Today I tillered an extension

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by nnjjohn

Scott . that sure looks practical for farming.. but I do beg the question ,, why it is said jersey is the garden state and same with the jersey tomato? It is more likely the soil and regional climate has a lot to do for growing tasty jersey tomato.. not to say I am growing true jersey tomatoes but anyway, do you think planting on top of hey might compromise the taste compared to one grown in jersey native soil?

You don't grow on top of the hay. That is just the mulch. You dig through the mulch and pop a plug of the sod out. Then set the seedling in the soil. Then fill the hole with a good compost rich soil. No, there is no taste compromise. Actually, if anything, you'll get a taste benefit. What I am talking about is similar to this but with paper and hay mulch instead of black plastic. This guy also understands why it is important never to have bare soil, and he also grows grass between rows. But like I mentioned, he uses black plastic instead of the paper and hay mulch, and his grass is annual instead of perennial. (although he uses perennial clover for 5 years in rotation) The two ideas are so similar though, they are almost exact. OH and BTW if you wanted to use black plastic, that works too. I just prefer using paper and hay mostly because as it decomposes it adds to soil fertility, and I don't need to plow or till at all, not even the once every 5 years this guy does. But black plastic has benefits too, like holding heat so planting can be done earlier in spring.