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  • From: "Alan Whitaker" <awhitaker AT greenlynk.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Re: Mulch on a big scale
  • Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 12:45:05 -0500

we are is south Alabama. We have a lot of trouble with tall crabgrass and
Bermuda grass. We were growing 18 acres of vegetables, but have given in to
the Bermuda on 9 acres. The other 9, I'm going to fight it till it or I
expire!
I going to experiment with a heavy mulch (via Ruth Stout) on about 1/2 acre
this winter and next spring. I'm using a new covington tool bar two row
planter and an old Planet Jr. planter. Both have the coulters to open the
rows. I hope it'll work. I ended up mowing down crops on 11 acres do to
the grass. After allmost 90 inches of rain so far this year, I couldn't
keep up. I'm organic, and won't use plasi-culture until there is no other
way. On some of the ground, I'm planting wheat and peas and will roll them
down next spring and try to plant in the stubble..............


----- Original Message -----
From: Wiediger, Alison <awiediger AT HART.k12.ky.us>
To: 'Market Farming' <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 12:28 PM
Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Re: Mulch on a big scale


> Nicole,
> Don't feel alone - we have those too. Thank goodness, not the bermuda,
but
> Johnson grass makes up for it. We have decided, I think, to buy a plastic
> mulch layer and lay plastic for all our long-term crops next year. The
hope
> is that it will reduce our workload trying to control weeds enough that we
> will actually be able to control them where we don't have plastic. In
this
> very very wet year, even annual weeds got way out of hand. We have 2.5
> acres in production, and figure the tool will pay for itself in less than
a
> season with increased production.
>
> In the high tunnels, where we do a much better job controlling annual
weeds,
> you can tell how long tunnel has been in production by the lessening of
> weed pressure - so keeping them from going to seed will help long-term on
> the annuals. On Johnson grass, well, it makes great hay! (Just cut before
> it goes to seed!)
>
> Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm
> http://aunaturelfarm.homestead.com
>
> > ----------
> > From: Nicole[SMTP:nbrown AT bbtel.com]
> > Reply To: Market Farming
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 12:17 PM
> > To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > Subject: [Market-farming] Re: Mulch on a big scale
> >
> > Willie McKemie wrote: >>Mulches are not very effective on many of our
> > problem weeds: bermuda grass, johnson grass, morning glory.<<
> >
> > I have found that to be true here as well. Is there anything that IS
> > effective against those weeds? Thus far, I have only had a home garden
> > to contend with, and have hand-pulled when they got out of control - but
> > still they get out of control!
> >
> >
> > Nicole in KY
> >
> >
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