I really like everything about Matt and what he has to say. I’m already a Baker Creek fan...I’m beginning to think they do so well because all the people are so nice! I had the pleasure of being at the Heirloom Festival in Santa Rosa last summer where I heard and saw gobs of great stuff. Last year was my first year gardening. I must have harvested 300 lbs of tomatoes and I had a jalapeño plant produce almost 100 peppers. I love gardening!
I've met the Gettles at the Planting festival at Baker Creek. They're so nice in person! At the time they only had the first two girls. So very polite! The whole family was a joy to meet and speak with.
So this video is older and you probably will not see this but here it goes... I am soooo grateful I found you.! I am a Middle Ages second year gardener trying to teach myself. I am proud to say I have only made two of those mistakes. I am going to go through and watch all your videos. I found you because I found Baker Creek through several homesteading videos. I am ordering from them this fall. Thank you so much!!!!
Thank you Andrew :) :) :) Please feel free to download one of my books for FREE here: www.thepermaculturestudent.com/download-ps2-free My gift to you! :)
Thank heavens you mentioned test batches. My friend looked at me like I was crazy when I didn't put all my potatoes out at the same time. I put one out as a tester. And thank heavens I did.. I would have lost my whole crop to the snow that came when everyone around me was saying the last frost was done already.
Living in north Texas, I still don't know when to plant... every year is a like a gamble since I've started a few years ago.... one year we have cool rainy spring, the next year early summer. Looking forward to moving to a more garden friendly climate
Wow, I just found you as this came up on a suggested video, and now I am hooked. I just subscribed and starting at the beginning. Thank you for this clear and concise most important information. As I prep for my first real vegetable and flower gardening next year. I’m in the process of collecting and piling up leaves from my property, and building my compost piles as well, and expanding Hugel kultur Area I built last year which is full of mushrooms lol.
You have knowledge I've been looking for and am thrilled about, i.e. preparing for wildlife - espec. planting things for the deer at the outer line! Flat-ground swales! This just gets better and better. I have to thank you for sharing/teaching all you've learned that will save me from years of mistakes, hits and misses and discouragement!! Hugs!!
Plan your garden with me in a group coaching situation - get all your questions answered & learn how it all works :) Here's my course - we start 3/19 :) www.thepermaculturestudent.com/course-signup/permaculturegardening
Hey Matt my name is Jesse and I am just getting ready to move to the Congo to set up a food security project to help the local people. I have been trying to learn all i can before i start and i have found your videos to be just amazing. thank you so much for your help.
I grew a fantastic row of fruit trees along the first trench of my septic system and after fifteen years have still had no problems the trees look great and the septic still works fine
Thank you so much! My lot is unlevel, no matter how many times I build up the soil, it ends up unlevel again. Water drainage issues. Need to till the soil for aeration because you just literally identified the problem, the smell
Totally cute and smart too! Your the whole package Matt. Thank you for your informative videos. Do u do anything on winter sowing to prevent the early/late planting problem?
Matt, really enjoying you sharing your experience and energy...could you direct me to where you offer guidance with planning, scheduling, "journaling" and/or managing routine tasks. Thanks so much!
Wow! I just stumbled on your account by accident, you are my new FAVORITE! I’m going to obsess with the rest of your videos starting NOW! Are you one of the Baker Creek family guys? If so, I feel like I just won the lottery with this subscription. Whooooot! 🙌🏻
Have you been in my garden ?????you sound like your talking about my garden ,,,,, thanks again mat man Love to you all and yes just keep on growing Im learning and improving even if it dont seem like it sometimes Just keep on planting is the way forward
A lot of good information Matt. I'm going to HAVE to learn how to compost MORE. Some say you have to FEED the soil and not the plant. I subbed and am going to watch MORE of your videos. Nothing wrong with tips and techniques to get BETTER. I admit for my garden this year, I only worked my soil about 6 inches down, while enhancing it with manure and Potash. I didn't get any Lime this year. 23 years plus and I've had NO failures. Tomato is always my Bumper Crop. Even grew a 55-Pound Pumpkin one year!!!!! There is ROOM for improvement. We have Racoons, Squirrels and Possums. Orange Scotch Bonnet Habanero Peppers keep them ALL away from the garden. I didn't get any Tomato Mites this year either. Had those Tomato horned Caterpillars, but they aren't really a problem. Hand-picking them off is a CINCH. Good information though and keep it ORGANIC bro!!!! ^_^
For watering as beginners get a moisture meter a cheaper one will do just take care of it don’t drop it always clean the soil off and they can be a great tool to get used to the watering needs and remember watering can vary from one plant to another or one end of garden to another. Cheers
Too late... I learned that about carrots this year. We had a rainy may so most people (including me) didn't plant until June 6. Germination was very sporadic. Rain or shine, I need to plant carrots in the third week of may.
