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  • From: Mike Rock <mikerock AT mhtc.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] High Tunnel Winter Growing
  • Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:25:09 -0600

Bill,
When I thought of this it was first dig a trench and fill it, then place soil or your flats in contact with the manure/compost. Then I thought of putting the compost between two rows of small bales that define the edges of the house, so the composting takes place from ground level up and you can muck it out in the spring to use as compost. I guess a layer of plastic would prevents salts leaching, but then again you could use the fertile juices soaking down and move the house location, if possible.

I KNOW I am going to try it!! Lots of compost materials here with draft horses and rotten bales. Our neighbor dumped a few hundred round bales over the bank one day, made us sick. Way too far down the hill to recover. This year we are going to keep an eye and ear out for rotten round bales. Also, north of us in Verona there is a guy advertising on Craig's list...'come get free horse manure, fill your truck up' and he loads it for you. There are stables all over around here that can't even give it away.

God bless you all.

Mike

Bill Shoemaker wrote:
To take the idea another step, perhaps you could use hoops and clear plastic over the trenches to keep the compost cooking, while planting between the trenches. The crops would receive the benefit of additional heat and rich nutrients nearby. The system could be covered with spun-bonded poly at night to hold the heat in.
Hmm, I may just have to experiment with this! Any other ideas to leverage
this model?

Bill

I wonder if you could use compost that is not quite done "cooking". Perhaps you could band it in trenches and plant crops between the trenches.
Bill


This is an interesting idea for heat - taking a hotbed and expanding
the idea to an entire tunnel. The biggest issue I could see is salt
buildup. High tunnels typically are covered the entire 4 years (or
more) that the plastic lasts, and there is no rainfall to leach salts
downward. Even using animal manures in just amounts necessary for
fertility can cause salts to buildup over time.

Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm, SC KY

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Mike Rock
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 5:44 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] High Tunnel Winter Growing

A 'what if'.
If ground temp is important, make a hot frame under the growing beds. Fresh horse manure or freshly made horse manure compost will take months
to work and can heat all or most of the winter. My draft horses supply
enough for a huge hi hoop. More work, but a two foot deep composting
frame, wall to wall, with a step up to working level will generate a
winters worth of heat.

Mike


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William H Shoemaker, UI-Crop Sciences
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610
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William H Shoemaker, UI-Crop Sciences
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610
_______________________________________________
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