I could not help smiling (slight chuckling) at the thought of your girlfriends (the ones you say scoff at your nails) watching you smooth out horse poop with your bare hands. You are truly my sister in farming! I love it!
Haha! I thought I was wearing gloves but maybe not?! Oh well, yesterday I was picking up cow pats to fertilise some newly planted trees at a friend’s place.. I’m living the dream Bill! 😄💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen I know that you are, because I am, too. Have you seen my rumble video, yet? I'm going to be making another one soon, as I have made some interesting changes to the farm. I am working on my micro coop. That is like a chicken coop, but for my microbes. Think about a good compost pile. Once it has aged, you have to keep the moisture perfect, or they start to die and go dormant. Why build up a diverse population only to let it go to waste, right? And, the idea is that the compost is not to use for anything other than making compost extracts and compost teas. That requires a handful or two of material that you extract microbes from, and then put back the raw material, which will be repopulated. What I am doing is taking a four foot square piece of plywood with an edge that can keep it from sliding off of a cinder block base. That is going to be a square on the surface of the ground in a shady place north side of my house. So, think of a lid that is only a few inches off the ground that covers a deep hole that has been filled back in with good compost, and I put red wigglers in it. If it gets too hot or cold, they can just go a bit deeper, then they will come back. And the eggs will hatch. And the worms, as they eat the bacteria in the soil they take in, they eat them slower than they reproduce, which is why worm castings that they put out have more microbes in then they ate on the front end. They literally eat microbes, and produce more than they eat. Odd, but awesome! Well, that allows me to make good compost extracts and compost teas. I have woodchips covering the entire yard, so my plants never get too hot or too cold. (Remember, the plants are fully underground. The parts we can see are not plants; they are plant infrastructure. Solar panels. LOL) Well, next to that micro coop I am making a hill that will grow Asparagus, Nasturtiums, and who knows what else. I am also making new, nicer walking paths bordered by logs that my fungi love to munch on. I just love the way it is coming along. I planted 3 more trees. Growing shade cloth! I love living in a desert, and using water table water to water everything on a 24 7 365 basis. The system is always on, and I pay nothing for it. Even the wood chips are free from tree services that save money on dump fees dropping loads off here. I just put in about 50 Aloe Vera on what I call my curbside (that hard compacted part near the street) to condition the soil. I love Aloe Vera. Someday they will pay me a lot, but harvesting and replanting is fun all in itself. So easy. I really should do a video. I'll still have lots of compost from my hot compost piles because my wife's yardwork company saves dump fees bringing me their waste, full of all sorts of varieties of microbes! From all over the city! I could open a zoo, but how would anyone see them? LOL A full tour of people with microscopes! I don't see that happening. Well, I suppose I should sign off, as it is bed time for me. Almost 2pm. I'm up at 10:45 every night. Always great to see a new video of yours. I'll be more diligent to make more myself.
What I did to make growing my veggies a lot easier was to cover my ground with woodchips, plant the veggies in the ground, and let them grow. Raised beds causes soil to dry out fast. Ground covered in a nice layer of woodchips means I do not have to water at all. And I live in the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, AZ. My climate is a lot like yours. My kale and Swiss Chard loved the snow, and 5 frosts and hard frosts last winter, and seemed just as happy in the drought and heat (110*F) this summer. Not watering is a lot cheaper, and takes absolutely no time.
Love this Bill! Wow! What amazing results. I was wasting so much precious tank water on the vegetable garden. I’ll be chipping up a lot more pigeon pea now! Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen Any organic matter is great for a covering. Covering the ground is key. Living covers are awesome, too! They not only cover, but add exudates that feed your microbial forces! (They like the sound of that...forces!) The covering gives them shade, and keeps them cool in summer, and not freezing in winter (or vice versa in Australia). I can't remember if you have hot summers and cold winters, or if you have winter when I have summer and vice versa. Been a long time since I was familiar with Australian seasons. My high school sweetheart was a foreign exchange student from Perth. Well, the key to organic matter is that it provides shade, and food, for your microbes. And, the material contains all the elements all of your trees and plants need. The woodchip option is the most superior option because, in addition to shade and food, it provides amazing water handling capabilities. Also, it fosters amazing fungal growth, and your plants almost all want that. Also, the mulch absorbs the compacting impact of the rain drops, so rainy season does not only not compact your soil, it can almost all get absorbed. And, because of shady conditions, the microbes can build great soils faster. The mulch catches the water evaporating from the water table, even if it is hundreds of feet below. (I won't bore you with the science and calculations. LOL) But, yes, if you have a tree service that would love to save dump fees, take all they have. You want the leaves and needles. Wood shavings alone are not your friend. All combined just like they fall in nature is best. Oh, and there is no "bad" kinds of wood. All that guff about making your soil acidic, or poisoning it, is unscientific lies. Just don't mix it into the soil. Lay it on top, like happens in nature, and the microbes will do the rest.
