Plowing questions…

[Gabe Ayers]

I have an opportunity for a little side job with my team that involves opening up about 5000 sf of sod for use as a garden. The owner wants the ground turned over with the horses. I am wondering if a decent size walking plow would be a better choice than a sulky riding plow for this job. Would a sod buster/middle ground breaker (double sided) be better? Anybody have ideas about the best tool for that job? Ground is relatively flat and not too rocky, but has heavy sod (has not been turned over in about 30 years). My team is in excellent shape but they have not plowed together (both have plowed but not as a team with me). Thoughts?
-Brad

[Jay]

Brad, How long is the plot? If it’s longer than wide with reasonable room to turn at the ends, I would consider a sulky plow, though a walking plow with a good point and bottom can be a pleasure to use. We have a Pioneer Left handed walking plow you could borrow if that would help. If you can find an old furrow to walk them up and down a time or two before trying the plow that sometimes helps. Jay

[tsigmon]

That’s just a little over 1/10 th of an acre. Use a walking plow

[Donn Hewes]

Just some thoughts. In my limited experience with breaking sod; it is hard work. Not just physically hard, but also hard to make it go well and turn out half way decent. Grazing off short and giving the roots a chance to die back will help a lot. A rolling coulter (hard to find on a walking plow, but they are there) will help cut the sod, but not good if there are too many rocks. A sulky plow will do a better job if the plow really wants to jump all over. I have done very little plowing here on our farm, but most of it has been breaking sod, Maybe three acres in three years. The work I just finished a few weeks ago wasn’t something I would want to sell anyone. Of course I have a disc for four or five horses and we just broke that ground up and planted it to a cover for the winter. good luck.

[Carl Russell]

I agree with Donn, and sometimes will run the discs over the new area first to cut and tear up the sod ahead of time. Either way, plowing under the sod, or breaking it up first, requires a fairly good set of harrows…..

Carl

[Tim Harrigan]

And on something that size and in sod I would not bother with a back furrow, I would just plow in one direction. That should keep it a little cleaner and make the fitting easier.

[Does’ Leap]

I am no plowing expert, but I second Donn and Carl’s advice. If you can graze it down and then go over it first with some disk harrows, I think it will help. Also, I would make your horses go very slowly. I start by asking them to “step, step, step, etc” until they get the idea. If you watch guys who really know what they are doing (Farmer Brown, et al.), their horses are walking very slowly.

Good luck.

George

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