Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

We can use high N fish emulsion or seaweed extract for quicker N uptake.
However, soil temperature will still slow growth. Heavy mulch all winter
can keep the soil from getting too cold in the first place, so it can warm
faster when you pull it back in spring. Also there's another trick,
covering beds with clear plastic to use the greenhouse effect for warming
the soil. But you have  to remove the plastic once it's planted, and the
soil can get cold again. Wood framed beds are ideal for attaching cold
frames, but there again you need to be there to open them in the morning
and close at nite to hold warmth in. 

Season extension techniques can get tricky, but they can double your usual
crop production. And of course, if  you're using intensive raised beds or
wide row planting you double production again - that's quadrouple now. So
when you can get four times the production from a given space, why not add
season extending ideas? 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 5/13/2007 at 9:13 AM Catherine Fenner wrote:

>I'm not sure what you mean by "harsh growth" but I constantly have trouble
>with cold season crops not matching expectations. It's the cold soil. Yes,
>they like colder weather, but we organic sustainable types aren't adding
>the
>quick-acting synthetic fertilizers to the soil to meet their nitrogen
>needs.
>The microorganisms in cold soils are often not producing enough to keep up
>with the plants needs early in the growing season.
> 
>I've learned to do some foliar feeding, making sure to spray under the
>foliage, to compensate. I'm not sure where you're located but once the
soil
>warms, you'll want to keep them cool. The greenhouse, as already
indicated,
>will keep them too warm.
>
>
>  _____  
>
>To many times I start a vegatable that has a harsh growth, I recently
>bought
>some plants and have been erecting a greenhouse to be simi open air until
>fall. If you could send me some helpfull hints I will respond with
results,
>Sincerly John Calhoun. 
>
>