It's hard work! We have been spreading mulch piles every year for 3 years now. Some of our areas are getting really nice, others still have way too much sugar sand showing through. We love your channel. So happy so have another Floridian to relate to. Florida gardening is just different compared to other states. Thank you for sharing 🌞
We got a fire pit and I'm going to try charging it like you talk about. I just can't have as big of fires as you 😉 the city tends to frown on that. But with winter coming I figured I would cook down some more wood and play with it. I like to make my life easier 😂
@@WildFloridian Gatorade is Geneticaly Modified, they proudly say so on the back of the can in bold letters and as such would be banned in Europe since GMO's are not allowed there. A better alternative imo would be SporTea. I'ts only on Amazon and I know all the reasons Amazon is not good. Peace
So start with mulch. Then add more mulch. And finally, more mulch. I see the difference in our Florida garden. We have black gold where we have mulched, even with much thinner layers than you. And where we haven’t, it’s all sand.
Love the soup your enemy comment. I've been making compost tea from weeds and grass clippings for awhile now. Thanks to David the Good. I look at weeds as free food now . Lol ! sometimes I get mad they're not growing fast enough ! Lazy weeds !
Oh I feel you! We're on the west coast of Florida and we've turned our entire suburban yard into an edible forest. We have easily put 80 tons of free mulch in our yard over the last two years. We pick it up in our trailer by the ton on the weekends. Our neighbors think we're nuts, but we love working our property. It has been our sanctuary during this pandemic. Thank you for sharing!
@@tammyolis5519 We get it from Pinellas county solid waste. They dump it in our trailer with a huge front end loader. They also have it in various parks in the area.
Thank you for your videos. Save the firebush and put them in a pot and sell them or give them away. Many people need free plants or use it to trade plants. That is so much fun. I passed a house near Gainesville that had a stand outside with a stand that said "Take one, Leave One". I LOVE that idea. I am going to put one outside my house in the Spring.
I'm on my 5th load of mulch since moving to Jax 4 months ago...my front yard is now grass free and full of edibles...and butterflies...enjoying the journey, hard work for a 72 yo alone, but it keeps me fit and mobile...pretty sure my new neighbors think I'm crazy, next year they'll know the reason...
Yes!!!!! 🙌 Fit and fierce! They will be changing their minds. My neighbors said they like to walk by my yard because it is always changing. You will be the change in your neighborhood! Thank you for bringing more life to Florida!
If you're looking for FREE mulch all year round in Florida just ask any ASPLUNDH crew you see. They trim trees off power lines and run them through a chipper. When the trucks are full they will either drop the entire load in your yard if you ask for it or they'll take it out to the county dump. 100% Free all year round and honestly they'll bring as many loads as you want. This video is the reason I opted to mulch my sand yard and now it's flourishing
Love your channel! I moved to central Florida from OK, I’m used to heat but this humidity is something else! We are restoring The Honey Stand and are in the process of working on the garden center/green house right now. We have sweated gallons!
My hubby and I have a three year old food forest and have been adding mulch about a foot thick ..We do let our mulch piles lay around for months before we spread .. We also add manure ,seaweed ,comfrey and compost tea .. We have seen the black you gold you speak of .. Mushrooms are growing everywhere ,weeding is almost gone The forest looks very healthy .. Thanks for the video ..
Hard work spreading mulch equals black dirt love it. I started added mulch to my garden last year and can see a difference. Look forward to next week's video. 🌞🌦🌧
I love wood chips!! Here in MN I can get mine for free from the electric company....this year I moved 5 truck loads by hand/ wheelbarrow myself over my huge gardens....but I wasn't contending with that oppressive heat...🥵 I got hot enough just from working. One tip for u is to position ur wagon in the direction u will pull it back to the garden when it is empty...so u don't have to exert extra energy turning it around full 👍💪😉
Hi Jacqueline! Thank you for sharing your real hard work in your food forest. I could see the steam coming out of that pile. Still hot in our 10 a zone but exciting to go into fall gardening vegetable planning. I'm looking forward to your next fall vegetable series. 😚☺🤗😎
I got the chip drop twice in a week for my back yard. Plan on mulching my WHOLE back yard with the mulch. So far i love it. Saves on mowing, etc. My son thinks im crazy but so what! I live in Ocala. 😁
Hey Wild Floridian a slow release nitrogen will make you mulch decompose quickly. It will also make your plant explode. More mulch. It is good for your mulch to heat up.
