Gardening in the country with a Super A

[moparguy]

I lucked into a 1951 Farmall Super A a couple years ago at a local auction. Came with a pickup bed full of attachments that I'm still figuring out how to use. I grew up in the rural farm life and at 10 years old could harness the old plow horse, hook up a planter and plant peas. Later Dad would let me plant corn with the Farmall H using a two row planter. I'm blaming my lack of current knowledge on how to use the lit'l Farmall Super A to 50 years of dust that's collected between my ears since those days.

This year I decided to break up some new ground in front of the cabin that's about 3 miles from the house and plant a garden. It's been disk about 5 times and yesterday I hauled the A into it's new play pen using the old 1 mile long wagon road and spent an enjoyable afternoon letting it work.

Hoping for a bountiful harvest as they say. ​

 

[Wayne M.]

That's awesome! The city boy asks- What are you putting in? And how do you know the soil is "right"? How would you till in amendments if needed?

 

[moparguy]

That's awesome! The city boy asks- What are you putting in? And how do you know the soil is "right"? How would you till in amendments if needed?

Wayne, planted 4, 50 yard long rows of heritage sweet corn, Golden Bantam. One "Should" take a soil sample and have it analyzed for needed supplements. My state is a farming state and this time of year it can take weeks to get samples analyzed, since this is sorta a spur of the moment project I didn't want to wait. I'll side dress in urea or triple 13. That means I'll open a furrow between each row, put fertilize in the open furrow then make a pass with a couple cultivators close it. Since corn's roots go to the side, they'll access the nutrients easily.

 

[jgillott]

Must be nice to be able to turn ground over this time of year. It will take at least until the middle of April before ours is ready to go.

 

[GCroyle]

That looks like therapy for the body and mind.

 

[Wayne M.]

Definite therapy. Just to use the machines, and have the land to do it.

 

[JR]

Hopefully you've got plans for coon patrol!

With that size of a plot you must be setting up a produce stand. My favorite part of the summer involves gardening and caring for our small orchard. Sets the mind at ease.

 

[TFucili]

Always consult your County Agent

 

[jhenderson]

Farmers here would be jealous. Fresh plowed ground without a stone big enough to throw at a crow. I’ve seen farmers here picking softballs out of harrowed ground that’s been under cultivation since the 1800s. Not to mention the soil temp around here won’t be fit for planting until at least the end of May.

 

[moparguy]

That looks like therapy for the body and mind.

Yep on therapy. It's amazing how relaxing it is to just sit and enjoy the quite. No car noise, just birds perhaps one of the redtail hawks that live at the edge of the pasture screeching. Cooking a steak at the fire pit while enjoying an adult beverage is the Good Life in my book.

My brothers and I built the cabin on the wife's grandparents old house place about 15 years ago. They lived there in the early 1900's. We built it like the poor boys we are, nothing fancy just plain and simple. It has definitely been worth the time and bit of money it cost.

The panoramic interior shots look a bit skied I just noticed. The converted kerosene lantern on the front porch has just been converted to a 18 LED 12V light. You can't see it in the images but there's a fence post chandelier in the cabin with 6 of these LED's that do a great job of lighting while using very little battery. But...sticking to the simple life concept we do have 3 working kerosene lamps for emergencies and that homeplace look.

Most of the furnishings inside are old family items from the bed I slept in as a boy, to grandmothers wood stove and a kitchen cabinet from a great aunt, along with a small blue table my grandfather built in the 1920's. Some of the exceptions are the pine table I made from a tree we used as a backstop while sighting in rifles before deer season as boys in the 1960's. It was in front of my boyhood home and died about 20 years ago. The love seat is framed with scrap wood from the same tree.

Believe it or not, we've never locked the place up and never lost anything or had any vandalism (and I may have just jinxed myself !).

 

[Wayne M.]

Not helping to jinx yourself, but whereabouts are ya? That's an amazing cabin.

 

[moparguy]

Wayne, we're in the woods in Arkansas.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Keep the pics coming

 

[Wayne M.]

Wayne, we're in the woods in Arkansas.

Excellent.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Someone suggested the County Agent for testing which is the way we went in Indiana through Purdue Ag extension office. One day while shopping I noticed a soil test kit and thought what the Hell. It came back with VERY close to the same results as Purdue.

we've planted 8 fruit trees and had previously tilled the ground added 4 yards of compost and are awaiting for the snow to disapate on this First Day of Spring so we can till in another 4 yards.

 

[JR]

Someone suggested the County Agent for testing which is the way we went in Indiana through Purdue Ag extension office. One day while shopping I noticed a soil test kit and thought what the Hell. It came back with VERY close to the same results as Purdue.

we've planted 8 fruit trees and had previously tilled the ground added 4 yards of compost and are awaiting for the snow to disapate on this First Day of Spring so we can till in another 4 yards.

What did you plant for fruit trees Big?

 

[BIGNASTY]

What did you plant for fruit trees Big?

Two Pear (can't recall the names right off) Two apples, Honey Crisp & Royal Gala these & the Pear need pollinators. Peach, Chinese apricot, Nectarine, Plum. Most are the dwarf or semi dwarf variety. I can't recall all names of them but will find out tomorrow its snowing the biggest flakes I've seen in a long time In the one picture you can see three poles near the chainlink fence, those are for 3 Blueberries early, middle, late setting and three Raspberries two red & one yellow. The garden is 30 ft X 50 ft

We've got pretty much all the veggies that aren't direct sow started in seed starting flats, along with so many flowers that I wouldn't even try to name them.

 

[BSeyler]

Two Pear (can't recall the names right off) Two apples, Honey Crisp & Royal Gala these & the Pear need pollinators. Peach, Chinese apricot, Nectarine, Plum. Most are the dwarf or semi dwarf variety. I can't recall all names of them but will find out tomorrow its snowing the biggest flakes I've seen in a long time In the one picture you can see three poles near the chainlink fence, those are for 3 Blueberries early, middle, late setting and three Raspberries two red & one yellow. The garden is 30 ft X 50 ft

We've got pretty much all the veggies that aren't direct sow started in seed starting flats, along with so many flowers that I wouldn't even try to name them.

Big,

If your two pears are Bradford Pear trees, yank them out and burn them. My wife talked me into planting a couple of them 10 years ago. Big mistake. Google Bradford Pear and you can read tons of information about why they are a poor choice.

Bud

 

[moparguy]

Big,

If your two pears are Bradford Pear trees, yank them out and burn them. My wife talked me into planting a couple of them 10 years ago. Big mistake. Google Bradford Pear and you can read tons of information about why they are a poor choice.

Bud

But they're pretty in the spring!

 

[BSeyler]

But they're pretty in the spring!

Yes, they are pretty in the spring - until you get a late snow or ice and the damned things split down the middle.