Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

You said "with steady soil improvements a person with even only an acre can
both put veggies up for their own family and bring in a little income".
(you have a lot more variety there than I do at the moment!)  Absolutely.
Actually one acre can feed an entire community if you can practice those
soil building techniques and use the land efficiently. 

Part of it is building up the organic matter content and part is growing in
permanent beds or wide rows so water and amendments aren't wasted on empty
aisles between single file rows. And don't forget season extension
techniques. When sufficient organic matter is decomposed in soil and cover
crops are rotated it forms humus-rich soil that holds moisture and cuts the
need for irrigation, as well as holding nutrients that would otherwise
leach out and need constant replacing. A mulch cover of compost slowly
decomposes into the soil, inhibits weeds, and reduces any need for tilling
or cultivation. Permanent beds concentrate the work and nutrients in the
growing areas. 

All these things save time, money, and labor, as well as making the most of
the ground space available. Throw in season extension with cold frames, row
covers, or greenhouses, and you can farm larger areas with less labor and
equipment (read: money), grow better produce, and even compete on price
with the big box storee (we'll soon have to, with more of them selling
plastic organic). And my personal preference to save time is to supply
regular customers locally instead of sitting out in the sun all day at some
market. I'm convinced of this; that most who complain they have to charge
more for organic produce just don't know how to grow efficiently, or
they're in the wrong location, or perhaps they shouldn't be in business in
the first place. Those of us who grow for income must think of it as a
business or give up trying to make an income on it. In any business a
person has to work on ways to cut costs while providing better goods or
service. These cost cutting and labor saving practices will not be
optional. They are becoming the only way to survive as a grower.

 I'm now reposting some items from our earlier Soilmakers list before it
was combined into Living On The Land.

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes. 
--Henry David Thoreau 
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 6/9/2006 at 6:07 AM Carrie Shepard wrote:

>Could you folks recommend some more places to connect with those applying
>good soil building techniques?  such as trade journals (seems there was
>some magazine called market growing?) or groups  ( I think in my area
>there is a wine growing group -- I need to call them up again to find the
>specifics).
>   
>  I've been interested in gardening and sheep for years, but only recently
>has my computer networking mechanically inclined (he can figure out
>mechanical things and rebuild things and run a chain saw) husband declared
>he's ready to get a larger place and more land (we've lived on 2.4 acres
>for the past 7 yrs -- we have a 21cage rabbitry, multitudes of chickens
>for eggs and meat, ducks, geese, guineas, a few fiber sheep, and dairy
>goats, small orchard, and gardens).   He's mentioned that we could rent or
>possibly work in exchange for housing for a larger operation if there
>would be some organic growing training involved. 
>   
>  I know in my neck of the woods that the farmer's markets are growing and
>there have been 3 new ones established in local towns just recently.  One
>of my friends has increased her garden and is very happy with the steady
>seasonal extra income the farmer's market provides them.  This past
>weekend she said that people were telling her she should raise her prices
>for chemically free produce and they would buy more.  She only has a
>backyard garden, though a big backyard, I guess I"m saying that with
>steady soil improvements a person with even only an acre can both put
>veggies up for their own family and bring in a little income.
>
>  Ideas welcome,
>  Carrie
>  in NE OK