What is the best way to break new ground?

[BarryC]

Hi guys I am a newbie here and with a tractor. I just bought a Yanmar 1610D and one of the things I want this tractor to do is prepare me a spot for a garden and also food plots for deer. I have about a 1/4 acre in my yard that I want to plant a garden and my FILs Troy built rear tine tiller will hardly break up the ground which is why I now own a tractor. What would be the best thing to use to break up the ground so I can disc it?

 

[Andy in Gap]

Get a middle buster, also called a potato plow. It's cheap, effective, and appropriately sized for your tractor. Put your tractor in 4wd, shorten up the top link as far as it will go, and have at it. Keep your hand on the draft control, if you start slowing down, bring the middle buster up to keep from getting stuck. You might want to Roundup the area to be plowed first to kill the grass and make plowing easier. Good luck!

 

[BarryC]

Thanks Andy. I think my father in law has one of those I can use.

 

[whodat526]

a 1 bottom turing plow is what u need

 

[art]

Go with a subsoiler type machine so the ground below doesn't get more compacted and hinder root growth. If the top is that compacted the lower levels are to and in order to have good root growth you need loose soil not a moldboard plow.

 

[D7E]

And plenty of roundup !

 

[BarryC]

OK good advise! So once I get the ground broken which would be better a disc harrow or rototiller? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of each?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

OK good advise! So once I get the ground broken which would be better a disc harrow or rototiller? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Far too often, a tiller will OVERwork soil....You DO NOT want soil beat into a talcum powder consistency. It can pack down tight when it gets rained on. Much depends on the soil type and structure you're dealing with. Most advice you get will be based on local soil conditions for the person giving the advice....Soil varies greatly.

In the conditions I'm used to, if you're "fall plowing", or breaking ground now for NEXT YEARS garden, you really don't want to work it beyond just breaking it until next year. It will mellow over the winter with freeze/thaw cycles. Disc it OR till it next spring before planting time. Overworking now will usually result in that compaction problem I mentioned, OR, finely worked soils will tend to wash away during the winter. Leave it rough until you're ready to plant.

As far as tillers v disc....I use BOTH. Rather I use one OR the other, depending on what I'm doing. And with the tiller, once or twice over the ground is PLENTY. Don't beat the ground into submission. And with each pass over the ground you make, regardless of what tillage choice you make, you work the soil only as deep as the tool allows, and you further compact the soil BELOW the working depth. Minimize trips across the seedbed.

 

[Bird]

It usually depends on what you have. For the first time, my preference would be a turning plow/moldboard as mentioned above. But I used a middle buster when I didn't have a moldboard, then followed that with the tiller.