Clearing new garden area

[Bob in Maine]

I'm the new owner of a Kubota BX25, and I'm interested in expanding my current garden to an adjacent field (about 1/4 acre). That adjacent field currently has wild lowbush blueberries growing on it, and the ground is quite uneven with a bunch of soil mounds and low spots that make for some bumpy tractor driving.

My question is, what's the best way to clear the blueberries and other "stuff" that's growing on that field, AND what's the best way to level the hills and valleys that are in that field?

For implements I have a 50" Land Pride tiller and a Woods Landscape Rake. Wondering whether I should use a bush hog to cut down all the scrubby blueberry bushes, or maybe there's a better option? I don't want to just till the blueberry plants into the soil because I'll be fighting blueberry "weeds" for years. Should I figure out a way to burn the field? Thanks for any ideas!

Bob

 

[magicheater]

I would try to tear out the vegetation by the roots, then proceed to level the area you want to have as a garden. You could also introduce compost as you are leveling the bumpy areas. Do you have any pics so we might have a better idea what you are facing?

 

[Bob in Maine]

I'll try to post some photos of the area tomorrow. Practically speaking I won't be able to hand-pull the blueberry plants up by the roots (they're stubborn little plants!), so I think it's a matter of figuring out the best piece of equipment/attachment. I'd been thinking of bush hogging the area, but with the unevenness of the terrain I'm not sure how well I'd be able to clear it. Even if the terrain *were* even, the best I could do with the hog would be to scalp the plants and then till -- not sure whether that'd just cause a mess with plant roots and debris mixed into the soil. Maybe do that and then use the rake to remove the plant debris? Hmm....

 

[beeforty]

Gee whiz and my wife just bought some blueberries that she wants me to plant and build protective cover for:confused2:

 

[hizoot]

If it was me...I'd spray round-up on it first,otherwise you'll be fighting weeds for years. Let it set a few weeks,then respray. Then till and level with your rake,then re-till to get the proper seed bed depth. I wish someone had told me this when we first started our garden in a previous grass field....so much of the tilled grass roots were seemingly re-deposited back to the proper depth ... the grass just started growing again. Dang...we fought grass/weeds the first year.

 

[MikeA57]

I would imagine that blueberry bushes are about as tenacious as blackberry and the only method that worked for me when they got out of hand at one end of my house (from bird droppings off the roof right above) was to tear them out by hand. When I would cut them, it would spread the seeds out in the adjacent area and pretty soon I had sprouts of them coming up in my lawn. Then there were the runners on them too. They'd reach out and then reattach to the ground 10 or 15 feet out, then burrow right under the surface and pop back up 20 or 30 feet away from there. I had a bunch of runners that seemed to go on forever. I spent 2 weekends tearing them out from the raised beds and then out in the yard, but I noticed that they've now moved into some forsythia bushes and are now popping up under the fence in my back yard so I'll be back out there tearing them out again this spring.

How many Blueberry bushes are there in your area? Really, the best method is to dig down where you can get a chain or a root grabber on them and yank them. If you bush hog them, you'll spread 'em everywhere I'm afraid.

How about something like this to help get them out?
Brush Grubber Tree & Brush Removal Tools | Gempler's

Mike

 

[Bob in Maine]

Thanks, Mike, I was actually looking at those brush grubbers in the Northern Tool catalogue. Do they work pretty well?

I suppose I could hand-pull the blueberries, though it'd be a hassle (it's about a 4,000 sq ft area). I was wondering whether a tootbar might be a reasonable option -- it'd get at the roots in a way the bush hog wouldn't, and I could just add them to the compost pile. Do you think this would work?

 

[Combustix]

Try using your rake it's what I do with blackberry bushes just back in and drop and go forward change the angle on the root if it gets stubborn. You will have to clear the rake occasionally

 

[Tailwind]

I'm the new owner of a Kubota BX25, and I'm interested in expanding my current garden to an adjacent field (about 1/4 acre). That adjacent field currently has wild lowbush blueberries growing on it, and the ground is quite uneven with a bunch of soil mounds and low spots that make for some bumpy tractor driving.

My question is, what's the best way to clear the blueberries and other "stuff" that's growing on that field, AND what's the best way to level the hills and valleys that are in that field?

For implements I have a 50" Land Pride tiller and a Woods Landscape Rake. Wondering whether I should use a bush hog to cut down all the scrubby blueberry bushes, or maybe there's a better option? I don't want to just till the blueberry plants into the soil because I'll be fighting blueberry "weeds" for years. Should I figure out a way to burn the field? Thanks for any ideas!

Bob

I would get a Rachet Rake from Tractor supply. It will clear the blueberries and then you can use it for leveling the ground.

 

[rbcsaver]

I planted low bush BB here in PA, this last season 2011. In the context of make lemonade from lemons, what is your wife thinking. Grow BB's and sell them !!!!!! Geeze!

I'm the new owner of a Kubota BX25, and I'm interested in expanding my current garden to an adjacent field (about 1/4 acre). That adjacent field currently has wild lowbush blueberries growing on it, and the ground is quite uneven with a bunch of soil mounds and low spots that make for some bumpy tractor driving.

My question is, what's the best way to clear the blueberries and other "stuff" that's growing on that field, AND what's the best way to level the hills and valleys that are in that field?

For implements I have a 50" Land Pride tiller and a Woods Landscape Rake. Wondering whether I should use a bush hog to cut down all the scrubby blueberry bushes, or maybe there's a better option? I don't want to just till the blueberry plants into the soil because I'll be fighting blueberry "weeds" for years. Should I figure out a way to burn the field? Thanks for any ideas!

Bob