Michael Cranford

Hello Everyone,

We're in the process of building our first market garden.  It's roughly 1/3 acre (9,500 sq. ft) built into 5 natural raised bed sections.  The bed is 200+ feet from the nearest plumbed water source, and I'm starting to think through the most effective way (minimizing costs) to get water to the garden.  Given the distance and slight uphill slope from my spigots to my garden area, I just don't know if a long hose and diverters are really going to do the trick.  Maybe?  I've started to research gravity fed systems, but before I get too far I wanted to reach out to the best bank of knowledge sources I've come to know: this group!  I'm open to any and all ideas.

Well everyone, I'm closing the loop on this one.  I searched and searched for something "budget friendly," but the market for tractors is just nuts.  I was seeing rust buckets out there for $9,000.  SO...wound up finding a pre-emissions 2012 JD 3038e with a FEL.  580 hours.  Only cost me $6,000 more than the rust bucket :).  Thank you all for your help!!!

SO helpful everyone- I'm always blessed by the willing minds and breadth of knowledge I find in these forums.  Thanks to those of you who have chimed in on the reliability of those older Fords as well as those who have chimed in on the price.  That's huge.  I am fortunate enough to have a good friend whose father was a tractor mechanic for 40+ years, and he'll have his eye on anything I buy.  That makes my comfort level in GENERAL go up, as I can tinker well enough to do some regular service work.

Travis, thank you as well for your wisdom on this.The debt thing is a struggle for me.  I too am a cash only guy and stomaching a big loan on a tractor seems like a leap.  That aside I would probably just run over to my local Kubota dealer and buy a 2501 or 3801 package deal with a rotary cutter and tiller.  It's that monthly payment that haunts me brother. I've also seen story after story of people regretting their first "big" tractor purchase, usually because they bought too small.  It's helpful to know how much you're able to manage with a 25hp though.

Through the collective wisdom I'm concluding that regardless of whether I'm comfortable with an older tractor, this particular older tractor is overpriced.  I'll post an update to the thread whenever I have one to share.

Thanks everyone!

Hello Everyone-

Just wanted to post an update for you all.  Thanks again for all the great advice!  In early November we planted 8 varieties of North Carolina, Piedmont-region specific apple trees bred for disease resistance, drought tolerance, and good ol' NC soil.  I haven't solved my watering issue yet, but fortunately the late fall/early winter has been fairly wet here, and in dry spells I'm watering with a backpack sprayer.  I have a slight uphill to traverse with my hoses before they reach my 300 ft of trees, so I'm losing a LOT of water pressure along the line.  Otherwise, however, it's been a success to this point!  Happy New Year all.

Hi Everyone,

So I've been tractor shopping for several months now.  To be honest I haven't ever had this much analysis paralysis from a purchase decision.  Time has been on my side for a while as the farm we bought had most of the pasture leased last summer and fall.  That all changes this Spring so time is now an issue.

So here's what I'm thinking.  Until I've had some time under my belt, I simply don't know if I need a 40 hp tractor if the little 25 hp compact tractor types will be the job done.  It's such a big expense I don't want to screw it up simply because I'm in a time crunch.  SO....

A local farmer has an old (and I mean 1949 old) Ford 9N that has been cleaned up real nice and is selling the thing along with cultivator and disc implements for around $3,500. Anyone have experience with these old Ford tractors, and does my logic make sense?  I love old tractors so there's definitely some nostalgia, but I want to make a smart spending decision here and I just don't know that I know enough to go out and spend big money on a "forever tractor."

Thanks!

For your stationary, I'd say 5x12 should be plenty big enough for the primary structure (excluding the run).  Depending on your climate, you may only need a 3-sided enclosure with the closed end containing your nesting boxes.  I echo the sentiments of some others: you don't need 1 nesting box per bird.  Our last flock was 13 and they shared 6 boxes and really only used 3 of them.  Roosting space is more important. Oh and if you can keep your boxes low, it should cut down on the hens roosting in the boxes themselves.  High boxes that are easily accessed from a standing position are nice, but in my experience, the higher the box, the more likely the hens will be to roost in it.

Only note on the rooster is that I wouldn't get one unless you plan on hatching your own chicks.  A flock of 8 shouldn't be too unruly.  Enjoy!

Wow, what great responses.  TJ, I have thought about the soil issue a bit.  I'm in the southern Piedmont region just Northeast of Charlotte.  Most of the soil here is red clay and, I would imagine, needs amending.  Question for you: when you say "start planting for soil improvement," are you referring primarily to cover crops that I would sow among the orchard floor?  Also, since you're familiar with these various regions, any thoughts on varieties with good opportunity for success in the climate?  I'd like to plant Stayman, Mutsu, and Gala, but the Piedmont climate is quite different from the Western part of the state.  Great advice on the size question as well.  We are bringing in small livestock in the Spring, including pigs, so I'll likely opt for a larger tree and prune as you all have advised.

James and Jamin, thanks for the breadth of your counsel: lots of good advice, in particular on the time horizon for ordering as well as counsel around the bare root/container decision.  I reached out to a family-run tree farm here in NC that has been in operation for over 100 years, so I'm hoping for good success.

Watering is obviously a big deal.  I walked the orchard area today and I think my "Phase 1" tree count will be around 40.  So the question is, what's your watering strategy?  Time and frequency seem to be all over the place depending on who you ask, and method is a big question as well.  Are you using soaker hoses, broadcast sprinklers, large watering cans :)?  

Mike- the deer are definitely here.  We have around 3.5 acres tied up in a pre-existing lease with a local farmer that terminates early in the Spring, and the deer are quite fond of that space :).

Wishing you all the best, and super-appreciative of the help!

First time poster and new to the Permies community.  Hoping to glean wisdom from those of you ahead of me in the game (we just closed on our little farm in July 2019)!  My family and I are looking to add an orchard space to our 15 acre homestead.  We're thinking about dedicating between 0.5 - 1 acre of space to fruit trees, with a blend of apple and pear.  It's the beginning of September in Zone 7, so *I think* this is a good time for us to figure this tree thing out.  We're hoping to plant somewhere between 20-40 trees.  So with that brief context in mind, here are my questions:

1. Thoughts on ordering bare root vs. purchasing in person in containers?  We don't have any local growers but the drive out to most is only around 90 minutes.  My brother in-law did the whole bare-root thing and his trees didn't survive even 6 months.  Maybe just poor care or is there something to that?
2. Standard vs. dwarf: is the added expense of dwarf trees worth it?  It would seem like production would be reduced for the sake of convenience but maybe not?
3. Light: I have a few different areas to consider for the orchard, but I have a patch of pasture set apart from my livestock pasture and it makes sense to put trees there if the lighting is right.  The biggest problem I have there is that there are some tall trees in front of the area and having observed the space for a few weeks, it looks like the space isn't in full sun until around noon.  Do fruit trees need that morning sun to be productive, or would the later exposure be ok?  I could clear some of the tree line causing shade issues, but I would prefer to leave as much of my wooded intact as possible as it creates a natural boundary with the adjacent property.

Thanks so much!