So the Mrs wants a big garden. What do I use?

[goeduck]

I have an old school Troybilt as well as a BCS and like the Troybilt beast better. It is harder to handle but really goes at the ground. I do agree about the sod. Certainly the first year you should probably plow it to turn it under. Rototill late in the year to help in the spring the following year. The BCS is more refined but mine is not as capable on hard ground.

 

[oosik]

We had a wonderful garden the first five or six years we were here. Then the deer, coons, porcupines, mice, squirrels and pocket gophers found it. I tilled with a brand new Troybilt Horse - 8hp tiller. We had an 80' x 125' garden.

The garden site was virgin land - the first couple passes were tough - I hung in and finally after the third pass it was ready for planting.

 

[Diggin It]

I have discussed this with the Mrs a bit and tiller has been agreed upon. Not too surprisingly to me, she would like a walk behind rather than a 3pt. She is more of a hands on type and would like to selectively pick her garden bed layout and does not want the whole area tilled.

Thanks for the advice fellas!

She may like the idea, but she (or you) won't like the work that will take to break it up initially. It will be better later on -- maybe. You'll be better off doing something else to break it up the first and maybe second time. Disc, plow, middle buster, 3 point tiller, etc. Then use the walk behind for maintenance. I have a rear tine Troy Bilt for that kind of thing.

I got a 48" tiller with the TLBM and plan on opening up some grassed areas to put some corn in next year. Have a couple of areas picked out that shouldn't be too rocky. Plan on making two or three widths (8-12') 50-75' long this year and maybe more next year if things go well. I just need to find an affordable planter. I'm not keen on spending the $500 or more I'm seeing for 'vintage' JD two row units. Somebody turned me on to a one row walk behind unit for less than $100 that I might try, but then I can't use my nifty blue toy.

I'd like to try potatoes, but I don't know how to get them out of the ground without a lot of bending over which my back doesn't like.

 

[Wagtail]

Sorry to be 'that bloke' but... after the grass has been taken care of, the ground has been tilled, the beds made and an irrigation system/method planned...

What about the critters? :bunny::deer::cow::sheep::goat:

(Strangely, there are no 'smileys' for wallaby, pademelon, possum or potaroo. :confused3

 

[Diggin It]

 

[Wagtail]

And that's not going to get them all... especially all night long.

 

[oosik]

Besides - in our area the bunnies are replaced by the pocket gophers. Pocket gophers are not near as cute and will eat EVERYTHING growing IN the ground.

Diggin It - - let them have their fun breaking virgin ground with a walk behind rototiller. Thank God - I saw the light when I bought the walk behind and got the very biggest one that Troybilt had at the time. Also, I didn't know about mowing the grass but I sure learned how to clean it out of the tiller. Tall green grass can wrap up almost as tight as barbed wire - which I found quit a bit of in our chosen garden spot. And it was the old type - heavy gauge wire and flat pointed wrapped barbs.

 

[flashpuppy]

To the concerns about biting off more garden than she can chew, this is not our first garden. We just moved from our old plac on 1.5 acre of shale rock and gravel. I built so many raised beds there and filled them with yards and yards of soil. This is why we bought the land we did is so we could have enough garden to do what we want and raise our livestock. She fully understands the amount of work that goes into this and is excited to do it.

We have good dirt here. Nothing very rocky, lots of loam with some clay and sand a little deeper. Pasture has been fertilized and fertilized over the years and according to the Mrs and her soil testing kits, were ready for business. lol

Sorry to be 'that bloke' but... after the grass has been taken care of, the ground has been tilled, the beds made and an irrigation system/method planned...

What about the critters? :bunny::deer::cow::sheep::goat:

(Strangely, there are no 'smileys' for wallaby, pademelon, possum or potaroo. :confused3

We discussed this. Our critter issues are pretty low here. We have a Great Pyrenees that lives in the goat pasture to guard them and she does well with keeping most critters away. We also have 4 Cane Corso and a couple mutts in the house. Little fluffy critters don’t last long around here.

Anything the dogs may miss, my .204 Ruger sure won’t!

 

[fried1765]

The Mrs wants a big garden. Probably better to measure in acres rather than feet. We have the room for it, so no worries. As long as she is happy.

How do I do this? Pasture land that is grass will be converted. Plow and disk? Tiller? Garden bedder? Thinking we will do several very long rows but fairly far apart. I have enough tractor for whatever needs to be done, just trying to figure the best implement to use.

I also have a Farmall Cub. Is it worth trying to find a cultivator and planter for it? The

If, as others have suggested, you opt to go the tiller route for your wife, you should begin that program now!
Get her a gym membership immediately, and have her go at least once a day for 6-8 weeks, before beginning the virgin ground tilling process.

Like Oosik, I have had a Troy Bilt 8HP Horse for 30+ years.
It is a great machine.......for cultivating.
I have a 60" KK tiller for my 4x4 Ford 1920 FEL.

Get a REAL tiller for your Kubota (be certain that it covers your wheel track width).

 

[AndyMA]

If, as others have suggested, you opt to go the tiller route for your wife, you should begin that program now!
Get her a gym membership immediately, and have her go at least once a day for 6-8 weeks, before beginning the virgin ground tilling process.

Like Oosik, I have had a Troy Bilt 8HP Horse for 30+ years.
It is a great machine.......for cultivating.
I have a 60" KK tiller for my 4x4 Ford 1920 FEL.

Get a REAL tiller for your Kubota (be certain that it covers your wheel track width).

I agree with that. I have both a 58" Landpride 3 pt and a Husky walk behind. Has she ever used a walk behind. I use it for the edges and a few tight spots. I can't imagine doing a few acres with it

Andy