Starting a new garden plot from scratch

[bp fick]

Any info you have on your deer fence, pics? I have to get one built and have seen many ways to go.

I use the cheapo 3" landscaping timbers from HD or Lowes. They sell them in spring for $1.99. We have a ton of them. Some are 3 years old and look like new. We use the 7' poly deer netting. Must have a 1000 feet of it. It's light, easy to handle, easy to store and dead easy to put up and take down. We use zip ties. We choose not to have it up during the winter. I think I'll get around 5 years out of it, easy.

It sure works, and that's the best part. I wait to put it up in spring until prep work is done and take it down quick in fall, for field cleanup work.

I also make the row ends a huge "gate" if you will. I just open up the ends of the gardens and can go in and dig potatoes, cultivate or what have you. It is working well.

 

[Triguy1]

Yes, I have the King Kutter sold at TSC. I like the implement much more as a field cultivator than a row cultivator. With the cultivator behind you on a 3 pt, it is more difficult than having the cultivator down at your feet, like in the old days with a Massey or a Cub.

I have been thinking that that would be a useful item to add to my arsenal. My wife thinks that I am crazy for getting all these implements before I have even scratched the ground.

Bp, I noticed that you said that you do organic. That is my intended route. Do you have a recommendation for organic seeds for a start up?

 

[TigerfaninAR]

We use the 7' poly deer netting. Must have a 1000 feet of it. It's light, easy to handle, easy to store and dead easy to put up and take down. We use zip ties. It is working well.

Mind me asking where you got your netting? What I've seen online looks in the 300 dollar range for 7' by 330ft. If that's the price, so be it, but looks steep.

 

[Triguy1]

Thanks to 60 deg. Day, finally got the plot mowed down, and the first till done. Ground was still quite wet on half of the area. So I just made it twice as long...

 

[Taylortractornut]

Memphis net and twine has a great selection of netting. I have 330 feet of crop netting for my climbing crops but order early or it back orderes.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

Lots of good ideas / info in here.
We are starting year #3 of gardening. Broke the sod on a roughly 35 x 70 plot with the biggest walk behind tiller I could get my hands on that first year. Last spring we upped things with a tractor and some gardening implements (wife still give me a hard time for buying a tractor for HER brithday). We had trouble keeping the patatoes hilled up, so I just got a tool-bar and hiller discs settup to add to the collection.
We have had huge trouble with assorted critters eating everything since the garden is at the far end of the poperty with wood to each side (where they hide when not munching on our veggies). We have been researching the options on deer netting / versus electric and have decided to try the electric fence first. In order to put this up and still have room to work the tractor, I just spent today clearing back the brush to widen the clearing around the garden.

 

[easygo]

Great thread gents. Since it's about gardening and I love to talk garden I will put in my word. We have a long narrow garden due to the lay of land in the yard. The two tilled beds are 10'x90' each with a 3' permanent (untilled) path between them. The path gets covered with newspaper then with wood chips every 2-3 years to keep the weeds out. I have the whole area fenced in due to deer having a good time eating my salad. The way I resolved having permanent fence is with removable "panels" on the narrow sides. That way I can drive the tractor through the garden for spreading horse manure (fall) and compost (spring) as well as till it up. I make a single shallower pass with the tiller in the fall to mix in the manure and a two deeper passes in the spring to get the compost in and prep the soil for planting. I also make my own compost from horse manure, discarded hay, some grass clippings, and all the plants that come out of the garden. It is amazing how much stuff you can throw on the compost pile over a year an it "cooks" down to about 1/2 to 1/3 of the original volume. We use all organic methods as a personal preference. Do it for fun and to eat and give away to friends and neighbors and the local community center.

 

[F250DSLPWR]

Check out thebayougardener.com. Don has a great garden and posts really nice videos of gardening and also using implements to garden.

 

[bp fick]

I have been thinking that that would be a useful item to add to my arsenal. My wife thinks that I am crazy for getting all these implements before I have even scratched the ground.

Bp, I noticed that you said that you do organic. That is my intended route. Do you have a recommendation for organic seeds for a start up?

Johnny's Seed.

 

[bp fick]

Mind me asking where you got your netting? What I've seen online looks in the 300 dollar range for 7' by 330ft. If that's the price, so be it, but looks steep.

$69 a 100' roll at Home Depot. That would equate to $250 a 330 ft roll.

A necessary cost of doing business in a deer infested area.