CNC, Joe asked earlier, but I wanted to see your opinion. Why don't the spring/summer weed seedbank come up through the thatch if the other seeds can? What if say millet was spread under it. Would it not come up?

It’s a couple things……..One big reason is that the seed bank hasn’t been disturbed. The other reason is Joe has put down a thick mat of straw that’s shaded out the soil surface. His seeds are in a good place for germination and the only holes in the straw are the ones Joe is making to plant the seed. When farmers press large fields of cereal rye and drill into them with a drill, it’s the little cutters on the drill that create these openings in the mat of hay for just the seed we planted to come through. When I do throw and mow……the mowing part scatters and piles the straw in an erratic pattern instead of a nice flat mat. That leaves me space between the straw pieces for the new seeds I just threw down to penetrate through before the hay settles down to the soil surface.

Don’t think it’ll stay weed free forever though. You’re just getting a head start. As soil temps warm more and more and the hay degrades….you’ll eventually have some grasses and weeds start penetrating through. You want to use the vegetables you’re planting to shade out the soil surface so that no new grasses and weeds can see sunlight. You want to plant things thick enough that you don’t have a bunch of empty space. You’re putting a canopy over the soil surface…..shading it out. This also keeps soil temps cooler and preserves moisture. You could scatter a little more hay in the gaps as the summer progresses if you want to.

So...am I correct in saying that millett spread under a mat of the grass the way Joe did it probably wouldn't grow. However, if the rye was terminated, millett seed spread a week later, and then bushhogged, it would likely produce results? What I am getting at is a test field that I could grow a fall plot of cereal rye, clover, and wheat, have clover for spring, then have either millett or sorghum grow all summer, before terminating to fall mix again.

Exactly…….You would probably want to spread your millet in late May or June after the cereal grains and clovers have dried but before a whole lot of summer weed growth starts encroaching....

Absolutely zero tillage and a little weeding here and there by hand. Do have a couple spots that could use some work. Dang vine borers or whatever are picking off my squash plants though.

WOW!! Looks great!!!!

I’ve got a question now that you’ve got your garden up and growing well Joe…….

Why don’t more people plant this way?? Why do most folks still start the process by tilling up their garden?

For me, part of the hold back was that I had my granddad's garden tiller and I guess there was the whole sentimental aspect going on. Part of my switch was due to the fact that the tiller engine is now on the go kart. I think another reason is it takes some planning...I had this idea in mind last year and had to plant the wheat in the fall to be ready for the spring. I've also run into some people (not on Aldeer) that don't understand how glyphostate works (they think it would affect the next round of crops). Of course, the wheat could have been terminated differently.

That’s something I’ve asked myself ……even towards my own old methods…..Why did I do it that way in the past??…….

I think the #1 reason why most of us do is because “that’s just the way it’s always been done”. We’ve gotten to the point where we don’t even question “why” we do it a certain way anymore. There’s no stopping and asking the question….”Do I have to do that?”…..”Do I have to own a garden tiller to plant a garden?” Once something becomes engrained in us as “the way” then the conversation becomes more about psychology than soil science. I think it's actually rooted in survival instincts.

I think I saw where Grant Woods does this. He drills his seeds in. Calls it a buffalo method?

Yep. He’s trying to get away from having to spray (cuts costs). He uses a crimper to terminate when he can.

Here is a June 14 update. About to get covered up in beans.

Looks good.