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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Could someone help me? (No Till)
  • Date: Sun, 06 May 2007 19:32:13 -0600


Not sure I understand the original post, Cordalie. What was the problem
with community gardeners wanting to rototill their plots? I accept no-till
for myself and advocate it since following Ken Hargesheimer's explanations.


I'd certainly be concerned if I had a plot and others around were spraying
poisons all over the place.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 5/6/2007 at 3:45 PM Dieter Brand wrote:

>Catherine,
>
> Converting to no-till is not just a matter of giving up tilling or
>digging.
> It requires a degree of knowledge and experience regarding what you do
> instead of tilling. You need to understand how you can manage weeds
> by cover crops under your local conditions. On the garden level you can,
> to an extend, use mulch (if you have plenty of mulching material on
hand)
> to suppress weeds. On the farm level there is no way around cover crops.
> You need to understand the live-cycle of the different cover crops that
>will
> grow in your area: when to sow, degree of weed-suppression, when to
> cut so that it won’t grow again so as to be able to plan the planting
of
>your
> cash crop. You need to understand the properties of the different types
> of cover crops: legumes will fix nitrogen in the soil, deep-rooted crops
> will loosen the soil, etc.
>
>Not tilling obviously saves fuel and reduces pollution. Tilling also
>causes soil
> compaction because the organic structure of the soil is disturbed. Soil
>fertility
> is destroyed by tilling because the soil layers are turned upside down:
>organic
> material of the anaerobic lower soil oxidizes when it comes into contact
> with the air while organic material in the aerobic upper soil which is
>not yet
> completely broken down by aerobic microorganismes will be enclosed under
> anaerobic conditions where it can develop into substances toxic to plant
>roots.
> Tilling also exposes the soil to erosion.
>
> There is plenty more one could say, but you would have to be a little
>more
> specific in your request.
>
> Regards, Dieter
>
>Catherine Fenner <c1fenner@comcast.net> wrote:
> Is it a rule set by community garden administrators to not rototill
>because
>of energy use or pollution? Or, are you trying to keep the substrata from
>compacting? Perhaps if you could define why we can be more specific about
>some tools.
>
>Catherine
>
>-----Original Message-----
>I need some simple materials to discourage (or encourage to no till)
>community gardeners in New Haven, CT from wanting to rototill their plots.

>Thanks, Cordalie
>







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