They are magnificent creatures. There are two parents and a juvenile that regularly circle over our place and we’ve seen them take off with rabbits and snakes as well. 🌿
Thank you and yes, that shade makes such a difference! The raised beds in the shade houses are still producing eggplants and capsicums from last year with no water.. it’s been very interesting seeing the difference it makes in this climate. Also I will check out Edge of Nowhere Farms. Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen They've got a great channel. What they can pull off out in the middle of that kind of desert sun and heat is simply amazing. One of my favorite tricks - ua-cam.com/video/DfDGWElEu7k/v-deo.html The science behind it is solid, but it's one of those things you just don't think about until you see someone do it. Makes for both easy watering and minimal evaporation, putting the water exactly where you want it. Genius, honestly, and the results of an orchard in the desert shows that it works.
Another great video, I just love watching anything to do with gardening! I think your chicken are going to be so happy once all the vines grow and the side beds are flourishing. Can’t wait to see it all in a month or so. I also recognise those bags from Fundies! My absolute favourite place to shop in Lismore 😊 along with all the great markets in the area.
Haha, well spotted Sharon! Yes the seeds are from Fundies! And I can’t wait to see what pops up. I think I’ll put some tomatoes and cucumbers in as well on the other side of the coop. Thanks so much for watching and looking forward to giving you the update! Alex 💚🌿
Thank you. Lots of fun stuff at your place. I also use seeds from the HF store. Your phrase: no dig is the same as Charles Dowding and his no dig system (Great Britain) that works world wide. I can imagine your garden looking like his very soon. Did you visit or school at Geoff Lawton's Zaytuna farm or global projects? Keep posting. from northeastern Arizona, United States.
Thanks so much and great to know you also use seeds from the health food store 😄 And yes I volunteered at Zaytuna Farm and did Geoff’s online PDC which was such an incredible course! Thanks for the encouragement and can’t wait until this space is lush and green again like Charles Dowding’s place, love his work. Alex 💚🌿
Nice info. Great to see you uploading again recently. Look forward to seeing new stuff while I checkout your old stuff. PS: You remind me of John Kohler from #growingyourgreens
Interested in the order of the layering you did and why the horse manure towards the top? If you added the horse manure on the wood chips and the pre made compost on the top you could have jumped into planting lettuce etc. Either way it looks great and will be a productive garden, great work! I may have to visit sometime to trade seeds (I’m near Tweed) 😊
Hey Sam and thanks for the question! I should have explained the layering in the video sorry! I’ve got my good compost under a layer of newspaper to protect it from the 40 degree days that we usually get this time of year and then the horse manure and light scatter mulch so I could direct seed above the newspaper. I didn’t want to plant any seedlings as I can’t afford to use the tank water at the moment with no rain on the forecast…Once we get rains the seeds should pop up and then the start of the wet season I can plant seedlings into the good compost. Hope this explains my thought process! Thanks for watching and great to know you’re in the area! Kind regards, Alex 💚🌿
yup, i got rid of raised beds, and put in driptape, on standard rows. for the most part, raised beds are aesthetic, and cause problems in our climate. commercial grade shadecloth is available--not bunnings--that is rated as rain shedding, and also non stretchy.
