What Is a Manual Tiller?

A manual tiller is a tool used to disrupt the top layers of soil before planting seeds or seedlings. The manual variety uses no electricity, gasoline or other mechanized parts aside from the energy provided by the user’s body. Several common garden tools can be used as a manual tiller, as well as specially designed ones that range from small, handheld forks to heavy platforms lined with blades on the bottom. While a motorized tiller might be invaluable for large field plantings, small gardens or raised beds are better served through the use of a manual tiller. The tool also can help to remove weeds later in the growing season, providing control so unwanted plants can be uprooted without disturbing the area around them.

The purpose of a manual tiller is to loosen, mix and expose the top 6 to 12 inches (about 15 to 30 centimeters) of topsoil. Tilling soil helps to add into the top layers oxygen that plants and beneficial microbes need to survive. Additionally, organic matter in the soil will decompose faster and more completely when an area is tilled, restoring some nutrients that might have been lost. Diseases, larvae and other pests also live in the top layers of soil and can be destroyed, discouraged or otherwise removed through the tilling process. Weeds and other plants that are attempting to gain a foothold in an area can be killed with a manual tiller by shredding the roots, exposing them to the sun or burying any green growth.

One of the most classic designs for a manual tiller is called a digging fork. This tool looks like a pitchfork, with slightly curving tines at the bottom. It is used by being pressed into the ground and then applying pressure downwards to the handle, forcing the deep soil to rise to the surface, and the surface soil to be broken up. A digging fork can be the same height as a standard shovel, or it can be small like a typical garden hand tool.

Another type of manual tiller involves a long metal bar running vertically down from a pair of handles to a plate containing multiple blades that are bent, creating a curling effect. This type of tiller is used by placing the blades down just a little into the soil and then twisting the handles so the tines tear through the soil and make it loose. This tool uses leverage so the effort exerted to till is less that it might otherwise be.

Finally, any tool that can be used to turn the soil can be considered a manual tiller. This includes shovels, spades and metal rakes. As long as the tool is able to reach the correct depth for tilling the ground, it can ultimately be called a tiller.