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  • From: zaid AT norwichmeadowsfarm.com
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] strawberry planting
  • Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 20:53:10 -0700

white plastic works well without mulching


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] strawberry planting
From: "road's end farm" <organic101 AT linkny.com>
Date: Sat, February 12, 2005 10:32 pm
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>

On Feb 12, 2005, at 10:08 PM, Tradingpost wrote:

>
> I saw landscape fabric laid out on strawberry rows at the extension
> farm in
> Alcalde, NM, and they're organic. No weeds. Of course they installed
> drip
> irrigation to go with it.

Yes, that's a good point; planting in landscape fabric or plastic mulch
would work. If the mulch is dark, you might need straw over it to keep
the berries from overheating, and if you want runners to set you'd have
to set them through the mulch yourself.

If you're going to certify as organic, check with your certifier first.
The landscape fabric/plastic needs to be in the field continuously for
more than a year to use it with strawberries, and at least some
certifiers used to object to this. I'm not sure how the federal
standards have affected this issue. If you're not getting certified, of
course, this isn't an issue.

> But they used a smother crop in the blackberry rows, New Zealand white
> clover. Going by the taste of the berries, I'd say both methods work.

Clovers are a good cover crop, but might be too slow establishing for a
smother crop. They're sometimes seeded mixed with oats, so the oats can
discourage the weeds while the clover gets going. Also I think clovers
work better if they have longer to stay in the field than in the
relatively quick repetition of cover crops and tillage that I was
suggesting to discourage the weeds.

I also don't know if you want clover in strawberries, even the low
growing New Zealand. Clovers do spread. The blackberries wouldn't be
bothered as they grow much taller, but I think strawberries would have
trouble competing with the clover. I bet it works well in blackberries,
though.


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

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