Great info Chris, thanks for sharing and interesting you had the same issues in this climate. I struggled with the raised beds for years thinking it was just me! The raised beds in the shade houses are doing much better as the metal doesn’t bake so I’ve left those in there for now. I’m also lining the front raised beds with heaps of cardboard so hopefully this will help insulate the soil. Cheers, Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen : apart from being on rock or very wet climate, raised beds are regularly touted as having lots of benefits. none of them actually pan out, including ergonomics. they're actually a trip hazard and make setting up irrigation or using full sized tools, like hoes, difficult. unfortunatelly i learnt that each of the organic camp ideals are bastardized real farming issues, and wrong solutions. we slurp it up as if it was real knowledge and saving the planet. turns out they're all wastes of time, money and effort. i'm growing far more food in shorter times, using more conventional methods, which are not widely taught. all the nonsense about chemicals bad etc. i buy fertilizer and seed raising mix online, in bulk, commercial grade. i dont need to use weed control chemicals, for my small scale, and research thoroughly pesticides, for efficacy and safety. whiteoil doesnt cure everything, and nature is not in some silly balance. just thought i'd put it out. almost fried my seedlings on heat matt, as missed watering them, in the garden shed. all the best. i grow veggies year round in melbourne, but there is slow growth in winter.
sorry about the info dump. but noticed you're doing the no-dig thing, which is another sly lie out of that camp. it originated from good advice to reduce tillage by farmers, who regularly work the soil with machinery. the organic camp changed it to no-dig, no matter what, and we end up spending money and doing work, for nil extra result, in a backyard veggie patch situation. if the soil need digging to loosen it, it should be dug, as ancient farmers and modern farmers do. we buy into latest fad from organic camp, that is true sounding but ultimately misguided, and we think we're doing good. the whole organic camp is based on silly ideas from foundations up, as i found out. unfortunately, it's also the biggest but musguided audience on youtube. growing food is not too hard, once you have real and practical advice. it doesnt need to take up so much time or money. the latter seems paradoxical but is true, once you add up all the things we buy and hours spent, doing things that dont work, like raised beds, making loads of compost, etc etc. it can be a lot more rewarding with less effort. enjoy
Thanks so much Chris and I totally agree, we overcomplicate things and create so much extra work! I agree, I don’t believe in no-dig, no matter what. I’m only using no dig here as I’ve got no topsoil and it’s like rock underneath so there’s no way I’m digging that up! For me in this particular context this was the simplest (and cheapest) method that previously yielded the best results. Thanks again for your common-sense approach. I’ve enjoyed reading your comments. 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen : in terms of soil properties in dry climate, loads of dead organic matter tends to be overly wet in winter and goes highly hygrophobic in summer. that's my experience anyway. i stopped making and buying composts and shredding wood. Seems that the properties of soil are best improved at the mineral level. But anyway, in this climate, soil wetters and drip irrigation are necessary, where possible. For my veggie patch i bought Hoss Tools (america) driptape irrigation kit, as couldnt find anything like it here in Oz. Also got the fertilizer injector tank that's used with the irrigation kit, so no more carrying cans of diluted fertilizer, at least in the veggie patch. Once it warms up and seedlings are going, will be fertilizing regularly, every two to three weeks. That's how I can get about four crop rotations a year, with almost always something ready for kitchen. Grow em fast, strong, efficiently, and keep pest outbreaks in check. There's no (organic camp ideas) nature in balance or keeping pests away with companion planting etc., waste of time. We made edible veggies tender and less toxic, by breeding. Attractive and tasty to pests also. Spray with correct spray as needed, as predators of pest wont do the job
I've really been enjoying your channel Alex, it's been interesting to see how you work and approach all of the challenges you come up against. I'm not usually one to comment on youtube videos but I wanted to point out that sunflowers are allelopathic and generally toxic to other plants so should be planted separately. Probably a bit late considering the video is already up but hope the info is useful to you in the future 👍
Really appreciate your comment Kieren! And great point about the sunflowers, I do remember researching this. So apparently they love corn, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and other flowers such as marigolds and nasturtiums. But they don’t do well with potatoes or fennel and some websites say they love beans, others say they don’t! Anyway, always good to experiment and I’m curious to see what pops up. I’ll keep you posted! Thanks again for watching, Alex 💚🌿
lovely vid again, Alex. Do have a question though. You are often using newspapers to top the ground. I would think that the glue and the ink in the newspapers is not so good for the soil. What are your thoughts about that? One could argue about the card board on the bottom of the bed for the same reason, though that has usually less printing on it. And it is very useful against weeds from beneath. cheers, Anton
Thanks so much Anton and you raise a really great point that warrants more research. I have often wondered this myself. I think the newspaper and cardboard aren’t ideal, based on the points you make and I would much prefer to experiment with other products that I can source directly from the farm. So far the pigeon pea mulch has been the best alternative (chipped down it makes a paper-like pulp). In saying this though, the cardboard on the ground and the newspaper over the soil with chipped pigeon pea were a game-changer for me. Finally I had far better moisture retention, soil temperature insulation and where I had no worms, adding the newspaper and mulch brought so many worms to the garden beds! Always open to alternative suggestions though as I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to source newspaper for.. I’m thinking once the bananas get up and I start thinning them that this is probably going to be a great alternative solution. Best regards, Alex 💚🌿
Oh I should have introduced Reddy! He is 18 and follows me around the paddocks keeping watch over me. He has warned me of 3 brown snakes so far that I didn’t see in the grass, an amazing companion! Alex 💚🌿
I could not help smiling (slight chuckling) at the thought of your girlfriends (the ones you say scoff at your nails) watching you smooth out horse poop with your bare hands. You are truly my sister in farming! I love it!
