Good Morning all!
Just bought 39 acres with plans for a food forest, education center and glamping. Meeting with the town zoning board next week and moving forward with my retirement project! Looking at Yurts, grey water system, CSA and options to involve as meany people as possible. I am stuck on it is right to invest in a no till seeder.
I have 9 acres on land that needs regeneration. We eventually will use all of it for veggies and fruit trees but for now, I want to get a cover crop in this year. Right now it is in corn stubble and I have a little time to decide what implements to add to a 40hp tractor. I decided to buy a flail mower to much anything I cut plus I have two acres of road front to keep respectable.
$9,000 is a lot of money to spend on a grain drill for cover crops. I do not think I will use it after 3 or 4 years. I want to get a cover crop in once the field is dry enough but can't decide on the best method. I have sandy loam with very little organic matter. I am just north of the Finger Lakes in NYS and the soil will need rock picking. Most are small 2" rocks but lots of lunch box sized rocks! I will need to go over all 9 acres before using a no till drill.
If I get a seed broadcaster and a 6ft. roller my guess is I will have to spend more of seed but most likely won't reach the price difference of the drill. I got my order in early enough to have a grain drill arriving end of March but can get my deposit back since they can't keep them in stock.
I am looking for options and how to's that people have done.
1. Do I just use a broad caster and drag a chain hoping to do it just before a rain (uneven seeding)
2. Do I just a coulter cart with spikes after I broadcast.
3. Broadcast and then roll
4. Rock pick an acre a day and buy the no till seeder ( i know with seeding will be much better)
What have you done successfully would be a big help.
Thank you all in advance.....Jim
