Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Barbara Money <bmoney9@verizon.net>]

Hi all,

While the latest threads on sustainability and whether or not we are all 
going to die of raised temperatures is fascinating and thought provoking 
(seriously, I'm learning a lot), could we have some discussion now and 
again on actual gardening techniques? I'm particularly thinking about 
putting in a winter cover crop, as opposed to just covering my garden 
plots with leaves, straw, manure, etc. Now Ken's CD has a list of some 
cover crops for various applications --to increase nitrogen or to uptake 
phosphorus, for example-- but I'm wondering what would be the best 
application for southern New England. I'm a little short on phosphorus; 
I can get all the manure (N) I want from a couple of local farms, and I 
have tons of wood ash (K). I look on the list and I see Buckwheat will 
uptake phosphorus, but it's grown as a spring/summer crop. I don't have 
so much area for gardening that I can tie up a good chunk for buckwheat 
(though I could, and would, harvest the seeds). Also Red Clover will 
accumulate P, but again, as it won't die down in the winter, I'd have to 
figure out a way to remove it without tilling so I can plant where it 
grew. Tiny seeds like the Brassicas won't grow in slits cut in the 
clover, and I've had poor success with seedlings. Mowing closely would 
work I suppose if it kills the root, but I want to get away from using 
fossil-fuel power. I've considered planting the buckwheat after harvest 
so it gets up a bit before frost, but will it have time to grow enough 
to be worthwhile? I think the list was created with the idea the crops 
would be tilled under.

I wonder if the low Phosphorus, or high Nitrogen, was the cause of my 
onions being really small, and my turnips being non-existent. Plenty of 
greens, just no turnip roots. Brassicas in general, (collards, brussels 
sprouts, broccoli) just not doing well. On the other hand, I'm having a 
bumper crop of Butternut squash!

What has worked well for you in New England? Am I better off just using 
the composted material top dressed as I have been? What about 
phosphorus? The manures I have access to are horse and llama, which have 
some phosphate but not a lot. Maybe sheep in a year or so. I am unlikely 
to be adding urine as was discussed not long ago. I can get phosphate 
rock, but it's mined so will be a finite, and unsustainable, supply.

Thanks,
Barbara M, Foster, RI

--
"Animals Are A Gift"