Row Crop Garden
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bigtiller
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Farmall Cub or Allis-Chalmers G worked pretty good in their day.
smstonypoint
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Agreed. Here's a tractor under current production that is based on the G:
Tuff-bilt Tractor - Tuff-bilt Tractor Systems
Steve
M5farms
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any normal Traditional tractor that can be set up on 36" rows will work. You will only do tractor work planting and cultivating a couple time then everything else will need to be done by hand as everything will get to tall or wide to use a tractor
DJ54
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I don't know what row spacing you are using now, but if you went wit 30" rows, you could probably cut down on the size. And what I'm going to suggest may not be your cup of tea.
I garden with a 2-wheel David Bradley garden tractor. Row spacing is set at 30". I plow, and disk with a small farm tractor, to work the garden, then cultivate, or make hill rows with the 2-wheeler. You may scoff at the idea, but, professional market gardeners from coast to coast are seeing the benefits of using this sized tractor. And many farm up to 5 acres with tractors like these. I've been trying for 5 years to convince a buddy of mine, who raises produce for market, but he too pretty well scoffed at the idea. Last Fall, I happened to be introduced to a Face Book page called "Gardening for Market". Many of these growers farm anywhere from a 1/2 acre, up to 5+ acres this year with this sized tractor, or even smaller. Right now, most seem to think the Planet Jr. tractor is just the ticket. Personally, I'll stick with my David Bradley's.
I sent a link to my buddy, to show him what these folks were accomplishing with these small tractors. And now, it's the latest, greatest thing, according to him, LOL... He did mention one time, that I may have been way ahead of the game.
The overhead is pretty low. I've bought 2 running tractors with an attachment in the last year for under $100.00. But, I have been using the others I have, for over 25 years. Carrying on, from Dad using them since 1954. Implements only take a minute or two to change. Fuel coasts are very minimal. I seriously doubt I use over 5 gallons of gas all summer, on a 100' X100' plot, and that is only 1/5 the size of the original plot, when I was a kid, for the home garden.
The folks growing commercially add what is known as finger weeders to their cultivators, and pretty much eliminates hoeing between most root crops such carrots, onions, etc. Those weeders are a bit pricey for me, for the amount I grow. But, if I was growing in the amounts they are, and selling, it'd be worth it in labor costs for hired help, like they have to hire to hand weed.
I've added just a few pics of the different tractors, and implements I use. I have several ore different one's, where I use the single gang disk to make hill rows for my onions, leeks, etc.
Depending on what part of the country you live in, you can find them pretty reasonable. Some Craigslist, and Ebay listings are just completely outrageous on their prices.
Again, probably not what you are looking for, as many want o ride & guide. But as far as a little workhorse, with little investment, and operating cost, they are hard to beat. Even if you find a non-runner, you can re-power with a HF engine for $100, or less.
I garden with a 2-wheel David Bradley garden tractor. Row spacing is set at 30". I plow, and disk with a small farm tractor, to work the garden, then cultivate, or make hill rows with the 2-wheeler. You may scoff at the idea, but, professional market gardeners from coast to coast are seeing the benefits of using this sized tractor. And many farm up to 5 acres with tractors like these. I've been trying for 5 years to convince a buddy of mine, who raises produce for market, but he too pretty well scoffed at the idea. Last Fall, I happened to be introduced to a Face Book page called "Gardening for Market". Many of these growers farm anywhere from a 1/2 acre, up to 5+ acres this year with this sized tractor, or even smaller. Right now, most seem to think the Planet Jr. tractor is just the ticket. Personally, I'll stick with my David Bradley's.
I sent a link to my buddy, to show him what these folks were accomplishing with these small tractors. And now, it's the latest, greatest thing, according to him, LOL... He did mention one time, that I may have been way ahead of the game.
The overhead is pretty low. I've bought 2 running tractors with an attachment in the last year for under $100.00. But, I have been using the others I have, for over 25 years. Carrying on, from Dad using them since 1954. Implements only take a minute or two to change. Fuel coasts are very minimal. I seriously doubt I use over 5 gallons of gas all summer, on a 100' X100' plot, and that is only 1/5 the size of the original plot, when I was a kid, for the home garden.
The folks growing commercially add what is known as finger weeders to their cultivators, and pretty much eliminates hoeing between most root crops such carrots, onions, etc. Those weeders are a bit pricey for me, for the amount I grow. But, if I was growing in the amounts they are, and selling, it'd be worth it in labor costs for hired help, like they have to hire to hand weed.
I've added just a few pics of the different tractors, and implements I use. I have several ore different one's, where I use the single gang disk to make hill rows for my onions, leeks, etc.
Depending on what part of the country you live in, you can find them pretty reasonable. Some Craigslist, and Ebay listings are just completely outrageous on their prices.
Again, probably not what you are looking for, as many want o ride & guide. But as far as a little workhorse, with little investment, and operating cost, they are hard to beat. Even if you find a non-runner, you can re-power with a HF engine for $100, or less.
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oldballs
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I'd have to agree with DJ54. I've used a walk behind 8 HP Sears Rototiller for over 40 years....have two of 'em...
Then in my old age I decided to get a CUT for gardening among other things. I've found the CUT to be expensive, cumbersome and problematic for my needs. I still plow using a 12" mold board plow and 54 inch tiller, but could have just as well used my walk behind.
Yet if I was "farming" several acres by myself, I'd need the bigger equipment along with some pickers for help. I'd have to adjust my methods to accommodate the larger equipment. As it is I still hand hoe my 50' x 100' plot.
BTW,,,,,,,,,,,the CUT is quite useful for many other things.
