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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] the best bed shaper

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  • From: Allan Balliett <igg AT igg.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] the best bed shaper
  • Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 21:58:25 -0500

Allan, can you be more specific on how things have gotten better?

Wow, man, how come you had to go and ask me THAT?

I used to run a spader down the bed, and then edge the bed a foot deep, with a Chadwick spade, down both sides, flipping the BIG divots into the middle of the bed, and then run the BCS down the bad in each direction. Sometimes those beds 'made' beautifully, but, gosh, that's a lot of lifting and trying to control a big tiller down a bed of divots without stepping on the bed was often more than TWO people could handle. (And, after the first time you grab the muffler instead of the frame, well, your days of being a useful tiller muscler are pretty much over (due to fear, not burns)) Now, I run a tractor-mounted tiller down the bed once (or twice) and then follow that with the bed shaper. If everything goes right, I've made a new bed in just a few minutes. And my back doesn't hurt and I'm not pretty close to being exhausted.

As far as your other questions, the best answer to each of them is 'it depends.'

As far as 'why raised beds,' well, I can say that if you don't want plastic on your farm, you probably have the temperment to value raised beds. Aside from that, raised beds bring qualities to the soil and produce that are never discussed on this list and I'm not about to bring them up this late in the starting season. Suffice it to say, if you haven't read Jeavons or Coleman, you are bloody well ready to do so! -Allan (Hey, my soil shows up on the soil map as SILT LOAM, also!! Didn't tell me much about what lies about 2inches under all that SILT LOAM, though! )




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