Very well done explanations. I remember something about "root specialization" being something that was discussed for sub-irrigation planters (SIP). Some plants don't do well in SIPs, mostly perennials. Not sure if that topic qualifies for this discussion - except that maybe nitrates can build up if the reservoir stays full.
When I had trouble with deer. I would pee in a soda can and lay it on its side to keep it there as long as possible. It smells bad keeps the deer away. FYI
This makes sense but if you start with a NEW space with poor soil w/cobble stone and sandy soil. If you have to clear and ADMEND the soil should you buy good compost bags or is it better to wait and make your own at home ?
GREAT QUESTION! I've been in the same position and this is my rule: if I buy "compost" from a store, I have to assume it's A. not finished properly and B. it' not really alive, but it's a great amendment of organic matter and they often add amendments to it these days. Homemade LIVING compost is the key - I LOVE having pit composts so indigenous microorganisms can influence it. I like doing vermicompost piles in that way, BUT if you are short on time, make hot compost and mix it with the store bought :) :) :) Hope this helps!! :) :) :)
Brilliant video! Love it, love it, love it! You really know your stuff. I have a question for you, if you don't mind. After I filled my new raised bed (16'x16'x14") with 8 yards supposedly primo garden mix (60% organic compost, 40% loam), we got 2 weeks of heavy rain, which seemed to have washed the organic matter away. Or maybe I was ripped off by the soil company. In any case, I ended up with hard packed clay with a hard-as-concrete sandy top layer. I've added as much organic matter as I can each time I transplant in the way of decomposed pine bark, peat moss and big-box compost (I only have a 55 gallon compost tumbler), and I'm trying to promote the microbial life as much as I can with about a dozen Boogie Brew products, rock dust, etc. Things are growing, but definitely stunted, and when I dig down to the bottom 6-8" or so, it smells a bit like rotting garbage or sewage. I suspect this is from anaerobic bacteria colonizing down there, and I'm wondering if it could be part of the reason why my plants are stunted? Obviously, conventional growers would tell me to just till in a bunch of manure, but that isn't an option here. I can't exactly get a tractor up into my bed, and I'm certainly not going to do it by hand! More importantly, I don't want to chop up all my worms and turn up all my microbes. Someone else suggested I pile on a bunch of organic matter and cover it with cardboard for 6 months, but that means I don't feed my family for 6 months, and it means I have to stop just as I was getting started. There's gotta be some other permaculturey solution to this, and I'm really hoping you can tell me what it is. Thanks in advance. I'm so glad I came across your channel, and I'm such a huge fan of Baker Creek. 95% of my seeds came from there, and even my Okinawan sweet potato starts (which are doing great because they weren't planted in the stinky clay)! Thanks again!
WOW that's stinks! I would absolutely aerate the soil with a broadfork or a pitch fork and water in compost tea or a compost slurry. I'd directly address the compaction with aerobic life and then you should be perfect! :)
ThePermacultureStudent Fantastic! That sounds absolutely doable. I have a pitchfork that is long enough to penetrate down to the cardboard layer. I'm pushing it straight down until I feel the cardboard and just rocking it back and forth, every 2-3" in all the unoccupied squares (Square Foot Garden method). Is this what you mean? Once a week I make a double-strength batch of Boogie Brew and I have 2 large air stones, and one small that goes inside the teabag itself, which may be overkill, but I don't think it hurts. It brews for 24hrs, then I apply it with a hose-end sprayer set to 8oz/gal dilution. If my math is correct, this ends up being 4x strength. I'm just really trying to get enough aerobic life in there to proliferate and wipe out the anaerobes. I hope I'm on the right track, and not causing more harm than good. Other days, I apply a foliar fish amino treatment called Pure Protein, and a drench of something called Boogie Brix, which is supposed to, obviously, increase Brix and weight of the produce. These are once a week also. The new plants going in will have their roots dusted with mycorrhizae, and if it would be effective on the existing plants, I'd apply that as a drench too, but I haven't researched it yet. A few days ago I started seeing sinkholes! I dug down to investigate and found big air pockets in the soil, all over. I'm honestly just starting out with growing and permaculture and soil science, so I don't really know, but I'm thinking this surely must be due to the poor drainage of the clay. The sides are smooth, like an air bubble, there's no debris, and they don't lead anywhere, so I am certain it's not burrowing critters. I suppose the fork is the best way to deal with this? The raised bed is 16'x16', with 2 2' wide keyhole kind of inlets to make the shape of an E. This week, the kids and I will be making 4 worm towers out of 2 5gal buckets; one for each "leg," and one on the back section. Will this be enough for the 208sq/ft? I like your idea of a compost slurry; that hadn't occurred to me. All my homemade compost has recently been used up for 2 corn plots. Can I make a slurry from just any store-bought compost? I'm assuming I should apply it while the holes from the fork are still open? I'm quite hopeful that this will keep me from having to plant the whole thing full of daikon in the fall, because that doesn't seem ideal for our suburban situation. I know this is a lot of questions and you must be super busy, so if there's an online source, or a book I might find at the library, you can point me to, I'd be thrilled with that too. Thank you so much for getting back to me! All I want to do is feed my family and get our health back, and I've been so disheartened by fail after fail. I believe this could very well be the solution! Thank you again. Be well.