It IS a ton of work. Takes me about two weeks alone to spread a truck load. It is so rewarding once done though. It looks so pretty. Just got a pitchfork and it made a world of difference in the work. One can get it FREE from a tree trimmer in your neighborhood. Just track them down and ask.
OMG! There's a look on your face when you finish loading the wagon and look at the camera! I make that face! It's the one where you don't notice the heat anymore because you can barely suck in air, and you're thinking, "Somebody stop me. I wonder if I have heat stroke. Would I know? Surely, I must be dying. Can the neighbors hear me grunting?" And it's only been 10 minutes. But we enjoy every minute!
Geg goat and rabbit poo with the medding Spread it 5 inches thick Water it well Let it rot all fall winter and spring. In the spring put your seedlings in Put 4 layers thick newspaper or contactors paper Cover 5 inches thick with grass and nettle clippings. Happy gardening on a dime
You Tubers always say "Can you see this" or, "I don't know if you can see this" or, "I hope you can see this." We can always see it, Lol. Great video. Thanks for sharing it!
I have a truckload of mulch in my driveway right now. I swear, you work for hours, and it doesn't seem like the pile ever goes down! BTW, it's Dave's fetid swamp water. 😊
AHHH that's it. The sun and the heat just took my memory away. 😂 So I'm glad you could figure it out from my unique description... which on rewatch sounds so terrible... the soup he makes from his enemies... oh geez. Yes... mulch is like a never ending pile. We just count loads and then stop when we hit 20 loads for the day. You got this Lauren!
Your kids remind me of mine, whenever I get a pile of something, up and down, up and down, lol then they complain when I have moved it away. It's interesting to see how much you go through, I assume you have a milder winter than us. I'm in Melb, Aus and during summer our mulch disappears quickly but during winter it slows right down, most winter temps for us is 5C-15C. Although it is still caked in worms.
LOL! 😂 Yes... who needs playgrounds or fancy toys... mulch pile and the trellis... and they are happy. And yes our winters are much warmer than 5C (41F) to 15C (59F); we may have some days that get that cold but most of the winter will be in the 60s (18C) to 70s (22C). We rarely hit freezing temperature. Other parts of Florida will get a bit colder... but it only lasts a week or two.
@@WildFloridian It's just like boxes, they would rather play with the box the toy came in lol. Although without mulch piles to climb they have been enjoying using scooters while I work out the front now we are getting glorious spring weather. Also, that explains where all the mulch is going, at that temp through winter the breakdown would barely slow. Curious about your rainfall, we tend to have more of a cold and hot season rather than 4 (although we are famous for having all 4 seasons in a day lol), with most of our rain during the cold/winter portion. Then get a really hot bone dry summer period.
Agree about boxes 😂 Why buy toys? Florida really stays warm and hot for the majority of the year. During the summer we get 6 to 9 inches per month. The dry months which is 4 to 5 months is 2 to 3 inches. It isn’t dry by most of the world but with the Everglades, lakes, canals, springs, gulf, aquafer, and ocean…. there is a definite change. And with less rain the wilderness dries but we still have lot of lightning storms (we are the #1 state for lightning strike) then we get wildfires. Florida is really meant to go from wet to burn each year. People joke that we are hot and less hot 🥵😄
@@WildFloridian Lol, I understand the fires, we go from cold, then bushfires run lol. So looked it up, we get 1-2 inches during summer and 2-3 during winter. I cannot even fathom that much rain you guys get.
Fun to see the kids. I also get great compost/soil for free from the Citrus County Landfill/Waste Management. It is great. They have fine and course. Maybe, we can share which FL counties have good compost I know Pasco County also has some good compost.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I've been gardening here for years and I still learn a lot from you. I guess I'm too rural for chip drop, but I do the same with rolls of hay. Honestly, the hay is easier - it unrolls like paper towels. I can spread 900 lbs in a couple of hours. The only caveat: 6 inches or more otherwise weeds get through. The other great thing about all this mulch is I have far fewer fire ants 😁
I use the giant brown trash can with wheels. My son fills it up and I take it to where it goes and dump it. Didn't do it this year but there is still time.
The smolder is real! We are on the 5th load, and this summer heat is 😩 My best fried is forth this process is the family, gorilla cart, hoe, and shovel for the process - much like yours.
It probably felt like the more you worked on the mulch pile, the more it grew! LOL. Slow and steady wins the race. Thank for chinese orchid info. I haven't come across it myself, but have heard about it arriving in bulk mulch! I feel for you working our hot Fl sun!
