|
|
Post by DiggingDogFarm on Jul 11, 2011 20:19:14 GMT -5
I have been experimenting with oats as a cover crop between wide rows.
If the oats are mowed with a scythe before they head-out, that gives me some high nitrogen mulch that I can use where ever It's needed.
The oats will rebound, producing a grain crop, obviously less than what un-mowed oats would produce...but that gives me some feed for my rabbits and some straw.
The oats stay manageable with this strategy without becoming overly competitive.
~Dig
|
|
|
|
Post by ottawagardener on Jul 12, 2011 7:46:30 GMT -5
What kind of oats are you using?
|
|
|
|
Post by DiggingDogFarm on Jul 12, 2011 8:03:50 GMT -5
FWIW, Sare has some books availabe in free PDF form that have some good information. Building Soils for Better Crops, Managing Cover Crops Profitably and Crop Rotation for Organic Farmers. www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books~Dig |
|
|
|
Post by DiggingDogFarm on Jul 12, 2011 8:06:33 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by ottawagardener on Jul 12, 2011 8:10:36 GMT -5
I was hoping you'd say hulless!
|
|
|
|
Post by DiggingDogFarm on Jul 12, 2011 8:27:35 GMT -5
Timing the first cutting of the oats is important.
It must be mowed in the vegetative stage, before the boot stage.
~Dig
|
|
|
|
Post by seedywen on Jul 12, 2011 17:10:00 GMT -5
Last summer a number of 'Marketmore' type cucumbers appeared from the compost that I dug into several corn rows. Since they volunteered, I let them be. Turns out the volunteer cucumbers out-performed the forty foot row of planted Marketmore cucumbers. They grew just fast enough to compete with the emerging corn, yet still thrived in somewhat shady conditions later that summer.
On the other hand, my attempts to plant pole beans among the corn, *you know the theory...the pole beans will use the corn to climb* resulted in the lessor of two gardening worlds. The corn was weighted down(submerged by the pole beans) and the pole beans, although prolific didn't much enjoy not being able to climb to their optimum. As for the third sister, squash, it really didn't much enjoy all the shade either from the beans or the corn.
So at least for me, in a West Coast climate with a clay subsoil, the Three Sisters idea didn't really work. As I'm networked with many gardeners and farmers in the District, as I've visited many gardens in the last few years, I haven't noticed anyone having much success with this system either. That isn't to say, however, that this system doesn't work in other climate zones for other people.
Maybe even other gardeners/farmers, in my local that I haven't met. Like for example, people who garden in sand, inside of clay.
|
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 12, 2011 18:48:46 GMT -5
I think foreigners try to make the three sisters do things that they were never intended to do: by crowding the plants. If you look at photos of Hopi fields, there is one clump of corn every 8 feet or so on a grid. With such spacing there would be plenty of space for squash vines to get all the sunlight they need. And a single bean seed would not overwhelm 6 to 8 stalks of corn and the associated tillers.
|
|
|
|
Post by seedywen on Jul 12, 2011 19:01:49 GMT -5
You're right Joseph. I tried to get the 'Three Sisters' to adjust to my land/climate, conditions for which they never adapted.
|
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jul 12, 2011 22:49:41 GMT -5
I may invest in some alfalfa as cover crop/soil conditioner; it tends to grow a tremendous root system, helpful in my mineralized silt, as well as fixing nitrogen and being good for chickens.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 13, 2011 6:29:19 GMT -5
Had an interesting thing happen last night at our monthly bee keepers meeting.
One of the gents, a locally famous fella for his farming and beekeeping prowess. He stands up and tells the room that he does all his keeping without chemicals and then moves on to tells the room that he's using about 300 lbs of sugar a week making sugarwater to feed his 400 or so hives.
When he allowed us questions I asked if he would consider planting an acre of his land with a variety of mustards and sunflowers which would give him an extended nectar flow season and significantly reduce the need to sugar water.
He quickly told me that my plantings were feasible for small scale beekeepers like us, but large scale operations like his just couldn't do it.
I thought to myself, "Really? You couldn't throw a few pounds of seeds along the forest margin? You would rather spend all that money on sugar and time on making a fake nectar? Really?"
|
|
|
|
Post by ottawagardener on Jul 13, 2011 6:53:10 GMT -5
I think it's a varietal thing too. The right bean needs to be matched with the right corn. For those not looking to do it the traditional way, I've heard people planting the bean after the corn was up and growing for a bit.
|
|
|
|
Post by nuts on Jul 13, 2011 12:23:13 GMT -5
Making sugarsirop from sugarwater,you can do do it without bees.If what he sells he call honey it's just a swindler.
I intend to plant the paths between my raised beds alfalfa.I did a try this year on a 6meter length path.I took of the soil-toplayer(about 5cm=2'') from the path and put it on the neighbouring beds leaving bare clay.
I planted the alfalfa in march and it is doing surprisingly well.I cut it two weeks ago when it was about 2' high and started flowering.I just put the cut alfalfa on the sides of the path but it would be cool to feed it to rabbits or other animals.
Alfalfa has a slow start and will be in full production only the second year,but then it can produce for many years.This spring that was extremely dry,the tiny young plants survived with no problem without any watering while anything else would have died.
With my wheelchair I can pass without damage(except the wheeltrails) till it's about 1' high.
If you have to walk with your feet you will probably lie it down more,wich makes it more difficult to cut.
Probably about 1/3 of my small garden will be path,alfalfa seems perfect to me to make them produce good amounts of nitrogenrich organic matter.
Maybe,if the alfalffa is well established,I can take of more soil from the path without destroying the alfalfa,it's such a incredible strong plant,but I have to wait a bit to try this out.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 13, 2011 16:27:11 GMT -5
Making sugarsirop from sugarwater,you can do do it without bees.If what he sells he call honey it's just a swindler. Is there any absolute proof of this? I know I wouldn't buy his honey for this reason.... but I would sure like to provide the club with some hardcore evidence. They don't listen to me cause I'm just a wife who comes to occasional meetings with my husband. I don't know bees from a hole in the ground as far as they are concerned. |
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jul 13, 2011 22:16:00 GMT -5
I know the beekeeper in my valley was complaining about having to sugar his bees, but my assumption was that it was just that they'd not been able to stock up enough honey to feed themselves through Winter. I think he relies on the almond honey for their winter food, since it's too bitter for people. I don't think it would make economic sense to have bees use sugarwater to make honey, if they would.
|
|
