Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: Permanent Raised Beds

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Alex McGregor <waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com>
  • To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Permanent Raised Beds
  • Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 12:00:04 -0500


B&B

I confess! I'm the one with the 15 year old beds that have only been tilled
once.

BBGREGSON AT cs.com wrote:

> Lawrence London wrote about tilling only once in 15 years. That is not
> clear
> to me. How do you prepare seedbeds?

What we do for seed beds is surface cultivate with a collinear hoe only deep
enough to
break up any crust and kill the weed sprouts- about 1/4" deep. Then rake them
smooth and
plant or transplant.

> How do you incorporate green manures and crop residue?

That's where a Mantis comes in- for green manures, lightly tilled cut into
the top few
inches. Or they can be cut into squares and turned over (like pancakes) to
decompose.

> It also sounds like a lot of soil amendment usage.

We add 4 cubic feet of finished compost per 100 square foot bed per crop. We
get 2 to 4
crops per bed per season. By the way, we add all compost to the surface after
raking
smooth, we don't dig it in. that's how nature builds soil- from the top down.

> We rototill lightly to prepare for cover crop in the fall (if crops can be
> harvested in time) and then again for seedbed preparation in the spring (for
> transplants in most cases). More explanation will be helpful! Thanks.
> Bob and Bonnie Gregson, Island Meadow Farm, Vashon, WA

We have something growing in the beds at all times. Crops are planned so that
we plant
the same day we harvest a bed (theoretically). it takes us 30 minutes to prep
a bed for
the next crop after harvest. Any crop residue is removed and added to an
active compost
pile.

I hope this helps clear up what I wrote earlier. The system I use (based on
Jeavons and
modified by Steve Rioch at OU then modified by me) is hard to explain in an
email. I
teach workshops for gardeners, farmers and teachers. The garden workshop is 3
1/2 days
and the farming is 5 days- gives you an idea of how much info we try to pack
in.

I have read and enjoyed your book- recommended by a friend in North Georgia-
lots of
practical info for those starting out. I plan to add it to my recommended
list for
workshops and classes.

Alex





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page