LOL! I create my own pain... but it is a free workout. When we are in the middle of it... it looks like nothing happened. I usually count loads to help me keep going.
Humans made Gatorade. God made Coconut water!! My folks used to go to work the fields all day where there's no access to water and just load a few coconuts with no husk to drink as needed. Sorry but I HATE Gatorade 😂😂😂😂 I absolutely loved the end where your kids are playing on the mulch and helping you wrap the video up. Blessings for you and your lovely family ❤️🌷🌻🙏❤️
@Maria P. 😂 Yes coconut water would be better! I can never hate Gatorade... 😉 The kiddo do love to help... I could have had an hour of them giving y'all very random tips. 😂 Thank you and best to you and your family too!
I'm always shocked by people who feel the need to rake up and bag fallen leaves. Their soil turns completely infertile. Also soil exposed to the sun can become hot enough to fry plant roots. I keep my soil shaded with leaf mulch and dense plantings. It's why everything grows so abundantly in my yard.
Hi Thank you for all your wonderful information. I’m not a gardener but want to be. I know pretty much nothing. I have some questions: What kind of mulch? Where do you get it? Do you get rid of the grass and weeds first and put it on top of the sandy soil? I think you said it takes about a year to get the black gold? What is done to the mulch while you’re waiting? How thick is the black gold…5 inches deep or ? You mentioned compost, when does that get put on? After the black gold do you always keep mulch around the veggies and ? Thank you
Most vegetables need about 18 inches once they are established. I think that is why it takes a couple of years to really get going in ground in Florida. The nutrition has to penetrate deep and not get washed out. Hang in there it gets better and better.
@@WildFloridianbtw, your channel and a couple others gave me the “banana bug”. I bought one Cavendish and salvaged a, what looks like, blue Java and a Namwah and now I have nearly 10 banana plants, half of which are decent sized pups. One blue Java is at least 15 ft high and has a rack of bananas that looks to be at least 30-40 lbs. When I get frustrated with my veggies I just look at my banana plants, bananas plants are beasts!🍌
Mulch or wood chips? I have 5 year old wood chips that are still prohibiting grass underneath to cone through but how do I grow anything on top of the wood?
Hello there, I am new into gardening and I live in Florida. My question is about garden soil. The ones you buy in bags and use them to mix with native soil before planting. The thing is that most of these bags says it feeds for 3 or 4 months so after those months are over, should I buy more bags of garden soil and just dump it over my whole garden again to keep on feeding my plants and put mulch over it? I will appreciate your answers. Thank you!
Hi there! And welcome to Florida Gardening 😄🦩🌸 I wouldn't spend that kind of money. I, at most, lay down soil once a year. I'm moving away from that more and more. The mulch has really built up our soil. You could just add some organic fertilizer on top of your existing bag soil. There are some powder and slow release with worm casting... you can usually pick those up at Lowes or Home Depot. And then in the longer run, build up compost and add that for free. Or you can make natural fertilizers at home for veggie/fruit scraps. You got options!
@@WildFloridian Thank you for the reply. What kind of fertilizer do you recommend? I've been using miracle gro in liquid but I heard some bad reviews about it.
I have smaller beds in zone b so chip drop would be way too much mulch for me. If I buy mulch at big box store, what should I buy? Cypress, pine? Want to stay organic.
Where do you get mulch from that comes in a truck? I buy at box stores. I hope I can grow one this year. I still only have four above ground areas. Are you growing in your front yard? I tried in the ground here in Central Florida when I worked but only beans grew and I gave up. Was a Navy wife for 21 yrs so always rented and all my life I wanted to garden. I get frustrated, when young from Maryland and I could grow a garden. I made all the mistakes here for Florida. If the heat did not kill it then the bugs did. I am in Auburndale area. Near Winter Haven. haha!
This is only the second video of yours I've seen and want to watch all - Do you address Beautyberry bushes in any previous vids? I just picked mine for jelly/syrup and wondered since I saw some in your intro. SO YUMMY and free!
I have an overview video and they have been highlighted in the native plant landscaping playlist. I haven't made beautyberry jam yet. I was letting them go to the birds for the last year. But there are so many berries. So i will be harvesting this year.
