no till
This is an interesting thought with the brown paper. One of the things we have always considered is the blackness of the soil helping warm it up. Our subsoil is about 45 degrees.
What I usually do with the transplants is let them start growing pretty well after planting them out, 2 - 3 weeks depending on the weather, then mulch them to keep the weeds out. However if its a chilly Spring, I mulch them deeply with old hay and cover them to keep them warm. Then when the weather straightens out, pull the mulch back to warm the soil. Then the mulch gets rearranged around the plants through the season.
Does the paper itself do more mulching than the mulch, or about the same ? Does anyone recommend a source for the wide rolls of brown paper ? Would the rolls of news print paper work from the newspaper ?
I was thinking of asking my nephew who is a welder to make me a broad fork. Do you suppose the angles and such could be determined from a catalog picture ?
Thanks, Jean in Mt
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