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Website created
and maintained
by Debbie Roos,
Ag Extension Agent.
©2007
North Carolina
Cooperative Extension
Perry-winkle Farm
Soil Management and Planting
Page 3 |
||||
Rye cover crop strips in early April. Cover crops are a vital part of the rotation at Perry-winkle Farm. Rye is allelopathic - as it decomposes, it releases a compound into the soil that prevents small weed seeds from germinating. It also adds organic matter to the soil and acts as a windbreak for tender crops. Beans were later planted between the rows of rye. |
Snap beans are direct-seeded in between rows of a rye and vetch cover crop in late April. |
One month later, the cover crop has been mowed and the beans are taking off. |
Early May view of a field planted in rye, vetch, and crimson clover. This is a great mixture: the vetch is a legume that loves to climb and uses the rye for support. Crimson clover, another legume, provides much needed nitrogen for following crops. Cool-season cover crops are planted in September and October but put on most of their growth in the spring. |
Close-up of rye, vetch, and crimson clover cover crop. Cover crops also provide valuable habitat for beneficial insects. |
Cathy discs in a cover crop with their John Deere 420, a 2 cyclinder model built in the mid-1950s. Mike bought the tractor for Cathy almost 20 years ago before they started selling at the farmers' markets. |
Another shot of discing in plant residue with a hiller disc/tobacco bedder. |
Cathy tills in soil amendments for the final bed preparation. |
Cathy shows the row markers that they attached to the back flap of the tiller, something she learned from a flower farmer at a conference. These points mark the rows and dig a little planting trench. |
Kate S. and Kate M. putting out soil amendments prior to planting. Every crop gets a customized nutrient management plan based on soil test recommendations. They do soil tests once a year in the fall for each different crop. Only natural fertilizers are used, including rock phosphate, K-mag, feathermeal, and gypsum. |
Cathy uses an Earthway seeder to direct-seed a crop in April. |
Cathy and Chris plant leeks in mid-February. |
next page
Page 3 |
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This page last updated October 24, 2006.
North
Carolina Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center
P.O. Box 279, Pittsboro, NC 27312
919-542-8202
Website created and maintained by Debbie Roos, Agricultural Extension Agent.
URL: http://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms
North
Carolina Cooperative Extension is an educational partnership helping people
put research-based
knowledge to work for economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and
an improved quality of life.