Haha! I thought I was wearing gloves but maybe not?! Oh well, yesterday I was picking up cow pats to fertilise some newly planted trees at a friend’s place.. I’m living the dream Bill! 😄💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen I know that you are, because I am, too. Have you seen my rumble video, yet? I'm going to be making another one soon, as I have made some interesting changes to the farm.
I am working on my micro coop. That is like a chicken coop, but for my microbes. Think about a good compost pile. Once it has aged, you have to keep the moisture perfect, or they start to die and go dormant. Why build up a diverse population only to let it go to waste, right?
And, the idea is that the compost is not to use for anything other than making compost extracts and compost teas. That requires a handful or two of material that you extract microbes from, and then put back the raw material, which will be repopulated.
What I am doing is taking a four foot square piece of plywood with an edge that can keep it from sliding off of a cinder block base. That is going to be a square on the surface of the ground in a shady place north side of my house. So, think of a lid that is only a few inches off the ground that covers a deep hole that has been filled back in with good compost, and I put red wigglers in it.
If it gets too hot or cold, they can just go a bit deeper, then they will come back. And the eggs will hatch. And the worms, as they eat the bacteria in the soil they take in, they eat them slower than they reproduce, which is why worm castings that they put out have more microbes in then they ate on the front end. They literally eat microbes, and produce more than they eat. Odd, but awesome!
Well, that allows me to make good compost extracts and compost teas. I have woodchips covering the entire yard, so my plants never get too hot or too cold. (Remember, the plants are fully underground. The parts we can see are not plants; they are plant infrastructure. Solar panels. LOL)
Well, next to that micro coop I am making a hill that will grow Asparagus, Nasturtiums, and who knows what else. I am also making new, nicer walking paths bordered by logs that my fungi love to munch on.
I just love the way it is coming along. I planted 3 more trees. Growing shade cloth! I love living in a desert, and using water table water to water everything on a 24 7 365 basis. The system is always on, and I pay nothing for it. Even the wood chips are free from tree services that save money on dump fees dropping loads off here.
I just put in about 50 Aloe Vera on what I call my curbside (that hard compacted part near the street) to condition the soil. I love Aloe Vera. Someday they will pay me a lot, but harvesting and replanting is fun all in itself. So easy. I really should do a video.
I'll still have lots of compost from my hot compost piles because my wife's yardwork company saves dump fees bringing me their waste, full of all sorts of varieties of microbes! From all over the city! I could open a zoo, but how would anyone see them? LOL A full tour of people with microscopes! I don't see that happening.
Well, I suppose I should sign off, as it is bed time for me. Almost 2pm. I'm up at 10:45 every night.
Always great to see a new video of yours. I'll be more diligent to make more myself.
What I did to make growing my veggies a lot easier was to cover my ground with woodchips, plant the veggies in the ground, and let them grow. Raised beds causes soil to dry out fast. Ground covered in a nice layer of woodchips means I do not have to water at all. And I live in the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, AZ. My climate is a lot like yours. My kale and Swiss Chard loved the snow, and 5 frosts and hard frosts last winter, and seemed just as happy in the drought and heat (110*F) this summer.