i have ocd so im in the process of digging up a foot of soil ive managed to find and add to the garden over time just so i can start again and fuuck ive got piles of soil everywhere even on other peoples property lol it was such nice stuff aswel a perfect loamy soil but my problem was that i need things to be perfect and neat and flat so im killing myself here all for nuthin really lol, atleast i found some brick work beneath, its kinda been like archaeology, now ill just fill it back up to the brick edges with compost mixed with soil, the massive piles of good soil everywhere is fucking with me tho, i dont actually really know what im doing, besides trying to turn the clay into good soil with cover crop.. theres somethin wrong with me lol :( cause i know very well trees would have grown way better in the soil i had created on top, i just, i dunno, i need to start again, always workin way to hard for nuthin lol i change my mind 2 much to do anything right, so, how well does cover crop work and how fast is probly the question i should ask, im mostly worried about winter root rot, yea i no what have i done lol
i'm starting to get stuff from my first garden, i bought premo compost i tracked down that all the garden centers in my area bought for their own starts. i didn't cut it with anything and I'm fairly sure its super high in nitrogen, i'm getting allot or really big super green leaves, i'm pretty sure all my root vegetables are not developing. turnips already bolted and their thinner then a pencil any suggestions?
QUESTION! !! I'm having problems with my Cabbage Klibos good keeper, germinating I have seeded twice now and the seeds are not germinating. I have looked in the block and can see the seed doing nothing , the are not to wet and are under light and on a heat mat. Everything around them are ready to harden off and I only have one seed that sprouted, what could I be doing wrong with this seed. HELP!!!
My soil is heavily clay and my inclination to till is to break it up and incorporate compost to lighten the soil and improve drainage. If tilling isn't the way to go what is your suggestion? This was the very first year in a previously ungardened section of lawn.
Broadforking or pitch forking it to aerate/loosen without turning the layers over and then watering in liquid compost or compost tea. That will give it the life it needs to change into wonderful soil :)
You can't broad fork compacted clay, dry or wet. When my clay soil is wet,tit's like clay you use to make pots. When it's dry, it's like concrete. Sometimes tilling is necessary for the first year and sometimes even the second year. Building good soil from compacted clay isn't as easy as "brad forking". It can take a few years to get to a no-till level.
I live in AZ and it gets up to 120 degrees out in my area and my backyard was like concrete. My ground is soft to walk on since I regularly water my grass all year round.
If double digging was so bad why does it so often produce amazing results I learned double diging from Allen Chadwick who brought the practice to the USA, If I had deep rich loose soil to begin with I wouldn't double dig. However it's worth the effort where the soil is poor and compacted. If the beds are not walked on double diging never has to be done again. Matt says here that plants don't need subsoil. If Matt reads this please explain how this jibes with your mentor Elaine Ingham who has proven that given the right biology plant roots go very deep. Are they creating topsoil as they go?
