how to use a tiller

To prepare your garden for planting, it's important to till your soil. This gives the soil its structure, allowing air and water to nourish it so roots can grow and flowers can bloom. Here are some tips on tilling your garden or allotment:

1. Spring is the best time for tilling soil, but you can till in the autumn if you want to plant cool weather crops such as lettuce or cabbage.

2. Avoid tilling if the soil is very wet as this may damage the soil's structure. If you can ball up a handful of soil without it falling apart, the soil is too damp for tilling.

3. Over-tilling soil is another way to damage its structure. Only till when you need to – to control weeds; to loosen or break hard soil for planting or water penetration; or to mix in fertilizer.

4. Dig out old roots, plants and twigs before tilling, to decrease wear on the machine.

5. Be aware of large rocks or boulders as these can bend the tines or cause other damage to your tiller.

6. Use the right tiller for your ground – light-duty tillers are fine for ground that has been cultivated more recently, but for very hard ground you may need something more powerful.

7. Check if your tines need to be sharpened before tilling.

8. Go across the soil one row at a time in the same way that you would mow a lawn.

9. Make multiple passes across an area, rather than tilling to the full depth of your tines on the first go. This will make your ground more even.

10. Don't set the tiller to its maximum depth on the first pass – start at a shallow depth and increase the depth and speed on each subsequent pass.

11. For hard ground you may have to put your back into it – some powerful machines will skirt along the surface of your soil rather than digging in, so you may have to persuade them to burrow down when attempting to get through compacted ground. However, once you have completed the first pass it will be a lot easier to dig in.

12. Add organic material to soil while tilling, to make it more workable and give it more nutrients.

Have a look at our full range of tillers and cultivators. Or if you aren't sure have a look at the best tillers on our site.

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