[Lawn Ranger]

Here's a challenge for you. I know virtually nothing about gardening.

I'm moving to northern Florida. I will have a John Deere 430 garden tractor, plus a larger Kubota. It would be nice to have a small plot for tomatoes and peppers, but I do not wish to do all the work with a shovel and hoe. I'm thinking maybe 40' by 40', tops.

The soil is pretty sandy. I suppose I would have to invest in manure. It's well-drained.

Is a garden tractor the right tool for this? What implements would I need?

 

[Redtenchu]

For a small plot, a soil plow should work well and would be the most budget friendly option.

If you want to mix in compost, they have tiller attachments and front buckets that would make quick work of any size plot.

 

[BXMurphy]

If this were me, I'd glysophate the area, rake the debris, water, glysophate whatever comes up, rinse and repeat two or three times.

Even if you are tilling, the idea is to exhaust the seed bank. You will want to plant into fairly sterile ground so that the only things that sprout are what you put in there and... whatever comes its way naturally.