Virgin Ground

[bigbull338]

for ground like yours gonna have to plow it 1st.but you might be able to disk it with a disk that has cutting blades.but using a 3pt tiller is bad because youll burn the tiller up.use the tiller after ground has been broke up good.

 

[hcraig]

What if i moldboard plow the 7 acres first then take the tiller to it? basically the same as discing and dragging only i think the soil would have more fluff to it this way. What do you think?

That would go faster than just tilling and would make a good seed bed. Probably 1 pass with the molboard and one pass with the tiller 2 at the most.

 

[Chilly807]

I agree with the plowing then tilling plan, if you already have the tiller. Still a lot of tilling, a disc might be a better second tool.

Sean

 

[jenkinsph]

Most people think garden tiller whenever tillers are mentioned, they do make larger heavy duty tillers but like a large heavy duty disk they are expensive.

Chisel plows are relatively cheap but hard to pull, but combined with a good tiller should make a good pair of tools. As mentioned a good subsoiler overy couple of years is a good idea too. This combination of tools seems to be the most bang for the buck.

 

[deereman10]

should just go no till and forget it

 

[TripleR]

should just go no till and forget it

I am a big proponent of no-till and after loaning our no-till planter to our renters, they bought a large no till planter and use it for some applications. It just won't work for everything.

Even with no till we have found we get better overall results running a subsoiler occasionally. I am not an expert on no till, so others will have better, more up to date information.

 

[deereman10]

I was thinking maybe put rye or something in the field this year and then plant pumpkins into that the following year. It makes for cleaner pumpkins and higher production. I've never done anything like it before and i dont have a no till planter. Just something ive been looking into

 

[TripleR]

We have a 10' Great Plains no till planter and they are pretty expensive. We have ours up for sale, but don't much care whether we sell it or not. A lot of people are looking for them, but no one wants to pay the price.

 

[bigbull338]

most notill drills cost $1500 to $2000 a foot.used drills half that or less depending on how old they are.

 

[rds1555]

on pumpkins we always used a m plow on our 2440 then used a disk
command is the only spray labeled for weed control i know of not a big fan
it needs to be disked in by the way. rupp seeds is a good place to get seeds.
we used a plow thing that scored two rows and put seeds in and used a hoe to cover by the way gourds sell them early or forget it they don't sell well late.
at the produce a you can buy them cheaper than the cost box the week of Halloween the goose ones are hard to grow by the way

 

[deereman10]

rupp seeds is a good place to get seeds.
\

I get my seeds from Rupp and i'm very satisfied

 

[kattywumpus]

Good thread, I learned something today. That doesn't always happen!

 

[Spindifferent]

Hi deereman,

You may find this Soil Tillage Intensity rating scale helpful.

- Spindifferent

 

[deereman10]

On "virgin ground", how soon before planting should you work up the ground?

 

[sweettractors]

On "virgin ground", how soon before planting should you work up the ground?

Typically, you would want to turn the field in the fall or early winter, let it lay up in the rough until early spring. Then disc about every 2-3 weeks after a rain. Disc/rototill immediately before sowing/planting the seed. Ken Sweet

 

[datanull]

anyone use a disc plow? what makes it better/worse/different than a moldboard?

I have a Ferguson 2 disk plow and it digs like you wouldn't believe. It should cut most roots where a mold board might get caught. I believe it will dig much deeper than an disc harrow. You may not need to go too deep for food plots for deer.

 

[datanull]

Ken, do you know where I could get the "end cap" for a Ferguson like you are referring to. Mine didn't have it, but it didn't cost $900 either. Works OK with out but makes a nice place for wasps to nest.

 

[sweettractors]

Ken, do you know where I could get the "end cap" for a Ferguson like you are referring to. Mine didn't have it, but it didn't cost $900 either. Works OK with out but makes a nice place for wasps to nest.

I sure don't. I would cut me a round piece out of 1/8 flat stock and weld it to the end of the tube. Ken Sweet

 

[Luremaker]

i guess you are right, it's not "virgin" ground it just hasnt been farmed for 40 years. It's a 7 acre field that i want to put pumpkins in. I have been looking at tillers for my JD 2440 and i'm liking the king kutter 5' or 6' tillers. I thought about discing it but discs are mainly for leveling ground not tearing it up.

Deereman are you adding 7 more acres to the 15 you already plant with pumpkins? You are going to have one large patch.

Last summer my son and I planted corn and pumpkins on 3-1/2 acres of freshly worked ground. We started May 5th and planted the first corn on May 15th, ten days later, and then bi-weekly until late June. We planted our pumpkins and gourds around the middle of June.

This ground, like yours, has not been worked for many many years.

1. Day 1 we plowed the ground with our two bottom plow.
2. Day 3 we disced several times.
3. Day 5 we disced again.
4. Day 6 we tilled.
5. Day 9 we tilled again.
6. Day 10 we planted first 1/2 acre of corn.

For the pumpkins we added 550lbs of MAP (11-52-0) as per soil test a week or so before planting and disced it all in. We did not use any herbicides.

I can post pictures of most of the steps if you like.

 

[deereman10]

pictures would be great