New Year, Here We Go Again

My goal with all this is to hopefully develop a healthy, sustainable, and successful soil that I can be able to (with periodic maintenance) be able to move the bed to complete no-till, and to give me the skills and resources to convert my other beds to the same. I have tried other methods in the bed and I have gotten some success, but I would like to switch to a method that requires less spring prep work (other than a light raking and harrowing to build rows) and will be more sustainable overall.
With much of the organic materials being supplied off site and for free, I believe that having the skills to incorporate them in properly and having the right microbes, fungi, and other tiny critters to convert them will help me with becoming a more permaculture based growing operation. Unfortunately for now, I'm having to do a lot of work on the subsoil to get it stable enough to support a healthy topsoil.

https://www.agrisupply.com/rotary-tiller-gear-driven/p/77709/

I'm not sure. I got it from Agri-Supply. They had the best price, in stock, with delivery. I did have to shorten the shaft by around an inch (so close to not having to do anything), but it runs pretty good. I wish it had a chain catch for the tail, instead of a shackle, but that's fixable.

When we go to upgrade the tractor (I'm thinking 4k series), I'll get forks and a bale spike, but because it is only a 1025r, it doesn't really have enough weight or power to really do much. Hell, a couple times that tiller pulled my back wheels up (I think because of the packaging (pallet & frame) it lifted the COG higher than I would've liked so small bumps were rough going through the yard). But with the upgrade, we will also be doing a flail, hay rake, and possibly a baler. But all that requires more land first. I will however, like to keep my 1025 for small jobs and definitely not getting rid of the bucket.

With my old 2305 (essentially the same as yours) I had a loader/bucket, 4’ brush mower, 5’ rear finish mower, flail mower (amazing mower!), grader blade and box blade.  I sold all that to my neighbor and traded up to a 2038r with a loader/bucket, 6’ brush mower and grader blade.  I would like to add a flail more and maybe something for touching up my gravel driveway (box blade or land plane) and a frame for a carryall.

Although I absolutely love my new tractor—it makes bush hogging so much faster and easier on my back—I love having access to my neighbor’s 2305.  I fact, the two tractors compliment each other very well.  

By 4K, are you referring to the JD 4R series?

Eric

Yea, the "One Series" 4000 series. I wish they just did model numbers again, but yea. Probably something like the 4044M. Small, but with more power and options.

They delivered the yard waste today. This morning actually. I had just gotten back from dropping my daughter off at school, made myself a bagel, sat down, and all in time to say, "What the hell is that sound?" It was their garbage truck... NO BREAKFAST FOR JOHN!
The pile was about 20'x12'x10' tall. I was not expecting THAT much, but it was already steaming so I had to get started on it before it got too hot (most of it had been sitting in the truck all week, so it was pretty warm is some spots. Given that it was mostly dried dead grass (who cuts their dead grass in the winter?!?) and pine needles, I didn't want to see how hot it would get). They dumped it in our second driveway, so all I had to do was push it over the ledge and into my garden. I spent the whole day raking it with the bucket on the tractor to pull out the large sticks (and a Christmas tree???), and then spreading out the small stuff when I would run out of room. I have done about 2/3rds of the pile so far. Also, I had to stop today because my tractor was overheating, the dust from the pile had clogged up on my radiator, so the tractor got washed for the second time in it's life today.
Wife has gone to the gym, Walmart, and to grab Chinese food, so I have to be inside to watch the girls. I kind of wish I wasn't trying to run 100 mph all day, but rain on Sunday so I'm trying to get it into the garden and settled before then, otherwise it will take me twice as long to move.
On a side note, making rows, tilling the top of the row to throw dirt into the pathways has been successful at fixing some of the pothole puddle spots as well as firm up the ground in those areas.
And finally, I'm sorry, no pictures today. The forestry service is doing a "Controlled" burn today, so the entire town was in a dense layer of smoke (eyes burn, throat burns, I'm dirty as hell and smell like I've been standing above a camp fire that was buring wood covered in tar). Hopefully they will get it under control and out by tomorrow.

Photo Update!!!
So, Where did I leave off???
Friday, yard waste was dropped off. I spent most of the day trying to clear my driveway, and the rest of it mixing a couple bucket loads into the rows. Had my oldest driving the tractor while I did the gas and tiller stuff. They did a burn to get rid of the stumps from clearing to build a bypass around our town, and as a result had a heavy (couldn't see half a mile) smoke through the town. Apparently, smoke + warm day + me being too busy to vent or turn off the heater in my greenhouse = bad. I registered 135F. Needless to say, I lost almost everything. Here are some before pictures.


Saturday, I set rows and enjoyed some cold weather.
Sunday, I don't remember. Probably the same.
Monday, my wife had her dr. appointments, so I had to watch the kids all day. Junkers wanted to snuggle with me in the morning.

Today, I put T-Posts in. I have managed to lose or use around 100 of them, so instead of the 186 I need, I only have 96. Some quick math, I figured out a way to get the supports in so I can at least plant peas this week, and hopefully in a month or two, we will have enough money to buy some more. (Around $500)


I'm using baler twine this year, so I pull out full rows worth, and make it into a grid to help keep my lines straight (even if my rows aren't). Before I plant, I'm going to go down each row and recenter them, run the support lines (at least the first few) down each row that get them, and spread some of the yard debris (mostly leaves and pine needles) between the rows as a form of mulch. As time progresses, I'm going to alternate layers of compost with the yard debris to help build a richer soil for next year. I was able to spread a little bit of 10-10-10 fertilizer into the rows before I did my final passes on the rows to help the plants a little bit.
Hopefully I will be able to finish the T-Posts tomorrow, as well as till up and level the areas for the root vegetables and path.
I have also been working on a division of the flower seeds for the girl's flower beds. As it stands currently, I have 688.3g of seeds total, with 678.9g set aside for them. I'm thinking something like 10-15 sections, 1'x25', and I'll till it up once a week till Apr 15th and then let them spread them out and rake them over. I figure that they will really enjoy them, as well as provide a lot for pollinators.