Not watering is a lot cheaper, and takes absolutely no time.
Love this Bill! Wow! What amazing results. I was wasting so much precious tank water on the vegetable garden. I’ll be chipping up a lot more pigeon pea now! Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen Any organic matter is great for a covering. Covering the ground is key. Living covers are awesome, too! They not only cover, but add exudates that feed your microbial forces! (They like the sound of that...forces!)
The covering gives them shade, and keeps them cool in summer, and not freezing in winter (or vice versa in Australia). I can't remember if you have hot summers and cold winters, or if you have winter when I have summer and vice versa. Been a long time since I was familiar with Australian seasons. My high school sweetheart was a foreign exchange student from Perth.
Well, the key to organic matter is that it provides shade, and food, for your microbes. And, the material contains all the elements all of your trees and plants need. The woodchip option is the most superior option because, in addition to shade and food, it provides amazing water handling capabilities. Also, it fosters amazing fungal growth, and your plants almost all want that.
Also, the mulch absorbs the compacting impact of the rain drops, so rainy season does not only not compact your soil, it can almost all get absorbed. And, because of shady conditions, the microbes can build great soils faster.
The mulch catches the water evaporating from the water table, even if it is hundreds of feet below. (I won't bore you with the science and calculations. LOL) But, yes, if you have a tree service that would love to save dump fees, take all they have.
You want the leaves and needles. Wood shavings alone are not your friend. All combined just like they fall in nature is best. Oh, and there is no "bad" kinds of wood. All that guff about making your soil acidic, or poisoning it, is unscientific lies. Just don't mix it into the soil. Lay it on top, like happens in nature, and the microbes will do the rest.
Great job of integrating system! I love the long beds with such a mixture of seeds. Hope the are very successful!
Thanks so much Claudia, fingers crossed! Alex 💚🌿
❤Ur work, thanks from Pottsville.
Thanks so much John and good to know you’re close by! Best regards, Alex 💚🌿
Great practical information! Thank you Alex
Thanks Wendy! Alex 💚🌿
5:07
The Hugelkutur style. Nice
Thanks! 🌿
Awesome stuff Alex
Thanks Ben! Hope everything’s thriving at your place! Alex 💚🌿
good segment Alex
Much appreciated Bernie! Alex 💚🌿
Nicely done. So much easier than digging beds....:)
Thanks Andy and absolutely! Alex 💚🌿
Functional veggie patch. Well done! Alex on move again.
Thanks very much Martin. Hopefully a lot less watering! 💚🌿
I'd love to have Wedge-Tailed Eagles around.
They are magnificent creatures. There are two parents and a juvenile that regularly circle over our place and we’ve seen them take off with rabbits and snakes as well. 🌿
Good stuff. Reminds me of how they designed their pens over at Edge of Nowhere Farms. With sun like you get, shade is a valuable commodity!
Thank you and yes, that shade makes such a difference! The raised beds in the shade houses are still producing eggplants and capsicums from last year with no water.. it’s been very interesting seeing the difference it makes in this climate. Also I will check out Edge of Nowhere Farms. Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen They've got a great channel. What they can pull off out in the middle of that kind of desert sun and heat is simply amazing.
One of my favorite tricks - ua-cam.com/video/DfDGWElEu7k/v-deo.html
The science behind it is solid, but it's one of those things you just don't think about until you see someone do it. Makes for both easy watering and minimal evaporation, putting the water exactly where you want it. Genius, honestly, and the results of an orchard in the desert shows that it works.
Love the combination of water runoff and chicken manure in these beds. Great stuff. Looking forward to the updates
Thanks so much, I think it should make such a difference with the watering! Alex 💚🌿
Another great video, I just love watching anything to do with gardening! I think your chicken are going to be so happy once all the vines grow and the side beds are flourishing. Can’t wait to see it all in a month or so. I also recognise those bags from Fundies! My absolute favourite place to shop in Lismore 😊 along with all the great markets in the area.
Haha, well spotted Sharon! Yes the seeds are from Fundies! And I can’t wait to see what pops up. I think I’ll put some tomatoes and cucumbers in as well on the other side of the coop. Thanks so much for watching and looking forward to giving you the update! Alex 💚🌿
Thank you. Lots of fun stuff at your place. I also use seeds from the HF store. Your phrase: no dig is the same as Charles Dowding and his no dig system (Great Britain) that works world wide. I can imagine your garden looking like his very soon.
