The tiller is another farm tool that attaches to the back of the tractor.
After we use the disc harrow to break up the soil and cover crop, we use the tiller to "fluff up" the soil. Plant roots can better spread out in soft soil.
This is especially important when we are planting root vegetables like carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, and potatoes and sweet potatoes. Since the main part of the plant that we humans eat is growing underground, it needs plenty of space and less resistance for pushing down (carrots and parsnips) and pushing out (all the rounder ones).
We only till the parts of the ground where we need to plant. And, we only till when the soil is dry (when we have lots of rainy days with no time to dry out, this makes it hard to get this step done).
Too much tilling or tilling at the wrong times can damage the soil. Knowing when and how to do it in balance with everything else is part of our sustainable farming practices where we are always paying attention to how to nurture the soil. That is one reason that we only till exactly where we intend to plant and then we leave the rest of the soil in between the rows planted in the cover crop (we will have a later blog about that farm tool).
After we till, it is time for the next tools -- drip tape and the seeder (if we are direct seeding).
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