Reddit reviews Greenworks 10-Inch 8 Amp Corded Tiller 27072
We found 2 Reddit comments about Greenworks 10-Inch 8 Amp Corded Tiller 27072. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Powerful 8 Amp Motor for reliable results with an easy electric start eliminates the need for mixing gas and hard to manage recoil cords(4) 8 inch forward rotating tines for highest performance when digging into earthAdjustable tilling width of 8.25 inches to 10 inches for quick reliable tilling; Assembly details: Assembly required, no tools neededAdjustable tilling depth, up to 5 inches offers the versatility to dig for the right planting depthHandle folds down for simple and convenient storage and transportation
What about this one? http://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-27072-Corded-Tiller-10-Inch/dp/B00D3KJN3O/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1427081198&sr=1-1&keywords=greenworks+8-amp I saw that Troy-Built one, but then started thinking about the Greenworks because it's supposedly higher current and cheaper.
There's a really important thing to note here - your title is confusing people. It says "heavy clay soil".
Later you say it's "clay like". But you got a load of cheap top soil, I assume?
In that case it's simply clay-like, it's not clay. It's just dense. That's a huge difference.
Soil compaction is going to happen in any bed that goes unused (no roots to aerate) and will slowly increase with time. You just have dense soil. Did you loosen the area around the root ball when you transplanted? If so, the roots should get established easily. Dense soil really isn't all that terrible of a problem- there may be other issues afoot. Roots can pretty easily go through dense soil. It's more about what's in the soil, and the moisture content, that's going to have a big effect on them.
Beyond that, what you need to do is simply improve soil structure. There are tons of ways to do this, but check out this article and this site as well.
Basically, add organic matter. Compost. For now, you can top dress. Make sure the ground stays the proper moisture level (get a $10 moisture meter if you want to be doubly sure) and roots and earthworms will aerate it. More plants and more roots will help. If it's super compact, you can mechanically disturb the soil, but actually people are shying away from this now due to more research showing undisturbed soil has healthier microbial life, and roots don't mind moderately-dense soil. Still, if it's crazy hard, you can get a small tiller (I used this one ) on both my actual clay soil, and to mix in compost. You can of course just use a regular hand cultivator tool if you want to save some $.
As far as cover crops go, that is a pretty good idea- check out this podcast: https://joegardener.com/podcast/100-understanding-cover-crops-the-basics-and-beyond-with-jack-algiere/ .
I'll also note that adding sand is a terrible idea. That's a weird myth floating around, a quick google search will reveal this.