[Market-farming] Black Plastic Mulch Overheating

lucy Owsley boulderbelt at voyager.net
Thu May 8 08:38:14 EDT 2008


Allan

Not really. The IRT mulch I was referring to was left behind on a  
farm we left 3.5 year ago. We went back last week to raid the  
asparagus patch we also left behind and noticed that the IRT mulch we  
had put down for strawberries was still there (but no strawberry  
plants had survived). And with strawberries we do leave the mulch in  
place 3 to 5 years (how ever long the berry plants continue to  
produce). We no longer use IRT mulch having replaced that with woven  
black landscape fabric because it lasts a lot longer than thin  
plastic mulch and will not be damaged by mowing/weed eaters.

For most crops we lay down the mulch 1 or 2 weeks before we plant and  
than in the fall when the crop is done we take up the mulch.  
Strawberries are the one exception to this because they are in the  
ground for several years.

We also use straw to mulch a lot of crops such as raspberries,  
blackberries and asparagus.

One reason we do not leave the mulch down forever is because voles  
love to make their homes under the mulch and get to be a very very  
bad problem. So much so that the strawberry mulch is partially lifted  
after it is down 12 months-we undig the edges so we and the dogs can  
get underneath to kill the little suckers, it also allows us to put  
down compost. After 12 months the berry plants are more than big  
enough to hold the mulch down.


On May 8, 2008, at 8:16 AM, Allan Balliett wrote:

> You lost me, Lucy!
>
> Are you putting down mulch and leaving it down for 10 years and
> re-planting the same holes each years...with the same crops?
>
> Tell me more!
>
> Tell me everything!
>
> I'm all ears!!! (And eyes!) -Allan ;-)
> _______________________________________________
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>
>

Lucy Goodman	
Boulder Belt Eco-Farm
Eaton, OH
http://boulderbelt.blogspot.com




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