Troy-Bilt 12069-7HP - Manual (Page 38)

Terrace Gardening
If a slope is too steep or not
long enough for vertical tilling, it
may be necessary to till across the
slope and create terraced rows.
Terraces are rows that are cut into
the side of a slope, creating a nar­
row, but flat area on which to
plant. On a long slope, you can
make several terraces, one below
the other on the slope.
IMPORTANT: Do not till across
a slope without creating terraces.
Simply tilling across the slope
and leaving unterraced rows on
the slope creates hazardous foot­
ing for you, and invites soil ero­
sion. When you will be making
rows across a slope, be sure they
are terraced rows.
Terraces should be made about
two-to-three feet wide. This will
allow one or two rows of plants on
the terrace, and allow enough room
to till under crop residues.
However, with a terrace this wide
there may not be enough room for
cultivating. Hint: If you make ter­
races too wide, you’ll be digging
far into the hillside, exposing poor
subsoil in which plants will not be
their most productive.
Move the belt into LOW belt
range and the Wheel Speed Gear
Lever to SLOW position. Start to
terrace at the top of the slope. Go
all the way across the slope several
times until the first terrace is made.
See Figure 4-28 and Photo 4-29.
As you work down the slope, al­
ways keep the uphill wheel in the
soft, newly tilled soil. Each suc­
UPHILL
V--
LEAVE 12 INCHES UNTIULED
A REPEAT PROCEDURE
DOWNHILL
Figure 4-28: How to make a terrace in just 4 or 5 passes with the tiiler.
ceeding terraced area is started by
walking below the terrace you are
preparing. In four or five passes,
the tiller can carve out a flat and
wide enough terrace for planting.
Don’t till the last 12-inches
(leave at least that much soil un­
tilled ) of the downhill outside
edge of each terrace. Keeping this
strip untilled helps prevents your
terraces from breaking apart and
washing downhill. This untilled
strip also gives you a walking path
between terraces.
i-i..
A
Photo 4-29: Make a terrace in just 4
or 5 passes with the tiiler.
Soil Enrichment Idea
Trench Composting — Trench
composting is easy with the op­
tional Hiller-Furrower Attach­
ment (see Section 5). .Just dig a
trench, put in all kinds of or­
ganic matter, and cover with
soil. Earthworms and microbes
will break it down quickly.
Tilling Across Slopes Without Terraces
Tilling across a slope without forming terraces is
not recommended. Of course it can be done, but do
study your terrain carefully and try to avoid going
across a slope without making terraces. See if it isn’t
possible to till vertically up and down the slope or, as
a second option, to create terraces.
Again, you should make certain that the slope is
not too steep to till on at all. If it’s safe, you can
begin making unterraced passes across the slope by
starting at the very top of the slope. Make your sec­
ond pass by overlapping half the width of the first
pass. Always keep the uphill wheel in the soft, newly
tilled soil. This will increase the stability of the tiller.
For best results, move the belt into LOW belt range
and the Wheel Speed Gear Lever into the SLOW po­
sition.
38