Preparing fields for seeds and transplants

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Like my intro said, I worked on a farm 27 yrs ago and now I知 getting back into that line of work. I知 no expert and certainly don稚 think I know it all. And that痴 why I知 here, to gain some insight. It痴 one thing to work on a farm, it痴 another thing to be a decision maker and the 澱oss man.

I live on 18 acres. It痴 all hay. I don稚 want the hay anymore. Hay is a dime a dozen here. So I知 going to grow crops just like the farm I worked on. I知 just starting out. I have an old Allis Chalmers 6060 MFWD. It痴 in the shop at the moment. I have no implements/attachments. The hay has been bush hogged. What implements should I buy? I will need to break up the hay and the subsoil a bit. So I知 thinking a disc. But what else? I致e seen much debate about whether a disc is enough. I was going to disc my field a few times to properly prepare the seed/transplant beds. Obviously I want good air flow and I don稚 want the moisture to evaporate too quickly from the soil. As for type of soil it痴 a mix of clay and topsoil. In fact I have very little clay on my property. Had to bring in shale in order to build my driveway, that痴 how little clay I have.

I knkw I知 starting a bit late but the weather here has been too wet and cold for anything. I知 lucky at this point to just get Bushhogging done. And most people痴 tomatoes are dead already because of a cold snap we致e just had. Soil isn稚 warm enough yet for squash and eggplant. So I知 behind but that痴 Mother Nature sometimes. I値l be complaining in July when it誕 hot and dry.

I壇 be curious to hear from the experts about the best way to prepare my fields for seeds and transplants as far as implements, steps to take, etc. Oh and I should probably note that I致e done my soil samples and ph and N and P are good. I値l need some K later in the growing season and that痴 fine.

Should I plow then disc? Can I get away with just discing? Should I skip both and use a pto driven rototiller? What痴 the best way to take hay and make it ready to seed? I知 open to this year being for practice/experimenting!

Thanks in advance!

 

[oldnslo]

With heavy sod it will take a real heavy disc to work it up. I am old school and believe in mold board plows for turning sod and then following up with a disc. Chisel plow followed by disc will also work but chisels will pull up lots of rocks. Bigger concern is working the ground wet and getting clods.

If small area for garden tiller would also work but for a larger area tiller takes lots of time.

 

[jeff9366]

For secondary tillage UNVERFERTH PERFECTA.

VIDEO: Cultivating with a Perfecta - YouTube

LINK: https://media.unverferth.com/unverferth/tillage/um-tillage-perfecta-field-cultivator-18-11.pdf



Others make Perfecta style implements:
BUCKEYE TRACTOR: Buckeye Tractor Online Catalog Page 11-01 Toolbar Cultivators



You will receive replies better tailored to your land and climate if you enter your LOCATION in your T-B-N PROFILE.

 

[kthompson]

I was farming about same acreage you have. Went to hay four years ago for row crops have real problem, getting them harvested. As to leaving hay for being cheap, depends on where you are and they type of hay you have and also the quality of YOUR hay.

Depending on the type of soil you have agree moldboard plow could be best to begin with. Depending on the type of hay you should burn when dry to get rid of any trash or brush before anything else. You will need a disk and you mentioned a subsoiler. You still don't have planter or sprayer and depending on crop cultivators. Your best would be to find a farmer who is either retiring or selling the size of equipment you want for they are moving up or down in size. One you another option, see if you can find a farmer who has the equipment you need and swap helping him for use of the equipment on your land. He should be a source of knowledge also.

 

[Egon]

For your tractor a plow would be best for the first cultivation followed by a disk for the secondary stages.

For Long term cultivation A disk or cultivator should work as long as it is sized to the tractor.

 

[skipperbrown]

I just disked a 6 ac field on my property that hasn't been touched in about 20 years except to run horses and cattle. The field is about 1/2 fescue and 1/2 thin weeds. The topsoil is about 6" deep. I mowed it first to 4" and then started disking. I was pulling a fairly heavy 10' disk with 12 20" pans (about 50# per pan) in moist soil. I ran 4 passes and in the thin areas cut about 4" to 6". I couldn't turn the fescue but did cut 2" ribbons through it. I either should have burned it first with fire or grass killer. I will wait a week and see how much of the fescue dies and then decide what to do. Lesson learned is that hay grasses generally have heavy root systems and trying to cut and turn it with a disk is hard going especially with freshly cut grass laying on top. I don't have any kind of plow but I a considering looking for one.

The biggest problem I see with a moldboard plow is cutting deeper than your topsoil and putting the rich soil out of reach of your new crop. Perhaps a Fred Cain plow is more in order. Good luck with your project. I'd break your 18 ac into several smaller projects and work one at a time.

 

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Thank for this info. The moldboard is a bit more than I want really in terms of aiE and spending. I think I値l try a 2 bottom plow and then disc. That seems to be what everyone is saying, plow then disc. I just haven稚 seen any small moldboard plows. And yes, I don稚 plan to farm all 18 acres, at least not this year. Much of it is hilly, and this year I am sticking to the flat spots. If I decide to do hemp or tobacco in the future I might farm more of my acreage. I知 gonna start of real small and just have fun doing it, learn along the way and teach some things to my daughter. Thanks again!

 

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Thank you for the reply. Do you have any recommendations regarding the cultivator?

 

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Thank you! Something to think about. The sod is heavy. It痴 a mixture of different hays. I was thinking of trying a 2 bottom plow and then discing with a 800 lb pickup disc. Just haven稚 found any smaller moldboard type plows. Thanks again!

 

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Thank you! Most farmers in my area are doing cattle which means hay. I知 just bored with hay plus the capital investment is high. In addition, with no one doing produce in my area and with this COVId stuff going on my idea was to offer fresh produce that people can get from me directly/. Not gong to get rich from it but worth a try in my book. Thanks for the advice, I知 going to ask around to see if I can find someone to help. Might be in a different county but would be worth it.