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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] The Price Of Food: 2007 - 2008

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: emitch@att.net, livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] The Price Of Food: 2007 - 2008
  • Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:29:19 -0600


I hate it when that happens ;-) Seriously, over by June 1? Mulch and
irrigation setup sounds like the best bet; it's what I do. Here we've had
about one inch of rain all year. Temps are in the 90s and it's so dry forest
fires are popping up around NM. Shadecloth has its uses but it's limited to
certain crops and impractical for vining or climbing things, and expensive
for me.

Our framed or raised beds make mulching and amending easier and cheaper, but
make irrigating more complicated and time consuming. Next season I must make
a T-tape setup which I have no experience with, to save time. Keep saying
that ... I'm using a few 25' soaker hoses on top of the mulch in 3'x8' squash
and pepper beds, but they do cost. Makes watering far easier when they grow
thick. On fence beds with pole beans, squash, and fingerling potatoes I'm
using 50' soaker hoses, tho it's easy to overdo on the young beans - a
mistake I've already made. Squash and potatoes don't seem to mind excess
water, but the beans start putting out light green growth on top. At least
we're on a well, no ridiculous water bill. Tomato beds in the greenhouse show
no stress at all. The wind protection helps. The first stage transplant beds
are over my head now, and they're mulched with soaker hoses for water every
other day, can't be watered any other way. Gotta keep moisture even thru
Sept. for best tomatoes. We should have a *lot* of tomatoes, carrots, red
onions, fingerlings, plus some garlic and shallots in two-three weeks for
markets. The only wild card at this point is possible hail.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 6/26/2008 at 6:37 PM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>We have had no rain and much hotter temperatures this Summer, and my
>garden didn't respond well. Crops were "done" by June 1. Clearly I need
>to raise my game. More shade, mulch, organic matter, work on the water
>supply, more heat-tolerant crops.
>
>E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
>www.hillcountrynatives.biz
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tradingpost
> To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 11:10 AM
> Subject: [Livingontheland] The Price Of Food: 2007 - 2008
>






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