[Argee]

I guess I'll get a thread started.

I'm planting winter rye laced with hairy vetch in the garden patch this fall and in my 1 acre corn field that I just plowed under. The rye will act as a nurse crop for the vetch. The vetch will fix nitrogen in the soil making it avilable to next years crop.

Next spring I plan on taking an end of the corn field for a new garden patch and planting buckwheat in the old garden patch. I've had a garden there for the past 6-7 years so it's time to give it a rest, allowing me to rebuild the tilth and replenish the nutrients I've taken out. Plus I'm having some issues with specific weeds and diseases on my tomatoes, so a year off will allow the good bacteria activity to increase to deal with bad guys. Towards the end of next summer I'll turn my hogs loose in the old patch and let them till it up and fertilize it for me.

Sounds like a plan, if it would quit raining long enough I'd go out and disk the corn field.

 

[Argee]

Does anyone else grow crops? If so, I'd like to hear about them.

Hello? Hello? Is anyone out there in "Growing Crops" land??

 

[red-n-green]

Crops

I raise bermuda hay for the horse and dairy market. I only have about 50 acres in bermuda at the moment as it is expensive to raise and good hayground is hard to come by. I also have several fields of mixed grass that I cut for beef cow hay, probably another 50 acres or so. On a good year I can produce about 15,000 to 20,000 small square bales or 700 to 900 rolls of bermuda. Or a combination of each. I started my last cutting last night. This will not be a real high yeild cutting because the weather turned cool and the growing slowed alot. I am in the process of buying a 15ft grain drill to overseed my bermuda fields with winter wheat. This will give me an early cutting of hay and also shade out the undesireable winter weeds that we have in the south.

I also raise a small garden, but don't have much time to dedicate to it. And grow a little field corn for my cows.

I also do quite a bit of custom farm work, like baling, tillage work and bushhogging. And when I get the grain drill, plan to get into custom drilling.

About your tomatoes, it is recommended that they are not planted in the same spot year after year because fungus and disease. I have always heard to plant them on opposite sides of the garden every year. And have you put any calcium around them? We used to use crushed egg shells. That helps with blossom rot.

Jay

 

[Argee]

red-n-green said:

About your tomatoes, it is recommended that they are not planted in the same spot year after year because fungus and disease. I have always heard to plant them on opposite sides of the garden every year.

I do plant them at opposite ends each year, for that very reason. That's why I'm changing garden locations next year, besides giving that patch a rest for a year won't hurt it.
That's a good idea about the calcium, can't loose anything by trying it. I'll give it a try.

 

[parts man]

Thought I'd add my 2 cents(Canadian so it's worth less ), I'm not a gardener my thumb is definitly not green, usually black from grease.
We grow grass to feed our cows and for hay. We tend to plow and resead every 4 years, give or take. We spring sead oats underseaded to grass, 3way- timothy, white and red clover, and generally cut the oats green for silage as we get a better crop of grasss if the oats are offf early. Either way the cows get to eat the oats too.

 

[Argee]

Hey red-n-green,

What part, specifically, of TN you from. The wife and I are giving some very serious thought of moving norhteast of Knoxville..Tennessee is the only other state I love as much as Michigan..... that is except for Wisconsin.....I really, really, really like...Wisconsin..

 

[red-n-green]

Northwest TN

I live in northwest TN about halfway between Nashville and Memphis just south of the KY/TN state line. It's a small town named Paris.

Some really pretty country northeast of Knoxville. Gets a little cooler and has a bit more snow than we get here.

Good thing you are from Michigan, I think TN has passed a law that nobody from Wisconsin is allowed to move here anymore!!!

 

[Argee]

parts man.

What kinda growing season do you have there in NB? Is it relatively short?

