Many Questions - Crop Field to Lawn

[Dynasty]

I recently closed on a piece of land that I plan to build a home on.

From what I was told, it was farmed for many decades. To my knowledge, soybeans and corn were the crops that were primarily farmed with alternating crops every year. Most recently, soybeans were on the land.

The lot is about 6 acres (275' wide x 975' deep) and from the current status of the land, it appears no grass will be growing in on its own.

My main question is: How do I go about taking this land from crop field to a lawn?

The goal is to make the area in front of the home to the street a decent looking green lawn. This will be about 3 acres. The remaining 3 I plan to make it look more like a tall grass pasture or prairie. Being in Ohio, we experience a humid summer and cold winter. I would like something that is as little maintenance as possible.

I plan to check with the county to see if they can provide any information regarding soil conditions to ensure what type of grass seed will be best for my particular lot. I will also check with local farm suppliers to see what they recommend too.

I do not plan on doing much work until the home is completed this winter. Spring 2020 is most likely the start time for this project.

I do not own a tractor. I am on a budget due to the home building process, so I am considering a Ford 8N as a choice. Can this tractor get the job done?

What tractor implements are required for this job? Rake, blade, disc?

What is the correct process for a job like this?

This might be too big of a job for me to complete given I have no experience with this. I am considering hiring a local farmer that has the equipment and operating skills to handle this job, but am mindful of the cost.

I am open to all suggestions.

 

[bcp]

I am open to all suggestions.

I would have no more lawn than could be mowed in an hour. Then I'd have weekends for fun stuff.

Bruce

 

[Dynasty]

I would have no more lawn than could be mowed in an hour. Then I'd have weekends for fun stuff.

Bruce

Haha, that's what my wife keeps telling me.

What would be the best route for that? Have a small lawn around the house that can be mowed with a 21" self propelled mower? What about the rest of the property?

 

[bcp]

One hour of mowing with mower of your choice, from push-reel to zero-turn. Lawn size will vary with mower choice.

A field of foot high grass looks nice waving in the wind.

Bruce

 

[bigtiller]

My house was built on a knoll in a corn/soybean field. I tilled, spike harrowed and planted grass seed about 100 ft all around the house. The remainder of the 4 acres was tilled, leveled some and left alone. There is plenty of grass and other seeds laying dormant in the soil. If left alone, they will grow.

You just have to spot spray for any noxious weeds. By the end of the second growing season there was plenty of grass to mow but I wanted to try another type of grass. It grows about 10" tall in a really thick dense mat and falls over. It stays green and never needs mowing. I really like it and it cuts down on the mowing.

 

[nyone]

I would leave the front 40-50ft run completly wild. Natural fence from the street may be nice.

If its flat no real need for a tractor at all. Spread good seed and lawn roll it or drive over it. If you want a golf course theres prob better forums for that.

The time to plant grass is before your area gets the most rain.

 

[Streetcar]

Early fall is the best time to plant grass in Ohio.
With no experience, I would hire someone to smooth future lawn prior to planting
Check with odnr or county extension agent to see what grows good on remaining property

 

[Summerlin]

Definitely a rake at some point. Gotta get the dirt right before it can be a lawn. Discs might not be a bad idea before the rake. Just make sure you take your time getting the dirt right. If there’s any ruts or low spots, they’ll aggravate you every time you mow. Trust me, I speak from experience.

Also, you’ll need a good mower that you don’t mind operating, whether it’s a push mower or ZTR. Always remember that a nice lawn is 75% how you mow it. The worst field of weeds can look pretty darn good if you mow them well.

 

[Dynasty]

OP, here. Here is what is appearing out of the ground as of a few days ago. Hopefully this gives a better idea of what land looks like? Don't mind the dog, he felt the need to lay down right in front of where I was snapping a picture.

Other land in the area that did not appear to be farmed is significantly more green with grass.

Home is anticipated to be finished in the late fall.

I am still undecided if this is something I will take on DIY style. I have zero compact tractor experience so renting one for a week may not be the most efficient use of my money.

 

[nybirdman]

Corn and soybeans were probably sprayed with round-up to kill the grasses;I would reseed with some type of clover.

