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Westmoreland, KS

Okay all. I'm starting a new patch this spot had a lot of grass located in it. I've taken a soil test and I'm waiting for the results.

Now what?

Is it best to till the patch, dig it up with a shovel, just put compost on the top of it and then plant a cover crop?

Any and all suggestions are welcome, if you've had good luck with a new spot what steps did you take.

thanks

9/3/2014 11:17:27 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

You have time to spray the grass with glyphosate (Roundup) to get a good kill before tilling in any amendments. If you don't get a good kill you will be fighting grass for a long time.

9/3/2014 11:20:46 AM

Western NY

Take a look at the first half of my 2012 diary, that's what I did for patch prep:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryView.asp?season=2012&grower=16717&action=L

9/3/2014 1:35:42 PM

Westmoreland, KS

Andy do you think tilling everything in is the best way to go...in this spot i'm going to try to do no till as much as possible (i'm not opposed to tilling I'm just thinking about trying no till) I have access to as much compost as i can shovel so i was thing about roundup, adding amendments, then compost then cover crop and not tilling... Any thoughts on doing it this way?

9/3/2014 2:36:27 PM

Western NY

I think most of the reason I tilled was to mix in the cover crop seeds.

Layering in the way that you're thinking may work, but I think it would be best to somehow mix the compost with the native soil at least a little bit- either through plowing, tilling, or with a shovel.

9/4/2014 9:48:24 AM

Stanwood, Washington

I think it depends on how much amendments you need to add to the native soil per your soil test. The roots can go down 2 feet deep so if all of your nutrients are in the top 6" of the soil then in my opinion you are really limiting yourself if you don't get the goodies tilled deep into the existing soil. My patch has been built up over the years by adding compost and manure over the existing soil. I tilled in the top 6 inches or so every year but I never really broad forked or did anything to break up the existing soil that was there before I started building the patch. As a result I felt that the roots were really only thriving in the material that I had added at the surface and not going very deep.

Last Fall I dug all of the top soil out of my patch down to hard pan There was about 10" of good loose soil. I then tilled the hard pan and started layering back in alternating manure, compost and native soil. by breaking up 8" or so of hard pan with my tiller and adding another 6" of new material I effectively increased the depth of loose nutrient filled soil to about 24". I currently have a pumpkin estimating at 1200 pounds on 290 square feet so i think the results were pretty good.

Personally I am skeptical of the no till method for AG's These thing pull so much out of the soil that I dont think there is any way you can keep replenishing the soil enough without tilling in lots of amendments and tilling them in deep.

9/4/2014 11:41:09 AM

Westmoreland, KS

Awesome info guys...i'm sold when my soil test comes back i'll post the result in the mean time i will use both of your suggestions. I'll till the patch, then dig down and till again . i'll mix in all the goodies and then plant the cover crop. I'll do my best to get it too 2 feet deep.

9/4/2014 2:18:10 PM