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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] greens and weeds

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  • From: "Mike Emers" <rosie-ck AT mosquitonet.com>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] greens and weeds
  • Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:19:22 -0900

Hi Rivka,

 

Thanks for responding.  We’ve tried going from transplants before and we might do it again.  It definitely lets the lettuce grow ahead of the weeds.  We seeded plug flats of 200 cells with the lettuce mix and then transplanted those out into the beds.  At 6 rows to a 36” bed, one plug tray will get us 8.33’.  So it will take 12 trays for every 100’ of row – which takes a while as opposed to making one pass with a multi-row seeder (such as the new one Johnny’s is selling).  Direct seeding is so quick, but if it doesn’t work, there’s no sense tilling all that in later.  It’s just a matter of getting our timing and planning in order.  If we want our lettuce mix next summer, we probably will have to do as you suggest and then really concentrate on eliminating weeds in future years’ beds by aggressive cultivation and cover crops.

 

What’s your method of starting the mix and then transplanting?

 

Happy New Year,

 

Mike Emers

Rosie Creek Farm

Ester, Alaska

 

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of road's end farm
Sent: Friday, December 30, 2005 9:56 AM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] greens and weeds

 


On Nov 23, 2005, at 1:19 AM, Mike Emers wrote:


As summer and fall have long given themselves up to cold and snow on our
farm, the planning for next year has begun. One of our high priorities
to correct next season is getting our baby greens production back to
where it once was - our biggest moneymaker per area.

Our weeds (mainly shepard's purse and chickweed), after several years of
poor management, have built up a healthy seed bank in the soil and can
choke out the slower germinating lettuce seedlings very quickly. Even
after letting weeds germinate killing them for several iterations and
then sowing my greens, we still have too many weeds. We've also tried
the window pane technique of watching for the crop to germinate under
the glass and then flaming the bed. I tilled in several hundred feet of
baby lettuce rows last season in frustration. We don't have this same
problem with the faster growing mustards, but spinach is also a drag.
So any suggestions out there other than plasticulture?

Mike Emers
Rosie Creek Farm
Ester, Alaska (sitting cozily in zone 1)


Can you start your lettuce from transplant? That's what I do; partly because of heavy weed pressure. If you're aiming for really baby greens, though, I don't know whether the time-spent ratios of transplanting versus weeding are going to come out the same.


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale




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