How to make a potato hiller yourself
Why hilling?
First of all, let's ask ourselves: is the process of hilling potatoes really necessary?
If your potatoes are growing in ideal conditions in loose soil with regular additions of nutritious compost, you might not need regular hilling. But in reality, things are far from simple. The soil can be too compact, too wet, or too dry. There's a drought in early summer, or rain in the wrong places. And tubers require air and warmth. Without air, tubers won't form, and excess moisture will turn them into a half-rotten mess. Ultimately, the decision is yours, but if you plan to see a decent potato harvest, you'll definitely need some kind of hiller.
The store offers a ton of options, but the prices can be steep, and store-bought tools aren't always suitable for your specific needs. So, the best option remains: a DIY manual potato hiller.
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From the video you will learn when is the best time to hill up the beds.
Types
There are two popular types of this hilling device:
- a hiller in the form of a hand plow;
- disc hiller.
A plow-style hiller is a fairly convenient tool. Two people can quickly and easily cultivate a fairly large area. It's often used as a potato cultivator attached to a walk-behind tractor or tractor. This combination allows for hilling a large area, even in dry, compacted soil. You can also adjust the width and depth of the plowing. The most convenient plowing width is 20 centimeters and the depth is up to 15 centimeters.
The advantage of a disc hiller as an attachment is its synchronization with the capabilities of a walk-behind tractor. This allows you to adjust speed and power. Since soil resistance is low, there's no need to use a more powerful tiller.
These types of hillers can be used only if the necessary small agricultural machinery is available. If none are available, manual labor will be necessary, and in this case, a manual disc hiller will become practically indispensable.
You're unlikely to be able to buy a manual potato hiller in a store, but you can make one yourself.
Manufacturing
Once you've decided that you absolutely need a manual hiller, you're probably wondering how to make a potato hiller yourself?
Believe me, it's not difficult to make your own tool that will be indispensable for planting tubers and hilling your plot. All you need is the right amount of materials and some basic tool-handling skills.
Required:
- Two concave discs. You can use discs from a seeder. The discs are installed at a specific angle and secured together by welding or bolting. The discs should be angled outward. The distance between the discs can be fixed or adjustable; this should be planned in advance. An experienced gardener who has studied their soil and is familiar with its characteristics will easily adjust the angle at which the discs enter the ground. Therefore, this angle should not be adjustable, to avoid complicating the design. To prepare for building a DIY hiller, use drawings similar to these.
- Manual traction or a walk-behind tractor mount. When using a hiller with two people, a manual traction system suitable for both should be provided. When working alone, the hiller unit requires additional weight. The standard walk-behind tractor mount can be used, or you can make your own using the following drawing.
So, using a grinder and a welding machine, as well as knowledge of potato care and a little ingenuity, you can save a lot of money, time, and, most importantly, your energy, which, as we know, tends to run out.
And even if your first attempts at using a homemade hiller aren't very successful, you'll soon be wondering, "How did I ever manage to manage my hectares before?"
Good luck and a great harvest!
Video: "Making a DIY Device"
This video will show you how to make a hilling machine yourself.