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  • From: "Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Mulch suggestions
  • Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 17:33:36 -0600

For those of you who do extensive mulching, can you share some of your
recommendations on how you get the mulch or make it?

We are considering the purchase of a tractor operated mulcher (3 pt,
Category 2) as one alternative to produce mass quantities. We have lots of
Ashleaf Maple (aka Box Elder:). We no longer produce hay as we "clip" our
100+ acres of paddocks and if the livestock can not keep up with the
grass/legumes during the flush growth in the early summer, we will not
harvest as hay unless it was done on shares with someone (which is getting
almost impossible to do). The size of our produce garden is about an acre at
any one time although we can rotate through various areas by breaking the
sod about a year ahead of time. We also have 30 fruit trees, most quite
young.

Questions:

1) Do you find it best to make mulch with your own equipment?

2) Do you find that it works best to move the mulcher around and shoot it
out of the discharge chute to at least get it about where you want it to end
up? Or is it best to make a pile and then use equipment or a wheelbarrow to
move it to where you want it to end up? We have J-D 4000 (similar to a 4020
and around 100 hp) so it is not very maneuverable.

3) Do you have a solution for chopping up hay into short lengths? Will hay
go through those chopper/shredders? Or do you find hay to be too
problematical due to the introduction of too many weeds?

4) Or are wood chips really the best answer? Or do they cause a shift in the
soil pH in an unwanted direction?

5) We have used mulch for side dressing on berries etc. and a total mulch
for potatoes. How deep do you think is best for the potatoes? We usually
put on perhaps 6" of mostly hay chunks but it would be a lot better we think
to have short chopped lengths.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Direct marketed dairy beef and produce
(also dairy heifers and beef stockers)
Viroqua, WI






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