Small Garden Recommendations

[Rara Avis]

Glyphosate is soil inactive. Once it hits dirt, it has no effect, no carry-over, and is neutralized. It's only effect is on LIVING plants. It won't kill grass if it's dormant.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/weeds/w253/w2...htm#GLYPHOSATE

This is the current pointer...
North Dakota State University

 

[Rara Avis]

Sure Paul, that's what they say. My faith in that has been more than a little undermined by all the times they've gone "oops, wasn't so harmless after all".

Including a whole lot of herbicides and pesticides that were "perfectly safe" until they were found to cause cancer by the boatload.

I use a lot of toxic stuff when I have to. I try not to use it when I don't have to.

Well, unless you are growing ALL of your own food you are being exposed to plants that were grown in soil whose weeds, et al have been treated with GLYPHOSATE more often than not...

 

[Charlesaf3]

Or if you eat mostly organic, which I do. Tastes better too.

And stuff I put in my soil I'll be drinking out of my well down the road. Rather use a hoe/tiller/plow what have you.

 

[RedDirt]

Once I get a round tuit I plan to put in a 16 to 20 x 60+ garden. I'll fence the sides but use farm gates on the ends. That way, spring and fall, I can open both ends and run my tractor straight through, turn around outside the garden area and run straight through again.

 

[Botabill]

It just amazes me why we Canadians keep gardening. You guys down south are eating stuff and we haven't even planted half our crops yet. Just put in my tomatoes this week.

 

[Knight9]

Botabill,

I hear you on that one! I have potato plants just popping up, some barely visible carrots, pretty good radish tops, onions, and some peas popping up. Half these guys in the warmer climates are EATING goodies already! Yikes!!!

 

[WayneB]

If you are talking small garden, why not just build a few raised bed boxes and use good loam and manure mixture for your small gardening needs. I have several large gardens, but also four raised bed box gardens. Plus is they are close to the backdoor, can hoop enclosed them for early planting, and we grow all of our table lettuce in them. Also so Tomatoes, that will produce early for salad use.

Concentrated gardening is easier to weed as well, Just a thought!

 

[schmism]

id see if a neighbor had a bottom plow. A small 1x12 on the back of a yamar would be just the right size to turn the sod in that size of an area.

Then just till with a walk behind troybilt or simular.

For our larger version 2 15x60' gardens i find my mantis style tiller to be a very valuable tool for tilling in between rows. Really cuts down on a lot of hand weeding and keeps the chemicals out of it.

 

[Jim-Satoh]

My garden, I use Eraser to kill all grass-- weeds and so forth. You can not get this on trees or plants that you do not want killed. It works thru the roots and will not kill unless sprayed on directly. I bought a 8.5hp rear tine tiller thru Sears on line for $ 599.00, its great. I have a small tractor with a roto tiller, but the Sears tiller will work fine. You may have to go over it more than once. My land is nothing but clay and rocks and it grows great gardens. Do not add to much compost than the soil will get too loose. The 8.5hp tiller will till the soil to a fine mixture. It makes a 17" bed as it tills. The Eraser I use a hand sprayer and hold the wand close to the ground to prevent blowing the mixture.

 

[tony123]

You should consider some of the used Japanese tillers. I picked up a Yanmar 4' tiller for $280 !!! It does a great job, and I'm confident that it will be around long enough to till my 12x60' garden longer than I'll be around to plant it. Heck, you can't find walk behinds for that kind of money, and this gives an excuse to use the tractor.

 

[Jim-Satoh]

This is the current pointer...
North Dakota State University

The Eraser I use is used to kill weeds / grass that it touches or is sprayed on directly. It does not effect the soil period. Once the weeds and grass turn brown, I just till it under and plant right behind it, no problem. All of the farmers here in Southwest Arkansas / Nashville area use Eraser and its sold at the local Farm Co-Op.

I do agree with round-up. I do not trust it and it does not last all season as Eraser does. Unless you use compost like manures the weeds and grass will be gone, but manures has seeds in it unless you solorize it. Next season you will have weeds and grass again. Personnally I use a liquid fertilizer. I use lime in the fall. My garden is a two family garden about 1/4 acre. My son and I can handle it very easy.
Many will agree, you have to stay on top of a garden. I check mine every day for signs of grass or weeds that blow or get into the garden thru other means like mowing close to a garden when seeds are present.

Here in my area I plant in May due to the frost that we usually have at the end of April. I live in the foothills of the mountains, so our weather is different.

