Soil Prep and Early Crops

Northwest green manure plots: A, B, C, D (100ft x 6ft) E, F (200ft x 6ft)

This past weekend Patrick and I built a 6x3 drag out of 2x4 boards and 3 inch nails with edging to keep three concrete blocks on top. The purpose of this drag is to scratch the surface of the ground for mineralizer and seed without disrupting the biology of the soil. Plots A, B and D were dragged, mineralized and dragged. It rained the following day.

Central veggie plots: 1, 2 (6ft x 100ft)

Using a tractor mounted tiller, I tilled plots 1 and 2. The machine did a great job tearing up the sod and soil to a depth of 5 inches. On further inspection the rotating tines also seemed to compact the soil just below the tilled soil. In response to this I have been using a digging fork on the tilled area before planting anything. The tiller also left large clumps of sod which will become a massive pain for weeding as the growing season progresses. This is the same issue I had to deal with in my new beds at home last year but on a larger scale. I know these plots will be a pain in the butt this year but will improve as the weeds are gradually removed and repeatedly cultivated. It is also encouraging to see the quality of soil in these plots and the worms present.

Yesterday I planted 7 lbs of Kennebec potatoes and 25 onion plants in a staggered pattern in plot 1. These potatoes were hilled taking up and area 20 ft long and half the width of the plot.

On Saturday, I hand broadcasted and dragged a pound of buckwheat into plot 2. It was beginning to sprout yesterday, 4 days after sowing. The reason for buckwheat is to choke out the grass and weeds that will try to regrow in the tilled plot. Hopefully this plot will produce a bounty of biomass, break up the soil with its roots and take care of the weed problem for the following year when it will be used as a garden plot.

Coming up in the next week:

Hilling 10 lbs of Irish Cobbler
Hilling 10 lbs of Yukon Gold
Planting 50 onion plants
Planting an assortment of native seedlings on an unprotected waterway, maybe 50?