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  • From: "Dalew Farms" <dalew AT phonenet.ca>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] edge of bed grows better
  • Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2011 13:13:46 -0500

My first thought also was simply density effect. Last year we planted carrots for the first time with a 6 row seeder from Johnny's, and I definitely noticed that the outside couple rows on each bed were bigger carrots than the inside rows. Our other method was using an earthway seeder and I would usually put only 2 rows per bed, approx 10" apart, and had never noticed that...but the odd time when I tried 3 rows per bed I thought I noticed poorer carrots in the middle row, but only a very slight difference.

I had written that off just as a density effect, and planned on doing my carrots only using every other row on the 6 row seeder this year to see if that helped. Alex McGregor's email definitely made me re-think that, but since we do have a fairly heavy clay soil, I don't think moisture differences would be responsible for the better carrots at the edges, as opposed to the middle. I think it was just density - that the plants on the edge can branch out slightly more and collect a little bit more sunlight!?!

For harvesting greens, depending on how you harvest, bigger earlier plants on the edges of the beds could be a good thing...maybe harvest the edge a few days earlier than the middle of the bed....less reaching and spreads out your harvest window. (although I realize sometimes spreading out the harvest window can also be a bad thing)

Sorry, I don't think I helped much! LOL

Dave


Dalew Farms
Web: www.dalewfarms.ca
E-mail: dalew AT phonenet.ca
Phone: (705)594-1823
Fax: (705)594-1834
----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Robinson" <rrobinson AT nasw.org>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 10:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] edge of bed grows better


On 3/8/2011 at 10:29:01 AM, Avalon Farms wrote:
Does anyone know why the mesclun on the edge of the beds grows 10 times
faster/better than the rest? They are 3 ft wide beds in a hoop house. Fairly
even moisture and fertilizer. But the plants on the outside of the beds
always grow better. The only thing I can think of is that the edges naturally
get compressed a bit more and the centers stay fluffier. This soil is sandy
clay/loam.

My first thought is that it's a simple density effect--the plants in the middle have
competitors on all sides, while those on the edge do not. Perhaps you could seed less
densely?


Richard Robinson
www.nasw.org/users/rrobinson/
Hopestill Farm
www.hopestill.com


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