Ken Matthews

Hi all!

Up until now, I've always been a deep mulch guy for my market gardens. Late last year I purchased a plot in South Korea and decided to experiment with more living pathways and cover crops in one 120' x 30' plot.

As you can see, the white clover did great in two pathways (I stuck with deep mulch for my other pathways for now).

The climate analogue here is much different from what I was used to in Canada. Much longer growing season, etc. Pretty much everything has been harvested by now, however, save for some winter squash, Korean radish, and cabbage for kimchi.

I brushed the mulch off and broadforked (or garden clawed) the rows now without plants (careful to keep anything rooted that was still photosynthesizing) and sowed winter cover crops (crimson clover, hairy vetch, and winter rye). Germination rate was great where I broadcasted early....and then we got hit with an early cold snap (apparently earliest in the past 60 years in this region).

So now I have this situation. I don't think the plants are established enough to survive the winter. In some areas, where I broadcasted as recently as a week ago, nothing is coming up. Forecasted daytime highs are great this coming week, but night lows are still dangerously close to zero.

Here's my question: give it more time (but that means the soil is bare longer, which I don't feel good about), or abandon the experiment for this year and mulch it all now.

You'll see in the pics that in certain rows / mounds I simply raked seeds in, in others I used a sprinkle of straw / pine needle mulch, and in others a sprinkling of finished compost. The mounds were used for the three sisters this year (with great success). You'll notice pole beans vines still growing out of the mounds (now without their trellises. Left them in since they're still greeen, but did aerate the soil a bit and broadcast cover crop seed.

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

Esbjorn Aneer wrote:Ken Mattews, look up "Charles Dowden do-dig potatoes". He has a video talking of growing spuds and leek in the same plot for several years. He adds a lot of compost to the area but gets good results.

Thank you! Watching this video right now.

And thanks to everyone else for the posts. Very informative.

To the guy with the -40 winters...I'm right there with you. I want to let you know I have volunteer potatoes come back every year in my BTE garden. I have at least 6" of woodchip mulch over them. Best of luck!

I did a large (50x100' or so) bed of no-till, no-dig potatoes this year and am really happy with the results. But now I'm wondering what to do with this plot come next spring. I chose it specifically for potatoes because it's far from the house and a water source (think zone 3). Have any of you had luck growing potatoes year after year in the same spot without rotating in another crop? Interplanting beans, maybe?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Hello again from Ottawa, Canada!

Question for those of you with fruit tree guilds. This is the first winter since I planted guilds around my established apple trees. This is the time of year when I normally prune...but it's occurred to me although there is a snow cover, I'll be trampling over everything (including woodier shrubs that are mostly hidden under the snow).

Wondering if anyone else in colder climates has this issue, and what they do about it? (FYI my guilds are all in a good 8" of woodchip mulch, and are a lot 'fuller' / more densely planted than the below early pic suggests. They include blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, comfrey, daylilies, mint, lupin, chives, etc.

Thanks in advance for any input!  

Jen Fan wrote:

Ken Matthews wrote:I have 50-year old pine / cedar forest spread throughout my outer zones, and riverbank grape vines all over. The vines at the base of the trees are at least 3-4" in diameter and snake up and among the branches (as vines tend to do). The only hardwoods in that bush are a few elms and ash.

I typically have a complete hands-off approach in these zones, and I'm sure some wildlife is reaping benefits from the grapevines...but I'm concerned about the health of the trees. I don't harvest any grapes from these vines (though I'm sure the birds are getting a few at of the forest canopy).

Should I be snipping these giant grapevines at the base during my casual strolls through the bush? They're taking over everything....and I'm not really knowledgable enough to know what this will mean for the succession of the forest. I just want what's best for my bush .

Thanks in advance for your input!!

Ken!  Would you be willing to sell, trade for, or otherwise send cuttings?  

