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  • From: Allan Balliett <igg AT igg.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] soil block
  • Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 17:32:41 -0500

Elliot Coleman did a
session for professional growers at a Carolina Farm Stewardship conference
6 or 8 years ago. He said then that he had to drive to Canada to get high
quality for soil blocking and had given that up. What he went to was
bottomless wood frames placed on the concrete pad in his moveable
growhouses. He filled these with a soil mix and sowed seeds.

When time to transplant came, he cuts the plants apart in squares with a
knife and lifts off the frames.

Alex - Thanks for this important information. It confirms fears brought about through experience! ;-)

How is Eliot sowing into those frames? I assume he's positioning the seed accurately to make the cutting operation practical. What sort of tools was he using? (and, of course, does anyone know if he's still making his starts this way?)

Thanks

-Allan
From waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com Sun Mar 30 18:02:02 2003
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Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 18:02:13 -0500
From: Alex McGregor <waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com>
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Subject: Re: [Market-farming] soil block
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Right you are. He was using the Pinpoint Seeder from Johnny's (of course-
hey, the guy has to make some money on the side just like we all do!). He
said
he used the 4 row because it was faster and his box width was some multiple of
this tool's width.

For cutting, he uses an ordinary kitchen knife. He also said that he cuts
them
apart about a week before removing the frames and transplanting. He said he
had noticed an increase in transplant vitality over cutting and immediately
transplanting.

And you got me on if he's still doing it this way. He's an innovator and
always messing around to find a better, easier, faster way. Nothing about him
impresses me as a static kind of guy, so I'll bet he has at least modified his
techniques by now.

Allan Balliett wrote:

How is Eliot sowing into those frames? I assume he's positioning the
seed accurately to make the cutting operation practical. What sort of
tools was he using?

--
Alex McGregor
Walden Farm




  • Re: [Market-farming] soil block, Allan Balliett, 03/30/2003

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