@@WildFloridian I make it every year and they grow back on new wood so I can cut it down within 12" and they come back strong and fruitful. The jelly is SIMPLE if you get a steam juicer. Best thing I every got. I dump the berries (washed in a big bowl, pick out any larger leaves and dump the whole thing into the top of the steamer. Then once the water bois and steams out the juice, there is nothing to do but through the leftovers into your compost and I usually put the juice in a jug to make jelly the next day when I'm not tired. Picking the berries is tricky, also. The easier way is to grab the end of the stem and hold a large bowl under neath as you hold and wiggle your fingers over the clusters. The ripest fall right off but the others just squish so you can harvest off the branches twice collecting the ripest (closest to the main trunk) and leave the others that don't fall off for about 2 weeks later. Then go back to make more. I like mine more like syrup which I can then mix a couple tablespoons into plain yogurt sprinkled with bran flakes. The 'jelly' sweetens it all up and I eat it almost every day when I have the jelly - it was a match made in heaven for yogurt and chips is what my 5 yo grandson calls it - he eats with me and thinks it's dessert. But so good for him. Good luck with your harvest. Don't eat any other parts of the plant and only eat the berry juice after cooking it. Something about the seeds breaking open and being not so good. But the steamer eliminates all that problem - you do really work at it. I let the juice drip into a large pot on a chair pulled up near the stove, then measure and make jelly the next day - or syrup if you don't use pectin - my favorite.
Was all that mulch on the driveway one truck load of the chip dump? I will also be using the driveway to have my mulch dumped, but wondered if that was one truck load or not. Thanks for these videos! So informative!
What kind of mulch are you using? Thanks. Also, if you don't mind, what part of Florida are you in? I'm in the coastal panhandle. I need all the advice I can get, I'm from Ohio, and love to garden!
I spend about 1 month, (in the winter) spreading about 12" of mulch on the entire yard, no grass left. I'm in sw Florida and spreading the mulch in the summer is just to much.
I live in Marion county ive been trying to find native fire bush for my yard if your throwing away the babys ir composting them i could love some if you could mail it up or even the seeds so i can start some would be epic 😁🥰😁 ive been getting back into gardening sence my grandfather recently passed and your videos have been awesome 😁 thank you for making them
Interesting. I've never heard people worry about mulch and roaches... mulch and termites. Roaches are a reality of Florida and wherever there is organic matter... they will come. So mulch isn't going to change the potential of roaches. Keeping your house clean and closing up openings for bugs to make a home in is very important. I haven't noticed a difference in bug activity in our house. Outside in the garden... yes... but that is what we want... bugs breakdown the mulch and help make the soil. On termites... I'm not an expert... but termites are always present in your garden. One... Florida home should be cement block for hurricanes... but many places wood frame is what there is... so having termite barriers can help. BUT in summary.... bugs feed birds... and lizards... and small mammals. Bugs are part of nature.
I wanna add wood chips to my raised garden bed pathways and all around the front of my house. This place local to me sells natural wood chips for pretty cheap but my husbands scared of termites (which ive been told by a few that that spray theyll spray on foundations while the house is being built will keep that problem away) but my biggest problem thats holding me back is ants. I already am having to battle them in my raised beds so i dont wanna be stepping all over them in the mulch getting tore up.
I agree about the spray done to most houses. And in Florida, there are always termites around... whether you mulch or not. When it comes to ants... I don't notice a difference with the mulch. THE biggest bug difference is millipedes. Millipedes do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to breaking down mulch. And if you have any openings in the house... they will find their way in (gaps of doors and windows). Now they don't hurt anything... they just die. We get a few, but our neighbor got a ton from our yard because they leave the lights on around their house. We leave our lights off. Hope that helps with your decision.
@@WildFloridian it does help alot! And thats something i brought up to my husband was that we have a wooded area right next to our house. We would be bound to get termites from there regardless of mulch being down. Now i do have one more question. Do i have to lay weed barrier down?
It depends on what you have growing there. I had mostly grass so I didn’t. But when I covered my sweet potatoes, I threw down some cardboard to help suppress them
Coconut water does the same thing Gatoraid does and it healthier. Way, way too much sugar. Just because it was created for athletes it doesn't proof its better. I wouldn't normally say anything but because you were promoting it I can't let it go. Gatoraid is the worst thing. I do agree that wood chips are the best thing though.
@@WildFloridian Awesome just found them actually. haha. It doesn't seem like there has been any drops in my area, hopefully there is a need for a drop location. haha
You'd save yourself a ton of work if you'd shove that cart into the pile and drag the mulch into it instead of scooping and pivoting every shovel full into it.
