Have been wanting to try this in a small patch but life keeps getting in the way. I think it's still early enough to see if I can find some winter rye to plant. Good time to learn the scythe cutting method wth the changes that we are heading towards. We have one and will use it also. Thanks Mark
Some good info about winter rye. As a guy who loves to use the scythe to harvest my small wheat crop I gotta say, it's a real workout. I like to use my flail mower, when I can, to chop down green cover. Flailed It's ready to cultivate in right as soon as you want to do that or it can stay on the surface as a mulch.
Great info, but please look at getting a proper Austrian blade for your snaith. They're much finer steel and cut like a straight razor. Also try to use your whole body in the scything, as it'll be more efficient and kinder to your shoulders and stomach muscles. Check out Peter Vido's vids and books, as he's the guru of scything, your side of the Atlantic.
Thanks Mark. Planting winter rye as early as possible is key for us in zone 3. My tomatoes and beans in raised beds are getting done earlier now with the poly tunnels so I can get the WR in as early as September and that makes a big difference compaired to the potato field which I can't plant in WR until some time in mid October at best and that field comes up quite thin in the spring even when sowing much heavier than the instructions say. I use the weed wacker to cut the rye and make straw for mulch. Works pretty good.
@scout I cut it by mid May if possible by weed wacking it down to the dirt. Some times I have to go over it again after raking the WR straw off. Leaving the area uncovered for a few weeks helps to get the soil temp up by late May which is always a struggle in zone 3.
I planted winter rye the first year and it got about 2 inches tall and turned yellow, I thought it was going to die, it grew to be about 6 inches tall, no seed. the second year planting it got 12 inches tall and had a few seed, the third year it got 5 feet tall and had very large seed heads, my ground had ben totally ruined, it is coming back.
Cool thanks for the update video. I have never seen that tool be used before. It's neat to see you do a demonstration. I am on team soil food web with you. I use sunflowers and strawberries as my living root in the ground to make soil. I put down arborist chips tree trimming on my small garden. My four new plum trees which I just planted are leafing out great. I bought tree protectors for them. I have soaker hoses on a timer.
@@kolapyellow7631 Yea same #DangSquirrels - I started putting the reusable net style bags for produce to keep the squirrels out. Panty hose also work but don't let the head breathe as well as the net produce bags
Great video! I find my Austrian scythe is bit easier on my back than the American scythe, but the American scythe is easier to maintain imho. I'm learning a lot from your videos! Thanks for sharing your experience!
I am starting a tiny urban veg garden, 12' x 20' on hard compacted granite-based soul. I am plagued by squirrels and rabbits. I have decided to plant mostly to build soil and live with the animals that come. I planted winter rye, oats, crimson clover, groundhog radish, and Austrian peas as a cover crop. The crimson clover is gorgeous as are the peas. Sadly, though, there are no bees or hummingbirds. I used to have tons of wild bees & hummers visit the diverse flower beds that I maintain street-side. Neighbors cut down a line of giant locusts and cleared out the brushy habitat that was home to the bees, the birds and the butterflies. I know that was their home because I followed them and observed them. I have more diversity in my little urban woods-edge place than 10 scorched-earth chem-lawn death homes. But I digress... I trampled the cover crop in a section and made a raised bed using a 6" pine board shelf unit I had laying around and put that over the trampled cover crop. Then I filled each compartment with soil and planted potatoes just like you did in your cardboard box as a planter video. Sorry to be so windy, but I am a lone gardener of mature in a sea of ignorance. I love your videos and how you go about stuff. Blessings for an abundant season.
As you are finding out my gardening friend it is not hard grow things. Nature is on you side at all times. THANK YOU for sharing and caring for you area of this planet.
So sorry to hear about your dog's eye. I have an autistic son too and it's so great that your dog is his "protector!" Had no idea that groud hogs could be so vicious!
Hi Mark, does your tractor have a sicle bar cutter attachment? Some sicle bar mower attachments are 6ft long and mackes life go a little easier...but the work out manually cutting the rye is great too. God bless.
In the next video I will be using a hedge trimmer. A lot easier to use. And if I had a whole field I would just take the bucket on the front of my tractor an slide/crimp it. It weight is 330 Lbs. Many Blessing.
