Starting The Release Process

[fergyr]

Always need to have several food sources In one plot. Say this was “6 acres”…. Whatever …. 1/2 acre would be clover. 1 acre brassicas. 1 acre Dbltree cereal rye mix. Rest - standing beans.

Coincidentally I do have 6 acres!

For now will do 1/2 in the release/cover crop summer and fall mix, the other 1/2 in beans....then sit in the blind this fall and see what happens.

 

[MN Slick]

Fergyr, how is your Regen plot doing?

 

[fergyr]

Fergyr, how is your Regen plot doing?

Here are some pictures from today. Beans were drilled on June 10 at about 80lbs per acre, they lied in dry soil under the crimped Rye for 2+ weeks, then came some rain. There are areas where the Rye mat was so thick that the beans weren't able to punch thru, but overall all things considered they are looking pretty good.

 

[fergyr]

Update on the Cover Crop planting for anyone that is interested. On May 19th the Cover Crop portion of the foodplot was drilled with a Blend, but failed due to lack of rain. Due to stubborness I replanted this area again on July 17, there had been a nice rain the day before, it was borderline too wet to drill, but thankfully that little bit of moisture was enough to get things germinated. This Cover Crop Mix, a Summer Blend, contains Forage Beans, Oats, Cowpeas, Sunn Hemp, Sorghum, Buckwheat, Sunflowers, Okra, Kale, Tillage Radish, Mung Beans, Millet, Flax, Sesame, African Cabbage and Safflower. Hopefully something within the mix has an opportunity to mature being planted so late. Didnt want it to sit all Summer with nothing going on, hopefully it will fix some Nitrogen and Build some Organic Matter, assuming that some rain continues to fall.

 

[TheBig8]

Yep, I terminated nice warm season plots last fall when I planted my fall plots then got no rain. This year I'm planting green in the fall and not terminating the warm season plots so at least I'll have some early season food if it doesn't rain. Hopefully, the cool season crop is growing to some degree and will take off once frost kills he warm season crop. Guys claim it's working for them??? It all sounds so good in theory, LOL. Meanwhile, I just got a quote on a Firminator.

My ground is like conctrete so I wonder too if it needs a rip or deep till to loosen it up. I was hoping a couple years of Regen would help but it hasn't so far. I planted beans on one farm so I could nuke the grasses and it looks like a fail. Drilled too deep? Ground crusted over? Deers mowed them off? I have no clue but it looks grim.

Might consider the groundhog radish or similar that will grow through that hard pan and loosen up your soil. Just a thought.