Plowing when wet - how compacted and how to fix?

12 years ago

Maybe I shouldn't post until I go out tomorrow and assess the damage, but we have 1.34" of rain on Tuesday, sleet and snow that night, took a while to melt (at least in shady spots) yesterday, today DH took the tractor out and plowed the back field!

I didn't know that he was going to do it, didn't find out until he came in at about 6:30 as I was leaving to take DD to Easter egg hunt - all he told me when he called at 5:30 was that he was out back - I assumed tearing apart the beaver dam yet again.

So how bad do you think this is, I know wagon trails across the West still show signs of soil compaction 150 years later.

He doesn't even know what he wants to plant there, I'm looking for a place to plant potatoes, was going to try the old hay field since the hay's no good but I know parts of that are too wet.

We haven't had anything planted out there, he'd mow it with the riding lawnmower occasionally, it's near the old orchard. Last fall he had my dad go in with the excavator and pull out all the wild roses (and black raspberries). There used to be wild strawberries in that field/clearing but I haven't seen any the past 2 years.

I can't seem to impress upon DH and Dad that running heavy equipment over the fields and/or working the soil when it's wet results in soil compaction. Just looking to salvage the area now - DH said maybe plant peas to get N up (but we haven't had it tested so I don't know how bad it was, grass looked pretty good to me last summer), I said peas need support, and potatoes don't need much N, he said he could take 2-bottom plow out if I pick up the stones. Maybe we should just sow clover?

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Comments (5)

Rio_Grande
12 years ago
As far as the compaction, a good plowing will take care of most issues. Has a lot to do with your soil. A soil test is best but this stuff ain't rocket science. Crops were grown fo a long time before we gained all the knowledge we have today.

We grow in clay loam. Not the best soil.. Compaction is always an issue for us. We run a ripper in the fields at about a 2 inch depth every spring and fall. It helps drain. Remember you really only grow in the top foot ish of soil. A good size plow will turn close to that.

Good luck, relax, have some fun.
2ajsmama
Original Author
12 years ago
He disked it. I didn't think we had more than 1 plow, but he had said he plowed it and not with the 2-bottom.

He swears it wasn't wet but I haven't gotten out there (running to riding lessons and looking for 1801s today). I give up. None of the men in this family discuss anything with me before they do anything on the farm.

DH didn't even tell me he was taking Thurs and Fri off this week - I woke him up yesterday AM and asked if he was going to work. And he didn't tell me when he did a phone interview for a job in TX last year - just announced he had an offer 10 days before school started. DS told him he wanted to finish high school here and that was the end of it (for another couple of years at least).
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Rio_Grande
12 years ago
That should of been 2 feet not 2 inches,
myfamilysfarm
12 years ago
My dad used to use a subsoiler every so often to help keep the compaction down. this year unless he disc it several times, it will have 'cloditism, what I my dad called it when he accidently plowed or disc when it was too wet. It may take years to work those clods back out of the fields.

Good luck. Peas really don't need support, just easier to pick if they are. I usually plant 2-3 rows close together and they help to hold each other up, plus more peas per foot.
2ajsmama
Original Author
12 years ago
Yeah, I looked at my seed packets (only 3) and have bush type snow/snap peas. Problem is the deer - and I'm not going to fence that area off this year. So I'm thinking potatoes? Hope the deer won't eat those down to the ground like they would peas or beans.

He didn't disk the whole area - just a strip (10 ft wide? by maybe 100ft long) where they had pulled out the brambles and roses. Thing is, I don't know how much sun it gets b/c of overgrown orchard to the south, woods to the west (very close). Gets some morning/noon sun. I should have taken a shovel (or a piece of rebar if I could find 1) out to test for compaction but it doesn't look like he disked very deeply - though with the excavator running over it last fall it could have been compacted already.

My uncle came out when I was out there, said no to DH's sunflower idea (if there's even enough sun for that), said the bears would be all over them. I didn't think we'd get any sunflower seeds anyway with the birds and squirrels, didn't know bears liked them though.

I thought maybe pumpkins would be fun, we haven't had space to put them before, but need to get soil tested and I'm worried about hauling water back there (it's a pain to haul water to the tomatoes, and these are twice as far and less accessible). I guess if they dry up and die no big deal - DD would be thrilled to get just 1. But will deer ravage those? I know people usually grow them (and corn, etc.) in unfenced fields but usually plant so many they can deal with some losses.

DH likes turnips - what about turnips? Again, don't those need a lot of water so they don't get woody and bitter? Any ideas? The pH is probably about 5, and I don't know how much OM is in the soil since it was all chewed up and turned over (though not too deeply) by the excavator and disk harrow, our soil is sandy and may be compacted, lots of rocks, not sure how deep it is (though I think the big vein of granite is to the south), and no irrigation, morning/early afternoon sun only. Perfect, right ;-)?