You certainly not wasting water. at times, viz., once in a fortnight or depending upon the temparature, one shud water the soil deeply. 2ndly, all the 5 points are most important in a natural garden and show results over a period of time. Of course, Gardening is not an instant coffee or a "2minute dish" One has to have lot of patience. You are definitely doing a very good job. Keep doing andn sharing as well.
Agree 💯! I have been working on my soil for the past 5 years. And only now I feel confident to back off on fertilizer and other additives, because my soil has gotten too great point, and now I just need to keep it going. Thanks for calling it out, that's really important!
I am mulching thicker (in some areas as a test) this year as well and am seeing the improvements, esp in my grow bags. I am planting more densely in other areas to test out the theory I learned on Gardenary's YT videos/free workshops). I'm seeing less powdery mildew and bugs on the "zucchini" bed that is densely planted. For fertilizer, I add some as I put in the plant/seed (since I'm still building my soil's microbial life) and then doing spot fertilizing. Tomatoes and peppers tho I will be doing fertilizer a tad more but less than half of what I was doing (mostly because I grow them in grow bags and some is lost with watering). I haven't done compost tea yet (so busy) but that has been one of the best and easiest ways to fertilize my whole yard in one go. Cover crops are the one thing that saved my soil from getting hydrophobic this year. I don't mind that (in my grow bags I tested it on esp) alfalfa is still sprouting up because the tomatoes in those bags seem to be doing better. I think there's something to the nitrogen fixing aspect so I will leave a few alfalfa plants to grow and trim it when it's above 6"+ (down to 3") and then tuck the cuttings under the mulch to decompose. I also think that the chopped mustard being tilled into the top 4"-6" of the soil helped the areas I tested it out on. Again, less bugs and powdery mildew (even the beds that have moderate mulch). I'm just trying things out and I'm different ways to find what works best for my own yard. I look forward to a few years down the road when I've truly gotten my soil health in good balance. I've heard it takes 2-4 years to really get "new" soil beds in state that requires minimal to no fertilizer. We built our beds a year and a half ago. I still need to put up my Birdie's bed but it focus has been on getting our first ever drip irrigation set up to 50+ grow bags/containers and 5 raised beds.....all while doing the usual soil prepping, seed starting, planting, and maintaining the garden. It's the best full time job I've had but I go at my own pace and take breaks.
Wow, looks like you're doing all the right things. It's so much fun experimenting in the garden, and also breaking some of the rules! Yep, I am certainly breaking spacing rules quite a bit. And my plants seem to be doing quite well for it! Stay cool! Big Heat Wave coming!
Oh...I'm also trying to increase the variety of plants, including currently trying to source some native and keystone native seeds to add into parts of my yard/garden.
Hi.. Do you think is it a good idea to mulch with pure compost, can it maybe "burn" the plant stems etc? And does the nutrients seep into the soil when you water it? Thanks a million.
If your compost is primarily hot (not yet decomposed) green material (including things like chicken manure etc), Yes it can certainly burn. However if it's mostly decomposed, it is great to put on top of your soil. Just be aware that compost breaks down fairly quickly And so using it as a mulch might not be ideal unless you replenish frequently. As for nutrients seeping into the soil, absolutely. That's what Nature does. To drops organic material on the top. The soil microorganisms will work on it and take it down into the soil as well in plant absorbable form. Hope this helps! 💚
Thanks Tara, I've been guilty of just tossing a few inches of straw on top of my beds and wondering why my plants don't do so well (without a lot of fertilizer). I do bring a couple of Toyota truckloads of horse manure to my compost bin each year. I think it might act much like wood chips since it's mostly composed of wood shavings so, maybe, I'll top my beds with it after only a brief stay in the compost bin to allow it to cool down a bit. Whaddya think?
I think that's a really excellent idea. I got my Master Gardener certification this year, and probably one of the biggest takeaways was we home gardeners don't typically mulch the way we should. The mulch layer needs to be quite thick and not break down very easily. That's why regular leaf compost is not a very good mulch, but those horse manure shavings sound like they'll be pretty awesome!