Bugs are everywhere in Florida. Even in "chilly" sub-70 temps (cold in Florida) when you don't see bugs they are there, just burrowed underground. As infertile as most Florida soil is, massive quantities of plants and bugs thrive in it as they have adapted. Just treat your home and the outdoor perimeter regularly. I do every six months. We have do-it-yourself pest control stores where you can buy professional pesticides that have long-lasting residual effect. Don't waste money on garden center and department store pesticides as they fall way short of effective. The pro stuff is expensive but usually mixes with water to make a few years worth of very effective protection. I get 5 + years out of every $35 pint of Talstar.
Generally no. Termites are always present in Florida yards. Also my home is cement block, not wood frame. I also monitor for trails on the house "like ant trails" to see if they are going for the roof line.
@@WildFloridian ok!👍 we moved down here in 2014 and live in a typical Florida block house, so I have been nervous about adding natural mulch with shredded wood in it. Our house has a border of decorative stone around it and we are adding raised beds slowly so I do a lot of weeding without mulch. More beds more weeding 🙄 mulch would sure help out 🤣
you are moving wood chips all wrong. Get a regular wheel barrow with on wheel, tilt it 40 degrees against the pile and then take the pitch fork and hit the mulch above the wheel barrow so it falls into the tub. let gravity do the work. i can move a 12 yard load about 100 feet to my back yard in about 6 hrs by myself using that method. I also use a big plastic box and the same technique as the pile gets smaller. And yes at the very very end you have to scoop it up one by one. I use an ergonomic snow shovel much faster than a ptich fork to get the last bits off the driveway. literally about 40 to 50 lbs of chips per scoop
You are such Floridians. You have an Epcot shirt, dole whip hat, and he is wearing a Publix shirt. Oh, and you’re talking about Gatoraid. The only thing that would have improved the video is if you were eating a PubSub.
try to stay on the subject. After the drink gator aid commercials (bad advice) and the weeding, i knew i was watching a 5-minute video that was going to last 15, and i moved on.
Vlog style videos are more experiential than efficiently educational. Based on your comment, vlog style videos aren’t for you. The shortest answer is moving mulch is hard and laborious. But many don’t understand that experience. 😄Wishing you the best in your gardening journey.
It's hard work! We have been spreading mulch piles every year for 3 years now. Some of our areas are getting really nice, others still have way too much sugar sand showing through. We love your channel. So happy so have another Floridian to relate to. Florida gardening is just different compared to other states. Thank you for sharing 🌞
I have come to the conclusion that adding biochar to sand helps stabilize the carbon... mulch and compost disappear so fast!
We got a fire pit and I'm going to try charging it like you talk about. I just can't have as big of fires as you 😉 the city tends to frown on that. But with winter coming I figured I would cook down some more wood and play with it. I like to make my life easier 😂
@@WildFloridian Gatorade is Geneticaly Modified, they proudly say so on the back of the can in bold letters and as such would be banned in Europe since GMO's are not allowed there. A better alternative imo would be SporTea. I'ts only on Amazon and I know all the reasons Amazon is not good. Peace
So start with mulch. Then add more mulch. And finally, more mulch. I see the difference in our Florida garden. We have black gold where we have mulched, even with much thinner layers than you. And where we haven’t, it’s all sand.
😂😂😂😂😂 You got it Juan! 😂😂😂😂😂
Love the soup your enemy comment. I've been making compost tea from weeds and grass clippings for awhile now. Thanks to David the Good. I look at weeds as free food now . Lol ! sometimes I get mad they're not growing fast enough ! Lazy weeds !
Oh I feel you! We're on the west coast of Florida and we've turned our entire suburban yard into an edible forest. We have easily put 80 tons of free mulch in our yard over the last two years. We pick it up in our trailer by the ton on the weekends. Our neighbors think we're nuts, but we love working our property. It has been our sanctuary during this pandemic. Thank you for sharing!
That sounds amazing!!!!
Where do you get the free mulch? I live outside of Tampa.
@@tammyolis5519
We get it from Pinellas county solid waste. They dump it in our trailer with a huge front end loader. They also have it in various parks in the area.
Thank you for your videos. Save the firebush and put them in a pot and sell them or give them away. Many people need free plants or use it to trade plants. That is so much fun. I passed a house near Gainesville that had a stand outside with a stand that said "Take one, Leave One". I LOVE that idea. I am going to put one outside my house in the Spring.
