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No Till Farming

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow! Recently, over 100 people attended a field day at the farm of Jason Carter in Eastover. Jason is converting from strip-till to no-till. He is drastically reducing his use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizer and yet his yields are envious. How’s he doing it – through cover crops! He is getting nitrogen from chicken litter applications and from the breakdown of legume cover crops – the ones that can fix nitrogen through a symbiotic relationship with soil organisms. Cover crops are not plowed into the soil but remain on the surface where they help block sunlight and prevent weed growth. The thick residue left from cover crops also breaks up large rain drops, letting the soil stay friable and open. This is new technology that requires a certain leap of faith. Learn more about Jason’s embrace of a more sustainable farming practice at his Facebook page – Carter Farms.

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.