Gardening can be a lot of hard work, there's no question about that and I suspect every gardener wants to experiment with new ways of reducing backbreaking chores like improving soil tilth, mixing in and distributing organic matter, adding soil nutrients, weeding, aerating, and improving soil texture. Planting seeds and transplanting seedlings is one of the most satisfying parts of gardening especially when the garden soil has been adequately and thoroughly prepared. Soil preparation is the most labor intensive and most important aspects of gardening and one tool I have found to be invaluable for garden soil preparation is the Mantis ® ™ Garden Tiller shown above.

I must admit I was a bit skeptical of this seemingly diminutive tool when I first glanced upon it, but when an acquaintance demonstrated a Mantis for me I became convinced of its attributes. If you have ever rented, owned, or wrestled with with one of those four stroke monster tillers designed to spit out twenty five pound boulders then using the Mantis is a simple work of ease. Young adults and partners can use it while you set about the more important tasks of deciding what to plant where and choosing what varieties or cultivars will be designed into this year's garden. The tiller weighs about twenty pounds, is quiet compared to the operation of a chain saw, and is comfortable, easy, and fun to use.

Another important feature of the Mantis tiller is its versatility. Several different attachments are available for the tiller that range from deep tilling (I get about a twelve inch depth), surface tilling and weeding apparatus (four to six inch depth), an edger, aerator, and lawn dethatcher. The last two attachments are for lawn maintenance purposes which I am trying to get away from because I am making an conscientious effort to reduce the size of my lawn areas in favor of vegetable, fruit and ornamental gardening purposes which require less maintenance and fuel usage than weekly lawn mowing. The Mantis additionally has benefits of being economical and fuel efficient. It uses a 50 : 1 fuel to oil ratio common for all two stroke engines like chainsaws and weed whackers. Attachments for the Mantis are easily switched out by the removal of two special cotter pins on each end of the axle. Simplicity in and of itself.

The Mantis tiller shown at right will cultivate approximately a nine inch row width per pass. This is a slight disadvantage compared to the large four stroke tillers like Toro ™, but the revolutions per minute of the Mantis operate a bit faster and make fine work of busting sod and turning it into finely ground organic matter. Greater depth of soil excavation and cultivation can be obtained by going over the row successively with the tiller until the desired depth is achieved. For all my garden crops including root crops such as carrots a depth of twelve inches is more than sufficient. Your mileage may vary according to your soil conditions.

As the above image indicates, most small to medium stones (up to six inch diameter) will be kicked out by the Mantis. Larger stones of the twenty five pound kind will have to be removed by either heavy steel bar and shovel or both. On occasion some medium stones will become lodged in the tines of the Mantis and they will require removal by hand and/or or leveraged out with good piece of steel like an old, large, worn out screw driver. The tines of the Mantis are made out of high quality spring steel and have some flexibility. Always be sure the machine is turned off before attempting to remove stones from the tines of the machine! Once the soil has been tilled initially, the future incidence of stones becoming lodged in the tines is reduced significantly.

I would highly recommend this garden tiller for gardeners just starting out, the experienced gardener, and the professional. The cost of the Mantis is very economical, easy to maintain, and parts and service are readily available in rural areas. I have gotten years of use out of my Mantis but the trick is to use the tool for its intended purpose. I know of someone who completely ruined the machine in less than an hour because he was not familiar with the machine's capabilities. If you are a gardener who grows most of your own food I would recommend the Mantis as a fine addition to supplement that monster four stroke rototiller or garden tractor because it becomes a most useful tool when used in tight spaces and between garden rows, for weeding, cultivating, and adding organic matter to the soil.

For further information, here is the link to the Mantis Garden Tool company.