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  • From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Mulch Question and Request for Advice
  • Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 22:08:43 -0400

I am using sawdust and shavings (not unlike what you would use for horse bedding in a stable). It works OK. I may not have figured out how to use it properly. The best stuff I have found to date for mulch is UV resistance landscaping fabric. Water when you need, run the drip tape on top, great to recycle again for further use. Lucy at Boulder Belt pointed me in that direction last year. The folks at Half Pint are doing it too, but a much more massive scale.

My problem with wood chips is content. Lots of stuff gets mixed in, including seed base. Shavings and saw dust do not have this issue but you better know what you are getting. You get something with pressure treated stuff mixed in or something natural that might kill off your plantings (say, fresh walnut) and who knows what happens. So far I have used ONLY on Garlic and green onions, since neither has a broad leaf and can withstand getting pile of it put around it casually and quickly. 6" deep and compressed to half that and I am still getting plenty of weeds. I think if it was used in conjunction with a propane burner for initial weed removal and then covering once initial germination happens things might go better.

As to the hauled water...the economics work if A) You can haul a lot for a little not too far away and you can B) avoid watering too much. I use a gravity system based on 1500 gallon tank that is set on a slop 45' above my irrigated plots. The water is distributed down the drop through a 2" pvc/foamcore hybrid pipe (foam and PVC is cheaper than pure PVC) and it reduces to a simple 3/4" garden hose hooked up to a 1/2" basic irrigation system (including filter...you ALWAYS need a filter). I have a 350 gal tank that I have strapped to my roll on roll of bed on a CHevy 3500 HD that I can take off on on really quickly when I need the bed for another job or need a another bed (like a dump bed or hay bed). I never have more than 700 gallons in the tank at a time because we have had a good rain season and need it less than I had thought I would (not a bad thing) and if you do not use it quick enough algae will build up (I do not use treated water). I use it to irrigate 13 500' rowx of beans, squash zucs, cucs, tomatoes, and peppers. Each group of similar vegetables has a valve system and with emitters every 12" I am running through 3.7 gallons of water per minute per 1000' foot section using simple drip tape (which is why I have the valves...right now my beans and peppers need the water, not the tomatoes, and squash). That is what I think is a minimum for a good saturation. The valves also allow me to maintain good pressure, which is key. To many 500' runs on and only the first 100' or so gets watered. Not good. Irrigate, work. Change irrigation area, work, etc.

The irrigation system works great. I have had a 2 week period of no rain and I had to haul a whole lot of water. My hauling distance is about 1/2 of a mile . What would make the system rock is if I had a roof nearby to direct the water to the tank to supply the first 1500 gallons before I needed to haul more, then it would be VERY efficient and sound. It takes 3 minutes to unload the 350 gallon tank and 2-5 minutes to travel one direction, and 20 to 30 minutes to load (depending on if the system is in use elsewhere) using the pressure I have at my stables with a standard pump and pressure tank designed to handle a 32 horse operation and the associated use.

You need a decent sized main tank and a decent hauling tank. One for good head pressure and the other to reduce your fuel costs and travel time (another cost). Then you want the main tank on the highest point. You could also water from the tank you are hauling. It might be, what(?), 4 or 5 feet off the ground which helps a lot, but will not be better than a massive amount of water in a tank at ground level. Surface area, volume, and height are your friends and uphill grades and friction are the enemies.

This is not so much a recommendation as sharing my experience so far. I could be WAY off base and simply not found a good method yet. I may shoot a video of the entire process and put it on Youtube to help visualize what is a fairly simply process.

Hope it helps (or at least makes sense even if it doesn't help :) )

Cheers!

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1848

(513) 967-1106
http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com
rstewart AT zoomtown.com



On Jul 1, 2008, at 8:14 PM, mcoldiron wrote:

I farm in a very arid region of west Texas. This year has been especially
hot, dry, and very windy. The ground water quality is poor, making normal
irrigation impossible. However I believe, on a very limited basis, using
drip tape and hauled water, irrigation can work with heavy mulching.

The only mulch I can imaging working is wood chips. Straw will just blow
away. Plus, I haven't found a good source of straw. There's plenty of elm
and mesquite wood here to make mulch.

Anyone out there with experience using wood chips?
Problems?
Size of chips?
Depth of mulch?
Recommended equipment?
Other?

Thanks

TxBeeFarmer (Mark)
West Texas Zone 7b

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