CACTUSFLOWER
Member
diverse cover crop frequently seeded
Rock dust
No till
No kill
3 years
Rock dust
No till
No kill
3 years
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Amending Soil that is Mostly Clay
- Thread starter St. Phatty
- Start date
gardener60
Active member
reply
reply
A few years ago i talked to the staff of Seeds of Change at a tour they were giving, and they told me that they took virgin land and planted Daikon Radish for two years. The first year the radish grew they just turned them under and did the same thing the next year. So what they did was just put something back into the soil to help it out. The test and seed farm looks great, the soil is dark and lush, and another thing they said was that they never use manure in their soil just home made compost. So this is something to think about if you are not going to use the whole two acres. Break it up into 4 sections and plant Hairy Vetch in one section to put Nitrogen into the soil. Alfalfa in a section because it kills weeds and turn it under also. and peas and beans in a section again they put Nitrogen in the soil. Just my 2 cents.
reply
A few years ago i talked to the staff of Seeds of Change at a tour they were giving, and they told me that they took virgin land and planted Daikon Radish for two years. The first year the radish grew they just turned them under and did the same thing the next year. So what they did was just put something back into the soil to help it out. The test and seed farm looks great, the soil is dark and lush, and another thing they said was that they never use manure in their soil just home made compost. So this is something to think about if you are not going to use the whole two acres. Break it up into 4 sections and plant Hairy Vetch in one section to put Nitrogen into the soil. Alfalfa in a section because it kills weeds and turn it under also. and peas and beans in a section again they put Nitrogen in the soil. Just my 2 cents.
CACTUSFLOWER
Member
A lot of farmers will tell you that tilling and turning under in this kind of situation will release moisture, compact the soil, and ruin the tilth that your cover crop created. But every situation is different and you know your land better than most.
