Planting Has Begun!

We got a couple rows of cabbage, cauliflower, and the like planted in the patch along Rt. 219 on Friday evening. If you drive by while we're transplanting, you'll think we're just sitting in the field, but we're actually moving, very slowly! The tractor has a "creeper" gear, so it can go down to as slow as 0.1 miles per hour.

It goes that slow so we can plant behind the tractor. After the wheel pokes a hole and dumps some water in it, we have to shove the root-ball of the plant into the hole, and squeeze some of the mud around the roots to get the plants started nicely. So when you see someone riding behind the tractor, with their feet up, know they are actually planting furiously, not just sitting back having a joy ride!

The Tractor is Ours! (Finally!)

The final payment is in the mail - our M6800 Kubota tractor is ours!

It has sure helped our operation to have a new tractor, but man, we hated to take on that debt. Now it seems worth it, though, as we've been able to accomplish more work with less labor because of having the tractor.

We ordered the Kubota with a "creeper" gear in it - meaning it will go much slower than other tractors. In fact, it's hard to walk as slow as this tractor can go - down to 0.1 mph, or so. And that creeper gear really helps when we're transplanting in the field.

One person can drive the tractor, and one or two can sit on the back and plant. If the tractor is going fast, you can get pretty frustrated as you try to keep up!

Anyway, we're so tickled that the tractor is paid off. On to the next project!