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market-farming - Re: new farmer needs info on mulching between rows

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Subject: Market Farming

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Alex McGregor <waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com>
  • To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: new farmer needs info on mulching between rows
  • Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 10:09:29 -0400


Susan,

How far are you from Atlanta? Skip & Cookie Glover in Douglasville have
devised an
ingenious mulching method between their beds- capitalizing on Atlanta's
requirement of
putting yard waste in paper bags for curbside pickup.

They make early morning runs to beat the city trucks and haul leaves back to
the farm.
Then they split the paper bags, place them on the paths and top with the
leaves. Adding
the bags uses everything they pick up and helps keep the weeds down. The
bags are craft
paper and rot pretty fast- over 1 season.

Here, people use plastic bags. I collect them, but the plastic bags are a
disposal
problem. I realize there are no leaves now. I gather in the Fall and
stockpile them for
the following season. Grass clippings are a good mulch available now. I
avoid picking
up grass from chemically managed lawns. They contain all the toxic chemicals
used. I
look for a lawn with a variety of plants growing like grass with clover and
plantain and
avoid the "monocrops."

If you know any lawn service people, they may have these that they haul away
from yards
they mow and rake. Some are happy to deliver to avoid paying landfill costs.
I have
some ecologically-oriented neighbors who deliver their yard waste, knowing it
will be
used for mulch and composting instead of filling up landfills.

The point is, there's a lot of free mulching material out there. It just
takes a little
time and effort to establish connections. And you have to be willing to
"pick garbage"
which is looked down on by some people. Good Hunting!

Alex McGregor
Walden Farm

Alex McGregor
Walden Farm



SASDESIGN AT aol.com wrote:

> am new to organinc farming & i need suggestions or reference to previous
> discussions on cover crops or mulching between rows to eliminate or reduce
> weeds. Garden is up and weeds just beginning to appear. many thanks
> susan shaw
> morning glory farm
> 208 roper rd
> canton ga 30115





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