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It's still winter, but not for much longer. We're It's still winter, but not for much longer. We're clearing the last of this Cavolo Nero at the moment, while the cover crop in the background is putting on some serious growth. We can feel that spring is just around the corner and are really looking forward to it. We'll keep you updated as we head into the new season!
To spread mulch evenly and efficiently with our ma To spread mulch evenly and efficiently with our manure spreader, the material needs to be short and fine. Sometimes we are offered old spray-free silage that can no longer be used for livestock. It is perfect food for our earthworms, makes an amazing ground cover and acts as a natural fertiliser and weed suppressant - but it is too long and stringy. This time, we decided to try chopping it with a hired mixer wagon, and it did a perfect job. It feels a bit like a giant double kitchen blender, running at low speed ;-). Loaded with 4–5 large round bales at a time, it takes no more than 5 minutes to turn them into beautifully spreadable mulch. We broke the bales up a bit before putting them in, because chunks that are too large can trigger the safety shear bolts - designed to break before anything more expensive gets damaged. And it's easy to imagine how long it takes to empty this beast by hand when something gets stuck. 😏 It happened to us only once in three days. 😅 In one batch, we combined 80% lucerne/grass silage with 20% organic wheat straw to increase the C/N ratio and avoid a spike in nitrogen mineralisation that could potentially affect the storage quality of our onions. Now we're just waiting for the next dry spell to spread the mulch and get ready for transplanting... #earthwormfood #transfermulch
As vegetable growers, we work with the weather. We As vegetable growers, we work with the weather. We don't need big trucks every day, but when conditions are right for a job, we need to act promptly. This is where short-term rental from @trgroupnz comes in really handy. And this 8x4 drop-side tipper gives us even more versatility: it took just 10 minutes for one person to convert it into a flat-deck rig to cart baleage and straw that will provide mulch for our onions and celery. Then the sides go back on, and it’s ready to haul gravel for repairing a farm driveway. And, needless to say, we had a bit of fun with the 540 hp MAN ...
Organic mulch systems and reduced tillage can beco Organic mulch systems and reduced tillage can become frustrating and inefficient without effective methods for controlling perennial or root-spreading weeds. We've had reasonable success with a spring-tine cultivator against couch, but have not been satisfied with its performance on dock or creeping yellowcress (Rorippa sylvestris). This is why we purchased this older 'Landsberg Synkro' cultivator with double 'Rotopack' rollers from Austria. Sincere thanks to our friends and colleagues @live2give_biohofdickendorf for picking it up, shipping it, and cleaning it so beautifully that it passed MPI's biosecurity inspection upon arrival in Aotearoa without any issues! Today it was finally dry enough to test the implement on a block with dock, dandelion, and some buttercup in preparation for onions. The idea is that the cultivator shanks loosen the weeds, while the bent spikes on the double rollers deposit them near the surface and shake much of the soil from the roots. Check out the video and photos to see how it performed. We were definitely happy with the result. While it may take more than one pass to bring all the roots to the surface, we're confident this will be a game-changer for tackling creeping yellowcress once we get hot, dry weather during summer. #organicmintill #rorippasylvestris #perennialweeds
Wherever we want to plant vegetables later in spri Wherever we want to plant vegetables later in spring (late Oct–mid Nov), we prefer winter cover crops based on forage oats. We've had good experiences and great yields with 'Intimidator' from @luisettiseeds , which we drill at around 100–110 kg/ha. We always include some legumes in the mix - this year faba beans (50 kg/ha) and field peas (20 kg/ha). The crimson clover component (5 kg/ha) has hardly emerged this time. On one paddock, we're trialling this more diverse mix which also includes linseed (4 kg/ha) and phacelia (1 kg/ha). Keen to see how it develops... What species have worked well for adding diversity to your winter cover crop mixes? #oatcovercrop #forageoats #diversecovercrop #wintercovercrop
A stand of dense faba beans (750 kg/ha) is current A stand of dense faba beans (750 kg/ha) is currently our favourite winter cover crop option when we want to plant vegetables at the end of winter or early spring without tillage. This crop can be mechanically terminated over a very long time window, giving us extra flexibility when spring weather is fickle. This season also marks the second year of a PhD project with @masseyuni , investigating nitrogen dynamics under this faba bean mulch with different top-up mulch materials. #fababeans #wintercovercrop #notillvegetables
That special time of the morning when the sun melt That special time of the morning when the sun melts the frost on what you're just harvesting...
