Re: Till/noTill (was Composted cow manure/ricenutrientcycles)

From: Steve Diver (steved@NCAT.ORG)
Date: Thu Apr 10 2003 - 17:11:04 EDT


Hi Mike -

ATTRA has a couple of additional documents you may
find helpful, yet they are available only in print.

See:

No-Till Vegetable Production: Non-Chemical Methods
of Cover Crop Suppression and Weed Control
by Steve Diver
____ 26-pages with photos
____ It goes into much greater detail on the various
options and methods and systems.

Shinbone Valley Farm Tour
by George Kuepper
____ so many pages with photos
____ This explains a bed production system with cover crops,
a modified rotary mower to cut and lay the mulch on top of
the beds, and a tractor that straddles the beds with a spading
machine in-between the tractor tires to provide primary and
secondary tillage in one pass, for intensive market gardening
using biodynamic methods, in Georgia.

I feel pretty confident that organic farmers and biodynamic
farmers who till the soil are working with soil biology and
humus management and soil foodwebs just fine. It is the
frequent and continuous replinishment of organic matter --
the humus management approach -- and proper tillage that
makes all the difference.

Proper tillage can take many forms, depending on equipment,
cropping sequence, soil moisture levels, etc.

Conservation tillage equipment is available that performs
primary and secondary tillage and seedbed preparation
in one pass, rather than multiple passes. This is reduced
tillage or low-tillage rather than no-tillage. There are
benefits to soil humus and soil biology with reduced tillage.
Yet, some of this "premier quality" conservation tillage
equipment is huge and expensive, and again, better adapted
to the larger farms with adequate budgets.

So, you do with what you got and think and observe.

Incorporation of cover crops is an act of green manuring
that is known to have positive benefits to the soil. Fresh
green residue feeds soil microbes and helps build soil humus.
Organic matter provides food and shelter for soil microbes.

With your tractor + mower + plow + harrow, you
can grow cover crops, mow them down, plow and
incorporate the residues, and harrow several times to
create a seedbed. You might need to get some spikes
and make a log spike harrow, though, since that chain link
harrow won't do much except rake down the soil for a
finishing touch.

Well, that will get you started. You still need equipment
for bed preparation, crop establishment, and weed control.

For benefits to soil biology.... focus on crop rotations,
compost, cover crops, green manures, compost teas,
organic mulches, and reduced tillage when possible.

Compost teas are relatively easy to get into, by the
way, with multiple and dynamic benefits.

Steve Diver


Mike Bosko wrote:

> Thanks Steve for the links. I spent a bit of time reading the no-till
> links you sent and came to several ... I want to say conclusions, but
> questions would be better.
>
> Foremost, it sounds very very interesting! No-till and seeding into the
> mulch. Now I wish I would have not bought the new rototiller for my home
> garden.... ugh.
>
> Okay, I have 1 acre to test on. Its currently planted with hairy vetch and
> winter rye, planted last fall. I'd like to test corn this year. The
> reading that I did talked a lot about killing the cover. Most of this
> killing was done with herbicides -- I won't want to do that.
>
> I also saw a mention of mowing as an option to kill, but mowing rye (even
> the vetch) just results in it growing back. And tall! This will surely
> compete w/ corn (I guess), or any other vegetable for that matter.
>
> There is also talk of the rolling choppers. Thats definitely not going to
> fit into my hobby budget. And from the looks of the pictures, I don't
> understand how they 'kill' the cover. They look like they just rough up
> the soil and chop the residue every foot or so. ??
>
> I ponder..... the implements I have are either old or small. Its a
> hobby, but one I'd like to see work to show the neighboring conventional
> farmers. I currently only have an old 9n tractor, a new rotory mower, a
> very old single bottom plow, an even older cultivator, a 5' blade and a
> drag/harrow I made out of logs and chain link fence. Its pathetic I know -
> but its what I have and use.
>
> Do you folks think that this 'test' of mine is one destined to doom using
> the limited time, knowledge and tools I have?
>
> I know too that I need to get soil tests, but am concerned that what ever
> conclusions I get from the test may go to a filing cabinet for lack of
> understanding them and lack of funds to accommodate what they might tell
> me. Is there a way to do this (for fun) on a low budget using the tools I
> have available?
>
> I have an 8 acre mixed grass pasture (for hay production) thats awaiting my
> next organic "test". grin. Its currently (2 yrs) being weaned off the
> previous farmers use of chems now. Weaned is wrong too, its gone cold
> turkey for the past two years.
>
> I am also building a sprayer for my tractor that I'd like to play with
> applying home brewed compost tea to my pastures. But after reading the
> compost tea pages on the web, I'm concerned there now too of doing it
> wrong........ ugh. I like to think I'm a pretty smart guy, educated and
> determined, but after reading all the different articles one can get really
> confused and discouraged. But I'll leave my compost tea sprays to another
> post (big grin).
>
> Thanks for everyone's interest and help with my posts. A great group.
>
> Mike
>




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