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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] intensive, no-till organic from a different angle

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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] intensive, no-till organic from a different angle
  • Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:48:46 -0700


Didn't mean for it to be THAT persuasive, and I haven't yet given any of
the evidence behind it. This is an attempt at vetting. I doubt that anyone
agrees 100% with all of it. These points need challenging for whatever
reason.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 2/15/2007 at 11:45 AM badsneakers11 wrote:

>Very well written, very persuasive post.
>
>i wonder if you're preaching to the choir, tho...
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
>To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
>Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 11:05 AM
>Subject: [Livingontheland] intensive, no-till organic from a different
>angle
>
>
>>
>> This explains intensive, no-till organic from a different angle.
>>
>> How do you multiply production in a given area of garden?
>>
>> 1. Permanent beds and narrower aisles between that increase actual
>growing
>> area to 2/3 of the garden space, compared to single rows that use only
>1/3
>> of the garden space for growing.
>> 2. Close planting that has leaves touching in all directions as plants
>> mature, doubles production.
>> 3. Interplanting that keeps something growing in all bed areas all
season
>> doubles production.
>> 4. Transplanting starts among other plants that will be finished when
the
>> new transplants need more room.
>> 5. Growing cool weather plants early spring and late fall.
>> 6. Season extension techniques to protect early and late varieties.
>> 7. Vertical growing on trellises for vining plants.
>>
>> What will cut down on weeds and time spent weeding or cultivating?
>>
>> 1. Mulch will help prevent weeds in growing beds and in aisles.
>> 2. Not tilling at all will avoid bringing a new crop of weed seeds to
the
>> surface to germinate.
>> 3. Close planting at optimum distances, keeping plants growing in all
>> parts
>> of the beds all season, will shade weeds that sprout.
>>
>> What will conserve soil moisture?
>>
>> 1. Not tilling and exposing more soil to drying air.
>> 2. Keeping a permanent mulch cover on the soil surface.
>> 3. Close plantings that shade soil and mulch cover.
>>
>> What will reduce losses to pests and disease?
>>
>> 1. Mixing different plants in each bed to confuse pests, the opposite of
>> monoculture.
>> 2. Healthy, humus rich soil that grows healthier plants less attractive
>to
>> pests.
>> 3. Annual crop rotations.
>> 4. Timing of crops to avoid certain destructive stages of pests.
>>
>> What will reduce the labor or cost of soil amendments and building
>> productive soil?
>>
>> 1. Concentrating soil building in permanent beds instead of paths
between
>> single rows.
>> 2. Not tilling the growing beds or paths between beds.
>>
>> How can you avoid tilling to loosen soil for planting?
>>
>> 1. By making permanent beds that don't get walked on, so soil is not
>> compacted by feet or machinery.
>> 2. By keeping a mulch and plant cover that protects soil from direct sun
>> and rainfall.
>> 3. By rotating produce with deep rooted cover crops.
>> 4. By adding new compost as much on top of beds annually or as needed.
>>
>> How much work is it to get started?
>>
>> Beds can be double-dug or built up. Either way beds need deep soil for
>> root
>> growth in close planting. Soil building involves organic compost or
>> composted manure, rock dust minerals as needed, and/or other amendments
>> including natural sources of nitrogen. The soil in beds can be made in
>one
>> season, and once beds are made, they stay made. Or a garden can be
>> converted gradually, one bed at a time, from wasteful single rows to
>> intensive beds.
>>
>> You maintain soil organic matter and nutrients by periodically adding
>> compost mulch on the surface, and/or by adding amendments through the
>> mulch. Other than that, the soil is not worked each season, very little
>> weeding is done, and the primary labor is transplants and harvesting.
>> Without having to till or prepare seed beds, you don't have to wait for
>> soil to warm up before planting or transplanting the cool weather crops,
>> which gives you an even earlier start. Also, without the need for
>tilling,
>> drip irrigation lines under the mulch don't need to be moved every time
>> you
>> put in new crops.
>>
>> Without the expense of machinery and with reduced cost or labor for
>> weeding
>> and irrigation, the home garden is a lot less trouble for what you get,
>> and
>> the market farm is definitely more profitable. And with far less labor
>and
>> cost per unit of food produced, the market farmer can grow far more
>> profitably without machinery than with machinery. Heresy? Of course.
>Trust
>> your own common sense: why will a certain thing work or not work?
>>
>> Of course this contradicts the agribusiness experts. They're the reason
>> millions of farm families have been forced off the farm over several
>> decades. These intensive practices are all demonstrated and I have them
>> heavily documented, though it appears no single book or writer has
pulled
>> them all together in one consistent package.
>>
>> Naturally none of these points are original with me, so fortunately I
>> don't
>> have to be an expert at all. I'm an ordinary gardener who, like many
>> others, discovered what works late in life.
>>
>> I welcome any questions or comments, for or against, on or offlist
>doesn't
>> matter. If my sources can't answer anything, or if anything appears
>> contradictory or unsupported, I really need to know.
>>
>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>
>>
>>
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>
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