Fall is the proper time to plow your garden. Plowing in the fall gives the organic material plenty of time to decompose underneath the soil and become nutrient rich food for the new crops. When you leave the field plowed all winter, the dirt clods have time to naturally be broken by freezing temperatures to soften them up. You will still need to till/harrow your garden in the spring time before creating your hills or planting your seed, but you will have much richer soil that has freshly decomposed organic matter to feed your young crops.

When choosing a plow for your tractor, make sure you aren’t getting too much plow for what your tractor can pull. Most compact tractors can pull a 12″ single bottom plow, and some larger tractors can pull up to a double bottom 16″ plow. If you have a small compact tractor or a subcompact tractor, you may need a compact plow that sits lower to the ground, or your tractor won’t be able to lift the plow out of the ground once you have plowed a row in your field.

With the right plow, you can easily turn over your soil and begin preparing your land for a great growing season of great tasting vegetables.