Im really enjoying your vids and put my father on to you as well. Great information that i am following with my latest gardens. I am using strawberrys for a living root, and sunflowers when summer comes back. Main crop will be tomatoes. What else would you suggest to fill the rest of the bed (1.5mx12m) that would help the toms and perhaps create another crop? By the way, there are some great vids on utube about how to use a scythe 😃😃😂🤣
So nice of you.. to tell dad. Just add anything you like to eat. Look at the mycorrhizal list in the description with the same group as tomatoes.. Peppers are fine, carrots..etc PS.. I did that on purpose to show how Bad i am at it. Next video I am using a hedge trimmer.
I'm on the border 8b 9a so I garden year round. I plant about 1/8 ac. Winter rye, but I mow when it's about 8 or 10 in tall and add to my compost pile. Depending on rain I get 3 to 4 cuts every year sometimes more.
I have tried this in over a acre of land. ( few videos of that ) . You just crimp and plant. The straw is the card board and no other mulch is needed. Thanks.
do you have a video on planting winter rye? do you have to till the ground before planting or can you just broadcast it? can you use a roller to terminate it and make the ground ready for planting? what about potatoes in this type of gardening or seeds?
Great Video! I'm thinking about just letting my rye go to seed and die naturally, does cutting it add more nutrients to the soil? or will the mycorrhizal benefit be the main driver of fertility? Thanks!
When i have a acre of it. I just take the bucket of my tractor weight is 330 pounds of pressure and push it down. Of if you wish you cat cut it with a large mower into small pieces.
Hi Mark! Thanks very much for your videos. If you cut winter rye at this point, when the pollen pods as you call them are coming out, are the seeds mature enough to germinate? Another way to ask this question is will you have winter rye growing around the tomatoes you will plant here? I planted a mix of winter rye and crimson clover in my beds last november, and I've cut the seed heads off the winter rye not being sure if they will germinate and compete with the vegetables I've planted before using them as mulch. Seeing how you are laying the entire stalk down with seed heads in this video, I'm wondering if I can do the same next year.
There might be some seeds that are , but mostly not. I will have only the straw from the winter rye there. the tomato is the living root to keep the soil food web alive. I see your point about reseeding maybe some winter rye , but the tomato plant will shade it out and so will the straw.
@I AM ORGANIC GARDENING, hey I'm just wondering about planting winter rye and crimson cover in my raised beds (three 4x8' beds ) and my small in-ground garden (14x12' plot). How do you ensure the cover crops terminate? I was reading especially about winter rye and people were complaining that they would cut it down and it would keep growing in their beds or they would try to dig it out and it would keep growing. When it comes time for transplanting and sowing vegetables in the same area, how do you ensure you kill the cover crop in a no-till system? Does your method of scything or using a machine to mow it down (maybe a lawnmower or weedwhacker) actually work? I've read other people stating this didn't work for winter rye and that it continues to grow. Wondering same about crimson clover. The cover crops I'd like to use in my system are winter rye, crimson clover, and a legume (thinking winter/field peas?). My temps get down to -35/40 celsius in the coldest parts of winter, so a late summer cover crop would be winter killed except for the winter rye (also read that you can throw crimson clover seeds on your plot during winter and get an early crimson clover crop before your seedlings are ready for transplant?)
Just start small, one bed to get used to the winter rye. If it is green it will grow back , you have a 50/50 chance . to Stop it, You must cut it at soil level or chop it 1/2 inch below soil level 30 days prior to planting. If it turns brown on it own and the seed head is done with all the pollen then all is good to go like in this video. Also it does not have to be all dead. Your other planted veg seeds or transplant do not mind it if it is growing nearby. Crimson clover is easy to stop growing, cut at soil level. Yes winter sowing in the snow works well. THANKS for asking
I have been struggling with planting it. Thinking I would plant some small clumps like you should throughout my garden. Planning on just weed wacking or cutting it down but not sure what would work best. Is it possible to cut it down in early spring? And will cutting it kill it, I don’t want it to regrow. Thanks
Better yet you can plant something like strawberries to kept a living root in the ground over winter. The only cutting then would be to keep the plants from spreading. This will be in part 2
@@iamorganicgardening yes, but do they have as long a root system as rye? I was thinking of the rye to break heavy clay I have several inches below my mulch layer. I was thinking much more like regenerative cover crops in a suburban yard (that no longer has any lawn). Part of my front yard was previously used for parking so very compacted clay, I need to get some deep roots to break it up. I am thinking of doing small clumps in different places over the next few years if I can figure out a way to terminate 1-2' round areas. Not sure if just cutting terminates it or if it will regrow.
