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On the Ground: Wood Chips and no-till

5/30/2017

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Picture
Freshly mulched paths at Berkshire Garden.
We started with our crew last week, and so far a lot has been accomplished. We began with a giant pile of wood chips from a local landscaping company. Every year, the paths in the permaculture gardens must be covered with wood chips. The chips deter weeds from growing, hold in moisture, and keep the gardens looking fresh and new. We spread about 25 cubic yards of wood chips in Franklin garden alone.

Wood chips or an alternative mulch are often utilized in no-till agriculture. All of the UMass permaculture gardens are maintained without tillage or turning of the soil. Tillage is used to prepare beds for planting crops, but it has many down sides. It increases erosion and loss of organic matter. Tilling the soil also disturbs microbes, fungi, and worms until they no longer reside there. No-till is a practice in which farmers do not till their soil and instead keep the soil covered and plant directly into the un-plowed earth. There are some difficulties to doing this, but it is better for the plants, microbes, and environment.

In the permaculture gardens, we spread wood chips in areas where we do not want weeds to go, like in the paths. To plant our crops, we dig right into the soil without any bed preparation or plowing. Once the crops are planted, we cover the surrounding soil with straw to prevent weeds and hold moisture in. This is a perfect environment for plants to grow and microorganisms to thrive. There is never a shortage of worms in a no-till system, and we have plenty in the permaculture gardens. Worms actually will feed on the wood chips and come to the surface to do so. In their travels, they aerate the soil which increases it ability to support life.

​We must start with the soil if we are to have healthy ecosystems. In the permaculture gardens, our soil is top priority and always cozy and covered.
Picture
Cucumber and lettuce plants cozy warm under a bed of straw.
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Coursework Collaborations

5/14/2017

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Picture
Spring planting of pollinator-friendly bushes and herbs.
Natural Resources Conservation (NRC) 185: Sustainable Living in the 21st Century, instructed by Professor Lena Fletcher, is one of the most popular introductory sustainability classes on campus. NRC 185 is an interdisciplinary, team-based learning class that explores many of the most critical social, environmental, and economic issues our society is facing today.
Every semester, NRC 185 students complete eight hours of civic engagement and create mini documentary films explaining their service-learning. Multiple groups from NRC 185 work with our Sustainability Coordinator of Campus Gardens, Xochi Salazar, to complete their projects. This semester, students volunteered in the permaculture gardens with Xochi for a month to prepare beds, collect litter from the garden, and learn about permaculture. The students also planted peas, radishes, strawberries, kale, bok choy, and more!
Picture
Asparagus almost ready for harvesting, one of the first crops ready in the spring.
We would like to thank NRC 185 students Tyler Weeks, Ryan Martin, Steven Chang, and Kayla Jewett for their time and passion! Check out their beautifully crafted video below to learn more about their experience!
Thank you to Xochi Salazar and Lena Fletcher for all of your hard work and dedication to hands-on student learning!

NRC 185: Sustainable Living  in the 21st Century is only offered in the spring. However, NRC 100: Environment and Society is also instructed by Professor Lena Fletcher and is still open for fall enrollment!
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