Best time of year to plow?

[grnspot110]

Plow now but skip the round up since with a good job of plowing it will be unnecessary. I would also leave it as rough as possible.

I agree, do it now & leave it rough! ~~ grnspot110

 

[mbosma]

Fence in a couple of pigs, they will plow it for you and fertelize at the same time.

 

[wolc123]

Plowing a garden in fall may be best as others have explained, unless you want to take advantage of some "organic" rotation. Most of the plowing I do is of old white-clover plots for spring planting of corn. In this special case, I like spring plowing for two reasons. First, no ground is less attractive to deer than plowed. This way I have all those acres of deer-attracting clover around thru the fall, winter, and early spring making for much better hunting than if I fall-plowed. Second, keeping the clover growing in the fall and the early spring stores up some more nitrogen, reducing the ammount that must be added later for a good corn yield. I prefer spring plowing of even my garden (mostly sweetcorn and pumpkins) for this second reason. To use this method, you have to move your garden every year, on a 3-5 year rotation, with white clover grown on the off years. If you need to plant your garden in the same spot each season, then fall plowing would be best. I think I have found a little better way to do it, and my garden has done much better since I started "moving it around".

 

[smstonypoint]

To use this method, you have to move your garden every year, on a 3-5 year rotation, with white clover grown on the off years. If you need to plant your garden in the same spot each season, then fall plowing would be best. I think I have found a little better way to do it, and my garden has done much better since I started "moving it around".

As I recollect from an undergraduate agronomy course I took way when, crop rotation has a venerable history, dating back to the Roman Empire. I would think your rotation scheme would also help reduce garden pest populations.


Steve

 

[Chilly807]

If you need to plant your garden in the same spot each season, then fall plowing would be best. I think I have found a little better way to do it, and my garden has done much better since I started "moving it around".

We'll probably keep it much the same, although the first year will tell us how well it does in that particular spot. We should have no shortage of fertilizer after about 5 years, composted horse manure and peat moss bedding does well once the weeds are out.

I plan to plow over the next few weeks, as soon as I have the plow ready. By that time, most new growth will be slowing down enough that I won't gain much by waiting until spring. About the only limiting factor will be too much rain, if it gets really wet (it's not forecast) I'll wait until spring if I have to.

Sean

 

[nebraskasparks]

Plow the existing crop under in the fall. Run a heavy drag over it to seal it until early spring, then begin with your disc harrow or tiller. This will give what top growth you have a chance to decompose back into the soil and the ground laying in the rough through winter will catch and hold more snow and rain for the spring/summer crops. Ken Sweet

I agree with Ken Sweet. Plowing now will start he decomposition that is also going to start great beneficial bacteria and fungal growth that will start the processes to bring nutrients to your garden plants. I'm not a roundup or chemical fellow of any type as we grow organic all the time and it's all about timing and how much organic matter you can get back into the soil to build a humus layer that will produce plants that will knock the socks off your neighbors.

This is also the best time of year to get a SOIL TEST. The existing plant life is done sucking nutrients for the year and you'll get a great base line from which to work with. We plowed up some more garden this year and found the pH to be 5.6 ...acidic ...versus the rest of the garden that was at 6.9. You cannot control the weather, the sun and many other factors but if you build your soil and feed it...you're going to have bumper crops of everything.

Bottom line...do not plow when you have any kind of moisture that will leave a glaze on the soil or that will not crumble in your hands. You'll damage soil structure so bad and create more problems that you'll wish you hadn't done it at all. Lot of soil folks badmouth plowing today because they don't know what they are doing. Still being used without erosion problems for many farmers in Europe. Plowing at the correct time and if done properly can also bury a bad weed seed infestation.

The MOSES (Midwest Organic Sustainable Educational Services) organization has a great website for raising great food.

Soil and bees are my specialty. Any questions drop a line.

 

[Ford850]

I agree with the others who said to plow this fall and leave it rough over winter. That will help break down the soil, absorb more moisture, but more importantly it will warm up earlier in the spring. Surface area is your friend up north.

 

[clemsonfor]

We're planning on putting in a vegetable garden at our new home next spring. There's never been a garden there to the best of my knowledge, so the ground is "virginal" as far as plowing is concerned.

I don't have a 3-point tiller and have no plans for one in the next few years. I do have a double bottom plow and will probably either try to find a disc harrow or rent a walk-behind tiller in the spring.

My question is, am I further ahead to turn the soil this fall after the growing season is finished and leave the sods to rot over the winter, or simply plow in the spring a few weeks before I'm ready to plant?

It would seem to me I'm better off to plow in the fall, but there may be something I'm missing.

Your thoughts?

Sean

I agree with what others have said. If you go the rental route with a tiller, just rent a 3pt model if your place has one, you have a tractor so you can use it! Unless you want the exercise.

 

[milkman]

I like plowing the garden in the fall, but this year I plowed under the rye in the spring. I would like to plow soon, but I still have a row of peanuts in the ground that is like concrete. For sure won't be plowing till we get some rain, might even lose my peanut crop. Farming sure is a gamble.:laughing:

 

[Chilly807]

Nice sunny long weekend here, we finally got the plow all back together and adjusted right (or so I thought). As good a time as any to give 'er a try.

It turns out the wife is a better driver than I am when it comes to plowing... at least that's what the field says.

I learned a few things, like how to keep the tail of the furrow from falling back over at the end of the run.. simply turn left. The tail of the plow kicks it over slick as can be.
The Ferguson manual I found online is pretty good for initial setup, all I had to tweak was the cross-beam rotation, and that was minor. It might not be as pretty a job as some, but it got done.

Some video of both me and the wife running the tractor:

YouTube - Chilly plowing garden

I made a few adjustments after the first video, got the draft set right, etc.

YouTube - Ms. Chilly trying her hand at plowing with the 3400 and MF plow

I discovered that the L3400 has NO trouble pulling the two bottom plow, even at idle. In this soil a three-bottom might be ok.

Sean