New garden site

   / New garden site #1  

fishpick

Platinum Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
832
Location
The part of NY with high taxes
Tractor
L4760 & BX24
I posted some time ago (like back in January) that my wife and I had purchased a new house and 35 acres to boot... well - we are taking possession in 18 days (who's counting)...
Normally - I would have had a garden in by now - but... things are what they are.

Anyhow - to the project part - tomorrow - I'm heading out to the place to start prepping the garden site - it won't get in until 6/25 - so it will be very interesting to see if anything happens or if it's just site prep one year early... my tomatoes are re-potted in big 2 gal pots... so there is some hope!

Back to the project... I won't have a tiller for the tractor until this fall... so - to prep the site - here's my thoughts... I'm going to mow back the existing weeds / grass / raspberries... mow things right down to an inch or so... then cover the area with clear plastic and let it "bake" for 2 weeks. Then break up the ground with the BB and BH, throw in some plants, and off to the races.
We know there was a garden in this spot before and that it did very well... this is just my plan to re-claim the area enough for a few late season BLT's!

Next year - the "real" gardens go in... and some field crops too...

Thoughts - opinions - suggestions for this plot?

Attachments I have access to that are relevant - BB, BH, FEL, mower...
 
   / New garden site #2  
fishpick said:
I posted some time ago (like back in January) that my wife and I had purchased a new house and 35 acres to boot... well - we are taking possession in 18 days (who's counting)...
Normally - I would have had a garden in by now - but... things are what they are.

Anyhow - to the project part - tomorrow - I'm heading out to the place to start prepping the garden site - it won't get in until 6/25 - so it will be very interesting to see if anything happens or if it's just site prep one year early... my tomatoes are re-potted in big 2 gal pots... so there is some hope!

Back to the project... I won't have a tiller for the tractor until this fall... so - to prep the site - here's my thoughts... I'm going to mow back the existing weeds / grass / raspberries... mow things right down to an inch or so... then cover the area with clear plastic and let it "bake" for 2 weeks. Then break up the ground with the BB and BH, throw in some plants, and off to the races.
We know there was a garden in this spot before and that it did very well... this is just my plan to re-claim the area enough for a few late season BLT's!

Next year - the "real" gardens go in... and some field crops too...

Thoughts - opinions - suggestions for this plot?

Attachments I have access to that are relevant - BB, BH, FEL, mower...


I will be watching, I have been working on a similar project. When the first spot I picked didn't get cleared in time I fell back and punted. I converted a section of lawn to garden. All I did was run over the lawn 6 or 7 times with spring tooth cultivators and then planted the corn and pumpkins. I picked up about half the clumps of sod and some of the rocks, but it is still very rough and the grass will definitely be back and fast. I am thinking I should have just peeled away the sod with the loader bucket before attacking it with the cultivator.I like your plan better. I think the scarifiers on the box blade will break up the soil well after the grass dies. Is two weeks enough? do the roots die too?
 
   / New garden site #3  
fishpick said:
I posted some time ago (like back in January) that my wife and I had purchased a new house and 35 acres to boot... well - we are taking possession in 18 days (who's counting)...
Normally - I would have had a garden in by now - but... things are what they are.

Anyhow - to the project part - tomorrow - I'm heading out to the place to start prepping the garden site - it won't get in until 6/25 - so it will be very interesting to see if anything happens or if it's just site prep one year early... my tomatoes are re-potted in big 2 gal pots... so there is some hope!

Back to the project... I won't have a tiller for the tractor until this fall... so - to prep the site - here's my thoughts... I'm going to mow back the existing weeds / grass / raspberries... mow things right down to an inch or so... then cover the area with clear plastic and let it "bake" for 2 weeks. Then break up the ground with the BB and BH, throw in some plants, and off to the races.
We know there was a garden in this spot before and that it did very well... this is just my plan to re-claim the area enough for a few late season BLT's!

Next year - the "real" gardens go in... and some field crops too...
Attachments I have access to that are relevant - BB, BH, FEL, mower...Thoughts - opinions - suggestions for this plot?


Your method will work fine.

Another thing to think of is you have a Boxblade, BH, and FEL.

Mow the grass/weeds down, use the boxblade and FEL to skim down below the grass root 2-3".

