As many of you that follow us on a regular basis bonk , we like to assay out a few new things in our garden each farm season . It ’s always fun to see what might work and what wo n’t . Although some fail miserably , others have leave to some huge metre - save horticulture method – like thepotato cratesandstake a cagefor trellising our tomato and peppers .
Well , as we head into the first week of July , there is one experiment in our raise dustup garden that hasclearlyalready become the most successful of all - fourth dimension . Although we normally wait until the oddment of each grow time of year to partake the solvent of our little trials , we were simply too excited to reserve on to this one !
Our organic fertilizer raise row garden seam are the genius of the show when it comes to spring up most of our own food . Not only are they easy to create and observe , they need minuscule weeding , and concentrate all of our gardening labor to the 18″ wide grow space in each rowing . We comprehend all of our grow rows during the season with mulch to keep out gage , and then plant an all - important cover craw of annual rye , buckwheat or haired vetch each fall to recharge the soil.(See lift Row Gardening )
Cover crop are quite frankly the winder to successful gardening . Not only do they add a terrific amount of constituent matter and nutrient back to the garden , they also protect the soil from drop off worthful nutrients from the snow , ice , lead and rain through the harsh winter months . Most importantly – they protect your garden from weed seeds blowing in and take over.(see : underwrite crops )
But if there has been one modest drawback , it has been the turn over of that all of import covert craw each spring . It can be difficult for some to toss it over , and a little toil intensive .
So this year , as an experiment , we did something different . Instead of turning over our annual rye cover craw this spring by hand with a excavator – we left it in space . We mowed it off a few times in the early spring with a push lawn mower , and left the cutting in the course . After about three mowings , the intact crop simply died off , and we proceed to work plating the garden .
For our tomatoes , peppers , zucchini , cucumbers , cabbage and broccoli , we used our postal service hole digger and create a gob decently through the land and planted . and for some of our seed crops like Zea mays everta and attic , we left the full row in place and used a small cultivator to create a 3″ wide planting row for the seeds . And WOW – have the consequence been incredible !
In a nutshell , here are the benefit : We spent a imposing total of about 5 hour with a button lawn mower in our garden to pout off the cover crop . We spent zero time gear up our tomato and pepper beds , and about 5 minutes per rowing preparing the seed beds for planting . Our plant are thriving better than ever , and have required less water and maintenance than in any past class .
But as crazy as it sounds – that is not the serious part ! When it comes to weeds in our garden this class – they have been at an all - time low , in fact , it has been nearly grass costless . By leaving the soil alone , and placing a slight layer of drinking straw on top for mulch – they have no way to become established . In gain , the deadened tops of the cover crop keep the dirt covered , keeping grease spore and dirt - hold disease in check .
And one last piece of great newsworthiness on the trial – when I tear back a little wheat this week to check the soil below – the cover craw has completely decay . That means in a few months as downfall approach shot , the soil can be easy crease and establish with a Modern cover crop again in minute , create a genuine no - till , no dig garden ! What could be salutary than that ? !
Here ’s to working smarter and not hard .
Happy Gardening ! Jim and Mary
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