That's a great idea!
That’s pretty cool,sort of like those self serve natural honey stands.
I Will Start working On This Month, 😘😘👍
You got this!
@@WildFloridian yes
I'm on my 5th load of mulch since moving to Jax 4 months ago...my front yard is now grass free and full of edibles...and butterflies...enjoying the journey, hard work for a 72 yo alone, but it keeps me fit and mobile...pretty sure my new neighbors think I'm crazy, next year they'll know the reason...
Yes!!!!! 🙌 Fit and fierce! They will be changing their minds. My neighbors said they like to walk by my yard because it is always changing. You will be the change in your neighborhood! Thank you for bringing more life to Florida!
If you're looking for FREE mulch all year round in Florida just ask any ASPLUNDH crew you see. They trim trees off power lines and run them through a chipper. When the trucks are full they will either drop the entire load in your yard if you ask for it or they'll take it out to the county dump. 100% Free all year round and honestly they'll bring as many loads as you want.
This video is the reason I opted to mulch my sand yard and now it's flourishing
Loving the mulch. It’s so nice find a South Florida gardener channel
Awesome! Thank you!
Love the speed up in the video and thanks goodness for the wonderful helper. 🙂👍
Thank you 😊
I do one load and take a break. Good thing is there is always something to do.
Love your channel! I moved to central Florida from OK, I’m used to heat but this humidity is something else! We are restoring The Honey Stand and are in the process of working on the garden center/green house right now. We have sweated gallons!
OMG! I bet you have! That is a ton of work! Stay hydrated 😂
Keep the videos comin, trying to figure out Florida growing this year.
Will do!
My hubby and I have a three year old food forest and have been adding mulch about a foot thick ..We do let our mulch piles lay around for months before we spread .. We also add manure ,seaweed ,comfrey and compost tea .. We have seen the black you gold you speak of .. Mushrooms are growing everywhere ,weeding is almost gone The forest looks very healthy .. Thanks for the video ..
I always like to put a layer of cardboard down to help with the weeds. But your right cant go wrong with more mulch especially if you have sandy soil.
Hard work spreading mulch equals black dirt love it. I started added mulch to my garden last year and can see a difference. Look forward to next week's video. 🌞🌦🌧
Yay Kim! I’m so happy you are seeing the transformation in your own garden
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO!! I've seen so many other videos that are so much more complicated!
You're welcome! 😊😄
I love wood chips!! Here in MN I can get mine for free from the electric company....this year I moved 5 truck loads by hand/ wheelbarrow myself over my huge gardens....but I wasn't contending with that oppressive heat...🥵 I got hot enough just from working.
One tip for u is to position ur wagon in the direction u will pull it back to the garden when it is empty...so u don't have to exert extra energy turning it around full 👍💪😉
Hi Jacqueline! Thank you for sharing your real hard work in your food forest. I could see the steam coming out of that pile. Still hot in our 10 a zone but exciting to go into fall gardening vegetable planning. I'm looking forward to your next fall vegetable series. 😚☺🤗😎
Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying 😄
Song just made it to my playlist:)
💃 Yay! 💃
I add mulch and compost every month, all year round. Love living in central Florida, zone 9b, mainly for the year round gardening. A man has to eat!
I wish I could get chip drop to drop me some mulch. Been on the list for years.
I got the chip drop twice in a week for my back yard. Plan on mulching my WHOLE back yard with the mulch. So far i love it. Saves on mowing, etc. My son thinks im crazy but so what! I live in Ocala. 😁
You have been on the chip drop for years? Oh wow! 😳
It took me a year and a half, but finally got a load last week!
@Carolyn Smith that is a bummer.
ive been advised to pay the 20$ and dont make a long list of what you do not want from friends that have received numerous loads
Hey Wild Floridian a slow release nitrogen will make you mulch decompose quickly. It will also make your plant explode. More mulch. It is good for your mulch to heat up.
It IS a ton of work. Takes me about two weeks alone to spread a truck load. It is so rewarding once done though. It looks so pretty. Just got a pitchfork and it made a world of difference in the work. One can get it FREE from a tree trimmer in your neighborhood. Just track them down and ask.
You are a warrior Jenny to get it done in two weeks! We always take a month. The backyard is so tiring.
You can do bark plus stinging nettle mulch
Cute kids!
Thanks!
