Why You Shouldn’t Use a Rototiller
Every spring or fall there are tons of people who break out a huge machine that processes the earth into tiny crumbles of dirt. They do this so they can add fertilizer, amend the soil and plant vegetables. The funny thing is that blending garden soil with a rototiller is doing the opposite of what each of us who use a rototiller are trying to achieve; loamy, fertile soil.
We nearly ruined our garden this year with the thought of using a rototiller. We looked upon the earth we had available for vegetable gardening and felt overwhelmed by the amount of weeds and the time it would take to clean the space by hand. Thankfully we used our good gardening instincts and started weeding by hand. As we dove into the project, each shovel overturned a handful of earthworms. I’m sure we lost a few worms to our hand-tilling with a shovel but had we opted for the rototiller, we would have had mass casualties.
At this point in gardening education, most people know that earthworms have a very beneficial purpose. They aerate the soil which is sort of like a natural tilling process, they break down organic matter and they leave behind fertile worm castings.
There is even more organic matter in your soil that you may not be aware of. Mychorrizae or beneficial fungi that live near and on the roots of plants. These symbiotic fungi allow the plant to increase nutrient uptake.
When a gardener plows the earth with a rototiller, these two very beneficial organisms; earthworms and mychorrizae, are destroyed…all in the name of adding organic matter. Is that irony or what?
Some tips for hand-tilling:
Get a good pair of gloves with rubber lining.
Have a good spade shovel on hand.
Give yourself the time you need. (Hand tilling will take longer but will save you money and give you richer soil)
Shake off the soil from the weeds you are pulling.
Get yourself one of the handy-dandy hand ‘rakes’ I have in this picture. It really helps separate the roots from the soil so you keep more soil in the garden.
Hand-tilling can be so rewarding when you are all done. It really gets you close to the earth you will be using to grow your food in. I think it’s also more effective in eradicating more weeds than rototilling with a machine.
Remember that sometimes organic gardening means not spending money on organic soil supplements but spending time doing things by hand in your garden. Also keep in mind that using chemical fertilizers and pesticides damages the delicate balance of garden soil also. Always use organic fertilizers that support healthy soil.
