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Section4: Operation
DOWNHULL
Figure 4-18
8. Terrace6ardening:
oWhena stops is too steep or too short
for verticaltilIing, it may be necessary
to tiII across the slopeand create
terraced rows. Terracesare rows that
are cut into the side ofa slope, creating
a narrow, but flat areaon which to
plant.
oOn a iong siope, you can makeseveral
terraces, one belowthe other.
oTerracesshould be onty 2-to-3 feet
wide. Diggingtoo far into the side of
the siopewill expose poor subsoii that
is unproductivefor piants.
, To createaterrace, start at thetop of
the siopeand work down. Go backand
forth across the first row as shown in
Figure4-18.
o Eachsucceeding lowerterrace is
started by walking belowtheterrace
you're preparing. Foraddedstabiiity of
thetiiier, aiways keepthe uphiii wheel
in the soft, newiytiiied soii. Donot tiff
the iast 12"or moreof the downhiil
outside edge of eachterrace. This
untiiiedstrip hetpspreventsthe
terracesfrom breakingapartand
washing downhiiL it also provides a
walking pathbetween rows.
C. Tilling acrosselopes
without terracing
o if verticai or terracing gardening aren't
practical for you, thenyou can tiii
laterally across a siope. We don't
reaiiyrecommendthis method as it
cancreate unsurefooting and invites
soii erosion.
oStudy the terrain to makecertain the
slope is not too steep for safetiiiing.
if possibie, maketerraced rows or till
vertically.
o Movethe belt into LOWbett rangeand
the WheelSpeedGearLeverto SLOW
position. As in terracegardening,start
atthe top ofthe siopeand overlapthe
first pass byhalf thewidth of the tiller.
Foraddedstabiiity, keepthe uphiii
wheeiin the soft, newiy tiiied soil Each
succeedingterraced areais started by
walking be/owthe terrace you are
preparing (Figure4=19).
iques
Clearing the tines
Thetines havea self-clearingaction
which helpsto eliminate mosttangiing
of debris. However,occasionaiiy dry
grass, stringy stalks or tough vines may
becometangled.
Foliowthese procedures to hetpavoid
tangiing andto clearthe tines, if
necessary.
Before clearing the tines by hand, stop
the engine, allow all moving parts to
stop and disconnect the spark plug
wire. Failure to fellow this warning
could result inpersonal injury.
oTo reducetangling, set the Depth
Regulatordeepenough to get
maximum "chopping" actionas the
tines chop the materiaiagainst the
ground. Also, try to till under crop
residuesor cover crops while they are
green, moist and tender.
oWhiie power composting, try swaying
the handiebarsfrom sideto side (about
6" to 12"). This "fishtaiiing" action
often clearsthe tines of debris.
o It may be necessaryto removethe
debris by hand (a pocket knife will help
you to cut awaythe materiai).
Figure 4=19: Make a terrace in just 4
or 5 passes with the tiller.
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