8 replies to this topic

[bja105]

I have had a busy spring and the weather has been too cold and wet, so I didn't get my first seeds in the earth until today. I have three flats of peppers and tomatoes indoors under lights, but they won't go out until memorial day. The past few years I have maintained two gardens, at home and at the farm. This year, we are only gardening at the farm. The garden is 50'x300', and the soil is heavy, yellow clay. I have problems with brick like clods that won't break up easily. 1/3 of the garden has had sand and lots of organic matter added, the rest is still bricks.

This year, I added a Ford 4610 to the fleet. I have a loader, three bottom plow, and 10' disc. In early spring, I added an inch or two of compost to the entire garden, then plowed. I can maneuver the tractor and plow in the garden, but not the disc. So for a month, I waited for rain and frost to break up the clods, but no improvement. I have a Ford 80 garden tractor and implements, so I attacked the garden with it. I tried the cultivator, but just got the tractor stuck on the high ridges. So, I used the big Ford and loader to backdrag and smooth out the ridges enough to drive the little Ford. I used my spring tooth harrow and cultivator to work it, as well as my walk behind tiller. Eventually, my neighbor brought over his new Cultimulcher. He is Amish, and has a team of Percherons, one of which is also new this spring. The Cultimulcher did a fine job, it got the old section of garden ready to plant. The new section is better, but needs more work after a few rains.

Today I planted 60' rows, 2 of potatoes, 3 of beets, and 9 of onions. Some of the onions were planted through landscape fabric, some in rows laid out with the Brinly cultivator. I use a single furrower in the cultivator to make my planting furrows, and overlap my tire tracks for spacing. When it is time to cultivate, i will change out the furrower for sweeps and use the same tracks. After one or two times cultivating, i will mulch the area with junk hay. I will have seeds in the hay to deal with, but I need the organic matter for next year, and the moisture retention this year.

[Texas Deere and Horse]

Sounds like it ought to be a good garden, post some photos if you can. Did you think to get any photos of the team working the cultimulcher?

[Alc]

Glad to hear you got your garden started , even though I have raised beds beside the regular garden our spring was cold here too . The peas that were planted at least 1 1/2 months ago are barely 4" tall and some just breaking through the soil . Do you the landscaping fabric over again ? Do you mulch on top to keep the heat down ?  

[bja105]

I didn't get any pictures this weekend. I have gotten pics of David's team working before, but I have to set up the shot to avoid taking any pictures of him or his kids, per their rules. His cultimulcher is about 40" wide, with a seat for the driver.

I will mulch on the landscape fabric, to retain moisture and to stop the weeds that still grow under it. The cheap fabric is far from prefect. It rips, it transmits some light, and it takes too long to break down, even in a compost pile. But, it lets water through and it is not as slippery on a slope compared to wet plastic.

[MH81]

Glad you got some done, I'm so far behind at both locations, it's not even funny.

[allisb10page]

Way behind here as well.  Only have half of one garden plowed and tilled up a little of the other.  I work for a farmers cooperative, and its the busy time of the year (anhydrous and liquid and dry fertilizer), so things get pushed back a little.  And the rains slow things down at work, but also don't help my gardening at all either.  I really need to get the winter rye tilled up in both gardens before I plant...

[skyrydr2]

Well I am flurting with mothernature for sure ! I have all my cabbage, lettuce, carrots ,peas and spinach also celery planted! And getting ready to put in my peppers and tomatoes soon as well. Im actually early this year doing this, last year i didnt plant anything until the second weekend in june...

[shorty]

It is amazing some of the horse drawn equipment that the Amish use today. Some of it looks quite different, but it really works. Our garden is so wet right now and getting more rain. Where I did get in, it is showing signs already that it was too wet.