By destroying the structure, you oxidize and solubilize organic matter and life, making it easier to drain the soil of fertility. Ideally we want to invest in our soil so we are pulling from the "interest" and not the "principal" fertility in the soil. That way our soils always improve season to season. Double digging destroys soil structure, life, organic matter, & fungi. I have a hundreds of Elaine's students and graduates in my programs - they come seeking to update, clarify, extend, connect, and correct their understanding and practice. Learn more with #RegenerativeSoil: matt-powers.mykajabi.com/regenerativesoil
@@ThePermacultureStudent I took a week long seminar with Dr. Ingham many years ago so I do understand the harm that diging does to a soil which has extensive microbial life to begin with, I appreciate your taking the time to reply and am glad to hear that there is no conflict between you and Dr, Ingham, I'm sure I will get the answer to my question about roots and subsoil in your courses, I have your excellent book on microscopy and am looking forward to taking your microscopy course as soon as I save up the money,
There's probably some interest here in Richmond. This material is such a relief from technical ennui. And it's like we are hanging again which is rad :) miss you and nana and oliver and james :)
i just feel sorry for those little birds. I don't think they'll do so much damage... what, are they going to eat a cucumber or swallow a tomatoe!? good tips overall... thank you
Small birds will eat some of the hornworms and pests. It's just a matter of attracting the right ones. I'm not purposefully attracting birds of pray. We have chickens and rabbits.
Very good video, but you give people way too much credit, some people just don't want to learn. Things my father, family, and neighbors have consistently said and done, for years... over and over... 1. always do what is laziest, and chuckle with pride about being lazy and having a "brown thumb"... trying is for stuck ups 2. instead of learning from mistakes always blame the seeds, plants, animals, or weather... accept no blame 3. always do the same thing over and over, they have never heard of anybody doing anything different 4. learning more about a crop is stupid, why would anybody learn that stuff, learning names is stupid 5. full sun means that it gets full sun at some point, so one hour of sun in the morning is "full sun" 6. just dump Miracle gro on it, double the dose if you forget to fertilize because you were lazy, that is all that matters 7. space everything twice as close as recommended, they always are lying about the size, and all that matters is room above the surface 8. cool weather crops/ warm weather crops... nobody pays attention to that nonsense it is just made up anyway 9. how do you get a real red pepper plant? all the red pepper plants you buy are really green pepper plants, stores are lying 10. who has time to water? nobody has time for for that... why don't you (implied nobody) water for me?
I really like everything about Matt and what he has to say. I’m already a Baker Creek fan...I’m beginning to think they do so well because all the people are so nice! I had the pleasure of being at the Heirloom Festival in Santa Rosa last summer where I heard and saw gobs of great stuff. Last year was my first year gardening. I must have harvested 300 lbs of tomatoes and I had a jalapeño plant produce almost 100 peppers. I love gardening!
I've met the Gettles at the Planting festival at Baker Creek.
They're so nice in person! At the time they only had the first two girls. So very polite!
The whole family was a joy to meet and speak with.
I happened to be watching this Monday night 4 years later! Felt like it was just for me!
Thank you for being here!! :) :) :)
May the joy and harmony you share return to you and yours a hundredfold
So this video is older and you probably will not see this but here it goes... I am soooo grateful I found you.! I am a Middle Ages second year gardener trying to teach myself. I am proud to say I have only made two of those mistakes. I am going to go through and watch all your videos. I found you because I found Baker Creek through several homesteading videos. I am ordering from them this fall.
Thank you so much!!!!
Wow!!! Your enthusiasm and passion is contagious. This is the first video I have watched of yours and it will not be the last!!! Thank you!
Thank you Andrew :) :) :) Please feel free to download one of my books for FREE here: www.thepermaculturestudent.com/download-ps2-free My gift to you! :)
Brother this is one of the most useful videos I've ever seen. Thank you so much!
I think I have watched this video 3 times and I learn something new every time. thanks!
WOW thank you!
You are my gardening Sensei, Matt! Thank you so much :)
Thank heavens you mentioned test batches. My friend looked at me like I was crazy when I didn't put all my potatoes out at the same time. I put one out as a tester. And thank heavens I did.. I would have lost my whole crop to the snow that came when everyone around me was saying the last frost was done already.
WE Love YOU Matt POWERs
Thank YOU for sharing your KNOWledge and unique contributions
Soil is LIFE'🫒🌺🌹🫐🍄💦👁️🪄👣✨🦠🫀🧠💝
Living in north Texas, I still don't know when to plant... every year is a like a gamble since I've started a few years ago.... one year we have cool rainy spring, the next year early summer. Looking forward to moving to a more garden friendly climate
Wow, I just found you as this came up on a suggested video, and now I am hooked. I just subscribed and starting at the beginning. Thank you for this clear and concise most important information. As I prep for my first real vegetable and flower gardening next year. I’m in the process of collecting and piling up leaves from my property, and building my compost piles as well, and expanding Hugel kultur Area I built last year which is full of mushrooms lol.
