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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
You‘re warmly invited to join our second summer fi You‘re warmly invited to join our second summer field day on the topic of mulch systems for commercial vegetable production, held in Palmerston North. We are now in the third year of a Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF) project to investigate the opportunities mulch direct planting systems hold for New Zealand vegetable growers and for our environment. What we will cover on the day: 1) How can soil fertility be increased in spite of intensive vegetable production? 2) Strategies to keep the soil permanently covered and full of roots. 3) An economically viable growing system incorporating these strategies 4) What equipment is required and what works? 5) Experiences, progress and challenges from the last year 6) Results to date from our cover crop experiments 7) Research update Our morning presentation will include aspects and experiences from our partner farm live2give Germany, winner of the 2022 Federal Organic Farming award, granted for their innovative and pioneering implementation of mulch systems in vegetabe farming. In the afternoon we will give you a tour of our farm and also demonstrate the MulchTec-Planter in action. For lunch we will enjoy a delicious, plant-based meal featuring organic veg from the farm. SCHEDULE 9:30am – 10am: Arrival 10am – 12pm: Presentation 12:30pm – 1:30pm: Lunch 1:30pm – 5:00pm: Field tour REGISTRATION Please register by email before Friday, 26 January including names and business details: farm@live2give.nz 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
We just about finished harvesting our first no-til We just about finished harvesting our first no-till ‘combi-mulch’ broccoli for the season (see post from 26 Oct for details). Here is a short review: a) Broccoli transplanted on 22 Sept directly into crimped faba beans, topped up with millet silage mulch. b) We expected 40 kg N/ha from crimped faba beans, 20 kg N/ha from millet silage mulch, 40 kg/ha were measured as mineral N (rapid test). 210 kg N/ha applied as Protamin N13 while transplanting. c) Some plants replaced after a few days due to slug damage (very wet spring) and Ironmax Pro (BioGro-certified slugbait) applied. d) Practically no weeds emerged from seed (except for a few plants of groundsel, very quick to pull by hand). e) Some dock (mostly in wheel tracks) was pulled and/or cut manually while it was in flower. f) Main harvest started 15 Dec, predominantly large heads close to 1 kg, beautiful quality, but some hollow stems (excessive N). Conclusions: 1) For direct planting in spring, apply slug bait on the day of transplanting. 2) Expect higher N release from faba bean cover crop to prevent hollow stems. Probably 160 kg N/ha as Protamin N would have been sufficient. 3) We want to purchase a MulchTec-RotoSeeder with 2 m working width for next season to reduce dock pressure in wheel tracks. 4) Direct planting without tillage was great for moisture retention. The broccoli did very well without the possibility of irrigation, but soil moisture was used up by the time of harvest. Btw: If you're keen to see more, we'll have a field day for professionals on Thursday 1 Feb 2024. #organicveg #notillvegetables #regenerativeagriculture #mulchgemüsebau #mulchvegetables #mulchtec #rotoseeder #manawatu #healthysoil #soil
7 weeks ago (12 Sept), we transplanted these onion 7 weeks ago (12 Sept), we transplanted these onions into silage mulch from last summer. Looking pretty happy so far! A challenge with transferred mulch is that cultivating the soil before spreading the silage causes higher weed pressure. Weeds can germinate wherever the mulch layer is not thick enough to shade the ground. In this example, we have some patches of fumewort, luckily not very large. We can weed through this paddock by hand fairly quickly and also get rid of stuff like a few docks and some buttercup. Onions in mulch is a ‘no-brainer’ for us: no commercial fertilisers, great moisture retention, no erosion, significantly less weeds – and hopefully healthy plants 😊. Two more thirds to go till harvest ... #organiconions #organicproduce #mulchgemüsebau #mulchvegetables #soilhealth #regenag
This is how we tried our second and third successi This is how we tried our second and third succession of broccoli this spring: a) Faba beans sown very densely in autumn (18 Apr) @ 1,000 kg/ha b) Crimping beans by rolling over them with flail mower (turned off) on 17 Sept c) Topping up this mulch with a thin layer of silage from autumn o We dropped it with a silage wagon and spread it evenly by hand d) Transplanting the broccoli (cv. Medley, SPS) with MulchTec-Planter on 22 Sept We’ve not tried this particular approach before, but we like that the dense stand of faba beans grew high by early spring (~1,5 m+), fixing nitrogen above and below ground. It can be roll-killed very easily. Also, it uses water which helps when spring conditions are wet. The disadvantage is that their roots are not as strong and fibrous as cereal roots, so the soil structure is not maintained the same over winter. Btw: for our first succession we worked the faba beans into the soil and planted without mulch as the ground was still a bit cold. From the fourth batch onwards, we will plant into a spring-sown oats/pea/vetch cover crop. #mulchvegetables #mulchgemüsebau #mulchgemüse #soilregeneration #fababeans #wintercovercrop #organiclocal #regenerativefarming #vegetablesnz #mulchtec #mulchtecplanter
Onions in transferred mulch, Spring 2023 Our favo Onions in transferred mulch, Spring 2023 Our favourite option is in-situ planting into mulched cover crops without tillage. But here is a typical example for when we use transferred mulch (silage from last summer). • Not enough biomass from cover crops (early in the season) • Strong tendency of young cereals to re-grow after mowing • A vegetable crop going in that will be in the field for a long time with a poor canopy Here’s the process … a) Mowing ryecorn/pea/vetch mix on 24 Aug b) Turning it into the soil on 3 Sept c) Spreading silage mulch on 10 Sept (~ 15 t DM/ha). This step requires great care to achieve an even layer without gaps or bigger piles. d) Transplanting with MulchTec-Planter on 12 Sept. Cv. Pinnaroo (Bejo), 3-5 seeds per cell. Previous crop in 2022/23: Pumpkin, followed by April-sown winter cover crop. #mulchvegetables #mulchgemüsebau #mulchtecplanter #regenerativeagriculture #organicgrowing #brownonion #organiconions #transfermulch #cutandcarry #soilhealth #groundcover #covercrop #manawatu #organicveggies #knowyourfarmer
Kia ora! We are looking for a full-time farmer to Kia ora! We are looking for a full-time farmer to join our team. Our farms are based in Aokautere, Palmerston North. We are committed to regenerative farming, including experimental research plots and cover crops in our crop plan each season. We are a small team looking for another person to join us in October. The role will include all aspects of organic vegetable production including delivering produce. We are looking for an energetic committed person with a love for working together - both with one another and with the soil. Please send your application to farm@live2give.nz
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