My 2014 Spring Garden

Travis_R · Apr 15, 2014

TomSeller said:
As long as the rain does not hang around they should survive very well. That's my bet.

Yes I believe they will also. But it haas gotten pretty cold out there too. One day this week it's supposed to be in the 30s!!

Travis_R · Apr 15, 2014

A little below 45 degrees here this morning! The potato plants will be fine but I have a concern about the rest of the seeds. Especially the sweet corn seeds. Sure hope they germinate and don't rot. All the water is drained off the garden
Good news is the rain is over with but we have a 40% chance Thursday and 30% Friday.

sixdogs · Apr 15, 2014

Just a note on seed potatoes. When I first planted spuds decades ago I was not aware of how many eyes to plant in one spot so I did one eye per plant and it worked great. One eye per plant has been working excellent for many years and I get more that I could ever use. Just my two cents on that.

Also, when you use a cultivator to keep weeds down in the rows, a little Preen weed preventer in the immediate area surrounding the plant makes life a lot easier. It eliminates all the tedious hand weeding close to the plant.

Finally, we often have used the disc-type implement shown below. We make a pass with it and it leaves a ridge and groves on either side. We plant down the middle of the ridge and the excessive rainfall fills the grove on the sides. Works great.

Travis_R · Apr 15, 2014

sixdogs said:
Just a note on seed potatoes. When I first planted spuds decades ago I was not aware of how many eyes to plant in one spot so I did one eye per plant and it worked great. One eye per plant has been working excellent for many years and I get more that I could ever use. Just my two cents on that. Finally, we often have used the disc-type implement shown below. We make a pass with it and it leaves a ridge and groves on either side. We plant down the middle of the ridge and the excessive rainfall fills the grove on the sides. Works great. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=370721"/>

I was told a few years ago to leave 1-2 eyes per cut potato. I've left 2 eyes. Never tried just 1 eye but it's a thought.

I leave a ridge with my row hippers just like you're referring to and it makes a small furrow depending on speed what and gear the tractor's in. If I'm not pushed for time I'll go ahead and bust the rows open a little, then run the EarthWay down the middle to plant. But if I'm pushed for time, then I just push the EarthWay down the row where the hippers made that small furrow. It's really simple.

The toughest thing I have found to do is attaching and unhooking implements over and over and over all in a day to get the correct adjustment set up for my tractor. From tilling, rowing, cultivating, adjusting, re-tilling, and doing it all over again many more times.

But I didn't give up and I don't suggest anybody else to either! Just pay attention to what you're doing and how the attachment is functioning and how the attachment and tractor are working together with each other in the type of soil they're in. Stop, clear your head, and think about what adjustments could be made to the attachment AND tractor to get the best performance out of the task you're trying to achieve NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES.
I also recommend to get a pen and paper and take those notes!! I did just that. Trust me, it helps a lot.

sixdogs · Apr 16, 2014

Travis--the answer is esy. You just need a few more tractors to use with implements that are difficult to set up. Short of that, a quick hitch can make life easier. I know I hate setting up my planter every year and have to wrestle with it and try to figure out how it goes. Takes me n hour to set it up and 15 minutes to plant.

Gordon Gould · Apr 17, 2014

Really looks good. You are doing well staying one step ahead of the weather. Is all that rain fairly normal ? Or is this an unusually wet spring for you ?

Travis_R · Apr 17, 2014

Gordon Gould said:
Really looks good. You are doing well staying one step ahead of the weather. Is all that rain fairly normal ? Or is this an unusually wet spring for you ?

It's actually pretty normal I guess. The winter is what was unusual.
It's been cold here the last couple mornings. Done had a frost earlier this week. The old timers around here call it "An Easter Snap". I don't know where they got the name though.
The frost did affect the potato plants. They don't look as green and tall as before. But I think they gonna be just fine and come on back up.

I did get very lucky today and picked up an implement for the tractor. It's another set of old and heavy row hippers! I jumped on the phone first thing this morning and told the man I was coming to get them. So now I got 2 sets of 1 row hippers, but I'm not keeping both. 1 of them has to go, just ain't made up my mind which one.

I'm gonna start a new thread in the "attachments" forum to get some opinions.

Travis_R · Apr 19, 2014

Ok here are a couple fresh pictures of the garden I just took a few minutes ago. Potato plants looking very good. The corn was planted 6 days ago. Hasn't sprouted yet but the top of the furrows are starting to crack open and from my experience, that's always a good sign that "something is going on under that dirt!"

motocephalic · Apr 19, 2014

very nice looking, I tilled my moms place today, and may till a neighbors this week, waiting for them to decide where. Last year my PTO was the right length , seems like it grew over the winter months, cause I had to cut it off by an inch. Radishes and onions are up but in a cold frame.

Travis_R · Apr 19, 2014

motocephalic said:
very nice looking, I tilled my moms place today, and may till a neighbors this week, waiting for them to decide where. Last year my PTO was the right length , seems like it grew over the winter months, cause I had to cut it off by an inch. Radishes and onions are up but in a cold frame.

If you can make a PTO shaft grow an inch over the winter, there's no telling what you can do with vegetables!!! LOL