Veg Garden Preparation

[JDTRAC]

I recently cleared a 60' by 80' area on my property for a future vegetable garden. Most of the plot is bare soil with some mix of grass sod. I anxious to dive into some serious gardening in 2009, but need your input on any preparation I should be starting this fall. My equipment includes a JD 2305, JD 647 rear tiller, JD single bottom plow (x700 series 3pt) and an old stake harrow.

What is your advice? Should I try and plow this fall and leave it lay over the winter? Or, merely run over the ground with the 647 tiller a couple of times, then till again in the spring? I know there is pros and cons to plowing versus just tilling. Also, anyone ever use a cover crop of annual ryegrass in the fall to hold the soil from washing or blowing over the winter.

Thanks so much for any feedback.

 

[zionview]

We're in the process of planning a garden for my son and daughter-in-law. This fall we will spray the plot with Roundup(soon), wait at least 2 days and till. After tilling, most likely we will plant oats. That seems like the fastest way to get some decomposition of grass roots over the winter, kill some undesirables, and the oats will provide some wind erosion protection and organic matter. Plus, oats will freeze out this winter, so no need to spray it down in the spring. We' ll just till under the oats and get to it.

 

[2720wes]

I would plow-till a new garden plot this fall. It will be easy to plow in the spring and some of the perenial grasses and weeds will be killed. I used annual ryegrass once, worked very well for erosion and weed control, very thick but it did not die over winter, I guess northern VA isn't cold enough. The following spring it was very thick and hard to till in, kept the ground wet. If leaves are available to you, a thick layer tilled in will do wonders for the soil. The winter grains are good for quick cover or even a late crop of buckwheat. If you want to add nitrogen to the soil plant some hairy vetch now. It should be a few inches high before hard freezes stop it but come late winter-early spring it will take off. Any time you have a bare area, plant a cover crop, your garden will repay you for you effort.

Good luck
wes

 

[RalphVa]

I put in my 50 by 75 plot on what was a heavy fescue pasture about 7 years ago. I plowed the fescue with my Gravely rotary plow I had at the time. The following spring, I made raised rows with the rotary plow. Had LOTS of weeds to contend with. I pulled a lot of them and used Roundup on some that were well away from my veggies, using half of an old 2 liter cola container over the end of the spray tip to keep the Roundup from blowing.

Once I got my JD, I ran over the whole garden with the soil ripper converted to 3ph that a friend gave to me. Bought some 20 inch discs and mounted them behind the wheels of the 4010 on the soil ripper diamond bar and made 20 raised rows. I added 4 of the cultivator plows back onto the diamond bar to both dress up the rows and to till them, but I've only use it once. Since then, I've gone no till by using mulch augmented with some buckwheat.

Tried rye grass as a cover once in NJ. Swore I wouldn't do it again. Had to turn the grass completely over to get rid of it. Almost impossible to pull it up (whereas, buckwheat is dead easy to pull and is killed by frost).

Ralph

 

[AKfish]

I've used a cover crop a couple of times on my garden plot and the potato patch. Oats and annual ryegrass. Ripped the ground with a Landpride scarifier and then rototilled it several times and planted with the cover crop in August.

Oats worked the best. It didn't take off as fast as the ryegrass and didn't get as stemmy and coarse. The frost killed both and they tilled into the soil real well.

Had some weeds, (of course) but I tilled and tilled it again the next May. No weed spray where I'm gonna eat...

Put the garden and the potatoes into raised rows with old carpet or black tyepar between the rows to kill and keep the weeds down.

AKfish

 

[Egon]

Cultivate as soon as possible. Use a cover crop if you wish. Cultivate again in the spring several times about two weeks apart to turn under a few of the germinating grass seeds. Plant the garden. Do not expect a super good garden on the first year.

Do you have Deer?? They will like a garden.

 

[Gator6x4]

Plow the garden area with the single bottom plow. Broadcast pellet lime on the newly plowed area. Next spring use the tiller to prepare the area for planting. The reason I do not reccomend using the tiller now is that the ground will absorb more water this winter if left rough plowed and will freeze if the weather is cold enough. This will be good for the soil. Also if you have access to a sub soiler use this prior to plowing.

 

[RalphVa]

You WILL get good potatoes that first year! This is IF the natural pH of your soil is a little acidic. The lime you put down for other veggie crops likely won't fully work in to adversely affect the potatoes that first year.

The bugs will start coming about your 3rd year: Colorado potato beetles (new organic Colorado Potato Bug stuff available now that works better and safer than Rotenone), squash beetles and vine borers (again use the Colorado Potato Bug stuff or the older BT on small plants to get rid of the beetle and on running vines later to slow down the squash borer) and Mexican bean beetles (again, the Colorado Potato Bug stuff is supposed to work on them as well as Neem oil in cooler times).

Plant corn about a 1/2 row every 10 days to spread out your harvest. Same for bush beans, but I LOVE the taste and huge harvest of Asparagus Beans (long beans apparently only available from Burpee). Just put up a fence section for them to climb on. Think next year I'll put up 2 fence sections and skip the bush beans.

Ralph

 

[praha]

I put in my 50 by 75 plot on what was a heavy fescue pasture about 7 years ago. I plowed the fescue with my Gravely rotary plow I had at the time. The following spring, I made raised rows with the rotary plow. Had LOTS of weeds to contend with. I pulled a lot of them and used Roundup on some that were well away from my veggies, using half of an old 2 liter cola container over the end of the spray tip to keep the Roundup from blowing.

