Post by gray on Aug 19, 2012 20:43:15 GMT -5
I use coastal bermuda hay on my paths if I can get it at a reasonable price. This year I used wheat hay as my friend had thousands of bails at a great price.
Coastal bermuda does not have seed therefore no weeds. It sprigs if you want to sow it. The wheat straw gives me weeds but they are fairly easy to slide your hand under the mulch pull and deposit under the mulch for a shot of nitrogen.
I put the straw down in the lifts as it comes off the bale. Very thick layer. I lay them down the paths like tiles. They are typically 4 to 6 inches thick.
This is an expense. But you get a huge amount of organic matter for the investment and you virtually eliminate weeding.
I use raised beds with a grid of paths. I redo the raised beds every year or so. It is work.
About this time of year i sprinkle poultry manure on the strawed paths and sow them in crimson clover. Its absolutely beautiful and you just walk on it like normal. Once the clover germinates it is very resilient and will stand right back up the next day.
On fields I am letting rest I sow rye and vetch. I have auxillary fields that I sow in alfalfa. These fields are left in alfalfa for minimum two years. The rye and vetch field is usually for the next spring season.
I do broadcast poultry manure lightly every year before all cover crops are planted. I am going to use a trace mineral amendment this year as I have never done this. It is called humatrace and can purchased from mighty grow. Michael LaBelle owns the company. It is similar to Sea 90 if anyone is familiar with that product.
This is a bit costly system and labor intensive, but boy you should see the results. I also broadcast lime every year as we have very acidic soil due to all the pinetrees.
On the side I am always composting and rotting sawdust from my millwork operation. We stir poultry manure into the sawdust after wetting it down with molasses water. The molasses promotes growth of stuff that helps speed up the breakdown along with the nitrogen in the poultry manure.
I consider all this an investment. My family and friends and a few customers eat really good. The food is unbelievable in taste and unsurpassed in nutrition. It is an investment in the pleasure of eating five star cuisine and in the healthiest food we can get.
Your local supermarket does not have this produce.
Some people value this and others do not.
I really believe in the value of the crimson clover and the rye vetch. I have innoculated my fields and now the innoculant is present in the soil. This is also worth the upfront investment. It allows these legumes to better form the nodules that make the nitrogen that you are looking for. I also double the amount of seed per acre when sowing so as to get maximum organic matter.
When my compost has rotted for two years I usually make a bed up with ten gallons or so of this compost and sprinkle it with lime. I do this every time i change out a bed from the previous crop.
I have never tested my soil. I know some folks will say this is nuts. But i believe if you get a system that works and you have a good feel for your soil it is not necessary.
I do intense bed planting. I may get 3 or 4 different crops on a 4x20 bed in one year. But the system keeps the soil super charged and very fertile. After two years a particular plot will not be used for 2 years. This gives ample recovery time as it is in some highly nutritive cover crop after intense use.
Coastal bermuda does not have seed therefore no weeds. It sprigs if you want to sow it. The wheat straw gives me weeds but they are fairly easy to slide your hand under the mulch pull and deposit under the mulch for a shot of nitrogen.
I put the straw down in the lifts as it comes off the bale. Very thick layer. I lay them down the paths like tiles. They are typically 4 to 6 inches thick.
This is an expense. But you get a huge amount of organic matter for the investment and you virtually eliminate weeding.
I use raised beds with a grid of paths. I redo the raised beds every year or so. It is work.
About this time of year i sprinkle poultry manure on the strawed paths and sow them in crimson clover. Its absolutely beautiful and you just walk on it like normal. Once the clover germinates it is very resilient and will stand right back up the next day.
On fields I am letting rest I sow rye and vetch. I have auxillary fields that I sow in alfalfa. These fields are left in alfalfa for minimum two years. The rye and vetch field is usually for the next spring season.
I do broadcast poultry manure lightly every year before all cover crops are planted. I am going to use a trace mineral amendment this year as I have never done this. It is called humatrace and can purchased from mighty grow. Michael LaBelle owns the company. It is similar to Sea 90 if anyone is familiar with that product.
This is a bit costly system and labor intensive, but boy you should see the results. I also broadcast lime every year as we have very acidic soil due to all the pinetrees.
On the side I am always composting and rotting sawdust from my millwork operation. We stir poultry manure into the sawdust after wetting it down with molasses water. The molasses promotes growth of stuff that helps speed up the breakdown along with the nitrogen in the poultry manure.
I consider all this an investment. My family and friends and a few customers eat really good. The food is unbelievable in taste and unsurpassed in nutrition. It is an investment in the pleasure of eating five star cuisine and in the healthiest food we can get.
Your local supermarket does not have this produce.
Some people value this and others do not.
I really believe in the value of the crimson clover and the rye vetch. I have innoculated my fields and now the innoculant is present in the soil. This is also worth the upfront investment. It allows these legumes to better form the nodules that make the nitrogen that you are looking for. I also double the amount of seed per acre when sowing so as to get maximum organic matter.
When my compost has rotted for two years I usually make a bed up with ten gallons or so of this compost and sprinkle it with lime. I do this every time i change out a bed from the previous crop.
I have never tested my soil. I know some folks will say this is nuts. But i believe if you get a system that works and you have a good feel for your soil it is not necessary.
I do intense bed planting. I may get 3 or 4 different crops on a 4x20 bed in one year. But the system keeps the soil super charged and very fertile. After two years a particular plot will not be used for 2 years. This gives ample recovery time as it is in some highly nutritive cover crop after intense use.
