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Dear Jeff,
I have a 2-acre lot. It is low cut, and no chemicals have
been used in the past five years. I have never farmed, but
I think I should take the following steps on sunny days: 1)
Take a soil sample and send it to be analyzed. 2) Then use
vinegar to burn back the grass. 3) Use a hoe to remove dried
grass. 4) Plant a winter cover crop of clover. 5) In spring,
till the cover crop 6 inches into the soil. 6) Based upon
the soil analysis, add nutrients to soil at an appropriate
amount of time before planting.
I am still researching and have not selected the main crop
or decided on how much of the land will be used. I think I
must begin some type of land improvement program as soon as
possible. Please give me some feedback on my plans
Steve Beach
Texas
Dear Steve,
Here are my thoughts on the subject. Vinegar can be used on
a large scale but it isn’t a cheap proposition, and
organic vinegar should be used if organic certification is
a concern. Next, I don’t like the concept of using vinegar
since it fosters the “one-to-one” substitution
model that traps many farmers. In the larger scheme of things,
input substitution is a crutch that keeps us in the chemical
system.
Your idea of building the soil is great. I suggest you read
Building
Soils for Better Crops by Fred Magdoff (Sustainable Agriculture
Network, 2000) as a starting point. You really should have
an idea of what crops you intend to plant and what sort of
rotation you will incorporate into their plan. From that point,
we could talk about feeding the soil with compost and diverse
cover crops (both legumes and grasses). That’s where
I’d start before you rush off to “burn off”
the grass already there and purchase nutrients in a bag. You
may need potash or phosphorus, which the soil test will help
you determine.
Hope this helps,
Jeff
Have some questions to Ask Jeff? E-mail
him directly at jeff.moyer@rodaleinst.org.
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