Here is the conclusion to the Do we have to use plastic? story:
The next season, Shannon and Micah did end up using plastic mulch, but they tried to use it sparingly to limit the environmental impact. They used it for long-season crops that were transplanted like kale and squash, because it was longer lasting. At this time there were still no biodegradable mulch films approved under NOP rules so they used natural mulches in addition to the plastic. Direct-seeded crops that were planted close together like carrots and beets were mulched with straw that decomposes over time and did not require removal like plastic mulch. They couldn’t yet afford a tractor for cultivation, and were continuing to save money toward that. They also began researching some no-till options involving planting transplants into crimped cover crops such as winter rye. They felt confident that someday in the near future they would be able to eliminate plastic mulch from their operation.
Acknowledgments
This project was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Organic Transitions Program under award number 2013-51106-21005.
This project was also supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic Program under the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) in the Midwest region.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.