Hi,
I am considering a food plot on some family land but have no experience other than some "throw and go" attempts several years ago that went poorly. I also tried some oats that someone advised me would do just fine after I used roundup, which also went poorly. I'm convinced that I need to turn the soil for better seed to soil contact, so my question is what rototiller to go with. I do not have a tractor or quad. I am looking into walk-behind type rear tine tillers. What do you suggest?

Thanks,
kstockfo

If you’re going to be breaking sod whatever kind of walk behind you get will kill you before you ever get to plant anything.
All foolishness aside, if you’re determined to go that route then by all means get one with times that will rotate either direction.
Running them in reverse with the drive wheels going forward will be slow but it will break up sod better with the least manhandling of the machine involved.

How big an area?

Maybe worth paying someone to do it.

Rednecks like beer money. 😂😂

JMHO- get somebody with a tractor and a
disc to bust it up for you quickly and you can
move on to the chore of planting your plot
and not have the worry of equipment that
would otherwise be gathering cobwebs.
Or rent

I'd rent a rear tine the first time you do it. I have a small kill plot and even after mowing and killing the weeds it was still a workout to till 1/2 acre and it beat up the tiller pretty good. Now that I've been doing it a few years I bought my own Earthquake brand rear tiller, it works pretty good.

Since you don’t have a tractor, this is your huckleberry!

The only thing “walk behind” you should possibly consider is a seed spreader. We successfully plant up to one acre plots with a Scott’s hand held model. Clover, turnips, chicory and other brassicas, oats.

Buy a Ford 8n and attachments for under 3 grand

Pay someone, even a small rototiller can work you to death, especially on ground that hasnt been turned over before.

I bought a used tractor with implements a few months back, I'm already second guessing it, sure was easier just to call my tractor guy to go do something and paypal him some money afterwards.

If the plot has any size at all, I'd hire it done.

Depends on how big of an area you're looking to do. I agree with hiring it out to someone w a tractor if it's a big job. If it's 1/2 acre or smaller you could rent a rear tine (Definitely go with rear tine, they're a lot easier on you) from HD or see if you can pick one up. I know HD sells their used tillers for a reasonable price some times. Also BCS makes a great unit but they can be hard to come across and pricey.

Rent small tractor and disc or pay someone

If you wait on it till about 2 days after it rains tills easier and better....mb

I use a troy-bilt "Horse" tiller (rear tine) to work a 3000 Sq Ft garden... It's a workout... Gets a little harder every yr... To bust sod you have to set the till depth shallow (like 2 or 3 inches) or the machine will lurch forward at tine speed, Yanking the controls right out of your hands... So count on making 2 or 3 passes, Increasing depth each time... You need at least 8 hp, More is better... In your situation, I'd rent one first to see how it goes before spending $$$... I'm starting to look around for a decent older garden tractor with a tiller attachment...

Hire someone with a Kubita or small tractor that can plow it first and come back with a roto-tiller. Before he tills it; broadcast some 10-10-10 fertilizer for $1 a pound. 1 pound should do 100 sq feet and would provide a good start for any seeding.

I have a Troy Built Pony, and a smaller one, I think Junior? Anyway I bought a 3 point tiller for my Kubota, and I started the Troys a couple times in 15 years.
They are pretty tough to use if you don't finesse them. I generally keep the throttle down, and pull up, instead of push down. Still pretty hard to do. When I was a pup, my Dad had a nursery, so I ran a Horse and Pony model all the time. Anyway it is tough on your back.
If the fall you can sow field turnips. They will grow and then rot. That rot will really break up the soild, and release nutrients. So to make spring easier, plant fall turnips.

https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/1249-kansas-no-tiller-uses-turnips-for-cover

About an hour into doing any food plot, you'll wish you'd just gotten someone with a tractor to help...

I concur with what was posted. That said, with some proper planning, and a bit of luck with the weather there's really no reason to turn dirt to grow a food plot. Especially if it's an area small enough that one would consider using a walk behind tiller on.

Seems most food plots are over a half acre... don't even think about doing something that large with a walk behind unless you really enjoy using up a lot of your free time, having a sore back , and working on a yard machine all of your spare time... either hire someone to do it and it will be completely done in an afternon, or look at getting a used tractor with a tiller attachment . Even one of the older small garden tractors like the Cub Cadet or similar with a small rototiller attachment will be a useful machine to have down the road and will get the job done with little wear and tear on your body.