Cheers,
Mike
Then in my old age I decided to get a CUT for gardening among other things. I've found the CUT to be expensive, cumbersome and problematic for my needs. I still plow using a 12" mold board plow and 54 inch tiller, but could have just as well used my walk behind.
Yet if I was "farming" several acres by myself, I'd need the bigger equipment along with some pickers for help. I'd have to adjust my methods to accommodate the larger equipment. As it is I still hand hoe my 50' x 100' plot.
BTW,,,,,,,,,,,the CUT is quite useful for many other things.
Cheers,
Mike
Last edited:
CCWKen
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Where are you located? A little late for corn and beans. At least down here. You plan on pickin' beans and corn in December?
kthompson
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Steve, I have never use the allis chambers they copied but do like that tractor. I had thought many times about maybe building one with basically a zero turn mower drive system. Glad you posted that. Doubt I purchase one now, have gotten away from gardening or any size.
DJ45, how do you say "mule"? The way you described your gardening made me think back to my childhood and our mule plowed garden.
JM, we all can make suggestions on what is best but you have not shared much. I will suggest you make a list of what you want to achieve are you growing for yourself or market for example. What do you want to raise and how much of each. Make notes of the ideal planting and harvest time for each crop for your desire. Then lay out what you will plant each and in that know how you will harvest it and what kind of room is needed for that. You do not want a field full of any crop you gather by hand for toting it out will be amazingly hard. Produce is heavy.
You need to leave ever so often a row to drive through the field to load and haul the crop out, to haul fertilizer in and such. Do not think all crops need the same size rows they do not. I do like the cultivating with the two wheel garden tractor if you are physically able for tractor clearance is impossible with a small tractor unless like what Steve had shown here. I have planted double rows close to each other with more room on the outside of the double rows for such as gathering the crop. Works good with such as beans or peas and other crops such as okra but such as squash like a wider row of their own.
DJ45, how do you say "mule"? The way you described your gardening made me think back to my childhood and our mule plowed garden.
JM, we all can make suggestions on what is best but you have not shared much. I will suggest you make a list of what you want to achieve are you growing for yourself or market for example. What do you want to raise and how much of each. Make notes of the ideal planting and harvest time for each crop for your desire. Then lay out what you will plant each and in that know how you will harvest it and what kind of room is needed for that. You do not want a field full of any crop you gather by hand for toting it out will be amazingly hard. Produce is heavy.
You need to leave ever so often a row to drive through the field to load and haul the crop out, to haul fertilizer in and such. Do not think all crops need the same size rows they do not. I do like the cultivating with the two wheel garden tractor if you are physically able for tractor clearance is impossible with a small tractor unless like what Steve had shown here. I have planted double rows close to each other with more room on the outside of the double rows for such as gathering the crop. Works good with such as beans or peas and other crops such as okra but such as squash like a wider row of their own.
smstonypoint
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I learned to drive on my dad's G. It was quite a workhorse -- we used it for planting field and sweet corn, pulling a grain drill, cultivating, pulling a hay wagon, pulling a sickle mower (formerly horse drawn) and various other tasks.
Steve
DJ54
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**DJ45, how do you say "mule"? The way you described your gardening made me think back to my childhood and our mule plowed garden.**
Yeah, kinda'/sorta', LOL... But better than some of the folks I see working a garden plot as large, or larger than mine with push wheel hoes, and push double wheel hoes, mostly Planet Jr. stuff, is like comparing my little tractors, to the ones in the pictures above. But, it does get me some exercise at a casual walk. Like tonight, I used my little one wheeled Choremaster to cultivate in between the sweet corn rows that are too tall no for the Bradley to straddle. I was on a roll, so ended up running through everything, making double passes on rows, because the 12" weeder attachment take 2 passes to clean up either side of a row. That many passes equates to about a 3/4 to a 1 mile casual walk. Heck, I know people that drive 10 miles, to go to a park near me to walk that far, to keep in shape.
I do have to chuckle at some of the YouTube videos of guy's using the 2 wheelers, and are running them at WOT, and nearly running to keep up. They've re-powered, and have put larger diameter pulleys on the engines, which makes the ground speed faster. And I keep asking myself why people have to run everything wide open... Go figure. Reminds me of the joke about the young bull, and the old bull standing at the top of the hill looking down on a herd of cows. They are the young bull, running to cultivate a few rows, and I'm the older, wiser bull, casually walking, and cultivating all of the rows...
Yeah, kinda'/sorta', LOL... But better than some of the folks I see working a garden plot as large, or larger than mine with push wheel hoes, and push double wheel hoes, mostly Planet Jr. stuff, is like comparing my little tractors, to the ones in the pictures above. But, it does get me some exercise at a casual walk. Like tonight, I used my little one wheeled Choremaster to cultivate in between the sweet corn rows that are too tall no for the Bradley to straddle. I was on a roll, so ended up running through everything, making double passes on rows, because the 12" weeder attachment take 2 passes to clean up either side of a row. That many passes equates to about a 3/4 to a 1 mile casual walk. Heck, I know people that drive 10 miles, to go to a park near me to walk that far, to keep in shape.
I do have to chuckle at some of the YouTube videos of guy's using the 2 wheelers, and are running them at WOT, and nearly running to keep up. They've re-powered, and have put larger diameter pulleys on the engines, which makes the ground speed faster. And I keep asking myself why people have to run everything wide open... Go figure. Reminds me of the joke about the young bull, and the old bull standing at the top of the hill looking down on a herd of cows. They are the young bull, running to cultivate a few rows, and I'm the older, wiser bull, casually walking, and cultivating all of the rows...