Prepping field for next crop

[ds10]

At the start of this year's growing season I had an 18x40 foot section of lawn stripped and a truckload of compost dumped. I used my Kubota BX1860 with a tooth bar on the bucket to level out the compost. I planted heirloom corn that will become cornmeal for polenta and cornbread this winter and got a good crop. I planted the corn using a large Phillips screw driver that I used as a planting drill. Yes, it took a lot of time. Good results, though.

The corn crop is just about done. I've harvested about half of it and it's gorgeous. Once I've pulled the stalks, I'll want to plant some wheat. I grind my own grains when needed, bake bread, etc. and it's been a goal to produce some of our grain on our own property.

My question is whether to rent a 48" tiller to attach to my BX1860, buy a tiller, or get a plow or sub soiler to put on the 3 pt hitch or some other method to prep for the next crop.

All of our other garden areas are in raised beds, which we turn by hand, so the only area for now that needs a more serious tilling system is this my grain patch at 18x40'. Looking for ideas on cost-effectively prepping it, a task I expect to do twice a year.

Thoughts?

 

[ds10]

One of the many color combinations, for those curious.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I know nothing about corn, but why would you pull the stalks instead of shredding them with a brush hog and then tilling or plowing them into the soil?

To answer your question, you can either till the soil or use a moldboard plow to turn the soil. If you use a moldboard plow, you will need to till it anyway since the moldboard won't leave a level surface like a tiller will. The moldboard plow, however, will turn the soil deeper than a tiller will. The tiller will only turn up the top few inches of the soil.

You may need to fertilize the soil also.

How do you intend to plant the wheat? Wheat is planted with a grain drill with very narrow spacing rather than in rows like corn or other row crops.

How do you intend to harvest the wheat?

 

[bigtiller]

How about hiring it done? In your town, I bet there is someone that will till it for you. 18x40 isn't much for a garden tractor and a 4ft tiller. Sounds like a $50 job to me, maybe even less for someone who works for beer money. There is also a good chance that someone you know, knows a guy that knows a guy that will do it.

 

[wolftree]

ds10,

If you are like most of us, cost is a big factor. If that is true for you as well, then consider a used rotatiller for around $50 or often less. There are truckloads of used tillers out there.

 

[bp fick]

For a patch of that small size, a simple walk behind tiller is all you need. I've used a walk behind tiller to make gardening fields 10 times that size for years and years before getting my Kubota. Now, I rough plow the fields with a cheap middle buster, (we grow in patches of 100x300 so we can deer fence them). I also have a disc I use for follow up. But, I still can and do walk those patches with a walk behind roto tiller. I enjoy the smell of the earth and it doesn't take all that long.

I also still like walking the rows with that same tiller, minus the outside tines, to make narrow cultivations during the growing season. This helps with weed control, aeration, allows the soil to breathe, etc. The old walk behind tiller is still your best friend, in my view, even when your operation is much, much larger than what you're currently doing.

On the old corn stalks, you have some choices. Run them through a chipper/shredder and get that organic material back onto the soil, ASAP. You cannot pull that much organics off a piece of ground without a serious deficit. You will also need to up your nitrogen green matter or live manure matter quickly to rot those corn stalks down as quickly as possible.

A walk behind roto tiller is a must have tool. Not expensive like a tiller for your tractor and more useful during the growing season. When you come into pile of cash and want to buy a tiller for your Kubota, it'd be the cat's meow, but if that isn't today? So be it.

 

[jenkinsph]

bp fick has good advice in above post, small tiller, keep the organic matter in place.

 

[flusher]

Walk behind rototiller is what you need. Least expensive way to go.

You could step up to a garden tractor with pto driven rototiller. I bought a 1970s vintage Bolens G1453 GT with rototiller locally off Craigslist for $600.



Good luck

 

[flusher]

Forgot to add that my neighbor, who is 90 years old, puts in a half-acre veggie garden each year. He uses a 1960s-vintage diesel powered Allis Chalmers garden tractor with rototiller. To prepare the soil he applies worm casings and works them into the soil with the rototiller.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have a couple of small garden spots and after fighting with a walk behind tiller (rear tine type) I sold it and bought a tractor mounted 72" King Kutter II tiller for $1500. If you buy a new walk behind you can look to pay $300-600 for one of those. So for about double your up front cost, get a tractor model and not have to mess with another engine to maintain. I am too old and weak to fight one of those walk behind in the 90 degree heat when I can set in my air conditioned cab on my tractor.

A walk behind is OK for the occasional running of the middles to knock down the grass.