All Beds Turned

IMG_2006, a photo by Pike-uliar Gardenings on Flickr.

Turned over the last three beds this weekend. Everything is looking good, but my back hurts a bit. The leaf mulch has cooked down quite a bit and we'll have to augment with compost and maybe even a bag or two of topsoil or compost. If you click through on the above image, there are "notes" that provide extra info.

One thing I noticed is that the roots of the cover crop are quite substantial and provide at least half of the biomass. Hope it breaks down pretty quick. I have heard of people covering up beds with burlap bags to help break things down. unfortunately, I don't have those.

Begin the Worm-pacolypse

IMG_1999, a photo by Pike-uliar Gardenings on Flickr.

After 16 months of composting, mixing with dirt, and cover cropping, the soil has gotten pretty good. Good enough for a pretty big worm population. Turning over the cover crop has not been good for all of them.

Like Butter

MVI_2000 a video by Pike-uliar Gardenings on Flickr.

Turning over the cover crop was pretty easy. I've tried two or three techniques. Easiest so far was the straight down standard digging method - boot on shovel and then lever it over. I also tried a side shovel at just below root level. That was kinda hard. The soil is looking pretty good so far. Dark and with lots of worms.

Cover Crop...Blowin' in the Wind

MVI_1984 a video by Pike-uliar Gardenings on Flickr.

Sometimes I just like to watch the cover crop blowing around. Very relaxing. This stuff is a mix of organic and non-organic. The non-organic grew slower and smaller, but on the other hand, it 's production didn't add any pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides into the Earth.

Cover Crop in Winter

So here's the Red Clover in winter. It is holding up pretty well - still green, still alive despite the snow. It is organic seed from High Mowing. Hopefully it is fixing nitrogen in the beds. One other benefit I forgot to mention earlier is that it reduces soil compaction that might be caused by precipitation. This stuff has been fine. It took about a pound to do about 6 beds. I reseeded a couple times when squirrels vandalized the seedlings. Next year, I will try something a little different - A Rye and Hairy Veitch mix from the Maine Potato Lady. I am hoping it will be a little tougher for squirrels to destroy it.

Cover Cropping

IMG_1597, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

Cover crop for this year is shaping up pretty well. This is red clover - good for fixing nitrogen, less good for weed suppression. It's building up slowly, but I think it will be ready for winter. If it's still there in the spring, I will "plow" under or just compost it. The goal is also to limit erosion and protect soil life from cold, etc. I also think it might help promote that fungus that interacts with roots...but I have no scientific evidence for that. Got the seeds from High Mowing - pricey, but good company to support. One other detail - squirrels seem to be having a pretty fun time killing it here and there. One day...I will have my revenge.

Next year I am thinking about trying rye or oats.