NO-TILL FOR REAL

Last fall we planted a cover crop of winter rye and red clover (inoculated with rhizobium bacteria for nitrogen fixation) in the lower field. We wanted to try out organic no-till to build organic content in the soil and suppress weeds while avoiding disturbing the soil food web as a result of tillage. We got a good stand through the winter. The winter before we had a large crop of winter weeds in that field, chickweed and henbit primarily. The cover crop totally suppressed the winter weeds. Great!
The technique is to cut the cover crop when it is flowering. Because they are annuals, if cut at the right time, they will not have enough reserves in their roots to re-grow during the flowering stage so they will die off. We don't want them to go to seed so we don't have new plants germinating which will compete with our crop. The cut foliage is left on the beds and paths to act as a mulch suppressing summer weeds and retaining moisture in the soil. Since there is no tilling, weed seeds are not brought to the surface to germinate. The roots are broken down by the organisms in the soil food web to provide nutrients for the crop.
We will wait a couple of weeks to see if we cut at the right time to avoid re-growth. If not the worst that can happen is that we'll have to cut it again. We hope to plant corn and beans through the mulch really soon.
It looks like this could work!

Cover Crops- Investing in the Future

Last year was our first season growing crops here at The Funny Farm. Production in some of the beds was not up to par. We decided to focus on the long-term health of the soil food web through the fall and winter. We planted those beds in a cover crop of rye and clover to build up organic matter and nutrients. We inoculated the clover seed with rhizobium bacteria so that together they would capture nitrogen from the air. Before planting we tilled in fresh horse manure and bedding to add even more organic matter and nutrients.
We got a good stand of cover through the winter. Yesterday i cut the stand with a weed eater and then tilled all of that lush green foliage into the soil and re-shaped the beds. I will leave it alone for a week or 2 to give the soil microorganisms time to consume all that organic matter to store it for future crops. Tilling really aerates the soil stimulating soil bacteria into a feeding frenzy so the cover crop will be quickly consumed. This will be the last time these beds get tilled. We will let the fungal component establish itself and remain undisturbed.
We expect good production from these beds this season.

Garlic and Cover crops

I soak my garlic in rain water (or compost tea if i have it) for 24 hours before planting. Doing so hydrates the cloves and signals them to wake up and start growing. I did it this past Monday in anticipation of planting on Tuesday but the temperature dropped into the low 20's (extreme for November here in Georgia) so I had to postpone the planting until today. I didn't want them to rot so Tuesday I drained off the water and covered the container to retain the humidity and keep the cloves hydrated. When i got them out to separate the cloves this morning many had started to grow roots and shoots! They were eager to get on with their jobs of turning, air, water, light and minerals into health-giving food.
I planted them about 4 " apart in soil that i tilled lightly. I just hold the cloves in my fingers and push them into the soil a couple of inches deep. Last fall i bought enough bulbs to plant an acre when i only had a couple of hundred square feet of beds dedicated to garlic. I ended up planting some in beds that had been recently seeded with clover and rye for a cover crop. Much to my surprise this spring, the garlic was growing well among the cover crop and ended up producing very nice bulbs. So this time i over-seeded the beds with new zealand white clover that i inoculated with nitrogen producing bacteria.

Since this was the first year growing a garden here at the Funny Farm much of the soil is not yet in the best condition. Some of the beds have produced 2-3 crops this year. In parts of the garden the soil is still lacking in organic matter so i am concentrating on improving the soil this fall and winter before planting crops next spring. In the worst beds i tilled in 4" of fresh horse manure (we get it free from the Atlanta Mounted Police Patrol stables) and sowed clover and rye which I will till in next spring. I sowed the clover and rye in the rest of the beds which i will also till in next spring. I never leave a bed without something growing in it because the soil microorganisms need growing roots to keep them active and doing their jobs converting minerals and organic matter into compounds that plants can use for food or feeding on those pesky disease organisms. It is much easier to keep the soil healthy than it is to constantly fight pests and diseases.
That is the basis of growing organically. Work with mother nature not against her.
Happy Holiday Ya'll.

The Race is On

I'm in a race to get plants moved out of the community garden and settled here at the Funny Farm before A. the thief gets them and B. spring advances so far that it is too late to move them successfully. Today i prepped the asparagus bed, dug up 13 crowns and settled them in. I was hoping that i would have until next fall to improve the soil before i had to do it but obviously I'm not the one in charge. The bed is in pretty good shape so i'm confident that the plants will do fine. I worked in some alfalfa and kelp meals after tilling the rye and clover cover crop under. After planting i topdressed with more alfalfa meal to feed the microorganisms as they break down the rye and clover. I sprinkled some of the super compost from the community garden over the bed to reinforce the existing army of microbes. I guess you could call it a surge with no timetable for withdrawal.

A few of the emerging asparagus stalks snapped off during the move so i felt compelled to saute them in some butter and consume. It has been a really long time since i've eaten fresh picked asparagus. I don't remember them being so sweet. Yummm!

Ok, i confess, they didn't really break off. I cut them off with my knife. I couldn't resist. I love asparagus. The rules say that one should not harvest any the first year. Well. technically this is the second year and since i got really good rootballs on them rather than being bare root, i figure it won't hurt to harvest a few more stalks this spring.

My pee is going to stink tonight!

Making Progress at The Funny Farm

I planted some top hat blueberries this afternoon. They are a dwarf variety developed at Oregon State U. They are self-fertile so they will produce fruit on their own without the need to plant a second variety. They will grow about 2' tall and wide. It will take about 3 years for them to start producing a significant crop.
Behind the beautiful tomato plant that may or may not produce ripe fruit before frost (think fried green tomatoes though) is a nice cover crop stand in the flower field. We planted annual rye grass and red clover.
It has rained just enough that we have been able to water everything with rain water except for a couple of days a couple of weeks ago. We purchased 2 275 gal. tanks really inexpensively and are in the process of getting them set up which will increase our rain water harvesting capacity to over 700 gallons. With the complete ban on outdoor watering that is a blessing.
Lets do a rain dance so we can fill those puppies up!