Once I got my JD, I ran over the whole garden with the soil ripper converted to 3ph that a friend gave to me. Bought some 20 inch discs and mounted them behind the wheels of the 4010 on the soil ripper diamond bar and made 20 raised rows. I added 4 of the cultivator plows back onto the diamond bar to both dress up the rows and to till them, but I've only use it once. Since then, I've gone no till by using mulch augmented with some buckwheat.

Tried rye grass as a cover once in NJ. Swore I wouldn't do it again. Had to turn the grass completely over to get rid of it. Almost impossible to pull it up (whereas, buckwheat is dead easy to pull and is killed by frost).


Ralph

I have a same situation this year, I started a garden last year/away from my house/. I harvested ...weeds.... mostly . Nobody had a time to do anything with the weeds.

Now, I want to get rid of it/weed/ onece for all and start a reg maintenance.

Should i take it out by hand?
what would be a best way to prepare the garden /50x75/ for a fresh start...w/o any chemical/. What would be a best way to handle this.?
I have a tractor and I would buy any implement I could use for a future gardeneing/food plots/. Can anyone help me??



Thank's
Joe

 

[praha]

Buy BurnOut Natural, Safe Weed & Grass Killer at Dirt works.net

this is something I found on thr NET. Usable?????????

 

[RalphVa]

If you're interested in making raised rows and/or ripping up the rows, the only tool I've seen available is from Agri Supply called the Keulavator. On the Keulavator frame, you can mount disc hillers to make raised rows or cultivator tines to rip up the rows.

I've my rows made and have plastic laid between the rows; so, I can't run the tractor over the plastic (messes it up). I plant buckwheat on rows not producing (like after potatoes/beans are finished) to shade weeds. Frost kills the buckwheat. It won't biodegrade but is easily pulled up and raked to get rid of. Run it through your shredder and throw it onto the rows as compost. (Soil erosion "fencing" is ideal to lay between rows to keep weeds from growing there.)

Putting mulch onto the rows is the main thing that I do to ****** weeds, keep moisture in and to add nutrients. I use virtually no fertilizer. My cabinet maker calls me to come get 2 to 4 barrels of sawdust about every 2 to 4 months. I put some high N organic fert (e.g. Espoma "lawn food") on the sawdust to bring the C:N ratio down to about 30:1. That stuff mixed into the sawdust and thus into the rest of my mulch pile is the only fert that my garden gets.

Ralph

 

[Allan_Cen_Ont]

You WILL get good potatoes that first year! This is IF the natural pH of your soil is a little acidic. The lime you put down for other veggie crops likely won't fully work in to adversely affect the potatoes that first year.

The bugs will start coming about your 3rd year: Colorado potato beetles (new organic Colorado Potato Bug stuff available now that works better and safer than Rotenone), squash beetles and vine borers (again use the Colorado Potato Bug stuff or the older BT on small plants to get rid of the beetle and on running vines later to slow down the squash borer) and Mexican bean beetles (again, the Colorado Potato Bug stuff is supposed to work on them as well as Neem oil in cooler times).

Plant corn about a 1/2 row every 10 days to spread out your harvest. Same for bush beans, but I LOVE the taste and huge harvest of Asparagus Beans (long beans apparently only available from Burpee). Just put up a fence section for them to climb on. Think next year I'll put up 2 fence sections and skip the bush beans.

Ralph

Ralph if ya don't want to contend with potato bugs get some Diametis(sp) earth and sprinkle a good sized handfull on the see potatoes when you plant them. This is supposed to keep the bugs away as they don't like the earth. The only thing is it comes in big 50 lb bags so it will last a while. You can get the earth at your local feed store or where ever you would get supplies for calves as you give this earth to calves to stop scours.This earth is a white chalk like texture and will stick to anything ya get it on also .

 

[Egon]

[ Diametis/QUOTE]

Diatomic??

 

[AKfish]

Diatomaceous earth (pronounced /ˌdaɪətəˈmeɪʃəs ˈɝθ/), also known as DE, TSS, diatomite, diahydro, kieselguhr, kieselgur or celite) is a naturally occurring, soft, chalk-like sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. This powder has an abrasive feel, similar to pumice powder, and is very light, due to its high porosity. The typical chemical composition of diatomaceous earth is 86% silica, 5% sodium, 3% magnesium and 2% iron.

IMO - a rototiller is one of the best weed killers (chemical free) available to the small farmer/gardener. I think the results with a tiller are better than either a disc or a plow.

Used with a ground cover - tyepar, black plastic, old carpet, or the commercial garden matting; you can knock the snot out of weeds! And if you don't want/need production right away - leave the plot covered over for a whole season and let 'er cook.

AKfish

 

[RalphVa]

Thanks, Allen,

I'll have to remember that DE trick. Might keep down the wire worm damage. I had about a 1/2 row about 1/2 eaten by a vole this year; first time. Sprinkled some poisoned peanuts into some holes where he came up at various spots. May plant some "dog tick" seeds (forgotten the real name for them; they grow as stalks and produce seeds that are poisonous); have some among my seed supply.

Ralph

 

[dawoodwa]

Currently working on a 3 acre garden now, converting an old pasture. I have access to an unlimited amount of chicken litter and I have about 20tons piled. I am mixing this with mulch from our county landfill and will let this compost over the winter before spreading it and tilling it in this spring.