garden prep

schmism · Aug 28, 2006

so it may sound early but tis the season to get impliments....

With my new property i have lots of space for garden. We plan to have a "large" one. (for the 2 of us at least) im thinking something in the 1500-2500 sq feet range.

Judgeing from the old 70's areals of my property there were sections that were tilled (perhaps for garden) but now is all grass.

So if i understand right, i would need a 2 bottom plow to break things up and turn it over, then a disc to disc out the lumps, then perhaps something to "finish" with.

so the question is, do i aquire a plow and a disk..... or just go with a rear tiller? which i gather can do both operations. (im also considering the cost of 1 tiller vs 2 other impliments)

addtionaly I will be getting an old walk behind Gravely. What attachments i get for it will/can affect what i get for the "big" tractor.

Mike120 · Aug 28, 2006

Go for the tiller! It's a lot less hassle and it'll give you a great seed bed.

Doc_Bob · Aug 28, 2006

Kill the weeds now. Get a tiller. If the ground is "hard" and you are going to do 2500 sq ft, get a local farmer to break up the ground.

Till the ground. Cover it with some sort of barrier. I use old carpet. In the Spring, peel back the cover, the ground is still weed free and tilled from previous year. Then plant. No need to wait for the ground to become dry enough to till.
Enjoy.
Bob

Farmwithjunk · Aug 28, 2006

schmism said:
so it may sound early but tis the season to get impliments....

With my new property i have lots of space for garden. We plan to have a "large" one. (for the 2 of us at least) im thinking something in the 1500-2500 sq feet range.

Judgeing from the old 70's areals of my property there were sections that were tilled (perhaps for garden) but now is all grass.

So if i understand right, i would need a 2 bottom plow to break things up and turn it over, then a disc to disc out the lumps, then perhaps something to "finish" with.

so the question is, do i aquire a plow and a disk..... or just go with a rear tiller? which i gather can do both operations. (im also considering the cost of 1 tiller vs 2 other impliments)

addtionaly I will be getting an old walk behind Gravely. What attachments i get for it will/can affect what i get for the "big" tractor.

I'm obsessed with plowing! I'd own a tractor for just that one chore if that's all I could get to do. I LOVE watching dirt roll off of a shiney plow.

Get a tiller......

This spring was an incredably busy time for me. I have two garden plots. One is 60'X120". Other is 100'X180'. I would have loved to have plowed them before planting. Time ran out. I hit both with my King Kutter tiller and stuck plants in the dirt.

Best garden we've ever had.

End of story.

neverenough · Aug 28, 2006

IMO, spray weed killer (your choice of brands) on the area to be turned into garden. After the weeds are dead, rent a disc and disc the area so the root base is broken up. Take your new or used tiller and till the ground. Wait 'til spring, re-till and plant. There are quite a few threads on what tiller to buy, so you should be able to chose the right one for you by searching.

IMO, look into the lower cost brands like KingKutter. They will work just fine for a garden, and don't cost much more, if not less than, a quality plow and disc and drag.

BobG_in_VA · Aug 28, 2006

schmism said:
so it may sound early but tis the season to get impliments....

So if i understand right, i would need a 2 bottom plow to break things up and turn it over, then a disc to disc out the lumps, then perhaps something to "finish" with.

so the question is, do i aquire a plow and a disk..... or just go with a rear tiller? which i gather can do both operations. (im also considering the cost of 1 tiller vs 2 other impliments)

addtionaly I will be getting an old walk behind Gravely. What attachments i get for it will/can affect what i get for the "big" tractor.

I'm guessing a good tiller will run you $1K. You can find a good used Dearborn or Ford (or JD for that matter) for around $300-$400. A good tandem disk will only be about $350 (pull behind). A 3pt disk will run about $500. You'll then still have a couple of C'notes$ left for fertilizer and seeds....Oh, by the way you may want to find a small garden tractor plow also that can be used to "list" or lay off some rows. Then you can forget the walk behind....BobG in VA who has more plows than tractors.....guess I'll have to buy some more tractors....