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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Weed control advice?

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  • From: "MAsteveINE" <MAsteveINE AT 207me.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Weed control advice?
  • Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 13:48:51 -0500

 
 

I'm planning 1.5 acres of plantings on a limited schedule, so it's possible that I'm that rare person for whom this is the right trade-off.

What do you think?

Ryan Platte
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I dont know of a crop I would plant at anything less than 36 inch row spacing, except for double and triples on 4 foot black plastic.  Do you have or can you hire equipment to lay black plastic mulch?
Many crops will do better, and many weed problems are solved with its use.
 
Bare ground "beds" of 2/3 rows 12-16 inches apart may work with some equipment, but are a PITA
for hand cultivation, even worse when getting down to pull and hand weed.
 
Have you more land available? What are the possibilities of spacing things out a LOT and making room to get in there with something that has a seat on it? I
 
If you hunt around and find the guy with a shop who can make a front or mid mount cultivater for a lawn tractor (between rows only, so you need to be 40 inches minimum) the next thing you need is a kid
who will go with it every day that the ground is dry enough to float it. Every crop every day working one row side, reversing direction each day, till there is shade enough to replace him.
 
If you are in the garden business you dont have time to do that but he does. When he gets rained out for several days and it looks like the weeds will take control......plow it under and start over, even at PBS pricing there is not money enough to clean a crop out of the weeds.
 
Have you seen:
 
 
even if you are not in New England, the information is valid and is presented as well as any source I have seen. Some adjustments may be needed in warm climates!!
 
Later....
MAsteveINE
 
 
 
 



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