New to farming/gardening - seeking advice

[Peter Person]

Vegetable Garden has 7’ tall PVC Critterfence with a 24” high chicken wire skirt that is 4”-6” below grade with a composite board on the outside, also buried about 4”.
Gate was made using some welded wire window guards pulled off a project I was involved with about 14 years ago. Each one is 3’ wide x 6’ tall.

Strawberry bed is pretty much the same.

I put photos in the 2023 Garden thread that Sonny started.
I think there are some in the 2022 Garden thread as well.

[SamsFarm]

I personally dont like fall plowing, because we get a lot of rain in my area during the winter and I dont like watching my soil wash away.

Something to consider.

Get yourself a set of Cub cultivators if you dont already have a set.
You'll then want to plan your rows for cultivation with the Cub.

I cut about 4 inches off each side of of my rear tool bars for the Cub and plant most things on 30" rows.

Potatoes get around 40" rows so I can use the Cub for hilling too!

Your body and soil life will like it much more if you skip the toxic chemical spray cocktails!

[tmays]

I will second the comment on plowing in the fall and discing ing the spring. Works well. But be sure to disc before summer type grasses appear. I plant a cover crop in the fall, usually

[52DAVE]

I'm in west Mi and have sandy loam soil. If I work up the soil in the fall and the soil is wet I always have clumps that do not break down over the winter. Last year a neighbor had corn on 3 acres of my land. He disked it up in the fall and was amazed at how ruff it stayed. Even with the much bigger tires on his tractor he said he did a lot of bouncing around to work it up this spring. My ground does best when worked with a disk or drag after plowing any time of the year.

[outdoors4evr]

When to plant: Michigan isn't "frost free" until Memorial Day so most plants cannot go into the ground until then. Seeds can go in a week or two earlier but you risk the tender shoots being frost-bitten. Some plants are cold-weather hardy like peas, radish, asparagus, and lettuce.

Seed packets usually provide instruction for the plant spacing. Tomatoes need a lot of space. Peppers can have rows be quite close. If you are hand-weeding (hoe handle work) then the spacing can be varied per the plant to utilize the garden space optimally. If you are using a tractor or a rototiller, then the row spacing will need to match the tractor tire spacing / implement or the rototiller width.

Garden size, I can't seem to manage more than a 40x40 garden by hand (with hand tools only). I just can't keep up with the weeds, watering, harvesting, and canning. My life is just too busy.

[coppersmythe]

good evening from the scorching deep south . i used a 152 disc plow on virgin soil, worked great . i then used the plow to break up the dirt a bit , by going back and forth the length a few times , moving over a foot or so at a time , . After a period of rain , when it dried out enough , I switched the plow for a cub 6 tool bar , set to make rows . But , I used it like a disc. It did a great job, and then made proper rows with it. About 4 passes to make each row , and done. I used what i had , just with a little imagination and thinking outside the box . coppersmythe............................ps: should have taken pictures, i'll get one of the finished rows.

[Eugene]

After you get your soil test results, research cover crops for your needs.

I like forage radish. They bore deep holes in the soil. Winter killed with leaves matting the soil and the holes letting moisture drain into the soil.