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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] strawberry planting

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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] strawberry planting
  • Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 21:53:12 -0500



On Feb 10, 2005, at 7:42 AM, mtlivestock wrote:

Didn't have time or $$$ to get a section of our pasture fenced and ready for
strawberries. Could I do it this spring? If so, what would you recommend
for killing off grass/weeds. I have not used any herbicides on this pasture
since 1995. I would like to use a product okayed by organic methods, but I
don't have a big budget.

Grasses are a terrible weed problem in organic strawberries. Hate to say this, but if I were you I'd put the strawberries off for a year and plant a succession of smother crops in there this year, starting as early in the spring as you can: maybe an oats and field peas mix to start, then till that in and do a round or two of buckwheat in the summer, then maybe oats again in the fall (they'll winter kill, at least if you're in the North, and give you winter protection but relatively easy early spring tillage.)

(A smother crop is a cover crop that comes up fast and thick and smothers out the weeds.)


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale







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