 

[fishheadbob]

i would also say the previous crops were sprayed with roundup and maybe a pre-emergent herbicide as well. That stuff will be giving up the ghost pretty soon and some weeds will be moving back in. By the time you get around to seeding a lawn the herbicides shouldn't be a problem.

 

[BubbaJr]

I was in your shoes back in 2001. We bought 23.5 acres of woods and corn field in western Ohio. First I mowed the weeds, then I used my tiller on the 5-acre homesite. Then I raked it with a HD rake and smoothed it over with some chain link fence attached to an 8' 2x4. Then I rented a Brillion seeder from my tractor dealer and seeded the lawn the second week of Sept. Nature took care of the rest.

18 years later the moles and raccoons have taken their toll on the yard, so I may have to repeat the process in the near future. ullinghair:

 

[joeu235]

The area that will not be your lawn, just let nature take care of it.

 

[RalphVa]

Six acres of green grass is an ecological nightmare. Won't support hardly any kind of life, particularly if you put chemical fertilizer on it. You'll even kill the worms and nematodes in the soil.

The neighbor plowed his acreage down along the creek because (he said) last May's storm brought in a lot of weed seeds. He'd had mainly just fescue there. He first plowed, then disced and finally smoothed it some with some sort of gizmo he had in place of his FEL but on the FEL lift arms and all, similar to the old harrows we used to use on the farm. This is the old method of doing things and still works but requires a lot of diesel fuel with many trips over the land by tractor.

Now, you can buy planters that deposit seeds through the stuff that is shown on your field. The neighbor put in wildflowers. That was be MUCH better for the environment than ecologically inert green grass. There's all kinds of stuff you can plant. I once googled it. You'll find lots of choices.

Ralph

 

[Handloader109]

I've only 3 acres and I spend about 2 to 2 and a half hours to cut with 60 inch belly mower on my 25hp tractor. I usually do the yard acre and half and then the pasture acre and half opposite weeks. Still a pain. 6 acres, nope, get an acre tops looking good around the house. Rest is deep pasture

 

[joeu235]

or put up a good fence and get some goats

 

[PA hayseed]

I bought an old farm house and about 9 acres of land, it had been worked pretty hard and had rows you could still see. In the front of the house I tilled it and leveled it. In the back not so much. I cut it all, I like it that way, plus it keeps the ticks, snakes, and mice away. Tons of birds come onto my field after cutting and eat the snot out of the bugs.

My .02, just make sure to cut and cross cut it when mowing. The clippings will eventually start to fall into the ruts and before you know it the ground will level out a bit. Fill in any large holes. Just take down any real high points. The first 2-4 years cross cutting was like mowing a washer board. Now I have more issues with my tractor rutting up things than anything else. Get the biggest mower you can if you cut it all, I started of with 6, went to 7 and wish I had 10. I also have a zero turn that flies across that field.

One other piece of advice was given to me, guy said rather than buy topsoil, go to the back edge of your land and scoop out the top 3" about 10' wide and use it on your field for small areas to fill in or level out. He said it would regrow in several years. He was dead on the money and saved me a lot of money on buying soil. I live in the mountains and all we have is clay, shale, and sandstone. Ohio is a little more fertile flatland, so topsoil might be cheaper there.

Good luck.

 

[Dynasty]

OP here again.

Just wanted to post some updated pictures as time has passed. Anyone know what these are? Some type of weed? This is what majority of the lot is mixed with some grass and left over crop material.

 

[fishheadbob]

If you really had to know what kind of weed you could call and find the right person at your local extension to identify the weed after you sent a picture. Why bother. You ID'd it perfectly when you said "some kind of weed."

 

[ddbackhoe]

The neighbor put in wildflowers.

Ralph

That could be a good choice. A 1/2 to one acre of lawn is, IMO, enough for most people. A well thought out landscape plan for a large lot is usually last for most people. Not too early to plant some shade, fruit or nut trees. As was suggested, a buffer between the road frontage can be good but without, “curb appeal” would be a higher priority. We try to use as many lower maintenance perennials as possible and then “pop” color with lower cost annuals.
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