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Tiller vs. Cultivator

"Using a tiller when it would be better to use a cultivator, or vice versa, would be like using a power mixer to toss salad," claims Jake Woltman at TillersDirect.com. And, we couldn't agree more.

Yes, there are machines out there sold as a "tiller/cultivator," and we don't take issue with them.

But, as a beginning gardener, we feel it's important that you understand that tilling the soil and cultivating the soil are two different tasks.

Tilling

Preparing the soil before planting is the most important aspect of gardening. Good, loose soil helps plants' roots penetrate the surrounding soil and grow stronger.

Tilling is the act of breaking up moderately hard soil and loosening it for planting. A tiller is a stronger machine than a cultivator.

Tillers come in several varieties, depending on where the tines are located:

Front-tine tillers
Rear-tine tillers

Choose a front-tine tiller for a small to medium garden. For hard, compacted soil, you'll have better results with a rear-tine tiller. It's not as easy to maneuver as the front-tine tiller, but it's a ideal for hard and/or rocky soil and larger gardening plots.

Tilling isn't a process that is mandatory each spring. In fact, if the soil is easily aerated with a garden fork, just lightly run the fork through it. Tilling kills off earth worms and will often expose weed seeds.

Tillers are available to rent at Home Depot. Check the availability in your area at homedepot.com.

If you just need to do some light tilling, consider this Fiscar's long-handled model. I use this often and it gets the job done. As a bonus, if you tend to have back or shoulder problems, you'll find this one exerts less strain on the body.

Cultivating

Cultivating is done for several reasons:

To break up the top layer of soil to allow air and water to penetrate
To remove weeds
Blend amendments into the soil
Grind up the top level of the soil to prepare it for seeds

The smaller, or mini cultivator is ideal for removing weeds between rows of vegetables. Since that area is generally the high-traffic part of the garden, an added bonus of cultivation is that is breaks up the top of the soil, aerating it and preventing soil compaction.

You'll find everything from hand-held to large, electric cultivators at HomeDepot.com and at Lowes.com.

Check out the Garden Weasel Garden Claw at Amazon.com

Tiller/Cultivator Combos

Cordless or corded? That is the question many beginning gardeners ask. Read all about cordless tiller/cultivators here.

If you're looking for a corded electric tiller/cultivator, you can't go wrong with this Earthwise model. It's lightweight and quite inexpensive (especially with the free shipping) at Amazon.com.

Whichever you choose, now is the time to decide — we're getting SO close to spring!