Opinions please on tilling.

Propane1

Tractorologist
Senior Member
Member
In an effort to save a little bit of gas to get my garden ready for planting potatoes with in the next week or so, I have come up with an idea.
I plant my potatoe rows 5.5 feet apart, center to center. That gives me enough room to take a garden tractor and cultivators or tandem disk through to do the weeding. Garden is about 50’ long by 30’ side. So, I figure I can get four 50’ rows in this space. This will give me room for the weeding in between the rows and edges of the grass to the row. So the gas saving idea is, I will only till the 4 rows where I will plant potatoes. Tiller is 3’ wide. So that means I will till 12’ instead of 30’.
What do you all think ?

Noel
 
Won't know "till" you try it. :)
I usually plant on 6' centers but am going to 7' this year as our plants get so big that it's a tight fit later in the season.
Probably only planting one row of each. Pontiac Reds and Yukon Gold.
 
We’ve had our Adobe clay and rock garden :eek: now for 7 years. I started doing that the second year with good results. In the Fall I till the whole garden. This may sound crazy but before we got the soil somewhat manageable I used a post hole digger to set plants like tomatoes and peppers. I would dig a 12” hole about a foot deep, fill it with compost deep down then a little dirt then the plant. Throughout the growing season I would spread grass clippings around the plants.
 
I am doing the same as you Noel this year, except I have the rows going the short way as I am planting squashes at one end. Weeds are a problem here and I can't do it by hand, so the wide rows will help. Doesn't save any gas though.
A couple of years ago I had a big pile of leaves from the fall before. I had my rows 2 ft apart and put leaves in between. That worked quite well for controlling the leaves. This year I composted the leaves so don't have any right now.
 
I am doing the same as you Noel this year, except I have the rows going the short way as I am planting squashes at one end. Weeds are a problem here and I can't do it by hand, so the wide rows will help. Doesn't save any gas though.
A couple of years ago I had a big pile of leaves from the fall before. I had my rows 2 ft apart and put leaves in between. That worked quite well for controlling the leaves. This year I composted the leaves so don't have any right now.
Can you collect your grass clippings
 
Why not put your rows closer together, like 2 ft. or less and put grass clippings, etc. down between the rows and save more fuel by not cultivating. When the potatoes grow together they will smother out the weeds between the row. That is why farming went from 30" rows down to 20" and a lot of beans are drilled.
 
I didn’t plant this year. More out of no time than anything but also plants went way up. I covered the garden yesterday with a thick layer of rabbit pellets.

I am going to seed start next year to save money.
Just out of curiosity I checked out a few plants over the weekend and most were close to $5. a plant. Aaron consider planting a cover crop also for next year.
 
Anyone part of a local chapter of Seed Savers? Thus, you can get seeds cheap vs. ordering on-line.

The deal is, you over plant. Save about 10% for yourself for seed. Save another 10% to barter/trade with another member of another food type.

I'm heavy into beans. Green, Lake, Cherokee, Top Crop, Rattle Snake and some others. It keeps my fall time busy after harvest and into the boring winter snapping and separating them.

Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel. So we have beans at every meal!
or
Beans, beans, they're good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you fart. The more you fart, the happier/better you feel. So let's eat beans with every meal.

Other than radishes and zucchini, beans just keep coming once they start producing for the season.

We can the beans for fresh eating in the winter and dry the beans for bean soups in the winter. Meat prices and nut prices for protein are ridiculous at this time. Eggs are rising too. Beans can be managed on your own terms and not by the market.
 
Just out of curiosity I checked out a few plants over the weekend and most were close to $5. a plant. Aaron consider planting a cover crop also for next year.

they wanted 30 dollars for 6 tomatoes plants at rural king. I usually plant 12 tomatoe, 12 green pepper and a couple hot pepper plants. I use all those for various things. We don’t eat cucumbers, zucchini, ect
 
they wanted 30 dollars for 6 tomatoes plants at rural king. I usually plant 12 tomatoe, 12 green pepper and a couple hot pepper plants. I use all those for various things. We don’t eat cucumbers, zucchini, ect
DW goes to a family owned produce store and buys organic tomatoes. She then harvests the seeds, starts a few dozen plants in February. Come April for transplanting they are already 1 foot high. Peppers are a bit challenging to seed start. Last year it was going well, but the transplanting failed so bad and the birds ruined the rest, that we had to buy last year at Menards. This year we seed started 3X as many.

Oh, solo cups got really pricey for seed starting. At the earliest yard sale, a person was nearly giving away the 12oz size paper coffee cups. I snagged all I could get (400) for a mere $3. Try and price those right now! ouch.
 
In an effort to save a little bit of gas to get my garden ready for planting potatoes with in the next week or so, I have come up with an idea.
I plant my potato rows 5.5 feet apart, center to center. That gives me enough room to take a garden tractor and cultivators or tandem disk through to do the weeding. Garden is about 50’ long by 30’ side. So, I figure I can get four 50’ rows in this space. This will give me room for the weeding in between the rows and edges of the grass to the row. So the gas saving idea is, I will only till the 4 rows where I will plant potatoes. Tiller is 3’ wide. So that means I will till 12’ instead of 30’.
What do you all think ?

Noel
Noel, back to your OP'ing.

Yes, mowing between rows is great for weed control and your yard for the garden will look impressive. To save on fuel, I have a fleet of the B+S 20V Li batteries and the 2 weed-trimmers. So far so good without needing the mower just yet. Of course our rows are not 50FT, only 25FT each and it's 6 rows.

The old Baptist church in town had a guy this weekend mowing with one of those push reel mower. No fuel, just got to have a blade sharpener for it in the season. :)

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Just out of curiosity I checked out a few plants over the weekend and most were close to $5. a plant. Aaron consider planting a cover crop also for next year.
We get our plants at an Amish green house. 12-14" tomato plants $1.89. Most of the Cabbage and other smaller plants $1.29. I think they sell on volumn and not individual pricing as they literally have thousands of plants, veggy and flower on hand. Some they have started them selves, others they bring in.
 
I started as much as I could from seed this year. I only had to buy a few tomato and pepper plants. They were $1.75 to $2.75 for 4 plants, which I didn't find too bad. My SIL sent me some tomato seeds that I tried and failed growing indoors. I took a few and direct seeded some outside. They are tiny but growing. Will see how they do.
 
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