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I've been having excellent results in the home garden using the hugelkultur approach. Just bury logs and vegetative waste beneath a foot or two of topsoil. Add

by DaveZale 11mo ago

I've been having excellent results in the home garden using the hugelkultur approach. Just bury logs and vegetative waste beneath a foot or two of topsoil. Adding some fungi spawn to the organic matter speeds up the process. The rotting organic matter acts like a big sponge to keep soil moisture high. Mycelia act to swap plant sugars from above, with nutrients from below. From a small plot, I was able to donate about 250 pounds of gourmet blue potatoes to local food banks this year. Other than a little cow manure added to help feed the fungi and plant roots, no other fertilization was required. There are so many great low-tech approaches to get great yields of delicious produce, but it takes some extra initial labor inputs. Maybe when the AIpocolypse hits the labor market, this approach will be economical on larger scales.

idontwantthis 11mo ago
How do you deal with pests?
- DaveZale 11mo ago
  what kind of pests? Sure, I have field mice here but between the owls and snakes, they disappear. Moles also burrow everywhere around here but they just eat insects and their eggs afaik.
  - idontwantthis 11mo ago
    You don’t have bugs eating your plants?
    - chickensong 11mo ago
      While a little bug damage is expected here and there, you can still harvest a lot of high quality produce with minimal or zero pest management. Bugs generally go for weak and unhealthy plants, so if you can keep most of your plants healthy, you can just pull the weak ones if they get too many bugs. Of course there are plenty of other things you can do, but if you have strong, healthy plants, you often don't have to do much. Birds and other larger animals however, can be a much bigger problem depending on your crop.
      - DaveZale 11mo ago
        We get serious grasshopper damage around here, esp the last two years. It's cyclical, but not all crops are seriously affected. Root crops are usually very robust. I tried neem and diatomaceous earth against the hoppers. Different mechanisms of action, not total control but good enough for root crops like potatoes. The pumpkins and other squashes also hold up well.
        chickensong 11mo ago
        My reply was perhaps a bit too simple and optimistic, so thanks for your comment. Bugs can indeed do more than a little damage, and the bad years can be horrible! I guess the spirit of my previous comment was that it can be possible to find some success, without pesticides or an aggressive IPM program. > not all crops are seriously affected Crop diversity is the key, and a life saver when the pressure is on, or when things just don't go as planned for whatever reason! I don't get terrible grasshopper pressure in my location, but a friend does and uses Nolo Bait as part of her management.

idontwantthis 11mo ago

How do you deal with pests?

DaveZale 11mo ago
what kind of pests? Sure, I have field mice here but between the owls and snakes, they disappear. Moles also burrow everywhere around here but they just eat insects and their eggs afaik.
- idontwantthis 11mo ago
  You don’t have bugs eating your plants?
  - chickensong 11mo ago
    While a little bug damage is expected here and there, you can still harvest a lot of high quality produce with minimal or zero pest management. Bugs generally go for weak and unhealthy plants, so if you can keep most of your plants healthy, you can just pull the weak ones if they get too many bugs. Of course there are plenty of other things you can do, but if you have strong, healthy plants, you often don't have to do much. Birds and other larger animals however, can be a much bigger problem depending on your crop.
    - DaveZale 11mo ago
      We get serious grasshopper damage around here, esp the last two years. It's cyclical, but not all crops are seriously affected. Root crops are usually very robust. I tried neem and diatomaceous earth against the hoppers. Different mechanisms of action, not total control but good enough for root crops like potatoes. The pumpkins and other squashes also hold up well.
      - chickensong 11mo ago
        My reply was perhaps a bit too simple and optimistic, so thanks for your comment. Bugs can indeed do more than a little damage, and the bad years can be horrible! I guess the spirit of my previous comment was that it can be possible to find some success, without pesticides or an aggressive IPM program. > not all crops are seriously affected Crop diversity is the key, and a life saver when the pressure is on, or when things just don't go as planned for whatever reason! I don't get terrible grasshopper pressure in my location, but a friend does and uses Nolo Bait as part of her management.