We truly enjoyed spending last week’s field day on We truly enjoyed spending last week’s field day on all things 'cover crops' with you – thank you to everyone who joined us! The day wouldn’t have been the same without each of you and the valuable insights, questions, and expertise you brought to the lively conversations. In the morning, we explored cover crop mixes, sowing and termination timings and methods, and discussed both the benefits and challenges of using mulch systems. After a delicious lunch featuring organic vegetables straight from our fields, we watched specialised equipment in action, examined the soil, and engaged in thoughtful discussions on soil health and how to improve it. A special thanks also to the team from Massey University, who introduced a new three-year PhD project being carried out on our farm. The study will focus on nitrogen dynamics in two different cover crop systems – we’re excited to follow along! #covercrop #mulch #reducedtillage #mulchtec #soilhealth
Dear friends and colleagues, We would like to inv Dear friends and colleagues, We would like to invite you to join our field day about cover crops in vegetable production systems. See our new MulchTec-RotoSeeder in action as we establish cover crops with very little soil disturbance in the presence of heavy crop and mulch residues. When? Thursday, 24 April 2025 Where? Palmerston North, live2give Organic Farm The arrival of a brand-new MulchTec-RotoSeeder from Germany this spring has been a great step of progress in applying regenerative practices at our vegetable farm. We use it for bed preparation, false seedbed cultivation, and terminating green manure crops. But the special feature of this machine is that we can sow cover crops with minimal soil disturbance in the presence of crop and mulch residues. Now is the time to get winter cover crops in the ground, so we will demonstrate the MulchTec-RotoSeeder on this day. Outline 9:30am - 10am: Arrival 10am - 12pm: Presentation and Discussion Cover crop options we have tried ... - Seed mixes and cultivars - Timing - Yield potential - Termination methods Latest experiences from this growing season - Mulch handling - Soil temperatures - Water use efficiency Research update - SFFF trial in Palmerston North - Irrigation trial with leeks in Germany - Upcoming PhD project with Massey University 12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch (featuring veg from the farm and local growers) 1:30pm - 5pm: Field Walk and Demonstration of Equipment We will sow a winter cover crop into heavy residues with the MulchTec-RotoSeeder See the MulchTec-Planter in action Have a closer look at the soil and see different vegetable crops in the field Cost $40, due to co-funding by MPI (SFFF fund) and live2give Regular price: $175 (incl. lunch and printed resources) Meeting Point Conference Centre 'Two36', 236 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North 4414 Field Tour live2give Organic Farm, 538 Aokautere Drive, Palmerston North 4471 RSVP by email to farm@live2give.nz by Friday, 18 April 2025. We look forward to seeing you soon! Tobi and Rob
Cavolo nero doing great! @live2giveorganics #mu Cavolo nero doing great! @live2giveorganics #mulchvegetables #mulchgemüse #regenerativeorganic #regenerativemarketgardening
Our transplanter, built by @live2give_biogemueseho Our transplanter, built by @live2give_biogemuesehof , comes with an irrigation option, watering the seedlings right after they have been planted. The irrigated strip is about 7 cm wide and the amount of water we use is like a 20 mm rainfall event within this area. This has become a gamechanger for us during hot and dry summer periods. Because the mulch layer prevents most of the evaporation from the soil surface, this initial dose of water keeps our plants happy for around 2 weeks until they are well established. #mulchgemuesebau #mulchtec #mulchtecplanter #preservewater #smartirrigation
In a trial we are currently comparing leeks grown In a trial we are currently comparing leeks grown with and without organic mulch. Last week we measured the temperature of the soil surface on a sunny day. Leeks are more of a cool-season crop and thrive on soil temperatures between 10°C and 21°C. The insulating effect of the mulch layer kept the surface temperature as low as 23.5°C whereas the uncovered soil surface was as hot as 52.5°C. During hot summer weather, this insulation is really helpful as it enables a range of plant roots to utilise even the top few centimetres of soil which are generally the most fertile. Heat-stressed roots slow down their growth and nutrient uptake can be negatively affected.
