Monday, August 1, 2016

HAITI: FALLOW AND FERTILIZE

From the August 3, 2016, Christian Century "Field of Greens." by Terra Brockton.

"My brother Henry's fields work hard growing vegetables for two years, and then they get two years off to rest and regenerate.  Back in March, Henry tilled in the winter cover crops and then seeded the fallow field with a mixture of legumes and grasses. . . . "  The hay was baled.

"The hay will be used to mulch the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, kale, and potatoes. . . .  Each legume (alfalfa, clover,) is actually a solar-powered nitrogen fertilizer factory.  The nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live on legume roots transform atmospheric nitrogen into a form that's available for plants.  In this way, Henry is able to grow his own nitrogen fertilizer rather than purchase synthetically produced nitrogen fertilizer made by burning immense amounts of fossil fuels.  And while the field lies fallow and the soil is undisturbed, other microorganisms do their important underground work---multiplying and connecting, creating networks that go broad and deep, making the 'glue' that hold healthy soil together and makes nutrients available to grow the vegetables."

Haiti can grow 3 or 4 crops a year with additional water.  Should one of those growing seasons be used to grow a legume/grass crop?

No comments:

Post a Comment