Tools

High quality tools are used in all trades by the elite of each trade. Farming is no exception to this rule. We need tools that are durable and dependable and do specific jobs efficiently. These tools need to "fit" ones system of operation.

In our situation, we use several good hand tools and a few great power tools. Most of our power tools come in the form of BCS walk behind tractors with attachments for specific jobs. The use of walk behind tractors fit our terraced system and reduce compaction and fuel consumption. In addition, we get plenty of needed exercise by walking with them.

A major part of our system is the building of the soil by working in large crops of green manure. In the winter, most of the land is in a cover crop of rye and in the summer we grow some Sudan grass for warm weather cover.

In both cases, getting the huge cover worked into the top few inches of the soil where it does it's thing has always been a problem. It is to much, even for a very good rotary tiller.

We have found that first chopping the cover with a flail mower and then plowing it in with a rotary plow is the perfect system. Below you see both of these tools in operation.

On the left is some mulch hay that has just been raked and is ready to bale. On the right you see a bale just finished wrapping with the netting that keeps it together. Now I can slide it out to the left, close the baler and bale the next one.

On the left I am unrolling a bale of mulch. The center shows the plastic mulch layer that also installs the drip tape for irrigation under the plastic. On the right hay mulch has been put along the plastic to control the weeds. When we lay plastic mulch, we add the hay mulch on all sides. The plastic is only used for a few of our crops. It gets tomatoes, melons and squash to market as much as two weeks earlier and is only used on the earliest plantings. The later plantings of these warm season crops are mulched with only hay.