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  • From: "Liz Pike" <liz AT laughingbrookfarm.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Re: soil prep
  • Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 09:14:12 -0400

Hey David,

Sorry to be so long in answering your questions.

First off, before you do anything, try to get up with your local extension
agent or a neighborly minded farmer who farms like you & is willing to
advise you. Both sources will have the best information, relevant to your
locality. (The extension agent might not give you the most up-to-date
organic/sustainable info, but they usually know someone to which they can
refer you. Now a days though, it seems more and more of them are also
educated enough in sustainable ag practices as to be very helpful..unlike
when I first started.)

> Would you advocate incorporating
> covers and green manure in fallowed ground?

Absolutely! But before you decide on anything, get that soil tested! Green
manure & cover crops work wonders, but in order to do so, you need to know
what combination will work best in the particular structure of your soil,
within the confines of your climate. The one definitive thing I can say is
to not let that ground sit idle. At least have it in some sort of perennial
legume or sod. Ever notice how fertile/active/alive first sown ground
performs! After a couple of years, no matter how much input, the soil
begins to languish, never to produce up to the level of that first crop,
unless it's retired into a rotation for at least 2 years.

> There seems to be some debate
> on whether or not or how much to work or till the ground with covers.

Experiment, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. If you're used
to tilling, then do so, just leave an area on which to experiment. Some of
the new techniques for planting through cover includes specialized equipment
not everyone has.

There was a debate a while back on SANET about tilling and how it destroys
soil life. It was hard to hear experts proclaim tilling so evil, when it's
the only way many farmers have of getting crops into the ground.
Personally, I don't think tilling is all that bad (there are ways to combat
the problems it causes). Nevertheless, in order to maintain the soil life I
spent so long building up, I grew in permanent beds which required little if
any tilling. I saw a graphic a while back on the impact equipment has on
hardpan...even garden tillers were rated as too harsh. I wish I could
remember where I saw it. If I find it, I'll post the info.

I'll answer your sheet composting in another email!

Liz Pike
Laughingbrook Farm
Westfield NC
http://www.marketfarming.com
http://www.laughingbrookfarm.com










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