Plowing the garden.

Yesterday I finished clearing off our garden and then plowed it!  Plowing is something fairly new to me, the family farm never plowed or even owned a plow to speak of.  We always disked or no-tilled.  I got a plow about 4 years ago after I started working for the JD dealer.  I must say, it's some of the most fun a person can have using machinery!  I used my new disk first to size and chop any remaining plant residue.  Then, it was plow time!  A special thanks to my Dad for watching Skyler again while Altair worked from home and I played, er, worked in the garden yesterday. 

Today, if my friend's wife doesn't have her first child, (she could give birth any minute) I'm heading over to his farm to plow under some alfalfa using some larger tractors.  Stay tuned...

Fueling up the tractor in the garage. My new disk is attached and I  added the JD skid steer weight brackets to he disk.  The first round of disking this year didn't go too well.  I adjusted the gang angle to 15 degrees and it was like night and day!  I could bury the disk blades up to the spools and chop residue!  Now I'm happy!

After disking.  I could have left everything as is, but I played, I mean, plowed instead. :)

 The above video show the magic of a plow.  No moving parts to turn the soil over.  Notice how everything folds under and vegetation is buried?  It magically composts over the winter to be turned into next year's garden soil!

A close up of the furrow.  Look how straight!  The plow is a 12" and the ideal plow depth should be half of the width of the plow.  We were at 6-7" yesterday.  Perfect.

A progress shot.  It takes about an hour to do the garden one foot at a time.

A close up of the plow in the ground.  Notice the coulter and how it's set at just the right depth in regards to the gauge wheel?  There is literally pages upon pages written on how to set a plow properly.  I'm happy with the way mine is set.

The X585 and plow in tow.

Another angle.

Eddy cat seemed a little confused as to where all the hiding spots in the garden went.

Post plow cleanup.  Look at the shine on the moldboard!  I coated it with wax so it won't rust and lose it's ability to self scour.  (That's what John Deere the man is known for, the self-scouring steel plow!)  175 years ago!

Last evening, we walked down to the neighborhood park to exercise Skyler and the dog.  This Ash tree is absolutely sensational!

Skyler running near the Ash tree.

The light was perfect for pictures!