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Dillsburg, PA

Since I am limited to only a five hundred square foot garden I have this crazy idea of asking local farmers if I could pay them to use maybe 1200ft.Since many of you are farmers (I think) would this be feasable? I would pay good money but don't have a clue on how much they would want for that space. Also, being that it would be in a corn field would the dirt be good enough to grow AGs? In that situation could I mange some nice ones? Thanks, Jeff

12/6/2004 5:56:06 PM

Massillon, Ohio

why wouldnt corn field dirt be good ? lol. dont we all grow in what USED to be fields? some were just fields 100 years ago and some were fields last year (mine). add manure and secret stuff....bingo..pumpkin patch.

12/6/2004 6:10:51 PM

[email protected]

I offered to pay a local corn farmer for a parcel plus 20%. He went into a tirade that he already turns away corn customers. When I offered to increase his yield by 20% by controlling his weeds I thought his head was going to explode. It never ocurred to him that the day of modern agriculture arrived 50 years ago. But so far, it continues to elude him. LOL

Some farmers will go for it. Ask. But make sure he understands you'll leave the soil better when you're through than you found it. Then really do just that.

12/6/2004 6:59:46 PM

Wichita, KS

I "rent" my patch space. Actually, I sharecrop. I grow all the vegetables that the land owners could ever use (they actually give a lot of it away to friends and family), and in return, I have 4000 square feet to grow pumpkins and other veggies. I also grow plenty of vegetables to feed to my own family, too. I use about 1000 sqft for regular garden vegetables, 3000 for pumpkins and feed about 4 families all summer long.

The land owners want no other compensation. They are thrilled to be able to walk their 12 acres of oaks just to see how big "Toby's plants" are now. :) To be honest, though, if I had to pay for this pleasure, I probably wouldn't do it. It just so happens I have a couple friends who hava a lot of land and like homegrown vegetables, but have an aversion to dirt (unlike me!).

Good luck finding some unused space! :)

12/6/2004 7:05:41 PM

Jackson Twp, Ohio

ahh yes the secret stuff you must mean pickled rutabegas.

12/6/2004 7:10:51 PM

Key West, FL

Most likely a farmer wont care about renting such a relatively small piece of land. Your best bet I think would to look for a homeowner who has some extra land that doesn't look like it's being used. Also that looks like it get full sun ;) You'll have to work out water as well. I know the Handy's rent their patch. My new patch is about 5 minutes from my house and I'm getting to use it for free but I am going to have to figure out what I'm doing for water.

12/6/2004 7:11:28 PM

Whidbey Island

Just don't make it too far from where you live. I used my father-in-laws place a couple of years and the drive over there and back twice a day and three times on weekends was just too much.

12/6/2004 11:38:19 PM

No Place Special

Jeff,

i was in your shoes 2 yrs ago. I asked a local farmer about renting some ground and sent him a letter explaining what I wanted to do with it and my goals. One of those I explained that i was after the iowa state record. In the note i mentioned that i would call him on the phone in a couple of weeks after he had time to digest it and see what he thinks. Your woried about farm soil????? long story short He thought what i was trying todo was cool and gave me about 1/2 acre for free to use and do with as i see fit. Oh ya, I now have the Iowa state record of 1083. My opinion, a good thought out educated letter will go a long way. Best of luck! Also try to get as close to home as possible. mine is only a block or 2 away from home which is perfect, much more than that would be harder. Mike Frantz

12/7/2004 12:01:31 AM

Puyallup, WA

Geoff Gould here in Washington has to drive one hour to his patch! I am amazed how he does it year after year.
Chris Mahalec also has to drive to his patch, but his is about 30 minutes away.

12/7/2004 12:43:12 AM

Key West, FL

What does everyone do for water? mike?

12/7/2004 2:54:26 AM

[email protected]

Ben,

I've sold 300 gallon gasoline powered sprayers to landscapers, arborists, & municipal parks depts for this purpose. Brand new they run $2800 though. A good used one might run half that.

To save money, some folks buy just the tank. Our 200 gallon tank (Raven) is rectangular so it can be strapped down to a flatbed or trailer. But I get worried about these arrangements as some are real jury rigs & have slipped off.

A full frame with stailess straps is almost as much money as a complete ready to spray power unit. Thus the Rube Goldberg affairs.

You might look into a poly tank that once stored fertilizer or liquid deicing compounds like Magnesium or Calcium Chloride liquid. Once thoroughly rinsed, these are safe to use & are usually mounted to a pallet & caged. I have to destroy a few of these every year here in the Metro area. Perhaps a bulk fertilizer company out your way has the same problem. In which case, the tank would be free.

Keep in mind that 200 gallons of water weighs 1660 lbs without the weight of the tank. So a 1 ton truck or trailer is mandatory.

Is there a fire hydrant nearby?

