How to flatten a tilled up garden path?

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wahoowad

wahoowad

Minister of Fire
Dec 19, 2005
1,669
Virginia
My neighborhood has a community garden that is 140' x 45'. We have a 5' wide path running down the center lengthwise (140' long). The soil has been tilled making it a very uneven path of raw dirt and clumps, etc. The path will be used for wheelbarrows and walking to the backside of certain individual garden plots. I'm trying to think of some way to flatten the uneven tilled surface before laying down a base of mulch.

I have a lawn tractor that could pull something but none of us own one of those steamroller type drums. We'd prefer to not rent one to keep expenses down. Short of handtools (that's a long path...) how can we flatten down the earth? I suspect my lawn tractor would get stuck given the looseness of the soil.
 
Build yourself a drag. Get a 2x8,10,12 (what ever fits your needs) and place screws in it in all different directions. Leave enough room that you can attach some rope/ cable and a block or two for weight. Drag it behind your lawn tractor.
That is how we did it for the little league fields when they needed spring cleaning. Might take a few trips, but it does work.
 
It is difficult to regrade such a large area by hand, especially if it was allowed to sit after tilling. The best time to even out the soil is right after tilling, before it has a chance to get wet and settle on its own.

If you really can't get hold of any heavy equipment, you might consider waiting for the spring thaw, and re-tilling. Then immediately regrade by hand. It'll take some effort to make it come out even.

Why was the pathway tilled? And how long ago?

I'm not sure even a heavy lawn roller would solve the problem right now, even if you could get your tractor through it.
 
Anyone in the neighborhood have a heavy motorcycle?
 
dave11 said:
Why was the pathway tilled? And how long ago?
Click to expand...

The entire garden was fresh tilled last summer. Prior to that it was a large grassy field. Had we thought about it I guess we could have instructed the center be left as flat field but...this is all new so we're winging it as it we go.
 
wahoowad said:
dave11 said:
Why was the pathway tilled? And how long ago?
Click to expand...

The entire garden was fresh tilled last summer. Prior to that it was a large grassy field. Had we thought about it I guess we could have instructed the center be left as flat field but...this is all new so we're winging it as it we go.
Click to expand...

When you say you can't get your tractor through, do you mean the surface is full of ruts and bumps, or that it is too soft/boggy?

Since it's been 5-6 months since tilling, the ground probably has settled too much to get it even close to level without heavy equipment. My vote would be to re-till it after the thaw, to maybe a depth one inch higher than the last time.

And expect an explosion of weeds in the spring.
 
I would guess that it is going to need another tilling in early spring. This is a good time to add amendments. Then, get an old mattress spring, weight it down and drag it behind the lawn tractor to level out the soil. Or just get a bunch of people and walk out the paths a few time. They will compact pretty quickly.
 
Rake it out and walk over it - then drive a lawn tractor over it.
 
someone around has to have something heavy and cylindrical to roll over it. I'm thinking old water heater, old barrels, 100lb propane tanks, Aunt Mildred... What machine did all of the tilling? can't you drive back and forth several times with that.
 
Find someone with a heavy truck and drive over (as often as you need) where you want flattened. Re-till the area that you didn't want flat. Cheers!
 
you can make your own chair harrow out of a peice of chain link fence. Get a peice of fence like 6' long and what ever hight you can find then get 2 4X4 the same langth as the hight of the fence attace them to each end of the fence and put some chain so you can put it to the back of a truck or tractor and pull it. Once you make a few passes you can add more weight with cinder blocks on the top of the fence.

Hope that helps
Anna Maire
 
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