The ENTANGLEMENT of Smiles continues 🌞💚⚡
Very helpful and encouraging ! God bless you for your support 🙏🏼
You look so happy and smile so much it becomes contagious it makes learning fun thank you.
Loving the "test patch" trick to extend the growing seasons of saved seed.
You have knowledge I've been looking for and am thrilled about, i.e. preparing for wildlife - espec. planting things for the deer at the outer line! Flat-ground swales! This just gets better and better. I have to thank you for sharing/teaching all you've learned that will save me from years of mistakes, hits and misses and discouragement!! Hugs!!
Plan your garden with me in a group coaching situation - get all your questions answered & learn how it all works :) Here's my course - we start 3/19 :)
www.thepermaculturestudent.com/course-signup/permaculturegardening
I absolutely loved watching and learning from your video. You have a fantastic sense of humour. Thank you all the way from the Scotland x
You knocked it out of the park Matt. You are a great teacher. I got the most from the watering segment and the fungi soil structure segment.
Thanks!!! :)
BBBBBAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM!
Hey Matt my name is Jesse and I am just getting ready to move to the Congo to set up a food security project to help the local people. I have been trying to learn all i can before i start and i have found your videos to be just amazing. thank you so much for your help.
I grew a fantastic row of fruit trees along the first trench of my septic system and after fifteen years have still had no problems the trees look great and the septic still works fine
Thank you for your engaging manner, depth of knowledge, and passion.
This is a great video! Super helpful and I enjoy your enthusiasm for gardening! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much! My lot is unlevel, no matter how many times I build up the soil, it ends up unlevel again. Water drainage issues. Need to till the soil for aeration because you just literally identified the problem, the smell
Totally cute and smart too! Your the whole package Matt. Thank you for your informative videos. Do u do anything on winter sowing to prevent the early/late planting problem?
Great presentation, pal! I like you:)
You’re hilarious and excellent at explaining! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Matt, really enjoying you sharing your experience and energy...could you direct me to where you offer guidance with planning, scheduling, "journaling" and/or managing routine tasks. Thanks so much!
Wow! I just stumbled on your account by accident, you are my new FAVORITE! I’m going to obsess with the rest of your videos starting NOW! Are you one of the Baker Creek family guys? If so, I feel like I just won the lottery with this subscription. Whooooot! 🙌🏻
Tremendous blocks of knowledge.
Agreed! 👍
Wow first UA-cam video I watched from beginning to end 😮 you have the package Matt😍 Hi5 from your new Aussie sub 🤗
Have you been in my garden ?????you sound like your talking about my garden ,,,,, thanks again mat man Love to you all and yes just keep on growing Im learning and improving even if it dont seem like it sometimes Just keep on planting is the way forward
First time watcher. He is informative and adorable!
A lot of good information Matt. I'm going to HAVE to learn how to compost MORE. Some say you have to FEED the soil and not the plant. I subbed and am going to watch MORE of your videos. Nothing wrong with tips and techniques to get BETTER. I admit for my garden this year, I only worked my soil about 6 inches down, while enhancing it with manure and Potash. I didn't get any Lime this year. 23 years plus and I've had NO failures. Tomato is always my Bumper Crop. Even grew a 55-Pound Pumpkin one year!!!!! There is ROOM for improvement. We have Racoons, Squirrels and Possums. Orange Scotch Bonnet Habanero Peppers keep them ALL away from the garden. I didn't get any Tomato Mites this year either. Had those Tomato horned Caterpillars, but they aren't really a problem. Hand-picking them off is a CINCH. Good information though and keep it ORGANIC bro!!!! ^_^
For watering as beginners get a moisture meter a cheaper one will do just take care of it don’t drop it always clean the soil off and they can be a great tool to get used to the watering needs and remember watering can vary from one plant to another or one end of garden to another. Cheers
I wish I would have seen this last year. you covered quite a few of my garden follies 😊
So happy to find you.
Thanks, man!
Too late... I learned that about carrots this year. We had a rainy may so most people (including me) didn't plant until June 6. Germination was very sporadic. Rain or shine, I need to plant carrots in the third week of may.
Mind blown!
THANK YOU!!!! I had my garden totally fail last year and I thing the main reason was watering and tilling I tilled WAY too much.
