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  • From: Mayapple Farm and Gardens <mayapplefarm AT yahoo.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Re: Mulches and conservation tillage/tree climbing
  • Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 04:55:33 -0700 (PDT)

Mulches and conservation tillage:
Some great information on using mulches and minimal
tilling can be found in this publication:
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organicmatters/conservationtillage.html

I use a hairy vetch/rye combination for winter cover
and mow it off close at the point of bloom to kill it
off. For close spaced crops like green beans and
roots, I use a hay rake to completely remove the
residue and stockpile it for either compost or
mulching. That way I can rototill without stopping at
the end of each pass to unclog the tines. For
wide-spaced crops like squash and tomatoes, I hand
rake a path for the row and only till one width where
the row will go. This leaves the row middles
undisturbed where I may have to mow them or cultivate
them at a later date if the weeds get too thick.

A word of caution with rye: if left on the surface, it
has an allelopathic effect on certain small seeded
plants, such as Amaranthus, but also possibly crop
seeds. It also leaves some rather large chunks in the
soil that can make seeding with an Earthway seeder a
little annoying, but when you observe the difference
in decreased soil erosion, the annoyance becomes quite
minor. More info:
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/rye.html

Tree Climbing:
Franklin, if these trees have any long term value to
you, I'd avoid poking holes in the bark with climbing
spurs. Each wound is a potential entry point for the
pathogen that will kill it or disfigure it.

Kevin



=====
Krystyna L. Prochocki
Kevin L. Strohmeier
May Apple Farm and Gardens
4020 N. Grandview Church Rd.
Big Spring, KY 40175
270/828-4953
mayapplefarm AT yahoo.com

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  • [Market-farming] Re: Mulches and conservation tillage/tree climbing, Mayapple Farm and Gardens, 06/17/2003

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