My “Happy Accident” plot!

[Westwind]

Yo Westwind -

In your pics at post #30, you showed a ton of peas in your field. You said driving the planter didn't knock back the peas as much as you thought. What seeding rate did you use for getting such a great pea plot?? How deep did you plant them?? We tried peas a couple times at camp, but didn't have much success. I'm wondering what we did wrong.

They stood back up after a few days! Laid down so nice, completely covered the ground but the dang things wouldn't give up! I might do that again. I bet had I waited until they were mature or closer to it they would have terminated. The seed mix was 50 pounds oats, 50 pounds rye grain and 50 pounds of winter peas per acre. I was also dropping radish clover and turnip seed through the small box, they grew fair. I’m not sure why the peas did so good, they didn’t winter kill and then they just went gonzo. My seeder is a Woods PSS82 and I set the disk gang straight or almost straight so some hit the furrow and got buried and some didn’t.

ETA- I just corrected the above. I thought I was doing more tilling back then but apparently I was setting the discs straight for less soil disturbance. My biggest burned up bare ground failures were when I set the disk gangs agrressive and tilled the green into the soil. I gotta remember to never do that again.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

They stood back up after a few days! Laid down so nice, completely covered the ground but the dang things wouldn't give up! I might do that again. I bet had I waited until they were mature or closer to it they would have terminated. The seed mix was 50 pounds oats, 50 pounds rye grain and 50 pounds of winter peas per acre. I was also dropping radish clover and turnip seed through the small box, they grew fair. I’m not sure why the peas did so good, they didn’t winter kill and then they just went gonzo. My seeder is a Woods PSS82 and I set the disk gang straight or almost straight so some hit the furrow and got buried and some didn’t.

ETA- I just corrected the above. I thought I was doing more tilling back then but apparently I was setting the discs straight for less soil disturbance. My biggest burned up bare ground failures were when I set the disk gangs agrressive and tilled the green into the soil. I gotta remember to never do that again.

I'm jealous! That Woods seeder is awesome I bet. They are made right down the road from me.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

They stood back up after a few days! Laid down so nice, completely covered the ground but the dang things wouldn't give up! I might do that again. I bet had I waited until they were mature or closer to it they would have terminated. The seed mix was 50 pounds oats, 50 pounds rye grain and 50 pounds of winter peas per acre. I was also dropping radish clover and turnip seed through the small box, they grew fair. I’m not sure why the peas did so good, they didn’t winter kill and then they just went gonzo. My seeder is a Woods PSS82 and I set the disk gang straight or almost straight so some hit the furrow and got buried and some didn’t.

ETA- I just corrected the above. I thought I was doing more tilling back then but apparently I was setting the discs straight for less soil disturbance. My biggest burned up bare ground failures were when I set the disk gangs agrressive and tilled the green into the soil. I gotta remember to never do that again.

What time of year did you seed that mix??

 

[Westwind]

What time of year did you seed that mix?

Right after Labor Day!

Have had some great rain here. Pretty excited to see this years plots.

 

[Westwind]

Couple pics of my Vitalize planting so far. Buckwheat (I think) jumped out of the ground.

 

[Westwind]

Starting to green up. Need rain- they keep saying it’s coming but it skirts us. Even though I planted everything the same day, (May 20), there is a big difference between the fields. Right now the thickest coming up is the more bare ground that gets some shade. The areas with really thick rye thatch are a lot thinner but I think if we get some rain it will blast up through there.

I’m really interested in the end results of the more bare ground plantings vs the heavy rye thatch. I suspect that when it “goes” the heavy thatch will do as well or better but I’m totally guessing. A farmer buddy told me that it doesn’t so much matter with row crops- the amount of heat over the summer evens things out growth wise over the course of the summer so we will see what happens here. All that being said- I think the rye thatch is doing its job, while we need rain even the rye thatch covered ground that gets full sun has moisture. If I had gone the full till route I think my soil would be dry powder. I know that because I have seen me make that mistake before!

Also I am still figuring out planting depth. Still a little deep in some spots. I ordered a “tilt and top” kit for my three point but haven’t received it yet. Think I will be a little better off being able to run an active top link from the cab to help keep myself from planting so deep with the seeder.

 

[Westwind]

Here is the field that was very heavy rye thatch. It is behind but I bet it catches up.



It’s in there. I’m just so impatient!