 

[parts man]

Yes, relatively short. We're doing well if we can have our grain planted by mid to late may, and if we choose to let it ripen you risk running into a lot of rain by early Sept when it would be ready to harvest. The grass is generally done growing by early Sept as well.
I'm not sure of annual rain fall but I think it's over 60 inches, then we get snow. Here summer is 2 weeks of bad skiing. I know one unussual rain storm we got 8.5 inches in about 30-36 hours. Hay bales got washed down river along with one wooden covered bridge and a lot of other stuff, but like I said, that's not normal.
This year spring was late but fall was too, just really started getting frosts last week.
We had avery wet summer and had difficulty getting our haying done. We didn't start til early August, we plan to start around early July, as we only take one cut. When the weather is right we can wrap up our 700 round bales ( about 14000 square bales) in 2 weeks, this year took the whole month. 2-3 days at a time.

 

[Argee]

Originally posted by red-n-green
Good thing you are from Michigan, I think TN has passed a law that nobody from Wisconsin is allowed to move here anymore!!!

I think that's happening in a lot of states. Here in Michigan we won't let them cross the border until they show their green card... Or is it their cheese card?

 

[Chris]

red-n-green

Can you post a pic of your haying equipment? I dont have enough land to hay nor the equipment, but I have always been fascinated by it all. Our haying is still active now in LA...but it just rained and I think most cut this past weekend.. should be ok I guess.... how do you judge when to cut vs. the weather?

Thanks!
Andy

 

[red-n-green]

Haying equipment

I hope to cut one more field around the first part of November and will get some pics taken then. Most of my equipment is in the barn now and I am leaving to go to Colorado for two weeks Monday. As soon as I get back I will get some pics posted.

I just finished up most of my haying this week, should have taken some pics then, but was too busy trying to stay ahead of the rain. "Hay versus the weather" is always a problem here. You just have to watch the weather real close and kindof learn how the jet streams move and the affects of the weather on the other side of the country.

Jay

 

[Argee]

red-n-green said

I hope to cut one more field around the first part of November

I can't imagine being in the field in November other than walking through the snow!

 

[parts man]

Here in good ol' NB we're already FEEDING hay! It's been a warm fall but the grass is definetly done growing.

 

[red-n-green]

finished baling last 2 fields

This is abnormally late for me to be baling, but just finished baling my last 2 fields yesterday. It has been in the 80's here for the last several days. If it doesn't cool down soon, I could cut some of the other fields in a couple of weeks. But I will be spending the next week or two planting cover crops on my bermuda fields and no-tilling some pastures with fall grasses. If I get a chance, I will take a pic or two of one of my bermuda fields that was cut a few weeks ago. It is amazing how green everything is this late in the year.

Jay

 

[slipshod]

Argee

I called my mother-in-law a "hairy Vetch" never heard the end of it.

 

[Ingersoll444]

Last year was my first with a REAL garden, so I am kinda new at this. After the winter with the cover crop on the garden, what do you do with it? Just plow/till in under? I would assume it would be best to plow/till it in, then let it sit a bit, then plow agean, does that make sence? For now, I am just adding lots of compost to mine. Well, realy I just kinda let the compost make it's self right on the garden. I plan on tilling it all in come first thaw, and kinda letting it age till planting time. May try a cover crop next year.

 

[Live Oak]

I pile about 4 feet of leave on the garden and let them settle and mulch them up with the tractor MMM and then till them in.

 

[Argee]

The intent of a cover crop is just that, to cover the soil and to hold it until spring, protecting it from wind and water erosion. The added benefit of a cover crop is that it adds organic matter to the soil, thus giving your soil tilth or the ability to utilize water better.

 

[Ingersoll444]

I have been doing the same as Chief. First time was last year, and I tilled it all up, dumped two years worth of homemade compost, leveld, then tilled agean. Worked REAL well. This fall I tilled it all up, and dumped all the leves in it. I have also been dumping all of my compost stuff in there insted of my bins this year. This will also be leveled and tilled in. My soil is not that mad, but a little bit gravely, so any OM I add will only help. Oh and only organic ferts get added. No cems for me.