OMG! There's a look on your face when you finish loading the wagon and look at the camera! I make that face! It's the one where you don't notice the heat anymore because you can barely suck in air, and you're thinking, "Somebody stop me. I wonder if I have heat stroke. Would I know? Surely, I must be dying. Can the neighbors hear me grunting?" And it's only been 10 minutes. But we enjoy every minute!
LOL!!!!! Yes. The "my body is moving, but I'm not fully comprehending what I'm doing anymore." Ah heat exhaustion 😂
I really appreciate your videos, very helpful!
Thank you Andrea! 😄
Geg goat and rabbit poo with the medding
Spread it 5 inches thick
Water it well
Let it rot all fall winter and spring.
In the spring put your seedlings in
Put 4 layers thick newspaper or contactors paper
Cover 5 inches thick with grass and nettle clippings.
Happy gardening on a dime
You Tubers always say "Can you see this" or, "I don't know if you can see this" or, "I hope you can see this." We can always see it, Lol. Great video. Thanks for sharing it!
😂😂😂😂😂 So true
I have a truckload of mulch in my driveway right now. I swear, you work for hours, and it doesn't seem like the pile ever goes down!
BTW, it's Dave's fetid swamp water. 😊
AHHH that's it. The sun and the heat just took my memory away. 😂 So I'm glad you could figure it out from my unique description... which on rewatch sounds so terrible... the soup he makes from his enemies... oh geez. Yes... mulch is like a never ending pile. We just count loads and then stop when we hit 20 loads for the day. You got this Lauren!
@@WildFloridian Lol if you're a fan of DtG's, making it out of his enemies is the perfect thing to say! Those of us "in the know" totally get it!!
Your kids remind me of mine, whenever I get a pile of something, up and down, up and down, lol then they complain when I have moved it away.
It's interesting to see how much you go through, I assume you have a milder winter than us. I'm in Melb, Aus and during summer our mulch disappears quickly but during winter it slows right down, most winter temps for us is 5C-15C. Although it is still caked in worms.
LOL! 😂 Yes... who needs playgrounds or fancy toys... mulch pile and the trellis... and they are happy.
And yes our winters are much warmer than 5C (41F) to 15C (59F); we may have some days that get that cold but most of the winter will be in the 60s (18C) to 70s (22C). We rarely hit freezing temperature. Other parts of Florida will get a bit colder... but it only lasts a week or two.
@@WildFloridian It's just like boxes, they would rather play with the box the toy came in lol. Although without mulch piles to climb they have been enjoying using scooters while I work out the front now we are getting glorious spring weather.
Also, that explains where all the mulch is going, at that temp through winter the breakdown would barely slow. Curious about your rainfall, we tend to have more of a cold and hot season rather than 4 (although we are famous for having all 4 seasons in a day lol), with most of our rain during the cold/winter portion. Then get a really hot bone dry summer period.
Agree about boxes 😂 Why buy toys?
Florida really stays warm and hot for the majority of the year. During the summer we get 6 to 9 inches per month. The dry months which is 4 to 5 months is 2 to 3 inches. It isn’t dry by most of the world but with the Everglades, lakes, canals, springs, gulf, aquafer, and ocean…. there is a definite change. And with less rain the wilderness dries but we still have lot of lightning storms (we are the #1 state for lightning strike) then we get wildfires. Florida is really meant to go from wet to burn each year.
People joke that we are hot and less hot 🥵😄
@@WildFloridian Lol, I understand the fires, we go from cold, then bushfires run lol. So looked it up, we get 1-2 inches during summer and 2-3 during winter. I cannot even fathom that much rain you guys get.
Experimental prototype community of tomorrow. Epcot. Hi from Crystal River
Fun to see the kids. I also get great compost/soil for free from the Citrus County Landfill/Waste Management. It is great. They have fine and course. Maybe, we can share which FL counties have good compost I know Pasco County also has some good compost.
That is good to know. I haven't tried our county's mulch/compost delivery yet.
Do you know if Hillsborough has good mulch?
We spread 3ft of mulch over 2 acres. Hard work indeed!
Whoa! 😳 That’s a lot of mulch
@@WildFloridian Yes, it is! Took me a year. Then the following year, I planted in it.
The results have been Amazing!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I've been gardening here for years and I still learn a lot from you. I guess I'm too rural for chip drop, but I do the same with rolls of hay. Honestly, the hay is easier - it unrolls like paper towels. I can spread 900 lbs in a couple of hours. The only caveat: 6 inches or more otherwise weeds get through. The other great thing about all this mulch is I have far fewer fire ants 😁
Wow-I get fire ants making nests directly into my Bermuda grass round bales and even mulch piles!
