Tilling

Well, We got a tiller for the back of our tractor. It's not too bad a machine. I runs on it's own 6HP engine so it can really go onto anything that can pull it and lift it out of the ground. Right now it's on the back of the Craftsman garden tractor, which is big enough for it although the sleeve hitch to which the tiller attaches to the tractor is manully operated and the tiller is heavy. My arm is a little sore today form lifting it up and down.

Yesterday I tilled up the area we ran butchering chickens on last year. I plan to plant corn and carrots in that area. It's about 20 by 60 I think and took a few hours to till through all the sod. There should be a lot of nitrogen in that bit of ground. Good for corn.

I also ran the tiller down the edge of the Mud Clucker canal for wheat, that's about 600 sqft. See my wheat growing guide right here. I cast the wheat seed today and should see some growth in the next few days. Wish me luck. I hope to get about 50 lbs of wheat out of that area if the wheat produces 10 to 1. That's enough for about 1 loaf of bread a week for a year.

I really hate to till the ground and hope to not need to after next year, but we have a lot of areas that we want to cultivate and the tiller is the quickest way to get it turned the first time. After I pull the corn or wheat up I should be able to just disk the ground and get it ready for the next planting.

-dale