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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash
- Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:23:22 -0500
Not stupid at all. First, like all cover crops
it protects soil against erosion. It also captures free nitrogen and holds it
into the next season. In the spring, we create tilled zones before the rye gains
much size. Then, before planting the pumpkins, we knock the rye down to create a
mulch mat. At that time the rye is just tillering so it constitues a lot of
biomass and a significant mulch mat. Using a roller which crimps the rye kills
it and helps keep it in place. The pumpkins are then planted in the tilled zone.
Weeds are kept under control in the mulched zones and vines grow out over the
mulch. The pumpkin fruit set and grow on top of the rye. This has a significant
positive impact on disease development, especially fruit rots. At the end of the
season the pumpkins are cleaner and for harvesters, whether customers or
workers, they can move through the fields even after a rain. We've come to like
the system very much for these reasons. Commercial growers in our area are
beginning to implement it on a large scale.
Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist, Food
Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html
|
-
[Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
Richard Robinson, 10/30/2008
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
sunnfarm, 10/30/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash, Jason Jones, 10/31/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash, Bill Shoemaker, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
sunnfarm, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
jjburroughs, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
Bill Shoemaker, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
breck, 10/31/2008
-
[Market-farming] Acres conference in December??,
jjburroughs, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] Acres conference in December??,
David Guthrie, 10/31/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] Acres conference in December??, Marcy, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] Acres conference in December??,
David Guthrie, 10/31/2008
-
[Market-farming] Acres conference in December??,
jjburroughs, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
breck, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
Bill Shoemaker, 10/31/2008
-
Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash,
jjburroughs, 10/31/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] pumpkin trash, sunnfarm, 10/31/2008
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