how do you guerilla till??

[Jiu Jitsu Playa]

so heres another question for the pros...
i have located an abandoned farm, that is surrounded on all sides by dense trees, so dense that when inside this little forest it is dark at noon(even now in march). the farmland has not been in use for at least 10 years guessing by the amount of overgrowth. In fact i found it on google earth, used GPS to get there through thick brush and once there I was like where is the farm?
Then i looked down and i was standing in the middle of a drainage ditch and there are planting rows all around, its weird because they are like wild bushes growing in the rows. I know that no one comes around because the roads around the farm are grown over as well. The farm house located .7 miles away is destroyed.
Sorry, heres my question
Whats the best way to till this farm dirt that is literally infested with all kinds of bushes and weeds and hard roots. I lost 2 shovels to this dirt. i started hand pulling them that didnt last long. I cant bring in rototiller. so what would you do? also.. it needs to be ready to go in may....
thanks

 

[Fast_Pine]

so what would you do?

buy more shovels, get a san angelo pencil(large iorn breaker bar), or have someone weld the shovel head to the iorn bar. Then you would have a two in one tool that would be indestructable. Ive broken a fiew shovels this year as well. So far the only company that makes a good shovel round my parts of the country is "Jackson"...They have em at Lowes. Fuck "True Temper" brand garden tools that shit sucks!

You could just plant in the native soil directly, with no prep. It sounds like a sweet spot, and it likely has good soil already. U could use a full size bulb planter, and go big(volume)?

U gonna poach there old well for water er what?

Good luck man.

 

[Gantz]

I'd build BIG guerilla self watering containers.

 

[Amstel Light]

quarter sticks of dynamite?

 

[ArcticBlast]

Why not just 5 gallon bucket that shit?

If the earth is hard to break up, dont break your back over it...might as well haul large amounts of buckets, would probably be easier than procuring a welder and making Frankenstein tools haha

just a thought! sounds like a cool spot-exactly what i've been google earthing for like 2 months!

ArcticBlast

 

[Guest]

Sounds like you need a grub hoe or mattock. You can google image it, and take a look at them. Your application is just what they are made for. I like the ones that have an axe on one side and the sharp/heavy hoe on the other. Good ones are heavy and will last a lifetime! They have a handle...so we all know that means- WORK!!
Good luck and stay safe,
mycall

 

[antimatter]

Just like the above guy said, get a good mattock/hoe and break that soil up, it wont take to long, digging holes is what takes a long time, you'll get about 6" of depth which would give you 3.7 gallons a square foot which is fine, just make sure to not make it to obvious from the air.

 

[fishheadbob]

Buy lifetime guaranteed shovels and save the receipts.
Don't get your hopes too high. Most abandoned farms were abandoned for a reason; #1 being that the soil is pretty marginal. Invest $15 or $20 bucks in a soil test from a laboratory, that will give you a better idea as to what kind of soil you are dealing with and what it will need to produce. Easiest, most cost effective way to clear vegetation without breaking your back is a chemical called Roundup ( glyphosate ) . Hope you're not organic, but the stuff kills most everything quickly and has no carryover.

 

[Amstel Light]

good info!! i was not trying to be an ass about the explosives..could u not just use one of those soil sample tools that takes out about a 6 inch plug. then place some 1/2 sticks, blast it then work on it? the chems in the explosives would be another thing though.... would not be to stealthy as well hehee.. but it would cut the time your out there working on it...
im talking chit i have only SEEN outdoor plants 3 times in my life.

 

[antimatter]

lol screw digging lets just use explosives haha, ive never had the pleasure to blow dirt up so I wouldn't know how it would do for tilling, but honestly if your growing bigger plants and not minis you should probably just buy an auger and drill big ass holes, plants need to be spaced out a bit anyway if there 6 footers, looks better from the air if there all randomly placed ,rows and big fields etc is a no no especially for bigger plants.

