Preparing a vegetable garden

MadDog · Mar 30, 2005

I am planning on creating a fairly large vegetable garden (about 3/4 acre) using land that has certainly not been used for growing any crops in the last 50 years and probably closer to twice that. The neighboring land is pretty sandy and rocky. I must be sittin' atop a glacial morraine, because while excavating a small landscaping pond I turned up boulders ranging from grapefruit size to the limit of what my FEL can lift (about 1000#). /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Question is this; can I break it up and prepare using just my 3ph tiller, or should I first use some sort of plow (middle buster or moldboard) to open up the land and, hopefully, loosen and/or bring the larger rocks and boulders towards the surface. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I'm concerned that if I try to work this "virgin" soil with the tiller first, I may just end up with a pile of damaged tines. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Any wisdom would be most appreciated.

DaMadman · Mar 30, 2005

I would think that only you could determine that as you are the one that knows how big and about how deep these rocks are in your area.
If there are many large rocks close to the surface I would think about plowing first, that way you could eliminate any of the bigger ones and would not mess up your tiller.

If there is just some average size stone and the larger rocks are deeper that 6-12 inches then I am sure the tiller alone would work just fine.

Good Luck, and post pictures

Clyde · Mar 30, 2005

MadDog - I think you pretty much answered your own question just by your concerns. If this land hasn't been worked before with a tiller and it's morraine material, terminal damage to your equipment most likely will result. Did you ever consider a "rock" garden? If you are determined to convert this area into a garden, a middle buster would probably be the best start. Who knows what lies just a few inches below. Even with that, I'd start high with the tiller and work deeper each time, listening closely for hidden rocks. Best of luck MadDog! Clyde

SPIKER · Mar 30, 2005

maddag & mad man are right for my thoughts too.

maybe break it up good with middle buster to FIND/LOCATE any rocks first. I used my tiller and probably tilled up 1+ acres that HAD been plowed at one time back 10+ yrs at least. I DID find some good sized ricks (100+ lbrs) that I was luckly enough to stop the tiller & raise it prior to any damage. though I was tilling in LL1 which is about .6MPH at full speed so it is way less than walking speed and tiller was eating some good sized stuff. I did a lot of stopping & backing up & shovel work but one still nearly got me, it was a large flat stone 1'x2'x8" which caught on the center tine/harrow (I have HD center gearbox drive tiller not chain drive which I consider medium/light duty) anyhow I drug that rock to the top which displaced turf (yes turf at this spot) clear up and under the rear tires!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif ;luckly I SAW the turf moving prior to it turning & catching a tine... one other rock was had to be dug out using backhoe! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif oh btw I live in the area of ohio which was a major glacier stop sone and have dozzens of exposed rounded granet rocks in the 100 lb class and some much larger !

Mark M

PineRidge · Mar 30, 2005

I think plowing and disking the first time might turn up a few surprises for you.

I'm confident that it will also be a lot easier on your tiller.

Once you have broken ground for the 1st time and eliminated most of the baseball sized or larger rocks and trash then you should have no problem using the tiller in the future.

BB_TX · Mar 31, 2005

I am also with the break it up first/till later opinion. We have a food plot of about 1 1/2 acres where we deer hunt in the TX hill country. Really rocky country. The plot is in a field that also had not been worked for many years. One of the other guys brings his tractor there and tills it each year. The first year was really rough. Many many softball and larger rocks were just under the surface. The tiller was bouncing and banging and clanging. If it was mine, I would have stopped. But he kept going while the rest of us walked behind throwing the large rocks out of the field. Took about 3 yrs to finally get all the rocks cleared. Apparently the tiller suffered no damage.

KiotiJohn · Mar 31, 2005

From your question I take it that you don't already own a plow of any type?
If not, you may be able to do some good by using the rippers on your boxblade in their lowest postion. I'm not sure how deep your tiller will go, but the rippers will probably go a little deeper.
You may have to take several rounds because of the distance between the rippers, but at least you'll be able to pull up the rocks that would interefere with the tiller, and not have to buy a plow. John
EDIT: make sure to adjust the top link so that only the rippers are in contact and as deep as you can possibly still use them. J

MadDog · Mar 31, 2005

Thanks, all, for the very helpful land knowledgeable input. It pretty much confirms the way my own thinking was tending; i.e., it would be smarter to break it up and try to find and loosen the larger rocks before putting my tiller to work.

I was sort of hoping that some obviously experienced hand would tell me "are you nuts??? a tiller will go through ANYTHING!!" ....but I guess I really knew better. Thanks again for reminding Mad Dog to try to act sane. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BTW, any thoughts as to whether a middle buster or a one or two bottom moldboard would be more appropriate? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

RalphVa · Mar 31, 2005

You might see about renting, buying cheap or borrowing a one or two disc plow. They're a little bit more forgiving of rocks than a moldboard. Then use a landscape rake to gather the rocks afterwards.

If you know anyone with a Gravely rotary plow (and you'll need to borrow the tractor, too), they'll handle up to football-sized rocks. It'll take a while for you to do 3/4 acre with it. Biggest amount of time may be in getting it set up right so it'll just churn along without you wrestling it. When it hits a rock or root, it'll kick around a bit.

Ralph