Spacing rows for crops?

[npaden]

Okay, I'm starting to plant some row crops and trying to figure out row spacing.

The rear tires on my Kubota L4200 are on 53" center and are 70" from outside to outside. I think the biggest problem is that they are R4 tires and are 17.5" wide.

Most of the farmers around here have their rows set at 40" for dryland. They also use Listers to make furrows and build up the row where you plant the seed.

I have a 2 row planter and I don't see how I can use it on 40" rows? I just used a disc and the planter on 32" rows this time and it worked but the rows ended up pretty close to the tires (the inside dimensions on the tires is 36") Using it like this I ended up with uneven rows and the rows ended up pretty close to where the tires had compacted the ground.

The accountant in me says to just set the rows at 26.5" and just space the plants farther apart in the row. The downside to that is that I end up having to do a lot more running back and forth and use more gas.

Any thoughts on what I should do?

 

[neverenough]

Row crop planting is controlled by the harvesting equipment. Say for example, corn, the row spacing must be the same width as the head on the combine, or chopper if you have a multiple row chopper, or picker. The planter must also match the amount of rows of the harvester or multiples there of. For example, with a 12 row planter, you can use a 1, 2, 4, 6, or 12 row combine, chopper, or picker head. The multiple row heads must be the same width as the planter. There are many width planters on the market, some of the more common ones are 22, 30, 36, and 40 inch. Again for example, with corn, it also depends on how much seed you want to plant too. Our corn fields are planted 36", and with the seed spacing we run, it gives us about 26,500 seeds per acre. Some farmers are planting the 22" row spacing, and planting upwards of 40,000 seeds per acre. It's all a balancing act too. The more you plant, the more nutrients consumed, the more you must fertilize.

So, I'm guessing you are planting a garden or food plot, not mechanized harvesting. I will say, plant what seed spacing you want with the row spacing that works for you. If your concerned about planting time and fuel, buy a bigger planter. Seed spacing depends on what you are planting, and how much you want out of each row. Planting narrower rows, with farther seed spacing will give you somewhat the same thing as planting the rows farther apart with less seed spacing. If you are trying to stay with "X" amont of seeds per acre, then you are on the right track with the seed spacing and planter width setting.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

All depends on what the "crop" is. With corn, it's all about plant population and canopy. The sooner the plant developes a canopy that shades out weeds and reduces evaporation of moisture, the better. Most corn grown for "production agriculture" these days is 30" or even as narrow as 20". Soybeans are "drilled" mostly nowdays. That's specifically to establish that canopy.

With veggie crops, there are several issues to deal with. Planting being the LEAST consideration. Cultivating and harvesting are important, but also air flow and ability to spray (pestisides) are of greater importance with large scale efforts.

Changing row width is a matter of economics. When a farmer switches from, say 30" to 20" rows, he must change platers AND grain heads on his (or her) combine. (Trying hard to be PC these days) Modern planters are EXPENSIVE, grain heads are just as bad.

With smaller scale operations, or hobby farms, it's all about matching available equipment with your tractor. I've seen several people around here with 2-row planters that set the row width narrow enough to straddle with their tractor, then skip a wider space between pairs of rows. In other words, 30"-30"-40"-30"-30"-40"-30"-30". Not set rules when you're improvising.

 

[PineRidge]

We use 36" spacing because you can comfortably get a Troy Tiller between the rows when the weeds show up.

 

[RalphVa]

Why not just one wide row between the tires?

My 4010 is 48" wide at the outside of the tires, and the tires are each about 13" wide. Works out great to have a single raised row with disc hillers behind each tire clearing out between the rows.

In your case, I'd just make the rows wider and stagger the corn back and forth across the row if you're planting by hand or with one of those hand push seeders.

Ralph