Farming and gardening questions

[Dannmann801]

First thing - So two Saturdays ago I was driving up 1-71 in the early morning, and I noticed that fields were wet and hadn't been planted. Hadn't even been plowed or tilled. Corn stubble from last year. Struck me funny, I know it's been kind of a shitty Spring, but I was thinking things would be a little farther along. Wife's rule of thumb for planting flowers and her garden around here is to wait until after Mother's Day - but I didn't think that applied to farmers. Then I was talking today to my son in law in Michigan, and he brought up the same thing - says that the farmers up there have nothing planted, tilled, or even plowed. I'm wondering - are the farmers behind? is this normal timing? What's up with that? Is it anything to be concerned with?

Second thing - I built the wife a U-shaped raised bed for her to do her vegetable gardening in a few years ago. One of the sections is now just full of weeds, gets more and more weedy each year. She's afraid if she puts down weed killer it won't be good for the plants. She's got it in her mind for me to take out the top 6" of topsoil and replace it with new soil. I'm kind of a garden novice - what should I do? Burn the weeds off then till it up? Go scorched earth with the weedeater then till it up? Is there a specific pesticide I should use? She covered the bed with pine straw before last winter but weeds are still up. Looking for advice. This is the section she usually plants her cucumbers in.

 

[hickslawns]

Farmers are behind. Not educated enough to know if we should be worried. I know there are different corn varieties designed to germinate and produce in different time periods. They might have to pay up for one of the varieties of corn that takes less time to mature? Beans? Should be good. Some farmers harvest winter wheat and then plant beans. They don't take as long.

What plants does your wife have planted? Bulbs are tough to get rid of. Even perennials are pretty resilient for the most part. Hit with RoundUp. Add Preen to prevent future germinating. Repeat as needed. If plants she wants to ensure are saved: cut the bottom of a gallon of milk jug out. Flip it upside down. Hold over top of plants. Spray RoundUp. Milk jug protects it while you spray around it. Then later hand weed close to the flower.

If you remove six inches of soil, I'd imagine you will remove her plants with it. Can't think of any planted over 6" deep. The soil does contsim dormant weed seeds. When you turn that dirt some of them get woken up. How do you know the soil you replace it with doesn't have dormant weed seeds too?

Also, if you remove 6" of top soil, only roll 6" of your wanker out of your pant leg. Then you don't need a tape measure. We all know you are a legend. I heard Ron Jeremy looks up to you. (Hope that made you smile. You know you're one of our favorite people here. )

 

[xbowguy]

I was skeptic about Preen at first. We get it in bulk now.

 

[Big Weff]

My wife doesn’t approve of any non natural intervention, I am a weeding fool. I use our little Honda tiller to keep rows clean and pull the close weeds in the garden. Just weed all of our beds. I did use preen in the past and it worked very well.

 

[Mike]

No till?

 

[5Cent]

Dan, easiest thing ya could do is throw a tarp over it for 1-2 weeks to block out the sun and kill the weeds if you don't want to spray or weed it. Spraying that section won't impact the others, as most are surfactant styles, some have residual. Read the bag/bottle, it will tell you when you can replant.

Farmers are a touch behind, little wet this year but plenty of good days ahead over the next 2 weeks. Crop insurance drives most cut off dates (i.e no corn after June 7th, beans after July 12th - not actuals, these are examples). In addition, the old school method of turning soil has gone to the way side. No till, strip till, etc. and new technologies have helped farmers plant in less than ideal conditions and most likely that corn stubble field will be drilled with beans and you have to look closely for the closed rows or wait 2 weeks to see the beans emerging and starting to leaf.

In short, each state has it's owns metrics, overall US has 49% of corn planted and 30% of beans, per Brownfield Ag.

 

[5Cent]

Home - Brownfield Ag News

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[5Cent]

And you want a rabbit hole, start reading on Precision Ag.....9+ mph planting speeds with 2"x2" accuracy. Throw in a drone for aerial viewing of different types and then you can create "prescriptions" for the field, only applying fert./ins./herb. rates as needed per soil samples and drone data.

 

[Hedgelj]

My in laws just started planting corn this past weekend. They were working on getting rye and such off first. Then comes beans next week.

Another friend who does organic farming waits until after his first hay cutting to plant corn because then he can till the weeds under right before he plants. That way the seeds take off faster than the weeds recover. He also wants the weeds high on his soybeans because he does some electric thing that electrocutes the highest plants in the field.

 

[brock ratcliff]

My in laws just started planting corn this past weekend. They were working on getting rye and such off first. Then comes beans next week.

Another friend who does organic corn waits to agree his first hay cutting because then he can till the weeds under right before he plants. That way the seeds take off faster than the weeds recover. He also wants the weeds high on his soybeans because he does some electric thing that electrocutes the highest plants in the field.

I have a friend that does the same. The weed electrocution thing is terrifying.