Practical No-Till Farming

Practical No-Till Farming

A Quick and Dirty Guide to Organic Vegetable and Flower Growing

Mefferd, Andrew

New Society Publishers

11/2022

240

Mole

Inglês

9780865719668

15 a 20 dias

576

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Part 1: The Why of No-Till


INTRODUCTION

Who This Book Is For

Tilling Was Once the Only Answer

Enthusiasm and Skepticism for No-Till

Becoming a No-Till Farmer

Defining No-Till: What Counts as Tillage Anyway?

New Adaptation for Old Methods

The Promise of No-Till


THE POWER OF THE SOIL

Putting a Face on the Soil

Soil: Where the Microbe Magic Happens

Taking Care of Our Livestock

Soil Life Drives the Success of No-Till Systems

Soil Testing

Healthy Soil Can Lead to Healthier Farmers


FARM SIZE

Farming as a Career


NO-TILL: A GATEWAY METHOD

Evolution of Your Farm

Small Can Be Beautiful


NO-TILL VS. TILLAGE

Tillage: The Agricultural Reset Button

Tillage: An Ancient Practice We Might Want to Avoid


THE DISADVANTAGES OF TILLING

Breakdown in the Nutrient Cycle

Weeds

Hard Work and Time-Consuming

Physical, Chemical, and Biological Disadvantages


THE ADVANTAGES OF NO-TILL

Advantages for the Environment

Fungus: The Perennial Roots of the Soil

Soil and Water Can Do Their Jobs

Increase in Organic Matter

Advantages for Growers


THE DISADVANTAGES OF NO-TILL

Fields Are Slower to Warm in Spring

Systems Can Take Some Time to Become Established

Some Methods Are Hard to Scale Up

Some Pests Can Flourish in High Residue

Perennial Weeds


Part 2: The How of No-Till


GETTING STARTED: PRINCIPLES, TECHNIQUES, AND TOOLS

Start with a Soil Test

Clearing the Deck: Getting the Soil Ready

Establishing New Fields

Sod Bustin', No-Till Style

Reduce the Weed Seed Bank First


TARPING

Occultation

Solarization

Tarp Timing

Decomposition Rates


IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MULCHES

Non-Decomposing Mulches

Applied Organic Mulches


MULCH GROWN IN PLACE

The Roller/Crimper Method

Roller/Crimper Cons

Winter-Killed Cover Mulch Crops

Planting through a Cover Crop Mulch

Which Crops Work Best in the Roller/Crimper System?


GETTING STARTED AND CROPPING STRATEGIES

Composting in Place

Compost as Mulch

Ways to Improve Land and Exhaust the Weed Seed Bank


CROPS TO FOCUS ON


GOING FROM CROP TO CROP

Dealing with Residue

Planting

Flowers in No-Till


CASE STUDY: GROWING HEMP




APPENDIX

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
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agroecology;carbon;Charles Dowding;Chemical-free;compost;cover;Crop;cropping;Daniel Mays;no-dig;ecological;Farming;gardening;management;market;method;microbes;mulch;No-till nutrient-dense;organic;practices;Productive;productivity;regenerative;resilience;row;sequestration;small-scale;soi;Sustainable;techniques;tillage;vegetables;Weed;Yield