The use of plastic mulch is a common practice for strawberry and vegetable growers, but there are two major problems with plastic mulch: it is expensive to install and at some point it has to be removed from the field. Several machines are available that help simplify the removal of the mulch.

When growing carrots for commercial production, it is helpful to run a knife in the soil beside the rows. This breaks up any soil compaction, allowing the carrot roots to grow straight.

There is a wide range of seeder types and models available for direct seeding vegetable crops. Smaller growers typically use the less expensive seeders; larger growers can justify more expensive precision seeders.

Cone guide wheels are the heart of a precision cultural system (PCS). Cone guide wheels allow an implement to follow along a shaped bed with no effort on the part of the tractor driver.

Cultivation is essential for nearly all commercial vegetable crops since herbicide choices are limited and vegetable crops cannot tolerate much weed competition. A basic sweep cultivator can do an excellent job of precision cultivation if set up and equipped properly.

Precision vertical plate seeders are available for planting many vegetable crops. These seeders use a vertical metal plate with the cells (holes) on the edge.

All vegetable seeders require openers, coverers and presswheels to provide a furrow for the seeds and to then cover the seeds and assure proper soil contact. These devices must be matched to the soil type and condition for optimum germination and seedling vigor.

A key component of a precision cultural system is precision bed shaping. A precisely shaped bed is essential to locate the crop row properly when planting and to provide a basis for guidance of subsequent operations.

A standard sweep cultivator can do an excellent job of cultivating vegetable crops once the plants reach 4-6 inches, but it must run very slowly in small crops (1-2 inches) and has a tendency to throw soil over the crop plants. An alternative is a rotary tiller/cultivator.

A basic sweep cultivator can do an excellent job of cultivating vegetable crops but must be run slowly (1-2 mph) when the crop plants are small. A simple modification to a sweep cultivator allows high-speed cultivation of small vegetable crops.