Market Farming

[Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>]

Although this bit of advice does have its ecological downside: for hand pulling, I recommend a slightly heavier weight mulch than the very light stuff often used -- I get 1.5 mil. It's much easier to pull mulch that doesn't rip too easily (and, for organic certification, as I understand it you're supposed to get the whole width of the plastic out of the field, not just leave those ripped off edges in there.)

This is going to raise your costs, however, especially if you use a lot of the stuff; so that needs to be balanced against the ease of pulling (I only use about a thousand feet or so a year; I only use it for the crops that seem to need it worst.)

Bill's right about the pulling technique -- pulling at the correct angle, so that the far edge is sort of slid out from underneath the soil and what soil is on the plastic rolls off it as you go, also makes it go a lot faster. The edge that's away from you should be pulling from a point ahead of the point from which the edge that's toward you is pulling from, if that sentence makes any sense; and the leading edge is pulled across the row, flipping over as it goes and emptying the soil. I think. I'll have to look at what I'm doing this year -- often I find my muscles are doing one thing while the logical part of my head thinks I'm doing something else.

Soil condition is a factor -- very wet or dry soil can make it harder; and compaction over the plastic edge can be a problem. I mow the crop remains first, but try not to put tractor tires over the plastic edge; straddle the plastic so your tires are off the edges on both sides or, if that's not possible, run the wheel down the center, not right over the soil-covered edge.

I haven't found anyone in this area who will take it for recycling yet. Bill, will the Penn State facility take smallish quantities delivered while visiting family for December holidays?

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think

Fresh-market organic produce, small scale