and the tines behind, with more weight and more power. It handles big plots and hard ground, and takes attachments: ridger, plough, trailer. The Honda F560, 95 cm wide, covers a two-metre terrace in two passes.

If you are unsure, the size of the plot and how hard the ground is will decide it. At Tecomac we have both families of tillers and cultivators and you can hire them for €40 per day for the odd seasonal job.

When to till

• Autumn (October-November): once the summer crops are out, spread manure or compost and till it in. Leave the soil in big clods — winter's cold and rain will break them down for you.
• Late winter (February-March): the fine pass that prepares the seedbed for the spring and summer crops.
• Between crops: a shallow pass to clear weeds and air the soil before replanting.

Moisture: the key to everything

This is the rule that saves the most grief: pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it. If it drips or turns to modelling clay, it is too wet — tilling it now creates compacted clods and a hard pan under the tines that roots cannot get through. If it runs through your fingers like dust, it is too dry: the tines bounce and throw up a dust cloud. It should form a ball that crumbles at a touch. In the Empordà, after a decent rain, that usually means waiting two or three days.

Depth and number of passes

• For a seedbed, 10-15 cm is plenty. There is no need to bury the tines to the maximum every time.
• Let the machine walk itself forward and hold it back gently with the depth stake (the bar at the rear): the more you hold it, the finer and deeper it works.
• Till too often and you will destroy the soil structure and the earthworms with it: two good passes a year beat six.
• Once the ground is prepared, keep off it: work from the paths between the beds.

Look after the machine

Check the oil level before every use (working on a slope, a four-stroke engine soon loses its lubrication), clean the soil and roots off the tines when you finish, and grease the shafts. If the tines are rounded off instead of sharp, the machine "skips" instead of cutting into the soil: we will change them at the workshop. And if it is not going to work for months, drain the petrol or add stabiliser, as we explain in our machinery winter storage guide.

Got a patch of ground to bring back into use and no idea where to start? Tell us about it and we will say whether a front-tine tiller suits you, a cultivator, or whether for a one-off it is cheaper to hire.