permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Keith Addison wrote:

> Biodiesel is not the sustainable, renewable fuel it's touted 
> to be unless it's produced via a sustainable farming system, and nothing 
> about industrialised monocropping is sustainable.

Good reason to grow it in raised beds, and that can be done. Soil tilth is 
never compromised
this way, you get greater fertility, better water-holding capacity and 
enhanced microbial life in the soil.
And the category of tractor and its implements necessary to do this are not 
expensive or difficult to maintain,
the 70-80hp range with Cat 2 hitch (but not less than 70). In rotation one 
could unroll large round bales on some beds,
let them decompost to the point that direct seeding of canola could be done and benefit from even greated soil water 
retention, lower soil temperatures and better weed control. Plant legumes in it one year and rototill them into
the decomposed hay-mulched soil and you'll have a 50/50 soil-compost mix on top of worm-rich garden bed soil to direct 
seed the canola into. Amend this soil with azomite, rock phosphate, seaweed, greensand and quarry rock powders plus 
aragonite and high calcium and dolomitic limestone as needed and you'll have the potential for truly sustainable canola 
production.

Bed prep and tillage in order used when soil conditions are right:

3 bottom plow
large one shank subsoiler
Yeomans plow
rotovator (Howard)
hiller bedder (Roll-A-Cone, one row)

It would be interresting to see if the Yeomans plow could be applied to the 
beds during growing season
without disrupting too much of the canola - this would keep water holding channels in the beds open and further increase 
soil tilth and fertility during the times plants would most benefit from it - maybe the canola planter could be adjusted 
to plant outside of the grooves/slices made by the Yeomans.