This is our newest 'farm toy'. We got it from Germ This is our newest 'farm toy'. We got it from Germany this spring: the 'MulchTec-RotoSeeder' manufactured by @live2give_biogemuesehof It combines a reversing rototiller with an air seeder unit. Rear and front rollers enable precise height guidance. We use this machine for a number of things: - False seedbed cultivation - Bed preparation - Sowing cover crops - Terminating cover crops What we especially like: we can establish cover crops in the presence of crop and mulch residues whilst keeping the residue at the surface with pretty minimal soil disturbance. The machine cultivates precisely at very shallow depths. The seed hopper has two compartments, allowing for different plants to be sown in different sections of the bed. The angle at which the knives hit the soil means that no compacted cultivation pan is created. In the photos you can see us terminating a buckwheat cover crop by tilling 25 mm deep. We will spread silage mulch and plant autumn cabbage here very soon. #mulchtec #rotoseeder #regenveg #vegetablesnz
Sunny summer weather! Perfect time to pull out our Sunny summer weather! Perfect time to pull out our onions for field drying ... Once the leaves are 'crispy and the necks thin and dry, they will be stored in large wooden crates. And beetroot will be growing here for winter harvest. They enjoy the nutrients from the residual mulch. #mulchgemuesebau
Do you find it worthwhile growing buckwheat as a s Do you find it worthwhile growing buckwheat as a short-term cover crop in vegetable rotations? We are trying it where we have short periods of fallow (5-7 weeks) over summer. This particular crop was sown 25 days ago on 16 Dec at 60 kg/ha and we want to plant lettuce here in two weeks’ time. Buckwheat is quite drought-resilient and helps against dicotyledonous summer weeds like fat-hen and redroot (even though it is does not suppress their growth, it develops very quickly and can use all the available resources for itself). But most importantly, it binds a lot of phosphorus and calcium in its roots and makes those nutrients more available for the following crop. The risky thing with buckwheat is that viable seeds are created super quickly and it can become a serious weed if not terminated timely. #buckwheat #buckwheatcovercrop #summercovercrop
A little update regarding the onions we planted wi A little update regarding the onions we planted without spring cultivation into rolled faba bean/blue lupin, topped up with grass silage: As we hoped, we’ve had close to zero weeds emerging from seed. So, the degree of perennial weed pressure made all the difference. Some patches with a lot of dock and buttercup required a fair bit of hand weeding, but for the greater part of the area we zoomed through pretty quickly, just pulling a bit of dock. All in all, something we want to repeat. Now, 115 days after the cover crop was rolled, we’re harvesting the first fresh onion bunches. In about 4 weeks we will lift all the rest of the onions for field drying. The second photo shows where some plants suffered because of waterlogging as a result of the super wet spring we had here. #nzonions #mulchtecplanter #soilhealthmatters #covercrop #regenveg
In many instances we use a ‘combi mulch system’, m In many instances we use a ‘combi mulch system’, meaning that we mow a cover crop, use it as in-situ mulch and top it up with transferred mulch. The aim is to suppress weeds emerging from seed (requires roughly 15 t DM/ha). The triticale mix we grew here is around 8 t DM/ha. To top it up, we’re using an ensiled millet/sunflower/vetch mix from last summer. Really great we could hire a manure spreader this time because dropping the material with our centre-feed silage wagon used to require a lot of manual ‘levelling’. The spreader did a great job! Loading it evenly is one key for a nice and regular spreading pattern. A big thank you also to Brett and the team @mcintoshcranes for providing the brand new machine and for your on-site support to get us started! #insitumulch #transfermulch #mulchgemuesebau #regenveg #soilhealth
Preparing vegetable beds for planting. This cove Preparing vegetable beds for planting. This cover crop contains Triticale (T100 Wintermax), faba beans, Hairy vetch, and Crimson Clover. It was Sown on 19 April. Most of the Triticale is in full anthesis, meaning it will not re-grow after mowing. The other plants will be mow-killed anyhow, but they are mostly flowering as well. #wintermax #covercrop #mulchgemüse #mulchgemuesebau @first_for_seed @live2giveorganics
It’s onion planting time again! This year, we’re It’s onion planting time again! This year, we’re trying a slightly different approach: • No spring cultivation • Faba bean / blue lupin cover crop rolled (10 t DM/ha, C/N 16:1) • Topped up with grass silage We rolled the cover crop on 10 Sep, then we had heaps of rain so we had to hold off with planting until yesterday. With so much rain we would most certainly have struggled to do soil cultivation this spring, so it has really helped in this regard. We’re expecting less weed pressure from seed but will certainly have to deal with some dock and a bit of buttercup. Hoping it will be a step forward regarding the weeds too … 😊 #plantinggreen #covercrop #organicnotill #mulchgemüsebau #mulchtec #soilbiology #livingsoil @live2giveorganics
We’re experimenting with garlic this year: Autumn We’re experimenting with garlic this year: Autumn-planted - Into rolled Buckwheat/phacelia cover crop - Topped up with grass/lucerne mulch - Planted by hand on 11 Apr 2024 - Photos from 21 Aug showing current development Spring-planted - Into residual mulch from celery crop (no tillage) - Planted with MulchTec-Planter on 26 Aug 2024 - Will be topped up with grass/lucerne mulch in the next few days Leaf testing was done in July for Autumn-planted crop, showing clear deficiencies of copper and manganese (compromising plant immunity) which will be addressed by foliar spraying of these trace elements. Excited to see how the two planting dates will compare … #organicgarlic #nzgarlic #nzgarlicgrower #mulchtec #regenerativeorganic #mulchgemüsebau #mulchgemüse
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