Don't overcomplicate. Also unless it's super small plot skip the walk behind tiller.

You'll be way better off to rent or borrow a small tractor and disc after spraying. You do not need to turn soil rather bust up the top layer a little and smooth /compact.

Don’t you have a buddy/neighbor with a tractor? If you were near me and not an azzhole, I’d be happy to break it up for you.

If you do go with a tiller go big like this one:

Barreto

I’ve used these before and they will definitely chew up the ground. But you’ll still be in a wrestling match the whole time. I wouldn’t even consider it for more than 1/4 to 1/2 acre. Check the rental cost for a tractor with a tiller attachment. I rented one probably 10 years ago for $300+, also with a front loader to clear an old staging area from a timber cut. Had to clear some push piles before tilling. It was over 2 acres and I’m pretty sure I would have died before finishing with a walk behind. By the way, “walk behind” is a cruel joke somebody in marketing came up with.
Good luck.

Tilling produces beautiful, fluffy ground.
It's really nice.

For people.

It's hell on soil structure.

Time and fuel are a big reason farmers largely went no-till.
(Different tilling, I know)

Soil structure is another reason, and a big reason many continue to do it.
If it's just sod, not saplings and bushes, I'd go with Ranger99's disc
suggestion. Burn it with Roundup, disc and plant.


PS. You are looking for soil to seed contact? Beating the soil into
aerated powder will not provide that contact. Minimal soil tilling,
planting, and a gentle rolling ius how you get that.

I feel your pain we started out planting our food plots with 2 Troy-Bilt Horse tillers 35 years ago. If you use a tiller which is a lot of work leave a strip between your tilled rows. Then just spread your seed, fertilizer and drag the seed in with your truck using a couple of tires on top of some chain link fence. Screw putting the seed on top of the ground and hoping that it grows.

I no - till a 100 acres of my cow pastures and disc and plant 40± acres of my own ground in wildlife food plots every year. I use the same seed mix in both instances and the stand is always better where I have broken the ground. My pastures suffer some in the summer if I disc them in the fall. But for wildlife food plots especially those you grow to kill deer off need to be disc up in the fall.

woodforest atm


I've tried about every way to plant deer plots and started out trying to use the NRCS recommendations. I charge a $100 per hour plus travel and stay as busy as I want, planting food plots for the hunters.

If I had a drill, I'd definitely not turn dirt. I'll be upfront, these plots were initially cut in with a disc. However, I have not done any sort of ground disturbing practices in years. They may not look the prettiest, but the critters don't seem to mind. Every year around Labor Day, I have a couple of plots that I spread seed on, cultipack, and then spray with glyphosate. Let the cereal rye, oats, wheat (whatever grains I plant) go to seed and rinse and repeat. Toss in some crimson, med red, and what ever else clovers I can find cheap. Might toss out a few lbs of turnips.

This one is 20days after planting.
.com/gp/150924633@N06/r98MmM].com/gp/150924633@N06/r98MmM]Untitled by .com/photos/150924633@N06/]Tyler Staggs, on [bleep]

Same plot, different perspective from a few years earlier. Still multiple years without any tillage.
.com/gp/150924633@N06/g2m3B9].com/gp/150924633@N06/g2m3B9]Untitled by .com/photos/150924633@N06/]Tyler Staggs, on [bleep]

Not saying my way is better or best, but it is very possible to grow grub to feed deer with little to no equipment and little to no tillage.

Planted both of these with my no till drill.

That's a good stand of clover, I've had good luck no tilling clover but nothing like that. Where are you located?

As an aside, pinto beans make good, cheap, and easy to grow deer food. Just buy dried beans at the grocery and plant them.

Are you dealing with much compaction In those pastures?
Heavy tillage isn't great as a continuous practice, but subsoiling
or something to break it up a bit can be needed.


Lotta places have a hardpan issue and never even know it.

I'm located in south central Indiana, one county from the Ohio River. Clover doesn't look like that every year, but there's not shortage of it. Alot depends on how well the grains reseed themselves. The past two years I've not even spread any a grain species, just use the seed that was grown from the previous year. If I movwed those plots a time or two before they set seed, I'm thinking the clover would really take off. I may try that on on a few spots this year to see what happens.

Subsoiling doesn't breakup compaction, just moves it deeper...

I wouldnt till up jackshît

Spray Gly-4

Then broadcast rapeseed on the decaying duff