What’s the one thing every garden needs? Healthy soil. Whether you’re growing flowers, vegetables or both, the success of your garden is entirely dependent on the health of your soil.
One of the best ways to keep your soil healthy is to till the soil. Tilling helps produce loose, well-draining soil that supports better root growth.
Many home gardeners are eager to buy tillers, but they quickly become overwhelmed when they realize there are quite a few different types of tillers. Which one is right for your garden project?
1. Manual, or Hand Tillers
As you may have guessed, manual, or hand, tillers are powered by you – the gardener. They consist of three basic parts:
- A long handle
- A bladed wheel
- A set of spikes or prongs
The spikes help dig up the soil, while the wheel churns and mixes it. The long handle makes it easy to work the soil without having to bend over or kneel down.
Some manual tillers don’t have bladed wheels, and these models closely resemble gardening forks.
What is it Used For?
Manual tillers are ideal for:
- Mixing in peat moss, fertilizer or mulch into the soil
- Loosening and aerating garden soil
- Removing weeds between rows
2. Cultivator
Many people assume that cultivators and tillers are the same thing, but they’re actually two very different tools.
Cultivators are less powerful than tillers, and they aren’t designed for breaking ground or loosening soil. Instead, they’re designed to keep garden soil healthy all throughout the growing season.
Cultivators work by churning soil into a fine mixture – much finer than what a tiller can achieve. Tillers break up the soil. You would use a tiller before using a cultivator if you’re preparing your garden for planting.
What is it Used For?
A cultivator can be used to:
- Keep weed growth under control
- Mix and aerate the soil before planting
- Add compost and fertilizer to the soil
Cultivators are ideal for putting those last finishing touches on your garden soil before you sow your seeds. Read more about the most popular cordless cultivators.
3. Front Tine Tiller
A front tine tiller is one of the most common types of tillers home gardeners use, and they offer quite a few advantages.
One advantage of a front-tile tiller is the ability to adjust the tine width. Most models offer three width settings, which allows you to till spaces ranging from narrow gaps to rows that are two feet wide.
Because the wheels are situated at the back of the machine, it’s also easy to turn and reverse a front tine tiller compared to other types of tillers.
What is it Used For?
Front tine tillers are ideal for:
- Digging small- and medium-sized gardens
- Loosening soil
- Breaking firm ground
- Weeding
- General garden maintenance
Front tine tillers have forward rotating tines or standard rotating tines. This means that they rotate in the same direction as the wheels. They don’t dig too deeply into the soil, which means that they are great for aerating the soil and pulling out weeds.
Many gardeners choose front tine tillers because they’re more powerful than cultivators and lighter than rear tine tillers. To see more photos and find the most popular models, check out our review of the best front tine tillers.
4. Mid Tine Tiller
Mid tine tillers are often placed in the same category as front tine tillers, but their design is slightly different.
With a mid tine tiller, the tines are directly underneath the engine. This allows for a more balanced machine compared to front tine tillers, but it also adds to the overall cost of the tiller. With that said, mid tine tillers are still more economical than their rear tine counterparts.
Mid tine tillers are still categorized as front tine tillers because they are still propelled by the tines.
What is it Used For?
- Loosening soil
- Digging home gardens
- General garden maintenance
- Shallow weeding
Generally, mid tine tillers are the most maneuverable of all types of tillers. Both large- and mid-size machines are available.
5. Rear Tine Tiller
Rear tine tillers are larger than their front tine counterparts, but their size and heft make them ideal for working on a large garden and small farm plots. The only drawback is that these tillers tend to be more difficult to maneuver. Steering and pushing is more difficult, but the weight of the machine will give you more power.
What is it Used For?
A rear tine tiller is great for:
- Digging large gardens and smaller farm plots
- Breaking firm ground
- Loosening rocky or hard soil
Although rear tine tillers are less maneuverable than other types, they are typically the easiest to use because the tines work independently and the wheels move the machine along.
Rear tine tillers also till at consistent depths. The drive wheels can actually keep the machine in place, which allows it to dig to the desired length. Check out our article on the best rear tine tillers for the garden.
6. Vertical Tine Tiller
Vertical tine tillers are newcomers to the gardening scene, so they’re not quite as common as other types of tillers.
The primary difference between a vertical tiller and a rear or front tine tiller is the way it cuts through the soil. Vertical models cut forward through the soil instead of downward like the front- and rear-tine models. This design makes them faster and easier to use.
What is it Used For?
- Breaking ground in new gardens
- Plowing and stirring soil in existing gardens
- Loosening soil
Which Type of Garden Tiller Do You Need This Spring?
Which tiller is right for you? That depends on your garden project. For large gardens, a rear tine or vertical tine tiller may be best. For small- and medium-sized gardens, front or mid-tine tillers are ideal. Hand tillers work best for small plots.
Weigh the pros and cons of each type to determine which one is best for you.
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