[Market-farming] Mulch Question and Request for Advice

mcoldiron mcoldiron at crcom.net
Wed Jul 2 15:52:56 EDT 2008


Thanks for the info Richard.

I currently have a little over 6,000 GL of water storage capacity, pumps, 
filters, drip line, valves to isolate the different rows, etc.  Also have a 
1024 GL water trailer for hauling.  I do need a water collection system from 
the barn and other buildings.  Another project I suppose.

You mentioned reusing mulch chips.  How would that be done without mixing it 
with dirt?  How about the size of the chips. Seems like that would cause 
problems if plowed under each year.   The idea was to make them small and 
plowing them under.  I've heard that too much organic material, like stalks 
and the like, will tie up the soils nitrogen for a year or so making it hard 
to grow anything until the material has decomposed.  Know anything about 
that?

As mentioned in my original post, I have plenty of elm and mesquite wood 
available for mulching.  Anyone know of a good pto chipper that will handle 
about 10" logs?  Also need a good splitter.

Thanks
TxBeeFarmer (Mark)
West Texas Zone 7b

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Stewart" <rstewart at zoomtown.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 9:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Mulch Question and Request for Advice


>I am using sawdust and shavings (not unlike what you would use for
> horse bedding in a stable).  It works OK.  I may not have figured out
> how to use it properly.  The best stuff I have found to date for
> mulch is UV resistance landscaping fabric.  Water when you need, run
> the drip tape on top, great to recycle again for further use.  Lucy
> at Boulder Belt pointed me in that direction last year.  The folks at
> Half Pint are doing it too, but a much more massive scale.
>
> My problem with wood chips is content.  Lots of stuff gets mixed in,
> including seed base.  Shavings and saw dust do not have this issue
> but you better know what you are getting.  You get something with
> pressure treated stuff mixed in or something natural that might kill
> off your plantings (say, fresh walnut) and who knows what happens.
> So far I have used ONLY on Garlic and green onions, since neither has
> a broad leaf and can withstand getting pile of it put around it
> casually and quickly.  6" deep and compressed to half that and I am
> still getting plenty of weeds.  I think if it was used in conjunction
> with a propane burner for initial weed removal and then covering once
> initial germination happens things might go better.
>
> As to the hauled water...the economics work if A) You can haul a lot
> for a little not too far away and you can B) avoid watering too
> much.  I use a gravity system based on 1500 gallon tank that is set
> on a slop 45' above my irrigated plots.  The water is distributed
> down the drop through a 2" pvc/foamcore hybrid pipe (foam and PVC is
> cheaper than pure PVC) and it reduces to a simple 3/4" garden hose
> hooked up to a 1/2" basic irrigation system (including filter...you
> ALWAYS need a filter).  I have a 350 gal tank that I have strapped to
> my roll on roll of bed on a CHevy 3500 HD that I can take off on on
> really quickly when I need the bed for another job or need a another
> bed (like a dump bed or hay bed).  I never have more than 700 gallons
> in the tank at a time because we have had a good rain season and need
> it less than I had thought I would (not a bad thing) and if you do
> not use it quick enough algae will build up (I do not use treated
> water).  I use it to irrigate 13 500' rowx  of beans, squash zucs,
> cucs, tomatoes, and peppers.  Each group of similar vegetables has a
> valve system and with emitters every 12" I am running through 3.7
> gallons of water per minute per 1000' foot section using simple drip
> tape (which is why I have the valves...right now my beans and peppers
> need the water, not the tomatoes, and squash).  That is what I think
> is a minimum for a good saturation.  The valves also allow me to
> maintain good pressure, which is key.  To many 500' runs on and only
> the first 100' or so gets watered.  Not good.  Irrigate, work.
> Change irrigation area, work, etc.
>
> The irrigation system works great.  I have had a 2 week period of no
> rain and I had to haul a whole lot of water.  My hauling distance is
> about 1/2 of a mile .  What would make the system rock is if I had a
> roof nearby to direct the water to the tank to supply the first 1500
> gallons before I needed to haul more, then it would be VERY efficient
> and sound.  It takes 3 minutes to unload the 350 gallon tank and 2-5
> minutes to travel one direction, and 20 to 30 minutes to load
> (depending on if the system is in use elsewhere) using the pressure I
> have at my stables with a standard pump and pressure tank designed to
> handle a 32 horse operation and the associated use.
>
> You need a decent sized main tank and a decent hauling tank.  One for
> good head pressure and the other to reduce your fuel costs and travel
> time (another cost).  Then you want the main tank on the highest
> point.  You could also water from the tank you are hauling.  It might
> be, what(?), 4 or 5 feet off the ground which helps a lot, but will
> not be better than a massive amount of water in a tank at ground
> level.  Surface area, volume, and height are your friends and uphill
> grades and friction are the enemies.
>
> This is not so much a recommendation as sharing my experience so
> far.  I could be WAY off base and simply not found a good method
> yet.  I may shoot a video of the entire process and put it on Youtube
> to help visualize what is a fairly simply process.
>
> Hope it helps (or at least makes sense even if it doesn't help :) )
>
> Cheers!
>
> Richard Stewart
> Carriage House Farm
> North Bend, Ohio
>
> An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1848
>
> (513) 967-1106
> http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com
> rstewart at zoomtown.com
>
>
>
> On Jul 1, 2008, at 8:14 PM, mcoldiron wrote:
>
>> I farm in a very arid region of west Texas.  This year has been
>> especially
>> hot, dry, and very windy.  The ground water quality is poor, making
>> normal
>> irrigation impossible. However I believe, on a very limited basis,
>> using
>> drip tape and hauled water, irrigation can work with heavy mulching.
>>
>> The only mulch I can imaging working is wood chips.  Straw will
>> just blow
>> away.  Plus, I haven't found a good source of straw.  There's
>> plenty of elm
>> and mesquite wood here to make mulch.
>>
>> Anyone out there with experience using wood chips?
>> Problems?
>> Size of chips?
>> Depth of mulch?
>> Recommended equipment?
>> Other?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> TxBeeFarmer (Mark)
>> West Texas Zone 7b
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
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>


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