Tilling is not (in my opinion) a good practice for a flower bed in any case. It is very destructive to soil structure.

Yes: due to how it grinds the soil tilling is not a good maintenance practice. it is for getting beds started (or making new planting holes) only. Then there is the noise it produces...

That's all well and good, but I'm only interested in whether these newer electric tillers/cultivators will get the job done.

If anybody has used one, I'd like to hear from you.

We used an electric tiller made by SunJoe to break up rock infested clay. Worked well and was a Heck of a lot easier than a shovel, but I do not know how it compares to the mantis.

That SunJoe looks a lot like the Earthwise my brother is interested in. Sounds like they've made big improvements in these electric tillers and its probably exactly what my brother needs. And on these smaller power tools, it would be far more convenient to not have to deal with gasoline, especially a 2 cycle that needs oil added.

Some years ago, not long after I got my Mantis, I put in an under ground electric line to each of my gardens. My body was already wearing out and I knew I would someday not be able to crank a tiller. My plan, was, and still is, that my next tiller will be electric. I used the mantis to dig the trench for the electric line, knowing that when that time came that I would not be able to dig a trench with anything.

Mantis also makes an electric. I'm gonna tell my brother to check it out.

My garden is too big for a Mantis. I have a 5hp Craftsman front tine that's 25 yo. I put a new carb on it last summer and it runs like new. And my biggest problem with tilling right now, is we're getting too much rain and its been too wet to till. And my Dixondale onions got here last week. IDK how long I've got , to get them in the ground.

" And my biggest problem with tilling right now, is we're getting too much rain and its been too wet to till. And my Dixondale onions got here last week. IDK how long I've got , to get them in the ground. "

Same problem we all have in Eastern OK. If you just got your onions last week they should keep another 2 or 3 weeks( maybe even a little longer) . Just keep them in a cool dark dry place with some air circulation inside the house or shed if possible out of the weather. Don't water them or put them in soil.

https://www.dixondalefarms.com/FAQ

" If I can't plant when I receive my plants, how do I store them?
When you receive your plants, immediately take them out of the box and spread them out in a cool, dry area. DO NOT PUT THEM IN WATER OR SOIL while waiting to plant. The plants are in a dormant state, and should be planted as soon as possible. The roots and tops may begin to dry out, but don't be alarmed—as a member of the lily family, the onion can live for three weeks off of the bulb. "

I've been debating when to get my Dixondales while I can still get them.

okmulgee boy

Here in OKC, we have a 20% chance of rain tonight. If we get through tonight, I might be able to till Friday. But more rain predicted Saturday.

If you can till Friday I'd go ahead and start getting the ground loosen up anyway .Then till again after the next rain when you can . Maybe by then you can get your onions in.

okmulgee boy

I just got back from town, while I was pulling into the Ace Hardware parking lot the Bonnie truck was unloading pants. The onions looked fresh, being not sure of how long it will be before I can plant I bought 4 bundles, thinking that I will care better for them than the store employees. It I have to I can plant them right on top of the ground in my south garden and pile compost around them. I don't think I will have to worry about rot in the south garden because it drains better than the north garden, but I won't have any control over the weather. We had rain yesterday and expect rain again in a couple of days.

I need to go out and try to start my Mantis. I hope to be able to service it, but it has set so long I am having trouble getting the cover off the gear box. It really a bad idea to let a worm drive get too low on lube. I think some tillers have a grease zert on the gear bow, mine does not, but it is a little hard to find the type of lube that mantis uses in a grease cartridge. I use John Deere corn head grease in another application, it is some what near the wt. of the mantis grease. The high RPM that the Mantis runs makes the gear box hard to lube.

This year may break me of ordering from Dixondale. But I've never had this problem of too much rain before. Generally, my garden is tilled and I've made my onion bed by first of Feb.

The gears in the electric tiller was what was bothering me. That's the guts of the tiller.

If you can get the onions in another week or 2 it'll be ok. After that it's going to start getting too late.

I use a front end Craftsman probably about like yours for the big time initial tilling , getting the ground ready. I got a pretty good size garden too.

I've burned out 4 or 5 Mantis tillers over the last 15 -20 years with all the tilling I do .Usually the transmission locks up on them , burned the clutch out in one, one time. I use the Mantis to cultivate with in between the rows(middles). That's the only way I can keep the grass and weeds from taking it over. They used to have a grease zert on the worm gear box but now they don't.You have to take the plate off and squire a tube of grease in. When I'm rushed for time I just go buy another one. Can't do without it.

I've never tried an electric tiller. I'd be a little leary of dragging the cord around .

okmulgee boy

Well, got'er done today. It finally dried out enough to till. Was still a bit more moist than I like but it will dry out fast now.

And I got my onions planted. Was happy with my Dixondale order. They gave me a lot of quality 1015Y and Candy. Although, my Red Candy was on the small side, but they gave me a lot of them, and since I've never had a lot of luck with red onions the more the better. I might get a few decent red onions.

My brother bought the Earthwise tiller I posted about above. He reports that its very powerful and did great work on his flower beds. Was exactly what he needed.

Although no one here seems to care, just thought I would mention that tilling or even just working/cultivating a still wet soil is a sure way to irreparably damage soil structure. And no-till gardening has benefits that far exceed the convenience of routinely tilling the soil every season.

You are absolutely correct about one thing ........... I don't care.

Well, there ya go :-) Some folks just prefer to go blithely on doing what they have always done despite all scientific evidence to the contrary that they are actually harming.......not helping....their garden productivity. Pretty much living with one's head stuck in the sand!!

btw, excessive tilling, combined with drought, was one of the primary causes of the great dust bowl. Apparently many folks in Oklahoma haven't learned much in the past 100 years..........

Oh, very nice :-) A perfectly developed and well-reasoned argument. Not!!

Ignorance truly is bliss, hmmmmmm?

Lynn, thanks about the update on the tiller. I think a person should do what ever they can get to work out for them, soil and working conditions are not the same for everybody.

Well, I'm three drinks into Friday evening happy hour with Mrs Dollar, as she's teleworking here at the house and we're pretty much sheltering in place .......... and the last thing I wanna do is get into an internet argument over tilling my 20 X 25 foot garden.

I looked into no till. Its not for me. Won't work with what I do with my garden and that's not because I'm a backward Okie, its because it won't work with what I do. And I'm not gonna waste a bunch of my time explaining that.

So label me anti-science ........... I could not care less.

Don't worry about it. Lynn dollar. I do a lot of tilling out of necessary tilling that I'm am not ashamed of.

I AM NOT ASHAMED OF WHATEVER I HAVE TO DO TO GET PRODUCTVITY OUT of my soil. If it works for you GO FOR IT. There is no reason to be ashamed.

HU

I look forward to whatever you report on this forum. You are not alone.

HU

I like no-till gardening, but it is hard for me to make it work. I think what has worked best for me in the past was to grow a cover corp, which I needed for organic matter to improve the soil. Then, because my soil is nearly always too wet and too cold, ( I live in a low area ) I would mow the cover crop and start tilling, even though the soil was too wet. I had to get it bare to heat up and dry out. I know that is not good on the soil structure, but if I wanted to get a crop in before the weather got so hot that the tomatoes would not set fruit, I did not have a lot of choice. Another factor in my gardening method now is that I have become too old to till and get around well. It also take a lot of mulch, which I may not have access to. I like to use wood chips, but I don't always have wood chips.

I think we all love gardening or we would not be doing it. Another thing we can agree on is that none of us have perfect conditions to work under. I would also say that we all like to experiment a little, which means, at times we will be doing things a little different, some work well, some don't, but the most important thing is to enjoy what you do.