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Recent Posts
- At last, the soil podcast is here! November 3, 2017
- Don’t count your weeds before they hatch: update on occultation vs. solarization for weed suppression in no-till cabbage August 24, 2016
- Tarps for killing cover crops: mid-project update June 22, 2016
- Trading tillage for tarps: an effective way to kill weeds and cover crops? May 26, 2016
- Phacelia is a bumble bee paradise July 8, 2015
- Cover crop mixtures: new factsheet May 25, 2015
- If you can see it, it’s too much May 13, 2015
- No-till transplanted onions in New England April 12, 2015
- Trying high-residue no-till on a budget March 19, 2015
- Maine is the first state to pay tribute to soils during the International Year of Soils March 12, 2015
- The website will go on, but this project is ending… March 9, 2015
- Under Cover: Rotational No-till and Mulching Systems for Organic Vegetable Farms in Germany February 2, 2015
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Author Archives: Natalie Lounsbury
Can garlic planting get any better? Yes.
I think most vegetable farmers will agree that planting garlic is one of the most satisfying farm chores. There’s something about the end of the season also being the beginning of the next. It’s also one of the most common crops … Continue reading
Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment
Tagged banding with cover crops, horsepower, no-till garlic, oats, peas, zone-till garlic
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Peer-reviewed: you can grow no-till spinach after winterkilled forage radish
I love a good story; in fact, we all love a good story. Scientists have shown that narratives hold a sort of “privileged status” in human cognition over logical communication, which is the form that most science writing takes. A … Continue reading
Posted in Cover Crops, Radish, spinach
Tagged no-till spinach, peer-review
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Grazing cover crops, manure concerns, and bringing cover crops to your own dinner table
If you got your cover crops in early, you might be looking at lush, verdant fields now.* I find that this lushness tends to make farmers either want to feed their animals or feed people, especially when it’s a cover … Continue reading
Posted in Cover Crops
Tagged daikon, Food Safety Modernization Act, grazing cover crops
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When cover crops die
I awoke to very frosty fields this morning, as is expected this time of year in Maine. The basil died long ago, the peppers have been limping along through light frost after light frost until they finally died last night. … Continue reading
Posted in Cover Crops, Phacelia, Radish, Rye, Soil temperature, Vetch
Tagged frost tolerance, winterkill
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You’ve got options for measuring and adjusting your soil’s pH: part II
Last post, I wrote about measuring your soil’s pH on your own. If you successfully measured pH, congratulations! Now you have to decide what to do with this information. For purposes of this post, I will focus on what to do when … Continue reading
Posted in Nutrient Cycling, Soil, Soil health
Tagged acid soil, alternative liming materials, calcium silicate, gypsum, pumpkin, soil pH, wollastonite
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You’ve got options for measuring and adjusting your soil’s pH: part I
It’s fall, which means it’s soil sampling season for many farmers. Or maybe not. It’s a busy time and soil testing can fall to the bottom of the list of things to do. It can also add up as an expense … Continue reading
Posted in Nutrient Cycling, Soil health
Tagged acid soil, pH meter, soil pH
Comments Off on You’ve got options for measuring and adjusting your soil’s pH: part I
Biodrilling: how cover crop roots can help your ailing soil
I recently started digging with a 16″ (40 cm) spade. I play in the soil a lot, but this tool has expanded my horizons. (Please keep reading even if that soil pun made you roll your eyes). It’s a very simple … Continue reading
Posted in Cover Crops, Radish, Soil health
Tagged biodrilling, no-till vegetable production, soil compaction
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