Important info Mark. Just to confirm are you saying that if you cut the rye in Anthesis Stage it will not grow back the next year ? I tried crimping wheat-grass by hand and it is not an easy task at 140# of body weight. So when you mentioned scything my ears perked !
Yes, if you crimp of cut at the Anthesis it will not grow back. But what might happen is the seeds will grow back. If you need more info just write back. THANK YOU for asking , Sorry for the delay.
I know a farmer in North Dakota that plant s 100s f acres of this and all is fine in the spring time. It is best to ask the seed company you buy it from.
hi mark. im from israel, and realy preciate your work. i just want to know why are you using grains as cover crop, instead of legums. doesnt legums better for soil because they are fixing nitrogen? thanks.
Sorry for the delay. Legumes are great. When we first started organic gardening and farms we though that was the only way to get nitrogen. NOE we know All plants feed the soil microbes form there roots exuding food to them. In turn microbes break down the sand, silt and clay in your soil with acids. Storing all minerals N P K and 30 others in their bodies. And when they are eaten by big microbes they pooh out plant available nutrients. They is lots of nitrogen tie up in side sand silt and clay. Look at a tree far away on the side of a hill that no one takes care of. It is green, so where is it getting nitrogen from.. Not legumes. Also vegetables need very little nitrogen . THANK for asking
So hum... How do sand&silt&clay go up the composted wood chips to build soil close to the surface anyway? Water saturation and absence of clay both have to be avoided, after all. That plants get their nutrients without clay, maybe I can understand, if really it all comes from the shrooms, but without silt or sand that prevents water saturation? That sounds like a far stretch to me. Would you please care to explain?
Wood chips is just a mulch to get it started. It retains water. One more thing has to be add in. That is a living root in the ground all the time. The plant feeds the soil microbes sugar, carbs, and proteins that exudes from the roots deeper in the soil. . The microbes brake down and feed on the sand silt and clay with acids they make. Then they get eaten by other microbes and they those microbes pooh is available plant nutrients. Simple. Please watch my Soil Series. Thanks For asking
@@iamorganicgardening So those little microbes that get eater by bigger ones can degrade sand into silt and silt into clay? Wow. That sure gives hope to turn Sahara back to a forest. Thank you very much. I'll look it up. I'm still wondering how silt and clay can ge brought up near the surface, thanks to which organisms etc. There's so much to discover.
So fascinating 👍🏻🙏🏻 I know nothing about gardening but I think I absolutely must learn if I wanna eat real organic food not the BS USDA “organic “ 🤦🏻♀️🙄
Winter rye or any cover crop should not be till in due to the fact that all the roots have open up that great soil of yours. Healthy soil is 25% air and 25% water. The rest is sand ,silt and clay. If you till, that all goes away. This is how Nature works for you for free. Plus tilling releases CARBON back into the air that the plant roots took from the air to store in the soil to make plants healthy . I know lots of things say to till. but they do not understand soil. THANK YOU for asking . Have a great garden year.
Hey Mark! That looks like a good workout. I'm in NJ also, and those were some serious storms we had yesterday. Luckily, we're all good here. Hope you made it through unscathed. Be well buddy
I think you're supposed to wear a black hooded cloak when you scythe, but in this heat, I can't blame ya.
To Funny.. You made my day.. THANK YOU.
Does anyone else find themselves murmuring "a living root in the ground" while they garden? Great video as always! :)
I do.. Strange now that happens.. THANKS
Have been wanting to try this in a small patch but life keeps getting in the way. I think it's still early enough to see if I can find some winter rye to plant. Good time to learn the scythe cutting method wth the changes that we are heading towards. We have one and will use it also. Thanks Mark
You can do it! Seeds are available.
