Market Farming

["Michaele Blakely" <mjb AT premier1.net>]

Lawrence F. London, Jr. <lflondon AT mindspring.com> wrote in message 
news:<LYR98946-36446-2000.02.06-23.00.53--mjb#premier1.net AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>...
> On Sun, 6 Feb 2000 18:45:33 -0800, "Michaele Blakely"
> <mjb AT premier1.net> wrote:
> 
> >The one structure I always maintain is to have birds at
> >least once on the beds during the year, hopefully twice.
> 
> How do you deal with pathogens in the manure. Do you dig it in,
> mix it with other material (or finished compost) to be composted in
> situ, plant cover crops into it or mix rock powders and garden biomass
> with it for composting (and easier release of micronutrients from the
> rock powders)?
> 
> Based on the article I Xposted earlier I would think applying rock
> phosphate and other rock powders plus grass/weed/garden clippings
> to the area left behind by the CT (with light or no tillage), then
> planting red clover into it might be a productive scheme to enrich
> soil and build tilth.
> 
All of the above, which is why sometimes the birds make it just once around 
the beds.  If I'm lucky I can start birds on beds in late March/early April 
where a cover crop was planted in the fall.  Once they are off, it's tilled 
in lightly.  And again, if I'm lucky I can get birds on after a crop is 
finsihed, (but there is still greenstuff to eat) and still have time to plant 
a covercrop or if it is a long growth crop (more than 60 days) another crop 
planted.  The type of covercrop is determined by many variable factors: the 
time in the season, what will follow and it's nutient needs, what the birds 
like to eat.  I've slowed down on adding rock phosphate as the manure from 
the chickens seem to be keeping phosphate needs low or so my soil tests are 
telling me.
Michaele 
Growing Things