Posts by Ryan Maher
Tarping has become a popular practice for small-scale organic farms to manage weeds. Typically, beds are tilled and prepared for planting and then covered using a durable, black plastic tarp. Tillage combined with warming soils under tarps can promote the germination of weed seeds which then die when starved for light. Tarps are then removed…
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Why strip tillage? Repeated, intensive tillage degrades soil structure and creates compacted layers than can restrict plant roots. Strip tillage targets soil disturbance to the planting zone and can help retain surface residue, preserve soil moisture, build soil structure, and reduce erosion. This approach can give vegetables a good start by warming soils, forming a…
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Permanent beds can help improve soil health on the farm-scale. Rather than plow and harrow by the field, fields are divided into a set of beds. Field traffic (tractor or foot) is then restricted to the between-bed area, year after year. These pathways can be managed with cultivation, mulches, cover crops, or perennial sod. Especially…
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Learning a small-scale organic method to reduce tillage with less weeds Baseball fans know tarps are critical for keeping fields clean. Heavy rain falling on the diamond can quickly spoil a game. When you’re running for cover, turn your eyes to the field and you will see a crew working in unison to unroll a…
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Salamander Springs Farm uses powerful cover crop sequences to produce crops, forage and seed. Susana Lein is ahead of the curve. She has put together so many practices at Salamander Springs Farm near Berea, Kentucky that we can only scratch the surface in this article. Permaculture principles are at work in all aspects of the…
Read MoreTools and Tactics for Organic Vegetables at Any Scale August 14th, 2017, 4:00-7:00 pm Location: Freeville Organic Research Farm at the Cornell HC Thompson Vegetable Research Farm, 133 Fall Creek Road, Freeville NY The Cornell Reduced Tillage Team held a field tour and discussion of practices to build soils and manage weeds in organic vegetables.…
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Permanent bed systems can help small farms improve soils and reduce tillage for a diversity of crops. Learn how farmers are adopting these systems and hear research results on how tillage, mulching and tarping practices can impact your weed control, labor use, and crop productivity. Ryan Maher and Brian Caldwell – Cornell University, Mark Hutton – University…
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