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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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Category Archives: Soil
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
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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
1 Comment
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 no-till vegetable production
1 Comment
No-till vegetables in New England
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me no-till vegetables aren’t possible in New England, I’d be… well, I’d have about $5. Still, if I had a dollar for every time someone told me it is possible in New … Continue reading
Posted in Cover Crops, Nitrogen, Nutrient Cycling, Radish, Soil temperature, Vegetables
Tagged no-till vegetable production
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Two ingredient cover crop cocktails
Someone branded cover crop mixtures as “cocktails” and it has stuck. Even NRCS has adopted the “cocktail” label: Regardless of what they’re called, the new multi-species mixtures are very exciting, results are intriguing, and these cocktails are probably the cover cropping … Continue reading
Posted in Cover Crops, Nitrogen, Nutrient Cycling, Radish, Rye, Soil microbes, Soil moisture, Soil temperature, tomatoes, Vegetables, Vetch
Tagged cover crop cocktails, grass-legume, rye-vetch
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