Market Farming

[Richard Robinson <rrobinson AT nasw.org>]

 On Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:58:04 -0500, Barbara Dieckman wrote:
> I actually am interested in your using leaves as they are plentiful for me. 
>I
> know most of the market farmers that grow garlic here use straw, but it is 
>$$
> and the leaves are already here. Do you have good luck with the leaves and
> how much do you put on?

This is only my third year mulching garlic with leaves, though my umpteenth 
mulching with leaves elsewhere (mainly raspberries). For this year, I have 
placed the entire kraft-paper bag tight over the rows, so that there is about 
18" of insulation above the ground. I got them on just in time, it turns 
out--the past week has been below freezing around the clock. My experience is 
that the paper in contact with the soil decays over the winter, and whatever 
is growing beneath will begin growing through the leaves if they are left in 
place. I will remove most of them in March, and spread them around as mulch 
elsewhere.

Oak leaves are more acidic, but remain looser than maple, which tend to mat 
over time once wet. OTOH, the top of the bags usually remains intact over the 
winter, and if the leaves were packed dry, they may stay that way. (That may 
be an argument for removing the paper, so the soil doesn't dry out, though 
during the winter, I'm not sure it's significant.) Thoughts welcome!

 --
 Richard Robinson
 http://www.nasw.org/users/rrobinson/