Plants of the Month
Fertility Programs
One of the keys to the production of quality food is the availability of
necessary nutrients for plant growth. There are two schools of thought on
this dilemma. One believes that it does not matter where nutrients come
from and advocates feeding the plants (generally known as �conventional
agriculture�). The most popular method since World War 2 has been the use
of petro-chemical fertilizers which are readily available at any store and
provide nearly instantaneous nutrients to plants. This reliance has
brought some benefits, but the cost has been increasingly apparent as
ground and surface water have become contaminated. The very strength of
this system is now turning against us. The high solubility of these
fertilizers leads to their transportation off the land and into our water.
In fact, there is an area the size of New Jersey at the mouth of the
Mississippi River which is a dead zone; the cause is high levels of
nitrogen and phosphorous from the runoff in the farm belt. The other
believes that the source of plant nutrients is of paramount importance and
advocates feeding the soil to raise fertility levels (known under many
names, but most widely known as �organic agriculture�). This second school
is the method traditionally used until World War 2.
Cover Crops/Green Manures
Cover crops/green manures were an essential part of the soil fertility
maintenance program, along with manure and other natural fertilizer
applications, and crop rotation. Although used less today than in times
past, they are still important.
Cover crops/green manures involve the planting of a crop not necessarily
meant for human or even animal consumption. They are meant for consumption
by the flora and fauna of the soil to increase soil fertility. The
benefits of cover crops/green manures are many. They help protect the soil
from erosion when not under food crops. While doing this, they also tie up
nutrients that could be lost to leaching, inhibit the growth of weed
species, bring up nutrients from deep in the soil, break up plow pan which
forms just below the reach of plows and tillers, add humus which is the
most stable form of organic matter and so provides long term fertility,
and, in the case of legumes, provide nitrogen for succeeding crops.
During the summer you can use green manures like buckwheat and clovers in
between crops, but this late in the season you are restricted to winter
hardy cover crops like rye, winter wheat, hairy vetch, and clovers. The
most hardy is rye which can be planted into November in most years. Fairly
high success can be achieved with clover and hairy vetch in late October
too. These can be planted together too; recent research suggests that a
combination of rye and hairy vetch provide the most benefit to succeeding
crops.
The seeds are broadcast onto lightly tilled soil and raked or tilled in.
You can also undersow clover and hairy vetch in crops like tomatoes, corn,
and cabbage. When these crops are harvested or killed by frost the cover
crop is already in place. A week or two before you want to plant next
season you till the cover crop into the soil.
Rock Minerals/Manure
Another alternative to chemical fertilizers has been the use of rock
minerals and manures as fertilizer. This process involves the application
of the material to the soil and then tilling it in. Again there is the
question of transporting large quantities of materials, but this can be
reduced if you keep animals, except for cats and dogs whose manure should
NEVER be used in the garden. There are also questions of contamination in
other animal manures and it is best to apply them in fall or very early
spring to allow the breakdown of the organic matter, re-balancing of the
carbon/nitrogen ratio, and destruction of pathogens. You should not place
raw manure around growing plants for fear of burning them with ammonia
nitrogen and the possibility of the manure splashing onto the plants and
spreading these pathogens.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation involves moving crops to different sections of the
garden/field/farm each season. The benefits are many; including reduction
of disease and pest pressure, benefits such as nitrogen fixation or weed
reduction for succeeding crops, and the fact that different plants draw
nutrients in varying ratios from a range of the soil profile. So, it takes
different nutrients to grow shallow-rooted lettuce than it does to grow
deep-rooted carrots. This allows you to maximize the range of both the
nutrients and depth of your soil.
Soil Testing
No matter which method you choose to use, from artificial fertilizer to
compost, the first step is knowing where you stand. The way to do this is
to take a soil test and submit it to the University Soil Testing Lab 23
Mumford Hall Columbia, MO 65211 (573)882-0623. They can tell you how to
take the sample. No matter what the result, the addition of organic matter
to the soil is nearly always beneficial.
This test is especially important for pH maintenance because if your soil
needs to be limed, now is the time to do it. The chemical reactions
involved, there are three of them, are fairly slow; so if you want to see
benefits in the next growing season, then you want to add the nutrients
indicated by your test, add the lime, till the soil, plant your cover
crop(s). While you cozy up for winter dreamtime and catalogue reading, you
can rest assured the soil is busy and all will be in readiness come spring.
In spring you will mow or plow in your cover crop about two weeks prior to
when you want to begin planting. This allows the balancing out of the
carbon/nitrogen cycle before your seeds/bulbs/plants go into the ground.
Composting
In more recent times, thanks to Sir Albert Howard�s An Agricultural
Testament published in 1940, composting has become an important tool in
soil fertility maintenance. This has helped reduce the amount of waste
going into landfills and can provide an increase in organic matter,
nutrients, and biological activity in the soil. However, composting
requires the transportation of large amounts of organic matter from the
garden to the pile and finished compost back to the garden. While it is
labor intensive, composting is certainly a worthwhile endeavor and should
be encouraged. Consult Eliot Coleman�s The New Organic Grower for a full
discussion of the concepts discussed in this section.
Things to do in the garden now
Harvest final crops of summer veggies
Plant hardy, quick crops like lettuce, spinach, radishes etc.
Plant garlic, shallots, and onions
Take soil samples and send to lab
Lime soil, if indicated
Plant cover crops
Plant spring flowering bulbs, shrubs, trees, perennials and roses
Begin the process of forcing bulbs for holiday bloom
Prune most summer flowering shrubs and trees, but not spring flowering ones
Tidy up the garden for winter when frost/freeze finishes things
Take cuttings of tender plants and dig tender bulbs for overwintering
Divide spring/summer flowering perennials
Turn old compost and start new ones before freeze
Clean, sharpen, and oil tools and store safely
Ready power equipment for winter by cleaning and oiling metal parts,
sharpening blades, draining gas
Draw a map of your garden, if you haven�t already, to help with planning
over the winter
Namaste',
Guy Clark
Fertile Crescent Farm
Missouri Organic Association
310 Hartley Court
Columbia, MO 65201
573.449.GROW
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Live like you are going to die tomorrow, but
farm like you will live forever!"