Some good info about winter rye. As a guy who loves to use the scythe to harvest my small wheat crop I gotta say, it's a real workout. I like to use my flail mower, when I can, to chop down green cover. Flailed It's ready to cultivate in right as soon as you want to do that or it can stay on the surface as a mulch.
Thanks for the info! Very Helpful. THANK YOU.
Great info, but please look at getting a proper Austrian blade for your snaith. They're much finer steel and cut like a straight razor. Also try to use your whole body in the scything, as it'll be more efficient and kinder to your shoulders and stomach muscles. Check out Peter Vido's vids and books, as he's the guru of scything, your side of the Atlantic.
THANKS for the info.. I will be using a cordless hedge trimmer. in the future.
Thnx Mark! 👍🏻 💪🏽🌱
Awesome.
I will add this cluster of winter rye. Looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds great!
Thanks Mark. Planting winter rye as early as possible is key for us in zone 3. My tomatoes and beans in raised beds are getting done earlier now with the poly tunnels so I can get the WR in as early as September and that makes a big difference compaired to the potato field which I can't plant in WR until some time in mid October at best and that field comes up quite thin in the spring even when sowing much heavier than the instructions say. I use the weed wacker to cut the rye and make straw for mulch. Works pretty good.
You are doing the right thing. You are Seeing nature and adapting nature to you zone. THANK YOU.
@scout I cut it by mid May if possible by weed wacking it down to the dirt. Some times I have to go over it again after raking the WR straw off. Leaving the area uncovered for a few weeks helps to get the soil temp up by late May which is always a struggle in zone 3.
So WR around raised beds with tomatoes/ veggies? Sounds like a good idea. How big of a backyard do you need to make this work though?
Terrific work with the scythe!
Stay safe in the coming weather!
THANK YOU.
I planted winter rye the first year and it got about 2 inches tall and turned yellow, I thought it was going to die, it grew to be about 6 inches tall, no seed. the second year planting it got 12 inches tall and had a few seed, the third year it got 5 feet tall and had very large seed heads, my ground had ben totally ruined, it is coming back.
You did a fantastic job by staying on course over the years to improve your soil by just adding seeding.. WOW.. Nature THANK YOU.
Cool thanks for the update video. I have never seen that tool be used before. It's neat to see you do a demonstration. I am on team soil food web with you. I use sunflowers and strawberries as my living root in the ground to make soil. I put down arborist chips tree trimming on my small garden. My four new plum trees which I just planted are leafing out great. I bought tree protectors for them. I have soaker hoses on a timer.
That is very good to hear.. THANK YOU. Team soil food web.
Haha Snap! Strawberries and sunflowers. Makes sense right?
I been trying to geow sunflowers. The critters keeps eating them up. Hehhehe. I keep applying the seeds to the ground. Hahaha.
@@kolapyellow7631 Yea same #DangSquirrels - I started putting the reusable net style bags for produce to keep the squirrels out. Panty hose also work but don't let the head breathe as well as the net produce bags
How did you seed the rye ? Did you till or just broadcast rye seed on weeds ?
Winter rye looks fantastic. But im a little bit anxious about one thing. when i chop it snakes or scorpions may hide in the mulch. What do you think.
Great video! I find my Austrian scythe is bit easier on my back than the American scythe, but the American scythe is easier to maintain imho. I'm learning a lot from your videos! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Always here to listen, share, & help each other. THANK YOU.
I am starting a tiny urban veg garden, 12' x 20' on hard compacted granite-based soul. I am plagued by squirrels and rabbits. I have decided to plant mostly to build soil and live with the animals that come. I planted winter rye, oats, crimson clover, groundhog radish, and Austrian peas as a cover crop. The crimson clover is gorgeous as are the peas. Sadly, though, there are no bees or hummingbirds. I used to have tons of wild bees & hummers visit the diverse flower beds that I maintain street-side. Neighbors cut down a line of giant locusts and cleared out the brushy habitat that was home to the bees, the birds and the butterflies. I know that was their home because I followed them and observed them. I have more diversity in my little urban woods-edge place than 10 scorched-earth chem-lawn death homes. But I digress... I trampled the cover crop in a section and made a raised bed using a 6" pine board shelf unit I had laying around and put that over the trampled cover crop. Then I filled each compartment with soil and planted potatoes just like you did in your cardboard box as a planter video. Sorry to be so windy, but I am a lone gardener of mature in a sea of ignorance. I love your videos and how you go about stuff. Blessings for an abundant season.