@@GreenLove1 They're hot and steamy when I get them, so not ready for prime time, but there's enough manure to begin breaking down the cellulose in the shavings. I've been composting them for months, but I think I could use them sooner as the kind of mulch.you're recommending. Thanks for this post.
@@terrellhillard3018 it totally was for me. Btw, have you observed any issues at any point with the horse manure that you have been using? I hear so much about these persistent herbicide risks in horse manure that I have been reluctant to try it too much!
@@GreenLove1 I have not noticed any ill effects from chemicals in stabled h-h-h-horse manure, though hon-hon-honestly, I wouldn't know what to look for. I've taken solace from Contra Costa Sustainable Farm (Aglantis) just down the road from me. Behtallyn Black supervised the creation of their first beds using wood chips and horse manure sourced from local stables. They also get their water from the county sewage treatment plant, so: do-do-double jeopardy.
There are insects that are good, for gardening, but there are also bad insects. Fertilizing plants is not done with bugs. Bugs, and fertilization are 2 different gardening topics. Professional gardeners talk about both of these topics separately on the internet! Liquid fertilizer is what professional gardeners use to fertilize their plants. Pollinators are not needed, so they do not have to be attracted for further plant development. Plants can be pollinated with human involvement if pollinators cannot be attracted! In my opinion I think she has done a BAD job managing pests on the video. Plant roots is where her critters go, and are. The roots maybe can get damaged from allowing critters to be there, and burrowing in the soil. If plant roots get damaged then this can make it difficult, for plants to grow. Plant roots take up water, and nutrients from the soil, so by allowing critters to be there then they can prevent plants from getting water, and nutrients, so this could lead to plant death. If her critters eat then this can create another problem, for plants!
You certainly not wasting water. at times, viz., once in a fortnight or depending upon the temparature, one shud water the soil deeply.
2ndly, all the 5 points are most important in a natural garden and show results over a period of time. Of course, Gardening is not an instant coffee or a "2minute dish" One has to have lot of patience. You are definitely doing a very good job. Keep doing andn sharing as well.
Agree 💯! I have been working on my soil for the past 5 years. And only now I feel confident to back off on fertilizer and other additives, because my soil has gotten too great point, and now I just need to keep it going. Thanks for calling it out, that's really important!
I am mulching thicker (in some areas as a test) this year as well and am seeing the improvements, esp in my grow bags. I am planting more densely in other areas to test out the theory I learned on Gardenary's YT videos/free workshops). I'm seeing less powdery mildew and bugs on the "zucchini" bed that is densely planted. For fertilizer, I add some as I put in the plant/seed (since I'm still building my soil's microbial life) and then doing spot fertilizing. Tomatoes and peppers tho I will be doing fertilizer a tad more but less than half of what I was doing (mostly because I grow them in grow bags and some is lost with watering). I haven't done compost tea yet (so busy) but that has been one of the best and easiest ways to fertilize my whole yard in one go. Cover crops are the one thing that saved my soil from getting hydrophobic this year. I don't mind that (in my grow bags I tested it on esp) alfalfa is still sprouting up because the tomatoes in those bags seem to be doing better. I think there's something to the nitrogen fixing aspect so I will leave a few alfalfa plants to grow and trim it when it's above 6"+ (down to 3") and then tuck the cuttings under the mulch to decompose.
I also think that the chopped mustard being tilled into the top 4"-6" of the soil helped the areas I tested it out on. Again, less bugs and powdery mildew (even the beds that have moderate mulch). I'm just trying things out and I'm different ways to find what works best for my own yard. I look forward to a few years down the road when I've truly gotten my soil health in good balance. I've heard it takes 2-4 years to really get "new" soil beds in state that requires minimal to no fertilizer. We built our beds a year and a half ago. I still need to put up my Birdie's bed but it focus has been on getting our first ever drip irrigation set up to 50+ grow bags/containers and 5 raised beds.....all while doing the usual soil prepping, seed starting, planting, and maintaining the garden. It's the best full time job I've had but I go at my own pace and take breaks.
Wow, looks like you're doing all the right things. It's so much fun experimenting in the garden, and also breaking some of the rules! Yep, I am certainly breaking spacing rules quite a bit. And my plants seem to be doing quite well for it! Stay cool! Big Heat Wave coming!
