Vegetable Gardens

Thomas · Dec 29, 2000

jyoutz,
Up here in the northern parts some still do leave the ground rough up for the following next year of growing.

For drainage also manure spreading during the winter months,than harrow it all back together couple of weeks before planting.

I remember some of those cold windy days, /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif but the crows and turkeys were sure glad to see me come chugging on the H with a load of manure./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas · Dec 29, 2000

DFB,
Thats looks like an interesting attachment also the website.

I wonder if the cost would be worth the use up here in this region.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

jyoutz · Dec 29, 2000

Bird, plowing in the hulls would work better. Leaving fallow ground rough is the key to preventing wind erosion. Smooth soil surfaces and powdery soil will wind erode. Also consider that continual tilling without deep subsoiling or plowing will create a compacted zone just below tiller depth. If you need to till in organic matter before winter, perhaps you could then use a moldboard plow to roughen things up and let it go, until spring rototilling time.

DFB · Dec 29, 2000

Thomas, the one in the photo belongs to the wifes' stepdad. I'm sold on using it. Sure a mulch layer isn't for everbody, but if you put down a few hundred to 1000' or more of mulch each year I'd think it was worth it. Awesome tool. After tilling it smooths the ground, makes 2 trenches for the edges of plastic, lays the plastic and then back fills the trenches to cover the edges of the plastic./w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif That web site was the only one my search turned up./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif I'm hoping there's more to be found. The PS 120 was the one I was looking at. Using plastic will undoubtably give better yields up north. Here plastic warms the soil, retains moisture, and keeps the weeds down. Interesting to note was that this past summer the plastic actually minimized the saturation from all that rain we had. Without it the plants were swimming in mud. I went to the JD dealer today and measured the distance between wheels on several models. I was surprised to see that the distance was the same on my 4100 as it was on a 4400. About 25" The 4500-4700 was only about 32". Only when you get into the real AG's 5105 and up does it get really wide. I'd be satisfied with a 2' wide piece of mulch. Just would have to make more rows. I had about an acre of pine logged off before winter to make a new garden.(see pic) 25,000 board feet. Big ideas. Gee maybe an old farm tractor's what I need./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Kevin_mc · Dec 29, 2000

DFB,
Thats some beautiful scenery in that picture. I don't know if I'd get much work done there because I'd be busy painting the mountains (day dreaming).

Kevin Mc

DFB · Dec 29, 2000

Gee, thanks Kevin. That knob's called Allen's Peak. Supposedly named after Ethan Allen one of the original Green Mountain Boys.

TWINKLE_TOES · Feb 3, 2001

Bird,

Time to bounce this tread again./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
You posted in late Dec.
"Less than 6 weeks until time to start planting here if it isn't too wet to plant".

How are you doing? I could sure use some tips on Tomatoes.

I get good tomatoes maybe 1 out of every 4 or 5 years. Plants start great, get big and then the wilt takes over and they die from the bottom up. Tried everything I can think of.
sterilized soil, making sure water doesn't splash soil on the leaves, never watering if the water doesn't have time to dry before evening, buying VFN varieties. No cigar, no tomatoes./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird · Feb 3, 2001

Al, I don't know what the problem might be with the plants dying from the bottom up. Have you tried taking one of the plants to a nurseryman after it starts wilting to see if they could identify the problem? The first year I had this place none of my tomatoes produced, except the little cherry tomatoes. And the owner of the nursery where I buy my plants told me to go for the tall spindly looking plants, break off the bottom two or three leaves when I start to transplant them, and then don't put them in holes standing straight up; lay them down in a little trench, cover the roots, gently bend the top of the plant into an upright position, and pack the dirt around them. I'm not enough horticulturist to explain why, but it works. And I don't use sprinklers in my garden. I hand water everything just by walking up and down the rows with a hand held wand (high volume and low pressure) partly for water conservation and partly because I don't water between the rows to keep down weeds and grass, so the water just goes onto the base of the plants and ground right around them.

And if it gets dry enough, I'll be planting beets, onions, radishes, potatoes, and turnips between the 9th and 15th; however, I won't be putting the tomatoes out until after March 7th. Of course, right now the weather forecast says I may not be planting anything the next couple of weeks./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

jyoutz · Feb 4, 2001

Bird, I ought to send you some info on the t-tape drip irrigation system I use. It has holes every 8" and drips just in line. Saves water and reduces weeds between rows. Best part is this stuff is so cheap that after a few seasons use, I just throw the stuff away and put out new drip tape. (I bought a 4400 feet roll of this stuff for $120. This is enought to last me about 10 years. It sure makes watering easy. Just turn the fawcet on and come back to shut it off in a few hours. If anyone would like info on this stuff, I order it from Harmony Farm Supply (N. Calf., phone 707-823-1734).

Bird · Feb 4, 2001

Jim, that might be good stuff. I've tried soaker hoses and the flat hoses with tiny holes in them, but my rows in the garden are just a little over 80' long and if I use even a 50' hose, I get too much water at the near end and too little at the far end; have to move them too often, etc.

Bird