Gardening prep question....need your advice please!

[hunterridgefarm]

Lot of good information stated above.

What crops do you plan on planting, what attachments do you have for your tractor, how many people will the garden support, will you have help?

If this is only for two people and you don't plan on selling or giving away the extra I would start a little smaller. How much gardening experience do you have? You said you sat this section aside for a garden spot which leads me to believe this is you first garden or has been a while since you had one. I could be totally wrong but that info is good to know.

They do make a small seat on tires that can be used for raised beds or rows to help with the bending over part. That is tough all the bending over; I am 54 and don't like it

Knowing what crops you want would help with raised beds or regular type garden as some crops can be trellised, beans, peas, cucumbers, etc.

Also, where are you located? Some areas you can plant a second crop around July so if you wanted to start out smaller but mid season you wanted a bigger garden you could plant a new area and still have time to get a great harvest.

Tiller is a tough call, both would be nice to have.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

randy41,

I don't want to hijack this thread in any way but how many high tunnels do you have?

David

 

[kubota4me]

Huge garden area... Huge.... how many people you planning on feeding? We have a 50x70 and it is raised beds and it produces a ton of food. Are you into canning?

I did raised gardens beds for the wife, using slab cedar (2X12X 8 foot) They are 2 foot high, but recessed into the ground for support. IMO, and this is my own opinion, it doesn't do that much to save your back. You are either on your knees or stooped over anyway.

But lots of benefits to raised beds...

Have you ever heard of a prepper? Go out and look at some of the stats of how much land/garden space it takes to support a family if SHTF. I can, I stock dehydrated foods, freeze dried, band aids and bullets. Now do you get the drift??

This area will also contain a few fruit trees, so this space will seem not-so-big very quickly.

 

[kubota4me]

Lot of good information stated above.

What crops do you plan on planting, what attachments do you have for your tractor, how many people will the garden support, will you have help?

If this is only for two people and you don't plan on selling or giving away the extra I would start a little smaller. How much gardening experience do you have? You said you sat this section aside for a garden spot which leads me to believe this is you first garden or has been a while since you had one. I could be totally wrong but that info is good to know.

They do make a small seat on tires that can be used for raised beds or rows to help with the bending over part. That is tough all the bending over; I am 54 and don't like it

Knowing what crops you want would help with raised beds or regular type garden as some crops can be trellised, beans, peas, cucumbers, etc.

Also, where are you located? Some areas you can plant a second crop around July so if you wanted to start out smaller but mid season you wanted a bigger garden you could plant a new area and still have time to get a great harvest.

Tiller is a tough call, both would be nice to have.

This is my first garden since moving to the country. I've gardened in the city for quite a few years, only much smaller in scope. I have a mower, landscape rake, landscape back blade, and several other attachments but no tiller. I may invest in a cheap one bottom plow.

 

[NorTracNY]

I started with row gardening. I slowly converted to raised beds. I produce more in less than 40% of my original garden space. Start small as expand. You really need to learn how to do raised beds over the course of a few years. You also need to understand how many beds you have time to maintain. I'd also recommend getting a good broadfork after a few years the beds get compacted. A good broadfork is easy to use and does a great job at loosing the soil again without turning it over too much.

 

[randy41]

IMO, and this is my own opinion, it doesn't do that much to save your back. You are either on your knees or stooped over anyway. .

i'm 63. yes to this.

david-i've got 4 tunnels and a little greenhouse for starts. if you look at facebook at all there's a lot of pics. search for Indian Valley Farms.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Why not start with both. Try a couple of raised beds and do the conventional rows. This way you can see which you like and which produces the most. I have 6 raised beds 12' x 5' and also plant 2-3 acres of row veggies and such.

I have a rear tiller for the tractor and it is great but for many years I used a single turning plow and disc to get the garden ready. I still use the plow and disc for certain areas.

I also have an old Troy build horse. I high gear is is fairly fast and will use it between the rows especially early in the season. I also use a single row cultivator for weeding until the crop gets to big or spread out.

If it were me I would look for the plow and a used disc to start with and go with the Troy build type tiller.

If your back is an issue look at something like the picture below.

You can also get the silt fence material without the stakes to lay between rows to help suppress weeds. IT is tough stuff and can be used for several years. I can buy a 3' x 100' for $10-$12 a roll. I have also seen it use as a row cover and take a torch to burn holes in it for the plants to grow through. You would need to use irrigation under it if use this way.

Another thing with raised beds you can get PVC and attach it to both sides in a hoop fashion and put plastic over it to get an early start and extend the season.

 

[RobertN]

We have raised beds. Soil is bleh and rocky at our place. So raised bed, with mix of our soil, planting soil from nursery, and LOTS of compost, has worked well. It is also a lot easier on the back and knees.

My wife is Master Gardener; I am big proponent of checking out the classes and materials from your local Master Gardeners and University extension. My wife teaches the soils class here, quarterly.

Someone mentioned already, a soil sample. That will help you figure out what amendments your soil needs; takes the guess work out.

We got a Bearcat 3pt chipper/shredder for the tractor; my wife chips/mulches EVERYTHING from the garden and property. You can never have too much mulch... or compost.

 

[charlz]

You can never have too much mulch... or compost.

It is amazing how fast compost disappears.....

 

[corl]

Lots of good advice given. Since you have a big garden planned and more space available you might want to consider a 3 point tiller the width of your tractor and do every other row planting. Plant a row and then skip a row. Skipped rows are the width of your tiller. Planted rows can be any width that is necessary. A garden bedder can give you raised beds in a regular garden situation. That way you use your tiller for weeds and save your back. Easier than raised beds if you have the space. I have been gardening for 40 years and have been using the every other row planting for 3 years in my market garden and it is remarkable how much labor it saves. Nunamaker Farms - Nunamaker Farms in West Grove, Pennsylvania - Home