As you are finding out my gardening friend it is not hard grow things. Nature is on you side at all times. THANK YOU for sharing and caring for you area of this planet.
So sorry to hear about your dog's eye. I have an autistic son too and it's so great that your dog is his "protector!" Had no idea that groud hogs could be so vicious!
Thank You for sharing about your son also. I feel more at ease around autistic people and their parents.
Thanks for the demo Mark. We too are experiencing cooler and windy weather.
It seems that everyone is getting stronger storms lately. Be Safe.
Hi Mark, does your tractor have a sicle bar cutter attachment? Some sicle bar mower attachments are 6ft long and mackes life go a little easier...but the work out manually cutting the rye is great too. God bless.
In the next video I will be using a hedge trimmer. A lot easier to use. And if I had a whole field I would just take the bucket on the front of my tractor an slide/crimp it. It weight is 330 Lbs. Many Blessing.
@@iamorganicgardening could you use a mower attachment for cutting and crushing alfalfa for hay? It makes life easier when you have acrage of cutting.
Hope the winds didn't cause too much damage. We had them here in SE PA also. Possibly more storms tonight. Stay safe.
Lost power last night, Neighbor house electric meter got hit by a young tree that snap and started a small fire. He is all good now.
Generator still running here in Pa. near Hershey
Im really enjoying your vids and put my father on to you as well. Great information that i am following with my latest gardens. I am using strawberrys for a living root, and sunflowers when summer comes back. Main crop will be tomatoes. What else would you suggest to fill the rest of the bed (1.5mx12m) that would help the toms and perhaps create another crop? By the way, there are some great vids on utube about how to use a scythe 😃😃😂🤣
So nice of you.. to tell dad. Just add anything you like to eat. Look at the mycorrhizal list in the description with the same group as tomatoes.. Peppers are fine, carrots..etc PS.. I did that on purpose to show how Bad i am at it. Next video I am using a hedge trimmer.
i hope the storm doesn't cause you too much trouble. be safe!
Just a little for my neighbor. His electric meter got hit and started a small fire .. all good now.
I'm on the border 8b 9a so I garden year round. I plant about 1/8 ac. Winter rye, but I mow when it's about 8 or 10 in tall and add to my compost pile. Depending on rain I get 3 to 4 cuts every year sometimes more.
THAT IS FANTASTIC is hear. You get the TWO benefit of green manure plus the living root in the ground for growing fungi. THANK YOU for sharing.
Wow! I hope u made it thru the storm ok. As always , so much good info. Scything looks like a work out.
Yes, a few thing went wrong . My neighbors house had a small fire where a tree hit the electric meter
what are your thoughts on pasture cropping?
Have you tried the crimp, then perforated cardboard (like the packaging), then woodchips/leaves?
I have tried this in over a acre of land. ( few videos of that ) . You just crimp and plant. The straw is the card board and no other mulch is needed. Thanks.
It’s good to see you
YES.. THANKS. On the other side of the camera lately..
do you have a video on planting winter rye? do you have to till the ground before planting or can you just broadcast it? can you use a roller to terminate it and make the ground ready for planting? what about potatoes in this type of gardening or seeds?
September 15 is when I plant it in zone 8a usually rain starts around the 1st
THANK YOU for this info for zone 8a.
That was great training -- thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Hope you fare well with the storm.
Yes,, Another is on the way tonight. Thanks for your concern.
Great information, thank you for sharing.
Always good to hear from you and THANK YOU.
Great Video! I'm thinking about just letting my rye go to seed and die naturally, does cutting it add more nutrients to the soil? or will the mycorrhizal benefit be the main driver of fertility? Thanks!
The growing of soil though the roots on the winter rye is the main part.
