correct plowing ?

[gutterman]

just wondering what is the correct way to plow. as in direction to keep from making hign ridges on the outside and low valleys in the center...the fellow that uses my ground has been plowing it for some 6 years and it has probably a 18'' high 5' wide streak along both outer areas and probably that same depth valley in the center....i would guess the garden to be maby 150' wide and around 400' long....i would like to know what he has been doing wrong, as i dont see anyone elses garden in this shape. thanks.

 

[R Geiger]

(quoted from post at 23:44:49 04/16/12) just wondering what is the correct way to plow. as in direction to keep from making hign ridges on the outside and low valleys in the center...the fellow that uses my ground has been plowing it for some 6 years and it has probably a 18'' high 5' wide streak along both outer areas and probably that same depth valley in the center....i would guess the garden to be maby 150' wide and around 400' long....i would like to know what he has been doing wrong, as i dont see anyone elses garden in this shape. thanks.

When you plow, plow in such a direction that you are turning the soil towards the center for a year or two.

 

[dbNga]

(quoted from post at 07:44:49 04/16/12) just wondering what is the correct way to plow. as in direction to keep from making hign ridges on the outside and low valleys in the center...the fellow that uses my ground has been plowing it for some 6 years and it has probably a 18'' high 5' wide streak along both outer areas and probably that same depth valley in the center....i would guess the garden to be maby 150' wide and around 400' long....i would like to know what he has been doing wrong, as i dont see anyone elses garden in this shape. thanks.

Your plower is taking the easy way out. When I was growing up dad would measure off the field and start in the middle turning the soil out, then turn around and turn it in, this was called making a water furrow.
He would also not plow from end to end....stop at a predetermined spot after he had made a number of up and down turns, he'd then start plowing across the ends of the freshly turned furrows and in the end he'd have a square pattern going and finish at the four sides at the same time. This way the field/garden doesn't end up being a bowl.Yes plowing is an art.

 

[Errin OH]

He needs to alternate directions. If if he starts on the outside moving in, the next time he needs to start in the middle and move out. This will prevent the same area from having the dirt constantly moved over leaving low and high edges.

Another, and IMO, a better choice (depending on how often it is being worked) is to plow your sod under, then each year after chisle it. Once the sod's root base is gone all you really need to do is break it up to prepare the seed bed. This doesn't move the dirt around, just breaks it up. Another advantage to a chisle is, it gets down deep enough to break up the pan (drainage thing).

 

[Tom Beddard]

That made me remember that Daddy would tie a piece
of rope thru a hole in the front wheel and up around
the tire. He would then slowly drive across the
field counting the revolutions to the other side,
then drive back 1/2 the revolutions to the center.
saved a lot of walking & didn t need help to do it.

 

[elmersooner]

in England they have long hills that are from generations of families plowing the same land. it was hard to turn a plow pulled by an ox, so their land was usually as long as an ox could pull before resting, then they would turn it around and go again. the landscape in a few areas is still wavy and it is from years of plowing and scooting the land to the middle of these hills year after year. I try to go clockwise on even years and counterclockwise on odd years in my garden.

 

[gutterman]

i spent the better part of 12 hours on this area disking and moving dirt toward the center with a back blade, filling in the drop offs where he either started or ended,(a new ditch every year it was plowed) got it in tollarable shape, sowed grass on it and decided that it wouldn't be used anymore...although there is another area that could very well be worse...will be the last year for growing there ....just for kicks i will try to post a pic, you wont believe how bad it is..

 

[L B]

The owners manuals has some plowing proceedures.

 

[ray hofstetter]

I thought EVERYONE filled the dead-furrows in the following
year.....Dad would've beat my butt if I didn't start plowing at
the dead-furrow(where I finished last year)