I got all the T-Posts in, I just need to finish tying the support lines on, spread the yard debris between the rows, plant the peas, finish building the raised beds for my wife (3/4 done), fill them, and finish the area for the berry bushes. Every day this week has felt like a week in itself. I am exhausted.
I received the berry bushes last night (UPS had my address wrong, so I had to go pick them up from the hub after the girls went to bed). I ordered 102 plants but received 124 of them. I'm going to have to call and talk to them today.
I've made some changes to how I want to set up the berm with the plants. Instead of planting on the berm and behind it, I'm working on moving the berm back 5' and allowing myself a flat area to plant in and put the extra on the berm. I didn't plan on this originally, but after (accidently) pushing too far in one spot, I noticed that the soil was super rich under it and decided to just push the whole thing back. I'll post pictures when I have them, but I think it will work out pretty well. The path where the berm was is about 6-12" below grade of the yard, and 5' wide, and since I have it backed up to an earthwork berm, I'm putting in a span or corrugated tubing to help with drainage (I'm not burying it, because I want it to drain naturally over time).

Gotta say John, I think you are making great progress!

I would think getting extra plants would be great—if you can’t plant all, at least you could pick out the 18 worst looking plants and leave them out.  Alternatively you could heal in the extra plants should some fail to thrive.

You have an ambitious project but I think it will pay dividends in time.

Eric

My wife wishes it would pay more in the $$$ than in the beauty and memories, but that's the price you pay (pun).

On a side note, just to give everyone a heads up, although it may seem obvious, don't run over rebar with a tiller. Even though it is powerful enough to keep going without making a sound, you will spend a long time with an angle grinder and a crowbar. If you didn't know that there was rebar there, that's (I'm assuming) your fault, and you should make a note for next time. If you have to run over rebar, don't do half inch, do something smaller.

The extra plants are a mix of black and raspberry, which have very different plant spacing requirements. That's my only concern.

Guess what time it is?!?

Time to sit and wait for the page to load all the photos I'm about to post... enjoy.

I took these at 10:00 today, before my phone died...





Unfortunately, I took out my only fruit producing fig tree in the process.
Story Time!
I used to have 2, but one rotted and was taken out in a thunderstorm. Hurricane Florance took down a tree beside the second one, which had, at some point in its past fallen over, and the newly fallen tree stood it back upright. (Basically, it went from | to |__ to __|) But because this fallen tree was in my way, so I had to cut the rotten roots and trunk to get through, and I accidently clipped the roots of the fig tree, pulling it out of the ground. so, I guess I'll have to work on my 4 other fig trees to get them big enough that I can try to beat the kids to the fruit.

These are from this evening.



As you can see, I didn't go all the way around the property, but instead stopped where the corn and potatoes meet in that corner, this made it easier to make a smooth transition between the path and the cut. Now the berm is a straight line (ish) and the path curves like it did, but if you stayed straight, you'd be in with the berries.

I also put a row in the berry area to try to keep the dogs from messing it up as much.

Corn area


And here are the plants in my greenhouse. The top photo is of the plants I'm selling, the bottom is of the berry bushes.

Sorry for the delayed update.

Over the last two weeks (really? 2 weeks!?!) I have gotten a lot done, but it has been absolute chaos.

I made signs to go at the end of my rows in my garden, I'll let y'all figure out what I messed up. I didn't notice it, but the 7-year-old did.


I made the frame for the chicken guards for my wife's raised beds. I'm in the process of covering them with bird netting.


My wife's flowers, which keep disappearing because the toddler picks them...


Story Time!
The youngest dog pooped in the kennel and stank up the house, and since I refuse to do it because she is not my dog (every dog has a specific person they listen to more. If I tell her to sit, she sits if it's convenient, but if my wife says it, it's automatic. My dogs are the Lab-Dane and Mastiff-Plot hound. Hers is the Lab-Shepard. My dogs know not to run across the rows in my garden, not to dig, and to just hang out if I'm working out there, hers, not so much. but she is still a good dog.), My wife attached her to a lead in the yard to wash out the kennel. While it dried, we left her outside, it was a nice day, figured let her yell at some squirrels and watch the chickens. Needless to say, the lead was about 18" too long, and she got into my greenhouse and attacked some of the berry bushes, destroyed the entire front of the greenhouse fabric, and broke a couple supports. Hindsight huh? So I got to upgrade from a 20'x10' to a 26'x10', and I got it cheaper than the 20'. It arrived on Sunday, and I spent the night getting it put together and installed. Monday morning, I went through the school drop off line with an empty trailer and arrived back home with a full trailer of pallets and the back of the truck overflowing. This had been my week.

I even built some shelves using wire shelving for laundry rooms and pallet wood.  (toddler for scale)



I also redid the signs. Some are better than others, but it'll work.




Ah, and my tiny Forman. (yea, that's dirt hanging from her mouth and my row marking flags in her hand. She's super helpful.)


Wednesday, we planted the rasp, black, elder, and goji berries. Today I have the Kiwi to do. We also planted two plum, an apple, and a peach tree. And my peas are sprouting pretty well.
I built another compost area to make turning it easier and mixed the topsoil I removed for the greenhouse into the compost. I need to go get more manure and add that into it, but I will probably wait till my wife adds the compost to her raised beds.
In the last two weeks, I filled 1434 cells with dirt and seed, the majority of which is flowers to hopefully ease the task of the girls spreading seeds.