Plastic mulch layer

[ed12345]

To your actual question... as in, can you pull this behind a rototiller?

That depends on so many factors that are unique to your situation, and what you mean by "rototiller"... as in just a rototiller... or a rototiller behind some form of tractor.



Personally, for a regular rototiller (no tractor involved), even within my own gardens, there are varying levels of what it could pull.

On hard clay, I could pull a haywagon with a rototiller. Same ground after two inches of rain? I couldn't pull a sitting hen off of a nest.

On the hugelkulture beds that are at least a foot deep with composted manure? I have to push the tiller. It won't even pull itself.



On the other hand... the 7' tiller that goes behind the 75HP four wheel drive tractor... has no problems under any of those circumstances. GeoTH's system of haying plastic behind a "tiller" is similar... just on a smaller scale with a smaller tractor and tiller.

Good points

Will be pulling it behind a 4 ft rototiller behind a 22 hp Kubota bx. I rip the ground with a subsoiler before I rototill.

Will build hitch to connect with adjusters and some floating to level

Did this before with angle iron. Eventually redesigned the plastic layer for a 3 point hitch

Now want a compact design for a 1 pass till and lay process

Been using plastic (& drip tape) for years and nothing better for tomatoes, melons, peppers, pickles,flowers with grass strips between. No weeding and no mud

Corn, cabbage, string beans are in 36 inch rows cultivated with a power king 24-14 equiped with a modified belly mounted cultivator.

 

[ed12345]

To your actual question... as in, can you pull this behind a rototiller?

That depends on so many factors that are unique to your situation, and what you mean by "rototiller"... as in just a rototiller... or a rototiller behind some form of tractor.



Personally, for a regular rototiller (no tractor involved), even within my own gardens, there are varying levels of what it could pull.

On hard clay, I could pull a haywagon with a rototiller. Same ground after two inches of rain? I couldn't pull a sitting hen off of a nest.

On the hugelkulture beds that are at least a foot deep with composted manure? I have to push the tiller. It won't even pull itself.



On the other hand... the 7' tiller that goes behind the 75HP four wheel drive tractor... has no problems under any of those circumstances. GeoTH's system of haying plastic behind a "tiller" is similar... just on a smaller scale with a smaller tractor and tiller.

Good points

Will be pulling it behind a 4 ft rototiller behind a 22 hp Kubota bx. I rip the ground with a subsoiler before I rototill.

Will build hitch to connect with adjusters and some floating to level

Did this before with angle iron. Eventually redesigned the plastic layer for a 3 point hitch

Now want a compact design for a 1 pass till and lay process

Been using plastic (& drip tape) for years and nothing better for tomatoes, melons, peppers, pickles,flowers with grass strips between. No weeding and no mud

Corn, cabbage, string beans are in 36 inch rows cultivated with a power king 24-14 equiped with a modified belly mounted cultivator.

Yes, I have posted about plastic gardening many times.
I use a plastic from amazon that is black on one side and white on the other side.
The plastic I use was perfected in Terre Haute in the 60s and 70s so it not new.
I went to college with a chemistry major who helped protect it.
Georgia and Alabama truck farmers use it all the time.
I worked on an old Ford tractor that had an attachment on 3 Pt to install plastic.
I love it. Keeps when weeds down.
I can use fresh horse poo and not worry about the weeds.
We have the best garden ever and the plastic holds the moisture too.
I use the red plow to make a grove in the dirt to put the plastic in and then we kick the dirt on
the edge of the plastic to keep the wind from blowing it away
We remove the plastic at the end of the year.
My boss is happy too. We get a lot of tomatoes using fewer plants.
I highly recommend it

From a previous post this spring.
https://forums.yesterdaystractors.c...h-holes-in-the-plastic.1778309/#post-11651498 View attachment 123728View attachment 123732

Love the pictures