@@iamorganicgardening Awesome! The rye will be an added bonus for the birds, maybe I'll even make some rye bread, thanks!
mark if you are doing a much larger area what do u use to terminate it? Thank you
When i have a acre of it. I just take the bucket of my tractor weight is 330 pounds of pressure and push it down. Of if you wish you cat cut it with a large mower into small pieces.
Did you plant right into the wood chips?
No wood chips used . Just straw from winter rye grown in the same spot. THANKS
Hi Mark! Thanks very much for your videos. If you cut winter rye at this point, when the pollen pods as you call them are coming out, are the seeds mature enough to germinate? Another way to ask this question is will you have winter rye growing around the tomatoes you will plant here?
I planted a mix of winter rye and crimson clover in my beds last november, and I've cut the seed heads off the winter rye not being sure if they will germinate and compete with the vegetables I've planted before using them as mulch. Seeing how you are laying the entire stalk down with seed heads in this video, I'm wondering if I can do the same next year.
There might be some seeds that are , but mostly not. I will have only the straw from the winter rye there. the tomato is the living root to keep the soil food web alive. I see your point about reseeding maybe some winter rye , but the tomato plant will shade it out and so will the straw.
So after you cut it down, you leave the roots and plant in between? Thanks in advance
YES, the roots die off leaving organic matter and passage ways for air and water to build healthy soil for all the microbes. EASY work done by nature
@I AM ORGANIC GARDENING, hey I'm just wondering about planting winter rye and crimson cover in my raised beds (three 4x8' beds ) and my small in-ground garden (14x12' plot). How do you ensure the cover crops terminate? I was reading especially about winter rye and people were complaining that they would cut it down and it would keep growing in their beds or they would try to dig it out and it would keep growing.
When it comes time for transplanting and sowing vegetables in the same area, how do you ensure you kill the cover crop in a no-till system?
Does your method of scything or using a machine to mow it down (maybe a lawnmower or weedwhacker) actually work? I've read other people stating this didn't work for winter rye and that it continues to grow. Wondering same about crimson clover.
The cover crops I'd like to use in my system are winter rye, crimson clover, and a legume (thinking winter/field peas?). My temps get down to -35/40 celsius in the coldest parts of winter, so a late summer cover crop would be winter killed except for the winter rye (also read that you can throw crimson clover seeds on your plot during winter and get an early crimson clover crop before your seedlings are ready for transplant?)
Just start small, one bed to get used to the winter rye. If it is green it will grow back , you have a 50/50 chance . to Stop it, You must cut it at soil level or chop it 1/2 inch below soil level 30 days prior to planting. If it turns brown on it own and the seed head is done with all the pollen then all is good to go like in this video. Also it does not have to be all dead. Your other planted veg seeds or transplant do not mind it if it is growing nearby. Crimson clover is easy to stop growing, cut at soil level. Yes winter sowing in the snow works well. THANKS for asking
"I'm cutting it short". 😂😂
.
I have been struggling with planting it. Thinking I would plant some small clumps like you should throughout my garden. Planning on just weed wacking or cutting it down but not sure what would work best. Is it possible to cut it down in early spring? And will cutting it kill it, I don’t want it to regrow. Thanks
Better yet you can plant something like strawberries to kept a living root in the ground over winter. The only cutting then would be to keep the plants from spreading. This will be in part 2
@@iamorganicgardening yes, but do they have as long a root system as rye? I was thinking of the rye to break heavy clay I have several inches below my mulch layer. I was thinking much more like regenerative cover crops in a suburban yard (that no longer has any lawn). Part of my front yard was previously used for parking so very compacted clay, I need to get some deep roots to break it up. I am thinking of doing small clumps in different places over the next few years if I can figure out a way to terminate 1-2' round areas. Not sure if just cutting terminates it or if it will regrow.
You've lost a ton of weight! Great job!
Thank you!! 😊 80 lbs.
@@iamorganicgardening How did you do it? Garden food?
Important info Mark. Just to confirm are you saying that if you cut the rye in Anthesis Stage it will not grow back the next year ? I tried crimping wheat-grass by hand and it is not an easy task at 140# of body weight. So when you mentioned scything my ears perked !
Yes, if you crimp of cut at the Anthesis it will not grow back. But what might happen is the seeds will grow back. If you need more info just write back. THANK YOU for asking , Sorry for the delay.
