Tilling vegetable gardens (manure, butterfly, tomatoes, weeds)

[subject2change]

The previous owner of my home and our neighbor behind us made a fenced, shared vegetable garden. It is placed on both of our properties and each of us gardens our own sections. My neighbor has a rototiller and tills my side in the spring also (I always thank him profusely and I've told him he doesn't have to do that, but he insists it's no trouble, etc. He even seems a little offended that I say it.) Well. this year in the fall he mentioned he was going to till in a couple of weeks. I was surprised, because he hadn't tilled in the fall before, although he says he has. Anyway, I put some leaves on my side to be tilled in, which he did. But I'm not sure it should be tilled again in the spring. I know there are good and bad aspects to tilling the soil, and he has always tilled it twice in the spring before planting. What do you all think?

[Butterfly4u]

Subject,
You are sooo lucky you have such a great nieghbor to help you out with a
rototiller!
How lucky you are!
Don't worry about it, the man knows what he is doing.
The more often he tills, the better, especailly since you put leaves
on your side of it. It will help compost it.
I wish my neighbor would do that, geezzz i am so jealous.

[subject2change]

Butterfly, I do have a wonderful, kind neighbor! Since no one has posted they believe that's too much tilling, I'll take your advice and not worry about it. Now, hurry spring!

[harry chickpea]

Should be fine. Reasons for tilling at this time of year are to kill winter weeds, and till in amendments. In Vermont, the farm hand who lived next door to me would pull over a manure spreader about this time of year and spread it over the area so that it wouldn't be "hot" come springtime. The garden was prolific, but was also prolific in weeds.

[ArkansasSlim]

Also, if you are in the part of the country where the ground freezes in the winter, fall/early winter tilling will expose the roots and they will freeze and help eliminate some of them.

[Bulldogdad]

Gift horse.

[subject2change]

OK, I'm convinced!

I remember seeing a major argument about tilling on another gardening forum once, so I wanted some opinions.
And, for the record, I wouldn't have told my helpful neighbor not to do it because what he was doing was wrong. He usually does it a little late in the spring, so I would have gone ahead and planted a few things and just told him I wanted to get a head start.

Thanks, everyone for your input.

[nmnita]

I can hardly believe we are starting to even talk gardens, winter has barely set in but I too am starting to think: spring, tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc. I don't really till but do have a small hand tiller that I use to break up the weeds and move the dirt before we start the planting. It is still freezing here, we are in the teens at night and will be for about 6 to 8 more weeks. Then I will start seriously thinking; summer, summer, summer!!!