Selecting a Garden Tiller

The tiller is one of the most basic implements of agriculture and gardening. To seed, one must turn the ground. A garden tiller purchased now is most likely to be electric or gas-powered, but hand tillers that resemble small plows have been in existence much longer. With a small plot of land, a shovel can do the job, but a tiller is much more efficient for a large job.

Like other gardening accessories, tillers come in a variety of styles and designs. Small hand-held rotary tillers can be used for a small area. Larger tillers, operated by pushing, have tines, or blades, in either the front or the rear of the tiller. The tines themselves rotate forward or towards the rear. The size of the tines and the direction of rotation make some tillers more suitable for turning new or hard soil.

When picking your tiller, consider the kind of soil you will be gardening in, how deeply you want to till, and the size of your lot. You will also want to consider the ergonomics of the tiller and select one whose design you are comfortable with.

Other Factors to Consider

Tillers are machines, and will need more maintenance and care than garden accessories such as trowels or shovels. Because of the nature of tilling, the machine needs to be well built. It is doing a lot of work.

Tillers are also noisy. An electric tiller is quieter than a gas-powered one, and will reduce emissions, but it will probably not work as well on hard soil or for deep tilling because it is less powerful.

Finally, a tiller and its sharp tines can be dangerous. When operating a tiller, you want to be sure you know how to control it. Don’t select a tiller without doing some basic research and talking to people familiar with their operation and care. With gardening, bigger doesn’t always mean better.

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