New Garden Area Dilemma

[TheSeedObsesser]

Thanks everybody!

I like the cardboard idea, and think that I'll go with it - just need to find enough cardboard! I think that I'll focus on the parts that I'll be planting and go in lines first (remember I want to do vining crops to keep down weeds for the first year, at least that's what I'm thinking) and then I'll go back and hit the rest of the grass. Plastic might be cheap, but I'm a very "green" guy and don't think that the soil needs any more plastic in it - but if it turns out that the plastic appears to be the best way to go when it comes to resources, I'll go with it. If I was to lay the cardboard down this fall (now!) do you think that it would be ready for planting by spring. DigitS' - it is a little bit intimidating, but I'll try not to let that get to me. I want to get to a point were I can start making money from this and call it my profession. The work is hard, I can do that, time is what scares me.

Plenty of people with tractors and mowers here, Thistle, I'll have to do some asking around. The lady that's letting me use the land might even have a tractor that I can use. Thea area isn't fenced and getting goats back there would be too much trouble - it's a very long walk and the goats that we have are huge and strong (I should probably attach goat pictures to my journal thread later - I haven't shown them yet). Don't know here the nearest fire department is but it's something to look into (thanks for the video but I'll have to watch it later - low on time).

Nyboy, no eggplant there until the area is well established and the weeds aren't so much of a worry, but I might plant a few in the main garden. I'll have to update the eggplant thread later - nearly forgot about it.

(I'll continue the post later- busy, busy, busy!)

 

[canesisters]

Look around for places like Catipillar/Carter-Cat dealers and those whole house generator (Generac) installers. Both of those places receive VERY large things inb boxes and can be a great supplier for large pieces of cardboard.

 

[Nyboy]

Do you have water close by ?

 

[hosspak]

The goats (in mass) is a great option to knock down the weeds. But the roots still have to be broken up. You can use the black plastic until the final cardboard and straw go down. Then roll the plastic up and store it for the next section (very reusable). Remember; drip, drip, drip systems work best and save lots of water!!!

 

[bobm]

SeedO, here are just a few questions as a starter for yourself to answer . Is this lease for a year or two? Even for a crop share basis, it is not viable as it is only in the landowner's benefit. You would need a written LONG multi-year lease with provisions for if the land is sold or the owner dies, etc. in the old days and currently in the most primitive areas ... people used the slash and burn method, then the hoe to kill the weeds, grasses, brush,regrowth trees, etc . In your neck of the woods and current times, the only way to use this method is with local fire department or a volunteer one. Too , what are the polution laws where you live ? Using cardboard may sound good , but what about when the wind comes up ? Use rocks or straw to hold them down and were are you getting them from and taking them to the field? Use rocks for an acre becomes quite large and very time consuming when working alone ! Planting smother crops , sounds good in theory, good luck with that due to weeds having the habit of regrowing instantly as well time restrictions of growing the cover crops. Where are you going to get fertilizer manures and how will you apply it ? Use of tractor to mow, then plow, then disc, ? Then there is the weed root problem in all of the above alternatives. What about cost of materials and your labor vs. value of crops ? As a " green " gardener, You will be working from before sunrise to past sunset , even if you would have a team of horses to help with the heavy work, and then marketing the crops. Just where are you going to find the time to keep up with your studies ? Where are you going to find the time for your social life ? Due to these as well as other things that you would have to ask yourself, will you be willing to use chemical warfare to help achieve your goals ?

