Looking for tips to prepare unworked land for large garden

Last summer we bought a house on a couple acres, including a barn and about an acre of land that at some point was used as a pasture for horses. The family we bought the property from did not use the barn or the land, so it hasn't been worked in at least 7 years, probably much longer. It was all overgrown with grass, weeds,etc.

We plan to build a large garden for hobby farming, so I picked up a 9N (which appears to be a 9N/2N/8N hybrid Franken-tractor) and spent most of the winter fixing various issues. I relied on this forum often to learn about, troubleshoot, and get it running(Thank you all!!).
So far, the only attachments I have invested in is a 6' finish mower and a back blade. I would like to get some implements to begin plowing and working this land, but I want to make sure I'm on the right track.

I have been reading through all kinds of articles on this and other forums, and I understand that there are a lot of variables and factors that need to be considered. I also understand there are varying opinions on the best methods. A common answer I keep seeing is to plow, then either disc or use a cultivator, then prepare the seedbed.

[u:acd924793e]Here's where I am at:[/u:acd924793e]
I have a 9N running like a champ, ready to work.
I have 1 acre of land that has been overgrown with grass and weeds for at least 7 years.
I cut down all of the grass as short as I could get it with mower.

[u:acd924793e]Here's as much info I can provide on the soil type:[/u:acd924793e]
Based on soil survey data, the soil is a "CbB Capac-Marlette loam, 1 to 6 percent slopes"
The Soil horizon "typical profile" is:
Ap - 0 to 9 inches: loam
B/E - 9 to 16 inches: clay loam
Bt - 16 to 31 inches: clay loam
C - 31 to 80 inches: loam
While repairing several fence posts, I dug approximately 3ft to pour footers. At 2-3ft there was a LOT of water that would fill the bottom of the hole fairly quickly.

[u:acd924793e]And here is what we plan to plant:[/u:acd924793e]
[list:acd924793e]A large area will be devoted to Barley (nearly 1/2 acre)
Several rows of corn (still working on how to lay out rows)
2-3 rows of potatoes
2 rows of onions
5 rows of tomatoes
small plots of various veggies (lettuce, cabbage, peppers, herbs, etc.)[/list:u:acd924793e]

[u:acd924793e]So far I have been looking to buy and/or fabricate the following attachments:[/u:acd924793e]
[list:acd924793e]Dearborn 2 bottom plow
Field cultivator
Disc harrow
Hiller/"Garden Bedder" (planning to make a custom attachment with toolbar for discs, cultivators, and furrower)
And either a broadcast spreader or drill seeder
(not sure which I should use for barley)[/list:u:acd924793e]

If you're still reading this long post:
Am I on the right track? Am I missing something completely?
What attachments should I be using and what can I ditch?
Any and all advice welcome. Thanks!
 
I think you're pretty much on the right track with your implement choices. Your tractor could
handle a disk or field cultivator around 6-ft wide. Both are handy tools and for a small farm
serve different needs so I'd be looking for both. The plow is handy but it would be possible to
just use a toolbar with two or three shanks to chisel the ground up 6 inches or so deep then
disk. The plow would be better at burying residue in the fall which can help with weed and
insect control, though.

A push-type planter like an Earthway can be handy in a garden that size.

For just a half-acre of grain you might look at some hand-held, hand-cranked spreaders before
spending money on something larger.

When it comes to cultivating row crops I've found that a garden tractor, either a 4-wheel rider
or, even better, an old two-wheel walkbehind (David Bradley, Simplicity, or the like) is hard to
beat for areas that size. To get right up to the row I like to use a push cultivator with a
slicing blade instead of the usual tines. In my 1/4 acre garden I like to make a pass with the
push cultivator along each side of the row as close as I can then follow up with the garden
tractor to work the middles. A walkbehind rototiller would also work well for this but a
cultivator is usually a little nicer to the soil structure.

The fact that you were making wells when digging post holes would be a cause for concern. This
obviously means the water table is very close to the surface and this could cause some grief when
it comes to farming this area.
 
I'd say you are pretty much on the right track. I could say a b c, someone else will say d e f, and everyone including you is right.....

Small grains are not too fussy as long as you get the seed rate about right, and you get dirt covered over the seed. Let it rain and you are good
to go.

You probably only need either the disk or the field cultivator, in clay the field cultivator is better, in your loam the disk might be better, tho neither
is 'wrong' and i am not at all opposed to having both mind you!

