Miscellaneous 1
When is a good time to plant a cover crop that you want to have growing with a cash crop?
4 to 5 weeks after planting or transplanting the cash crop
What makes soil cling to roots?
The plant exudes sugars, etc. from the roots, feeding soil microbes. The microbes excrete glues that hold soil particles together and also stick them to the roots.
What is one advantage and one disadvantage of a power harrow?
Advantage: Tills soil more gently. Doesn't mix layers of soil.
Disadvantage: May not cut off roots of well established plants. Does not mix coarse crop residue or cover crop into soil.
What is the name of the tillage implement that turns the soil upside down and buries the crop residue?
mold board plow
What makes soil feel slippery or sticky?
Clay
What are 3 ways to terminate a cover crop?
Tillage, occultation (black tarp that blocks light), solarization (clear tarp that causes high heat), crimping, mowing.
Explain what Dean meant by Why, Who, What, When, Where, How in the context of crop planning
Why are you farming and why are you growing the crop. Who is doing the work and who will buy the crops. What crops to grow. When will it be planted, harvested. Where on the farm will it be grown, what plot and bed. How will it be grown (landscape fabric, trellis, transplant or direct seed, etc.)
What is one advantage and one disadvantage of a rototiller?
Advantage: Mixes cover crop or other organic matter or other soil amendments into soil. Can cut off roots of cover crops or crops being terminated.
Disadvantage: Can pulverize soil, destroying soil structure. Will not mix amendments across width of the bed.
Name 2 tools for deep tillage
Chisel plow, broadfork, keyline plow
What makes soil feel gritty?
sand
Name an advantage of drip irrigation
Uses less water. Can work with low water pressure, making gravity fed systems possible. Delivers water to the soil where the roots are.
What tillage implement mimics the action of a person digging the soil?
Spading machine
Name 2 tools for shallow tillage
Rototiller, power harrow, tilther
Name an advantage of drip irrigation
Uses less water. Can work with low water pressure, making gravity fed systems possible. Delivers water to the soil where the roots are.
What are 2 things that give a small farmer selling locally an advantage over large farmers?
Quality. Freshness. Personal relationship with customers.
What are 3 advantages of using a keyline plow?
It loosens the soil deeply. It does not damage soil structure. It does not mix layers of soil. It makes channels for water, air, and roots to penetrate. It causes little disturbance to the soil surface. It can be used to move water from wetter areas to dryer areas on the landscape.
What are 2 problems of excessive tillage?
It can damage soil microbes. It can damage soil structure. It can increase the amount of CO2 leaving the soil. It can decrease soil organic matter. Some kinds of tillage can cause soil compaction (plow pan). The damage to soil structure can result in crusting of the soil surface.
What are 6 benefits of cover crops?
Fix nitrogen; increase organic matter; increase nutrient availability; prevent erosion; improve soil structure; decrease soil compaction; suppress weeds; attract beneficial insects; promote soil microbiology.
What are 2 things that give MIU Farm an advantage at the Fairfield Farmers Market?
Year round produce. Some customers like to support MIU. Quality produce. Personal relationships.
Relate the science of consciousness principle that the whole is more than the sum of the parts to the discussion about tillage vs no till.
Whether tillage releases carbon into the atmosphere or sequesters it depends on the whole system in which the tillage is used. Just looking at tillage by itself shows releasing CO2 but as part of a whole system that includes cover crops and incorporating organic matter the whole system sequesters carbon.
What are 4 benefits of tillage?
Mix fertilizer and organic matter into soil. Loosen soil. Deepen topsoil. Control weeds. Improve water infiltration. Prepare seedbed. Terminate crops or cover crops. Warm up soil.
When planning for a weekly harvest amount, how is the figuring different for single harvest crops, such as cauliflower and multiple harvest crops, such as tomato?
Single harvest crops give their total yield over a short period of time, often 1 or 2 weeks. Multiple harvest crops give their total harvest over a long time so the total harvest must be divided over that time period to know a weekly harvest.