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It is
best
not to work the soil when it is too
soggy or wet
.
Doing so
will
make too many
clumps
that won
't
break up very
easily.
If
time
will
permit,
always wait a day or so after heavy
rains
for the
ground
to
dry.
In most
soils,
it's best to
start
out at the
third
or fo
urth
notch of the
depth
regulator to break
through
the upper inch or two of
soil.
The fastest
method
is to till as deep as you can without mak-
ing the
tiller
jump when it hits
rocks, etc.,
but you
should
wait
until
you are very familiar with the
tiller's
operation
before you use that
procedure.
When
you
are
cultivating your garden
,
the
tines
should
be adjusted to
till
to a depth
of
just
1-1
/2 "
to 2" so they won' t injure your
plants '
roots,
which
grow
close to the
surface.
If you
no-
tice
the tines are digging too deeply (even when
in
the highest
notch),
then
you may have to lift
up
on the handlebars
slightly.
Also use the high
belt range when
cultivating
as the
faster
wheel
and
tine speeds will help prevent the
tiller
from
digging
too
deeply.
Sketch 4-12.
Again, overlap each
pass
to really
pulverize
the entire
garden area. (In
very hard
ground. it
might
take three or
four
passes
before
you make much
headway.)
Sketch
4-12.
Tilling pattern for unbroken
ground.
If your
garden
is not wide enough to till length-
wise
and then crosswise
,
then you shou
ld
first
over
lap
by
one-half
a ti
ller
width, followed by
successive passes
at
one-q
uarter tiller
widt h.
This overlapping
method
will assure you
of
thor-
oughly
breaking
up the
ground-See
Sketch 4-13.
Sketch
4-13:
Tilling
pattern
for narrow strips.
Sketch
4-14:
Cultivate between
plants
to uproot
un-
wanted
weeds.
If you
plan
your garden ca
reful ly,
you ca
n
allow enough
room
between rows
to
cultivate,
as
shown
in Sketch
4-14.
The
Econo-Horse
has
a
tilling width
of 18" (the
Pony 16",
and the Junior
14"), so leave that much
distance
betwee
n
the
rows , plus
enough ext
ra
plant growi
ng
roo
m
above ground. Remember
some
crops
take lots
of room-like
beans,
tomatoes, and
peas.
Sketch
4-11:
This is the
tilling
pattern recommende
d
for previously
worked soil. Overlap
each
row
one-half
a
tiller
width.
~(''',,'
'k
~~
,.",...
_
.
1f
.
.,"
'--1
'\-~ "
.. ",,""
Photo 4-10:
Cultivating.
Tillin
g Patterns
When preparing a
seedbed,
go over the same
path twice
in the
first row,
then
overlap one-half
a
t
il
ler wid
th on t
he
succeeding
passe
s-see
Sketch
4-11.
After
going
up and down the rows
in one
direction,
make a second pass at
a
right
angle across your ea
rlier
pa
sses-
refer
to
28
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