New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill

   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill #1  

thehobbyfarmer

New member
Joined
Feb 21, 2018
Messages
21
Location
Bath, OH
Tractor
John Deere 1025R
Hi! I'm brand new to row cropping and I've just purchased a JD 2025R tractor to start a new hobby farm on 1 acre. it's a gently sloping hill that turns into a more aggressive sloping hill 2/3 of the way down. My ground is lots of clay (and rock). I'm thinking, when I strip off the grass, won't it be a huge mess when its wet? Should I leave rows of grass in between so some integrity is retained on the hillside? What is the best way to setup this 1 acre farm?

Ready to learn! Thanks in advance!!
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill #2  
You will probable need to terrace it with some swales to keep it from washing down the hill, Make sure the terraces have a place to run water off to one side or the other, best to make them to one side.
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill #3  
When you say row cropping what are you thinking of planting?
Clay ground on a hillside with rocks, sounds like a candidate for no-till to me.
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill
  • Thread Starter
#4  
When you say row cropping what are you thinking of planting?
Clay ground on a hillside with rocks, sounds like a candidate for no-till to me.

Corn, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, everything :)
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill
  • Thread Starter
#5  
You will probable need to terrace it with some swales to keep it from washing down the hill, Make sure the terraces have a place to run water off to one side or the other, best to make them to one side.

I'll have to bring in soil since this was a previous septic field and I can't dig down much. Do I just leave a strip of the original grass in between rows and then add soil to build over it?
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill #6  
You could leave soil strips between raised rows. Get yourself a gizmo in Agri Supply that allows you to bolt various plows and cultivators to it. Get a couple disc hillers, big diameter, and mount them at about 45 degree angles directly behind the rear wheels to make your raised rows. Attached is a picture of my rig I had on my 4010 (2019E by today's JD nomenclature). No longer needed it after creating my raised rows because I went no till.

To get rid of your grass, either put down a lot of newspaper and cardboard and new soil on top or attach a big turning disc to that gizmo from Agri Supply. However, you'd need a trailing wheel to help hold it in place. Agri Supply probably has a turning disc with trail wheel for the 3ph. I'd used a Gravely with a rotary plow to turn over some heavy fescue grass when I created my 50x75 garden originally and used an old JD M soil ripper on it prior to running the disc hiller rig to make 20 raised rows.

You could also just make some long raised rows with some 2x6s, two high. Then, you wouldn't be able to use your tractor to cultivate it to remove or to cover weeds. Depends on how big you want your garden. I had the 20 rows at 50' long and did the weeding and mulching on my knees and hands, bringing huge loads of mulch down in my mulch hauler (picture attached).

Got congestive heart failure and had to give up my big garden and have raised beds up here near the house.

Oh, I've a 2025R now but primarily use it for bush hog and MacKissic chipper/shredder now and snow moving with FEL and backblade. Still have the carryall that I use occasionally to go get limbs. Wish I could have gotten a 2019R. (My 4010's U joint behind the engine disentegrated at 660 hours and 9 years.)

Ralph
 

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   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Thanks Ralph. Is there any issue with using my newly bought tiller to takeout the grass? I was just going to till it, wait a few weeks, and then till again (adding sand + compost to my very clay soil).
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill #8  
I'll have to bring in soil since this was a previous septic field and I can't dig down much. Do I just leave a strip of the original grass in between rows and then add soil to build over it?

.
I don't think it's a good idea to plant food crops in an old septic field. Too many left over heavy metals and chemicals for the plants to suck up.
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill
  • Thread Starter
#9  
.
I don't think it's a good idea to plant food crops in an old septic field. Too many left over heavy metals and chemicals for the plants to suck up.

Heavy metals? Do you have any references or studies? Seems like the soils would be nutrient rich.
 
   / New to row cropping, lots of clay soil on a hill #10  
Manure is one thing,it's clean. BUT a septic field will contain chems. of ALL kinds. Who knows what got flushed down the toilet, down the sinks and shower. These chems. do not break down and years ago there were very bad chems going down the drains.

I would never even consider planting a garden on top of that stuff.---Do as you like but you will need tons and tons of good topsoil dumped on there to get at least 18" of good growing dirt.

I got the impression that you were going to plant field corn or soybeans on a much larger acreage , An acre is a small garden.--My garden is 4 and 1/2 acres. thanks; sonny580
 

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