 

[canesisters]

@TheSeedObsessor - I don't want to toss a wet blanket on your excitement and enthusiasm and I think that you've probably been working through a ton of details about this new project.
When I first came to TEG I had this grand idea that I could take a piece of lawn and turn it into a 100' square garden.
Now ... you are already WAY ahead of me before you even cut the first blade of grass in this field because I had never grown a successful garden and had NO idea what I was getting into. However, several folks gently suggested that I might want to start just a bit smaller and 'grow with my garden'.
I'm suggesting the same thing. Since there are several new challenges to deal with in order for you to use this new area, perhaps you can thank the land owner profusely for their generous offer - and then explain that you will only use a small portion for the coming season until you work out a few things.
Then, once you have a working plan, you can expand until you have the whole area producing like crazy. Maybe a small area tilled and worked this winter/next summer - with all the grass from mowing the rest of it composted (still a 'crop' in my opinion)

 

[freedhardwoods]

I am an extreme workaholic. This week I have driven over 3400 miles and tomorrow I have to start picking 300' of wide row green beans and get them ready for canning. I have other chores to do as well before leaving out at 5 am Sunday morning. Even I wouldn't consider holding a job and working a one acre garden without a very good arsenal of equipment.

I had about 1/10 acre in corn this year, and I spent about 50 hours harvesting and preparing it for canning and/or dry storage. That doesn't include the time spent getting it to the harvest stage and taking care of the stalks afterward with 2 Troybilt Horse tillers and a garden tractor.


I agree with canesisters about starting small, digitS' about cover cropping the rest and bobm about a long term agreement.

 

[Smart Red]

@TheSeedObsesser, the easiest way to clear that space of grasses is to wait until the grass dies and burn it off. You will still have the roots and seeds to contend with, but the ground will be cleared.

If you are lucky, you can do a controlled burn yet this fall. I have managed a burn while the ground still had snow on it -- a January thaw. Scything will be more work and won't do much more than get the plant growth to a mow-able height.

If you decide to use cardboard, why not cover bedding areas and leave mowed grasses between them. You can plant the areas where cardboard was laid while you work next year to clear the grassy areas between the beds.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

I will properly update this thread properly later (maybe even today!), I've got some very good news, and updating this would be too much typing than I have time for at the moment.

Thank you all for your input and opinions - you've been very, very helpful! As for reconsidering and going for a smaller area - I'm going to access what I am truly capable of next year, put everything I've got into it, and adjust the size as necessary the year after. About the long term agreement, I've think that I've got that mostly taken care of, that's probably the most important thing that I should take care of before I even start. Everything else - I'll fill you in, but later.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Ok, so I went to talk to the lady that was letting me use this new land back on Thursday. She doesn't ever plan to sell the house, so no danger of her getting rid of it. Even though I don't like mentioning the possibility - she does have cancer, so she could end up buried before the end of the year. (So I might want to consider a contract or something to make sure that it stays in my hands. Although maybe she'll decide to keep it with me after she sees how much work I put into/ how much fun I have with it/etc. I don't know, I hate writing contracts.) She did say that she wants to see the land put to use and was tired of looking at weeds.

Anyways - the good news that I had mentioned yesterday. It turns out that she had had the whole area plowed and disced this spring by one of her relatives, and the weeds just took over. She's going to call the same guy to see if he can plow it and disc it again in the spring. This would get rid of the whole issue of me having to find a way to do it. That's the good news, and I know that I shouldn't be celebrating just yet, but it seems fairly certain. I'll also be hiring a friend from further up north to come down and give me a hand with preparing and planting the whole area in the spring (he's accepted the offer). I sure hope that that guy will be able to disc and till the land, because from what I here the land is very rocky and uneven, so even if I had to take our little tiller back there, it wouldn't be able to take that kind of abuse. The rocks I can work around when it comes to planting. And the rocks could be used for the cardboard, they're already in the field. As for cover crops - I was thinking of using cowpeas (or just peas for baymule). Edible, fast growing (once the heat hits), and the green could be turned into hay later in the year. Although cowpeas are warm-weather crops (I would need something that could be started earlier - buckwheat?). As for actual crops - I'm thinking that most of it is going to be winter squash and watermelon (the watermelon I'm 100% I could sell if I grow good-quality watermelons!). Green and dry beans will stay in the smaller main garden.