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 for which farmers save their own seed- an act that feels pretty special and empowering.
What could make garlic planting any more satisfying (and profitable)? Continue reading
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 good story, they have shown, can stick with people more than data (1). So perhaps a peer-reviewed journal article might not be the best format for getting the message across, but I still want to let people know that our research on no-till spinach after a forage radish cover crop has been peer-reviewed and published (click here to read it!). The important parts (plus pictures) are available on our low-residue winterkilled page. Continue reading
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 crop like turnips or radishes. Ultimately, the purpose of a cover crop is to feed the soil, but feeding animals and people along the way may be compatible with achieving this goal. It just depends on the situation. Continue reading
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. Now we can really see which crops are the true fall superstars in the field. As the sun finally warms everything, the broccoli looks just as good as it did yesterday. And so do the phacelia, crimson clover, and radish. I want these cover crops to die eventually- just not yet. Continue reading
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 the pH is lower (more acidic) than you want it to be. If the pH is perfect for the crops you want to grow, sit back, relax, and wait until next year to measure again. Continue reading
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.
Measuring pH in the field is easy with a reliable, inexpensive pH meter. This farm is suffering from low pH. Photo credit: Ray Weil
It can also add up as an expense if you have a lot of fields, even though most soil testing labs offer reasonable rates. This post is NOT meant to discourage you from sending away your soil samples. However, there are some aspects of your soil that you can test yourself to supplement your soil test results. You can measure more frequently (if you don’t send in those samples ever year, for example…) or in more locations and depths throughout your fields. Continue reading
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 tool, but it can reveal a lot about soil quality, root growth, and how cover crops can alleviate some of the problems we create for our soil through tillage and traffic. Researchers in Europe have developed a visual evaluation of soil structure to help farmers evaluate soil quality using just a spade. Continue reading
