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JackE · November 5, 2011

Trying to irrigate with a 500 gal tank! That's NOTHING, not even a drop in a bucket! It takes more than that to irrigate a little backyard garden. A single lawn sprinkler at 60# will flow at
500/GPH. That guy obviously had no idea what he was doing and not enough sense to get help and advice.

Planting on a hillside is something I've never done - especially with our loose, sandy soil. It's always been a no-no around here. I don't consider a hillside suitable for any field crop but hay, where the root structure isn't disturbed - or, of course, pine trees for utility poles and paper (which is our major industry). We have the same basic terrain as y'all over in Miss.

I have 22 acres but only three are flat enough to plant, and most of that is slightly inclined. I till and plant the rows crossways to the slope. If I cultivate with the slope I get a washout.

After I retired we did a little rv'ing (until diesel passed $3 LOl), and as a lifelong gardener I really enjoyed touring the great vegetable production area along HWy 101 on the Calif coast. Every field, some were hundreds of acres, was absolutely flat - not naturally, but surveyed and levelled with machinery. There were hills on both sides of the valley which were covered with fruit orchards. All vegetable production land was flat as a pancake.

Your neighbor was nuts trying to plant row crops on a hillside. He should have planted an orchard or a hayfield.

Jack

November 5, 2011	#71
JackE Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Woodville, Texas Posts: 520	Trying to irrigate with a 500 gal tank! That's NOTHING, not even a drop in a bucket! It takes more than that to irrigate a little backyard garden. A single lawn sprinkler at 60# will flow at 500/GPH. That guy obviously had no idea what he was doing and not enough sense to get help and advice. Planting on a hillside is something I've never done - especially with our loose, sandy soil. It's always been a no-no around here. I don't consider a hillside suitable for any field crop but hay, where the root structure isn't disturbed - or, of course, pine trees for utility poles and paper (which is our major industry). We have the same basic terrain as y'all over in Miss. I have 22 acres but only three are flat enough to plant, and most of that is slightly inclined. I till and plant the rows crossways to the slope. If I cultivate with the slope I get a washout. After I retired we did a little rv'ing (until diesel passed $3 LOl), and as a lifelong gardener I really enjoyed touring the great vegetable production area along HWy 101 on the Calif coast. Every field, some were hundreds of acres, was absolutely flat - not naturally, but surveyed and levelled with machinery. There were hills on both sides of the valley which were covered with fruit orchards. All vegetable production land was flat as a pancake. Your neighbor was nuts trying to plant row crops on a hillside. He should have planted an orchard or a hayfield. Jack Last edited by JackE; November 5, 2011 at 09:05 AM.