Market Farming

["William H Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT illinois.edu>]

I agree with Robs concerns about crimping an existing hayfield, and on the impact of the repeating tillage on organic matter. So I like his idea of deep plowing and planting cover crops, perhaps several times. You’ll effectively manage the existing plant population, including killing any tough perennials, and you’ll be protecting and building the soil with the cover crops. I think two questions you’ll need to answer are; what are the existing species you need to eliminate? And, what is the condition of the soil right now? If you can answer them, it’ll inform your plans for the field.

 

Often existing pastures are there because the soil isn’t prime for cash crops, so it could be a limiting factor for your plan. However, an existing pasture, if maintained well, can improve soil conditions. I’d get a soil map from NRCS and see what soil types are there. They are classified for their qualities. You’ll learn a lot about the site’s potential.

 

Good luck!

 

Bill

William H. Shoemaker

Sr. Research Specialist, Food Crops

University of Illinois - Crop Sciences

St Charles Horticulture Research Center

535 Randall Road, St Charles, IL, 60174

630-584-7254, FAX-584-4610

wshoemak AT illinois.edu

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From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of KAKerby AT aol.com
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 11:58 PM
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] can I crimp an old hayfield to create ano-till mulched ...

 

No more than an acre, and we'd be doing transplants of warm-season crops such as cucurbits and sweetcorn.  That might sound odd for sweetcorn, to do transplants.  But our window of opportunity is pretty short for sweetcorn so a lot of growers here start it in trays inside, then put them out around May 15th.

 

Another idea I had was to cut the dead standing hay as early and as low as possible, say Feb 15 or March 1st, thereby creating the mulch (the field was fallow last year).  Then let the existing grasses and the soil's existing weed seedbank send up whatever growth is going to come on through that mulch, because I know there'd be at least some growth (possibly a lot).  Right after that first cutting, I could turn my chicken army in there to peck down whatever new green materials come up.  Leave them there for two months or so to really hammer hard on any fresh new greens and deposit their little packets of fertilizer at the same time.  Then pull them off, plant the transplants through the mulch, and let the transplants root down through the mulch and into the soil below.  I'd still have my 90day window between manure application and harvest, and that would put some fast-acting nitrogen into the mulch pack.  The timing would have to be careful, but I would think hard grazing pressure for two months from the birds would at least set back the weeds a fair amount, and reduce whatever would be left so the transplants have a chance to get going.  What I'm not sure of is whether bird poo deposited on top of the mulch would do anything for the crop growing below the mulch, and/or if my timing would be too close or not sufficient for everything that needs to happen.  Figured I'd pencil it out first, and make those mistakes on paper before trying it in the field.

Kathryn Kerby

frogchorusfarm.com

Snohomish, WA

 

In a message dated 1/27/2011 8:47:38 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, steved AT ipa.net writes:

Kathyrn ==

Yes, ideas, but need to know what size planting you have in mind to match up.

Is it a quarter acre, half acre, or 1, 5, 10 acres?

You aim to direct seed or transplant?

Steve Diver


 

Still wondering if there's a way to knock down that current grass this year, and plant into it this year with the old grass as a mulch, without going the herbicides route.  If that's really my only option, I'll wait and use non-chemical means this year then plant next year.  But if anyone has any other ideas how to do that, I'd love to hear them.

Kathryn Kerby

frogchorusfarm.com

Snohomish, WA

 

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