Broke Ground For New Garden With Middlebuster!

[Travis_R]

Ok, I just 'plowed' the new ground up today using my tractor and middlebuster. Never even imagined it could be done with a middlebuster until I read about it and seen pictures here on TBN. So, I decided to post pics of my own.
Tomorrow I'm gonna go back through the 'middles' of what didn't get plowed today (wanted to let it dry out some, and it has significantly). I also have to pick up some roots, metal, wire, etc..

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I did making them (just got my first digital camera and having fun with i!).

I'm open to any and all suggestions, questions, or comments. I have a little experience with gardening, but I've never had a plot near the size of what I made today. It's about a 50 x 90 or so.

The tractor is a '98 Massey Ferguson 231, the middlebuster is a "United" brand, and the digital camera that took the pics is a Kodak M550.



Now, let's see if the pics will load up...

 

[Luremaker]

Those are great pictures. Wish I could get out and plow a little dirt right now, but we have 4 feet of snow on the ground. Guess I'll have to wait until late April or early May.

Your ground looks pretty dry so you should be able to get back at it soon. I see in your other post you have a long list of veggies to plant. Looks like you can get started with the cool weather crops right away.

I am happy to see you don't have many rocks. Here a picture of a what I pulled out of a 1/4 acre patch of my pasture a few years back. That black blur in the second picture is the back of one of my dogs. She was a lab/Sheppard x and weighed around 90 lbs then. Some of those rocks are almost 3-1/2' around. Even though the pasture may look nice and flat you can't move an inch of dirt without finding a rock.

 

[Travis_R]

Nice pics, Luremaker.

I've never seen rocks like that down here in South Louisiana! But where I plowed today, I dug up roots, wire, metal, etc...

Man, you got some fine looking land. I only wish I had that much to work with!

I think the middlebuster done Very good. But, I do eventually wanna get a 2 bottom plow. You CAN NOT find them where I'm located. I have never even seen one down here before.

The ground is somewhat damp right now. That's the reason I'm letting it dry over night so I can go back through the 'middles' tomorrow. Then I'll lightly disk, apply fertilize and lime pellets, disk again, then build my rows. That's my plans- unless someone else has a better idea.

I think Im gonna post pictures of every step that I take making the garden.

Travis R

 

[bp fick]

Down in south Louisiana, we had shell roads. Folks used to joke that there were no rocks south of Baton Rouge. :laughing:

Really nice job on the garden. See? It worked out well. Looking good.
Yes, now you go back and plow again, staggering your wheel placement so as to plow "the middles".

Can not wait to see it disked. It will look amazing. So, what's the plan on dragging it out? Harrow? Spike tooth? Field cultivator? What implement to you have, or hope to have to accomplish that?

 

[bullbreaker]

Looks real good,thanks for sharing pics ! :thumbsup:
Boone

 

[flusher]

Ok, I just 'plowed' the new ground up today using my tractor and middlebuster. Never even imagined it could be done with a middlebuster until I read about it and seen pictures here on TBN. So, I decided to post pics of my own.
Tomorrow I'm gonna go back through the 'middles' of what didn't get plowed today (wanted to let it dry out some, and it has significantly). I also have to pick up some roots, metal, wire, etc..

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I did making them (just got my first digital camera and having fun with i!).

I'm open to any and all suggestions, questions, or comments. I have a little experience with gardening, but I've never had a plot near the size of what I made today. It's about a 50 x 90 or so.

The tractor is a '98 Massey Ferguson 231, the middlebuster is a "United" brand, and the digital camera that took the pics is a Kodak M550.



Now, let's see if the pics will load up...

You did good with your MB. Step one is completed--now on to step to--busting up the clods and leveling the planting area. When I did the MB thing on my lawns, I followed with a 48" wide rototiller (a used Yanmar RS1200 on my Kubota B7510HST).

 

[bonefish101]

Wow, impressive, I need to get me one of those...

 

[jinman]

Travis, I think it will be difficult to keep the middle buster in the unplowed ridges unless you have very rigid stabilizers. You may be able to put your wheels in the furrows to help hold the center, but the plow will probably want to walk a bit. I would be tempted to turn 90 degrees and plow a crosshatch if plowing the ridges is too difficult. Plowing crosshatch will also do a more complete job of breaking up the soil. After plowing crosshatch, you could even come back one more time and plow corner to corner at 45 degrees.

 

[Bird]

When I used the middle buster on my garden, I did what you've done, then I went over it again at 90 degrees to the first run. And after that, I used the tiller.

 

[Western]

I've done the same as Bird, then disc they hay out of it.

Wear spurs, the 90 degree will be bumpy. Leave your beverage at the end of each row or you will be wearing it too..