Replies to post #1489 on ~SUSTAINABLE LIVING FOR CHALLENGING TIMES

[Monksdream]

I would have to agree about amending soil to a point where tilling with a roto tiller is no longer needed. I have raised beds and some ground level beds going into their third season.

Each time, it gets easier to work the soil for planting. I use a garden spade to loosen, a couple minutes with the hoe, and I'm ready to plant seeds.

I'll watch neighbors with their tillers spend hours going back and forth, back and forth. Some extend the tilling over a few days in order to loosen up all that compacted clay, which is prevelant in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.

They don't amend. Next season, it's repeat the process.

[sumisu]

>Great post; there is a lot here to digest; I have filed your post in a folder.

I have a question about my recent planting of 300 garlic cloves two weeks ago for harvest next summer. Can I cover the garlic for the winter with salt marsh hay and/or straw? Being in Massachusetts, I figured that a layer above the garlic cloves would protect them during a harsh winter. Of course, a good snow storm would keep them protected from the colder temperatures, as well.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Eddie