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  • From: Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] living mulch garden update(2001)
  • Date: Mon, 01 Jul 2002 16:03:40 -0500

While it's not directly related to growing fruits, I'm certain many of our list members also grow veggies. I forwarded this post about a year ago, from one of the managment-intensive grazing lists I subscribe to, and recently received Mark's 2002 update, which I will forward to NAFEX next; some of these principles might work in the orchard, as well.
Lucky Pittman


Folks,
Thought it would be fun to post about my garden, waited for a light day....
I started using living mulch of white clover three years ago. My goals are
pretty straight forward; keep the soil covered to suppress weeds ,
eliminate soil splash and the resulting diseases and generate plenty of N.
So far my goals are being met beyond my expecrtations. By suppressing the
clover with mowing and narrow tillage many crops seem to do well. Tomatos,
peppers, and curcubits do great, smaller crops need more help. Each year
I've done this has been at a new location, and of the three attempts at
establishing the clover, the best was seeding into sod I killed with
roundup. almost no hand weeding was needed. This year I'm working in an
established garden and the best seeding is coming under the annual weeds.
I have been mowing off the weeds very short and the clover is breaking
through and starting to smother the weeds. Two mowing so far, probably one
more to go. I also have a weed torch which I dearly love, kills or annoys
all plants and has replaced the weed wacker around the landscaping. I've
found the torch works great for frying the weeds out of beds before veggies
germinate, greatly reducing weeding.
The clover seems to have other benefits as well. Several pest species
seem to like the clover better than the veggies, slugs and rabbits for
example. It is also habitat for toads (though I must admit I have built a
little toad palace for them) and also at least one short tailed shrew. The
shrew is a savage carnivore, about 2 inches/7 cm long. I caught the little
mama and was treated to a vigorous biting, amazing how loose their skin is
on...
Other plants are showing promise as mulches and other parts of the system.
I have bands of buckwheat planted as habitat for beneficial insects, and
have been very impressed with the wild black medic (a prostrate legume)
that is coming along. The clover also loves the buckwheat as a nurse crop.
I guess that's about all for now. I would love to try and integrate
poultry into the system, but thats not possible where I'm living now.

Mark L.




  • [NAFEX] living mulch garden update(2001), Lucky Pittman, 07/01/2002

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