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garden:cultivate:tasks:reclaim:strategy

Reclamation strategy

It's tempting to fire up the tiller and dig in, slicing and dicing the weeds. I've tried that but I'm working on an approach that truly reclaims the soil. Most of the new gardens I have begun started with a well established thatch of weeds and a well-stocked seed bank, promising years of weedy sprouts. A predominant weed in the farm garden is quack grass, which develops a network of rhizomes tied to gnarly roots.

I have used the tactics below to extend a weed patch and seed bank from 25' by 50' to 65' by 55' in four increments over as many years.

Cover-up

A raw, weeded area covered with a black plastic mulchI cover the area with black plastic. (I'd like to find a material that allowed water to penetrate, but not sunlight.) Because of flooding and wind I put weights around the edges to hold the plastic in place.

Smothered weeds

This starves the plant of its ability to grow, and allows decomposition of leaves and roots. Note that seeds in the seed bank and rhizomes may not be affected by this cover.

Remineralization

Weeds need sunlight for photosynthesis, so they die without the ability to feed their rootsWhen the first growth of weeds has been smothered I add minerals needed by the soil. See Remineralization for details.

Tillage

To begin breaking up the thatch that has developed over the years and to work in the minerals I till the area down to 6 inches.

Cover crop

I sow a cover crop suitable for the season: typically Buckwheat in the summer and either crimson clover or tillage radish and oats for the winter. The choice depends on season and soil conditions of the area.

Tillage

At the end of the cover crop's season I scythe it and work it into the soil to provide a green manure. If I can spare compost I will add it. Depending on the time of year this may not be roto-tilling.

Planting

In late spring or early summer I will direct seed or transplant into the area.

This takes time

Overall, my approach takes a good bit of time, how much depends on the type of soil and the type of overgrowth. On my heavy clay soil, the cover-up can take several months. The weeds are connected by a network of rhizomes, which don't die or decay quickly.

A cover crop can last from six weeks for buckwheat to six months for a winter cover crop like crimson clover or tillage radish.

The time from final tilling to planting should be at least a couple of weeks. This allows the weed seeds to germinate and be promptly terminated during tilling. Immediately after terminating the weed sprouts - typically working with with a diamond hoe on the surface of the soil, which doesn't disturb the seed bank - I plant by direct sowing or transplanting healthy plants.

Elapsed time

Overall, I don't expect to reclaim an area for production in less than two years. It may take more than one cover crop to help prepare the soil

garden/cultivate/tasks/reclaim/strategy.txt · Last modified: 2016/11/22 17:47 by davidbac