12/7/2004 7:42:39 AM

Long Island,New York

My off-site or satelite patch is 58.3 miles away each way. Having struggled for years with too little space, too little sun, and some soil fungus issues at home, an offsite patch was my only option. Its an hour and 15 mins each way, sometimes more. With VERY limited soil prep and a water problem, visits that resulted in mainly fixing problems and catching up with the bare minimums neccessary, I managed three new PB pumpkins from my 3 pkn plants, increasing my PB by over 250lbs. You need a special dedication and desire for a satellite patch...I'll do it as long as I can....G

12/7/2004 11:14:49 AM

Long Island,New York

Ever drive 55 miles before realizing you may have left the water running on your 920lb est fruit?.....G

12/7/2004 11:16:02 AM

Massillon, Ohio

no nick, you dont even know about my 'secrets' lol

12/7/2004 11:53:29 AM

No Place Special

I haul water in a 350 gal tank. and pump it out with a gas powered pump. I used to haul this in my 1/2 ton... thats right Tremor.... 1/2 ton pick up truck but now bought a trailer to put it on. The tank and pump I got at local farm and fleet. Pump was $250 and got the tank 2 yrs ago but think it was $150 - 200 ish. Paid $300 for the old trailer. So I got about $700- 800 in water equipment. Right across the street from where I grow is a liqui grow plant, they give me water for free. Got a 4" hose that fills my 350 gal tank in about 10 - 12 min and the 5.5 hp (?) Brigs pump pumps water through many sprinklers at once with no problem and drains the 350 in about 15 min.

12/7/2004 12:58:53 PM

Dillsburg, PA

Thanks guys for the info. I will attemp to find a local farmer who is interested.

12/7/2004 1:58:42 PM

Follansbee, Wv

I actually got pretty lucky in this respect. The "field" I use for gardening is actually a power line right-of-way. The construction of 'permenant' structures is prohibited, but gardening is fine. The owner of the property couldn't care less what I do with it (she is also a friend), and the power company has been very gracious. The workers make every attempt to avoid the garden when, on the very rare occassions, they have to come through. They also diligently avoid spraying the field when they come through. I have even managed to install an electric fence using removable fence posts. I know this doesn't help much, but it serves to show that you never know where a patch may be hiding :) Good luck in the search.

12/7/2004 3:53:24 PM

Dillsburg, PA

Monty, I hope you don't eat those things. Powerlines can cause birth defects and other problems. That is a cool idea though.

12/7/2004 5:20:35 PM

Puyallup, WA

As a point of reference, I store my water in a 1000 gallon tank and pump it through 8 sprinklers. It takes about 30 minutes to drain the tank.

12/7/2004 5:30:50 PM

Key West, FL

Ya, I think there is a firehydrant near by. lol. I'm just gonna put a meter on the hose I guess and pay the water bill.

12/7/2004 9:44:52 PM

Whidbey Island

Who knows? Maybe powerlines will mutate the plants into really big giants.....2000#ers.

12/8/2004 12:11:45 AM

southern MN

If you plan on planting in a corn field check to see what was used for weed control last year. Alot of herbicides have rotational restrictions because of the carryover.

12/8/2004 9:13:37 AM

[email protected]

Good point. wango speaks the truth.

Fields out of play a couple years hold greater appeal.

12/8/2004 1:56:08 PM

ENGLAND

As well as checking for weed controll residue in the soil i would also check to see if there was any growth regulator used on the corn when it was in it's pre-ear stage. The reason why i say this is because some farmers, who do not want to bale the straw after harvest, spray the corn in its early stages to keep the straw short and reduce plough in and harvester wear and tear. Steve,(Tremor) you are more qualified to confirm or correct my comment here.

regards
Mike

12/8/2004 5:43:46 PM

Cologne / Germany

The backyard where I grow my AG´s is about 840 sq.yard. I use 150 of it for 2 plants. My wife won´t allow more right now...Coming back to Jeff´s question it´s all for a fee of 150 $ per year, I live in a city area here (where land is expensive). Using the whole area I could grow 12 plants (in my dreams...-). I think the price is reasonable and I wouldn´t pay more.

12/8/2004 7:34:05 PM

Key West, FL

land is expensive in germany....... amazing you have a 840 sq ft yard if you live in the city.

12/9/2004 1:47:13 AM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

the land price per sq. meter where I live (only a 10000 souls town) is about 250 Euros or about 338 US dollars!

Martin

12/9/2004 5:15:39 AM

Itzetown City

Who said you must own the land? In our organisation whose president I´m our allotments are rent, I have rent 2 plots = 10.000 sf. We pay a rent of 18 €cent p. 10sf. 48 Euro menbership fee and 50 Euro for water p. plot.

12/9/2004 5:55:18 AM

Follansbee, Wv

Jeff, the power lines are not the 250,000+ volt transmission monsters, but rather 64,000 volt distribution lines. I've never checked the EM field around the garden, but everything grows normally. This is where I plant the vegetable garden as well, with no ill effects. No mutations yet, unless you count the 11" broccoli heads I harvested this fall :)

12/9/2004 7:28:29 AM

Dillsburg, PA

Thanks for all the replys. I am in the process now of looking for some land. I would like to have at least three more plants on top of the two that I plant in my own yard. When purchasing a house make sure that you have enough room for a garden.

12/9/2004 8:58:53 AM

[email protected]

Growth regulator are mostly foliar absorbed & breakdown quickly from bacterial degradation in soil.

But getting the actual chemical name & checking it's label is the only way to be positive.

12/9/2004 9:13:07 AM

Cologne / Germany

I know many fields in my area where the "big transmission monsters" go straight through. Never heard of any problems with crop and EM fields. So what kind of influence should it have?

12/9/2004 9:30:36 AM

Dillsburg, PA

Again thanks to everyone who had suggestions. I did find a farm who runs a halloween corn maze to rent me 2000sq.ft. It is only about 1 mile from my house so it seems to be perfect. Taking a trip to see the plot later this week. They only asked for a couple big ones to display for halloween. Thanks, jeff

12/15/2004 8:21:52 AM