Garden plowing/tilling

What would be a fair/reasonable price to charge a person to plow and then to rototill a 40 x 40 ft. garden. Garden has been worked before---not sod.

Depends on how much effort you have to put into it...
8)

Prices vary so much by location that it may be a good idea to check your local craigs list to see what may be advertised. A very big factor on such a small job is going to be your "mobilization" charge. Most people charge a minimum of perhaps $200.00 to show up with a machine and you are taking two so there is extra to load and /or transport the second. In my area I think that I would want about $60-$75 per hour. Then figure in the minimum and that you are going to burn at least a half day, and what is your time worth let alone equipment too.

I would think it depends on how far the guy has to go to get to the garden and also how difficult it would be to do the job.

A few years ago, I decided to make a new garden spot in an area that had been lawn next to my house. An old friend of mine who lives about 4 miles away has a smaller John Deere tractor with a rototiller attachment. He agreed to come over and prepare the area for a garden plot.

At the time, there were no fences in the way, and doing the work only took about an hour. His machine prepared the ground much better than my smaller rototiller could have in 20 hours of hard work. My garden area is about 50' by 40', and there were some rocks that I had not remembered were there. The tractor mounted tiller loosened the smaller rocks so they were easy to remove, and located a couple of large ones that I later had to dig out and remove with my tractor and a chain. I don't think my friend damaged his machinery at all doing my garden. When he was done, I handed him a $100 bill, which he said was too much. But I convinced him to keep it because his work and machine had helped me so much.

If I was going to do the job over again, I would Roundup the grass before tilling, as I have had some problems with grass coming up again. With the ground "broke", it has been easy to rototill since then with my Troy-Bilt.

It would be lots harder to use a tractor mounted tiller now, since I had to build high fences to keep the deer out. But without a really good fence, the deer take anything that is green around here in August and September. Did I mention that I hate deer?!!!

Does the ground you are considering working really need plowing? I was amazed at the job the tractor mounted tiller did in my garden area. It went as deep as a plow could and left very soft dirt. I had thought about plowing it first, but my friend said that would not really be necessary. He was right. I suppose not all machines are equal, but the little John Deere with the Deere tiller attachment sure worked great on my garden. I still think that it was one of the best $100s I have spent in a long time. Good luck!

30 bucks + travel, fuel etc.

Nuisance sized area for plowing rates extra charge. About the time you get the clutch engaged during plowing it is time to clutch again.

Roto-tilling, no extra for smaller size.