Did you visit or school at Geoff Lawton's Zaytuna farm or global projects? Keep posting.
from northeastern Arizona, United States.
Thanks so much and great to know you also use seeds from the health food store 😄 And yes I volunteered at Zaytuna Farm and did Geoff’s online PDC which was such an incredible course! Thanks for the encouragement and can’t wait until this space is lush and green again like Charles Dowding’s place, love his work. Alex 💚🌿
Keep us updated please Alex, I’m very curious to know what plants do well in that bed. Maybe a one month check in?
I think this is a great idea Lewis! Will do. Alex 💚🌿
Nice info. Great to see you uploading again recently. Look forward to seeing new stuff while I checkout your old stuff.
PS: You remind me of John Kohler from #growingyourgreens
Thank you! And I just checked out John Kohler, I look forward to watching some of his videos.. thanks! 🙏 🌿
I had great success putting horse manure down thick. Sprinkling sunflower seeds then it rain once and they were off.
This is great to know, thanks so much for sharing! Can’t wait until they’re up, I think it’s going to look beautiful 😊
Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen yep. And it will draw the birds to the sunflower seeds but you can always bag the head up for the chocks
Interested in the order of the layering you did and why the horse manure towards the top?
If you added the horse manure on the wood chips and the pre made compost on the top you could have jumped into planting lettuce etc.
Either way it looks great and will be a productive garden, great work! I may have to visit sometime to trade seeds (I’m near Tweed) 😊
Hey Sam and thanks for the question! I should have explained the layering in the video sorry! I’ve got my good compost under a layer of newspaper to protect it from the 40 degree days that we usually get this time of year and then the horse manure and light scatter mulch so I could direct seed above the newspaper. I didn’t want to plant any seedlings as I can’t afford to use the tank water at the moment with no rain on the forecast…Once we get rains the seeds should pop up and then the start of the wet season I can plant seedlings into the good compost. Hope this explains my thought process! Thanks for watching and great to know you’re in the area! Kind regards, Alex 💚🌿
yup, i got rid of raised beds, and put in driptape, on standard rows. for the most part, raised beds are aesthetic, and cause problems in our climate.
commercial grade shadecloth is available--not bunnings--that is rated as rain shedding, and also non stretchy.
Great info Chris, thanks for sharing and interesting you had the same issues in this climate. I struggled with the raised beds for years thinking it was just me! The raised beds in the shade houses are doing much better as the metal doesn’t bake so I’ve left those in there for now. I’m also lining the front raised beds with heaps of cardboard so hopefully this will help insulate the soil. Cheers, Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen : apart from being on rock or very wet climate, raised beds are regularly touted as having lots of benefits. none of them actually pan out, including ergonomics. they're actually a trip hazard and make setting up irrigation or using full sized tools, like hoes, difficult.
unfortunatelly i learnt that each of the organic camp ideals are bastardized real farming issues, and wrong solutions. we slurp it up as if it was real knowledge and saving the planet. turns out they're all wastes of time, money and effort.
i'm growing far more food in shorter times, using more conventional methods, which are not widely taught.
all the nonsense about chemicals bad etc. i buy fertilizer and seed raising mix online, in bulk, commercial grade. i dont need to use weed control chemicals, for my small scale, and research thoroughly pesticides, for efficacy and safety. whiteoil doesnt cure everything, and nature is not in some silly balance. just thought i'd put it out.
almost fried my seedlings on heat matt, as missed watering them, in the garden shed.
all the best. i grow veggies year round in melbourne, but there is slow growth in winter.
sorry about the info dump. but noticed you're doing the no-dig thing, which is another sly lie out of that camp. it originated from good advice to reduce tillage by farmers, who regularly work the soil with machinery. the organic camp changed it to no-dig, no matter what, and we end up spending money and doing work, for nil extra result, in a backyard veggie patch situation.
if the soil need digging to loosen it, it should be dug, as ancient farmers and modern farmers do. we buy into latest fad from organic camp, that is true sounding but ultimately misguided, and we think we're doing good.
the whole organic camp is based on silly ideas from foundations up, as i found out. unfortunately, it's also the biggest but musguided audience on youtube.