 

[Jiu Jitsu Playa]

FASTPINE-i am unsure of the well, the terrain is really overgrown, i looked up the bulb planter, i am thinking this is what i need, thanks man.. maybe even those post diggers.....


Gantz- What do you mean by BIG guerilla self watering containers? i was planning on using water crystals and watering regularly in the begining. the surronding forest sits on a foot of water

Arcticblast- Sounds like a good idea i was going to use buckets in a swamp until i found this place, i think i should use the soil because it has to be somewhat fertile, i will mix in my own time release, lime, water crystal, and peat

amstel light-??ok so dynamite is not an option, although i would use it if i had it... i have plenty of experience with C4

FishheadBOB-Roundup? i am a little skeptical about this because what i am putting in the soil that i am spraying is a weed. how long do you think the roundup will be present? i need to be ready to go in may

antimatter-i was thinking of using a auger with cordless drill, but i am thinking the post puncher like this https://www.hardwareworld.com/9x6-14in-Herc-Post-Digger-p38H0YA.aspx



thanks everyone, you all kick ass

also i used my garmin gps and imported it to google maps!!!!!!! (WHAT WHAT) its pretty cool it marks routes and waypoints on the map automatically, so you can see where you walked exactly, especially when the brush was real thick....i love it

 

[Jiu Jitsu Playa]

also, the farm has rows, like mounds of dirt and then like irrigation ditches in between, so they are like rolling mounds spread out. both the rows and the irrigation ditches are overgrown, the mounds have thick bushes, and the low points have weeds.
so my question here is which would be better to grow on the mounds or the ditches.

i am leaning toward planting in the ditches for these reasons
a) the ditches will get more water
b) easier to clear weeds in the ditch than these damn bushes on the mounds that are at least 5 years old
c) i figure the bushes on the mounds will provide some camo if someone were to flyover

 

[L-Thirt33n]

Well, tools and tilling devices aside have you thought about this grow space a little more?

First and foremost, you said it's dark by noon because of the forest shadowing over it correct? Will your plants recieve enough light with that in consideration?

Secondly have you thought about hunters, hikers, the many people like yourself and helicopters? Look for signs of other people having been in the area. (Litter, footsteps, broken branches or bushes, ect...) Just how thick are the woods on each side? Believe me, just when you think it's safe, it's not!

Are there a lot of deer in the area? Look for signs of other animals as well. You'll want to keep pests in mind at all times.

Tilling a plot requires a little bit of an "asses and elbows" attitude. I would get yourself a heavy duty hoe, a good FLAT HEAD SHOVEL (very handy) and a good heavy duty rake. A hand drill auger wouldn't hurt. But try to bring as little out as possible. Do it in phases if you can.

You may also want to think about enriching the soil. You can do this by mixing in some of your own ingredients. I usually use potting soil, organic mix (FoxFarms), some cocoa nut hair and some pH corrected water to the dirt that's already there. Never hurts.

How big of an area are you planning on cropping? (Square footage?)

 

[Jiu Jitsu Playa]

and finally... i am going back and forh with this, i am putting 60plants in so would you scatter them everywhere, rows of 5? this abandoned farm already has wild plants growing in the rows, trees scattered.


im sure everyone will reccomend scattering because its safest, but i am thinking of how much work it is.. damn

 

[Jiu Jitsu Playa]

hey L-13,
i was talking about the forest surrounding the farm, the farm is at least 200x200yds and open. so the only way to get to the farm is through 100yds of this forest, ive never seen anything like it, the forest floor is covered in moss, it sits on a foot of water, there are so many trees that when you are inside it, its dark, i could not see my friend who was 10 feet from me...

