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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] No-Till for Diversified Vegetable Production?

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  • From: "Rob Wallbridge" <rob AT songberry.ca>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] No-Till for Diversified Vegetable Production?
  • Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:15:52 -0500

Here’s another good link on no-till vegetable production:

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/choosing_the_best_cover_crops

 

And I listened in on this interesting webinar last week:

http://www.extension.org/article/31013

 

Cheers,

Rob

 

Rob Wallbridge

Songberry Organic Farm

email: rob AT songberry.ca

web: www.songberry.ca

facebook: "Songberry Organic Farm"

twitter: @songberryfarm


From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Steve Diver
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 12:26 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] No-Till for Diversified Vegetable Production?

 

John / Bill -

Here are two more key links, in my experience.

Mechanical roller-crimper methods for no-till cover crops via NCAT-ATTRA
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/question.php/2006/05/08/where_can_i_find_information_about_the_m

The roller-crimper method will give you a killed or dying cover crop mulch
to transplant into.

Obviously this kind of system won't work for directed seeding of small-seeded
carrots and lettuce, but transplanting warm-season peppers, tomatoes, & melons
would match that kind of system.  

For the smaller scale market farm, the methods that Patrice Gros is using
at Foundation Farm are worth knowing about.   

Pics of No-Till Bed System at Foundation Farm, NW Arkansas
http://www.foundationfarm.com/farm_pics.htm

One key angle to keep in mind is that he lives in Northwest Arkansas in the Fescue
Belt.  It won't work with Devil's Grass, aka Bermuda Grass, and similar running
warm-season grasses.

Actually, if you go back through Eliot Coleman's old references and dig up
European farming books by Faber & Faber, the system called "surface cultivation"
is a good description of the no-till methods used at Foundation Farm.

When I visited Patrice's farm, the level of fertility displayed in growing crops
suggested the soil fungal network was still intact and functioning, plus the
heavy mulching helps.  They avoid scratching deeper than a few inches
and the soil has never been ripped or turned.

Steve Diver
Austin, TX



William H Shoemaker wrote:

John

 

These links are a start, but probably not as comprehensive as you’d like. Both authors are very practically minded. They might point to other resources for you too.

 

http://attra.ncat.org/downloads/notill_veg.doc

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/organic_no-till_for_vegetable_production

 

 

 




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