Choosing the Right Tiller

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Small tillers work well for shallow cultivation between rows.
Small tillers work well for shallow cultivation between rows.
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Tiny Tillers
Tiny Tillers
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I have to admit, the close relationships I’ve had with tillers through the years were not all happy affairs. Some included regular Saturday night fights (the half-ton draft animal that hated to start), while other seemingly committed relationships drifted into distant indifference (the front-tined crawler I eventually traded for a food dehydrator).

A few years ago, after breaking too many start cords on a cranky antique with a bad carburetor (it came with the house), I finally did what I should have done years earlier. I bought a tiller that I truly enjoy using.

But I shall not launch into a brand-name testimonial. My gardening life is mine, yours is yours, and the chances that we’d find happiness with the same tiller are pretty darn slim. Instead lets look at the makings of a good fit between garden, gardener and tiller. Get that three-way match right, and you can almost feel your soil smiling under your feet.

BY THE NUMBERS

The size of your garden is a fair starting point for determining your tiller needs. According to most tiller manufacturers, small gardens of less than 1,500 square feet can be worked with a mini-tiller ($200 to $350). Medium-sized gardens are manageable with a 5- to 6-horsepower tiller ($500 to $800), and big gardens of more than 5,000 square feet call for a tiller with at least a 6-horsepower engine ($800 to $2,000).

  • Published on Feb 1, 2003
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