 

[little j]

this sounds like a nice place. take advantage of it!!!! as far as how to plant.???? if cops fly over they will see all they want to see. cant stop them. on the ground i think it would be best to plant a row or group of 5 here and there away from all other patches. thinking about rippers now, if they find 1 or 2 patches hopefully they wont find the other 3 or 4 or 5 patches you have in other areas. but, rippers can be watchful also. they follow trails from one spot to the next because they are expecting to find more. thats what i think.
im a bit risky i guess. if you found 1 of my plants in the bush, look carefully because you will probably find another 1 or 2. but thats all for that spot. its a tough call. little j

 

[L-Thirt33n]

hey L-13,
i was talking about the forest surrounding the farm, the farm is at least 200x200yds and open. so the only way to get to the farm is through 100yds of this forest, ive never seen anything like it, the forest floor is covered in moss, it sits on a foot of water, there are so many trees that when you are inside it, its dark, i could not see my friend who was 10 feet from me...

Well like I said, think about sunlight. I'm assuming you're somewhere in the US. Northern hemisphere. So you'll want the earliest SOUTH EAST sunlight you can possibly get! The longer the area is exposed to the sun the better.

Scatter cropping is by far the best method. It also makes tilling a lot easier on the back. But with 60 or so plants, you're looking at quite a big job there dude...I'd personally not plant so many just so I could scatter crop easier. Even with scatter cropping, don't skimp on your tilling and soil enrichment!

With that amount of plants in mind you would almost not even have a choice but to crop them together.

I'll never tell ya exactly how I do my cropping personally but I'll suggest something to you. IF you decide to do 60 plants I recommend keeping them all in one spot because it will be easier to maintain. If the eagle is going to fly, the eagle is going to fly. There are ways of chekcing to see if they have visited your crop. Be familiar with the perimeter. Just be smart about it...Don't get caught by it. Don't make a direct path to it. Don't make it look or sound like there is anything going on there. Don't bring a lot of equipment with you. MAKE SURE YOU CAN HEAR EVERYTHING AT ALL TIMES. If you hear something, MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS HAVE A QUICK WAY OUT! To be quite honest, think like a soldier when you go into the woods.

Tip- I would crop off about a 10ft x 10ft plot, with light exposure always in consideration, and till the hell out of it. I usually dig about 1.5ft into the soil myself. Remove almost all the original dirt and debris. Fill in my first layer of organic soil. In your case this would use one whole bag of Fox Farms Ocean Forest to coat about a 3-4inch layer for the bottom of the plot. Next, fill in the plot with HALF of the original soil. Put the rest of your ingredients in. Now mix it up real good with either a flat head shovel or what ever works best. Then put the remainder of the original soil back in. Make sure the plot is free of weeds.

Next step is to let all the disturbed micro life vacate the premisis. Let the plot sit for at least a week. This gives all the mites and plant killing insects time to leave the newly tilled plot.

WHEN YOU RETURN it is very important to look for animal tracks in the dirt around your plot!

Another really useful thing to do which allows you to see what's getting curious about the plot/s is this. Around the outer edge of each plot, before you leave, rake it smooth. Covering up all your tracks so it looks untouched. This way when you return you will be able to see A. Any pests footprints. B. If any people have been out there. and C. There's another reason but a real farmer wouldn't even think of telling you why! Do this every time you leave your plot/s, even after the plants are growing.

 

[420oclock]

the chems in the explosives would be another thing though

From wikipedia's entry on TNT:

There is evidence that TNT adversely affects male fertility, and TNT is listed as a possible human carcinogen[4]. Consumption of TNT produces red urine through the presence of breakdown products and not blood as sometimes believed.[5] Some military testing grounds are contaminated with TNT. Wastewater from munitions programs including contamination of surface and subsurface waters may be colored pink because of the presence of TNT. Such contamination, called "pink water", may be difficult and expensive to remedy.

 

[Jiu Jitsu Playa]

thanks L13!!!

420 0clock.. so keep this in mind, dont eat TNT

 

[PazVerdeRadical]

if you guys want good tools i.e: shovels etc... get Truper, the only gardening tools as well as construction tools that I have not broken so far...

Paz