Author Archives: Natalie Lounsbury

Recycling sulfur with Brassica cover crops

Among the macronutrients, sulfur (S) doesn’t get a lot of attention. Before coal-fired power plants were forced to clean up their emissions, atmospheric deposition of S each year far exceeded most crops’ needs in most areas. The downside of cleaner … Continue reading

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Weather “erraticization” (yes, I made up that word) and interseeding cover crops

After you say it a few times, “erraticization” starts to roll off the tongue, and I think it’s a pretty good word to describe the weather patterns we’ve been experiencing. Long Island had record-setting rains last week (>13″ in 24 … Continue reading

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Getting cover crop seeds (in a quantity you can use) and putting them in the ground

This morning, I received a timely question from a a farmer in New Jersey: “Is the ‘Tillage Radish’  that is protected / copyrighted a better product than say, Forage Radish from Fedco seeds?” Good question, and I had just been … Continue reading

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As the world turns: reflections on daylight, temperature, and why you need to seed your fall cover crops NOW

Update February 2015: read more about Jan’s work in this more recent post, with links to an eOrganic webinar he presented in January, 2015. Back to the original post… If you’re in the no-till vegetable world (especially if you’re an organic … Continue reading

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From small seeds to big roots: no-till organic carrots in Maine

We all have biases. In research, we randomize things and establish clear rules to avoid having our biases influence results. But I have concluded that it doesn’t violate any rules of research for me to admit one bias: I like … Continue reading

Posted in carrots, Cover Crops, Radish, Soil moisture, Vegetables | Tagged | 1 Comment

No-till in New England: spinach results and carrots sneak peek

We’ve entered our first heat wave in Maine, and the spinach has done what spinach does in the heat– hurry to reproduce. Before it bolted, I was able to get two successive harvests of pretty nice looking spinach (if I … Continue reading

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What comes up vs. what went down: comparing seeders for no-till veggies

A few months ago, I wrote about our trials with some push seeders for no-till seeding, and I also posted a video about precision seeders like the Monosem and MaterMacc. Getting a good stand is the first step toward any successful crop, … Continue reading

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