8n Garden Question

I have an 8n with stock trans and my question is this; if I buy a rototiller attachment, will my 8n run slow enough in 1st gear to run a rototiller? Am I better off finding a plow and disc harrow for my potential garden plots? I would like to hear all your gardening stories.

Thanks
-Paul

Joe

I would advise against tilling with the 8N. The tractor isn't made for it, per se, and tilling should be kept to a minimum at any rate. By tilling the whole garden you'll destroy much of your soil structure. I plow once a year and disc twice a year and only till the rows that will be planted. Otherwise, I try to keep implements out of the soil.

The process looks like this:

Fall: Seed finished garden with winter rye, and disc seed into soil.

Early Spring: Bush hog winter rye and plow under immediately. Let stand for several weeks.

Mid Spring: Disc garden. With a stand-behind roto-tiller, prep rows for early crops.

Late Spring: Use tiller to prep remaining rows for later crops.

We have a stand-behind Toro tiller that works fine. My two secrets to a healthy garden are: 1) never ever leave your garden bare in the winter 2) till as infrequently as humanly possible.

Have fun!

Keep tilling at a minimum and avoid chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers are fine for the big fields, but I want my vegetables to be like pure manna from Heaven. :)

All this is just my opinion, of course. What works for me may not work for others.