Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

My situation is I'm having to start from scratch this year, having
relocated recently. Not even planting this year, just building soil and
beds. After this, no-till. And all the compost and mulch are coming from
this property, no bought inputs.  I'm 62 and if I can do it, not being an
expert or as widely experienced as some on this list, then almost anybody
can. 


paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 7/29/2006 at 9:39 PM TradingPostPaul wrote:

>As it is I'm working without any powered machinery. The day will come when
>we need to do without, and plenty of people now need to grow who can't
>afford a thousand dollars here and a thousand dollars there.  We have a
>tremendous advatage with the knowledge from so many sources, so we should
>be able to do much better than our forebears, shouldn't we? Shouldn't we
be
>able to feed ourselves on an acre or less, without power tools? 
>
>paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>
>Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes. 
>--Henry David Thoreau 
>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
>On 7/29/2006 at 2:47 PM Art Corbit wrote:
>
>>Hi Paul,
>>
>>A good riding lawn mower with a grass catcher on it and a large compost
>>pile
>>are worth their weight in gold. It is really good for the raised bed
>>gardens.
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
>>To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
>>Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 2:29 PM
>>Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Wheat is the new oil
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Think that needs to be stressed. You can't make two and two equal five.
>>> Returning all available organic waste to the soil was the prime
>directive
>>> Sir Albert laid out back in the '40s. It was his demonstrations and
>>> lectures that prompted J.I. Rodale to start pushing organic growing.
>>>
>>> We were scouting around the other day looking for sources of soil
>>> amendments when it dawned on me (or was it the sunrise), we have half
an
>>> acre of green weeds growing on our new place. If I cut all that and
>>compost
>>> it before it goes to seed, we'll have more than enough to loosen the
>clay
>>> and cover the beds. Also found plenty of native clump grass to dig up
>and
>>> add to growing beds. Unless I heard wrong, that's a lot of root mass,
>>green
>>> growth on top, and mycorrhizae-formed humus underneath. It's virgin
>soil,
>>> grows a lot of rabbit brush and when monsoon comes, a lot of native
>>grass.
>>> I figure the trick is to avoid working it anymore after placing it in
>the
>>> beds, so as to keep it from the air as much as possible. Starting
over's
>>no
>>> picnic, but the best possible growing soil is the only way I know to
the
>>> best production - and the only way to make it worth doing at all.
>>>
>>>
>>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>>