Hi Jen! Wow...this is the last thing I expected! But I shouldn't be surprised. I took a load of comfrey off a local woman recently and she looked at me as if I were nuts. Back to your request, let me think on it a bit. I don't have any experience sending cuttings by post, etc. And seeds / plant material sent from Canada to the US? Sounds like it might be problematic. Anyhow, thanks for the interest and I'll get back to you.

Ben Zumeta wrote:I plan to plant table and wine grapes at the southern side of many of my ponderosa pines, so I would ask why you might favor one species over the other. If they are both native, I’d go for a balance of both species.

That's exactly the question I'm asking myself and why I haven't cut any already. I guess my main concern is that it will choke out the pines completely, and it might be another century or so before they're replaced with another climax species. These pines / cedars cover 2/3 of my land currently, with a shrub understory. The forest is excellent habitat for deer, coyotes, rabbits, and a lot of other native wildlife. It's also pleasant to look at and walk through. I'm concerned about what sort of landscape the wild grape will leave me with if I allow it unchecked to choke out my current canopy trees. The trees also provide a great windbreak for my zones 1 & 2.

Jordan Johnston wrote:Grapes can and will take over really quick i have wild grapes that choked out a few trees in my area. If youre worried about the current state of the forest or see any trees that are damsged choked or week from the grapes just hack it back just know it will come back hard and respond to pruning with vigourous growth the following year just takes some management.

Thanks for the response, Jordan. I'm near Ottawa - we're probably dealing with the same wild grape. It makes the evergreen forest look lusher in the summer, but yes, I think it is choking some trees out.

I have 50-year old pine / cedar forest spread throughout my outer zones, and riverbank grape vines all over. The vines at the base of the trees are at least 3-4" in diameter and snake up and among the branches (as vines tend to do). The only hardwoods in that bush are a few elms and ash.

I typically have a complete hands-off approach in these zones, and I'm sure some wildlife is reaping benefits from the grapevines...but I'm concerned about the health of the trees. I don't harvest any grapes from these vines (though I'm sure the birds are getting a few at of the forest canopy).

Should I be snipping these giant grapevines at the base during my casual strolls through the bush? They're taking over everything....and I'm not really knowledgable enough to know what this will mean for the succession of the forest. I just want what's best for my bush .

Thanks in advance for your input!!

Thank you - this is extremely helpful and has given me a lot to think about.

If I move ahead with the project, I certainly will excavate the pond further during the dry season and use that soil as part of the mound.

Your point about the existing vegetation is well taken. I reflect for a long time before making the decision to remove any kind of plants / trees on my land.

Although my area is generally flat (100 acres sloping gradually north down to south, but only by 2 meters total or so), I lack confidence marking true contour with a simple a-frame. The property was a horse ranch as recently as 30 years ago, so the land, though covered with forest and vegetation now, is full of man-made piles and pits that may easily give me a 'false reading' when it comes to marking contour. Does that make sense? I'm considering having an experienced PDC designer come take a look at the area before I move forward.

Thanks again - I will certainly be revisiting your post as I plan what to do.

Hi all!

Quick question. I'm about to begin a rather ambitious project - an 80' long, 4' high berm / hugelkultur mound in an area between a pond and my yard in which to plant growies, but also to act as a windbreak against the prevailing north wind AND to take advantage of the moisture in that area (drainage is very poor...full of standing water in the spring).

My question is this: to what extent should I clear the area before I begin building my mound? At the moment the area is full of shrubs (small willows, dogwood, and other water-loving vegetation) and a couple of very large stumps that have been rotting for at least a decade. Should I clear the area as close to the ground as possible before mounding, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I should clarify that the mound will be nowhere close to the edge of the pond, so erosion is not a concern. Also the 'pond' is essentially just the lowest point in a boggy area, so it's really just standing water - some years it's just about gone at the height of the dry season, but remains wet enough for a healthy population of frogs and mosquitoes . In the spring, that standing water even creeps into the yard.