Well got started on my garden .the soil on the old field is only 3to6 inches deep on top of clay and wet.So I stripped it in towards the middle to increase the depth and be able to get a ditch around it. Will the old hay and root be a big problem after I get it tilled. It is not growing yet to cold weather here. I don't want to spray it will be planting in a week or two if weather conditions are not to cold. All reply helpful.

Id spray it ....kill it off and Till it twice

Roundup will not hurt your plantings a week or so later. But i wouldnt want to fight the weeds without a kill off first.

grind er up--plant food

get us some pics

If I spray it would I do it after it was tilled once? I will be working and moving it around with the excavator to shape it up. If I just fluff it up with it will it be ok to spray before I til it. I wanted to get a few pics before I came back to town yesterday but it was just nasty with the wind and blowing snow. I am going back out there tomorrow and will get a few then.

Another question will corn be able to grow in the shallower areas where there is only 3 or 4 in of soil if not to wet? I am late getting into this project because of the weather and my boss told me we are going back to work after the long weekend. So I have a few long days this week in the little shovel. I wish I had my work machine for the job but it is 300 miles away to much to get it moved. 30 tone I would've been done clearing it in a few days.

If you are going to use round up , to kill the grass etc. I think you will have to let the grass and weeds , green up , then spray. Then you have to wait a few days before you plant.. Or you can till it up , real good, plant your rows wide apart, so you can till between them, over the summer. .You will be fighting weeds and grass all summer. Someone who knows round up or different sprays , should correct me. old243.

I am looking at a bcs 739 tracker and 26inch tiller pricy 6grd Canadian ouch but I have a thing for tools. Pay the price for quality and use it for years. Anyone use one or know someone who does?

Old 243 I am close to my maple stand on my property I was wondering if I could mulch heavy between the rows with leafs if it will work to keep the grass in check for this season?

Mulch will help with weed control.

You could also go with a small garden , that you can keep ahead of the weeds , this year. Till and kill the balance over the summer. . Next year you can garden all of it.. Maple leaves make great mulch, if you work them in. I think they would blow away , if you don't work them in.. a few bales of straw might be better..Have seen people use plastic, rolls, , or old carpet have fun old243

I'd be looking to increase depth of tillable soil as clay is not all bad if mixed in good proportion. It holds moisture better than sand and doesn't leach nutrients like sand. If standing water is an issue look to ditching the edges or improving runoff. If pure clay add gypsum to break it up, add sand to improve internal drainage and by all means incorporate as much organics/humus as physically possible (every bit of hay/weed). Chicken litter is great for this if you can get it.
Careful with the tillage, or any tillage for that matter, as clay is prone to compaction/smearing especially when wet. Careful use of a para/chisel plow or mold board can incorporate your admendments, just don't bury it under a layer of clay.
I've farmed some form of clay all my life and like the clay loam I have now. I'd be at a loss on the sand my grandparents farmed. They did teach me that taking care of and improving whatever dirt you got is is far more important than any given season and should be the longterm goal.

Study "Stale seed bed techniques " and "no dig gardening " there is a wealth of ideas on youtube . The leaves will work and build your soil . A short cut to great soil is to find a composter that will sell bulk compost and use that for mulch . Propper compost dosnt have live seeds in it and will make a great mulch that builds . If there is part of your garden that wont be planted for 4to 6 weeks you might also get some silage tarps to cover it they will block all the sunlight and hassen the break down of your grass like if you ve had somthing laying in your yard long enough to kill back the grass then it takes weeks for anything to grow there . You can source strips of this from farms that feed silage

If you are going to till to get more root zone depth you should wait to get the clay below the top layer dry enough to work up well. Working wet clay is not good and you will have very, very poor soil structure. As to corn growing in shallow soil? As the plant grows the roots will spread and deepen. They will follow the shallow layer if the clay below is hard and thus they will be susceptible to drying out. Too much water and most plants will not do very well as they mature and grow. You can add soil depth by tilling down or adding more loam type soils on top. As to having a lot of organic matter in that top layer. Remember that it takes nutrients to decompose the organic matter so that will take nutrients away from your plants until they are decomposed and offer nutrients. It takes warmth and moisture to get the bacteria to grow to decompose the organic matter. The more straw type organic matter you have the longer it will take.

Bryce

Spraying now won't work, like said the weeds need to be growing, tilling is ok but you'll be fighting weeds from old seeds, and perennial roots all summer, heavy mulching will work but you'll need a lot of mulch, on the plus side the decaying mulch adds a lot of organic matter. I recently re started a garden that was fallow over 12 years, so I tarped it with a black recycled billboard "tarp", it takes 3-6 weeks to kill off the existing grass and weeds,

You'll probably need a hybrid system for your ground. Maybe a chisel plowing, with as much mulch or compost as you can add, then tarp it till the ground warms up and the remaining weeds are smothered. no till or barely tilled after and continue mulching.

Warrior I have built up my bed with the best soil above the clay. Everything but the brush. I am working on my ditching clay is not friendly when wet lol I also have one area where a small creek comes through my maple Bush. Runoff mostly building beds on both sides of this next to the maple stand. The soil is deeper being more organic with a sandy mixture but has a strong sour smell mite be just because it's wet looks good to plant.

I am planting my 57th garden this spring. If you take care of soil so you find worms almost every shovel scoop, you can grow a great garden. Weed seeds last for many years in soil. Iuse lots of sand in my muck lakeside soil. I add lots of leaves and pine sawdust, I mulch with sawdust and wood shavings from work. I also add lime and gypsum alternating years. Manure is put on in the fall and covered with last summers mulch and leaves. Feed the soil and worms...

Great advice above. As for the BCS tiller.... i have the 738 for 9 years now. Never a problem and it is a beast.

Good luck.

Pete

Well there are lots of worms in the soil. I always thought if you had them you could grow things they are great tillers in place.

Lots of good stuff to consider with all your replys. This will be alot of help with this project as it progresses into the final stage in a year or two I would like to have 1t2 acres in total. I will be making this my permanent home in a year or two. Thanks for reply on the bcs Pete they look like a awesome machine for a all around tool with the accessories you can buy.

Like said earlier I will get some pics tomorrow and post them in the evening to show everyone what I am up against. I admire the old timers that cleared everything from scratch with a horse. Another problem with this project is I am unable to burn anything because of the covid problem sums.