Very well done explanations. I remember something about "root specialization" being something that was discussed for sub-irrigation planters (SIP). Some plants don't do well in SIPs, mostly perennials. Not sure if that topic qualifies for this discussion - except that maybe nitrates can build up if the reservoir stays full.
Omg, you're so funny 😄 and on point 👌
awesome video thank Matt
So much excellent information. Thanks for sharing.
So much good info and you're so cute delivering it, I had to join :) tnx!
Great video, thanks for sharing with enthusiam
I love your enthusiasm!!! :)
good job good info. failure isn't the end of the world.
Great information, Matt!
Great personality. Why doesn’t this guy have a show???
Great garden info! 🙏 🍅❤️
When I had trouble with deer. I would pee in a soda can and lay it on its side to keep it there as long as possible. It smells bad keeps the deer away. FYI
This makes sense but if you start with a NEW space with poor soil w/cobble stone and sandy soil. If you have to clear and ADMEND the soil should you buy good compost bags or is it better to wait and make your own at home ?
GREAT QUESTION! I've been in the same position and this is my rule: if I buy "compost" from a store, I have to assume it's A. not finished properly and B. it' not really alive, but it's a great amendment of organic matter and they often add amendments to it these days. Homemade LIVING compost is the key - I LOVE having pit composts so indigenous microorganisms can influence it. I like doing vermicompost piles in that way, BUT if you are short on time, make hot compost and mix it with the store bought :) :) :) Hope this helps!! :) :) :)
Useful tips.
This is AWESOME! I L💚VE your channel 😁
Brilliant video! Love it, love it, love it! You really know your stuff.
I have a question for you, if you don't mind. After I filled my new raised bed (16'x16'x14") with 8 yards supposedly primo garden mix (60% organic compost, 40% loam), we got 2 weeks of heavy rain, which seemed to have washed the organic matter away. Or maybe I was ripped off by the soil company. In any case, I ended up with hard packed clay with a hard-as-concrete sandy top layer. I've added as much organic matter as I can each time I transplant in the way of decomposed pine bark, peat moss and big-box compost (I only have a 55 gallon compost tumbler), and I'm trying to promote the microbial life as much as I can with about a dozen Boogie Brew products, rock dust, etc. Things are growing, but definitely stunted, and when I dig down to the bottom 6-8" or so, it smells a bit like rotting garbage or sewage. I suspect this is from anaerobic bacteria colonizing down there, and I'm wondering if it could be part of the reason why my plants are stunted? Obviously, conventional growers would tell me to just till in a bunch of manure, but that isn't an option here. I can't exactly get a tractor up into my bed, and I'm certainly not going to do it by hand! More importantly, I don't want to chop up all my worms and turn up all my microbes. Someone else suggested I pile on a bunch of organic matter and cover it with cardboard for 6 months, but that means I don't feed my family for 6 months, and it means I have to stop just as I was getting started. There's gotta be some other permaculturey solution to this, and I'm really hoping you can tell me what it is. Thanks in advance. I'm so glad I came across your channel, and I'm such a huge fan of Baker Creek. 95% of my seeds came from there, and even my Okinawan sweet potato starts (which are doing great because they weren't planted in the stinky clay)!
Thanks again!
WOW that's stinks! I would absolutely aerate the soil with a broadfork or a pitch fork and water in compost tea or a compost slurry. I'd directly address the compaction with aerobic life and then you should be perfect! :)
ThePermacultureStudent Fantastic! That sounds absolutely doable. I have a pitchfork that is long enough to penetrate down to the cardboard layer. I'm pushing it straight down until I feel the cardboard and just rocking it back and forth, every 2-3" in all the unoccupied squares (Square Foot Garden method). Is this what you mean?
Once a week I make a double-strength batch of Boogie Brew and I have 2 large air stones, and one small that goes inside the teabag itself, which may be overkill, but I don't think it hurts. It brews for 24hrs, then I apply it with a hose-end sprayer set to 8oz/gal dilution. If my math is correct, this ends up being 4x strength. I'm just really trying to get enough aerobic life in there to proliferate and wipe out the anaerobes. I hope I'm on the right track, and not causing more harm than good. Other days, I apply a foliar fish amino treatment called Pure Protein, and a drench of something called Boogie Brix, which is supposed to, obviously, increase Brix and weight of the produce. These are once a week also. The new plants going in will have their roots dusted with mycorrhizae, and if it would be effective on the existing plants, I'd apply that as a drench too, but I haven't researched it yet.
