Garden Prep

[bcarl]

I plowed the garden over a week ago but the rainy weather made the soil unworkable until today. Normally I put the tiller on the 147. But since I still have the snow thrower on the 147, I opted to put the tiller on the 122. Worked rather well. I’m glad I have a spring assist and creeper gear drive on the 122. Next project is to remove the snow thrower and attach the mower deck on the 147.

 

[dschwandt]

Would have worked a lot better if you had fall plowed and then tilled in the spring.
Ground would have then been quite mellow then and easier to work with the tiller.
Try it this fall.

 

[Jay Fetters]

David, would tilling in the fall work the same? I don't have a plow... yet.

 

[dschwandt]

I suppose,
The more trash you can get under the ground in the fall the better as it will have all winter to start decomposing.

 

[bcarl]

Would have worked a lot better if you had fall plowed and then tilled in the spring.
Ground would have then been quite mellow then and easier to work with the tiller.
Try it this fall.

Normally I add some manure and plow it under in the Fall. I didn’t get time to plow last Fall before the ground froze. I had a lot of trash to turn under this Spring. I agree fall plowing makes it easier in the Spring.

 

[speterson]

You guys are giving me Spring Fever. We still have over a foot of snow on the garden plot. Latest Spring thaw we've had in years.
Forecast calls for a few more inches again this week.

 

[dfrisk]

DAVE - The last year Dad farmed I'd been able to fall plow everything except 3 acres. Our ground had a rather high percentage of clay in it with all the headaches that brings. But I'd go out with our BIG tractor and the disk and break up the crust and Dad would follow me out with my Super H with the duals on it with the planter all loaded up and start planting. We could do 40 acres in an easy day, not hard to cover our 160 acres.
But your advice to fall plow with a moldboard plow in fall then stir it up with a disk or rototiller once it's dry is exactly right. Don't try to work it too soon in the spring when it's wet/damp. That just makes rocks or bricks, maybe small boulders describes them better. We had never been big on fall plowing, in our hills too big of risk of soil erosion but if you plow it and leave it rough enough it works.