Anyhow, I did actually skim some of the message that LionKuntz posted and
I have a question that others will find interesting:
On Sat, 15 Aug 1998 LionKuntz@aol.com wrote:
<very large snip>
> (1). My preferred system doesn't use cover crops, it uses composted mulch
> when not growing plants. Sorry about that.
>
<other large snip>
Okay, so I've posted before about some things I do on my scale to try to
do less/no soil disturbance. But, here's one I don't understand, even
when I find enough mulching materials to mulch some section of garden
heavily (I never can find enough to do the whole garden thickly which is
partly why it is not a mulch garden...) I still plant something (which
does end up with plenty of lovely weeds...and I do like "weeds" to a
pretty big extent :-). Often I just scatter some small seed like buckwheat
or vetch on the surface of the mulch. I guess I just don't like bare mulch
for extended periods of times and even if I don't later use the "cover
crop" on that bed as a new layer of mulch I can compost it and that's
useful too. So, if you choose not to grow something in a mulch, why? I
guess I don't get it....(I could get it if you were sheet composting...I
do use piles of compost to smother weeds/sod to create new bed space. And,
I don't plant on the compost while it's composting (though weeds do grow
:-) but I don't call that mulching. I call it composting where I will have
a future bed...)
Just curious, as I have heard others say they chose mulch *over* "cover
crops" and don't understand why it's a choice of one or the other....
Besides
I'm partial to all the lovely biomass that "cover crops" create, even if
some get so monstrous in my climate (portland, oregon) that by winter's
end they're a teeny bit cumbersome to cut down/knock
down/pull/trample/what have you....Also, they bring pollinators and more
since they're very vibrant all winter. And, in summer I like the insect
habitat and shade created by things like buckwheat and cow peas (and the
beds of "non-traditional covers", e.g., calendula I sometimes use as
"cover").
I have put "cover crop" in quotes throughout to signify my belief that
most crops whether I harvest nothing or small portions or most of the crop
serve some/most of the beneficial purposes of a cover. I mean, what of my
overwintering parsnips? They're like a cover and the ones not harvested
are busy now spreading seed everywhere :-)
Just looking to generate discussion
FWIW, as it might play in to your understanding of what I do: I grow cut
flowers for sale on about 1/2- acre and on another 1/4+ acre I grow my
food (and some others) plus medicinals and other things I just want to
grow...I like growing too many different kinds of things. It doesn't
really make me much money and it's not mechanized (I own a lawn mower and
a small chipper/shredder which really doesn't get used much...) and I like
it that way.
that's all,
eliza
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