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  • From: "Nan Johnson" <nan AT olemiss.edu>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Matt's cover crops
  • Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 13:50:01 -0700

Matt.......when you have a moment (hah!) please check out (on line - though
I recommend buying it since you will enjoy using it so much) the book
"Growing Cover Crops Profitably" edited by the Sust. Ag Network (SAN) -
You can download it, but with all the charts (pros and cons of each cover
crop) and all the cool chapters about each cover crop and stories of how to
combine them for each farmers unique situation and goals, you might go
buggy-eyed reading it on a computer screen! It is a wonderful book and
applicable to all regions of the country!

Check it out at www.sare.org or I can email you the address to order it ($24
with S&H)

nan at dancing goats farm, n. mississippi


----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Cheselka" <cheselka AT theriver.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 9:18 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] conversion factors


>
> I'd like to know if anyone has conversion factors for manure and compost
> going between tons and cubic yards. In Eliot Coleman's book, he
> recommends inputs in tons per acre, but I'm only able to acquire such
> thing in terms of cubic yards. My simple observation tells me that 1
> cubic yard of dry compost seems to be about 1000 pounds (1/2 ton). So if
> I want to apply at a rate of 30 tons per acre (60,000 pounds), I'd need to
> get about 60 yards. Is that about right? Over an acre, that's only about
> 1/2 inch deep. Does that make sense? It seems to me that in poor soil
> where almost no organic matter exists, I'd want maybe as much as 3 inches
> of "the good stuff", disced in maybe a foot deep.
>
> Also, any recommendations on a good cover crop/green manure to improve the
> soil would be appreciated. Right now, my thoughts are alfalfa, fescue,
> oats, some kind of bean, or clover. It'll grow all winter long and be
> disced in with the composted/manure in the spring.
>
> Anyhow, any advice or info would be appreciated. This is all in
> preparation for a 2 acre pumpkin/squash patch to be planted May/June 2005,
> for a October 2005 harvest.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Matt Cheselka
> Cosmic Lettuce
>
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