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I've decided that I need to invest some money into a "proper" method of tilling soil. The local rental store has inconvenient hours of operation (closed by the time I get home from work on weekdays, closed all day Sunday), and it costs too much to rent a tiller for a whole day ($90). I could quickly recover money invested in my own solution, plus the convenience would be much greater.
1) How did farmers do this stuff manually in centuries past? I need to both chop the old dead stalks/leaves and push them under a light layer of soil. Does it require two passes, once with a sharpened hoe to chop plants and later with a shovel to churn soil? What are the best manual tools for cultivating the soil?
2) For more years than I can remember, I've seen the Mantis (2-stroke engine) advertised in the Mother Earth journal. It costs $350 with good ratings for this very small and lightweight solution. If I'm paying that much for a Honda motor, would there be any benefit to just go directly to the Honda (4-stroke engine) solution instead?
3) It seems wise to purchase a solution that has better long-term potential, such as the versatility of the Ryobi power head with attachments including the cultivator. Although the customer ratings of the cultivator are good, the ratings on the power head are not. Does someone other than Ryobi make such products?
1) How did farmers do this stuff manually in centuries past? I need to both chop the old dead stalks/leaves and push them under a light layer of soil. Does it require two passes, once with a sharpened hoe to chop plants and later with a shovel to churn soil? What are the best manual tools for cultivating the soil?
2) For more years than I can remember, I've seen the Mantis (2-stroke engine) advertised in the Mother Earth journal. It costs $350 with good ratings for this very small and lightweight solution. If I'm paying that much for a Honda motor, would there be any benefit to just go directly to the Honda (4-stroke engine) solution instead?
3) It seems wise to purchase a solution that has better long-term potential, such as the versatility of the Ryobi power head with attachments including the cultivator. Although the customer ratings of the cultivator are good, the ratings on the power head are not. Does someone other than Ryobi make such products?