Thank you to the Volunteer I am following who left the demo plot covered in spiney vines and weeds after not hoeing it for months... seriously thank you. I have since been able to hone my hoeing technique, find a rythm and prepare my hands for two years of manual labor, it couldn't be more fulfilling.
With that out of the way I am currently three days out from having my entire demo plot ready for the first round of planting. I will be planting two seasonal crops, Red Corn and Red Bean, and three Avonos Verdes (AVs), Macuna, Cannavalia, and Pigeon Pea. I will get the common names for the other two when I get the chance.
My field is very old and very dilapidated I will have comparison pictures shortly displaying the difference. It is like this because one crop, Mandioca (Yucca Root), has been farmed on it in the same way for the last twenty to thirty years. It is basically a beach with a bunch of dirt mixed in. No nutrients... yet.
As is seen in the pictures that have been posted there are Nitrogen nodes on the most recently planted Cannavalia from the last volunteer. These are a very good sign but unfortunately not all of them turned red when I squeezed them showing a lack of nitrogen. Also before I cut down the small section because it was about to flower and I needed it for Soil Organic Matter, many of the leaves were yellow, showing a lack of nutrients in the soil.
All of this will be elaborated in future posts as well as my drawn out plan for planting and rotations over the first year. I will be posting again soon when I can post pictures as well.
Happy Hoeing!
N
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