Pile all this up into a compost pile.

Use boxblade, BH, FEL to turn soil and break it up and plant now.

Before the season is up the grass/weed compost pile should be ready to put back on the garden.

I have used this method for a neighbor who put in a new garden late in the season and it worked well. Only I used turning plow and tiller once the grass was removed.

Good luck with you garden.

David
 
   / New garden site #4  
Better living through chemicals, say I! You may be better off if you go to the farm store and spend $50 or so on a jug of gylphosate...mix a 7% solution and spray. You're going to have to get some anyway for the place, might as well put it to work.

During the two weeks idle time, get a test kit and think about lime or short term fertilizers in small amounts.

Continue with the rest of the plan, ceptin' fer you won't need to remove the turf. Break it up and till it under. You'll still have dormant seeds regardless of method, but they can be dealt with later.
 
   / New garden site #5  
I'm in the same boat with the late garden. We are clearing land in VT and I won't have a plot tilled up for a few weeks yet. I can't wait to see what this beautiful organic loam can grow. Our garden in CT started out as a mixture of equal parts gravel and clay. After 4 years of tilling in a few yards of manure per year it's doing OK. We didn't put anything in this year because of the move...

Edit...I've done the tarp thing and it works remarkably well.
 
   / New garden site #6  
All great ideas, The Deer will love you for it.....:D

Plan on fencing it ??? :rolleyes: (trouble maker, I know)

Garden spot close to house, do you have a dog...

I'm saying all this because even though I have a fence, the deer , bunnies , and ground hog always shared the garden with me...Now I still fence it but I now have a secret weapon (see attach)

Grounds 0 / Pepper 1
 

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   / New garden site #7  
Nice looking Flat Coated Retriever... They do like to chase things...
 
   / New garden site
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Forgot the camera last week...

Kept the belly deck on... lowered the loader to the point that the blade would catch anything over 1" above the common grade... mowed the weeds down to about 1 - 1.5" over the soil - as low as the mover would take it... 2 passes at 60" wide each. Then took the front blade on the loader and "ripped" off the top 2 inches or so of weed/soil right down the middle of the mowed swath. Got lots of nice exposed soil... Had the wife help me stretch out a nice long roll of landscape fabric - placed old 4x4 PT's all long the edge... letting it bake until we move in on the 24th... tomatoes in the 1.5 gallon pots will get in the ground then... might get my first BLT in August!
 
   / New garden site #9  
fishpick said:
Forgot the camera last week...

Kept the belly deck on... lowered the loader to the point that the blade would catch anything over 1" above the common grade... mowed the weeds down to about 1 - 1.5" over the soil - as low as the mover would take it... 2 passes at 60" wide each. Then took the front blade on the loader and "ripped" off the top 2 inches or so of weed/soil right down the middle of the mowed swath. Got lots of nice exposed soil... Had the wife help me stretch out a nice long roll of landscape fabric - placed old 4x4 PT's all long the edge... letting it bake until we move in on the 24th... tomatoes in the 1.5 gallon pots will get in the ground then... might get my first BLT in August!


I've planted as late as July 4, and had good results. Some things such as cucumbers you can start in peat pots, then transplant. Cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, etc) can tolerate cold temps and can be planted for a fall crop.
(I picked my last batch for Thanksgiving last year... similar climate to yours.)
Beans should produce if you plant them on the 25th.

Your method is similar to the one I've been using to gradually expand my garden plot over the last 5 years. one thing you may consider rather than try to work all your soil this year is to loosen the soil only where the plants will go with the BH, and add amendments there. I've had great success with this while building my soil up.
 
   / New garden site
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Went by my "tomato nurse" last night - the potted plants in the 1.5 and 2 gallon pots are doing GREAT (some even have small 'maters on 'em)! Actually - he threatened to dig his out of the ground and switch them - my pots are bigger than his Memorial Day ground planted guys... this is no doubt because the black pots warm the root soil more than the ground... I may do this every year from now on!
So - I'm thinking I should have a nice batch going when they get introduced to the makeshift garden this year - in 11 days!
Also went by a local Country Max and noticed all their veggie flats are now $1... so - I may grab a few of them - throw them in the ground too - and see what happens!
 
 
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