The inside circle on the drive has changed a great deal.. Ken just mowed the rye he had planted late last season. Last year during the spring Ken dug up the perennial flowers and I divided them and removed as many weeds as possible Then he ran chickens through the area to scratch Next he ran pigs through to dig it up …
Ken often plants rye in the fall. It will start growing later in the year than other green manures, and grow up again in spring. It provides soil cover to lessen erosion, root mass and plant matter to boost organic matter. It tempers soil temperature to promote microbial life in the soil – all good. It is always fun to see the rye coming up when other …
As part of the perennial project Ken prepared the soil to plant green manures We planted several seeds – wheat, oats, beans, peas, flowers, and buckwheat. The buckwheat really came up quickly and is nearly ready to bloom
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has salad and braising greens, garlic scapes, green onions, snap peas, beets or carrots, European turnips, herbs, the last of the asparagus Field Notes. Green manures and mulch. Ken is juggling the usual sequential plantings of greens, tying up tomatoes, irrigating the greenhouses, cultivating with a push to get areas either planted with green manures or mulched. Green manures are like living mulch – they lessen …
What a beautiful summer day! Ken is busy with tasks he wants to finish before the rain that is forecast on Tuesday. He is busy preparing beds for green manure. He is also “slaying weeds” on this sunny day and preparing other soil for mulching before the rain and more weeds germinate. Mulch will lessen weed pressure on the crops and moderate soil temperatures to promote microbial life. I made a snap pea salad …
Ken works to keep soil covered. He often says, “Naked soil is dying soil.” He means that either mulch or green manures will maintain moderate soil temperatures to promote microbial life, prevent erosion, add nutrients, – so many things! Ken often mulches. He also likes to plant green manures. What are green manures? It is a crop intended to promote soil health rather than a crop to be harvested. Green manures are often …
