Spring Gardening Update

Its February...its spring! We had saved up for a tiller for the tractor but had been putting off the actual purchase until we researched all of the brands, found the best deal, and figured out how we could get it home (they weigh about 600 lbs). So we ended up with a King Cutter II 48" tiller that has a geared drive instead of chain and it came with a slip clutch for the PTO shaft. Its not all shiny like a Landpride or one of the Italian makes but its built like a tank, works great, and we ended up getting it new for $300.00 off the list price.

We had them load it on our quipment trailer with a forklift towards the front so it would ride better on the trip home (remember its 600 lbs) and then we had to use a bunch of Rube Goldberg efforts to get it off the trailer. It was in a wooden shipping crate and the loader on the tractor couldnt go high enough to lift it from the trailer. We looked at driving under a tree and using a come-along or a block and tackle but ended up tying a rope to the tiller and loader and then dragging it to the back of the trailer. Then we used the loader to help slide it down the ramps but the crate started to come apart and it got hung up. Needless to say we jimmied and pryed and in the end I was actually able to lift the thing off the ramps myself (and didnt pull out the hernia stitches!!). Holly got onto me about it but you know, digging all those post holes by hand is helping.

The tiller was at the front of the trailer and we pulled it to the back and then finally got it down the ramps and off loaded. In my mind the trailer was lower to the ground when we had them load the tiller and the loader was taller or I would have planned better.

Its a mud bog all over rural Missouri right now and in another indication of my lack of planning I never got around to getting the gravel laid last fall. Thats still an upcomming project.

And the machine in question.

6 heavy duty and replaceable tines per wheel. Tilling depth is adjustable down to 8" deep.

At the same sale we were able to pick up a middle buster for less than a C-note.

In addition to greasing the zerks on the tiller (green grease of course) and adding high pressure gear oil to the gearboxes the PTO shaft needed to be cut down. I took it appart, carefully measured for the maximum and minimum distance from the tractor PTO shaft and tiller at various lifting points, cut an equal amount from each half of the PTO shaft, trimmed the shield and then reassembled the thing and hoped I didnt royally screw it up. It worked perfect and in this photo you can also see the slip clutch just to the right of the saw handle.

I dont have live PTO so the tractor has to be engaged for the PTO shaft to work. I put it in 1st gear low, let out the tractor clutch and get the rpms up to about 2800 which is the 560 rpm point for the PTO and then come up to the tilling point and slowly drop the tiller.

I always keep the tractor in 4WD when doing ground engagement activities and I still need to add fluid to the tires but the tiller really didnt need any help and it worked flawlessly. The slip clutch even worked as it should when I hit a rock.

This was set at 6" depth and it came out like you had just layed 6 inches of topsoil on the ground out of a bag. We will be using it to prepare planting fields and tilling in various organic compost and green manure.

We just tested it for now. This is two passes side by side and the reason there are no tractor tire tracks is because the tiller is offset to the right to cover the right rear tire track.

And we have some of our onion starts planted already and doing well.

We seriously underplanted onions last year and this year we aim to correct that. We have several bags of onion sets to plant yet.

Our spinach patch from last fall survived and is producing again (yes we need to weed it).

The thyme is already going strong and we have planted other herbs in the greenhouse.

We plant many different varieties of vegetables and herbs for our own use and sale in addition to fruit trees and berries but we also plant a lot of flowers and ornamentals. Additionally, this year we have continues to expand our foray into grains and plants to act as deterents to animals and insects like castor beans, marigolds, etc.

Our early seed starts are doing well in the greenhouse even though its still getting below freezing at night (the greenhouse is heated).

We like the peat cups for most things as they can be planted directly into the ground and its less stress on the plant. They are also environmentally sound which is never a bad thing.

Many, many , many more to go.

And finally, we have a skunk and rabbit problem and we will be relocating some with these live traps.

Fall is Here...Gardening and Halloween Decorating

Hauling the hay for the front Halloween decorations Holly wanted.

Hay from our pasture, corn and sorghum stalks from our garden and pumpkins from our pumpkin patch...the scarecrow from Walmart!!

We started plowing the lower garden for next years croips and we plan on planting winter weat next week.

It looks cold in this photo but it was about 75 degrees...but it does look like fall which is my favorite time of the year.

It was time to knock down the corn field and plant winter wheat.

Throughly enjoyable task; brought back memories of the great corn harvest we had this year.

The sorghum patch in the background will remain for a bit longer. We have been cutting stalks and sucking on them like you would sugar cane..very sweet. Once we cut it down we will use it for silage for the horses.

We have composted regularly and have several good piles that actually steam when you turn them. Next week we are going to pick up a truck load of manure we were offered to add to some of our piles and to spread in the garden...prepping for next spring.

The supervisor

The boss with some of her carrots. She planted a variety of colors and though they look cool, I cant tell the difference. We still have a lot of carrots in the ground yet to harvest.

The bell peppers, turnips, beets, and carrots are all still doing well (we use row covers when frost is possible). We also have broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach in another garden and a bunch of herbs, tomatoes, lettuce and raddishes in the greenhouse.

The old corn patch ready for winter wheat sowing.

The new plot, less grass to mow, prepping for the spring, and ready for winter wheat.

The oaks are really changing colors too.

The new patch from the barn, the grass on this side of the big tree is where the leach field is so we cant plant there....I will have to continue to mow it.

We had a huge crops of persimmons off of our two persimmon trees. Once the frost hit them they went from bitter to sweet almost overnight but we had so many we couldnt give them away.

The Tractors

A man cant have too many toys...I mean tools...

26hp Dixon with a 54" cutting deck, sleeve hitch, single bottom mould bord plow, 10cu ft dump trailer, and a spreader..Ag tires next

It worked for the first season corn and pumpkin patch...

Hydraulics would be nice....so.....

The new Kubota..4WD, 3 cyl Diesel, loader, box blade, Kodiak brush hog, and 16 foot tandem axel equipment trailer...purely for work you understand

Holly's Birthday present..

Its a very nice machine..selling the Harley drag bike paid for this...much more useful but not as fast...

And because we are trying to keep the farm old fashioned (we get TV over rabit ears, we have a basic fridge and stove, our furniture is antique etc.) I got the 1948 Allis Chalmers for Holly (yeah...happy birthday)...

28hp, it has no hydraulics but does have a rear PTO, side PTO with belts, and hand brakes...I just met a guy here with an Allis Chalmers CA and we are looking at putting our rigs in the parade in Grovespring this year...JD country.

Good compression, runs good but a handful. We plan on growing Sorghum next year and I am looking for a Sorghum press to run off the belt PTO along with a 2 bottom trip plow and a sickle bar mower.

This is hard work I tell ya.

Oh, another project, an EZ-GO gas golf cart waiting for the lift kit and carb rebuild..right now the rabbits have claim.