 

[Jim-Satoh]

You should consider some of the used Japanese tillers. I picked up a Yanmar 4' tiller for $280 !!! It does a great job, and I'm confident that it will be around long enough to till my 12x60' garden longer than I'll be around to plant it. Heck, you can't find walk behinds for that kind of money, and this gives an excuse to use the tractor.

4 Ft. tillers around here are pretty cheap, if you look at the right places. One sold at a auction for 100 bucks, I missed it or I would have got it.
Each to their own when getting a tiller, my 4 ft. Befco seems to be great, it came with the Satoh when I bought it.

 

[Jim-Satoh]

If you are talking small garden, why not just build a few raised bed boxes and use good loam and manure mixture for your small gardening needs. I have several large gardens, but also four raised bed box gardens. Plus is they are close to the backdoor, can hoop enclosed them for early planting, and we grow all of our table lettuce in them. Also so Tomatoes, that will produce early for salad use.

Concentrated gardening is easier to weed as well, Just a thought!

This is the best way to go for a small garden. Landscaping timbers about 2 bucks here. Place them two high and fill with your compost or whatever. Watch for the seeds in manures.

A poster said use a tarp. When I use manures I place it on plastic or a good clean place and cover during the winter, it will kill the seed and man the red worms. Solarize is a great idea also. As the gentleman said cover the entire garden during sunny days if you have a small one.

 

[Jim-Satoh]

It just amazes me why we Canadians keep gardening. You guys down south are eating stuff and we haven't even planted half our crops yet. Just put in my tomatoes this week.

Maybe I can give you an idea on how to get a early start, it works on tobacco plants and other things. Plant your pea,s and under ground things and cover them with plastic.
If you can plan on the last frost its better than you can uncover them when they pop up.
Texas and Arkansas is pretty much the same weather wise, except near the mountains where I live. Small green houses give you a head start also. Just place blocks in a square, plant it and cover with clear plastic top or glass top. I build a frame that fits the square and build a top that fits and cover it with clear plastic.

Place in the sun and away from the North winds. Many ways to get a head start. The richer you are the bigger and better your green house is. My is small

 

[Spudland_Dave]

When we did our garden last spring (first time at the new house) the in laws brought down their Mantis Tiller, they have a JD 5' for his 955 and the Mantis for the smaller stuff...At first I thought it was gonna be a joke of a tool, boy was I wrong...Dont let the size fool you, they work slicker then you know what...We ended up getting our own Mantis shortly thereafter.
Yes it takes a little longer in the spring & fall to till up the garden because its only 12" or so wide...BUT unlike a big tiller we use it ALL THE TIME. Use it all summer long tilling the weeds out of the alley ways. Use in the flower boxes around the house in the spring & fall...etc.
BTW...Our Garden is 25x40.

 

[Jim-Satoh]

When we did our garden last spring (first time at the new house) the in laws brought down their Mantis Tiller, they have a JD 5' for his 955 and the Mantis for the smaller stuff...At first I thought it was gonna be a joke of a tool, boy was I wrong...Dont let the size fool you, they work slicker then you know what...We ended up getting our own Mantis shortly thereafter.
Yes it takes a little longer in the spring & fall to till up the garden because its only 12" or so wide...BUT unlike a big tiller we use it ALL THE TIME. Use it all summer long tilling the weeds out of the alley ways. Use in the flower boxes around the house in the spring & fall...etc.
BTW...Our Garden is 25x40.

I have a Manis also that I use to loosen the soil around the plants, it works better than a hoe and a lot easier. It will get rid of grass also if you have any. The Manis is just a lot better than big tillers in between the rows, but I still think the world of my big rear tine tiller. Tractors and roto tillers are fine starting off, but during the rainy season, mine gets stuck and makes a terrible mess of my garden.

 

[Arkaybee]

I do agree with round-up. I do not trust it and it does not last all season as Eraser does.

Consumer Herbicide Inventory

This site is a U. of Ark. chart of herbicides for the home garden and it lists ERASER as also being GLYPHOSATE, the same as ROUNDUP. GLYPHOSATE is also available as several other proprietary brands. The chemical info listed on the labels is helpful in knowing exactly what we are buying and using.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

For those of you scared of GLYPHOSATE, what do you eat? I mean that in the sense of commercial food products....a VAST majority of the Corn, Soybeans, etc.. grown here are "Round Up Ready" strains....Google it....

 

[ChuckinNH]

I raise as much of my own as I can so I don't have to eat that stuff!

 

[ampsucker]

+1!!

If I was happy with the quality of food and price I can get at the chain store, why would I spend so much energy growing my own??? I like hobbies that are less like work!

amp