garden implements.

[mwe060]

Hey guys.

I've had many gardens but always the old manual way. Well I'm done with that.

What is/are the most cost effect attachments for veg garden. From potatoes to tomatoes. Cucumbers to squash. Snap peas and such. Have one area that has been used for years. It is 100x40ft.

Want to cut a second plot 100 x 100 ft.

I didn't know if I could Buy a tiller and bypass the plows or visa versa. Deffentily want a row hipper of sorts. You tractor farmers tell me. Think buying 2 or 3 attactment this coming season and more next.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Cal270]

I have a Land Pride tiller.
Use it for food plots, deer.
Does a great job on working ground.
One pass in each direction does it.
Good luck.

 

[skeets]

Yes Sir a tiller, and if your going to taters you can pick up a hiller and stuff from http://www.everythingattachments.com the prices are not bad, and shipping in most cases is free. I found an old hiller at a farm auction Im sure craigslist or the I wana would have something as well. A tiller will take a lot of work out of it for you but is not the end all. I stopped doing a big garden cause I got tired of feeding the critters

 

[mickeyd]

Same here I use a Land Pride Tiller and it is simple and quick. Leaves the ground in perfect condition.

 

[mwe060]

Yes Sir a tiller, and if your going to taters you can pick up a hiller and stuff from http://www.everythingattachments.com the prices are not bad, and shipping in most cases is free. I found an old hiller at a farm auction Im sure craigslist or the I wana would have something as well. A tiller will take a lot of work out of it for you but is not the end all. I stopped doing a big garden cause I got tired of feeding the critters

Ya, birds, tree rats and rabits can be a pain. get deer too but they seem to always leave my stuff alone. The rabits and tree rats make for good dinners though.

Birds are easy to keep out now; mechinical snakes and flaping owls work great!

 

[skeets]

You aint never met my turkeys,,,lol
The OL had a BIG Maine coon cat that didn't scare real easy, and I watched a hen turkey chase that cat clear up to the back porch, it the kitchen door had been closed that cat would have broken its fool neck. We put in about 250 strawberry plants one year, they did pretty well,, winter came and went, deer had dug up and eaten every one, and sweet taters don't stand a chance

 

[ipz2222]

I love being in the country with the deer, turkey and birds, but I don't like them eating my food. This year, I'll be going to the farmer's market. Let them deal with the critters.

 

[ShaunRH]

My parents have the same deer problem as others. He doesn't mind them in the potatoes, they dig up bunches, eat about half and my dad just picks up the rest. I guess its a 'deer harvesting' technique so he just plants double what he needs.

Where they don't want the deer, they have motion activated sprinklers, it scares them off really fast, and other medium sized critters. Fences handle the small stuff.

My garden is going to have 8' fences so I'm not worried about the critters. 5' of various mesh sizes and 3' of cabling.

 

[Daren Todd]

My parents have the same deer problem as others. He doesn't mind them in the potatoes, they dig up bunches, eat about half and my dad just picks up the rest. I guess its a 'deer harvesting' technique so he just plants double what he needs.

Where they don't want the deer, they have motion activated sprinklers, it scares them off really fast, and other medium sized critters. Fences handle the small stuff.

My garden is going to have 8' fences so I'm not worried about the critters. 5' of various mesh sizes and 3' of cabling.

Popular technique to keep deer out of a garden in this neck of the woods is to drive in some wooden stakes about 3ft 1/2 feet off the ground. And then string fishing line along the top. Deer hit the fishing line, can't see it so they go around.
The other popular technique is to put a corn feeder on the other side of the property

 

[cerlawson]

As to tools, once the area has been tilled and planted, but after that I don't see much use for a tractor unless you leave wide spaces between rows. Walk behind motorized cultivators save a lot of work then. University researchers say that you can do an equal job of preventing weeds by just close mowing between rows.

To keep deer out an electric fence wire 30 inches off the ground works great. Now and then you need to re-string it cuz they sometimes take off right thru the garden dragging it with them. Put the wire up 4" and 10" and you keep racoons out. Works for rabbits also. Requires weed control along the fence for low wires.

 

[jrslick]

I intensively "Micro Farm" about 1 acre and have 6 unheated high tunnels to grow produce in. I sell at 4 Farmers Markets a week.

I would suggest looking to rent a tiller, then buy one if you can. I finally bought a nice used one, in this area they always went very fast on Craigslist, selling in the first few hours or less. I bought a Caroni, but I also have borrowed and rented a Landpride. Both good units.

Most of my attachments are made by me and use the same 3 point hookup. You can make your own row hipper/ disc hiller buy buying the discs from Agri-Supply or Stevens Tractor. Here is mine.



I also bought an old 4 row cultivator to harvest the tines from to build this cultivator/ripper. I use it to rip up the ground to replant or just a light cultivation between crops. I also change out the cultivator shoes to put ripper points on to deep rip the soil to avoid a hard pan. It does a good job. for serious deep ripping, I have a one shank ripper attachment too. I can get 18 inches deep with this one.





I have tried to cultivate over crops, but it doesn't work too well with my side hill ground. I just use the walk behind tiller between rows.

I have also salvaged a one row lister plow out of a tree row, to make my own potato digger. This also attaches to the 3 point attachment.


I have also designed an built my own plastic mulch layer, but you probably wouldn't be interested in that.

I use the disk hillers all the time. I use them to make raised beds and to hill up potatoes. The tiller is very useful too. If you want to make quick work of things.

Jay

 

[DocGP]

Look up the "Bayou Gardner" on YouTube. I have watched a lot of his videos where he does most of his gardening by tractor with these implements. Very informative for someone who has never gardened with a tractor. We have always done it by hand, but he has about converted me.

Doc

 

[Hook]

I use a spring tooth harrow (all purpose plow) and then follow up with a Howard Rotovator. Just be sure the ground is dry before plowing. If it is not you will have nothing but clods. As far as the critters go an electric fence and a .22 rifle have worked best. Good luck!

 

[Juztyn00]

One thing I find that has been very handy and not overly expensive was a middle buster plow. I use mine to break packed soil before tilling, marking rows, making hills and furrows and ditching or shallow trenching.

A tiller makes life so easy, Like the Bayou Gardener, I now make my rows wide enough for a 5' tiller. My poor old Troybilt only got used a handful of times last year. I also found a Ferguson 2 row cultivator, It worked ok as a cultivator but not great so but I added some hiller discs to it for my potatoes.

Also a bush hog for end of season mulching of plants is a handy item.

Overall I'd say the tiller and middle buster are the most used items during gardening season.

 

[Diydave]

Keulivator system is pretty good, if you want an off the shelf row tillage set-up.

http://www.agrisupply.com/keulavator-frame/p/51946/