Preparing site for first planting

[Kernopelli]

Got a few questions on preparing a site for a first planting. I have about an acre on the far side of my pond that has always been considered "yard". It is a typical mixture of native grasses/weed/clover. It is dense cover though and when mowed regularly looks quite good. I am wanting to turn this into a pumpkin patch for planting next spring. What is the best way to prepare this plot for planting? I know that if I just plow the top under I will be overrun with weeds and grass quickly and want to know the best way to deal with getting rid of it. I assume I have two options. Chemical spray or removal of the top few inches. I assume if I use a herbicide, it needs to be a "kill specific" chemical since I want the grass and weeds gone but don't want something like Round Up since I want to be able to plant pumpkins next spring. What do you guys recommend as the best method of dealing with this first step. I don't have a sprayer set up for the tractor yet but assume I will have to get one sooner or later since this is something I plan on doing every year and assume I will need to apply herbicides each year. I do have a "sod cutter" I fabricated several years ago for my tractor and could strip the top layer of grass and roots pretty quickly but then have to deal with removing that from the area. Neither of these methods bother me to do, just want to know what would be best or if there is another method that would be better.
Thanks.

 

[Highbeam]

As far as vegetation, the roundup only acts on green stuff. So you spray it, it dies, you plow it under and then future growth is unaffected. Weed seeds will not be effected nor will their growth, nor will your pumpkins future growth. It is not a soil sterilizer.

 

[3RRL]

Highbeam is right.
In my case I cut a few inches off the top and removed the soil. Then plowed the rest. I let the remaining weed seed germinate and grow (you can't get them all anyway by scraping). When they sprout, use Round-up to kill them. The idea is to let all the weeds sprout again but not to let them get to seed. When they are dead, till them under or disc and plant your crop. Hopefully most of the weeds will have shot their wad. It may take a season to do it that way though. I got fairly good results but still had about 20% weeds.

 

[Kernopelli]

Highbeam is right.
In my case I cut a few inches off the top and removed the soil. Then plowed the rest. I let the remaining weed seed germinate and grow (you can't get them all anyway by scraping). When they sprout, use Round-up to kill them. The idea is to let all the weeds sprout again but not to let them get to seed. When they are dead, till them under or disc and plant your crop. Hopefully most of the weeds will have shot their wad. It may take a season to do it that way though. I got fairly good results but still had about 20% weeds.

Thanks guys. What method did you use to remove the top few inches? I was planning on starting this project this fall in part because it is soooo much cooler and also I have been nursing my tractor to put off splitting it for a clutch replacement until mowing season is over. After what was mentioned though, I wonder if I would be better off removing the top layer now so I could have enough time to get that second shot at any new weeds/grass coming up with Round Up this year. That way next spring I would be at the 80% eradication stage instead of starting off with the potential of substantially more. THAT of course means splitting the tractor soon ( a chore that I know is pretty straight forward but worries me nontheless due to it being my first time putting one in. Being without the tractor for even a week would be pretty bad this time of year). Oh well, I'm rambling now but this predicament is the classic story of my life--Things seldom ever go as planned or as easy as it should be

 

[3RRL]

What method did you use to remove the top few inches?

I used my boxblade to cut off the top 2" or so. I dragged the box only until it got full and no more. Dumped the spoils right where the box got full each pass and then came back with the fel bucket, picked it up and moved it all to a pile. I repeated until I got the size area I wanted. I did not drag the top soil to the dump spot. If the box gets full, then it rides over the other top soil and doesn't remove that part. You want to cut it off.

You'd be surprised how doing that does not slow down the weeds or native flowers and grasses that grow even after doing that. I probably should have done the whole scenario completely over 2 times to get less weeds/native grasses and flowers. But I was too anxious to get my plot going.

 

[Chuck52]

You have enough lead time that you may get pretty good results just turning everything under and tilling it....repeatedly. I did that to get a field ready for corn and it worked pretty well, plus all that organic stuff got incorporated into the soil. Till it now and wait for stuff to sprout, then till it again. You could first burn off the area if the growth is heavy, and would burn.

Chuck

 

[schmism]

id vote for bottom plow to turn... round now.. let it sit and anything that comes up a second time can be disc'd under at late fall.

disc again in spring for planting.

perfer to pay for deisel in the tractor vs roundup on the ground.

 

[Grrrr]

id vote for bottom plow to turn... round now.. let it sit and anything that comes up a second time can be disc'd under at late fall.

disc again in spring for planting.

perfer to pay for deisel in the tractor vs roundup on the ground.

I agree with schmism. You can pickup and older plow and disc or cultivator very cheaply second hand or even new. You can use it again each year too.

And you would get more tractor time that with RoundUp

 

[Kernopelli]

I have to agree that turning it under/disking sounds best. Guess I need to get some clutch parts ordered soon.

Thanks for all the input. Will keep you guys updated.

 

[Grrrr]

I have to agree that turning it under/disking sounds best. Guess I need to get some clutch parts ordered soon.

Thanks for all the input. Will keep you guys updated.

Make sure you take some pics when you do it

 

[Kernopelli]

Make sure you take some pics when you do it

Pics of the clutch replacement or the pumpkin patch progress?????
Just kidding, I know how TBN'ers love pictures....I'll take some of both of course.

 

[Egon]

Have you considered leaving the grass as is and prepare numerous small areas in which to plant individual pumpkin plants? You would be able to mow the grass for quite some time till the pumpkins get growing and not have to worry about weeds.

 

[KaiB]

Egon, that idea really appeals to me. I've seen this done around here on three acres; it worked.

This is good for so many reasons.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a problem with removing the top few inches for a crop application. That's good topsoil that you're taking away there and even better after tilling in the organic weeds. In some areas the topsoil is only a few inches deep.

If you have written off this season already then I would simply till the soil(Disc, plow, cultivators, rototiller, whatever) repeatedly to kill the stuff. The fresh black soil won't stay weed free for long nomatter what you do so get a fresh tilling in before you plant your pumpkins and hope that they grow faster than the weeds.

Now if you're task is to remove the material to make way for a building or some other non-crop use then I have used the box scraper with very good success. Depending on the distance between graded area and spoils pile I will either drag the full box to the spoils (short) Or scoop up the scraped material like 3RRL and then use high speed to scoot the spoils to a distant dump site.

 

[3RRL]

I have to agree, now that I know better, that turning over the topsoil is the best way.
But when you don't know any better (like me ... lol...it just doesn't hurt) I thought removing the top layer would do the trick. I see the benefits now from using the organic material. Also, I do not have a plow, cultivator, rototiller or disk. My wife knows more than me and so do these guys.