Tiller Time: Soil Prep Tips for Small Farms

Planting Season 2024 – Breaking Ground, Breaking Equipment, and Breaking In

Spring 2024 is shaping up to be our first real trial run in turning worked earth into harvestable rows — and it’s already proving that “simple” isn’t a word that applies to farming.

First, There Was Dirt

Long before planting ever begins, you have to prepare the ground — a task that sounds easy enough until you’re staring at a field that hasn’t seen more than a hay rake in decades. We knew we wanted hills, we knew we needed valleys, and we knew… well, not much else. With no clue what row planting even required, we started assembling a Frankenstein lineup of equipment — beginning with a used tractor that came with a single bottom plow. That was the seed.

From there: a disc harrow, a tine harrow (useless), and eventually, a rototiller. In November, with little more than determination and a heap of cussing, we took the plow to the field. Clutch drops, stalls, and starter cranks later, we had a rough first pass — and by January, we’d plowed north-south, then east-west, and finally diagonally just to say we did. By February, the disc had been run. Clods were broken. The dirt was “done,” or so we thought.

The Tiller... Sort Of

Next came the tiller. The PTO turned, but the tines didn’t. After some plier-based tinkering, we discovered it had a transmission — a mystery to the previous owner and a jump scare to us when it finally clicked into gear. Turns out, it only liked to turn one way. The other way killed the tractor.

Once sorted, we limped along at one inch per pass, fuel burn soaring, until after 15 gallons of gas we had worked maybe 4 inches deep into the hard clay soil. This wasn’t just dirt — it was summer-baked hardpan and winter-saturated hydrolated mess. Something had to give.

Calling in Reinforcements

Neighbor Pete offered help, and with his diesel, we were able to cut down into the soil nearly 18 inches. That’s when the rain came. And with it, the revelation that the ground had a slope… and that slope led water — and all our loose soil — directly to a low-lying culvert we didn’t know existed. What we had created was no longer a field. It was a sediment trap and an accidental creek bed.

Retrying and Rebuilding

Time for a second favor: this time from Shane and his big-wheel Ford 3000. With better grip and more weight, we tilled it all again, trying to average out the creek into something resembling a planting surface. Then came the homemade hiller frame — built from I-beams and roof tin, bolted to the tiller, and capable of carving out some of the best planting rows we’d seen yet. And then… we bought a planter. And a cone spreader. Why not?

Fertilizer, Tillage, and Tired Arms

We prepped with 0-0-43, waited, tilled again, followed with 0-30-0, and capped it off with 40-0-0. Then we hooked the hiller back up and formed crisp rows. For a brief, shining moment, it looked like we knew what we were doing. And then it was time to plant.

Corn... by Pipe

At this point, the planter wasn’t ready. So we tried the PVC pipe method — one seed, one stick mark at a time. After a single row, it was clear this would never happen again. Hands were stained, patience lost. That’s when Emily and Rick showed up and helped finish the 8 rows of corn by hand. A true community effort — with a touch of stubborn madness.

Fixing the Planter, Planting the Rest

Determined never to use the pipe again, we tuned the planter and got it running. For the purple hull peas, we dusted the seeds with Myco Bliss — which clumped up when wet — and jammed it all into the hopper. The rows were uneven, so we just made multiple passes until they looked decent. Aiming for four rows, we got eight. Same deal with the provider beans and sugar snap peas.

Problem was: the planter flattened all our pretty hills. So much for form. But in the end, beans, peas, and corn went in the ground. All that’s left now is to wait — and hope the rain stays on the good side of the field.

Summary

Planting Season 2024 isn’t just about crops. It’s about learning the land, the machines, the weather, and ourselves. Mistakes were made. Equipment was cussed. But the rows are in — and for now, that’s enough.

Triple "5" Farms — Spring 2024: One tractor, too many attempts, and a whole lot of seed in the dirt. Let’s see what grows.