what do i need? cultivator?

[bocephus]

hey yall...
im expanding my vegetable garden by 4 times this year. the walk behind rototiller aint gonna cut it this time.

what is the most economical attachment to get me going with my JD 770? will a cultivator prepare my soil enough? i was looking at a king cutter cultivator for about 220 out of Northern.
or will i need to get a plow and a disc?

the plot is about 35-50 yards by 30 feet.

 

[vallyfarm]

Are you trying to prepare the soil, or cultivate the crops? I have, and strongly recomend an old IH Farmall Super A. Also a Cub or an AC G. All of these were made just for truck farming (big veggie gardens). They can be found with a plow, disk, and cultivator for reasonable money. With one of these, then a garden of over 5 acres is still relatively easy to maintain. With proper spacing you can go from the corn to the taters to the beans without stoping. They do an excelent job of plowing too. I don't know about parts for the AllisChalmers, but the Cub and A are easily available. Mike

 

[jbrumberg]

bocephus:

If soil preparation and/or incorporation of material into the soil was the primary task I would go with a PTO driven tiller and use the "walk behind" tiller between the rows or beds during the growing season. I use my tiller a lot in the Spring and usually in the Fall (not this past season). Although I do have a single bottom plow (which I rarely use), I would be talking out of my **** pore if I would comment on harrrow discs or cultivators. Having said that they would appear somewhat cumbersome manuvering in the dimensions of your garden area. Jay

 

[RalphVa]

I made raised rows with 2 opposed disc hillers (pic attached). Before this, I chewed it all up with my soil ripper (pic attached).

This year, I put down plastic between the rows and mulched every raised row and didn't work it at all. Got one row of carrot seeds planted. Waiting for my potato seed to arrive. Corn won't go in until about mid April, first row anyway, then anothe row every week to 10 days. Beans, squash, okra will go in about the 1st of May.

My disc hiller/soil ripper outfit is combined now. I can rip the row with 3 plows while cleaning out between the rows. Did this once last year before planting. I went down to 12" discs for this. It's like the Disc Hiller picture but with smaller discs and 3 soil ripper plows between the discs. I can rotate the rig with 3 top links to adjust the disc and plow tilt.

 

[Egon]

What are the condition and types of soil you are going to be working. Breaking new ground or working old ground?

 

[bocephus]

it will be a combo of working old ground and breaking new.
i was trying to get away with getting one new attachment.
i've been working long hours and i dont have a whole weekend to 'walk behind' till my garden this year.

thanks guys!

 

[Egon]

Think I'd do a lot of thinking on cost of implement versus gain for the size you have mentioned.

A rototiller would probably be the implement I would choose.