I would probably add a harrow, or drag to your lineup. A 2 section would suit you well, or even just one section. They do nice to,level ground
right before planting, killing off tiny sprouting weeds, and covering up the small grains after you spread seed with the broadcast seeder. Even
work sometimes to bust up clumpy dirt (a little, not miracle worker) right after plowing. I think you would get value out of that small probably
cheap implement.

But, I'd say you are on the right track and have researched well.

Paul
 
As a favor, I just quick did a garden plot for a new neighbor. Land is clay/loam hadn't seen steel in 40 years.

Hay King Pasture Renovator: 1 straight pass and an X

TSC 3 pt rototiller 2 passes

Ready to plant.
 
His Ford tractor will not even think about going slow enough for a tiller. So he will need to plow and disk.
 
Thanks for all the great advice and feedback.

As for adding a drag to my list of attachments: I have found several listings online for a "drag" but while researching it, it appears to be a "Spring Tooth Harrow". Take a look at the
attached photo. Is this a harrow, but is interchangeably called a drag? Is it both?

And also, how does this attachment differ in functionality with a field cultivator?

Thanks again
a153988.jpg

a153988.jpg
 
You can think of the field cultivator as a modern-day replacement for the spring tooth harrow as they do the same job in general terms. They both break up the ground down to three or four inches deep, kill weeds, break up winter-mellowed clods, and level the ground. What most people would think of as a "drag harrow" would probably be a spike tooth harrow. This differs from the spring tooth in that it only works the top inch or two of soil and does a superior job of smoothing. It is capable of wiping out tiny weeds but once they get established it's effectiveness as a weedkiller rapidly diminishes.
 
A spring tooth harrow or drag harrow (same thing) is used to level off the ridges after disking. They usually have a row of spikes at the back to make the ground ready for planting. A feild cultivator is more used to work in herbicides, fertilizer, work ground that was plowed last fall or even sod. It too needs a harrow to followup to level off the ridges it leaves behind. There is such a thing called a peg tooth harrow which did the same job as a spring tooth harrow. The peg tooth harrow was an earlier version. You don't see them much if any now days.

Any new ground I work up for garden I always spray roundup on that area the fall before. In the fall all the grass rizones are up and you kill the root much better than in the spring. There's too many new little rizones waiting to pop thru in the spring that can't be killed with roundup. That's why the instructions on roundup says it's best to spray in August or when grass is getting ready to shoot the seed heads out. That's when all the rizones are done sprouting underground and have emerged.

1. Plow or Chisel Plow
2. Disc or Field Cultivate with attached harrow then skip step 3.
3. Harrow
4. Plant
5. Cultivate weeds when small
 
Mine is hanging off my '65 Ford 3000D with an 8 speed tranny. PTO is 1800 on that tractor and did the tilling at about 1400. 1st pass was 2-3 and second was all the way down. Unit advertises 6" but not in clay, maybe 4. The pasture renovator made the clay real meek.
 
This would be a 2 section spike tooth harrow that is what I would use. This internet photo is a very beat up one!

The handles in back should spchange the angle of the teeth.

They work the soil only an inch or so deep.

In rough lumps behind a spring plowing that front beam will level and bust some big lumps, and the teeth will crumble off some fine dirt from the lumps, starting the process of smoothing freshly plowed dirt. Followed with the disk, the ground is a little smoother for the disk to work better.

But mostly it is used right before planting to smooth the ground, and to rip out very fine sprouting weeds.

After spreading small grains, it will smooth the dirt more and burry the wheat, oats, etc about the perfect depth.

In corn or soybeans, you can angle the teeth back a bit and go through the field just as the crop is starting to crack the ground and emerge. The harrow won't hurt much crop as scary as that seems, but it will again uproot very tiny sprouting weeds.

Paul
a154062.jpg
 
My job in grade and high school was pulling one of dads 4 section harrows before or after planting with the 35-45hp tractors. Also some leveling of fresh plowed ground, that was hard on the back, 3 hours of that is a tough afternoon.

Now I have a fold up 5 section harrow, use a 60 hp tractor with it.

The spring tooth have their place, as an attachment on the back of my modern high clearance field cultivator they work great. Modern spring tooth type have basically strong side rake teeth in place of the metal spikes on the one I pictured.

But as a stand alone implement these spike tooth harrows are better, if you know how to use them. They are both very flexible as they float around and are pretty light..... But they are stiff framed enough as when they go over a lump or ridge all the weight can be on one or two spikes ripping that bit down level. The front beam is a part of the implement, used for crushing lumps and leveling bad ridges.

It is a unique deal that is gentle on smooth dirt, but can be quite aggressive on rough ground......

Paul
 


Turning your sod right over with a land plow is generally considered to be a significant advantage in gardening, to reduce the weed population. Roto-tilling makes it smooth and fluffy but it greatly accelerates the spread of some weeds. After bottom plowing you disc it to break it up and level it. If your disc is adjustable you start with a steep angle and finish with a slight angle and you should have it ready to plant. Plant your corn in more short rows as opposed to fewer long ones for best pollination.
 
Thanks for that info, I was wondering about the grass reseeding if I disc. I've read that it can make matter worse to disc and better to use cultivator or other implement to break the clods up.

Eventually I will figure out what works best for our garden and soil, but it helps to get some good starting points

Thanks again!
 
An old un-used barnyard is a great place for a garden. Likely still a lot of nitrogen in
the soil. So your best dirt will be where the old corales use to be. Best thing to do is
plow in the fall. And then till in the spring before planting. I know this is untimely
because its spring now, and plowing is not going to work out the same as doing it in the
fall. You can plow now, but your going to have to till it right after, and not going to get
the winter weather to mellow it out.
 
Wow, really glad I found this post! I, too bought a small piece of land, with a field that hasn't been worked in years and years. And I also bought an 8N. And did lots of research (on this forum and other places). This was very helpful, and I appreciate all the great advice to be found on this Forum.

julian
 
I'm not sure of your location. If you are in an area that freezes, fall plowing and a winter of freeze/thaw cycles can produce a very nice spring seedbed (where erosion is not a problem). Plow down a balanced fertilizer in the fall and do secondary tillage in the spring. Rotate your crops to different spots in the garden every year to avoid diseases.

To seed barley or small grains over only one acre, you could get by using a push type broadcast lawn fertilizer spreader ($40 new, $5 at garage sales, look for one that includes a settings chart). They cover a 6 to 8 foot swath, depending on your walking speed, spread some seed on your driveway to check the swath width and seeding rate. Going over the ground twice applying half rate in two different directions can give a pretty uniform distribution. The same spreader will also work for broadcasting fertilizer.

Have fun and enjoy your garden.
 
If you have the time, and want to produce some nice pork, pigs are the best way to work up small areas of land for a garden that has not been worked in years. They'll even dig up any small trees that get in their way. And they fertilize the new garden as a bonus. I have done this a few times when I wanted to work up a new garden area. The last time I did this, I was wrestling for days with trying to dig/pull/saw old entrenched 50 year old willow stumps. Finally got fed up with it, bought 6 weaner pigs, and they took care of the problem for me over the summer while they were growing up for the freezer.
 
(quoted from post at 20:12:38 03/27/17) If you have the time, and want to produce some nice pork, pigs are the best way to work up small areas of land for a garden that has not been worked in years. They'll even dig up any small trees that get in their way. And they fertilize the new garden as a bonus. I have done this a few times when I wanted to work up a new garden area. The last time I did this, I was wrestling for days with trying to dig/pull/saw old entrenched 50 year old willow stumps. Finally got fed up with it, bought 6 weaner pigs, and they took care of the problem for me over the summer while they were growing up for the freezer.

Pigs will do a great job but you need very strong fencing that either goes 6 inches below ground or has electric at near ground level that is maintained daily.
 
I know this is a month old post
but hope you see this. My wife and
I bought the 20+ year over grown
mess next to us about a year ago.
Hedge bushes ,kudzu and briars.
Bought a Ford 640 with Bushhog
cleaned up enough last spring for
small garden. Wife's Uncle brought
his new tractor with tiller and
worked up a plot . we also got us
a Ford 960 ,well I wanted a 2
bottom plow and disk so ,zero
research we got em. This year we
have a huge garden. We covered
last year's garden with oat straw
,it grew a nice cover crop. We
plowed that under and ran disk
over it a few times. It's nicer
than the tiller !! Slower. But
who is in a rush!?? These old
fords were a huge step up from
mules. Farmers planted 1000's of
acres with em. If you want to have
fun with your tractor and garden
do it your way. Trial and error.
Lol. We also have a box blade,boom
pole. Bale spear/ trailer mover
combo. And a JD dirt scoop.
(awesome). And a '50 cub with
belly mower. None restored, all
run great. And yes on nice
Saturday's​ we load em up and go to
shows. Folks love to see working
tractors. Have fun be safe. Don't
sweat it. 2nd tractor is awesome
less swapping implements. Shoot me
an email if you want.
[email protected]
Kevin in Central AL
 

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