I live in a zone 3 area and have lots of cold and lots of snow, will this still work for me? Will this die with several feet of snow on it?
I know a farmer in North Dakota that plant s 100s f acres of this and all is fine in the spring time. It is best to ask the seed company you buy it from.
one of your best videos.. Full of info ! Thanks. Quick question, why do you use the winter rye instead of the annual winter grass?
Because it grows tall, more mulch. And it says green all winter. Annual doe not in some areas like mine.
Can i grow the winter rye in the summer along with my vegetables??
Yes.. It will grow 7 to 12 inch tall this year and next year it should from several feet tall and produce grain.
hi mark. im from israel, and realy preciate your work. i just want to know why are you using grains as cover crop, instead of legums. doesnt legums better for soil because they are fixing nitrogen? thanks.
Sorry for the delay. Legumes are great. When we first started organic gardening and farms we though that was the only way to get nitrogen. NOE we know All plants feed the soil microbes form there roots exuding food to them. In turn microbes break down the sand, silt and clay in your soil with acids. Storing all minerals N P K and 30 others in their bodies. And when they are eaten by big microbes they pooh out plant available nutrients. They is lots of nitrogen tie up in side sand silt and clay. Look at a tree far away on the side of a hill that no one takes care of. It is green, so where is it getting nitrogen from.. Not legumes. Also vegetables need very little nitrogen . THANK for asking
@@iamorganicgardening thank you very much.
So hum... How do sand&silt&clay go up the composted wood chips to build soil close to the surface anyway? Water saturation and absence of clay both have to be avoided, after all. That plants get their nutrients without clay, maybe I can understand, if really it all comes from the shrooms, but without silt or sand that prevents water saturation? That sounds like a far stretch to me. Would you please care to explain?
Wood chips is just a mulch to get it started. It retains water. One more thing has to be add in. That is a living root in the ground all the time. The plant feeds the soil microbes sugar, carbs, and proteins that exudes from the roots deeper in the soil. . The microbes brake down and feed on the sand silt and clay with acids they make. Then they get eaten by other microbes and they those microbes pooh is available plant nutrients. Simple. Please watch my Soil Series. Thanks For asking
@@iamorganicgardening So those little microbes that get eater by bigger ones can degrade sand into silt and silt into clay? Wow. That sure gives hope to turn Sahara back to a forest. Thank you very much. I'll look it up. I'm still wondering how silt and clay can ge brought up near the surface, thanks to which organisms etc. There's so much to discover.
95 mph winds are good for laying down a cover crop too! Hope you can avoid major damage.
That would be very nice,, THANKS
So fascinating 👍🏻🙏🏻 I know nothing about gardening but I think I absolutely must learn if I wanna eat real organic food not the BS USDA “organic “ 🤦🏻♀️🙄
You can do it! Its easy. Thanks
And you are on the great and right place. Much to be learned from this man.
I know this video is old but is there a reason your not tilling the rye in?
Winter rye or any cover crop should not be till in due to the fact that all the roots have open up that great soil of yours. Healthy soil is 25% air and 25% water. The rest is sand ,silt and clay. If you till, that all goes away. This is how Nature works for you for free. Plus tilling releases CARBON back into the air that the plant roots took from the air to store in the soil to make plants healthy . I know lots of things say to till. but they do not understand soil. THANK YOU for asking . Have a great garden year.
Great video . I still use a scythe from time to time ,but at 72 I can only go for 15 or 20 minutes before I have a heart attack .🍺
That is still very good.. Save your Heart Please.
How low do u cut down? I see the stems r still pretty high.
That was the first cut. In part 2 you will see the stems shorter. About 2 inch tall to transplant into.. Cut to the ground for direct seeding.
Thank u.
Hey Mark! That looks like a good workout. I'm in NJ also, and those were some serious storms we had yesterday. Luckily, we're all good here. Hope you made it through unscathed. Be well buddy
Lost power. On my generator right now. House caught fire down the street from power line.
@@iamorganicgardening Oh man, that's unfortunate. Sorry to hear. Hopefully everything gets back up and running soon
good luck with the wind
THANK YOU for your concern.
I am sure that keeps you healthy but no way not after back surgery