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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] straw mulched potatoes

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  • From: david purpura <davepurpura AT yahoo.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] straw mulched potatoes
  • Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 10:29:28 -0800 (PST)

 Hi Jill.  Thanks for the response.  So, which method worked better? 
If the potatoes grow thru the mulch, it seems easier to lay it on at
planting, rather than working it around the plants at hilling time...
  
  FWIW, I came across plenty of field mice without straw this past
year.  It's a little unnerving when you reach in for potatoes and they're
fuzzy and move... !
  
  dave
  
  <<<<<<
  Dave,
    Although I am not Phil, I have grown potatoes with a straw mulch in
past
years - one time by digging a trench, putting the potatoes in, and
covering
with straw.  The other time by digging the trench, covering with dirt,
a
handful of peat, a sprinkling of some other soil amendments, and then
the
soil.  When it was time to hill them, I covered them with lots of hay. 
That
worked great too.

    I bet the pigweed would be more easily pulled out from the mulched
ground.

    The only drawback was that fieldmice like to build their nests, so
when
I dig potatoes grown this way, I usually disturb one or two mice nests.
However, once disturbed, if you leave them alone, the mama will move
all the
babies in a very short time.


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