From: songbird@anthive.com   
      
   Dan Purgert wrote:   
   ...   
   > Maybe up your beans / peas / other legumes, and inoculate their rows   
   > with rhizobia bacteria, so they can do better at fixing N down at   
   > the root.  Just don't forget to leave the roots in the beds so as they   
   > break down, the N is still plant-available next time.   
   >   
   > Also I have read that annuals with long taproots can also help bring   
   > "sequestered" elements closer to the surface for our more shallow-rooted   
   > vegetables.  Granted, I've never tried this myself -- but more that I'm   
   > doing a lot of reading in general, and have always wondered why "nature"   
   > doesn't need us to constantly be feeding the forests/wetlands/etc.   
   > (obviously, there is a bit of "we've also 'engineered' these plants for   
   > generations to get traits that are probably the plant equivalent to   
   > Pugs).   
      
     for some bean plants they've certainly been reduced in   
   how much they may nodulate (innoculated or not).  i have   
   several varieties of beans that nodulate well and others   
   that don't (planted in the same gardens).   
      
     i suspect that Snag has some other issues going on with   
   his setup that we're not aware of because IMO with chickens   
   and rabbits that should be plenty of additional nutrients,   
   but without being there and seeing what they are doing i   
   can't tell what's up.   
      
     perhaps he could manage his resources in a more pointed   
   way to get better results?  i dunno.   
      
     i do know that just scatterings stuff and tilling it in   
   may not be the best approach.  it may also be the case   
   that it is being done at the wrong time or something else   
   is going on (mostly sand on a hill or nutrients leeching   
   away, not enough light, ...).   
      
     i do not grow corn here (waste of time and effort with   
   how many raccoons we have around) but perhaps he can find   
   a less demanding variety or something?  like i say, i   
   dunno...   
      
      
     songbird   
      
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