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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Sustainable Production of Fresh-Market Tomatoes and Other Summer Vegetables With Organic Mulches

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Sustainable Production of Fresh-Market Tomatoes and Other Summer Vegetables With Organic Mulches
  • Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 10:56:28 -0600


The USDA piece from August 1997 below carries this advice, along with some
good advice about hairy vetch and other cover crops:

"The vetch mulch suppresses weed emergence for
the first month after mowing. As the vetch vines
decompose, weed seedlings will eventually
emerge through the mulch and require control
with postemergence herbicides. An application of
0.5 pound of active ingredient of metribuzin per
acre will probably be needed approximately 3 to
4 weeks after transplanting to control the vetch
regrowth and the emerging weeds, whichever
appears first. It is important to make this application
promptly, when the weed seedlings are first
sighted or the vetch regrowth begins to threaten
the tomato plants. An additional postemergence
application of a registered grass herbicide may be
necessary to control late-emerging grass weeds.
Consult product labels for specific information.
In all likelihood, disease and insect control will
require fungicides and insecticides."

There's a better way to control weeds. Anyone?

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 8/15/2006 at 8:25 AM TradingPostPaul wrote:

>Sustainable Production of Fresh-Market Tomatoes and Other Summer
>Vegetables
>With Organic Mulches
>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/tomatoes.html
>USDA Agricultural Research Service
>
>View publication online (pdf file) using Adobe Acrobat Reader (5,305 KB).
>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/SustainableTomato.pdf
>
>The alternative production system described in this bulletin uses the
>winter annual legume hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L. Roth) both as a cover
>crop and as a mulch in a sustainable tomato production system. As a cover,
>vetch serves to fix nitrogen, recycle nutrients, reduce soil erosion and
>compaction, and add organic matter to the soil. When converted to a mulch,
>the residue reduces weed emergence, increases organic matter content,
>reduces water loss from the soil, and acts as a slow-release fertilizer.







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