Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

I'll testify to the weed thing. Why keep bringing weed seeds to the surface? 
I've never used a tiller, and only dug initially to amend dead dirt in a 
hurry and pile it up higher in framed beds. And since I mulch year round 
there are almost zero weeds to pull. But don't I need to work up the soil for 
planting? No. With organic matter in it and mulch on top, and walking in 
permanent aisles instead of compacting the beds, the soil stays ready for 
planting. No brainer.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 11/29/2010 at 5:03 PM Ken Hargesheimer wrote:

>There are weeds and you kill them by tilling. Tilling brings up a new set
>of seed so you start over.  After 1-2 years of no till there will be few
>weeds. You stop bring up the weed seed.  In our garden we had six beds, 6
>ft x 70 ft. and it took me 15 minutes a week to pull all the weeks.
>Produce what you are producing now.
> 
>VA:  I'm a left-over from the original soils list, was converted then to
>no-till but I'm still learning.  Had our first hard frost last night, but
>I was prepared with the help of Coleman's "Four-Season Harvest".  Our beds
>produce year 'round, never mono-crop, mostly volunteers.  Amazingly
>simple.  My 99 year old mother, who grew up on a Michigan farm, is still
>shocked at how well this works.  Even with last winter's 6 feet of snow. 
>Tom Vincent
> 
>Ken 
> 
>
>
>--- On Mon, 11/29/10, moon@ceva.net <moon@ceva.net> wrote:
>
>
>From: moon@ceva.net <moon@ceva.net>
>Subject: [Livingontheland] roto crutch
>To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
>Date: Monday, November 29, 2010, 10:00 AM
>
>
>
>Hi Ken,
>I'm hooked on equip. Would be a joy to not depend on it. Especialy as fuel
>gets more dear. I often topdress a bed w/ composted horsepoo and sawdust,
>then till it in. seems like more gain then loss. What do you produce w/
>no-till?
>I also have sandy river botton, I spread manure and leaf mold, use a falk
>spader and bury it w/ all the weeds for garlic, and summer vege bed prep.
>Even in my small garden, a 3pt hitch rorotiller can bury all the frost bit
>basil and mulch and fortify the bed w/ org matter while cleaning up for
>reseeding. Looks great,like choc cake.
>Is this evil in the no-till notebook? . Is the worm count the final jury?
>How else to manage? Too much to fork, too many weeds, weed skeletons and
>1/2 rotted mulch seems sinking them under helps. Midseason, in Va, the
>weeds are so fierce I can only cultivate w/ a sm cultv tractor to keep the
>comp down. too much to mulch. I have fabric for my peps,squash and tomas.
>You can let the DVD answer.
>Thanks, Ann zone 7
>