Idiots guide to making a garden plot from cleared land-rotary plow edition?

[Mousehunter]

Ok, I have a brown thumb. I have tried gardening a few times, about the only thing I have managed not to kill is okra and jalapeños. That said, want to try again. So far I have cleared some land.

I know round up is recommended, but wife is 100% against it. (I have it and use it elsewhere). What is the sequence and method of using tarps, rotary plow, harrow, tiller, mower, etc... likewise especially blank on turning the cleared land with the rotary plow-do you just do rows every 12” to start with, then build beds latter? Do I turn, tarp, form beds, then harrow?

Anyway, hints appreciated. I am expecting to mow with a mulcher first, but after that am mostly clueless. In the past I have tilled several times.

Ok, found this video on braking ground. Breaking New Ground with BCS 75 and Rotary Plow - YouTube Suspect mowing with mulcher first probably still a good idea

 

[englishlarry]

There are some good resources on this if you want to go the two-wheel tractor route - in particular a book called the Market Gardner by JM Fortier. I also found some online courses from Cornell University particularly helpful. They tend to run from December to March/ April or so each year and are set up in a webinar format so you can ask questions from the various guest speakers they have.

That said, here is what I have gleaned from some limited experience.

1) Find a local ag cooperative or soil testing service and get your soil tested. If you've been having trouble growing before then this will be essential for working out what soil amendments you need.
2) Plan your garden - what do you want to plant - and from there work out row width, length and path width.
3) Work out when you want to work the soil - i.e. spring or fall. This may be dictated by how wet it is where you are. For me, it is a crapshoot as to whether or not I'll be able to work the soil in the spring given rain/ snow-melt. If fall is a better choice then you can just leave the plot covered. If you are working it immediately before you plant I would give yourself a minimum of a couple of weeks between finishing soil working and planting (see 10 below).
4) Mow the plot as low as possible.
5) Rotary plow - there are some good youtube videos from on this showing plowing patterns. Alternatively you can till. Breaking ground for the first time you may need a couple of passes and be prepared to spend a decent amount of time picking rocks out of the plot. If you are going to be adding soil amendments to an entire plot for the first time, I wouldn't be too concerned about forming the raised beds at this stage.
6) Work in soil amendments - depending on your plot size, you might be fine with a lawn or handheld broadcast spreader (or just a shovel).
7) Till or use a power harrow to work in the soil amendments.
8) Form the raised beds by using the rotary plow along your planned pathways, throwing the soil into the middle of the bed.
9) Smooth the beds either using a rake (there are plenty on the market that are designed for the bed width you want - I make 30" raised beds as equipment is easy to get for that width), roller or power harrow.
10) With your soil working done - now is the time to use a tarp if you want to follow the stale seedbed approach to reduce weeds. The basic premise is that you want the weeds to germinate under the tarp and then die-off from lack of light. To get the weeds to germinate you should give them as ideal growing conditions as possible - amended and moist soil with the correct temperature. I normally run irrigation lines under the tarp along the beds to ensure the soil is moist throughout. Then leave the tarp on for a couple of weeks at a minimum. Make sure you have enough stuff to weigh the tarp down with. Also bear in mind that if you work the soil again after this stage, you will bring more weed seeds to the surface and you'll have to tarp again.

There are probably a million opinions on this, but that is what has worked for me for the last couple of years.

Larry.