Newbie garden attachments....what to purchase?

[DirtMerchant]

I have a new Kubota 4240C and am planning a 2 acre garden, growing primarily potatoes, sugar beets and corn. The soil is nearly 100% sand and has always been lawn. The only attachment I have right now is a 6ft heavy duty box scraper with scarifiers.

I have been looking at bedder/hillers for setting up for the potatoes. What should I be using to break the ground and get it ready? Can I use the box scraper with the scarifiers all the way down? Do I need a bottom plow? If I use a bottom plow how do I get the soil broken down? Do I really need a tiller?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I would like to keep the costs down and invest in attachments that can have multiple uses if possible.

 

[JRP]

A PTO tiller helps a lot. I think TSC has them on sale now. I got the 6' model that works but was a disappointment because it does not come quick hitch compatible. They saves a few cents by using a steel tubing spacer instead of a bushing for the top link hook. Frown.

 

[Uncle Levi]

I'm not sure this will do you any good, but I'll get this started. Our soil is 90% loam(like potting soil) and 10% sand. We put in about 8500 sq. ft of garden and last year I turned over lawn to do it. I operate on the cheap, so I got a 10' chisel plow and a 10' drag disc free to use with my JD 2020 and that's what I use. I ran the chisel plow through 3 times then the disc a few times until it looked like garden plot. The sod broke up nicely. I put my rows far enough apart so I can run my walk-behind rear tine tiller between them and that saves weeding. I'm not sure I've given you anything you can use and some of the guys here know WAY more than I do, but this may get this thread started.

 

[JRP]

Box blade won't be too useful unless you need to level. A disk could substitute for a tiller, but almost the same price. A middle buster plow might help and sort of makes rows.

I find I use to try to make do, and the end up buying what I should have to begin with.

 

[Ted Summey]

I used a turning plow, a disc harrow and a set of bedding discs for years before I got a 6' rotary tiller. The rotary tiller eliminates the need for the turning plow year to year and the disc harrow. If you can afford the tiller, I would advise it highly! Since you have sandy soil, plowing probably isn't needed any way.

If you add the cost of a turning plow and a disc harrow, you will have a good start toward a tiller. New or used throws all kinds of variables in.

When I was plowing, I would plow in the fall. Then in spring would disc the garden with a timber chained behind. The timber would drag and break up the clods and level the ground. A bedder would then be used to layout the rows.

Others will have different methods including the use of a 9 shank field cultivator instead of a plow and disc - this might work for you in sandy soil - use a drag behind it as well. Then follow with the bedder.

A box blade might work dependent upon how compacted your soil is.

 

[Baby Grand]

I have a new Kubota 4240C and am planning a 2 acre garden, growing primarily potatoes, sugar beets and corn. The soil is nearly 100% sand and has always been lawn. The only attachment I have right now is a 6ft heavy duty box scraper with scarifiers.

I have been looking at bedder/hillers for setting up for the potatoes. What should I be using to break the ground and get it ready? Can I use the box scraper with the scarifiers all the way down? Do I need a bottom plow? If I use a bottom plow how do I get the soil broken down? Do I really need a tiller?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I would like to keep the costs down and invest in attachments that can have multiple uses if possible.

A potato plow is a very useful and inexpensive attachment. I have one that's really a subsoiler, but I bolt a furrowing point to it and use it for cutting drainage ditches and turning soil. With a subsoiler point, it gets down deep to break up compacted soil. I've also used it to run irrigation line underground, which turned a big job into a fairly quick & simple operation.

For a lot more coin, a tiller is great for turning sod and cover crops under and preparing a seed bed that's ready for planting. I some times use the tiller to loosen soil that I want to move with the FEL.

Never used a turning plow, but I'd like to give it a try if one ever comes up for sale in decent condition for a reasonable price near here.

 

[motocephalic]

I am new to this as well, and reestablishing an old farm. Back in the day, we used a plow and a disc harrow. I got myself started and am using a single bottom plow, a pto tiller, and a bedder. I plan on starting my fields slowly, and plowing in the fall of the year, perhaps tilling once through. Spring of the year using the tiller once again, and then using the bedder to make rows. If I spread manure, it will be done in the fall to let it sit through the Winter. Happy Homesteading.

 

[Ed of all trades]

If you have a lot of sand you need to add as much organic matter to the soil as you can as often as you can. In my opinion nothing does that better than a forward rotating tiller for adding tilth. Leaves, straw, cover crops and crop residue all work to make loam out of soil be it sand or clay. Get a good tph tiller and you won't regret it. Sand does not hold water and if you don't add a lot of organic matter dry spells will do you in.

 

[SSdoxie]

My garden tools are a PTO tiller, 1 row spring tooth cultivator (fromTSC) with 2 middle buster shovels I install for hiller/bedding, and rotary cutter.
When I started the graden 2 years ago from old pasture, I mowed it off short then tilled it 2 passes then run through it with cultivator to break up the hard pan. Let that dry until planting time then tilled it again, then removed the 2 inner shanks from the cultivator and mounted the middle shovels on the 2 intermediate shanks and used that for the hiller. In the fall I use the rotarty cutter to mow off and chop the vegitation, spread fertilizer and till it in. In spring a couple passes with the cultivator with normal chisel teeth on it, then till and use cultivator as the hiller.

 

[DirtMerchant]

Thanks guys...sounds like I will need to bite the bullet and get a tiller for sure, a bedder hiller for sure, but can I use middle busters on the bedder hiller to break the hard pan ? Is there a recommended bedder hiller heavy duty enough to handle a pair of middle busters?