I am in the process of starting a market garden, and I want to go no-till but I have a few questions about the practical aspects and how to make it all work out, and also I am looking for some reassurance and validation since most people tell me they have never heard of no-till.. I have been converting my small (read tiny and in the shade) backyard garden to no-till for the past two years, and it is just getting better and better. I found a neighbor with a big garden (almost an acre), who can't handle the work because of health issues, and their old gardener just had a baby so now I get the opportunity to grow on it. My goal is to produce as much of what the landowners and I eat as possible, and use the overages to build relationships with possible CSA shareholders for next year. I will also try to direct market to local restaurants, and farm stands, with the hopes of growing the business to the point where I can eventually acquire my own land. The people are totally on board with the concepts of permaculture, but have little or no knowledge of the modern advancements made in that area (they have no computer) so I am really blowing their minds with some of the stuff I am showing them.
The spot I am planting has two large sections that were tilled last year, and they used plastic mulch. I decided to remove the plastic, and sewed winter rye last fall. There is a ton of space on the perimeter that has not been cultivated. Lots of blackberries in the "wild" area just outside the garden, and they have blueberries, and raspberries established in the garden. I want to add some apple trees, but there is a lot of cedar with rust in the adjacent woods, so I need resistant varieties. I was considering getting a few tasty apples and planting seeds (as per Paul's advice) but I want to get an established tree or 2 so I can have apples at some point this decade. Anyone know good eating varieties that are cedar rust resitant? I am thinkking Williams Favorite.. I already have some bocking 14 comfrey to plant under them..
Despite being a rich jet black from having a remarkably high humus fraction, and hence a high field capacity and CEC, the soil has it's problems which will need to be addressed, but most can be solved by restoring depleted organic matter. The use of plastic ground cover has caused a chain reaction of issues to arise. First and foremost, the plastic has blocked the return of organic matter back to the soil. The result is compaction, slow drainage, and an overall increase in bulk density, and reduction in populations of earthworms and other macro organisms. After removing the plastic, we found the smell of undigested manure, indicating low levels of soil microbes (probably from the heat of the sun on the plastic). I have concerns about erosion if we get heavy spring rain. The areas that have not been grown in have better drainage and worm populations, and the weeds growing there have stiffer stronger root systems. I tested the field capacity and it is about 60%. That sounds ridiculously high, but they don't even have to water their crops on a dry year, so it makes sense. All the water from the property drains towards the garden. The bulk density was 1.52..
I removed the plastic last fall and sewed winter rye after a light surface cultivation. There were 2 beds covered in plastic, one 20'x40' and the other 20'x50'. . We still have plenty of room for more beds on the perimeter, I am going to let the goats remove weeds there, then lay down wood framed raised beds I got from a friend who was moving, and fill them with soil topped with compost so there is an extra layer to smother weeds. I also want to do hugelkultur beds.
My biggest concern is how to best prepare the beds. I have access to chickens and goats, so I plan to let the chickens at spot with the winter rye to tear it down and work it into the soil. I am thinking they can handle it in a couple weeks, as the rye won't be too big, then I can plant transplants into it. I want to put some goats where there is thick native vegetation, unfortunately we can't have pigs (swine free town). I plan to use cardboard mulch on the walkways, and use a blend of alfalfa and clover as living mulch under the veggies, or maybe straw or hay, or some combination of the above on different beds.
So on to my questions... I can see no-till working for seedlings that were started ahead of time, just plant and use mulch to suppress weeds, but how do I prepare the soil for direct seeding? How can I control weed growth? I figure I will have to hand weed until they get going. Once the plants are established, I can add mulch in the form of hay, straw, compost, etc, but my main concern is getting them established, is there and easier way? I am thinking raised beds will work best for direct seeded stuff, is this correct, or can I do direct seed into an untilled soil, and if so what do I need to do to prepare the seedbed?
I want to interplant and utilize guilds. I am not sure yet what will go with what, so any guidelines or suggestions will be appreciated. I know I am doing the three sisters, but other than that I am still looking for advice on what works together. Here is what I have bought for seeds so far:
Cucumber
*Marketmore
*Cross Country Pickling
Muskmelon
*Golden Gopher
Squash
*Burpee Butterbush Butternut
*Early Summer Yellow Crookneck
*Midnight Lightning Zuchini
*Blue Hubbard
Gourds
*Small Ornamental
*Luffa
Cabbage
*Early Jersey
*Ruby Perfection
Tomatoes
*Pink Brandywine
*Honeydrop Cherry
*Amish Paste
*Chadwick's Cherry
Carrot
*Scarlett Nantes
*Purple Haze
Beets
*Chioggia
*Detroit Dark Red
Onions
*Walla Walla Sweet
*Red Marble
*Prisma Shallots
*Chives
Brassicas
*Purple Peacock Broccoli
*Roodnerf Brussel Sprouts
Legumes
*Oregon Sugar Pod Peas
*Blue Lake Bush Bean
*Black Kabouli Garbanzos
*Blue Coco Pole Bean
Corn
*Golden Bantam
Sunflowers
*Hopi Black Dye
Cooking Greens
*Bright Lights Swiss Chard
*Variegated Collards
*Donkey Spinach
*Aurora Orach
*Mixed Cooking Greens from Horizon
Salad Greens
*Early Mizuna Japanese Mustard
*Royal Oakleaf
*Oscarde Oakleaf
*Buttercrunch Bibb
*Freckles Romaine
*Rocket Arugala
*Freedom Lettuce Mix from Fedco
*Mixed Salad Greens from Horizon
Oregano
*Zataar (middle eastern variety for falafel)
Horizon Herbs Lifeline Medicinal Herb Pack
Astragalus
Holy Basi (Kapoor Tulsi)
Gobo Burdock
Mixed Calendula
German Chamomile
Echinacea purpurea
Elecampane
Evening Primrose
Brown Flax
Lemon Balm
Marshmallow
Official Motherwort
Stinging Nettles
Cayenne Pepper
Garden Sage
Official Valerian
Wood Betony
Yarrow
I have high hopes for this season, and I plan to take a bunch of pictures and keep this thread updated so you can all enjoy the ride. So get some popcorn, this should be a doozy.