Oh...I'm also trying to increase the variety of plants, including currently trying to source some native and keystone native seeds to add into parts of my yard/garden.
@@naynerboppers5254 that's wonderful! I am doing the same, I want to add at least a handful of Natives, ideally some keystone, every year!
You can use living mulch like ground cover . It saves the costs and lots of plants are nitrogen fixers. .
Such a fantastic idea
Amazing As always great Tips ! Thanks
Thank you so much. And I am always grateful for your very kind and generous comments.
Hell yeah, son! Biodiversity is my favorite.
More the merrier!!!
Hi.. Do you think is it a good idea to mulch with pure compost, can it maybe "burn" the plant stems etc? And does the nutrients seep into the soil when you water it? Thanks a million.
If your compost is primarily hot (not yet decomposed) green material (including things like chicken manure etc), Yes it can certainly burn. However if it's mostly decomposed, it is great to put on top of your soil. Just be aware that compost breaks down fairly quickly And so using it as a mulch might not be ideal unless you replenish frequently. As for nutrients seeping into the soil, absolutely. That's what Nature does. To drops organic material on the top. The soil microorganisms will work on it and take it down into the soil as well in plant absorbable form. Hope this helps! 💚
@@GreenLove1 thank you so much for your reply. It makes totally sense. Sounds like a combination of mulches might be a good idea.💚
Thanks Tara, I've been guilty of just tossing a few inches of straw on top of my beds and wondering why my plants don't do so well (without a lot of fertilizer). I do bring a couple of Toyota truckloads of horse manure to my compost bin each year. I think it might act much like wood chips since it's mostly composed of wood shavings so, maybe, I'll top my beds with it after only a brief stay in the compost bin to allow it to cool down a bit. Whaddya think?
I think that's a really excellent idea. I got my Master Gardener certification this year, and probably one of the biggest takeaways was we home gardeners don't typically mulch the way we should. The mulch layer needs to be quite thick and not break down very easily. That's why regular leaf compost is not a very good mulch, but those horse manure shavings sound like they'll be pretty awesome!
@@GreenLove1 They're hot and steamy when I get them, so not ready for prime time, but there's enough manure to begin breaking down the cellulose in the shavings. I've been composting them for months, but I think I could use them sooner as the kind of mulch.you're recommending. Thanks for this post.
Anyway, the idea of feeding your soil instead of your plants is an epiphany.
@@terrellhillard3018 it totally was for me. Btw, have you observed any issues at any point with the horse manure that you have been using? I hear so much about these persistent herbicide risks in horse manure that I have been reluctant to try it too much!
@@GreenLove1 I have not noticed any ill effects from chemicals in stabled h-h-h-horse manure, though hon-hon-honestly, I wouldn't know what to look for. I've taken solace from Contra Costa Sustainable Farm (Aglantis) just down the road from me. Behtallyn Black supervised the creation of their first beds using wood chips and horse manure sourced from local stables. They also get their water from the county sewage treatment plant, so: do-do-double jeopardy.
It's good to water from above once in awhile. Spray off the aphids and clean off your plants. Not every day.
Absolutely!! Once or twice a week during summer!!!
There are insects that are good, for gardening, but there are also bad insects. Fertilizing plants is not done with bugs. Bugs, and fertilization are 2 different gardening topics. Professional gardeners talk about both of these topics separately on the internet!
Liquid fertilizer is what professional gardeners use to fertilize their plants.
Pollinators are not needed, so they do not have to be attracted for further plant development. Plants can be pollinated with human involvement if pollinators cannot be attracted!
In my opinion I think she has done a BAD job managing pests on the video. Plant roots is where her critters go, and are. The roots maybe can get damaged from allowing critters to be there, and burrowing in the soil. If plant roots get damaged then this can make it difficult, for plants to grow. Plant roots take up water, and nutrients from the soil, so by allowing critters to be there then they can prevent plants from getting water, and nutrients, so this could lead to plant death. If her critters eat then this can create another problem, for plants!
Thanks for sharing your perspective. Totally up to you to manage your garden how you like - your garden, your rules! Happy gardening!
@@knowledgeandmultiskilled yet somehow nature fertilises plants without man made chemicals