A few days ago I started seeing sinkholes! I dug down to investigate and found big air pockets in the soil, all over. I'm honestly just starting out with growing and permaculture and soil science, so I don't really know, but I'm thinking this surely must be due to the poor drainage of the clay. The sides are smooth, like an air bubble, there's no debris, and they don't lead anywhere, so I am certain it's not burrowing critters. I suppose the fork is the best way to deal with this?
The raised bed is 16'x16', with 2 2' wide keyhole kind of inlets to make the shape of an E. This week, the kids and I will be making 4 worm towers out of 2 5gal buckets; one for each "leg," and one on the back section. Will this be enough for the 208sq/ft?
I like your idea of a compost slurry; that hadn't occurred to me. All my homemade compost has recently been used up for 2 corn plots. Can I make a slurry from just any store-bought compost? I'm assuming I should apply it while the holes from the fork are still open?
I'm quite hopeful that this will keep me from having to plant the whole thing full of daikon in the fall, because that doesn't seem ideal for our suburban situation.
I know this is a lot of questions and you must be super busy, so if there's an online source, or a book I might find at the library, you can point me to, I'd be thrilled with that too.
Thank you so much for getting back to me! All I want to do is feed my family and get our health back, and I've been so disheartened by fail after fail. I believe this could very well be the solution!
Thank you again. Be well.
@@Pinkenstein make your own tea with bokashi and you will understand the difference. Make a compost too
Ouch I am tilling all wrong time to get back to basics
i have ocd so im in the process of digging up a foot of soil ive managed to find and add to the garden over time just so i can start again and fuuck ive got piles of soil everywhere even on other peoples property lol it was such nice stuff aswel a perfect loamy soil but my problem was that i need things to be perfect and neat and flat so im killing myself here all for nuthin really lol, atleast i found some brick work beneath, its kinda been like archaeology, now ill just fill it back up to the brick edges with compost mixed with soil, the massive piles of good soil everywhere is fucking with me tho, i dont actually really know what im doing, besides trying to turn the clay into good soil with cover crop.. theres somethin wrong with me lol :( cause i know very well trees would have grown way better in the soil i had created on top, i just, i dunno, i need to start again, always workin way to hard for nuthin lol i change my mind 2 much to do anything right, so, how well does cover crop work and how fast is probly the question i should ask, im mostly worried about winter root rot, yea i no what have i done lol
Thx 4 input
i'm starting to get stuff from my first garden, i bought premo compost i tracked down that all the garden centers in my area bought for their own starts. i didn't cut it with anything and I'm fairly sure its super high in nitrogen, i'm getting allot or really big super green leaves, i'm pretty sure all my root vegetables are not developing. turnips already bolted and their thinner then a pencil any suggestions?
What is your opinion on "Back To Eden" gardening?
Julie A Would love to hear this too!
QUESTION! !! I'm having problems with my Cabbage Klibos good keeper, germinating I have seeded twice now and the seeds are not germinating. I have looked in the block and can see the seed doing nothing , the are not to wet and are under light and on a heat mat. Everything around them are ready to harden off and I only have one seed that sprouted, what could I be doing wrong with this seed. HELP!!!
What do you mean by "you can't purchase your garden"? You can buy soil, compost, manure and innoculant...
Matt At 11:15 what kind of plants/techniques encourage fungi?
Luke Morrison Perennials prefer acidic (fungal dominant) Soils - no till supports fungal development.
Mansfield, MO
My soil is heavily clay and my inclination to till is to break it up and incorporate compost to lighten the soil and improve drainage. If tilling isn't the way to go what is your suggestion? This was the very first year in a previously ungardened section of lawn.
Broadforking or pitch forking it to aerate/loosen without turning the layers over and then watering in liquid compost or compost tea. That will give it the life it needs to change into wonderful soil :)
You can't broad fork compacted clay, dry or wet. When my clay soil is wet,tit's like clay you use to make pots. When it's dry, it's like concrete. Sometimes tilling is necessary for the first year and sometimes even the second year. Building good soil from compacted clay isn't as easy as "brad forking". It can take a few years to get to a no-till level.
I live in AZ and it gets up to 120 degrees out in my area and my backyard was like concrete. My ground is soft to walk on since I regularly water my grass all year round.
your a cool dude awsome viedo
do you grow herb mark?
