Garden Layout... - Page 2

Mountain Heritage · #11 12-15-2010, 08:48 PM

Just wondering....besides depth for roots...what is the big advantage to mounding up soil to plant in??

pulse301 · #12 12-15-2010, 09:37 PM

Mike,

I wondered the same thing when I was planting my small garden and from what I could find, the REAL reason is drainage. Some people claimed it was because the mounds heated up and cooled down at a different rate than justa flat garden, which is supposedly good for melons and i think corn, IIRC. But The big issue was during spring rains you don't want water to pool up on your seeds, instead you want the roots to grow into the heavy water. So basically you build a mound, then put a kind of ditch around it for the water to drain to. It also is supposedly the way native americans did it way back whenever in order to yeild more crops, if you're incredibly bored you can read this book all about it:

http://books.google.com/books?id=cnw...page&q&f=false

I think this only really applies ot seeds though, not when transplanting plants.

IAfarmer · #13 12-20-2010, 05:13 PM

We don't mound on our place, as that is just more work!

Raised beds are better for heat and drainage, but need too much additional water, in my humble opinion.

Good flat ground goes a long way and produces well.

Mountain Heritage · #14 12-21-2010, 10:30 AM

Just wondering....since I have yet to try out my tiller I bought last fall. How deep can you guys till with a series 2 tiller? I would imagine it would give you a decently deep seed bed to plant things in. Not that I have really hard soil, which is great, but I have only ever used a Farm King Allied tiller behind my uncle's Kubota. It digs it down a good 6 to 7 inches deep which is I think pretty good. After all, I am not digging for gold, just planting veggies! :biggrin2.gif:

IAfarmer · #15 12-21-2010, 01:51 PM

I did not measure, but I know it was plenty for what I was planting. I coudl use more depth for the potatoes, but I'll probably rake soil up around the plants as they emerge to help with that.

My garden was sod for many years, as are the new gardens I just tilled up, so the ground was hard as a rock. It took a lit of lifting and lowering to keep things turning, but I also have the wrong pulley on the tiller.

On another note, I remembered that I placed newspaper under the red carpet in the picture above. It was gone by fall.

Mountain Heritage · #16 12-22-2010, 09:43 AM

I am interested to see how the tiller works out for depth it will till into my sandy loam soil. I have my cultivator now so it will be neat to see what all I can do with it. I am hoping I can do some work with the cultivator between rows before things get too tall to cut down on some manual labour with a hoe and three tine cultivator/hoe? Was quickly looking at it this morning before work and thought I might get some 3" spade type sweeps to put on the cultivator as well to help rip things up the full working width when the time comes. I can pick them up for about $4.00 or $5.00 each at my local farm dealership. Oh the ideas are almost endless! :biggrin2.gif: Whether they work or not is another thing!

nra1ifer · #17 12-22-2010, 10:05 AM

My garden spot is big enough that I can space my rows far apart to drive a GT with a cultivator and/or my #1 tiller down the rows. It works very well and saves a LOT of back aches. I think you'll like yours! That leaves just a few weeds that can be pulled once in awhile, and if you are harvesting leaf lettuce, spinach, chard, or other things that get picked often, you can pull weeds as you are harvesting, making weed maintenance a snap! (Relatively!!!)

johncub7172 · #18 12-22-2010, 10:43 AM

To tell the truth, my mounds realy did hold in moisture, but in the summer heat, I still need to water every-other day, and the fact that some plants need/like that much water. I dont mind the extra work for doing something I love. Like I've said, my friends planted their garden....flat and rows goverd in plastic. Their plants were small and the ground hard stunting the plant size. Next year, the raised mounds will be bigger and I will not till between the rows as much. Realy looking forward to garding next spring! My soil is sort-a clay, around these parts. IAFarmer....that is a very nice pict. of the old barn and garden! Going to get Mars onions. Asparagus will have grown more. Brussel sprouts cut back and will take themselves up starting in the spring. Want to have better and more herbs. I know I got alot to learn and its fun using the IH Cub Cadet to get it done! Cheers!

Mountain Heritage · #19 01-09-2011, 08:47 PM

Was reading in one of the seed catalogues I received last week....they have some carrots they are selling, can't think of the name right now....encouraging 16" tilling depth for them to grow in! Holy

!! I'd say there would have to be some SERIOUS hilling going on there! Its interesting to read about some of the trials they have done and the outcome of them too. Mind you, they are growing these test plots sometimes in the "perfect" growing conditions. But I am sure there is others that they do try growing it in the crappiest of soil conditions too. I think I need to cut my list back of seeds I want to buy....its a little ...umm...HIGH! $$$ Crazy. Still pretty sure I am going to load up the trailer behind the ATV in early spring and bring home a load of 3 year old compost that is piled up at parents house out in the back thirty. Should be nice and rotten by now. Want to put it on early so I can get it worked in good when I start plowing, that way I can break it up good with the tiller when I get to it. Sucks that I didn't do it last fall - but I figure if I break it up good with the tiller it will be ok anyway? Its not like it was just put into a compost pile last fall.

Anyone have any suggestions about the best way to grow raspberries & black berries? Raised bed like the strawberries good or should they be down on level ground so they can be mowed off easier when they get too old?