growing food is not too hard, once you have real and practical advice. it doesnt need to take up so much time or money. the latter seems paradoxical but is true, once you add up all the things we buy and hours spent, doing things that dont work, like raised beds, making loads of compost, etc etc.
it can be a lot more rewarding with less effort. enjoy
Thanks so much Chris and I totally agree, we overcomplicate things and create so much extra work! I agree, I don’t believe in no-dig, no matter what. I’m only using no dig here as I’ve got no topsoil and it’s like rock underneath so there’s no way I’m digging that up! For me in this particular context this was the simplest (and cheapest) method that previously yielded the best results. Thanks again for your common-sense approach. I’ve enjoyed reading your comments. 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen : in terms of soil properties in dry climate, loads of dead organic matter tends to be overly wet in winter and goes highly hygrophobic in summer. that's my experience anyway. i stopped making and buying composts and shredding wood. Seems that the properties of soil are best improved at the mineral level. But anyway, in this climate, soil wetters and drip irrigation are necessary, where possible. For my veggie patch i bought Hoss Tools (america) driptape irrigation kit, as couldnt find anything like it here in Oz. Also got the fertilizer injector tank that's used with the irrigation kit, so no more carrying cans of diluted fertilizer, at least in the veggie patch. Once it warms up and seedlings are going, will be fertilizing regularly, every two to three weeks. That's how I can get about four crop rotations a year, with almost always something ready for kitchen. Grow em fast, strong, efficiently, and keep pest outbreaks in check. There's no (organic camp ideas) nature in balance or keeping pests away with companion planting etc., waste of time. We made edible veggies tender and less toxic, by breeding. Attractive and tasty to pests also. Spray with correct spray as needed, as predators of pest wont do the job
I've really been enjoying your channel Alex, it's been interesting to see how you work and approach all of the challenges you come up against. I'm not usually one to comment on youtube videos but I wanted to point out that sunflowers are allelopathic and generally toxic to other plants so should be planted separately. Probably a bit late considering the video is already up but hope the info is useful to you in the future 👍
Really appreciate your comment Kieren! And great point about the sunflowers, I do remember researching this. So apparently they love corn, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and other flowers such as marigolds and nasturtiums. But they don’t do well with potatoes or fennel and some websites say they love beans, others say they don’t! Anyway, always good to experiment and I’m curious to see what pops up. I’ll keep you posted! Thanks again for watching, Alex 💚🌿
lovely vid again, Alex. Do have a question though.
You are often using newspapers to top the ground. I would think that the glue and the ink in the newspapers is not so good for the soil. What are your thoughts about that?
One could argue about the card board on the bottom of the bed for the same reason, though that has usually less printing on it. And it is very useful against weeds from beneath.
cheers, Anton
She’s in the northern rivers… it’s likely vegetable dyes in the newspaper
Thanks so much Anton and you raise a really great point that warrants more research. I have often wondered this myself. I think the newspaper and cardboard aren’t ideal, based on the points you make and I would much prefer to experiment with other products that I can source directly from the farm. So far the pigeon pea mulch has been the best alternative (chipped down it makes a paper-like pulp). In saying this though, the cardboard on the ground and the newspaper over the soil with chipped pigeon pea were a game-changer for me. Finally I had far better moisture retention, soil temperature insulation and where I had no worms, adding the newspaper and mulch brought so many worms to the garden beds! Always open to alternative suggestions though as I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to source newspaper for.. I’m thinking once the bananas get up and I start thinning them that this is probably going to be a great alternative solution. Best regards, Alex 💚🌿
Hey, I love your videos, Where did you get the Chicken Run From?
Thanks Quentin! You should be able to find one on eBay. Best of luck! Alex 💚🌿
Important info missing: what is the cat's name?!
Oh I should have introduced Reddy! He is 18 and follows me around the paddocks keeping watch over me. He has warned me of 3 brown snakes so far that I didn’t see in the grass, an amazing companion! Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen thanks! Reddy sounds like a champ. I'm sure we'll get to meet him properly in another video!
I’ve liked your channel but it’s getting to be all face and little farm.
Thanks so much for the feedback Brett and I’ll make sure the next one is more about the farm. Much appreciated, Alex 💚🌿
More face and hands please !