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have 2 words for this video Jack Sparrow if he ever gets tired of gardening can be a double for Johnny Depp
Good call. Now it's all I can see lol
Three words: _Captain_ Jack Sparrow
If double digging was so bad why does it so often produce amazing results I learned double diging from Allen Chadwick who brought the practice to the USA, If I had deep rich loose soil to begin with I wouldn't double dig. However it's worth the effort where the soil is poor and compacted. If the beds are not walked on double diging never has to be done again.
Matt says here that plants don't need subsoil. If Matt reads this please explain how this jibes with your mentor Elaine Ingham who has proven that given the right biology plant roots go very deep. Are they creating topsoil as they go?
By destroying the structure, you oxidize and solubilize organic matter and life, making it easier to drain the soil of fertility. Ideally we want to invest in our soil so we are pulling from the "interest" and not the "principal" fertility in the soil. That way our soils always improve season to season. Double digging destroys soil structure, life, organic matter, & fungi.
I have a hundreds of Elaine's students and graduates in my programs - they come seeking to update, clarify, extend, connect, and correct their understanding and practice.
Learn more with #RegenerativeSoil: matt-powers.mykajabi.com/regenerativesoil
@@ThePermacultureStudent I took a week long seminar with Dr. Ingham many years ago so I do understand the harm that diging does to a soil which has extensive microbial life to begin with, I appreciate your taking the time to reply and am glad to hear that there is no conflict between you and Dr, Ingham, I'm sure I will get the answer to my question about roots and subsoil in your courses, I have your excellent book on microscopy and am looking forward to taking your microscopy course as soon as I save up the money,
LOVEEEEEEE
I have a goat she loves my garden
guilty, guilty aaaaand guilty. Thanks Matt!
Miss you Andoo!! We have to visit you on the book tour - going as a family! :)
I SAW that, I have room, we should talk ;)
There's probably some interest here in Richmond. This material is such a relief from technical ennui. And it's like we are hanging again which is rad :) miss you and nana and oliver and james :)
👍👍
What will grow in Portland Oregon
Plenty - what are you trying to grow there is likely the question we are after ;)
I want to grow eggplant but it's not even sprouting
Are you doing them inside under lights with a heat mat?
+Matt Powers no inside a patio plant container maybe the didn't get enough light or the could be to cold
+Matt Powers or it could be because I was newer at gardening and they where store bought seeds
1960's Russians would be proud of that turnip.
If you like this sort of thing, then you may LOVE my online course:
www.thepermaculturestudent.com/course-signup/permaculturegardening
No. 9: How to keep cats from peeing & pooing in your garden beds 🤷♀️
hi everybody this is how ya bet on bassball
"Dissipate" the word you are searching for at 4:00 is dissipate.
i just feel sorry for those little birds. I don't think they'll do so much damage... what, are they going to eat a cucumber or swallow a tomatoe!? good tips overall... thank you
Small birds will eat some of the hornworms and pests.
It's just a matter of attracting the right ones.
I'm not purposefully attracting birds of pray. We have chickens and rabbits.
Sgood!
the best lol
Very good video, but you give people way too much credit, some people just don't want to learn.
Things my father, family, and neighbors have consistently said and done, for years... over and over...
1. always do what is laziest, and chuckle with pride about being lazy and having a "brown thumb"... trying is for stuck ups
2. instead of learning from mistakes always blame the seeds, plants, animals, or weather... accept no blame
3. always do the same thing over and over, they have never heard of anybody doing anything different
4. learning more about a crop is stupid, why would anybody learn that stuff, learning names is stupid
5. full sun means that it gets full sun at some point, so one hour of sun in the morning is "full sun"
6. just dump Miracle gro on it, double the dose if you forget to fertilize because you were lazy, that is all that matters
7. space everything twice as close as recommended, they always are lying about the size, and all that matters is room above the surface
8. cool weather crops/ warm weather crops... nobody pays attention to that nonsense it is just made up anyway
9. how do you get a real red pepper plant? all the red pepper plants you buy are really green pepper plants, stores are lying
10. who has time to water? nobody has time for for that... why don't you (implied nobody) water for me?
Gardner!! Giiv de ryzomes aer!! Is naaht a tuber!!
Matt powers? ? More like Johnny Depp
I liked your ideas about deer. One male deer can eat your entire crop.
cuz my milk is so good dont be advertising amazon
I know you have no control over ads, but how frustrating is it to you that Monsanto places ads on your channel???😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Kristy's World wow they are truly threatened by us!
Great stuff Matt!