Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>]

> Why wouldn't deep-rooted cover crops bring up phosphorus that isn't
> available in the vegetables' root zone?

In our case because the soil is not that deep that vegetable roots would not 
get to the bottom of it if they wanted. Sometimes they might not want to 
because of high water tables. (like over the last three very wet years)
In a good deep well draining soil it could work.



> I thought that was one reason why one used them.

We never use cover crops as such. But two days after the last of the summer 
peas were cleared away we planted seedlings of red kale, mizuna, mibuna, 
giant red mustard and turnips that will grow until the Spring. When these 
come out of the ground the next crop will go in within days.
Cover crops are mostly there to protect the soil from drying out and 
erosion. Our crops are the cover except where we have weeds.


> Oh, I should say this garden area was last used as a horse paddock, and by 
> rights should be full of phosphorus (smile). Though that was 2 years ago, 
> and was let run to weeds since. I did plant squash last year where the 
> turnips are, and it was manured well then too. Hmm, different horses' poop 
> last year, the squash didn't bear well, and the other area I used it the 
> brussel sprouts didn't make "sprouts"... the horse owner used it on her 
> garden which was astoundingly bountiful. Could it be the seed? I hear most 
> seed companies are owned by Monsanto and its kind.

I would advise everyone to start saving their own seeds. That is the only 
way to have crops adapted to local circumstances. There many things that 
breed true and are so easy to save seed from that it is ridiculous to buy 
seed every year. Tomatoes for instance. We save seeds from the best tomato 
on the best plant of a variety as follows : eat your tomato but before 
swallowing the lot you lick seeds on a clean dry tissue paper about two cm 
(a bit less than an inch apart) in rows and collums until the paper is ful. 
Continue on several new tissue papers if you want many tomato plants. The 
seeds stick to the paper liked they were glued.
We dry paper and seeds for a few days and then store them in a zip-lock bag. 
Advantage of the paper also is that you can write the variety and date on 
it.
At planting time next Spring I fill a flat tray with home made compost. Put 
the tissue papers on top removing unwanted layers if such there are. Cover 
thinly with a bit more compost and water. In a warm place we have 
germination within days with seedling a bit less than an inch apart in both 
directions. I transplant to pots when there are 3-4 real leaves and at that 
stage the tissue paper is completely gone.
Takes less time to do than to write about.
John



> Barbara M,
> Foster, RI
>
> --
> "Animals Are A Gift"
>
> _______________________________________________
> Livingontheland mailing list
> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland