Back in the days of Thomas Jefferson, it was believed that plant roots actually ate soil particles. Therefore, the more you pulverized soil, the easier it was for roots to eat it. Thus it seemed logical to till the earth. Centuries later, scientists now say tilling--specifically rototilling--doesn't improve the soil, it destroys it. Now what do we do?

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When the sun comes out, so do garden tools like lawnmowers and rototillers. As effective as they may be, mowers and tillers are getting the evil eye for their use of fossil fuel, as well as their contribution to air and water pollution. Lately, rototillers are on the hot seat.

Contrary to what we’ve been told, rototilling does not improve the soil, it destroys it. What seemed like an efficient way to make short work of turning garden soil, tilling actually harms the structure of the soil and destroys aeration and drainage.

Let's take a closer look at dirt, er, soil...

When you look below the surface, soil is an intricate blend of rock particles, organic matter, roots, bacteria, worms, water, and air. In fact, 50 percent of soil is made up of water and air. These are important highways that deliver and store water and nutrients. Crank up the rototiller and you crush all those tunnels and pockets, as well as the worms and other critters that made them.

At first, the soil looks nice and fluffy, but it quickly looses structure. And it's all downhill from there. The soil compacts and loses its ability to hold water and nutrients, which means you have to water and fertilize more often. Plants become stressed and become susceptible to diseases. Rototilling is also your worst enemy in the war against weeds. It exposes to light the seeds buried deep in the soil. All it takes is a nano-second of exposure for weed seeds to sprout when they otherwise would have remained dormant.

On a larger scale..

Deep tilling is to blame for the destruction of topsoil, that once supported America's bread basket in the Midwest. So how did we ever get the idea that tilling was a good thing? In the days of Thomas Jefferson, it was believed that plant roots actually ate soil particles. Therefore, the more you pulverized soil, the easier it was for roots to eat it. So it seemed logical to till the earth.

Today, electron microscopes show us how important a soil's structure or tilth really is. So if you own a rototiller, consider selling it on eBay and use organic methods like mulching and composting instead. In other words, let the earthworms and other critters do more of the work for you. You'll be surprised at easy--and quiet--gardening can be.

Got comments? My email address is mygarden@alaska.net.

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