Thoughts on garden equipment

[absrio]

Gonna put in about a 60x60 garden next year and will want to get it prepped this fall. It currently has been in farmground for many many years. My thoughts for preparing and maintaing the garden are plow in the fall then till in the spring. Or should I just till in the fall and the spring?

If I got a plow it would probably be a 12" for my JD 2305 and a Woods 52" tiller. Some of the ground I am taking over from the field will go to grass and I am thinking to use a disc and seed in after that. Any thoughts on the best plow for a subcompact and disc?

 

[ChuckinNH]

JD makes a plow for the X7xx series that looks about as good as any for our small tractors. Linebach also makes a single bottom 12" plow that has a coulter, and depth wheel available for it. KK, and others make light duty disc harrows that will work fine.

 

[flusher]

Gonna put in about a 60x60 garden next year and will want to get it prepped this fall. It currently has been in farmground for many many years. My thoughts for preparing and maintaing the garden are plow in the fall then till in the spring. Or should I just till in the fall and the spring?

If I got a plow it would probably be a 12" for my JD 2305 and a Woods 52" tiller. Some of the ground I am taking over from the field will go to grass and I am thinking to use a disc and seed in after that. Any thoughts on the best plow for a subcompact and disc?

Rototiller. I bought a used Yanmar RS1200 rototiller (48" wide, $300 from my local grey market tractor dealer) to use with my Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto). It works fine for tilling the veg garden, which is about the size of yours.

I traded the B7510 last March for a Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD). That Yanmar rototiller is undersized for the 5525. So I found a nice Bolens G14 garden tractor with rototiller (32" wide, $600) that will work fine for the veg garden.

 

[LBrown59]

I have a:
Bolens 850
CC GT2554
Kubota BX1500
All 3 tractors are set up with tillers and front blades.
The Bolens and Cub Cadet are up for grabs.
I don't need them now that I have the Kubota.

Rototiller. I bought a used Yanmar RS1200 rototiller (48" wide, $300 from my local grey market tractor dealer) to use with my Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto). It works fine for tilling the veg garden, which is about the size of yours.

I traded the B7510 last March for a Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD). That Yanmar rototiller is undersized for the 5525. So I found a nice Bolens G14 garden tractor with rototiller (32" wide, $600) that will work fine for the veg garden.

 

[Tim12659]

My suggestion is this....plant a cover crop, such as Hairy Vetch this fall...vetch puts a lot of nitrogen BACK into the ground...then in spring turn it under and allow enough time for the vetch to rot or compost. Then you will be ready for the planting season and will get much better crop yields versus NOT planting the vetch. I know first hand what it does here in Alabama...I don't know you location but here vetch is a real "Miracle Grow" fertilizer...Plus, I have 20+ hives of Honey Bees and the vetch makes delcicious HONEY! Clower is also a good cover crop for fall winter planting here. Check with your local farmers co-op or county agent for the "right" cover crop. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

 

[RalphVa]

If you want to make raised rows, here's a picture of what I used on my JD 4010.

With the raised rows, I just mulch them and don't till them any more. I'm using buckwheat for a cover. It's easy to pull out.

You'll have plenty of trouble with weeds your first year or two.

My garden is about 50x75.

Oh, for when I tilled before doing the raised rows, here's a picture of my soil ripper from an old (18 hp) JD M converted to 3 ph. When I converted the fescue to garden, I used a Gravely rotary plow. Used it to make the initial raised rows.

Ralph