I use the giant brown trash can with wheels. My son fills it up and I take it to where it goes and dump it. Didn't do it this year but there is still time.
Nice to hear some alternatives! And yes you have time.
Would you recommend Chip Drop?
The smolder is real! We are on the 5th load, and this summer heat is 😩 My best fried is forth this process is the family, gorilla cart, hoe, and shovel for the process - much like yours.
It probably felt like the more you worked on the mulch pile, the more it grew! LOL. Slow and steady wins the race. Thank for chinese orchid info. I haven't come across it myself, but have heard about it arriving in bulk mulch! I feel for you working our hot Fl sun!
LOL! I create my own pain... but it is a free workout. When we are in the middle of it... it looks like nothing happened. I usually count loads to help me keep going.
You can make this intro music incredibly Latin by speeding the video up 2x lmao
LOL! I have fun with the music! Need to make it feel like Florida 💃
Humans made Gatorade. God made Coconut water!! My folks used to go to work the fields all day where there's no access to water and just load a few coconuts with no husk to drink as needed. Sorry but I HATE Gatorade 😂😂😂😂 I absolutely loved the end where your kids are playing on the mulch and helping you wrap the video up. Blessings for you and your lovely family ❤️🌷🌻🙏❤️
I agree. Water with lemon juice. Ummm!
Totally agree! Hate man made chemical drinks 🤣😃 yes for coconut water or lemon in water. Try cucumbers too refreshing.
@@yogininamaste Coconut water has natural electrolytes, mother nature took care of us from the very beginning 😉👍🥰❤️. Love to all 🌻🌷❤️🍀❤️
@@mariap.894 Amen 🙆♂️🙇♂️
@Maria P. 😂 Yes coconut water would be better! I can never hate Gatorade... 😉 The kiddo do love to help... I could have had an hour of them giving y'all very random tips. 😂 Thank you and best to you and your family too!
I'm always shocked by people who feel the need to rake up and bag fallen leaves. Their soil turns completely infertile. Also soil exposed to the sun can become hot enough to fry plant roots. I keep my soil shaded with leaf mulch and dense plantings. It's why everything grows so abundantly in my yard.
People do like clean grass. 😂 I love what you are doing! Keep going!
Love your videos. Wondering if you sheet mulch with cardboard or newspaper prior to putting the mulch down?
When you first started mulching did you apply it directly onto your grass or did you dig your grass up first?
You should be on 10 + acres with all the talent you have.
Hi
Thank you for all your wonderful information. I’m not a gardener but want to be. I know pretty much nothing. I have some questions:
What kind of mulch?
Where do you get it?
Do you get rid of the grass and weeds first and put it on top of the sandy soil?
I think you said it takes about a year to get the black gold?
What is done to the mulch while you’re waiting?
How thick is the black gold…5 inches deep or ?
You mentioned compost, when does that get put on?
After the black gold do you always keep mulch around the veggies and ?
Thank you
Great job good exercise! I do this too!
How deep is the black gold? It seems my plants do well until their roots hit the sand and, bam, STUNT. It’s so frustrating..
Most vegetables need about 18 inches once they are established. I think that is why it takes a couple of years to really get going in ground in Florida. The nutrition has to penetrate deep and not get washed out. Hang in there it gets better and better.
@@WildFloridianbtw, your channel and a couple others gave me the “banana bug”. I bought one Cavendish and salvaged a, what looks like, blue Java and a Namwah and now I have nearly 10 banana plants, half of which are decent sized pups. One blue Java is at least 15 ft high and has a rack of bananas that looks to be at least 30-40 lbs.
When I get frustrated with my veggies I just look at my banana plants, bananas plants are beasts!🍌
Mulch or wood chips? I have 5 year old wood chips that are still prohibiting grass underneath to cone through but how do I grow anything on top of the wood?
Cute shirt 😉
Thanks! 😊
what kind of mulch are you using?
Hello there,
I am new into gardening and I live in Florida.
My question is about garden soil.
The ones you buy in bags and use them to mix with native soil before planting.
The thing is that most of these bags says it feeds for 3 or 4 months so after those months are over, should I buy more bags of garden soil and just dump it over my whole garden again to keep on feeding my plants and put mulch over it? I will appreciate your answers.
Thank you!
Hi there! And welcome to Florida Gardening 😄🦩🌸 I wouldn't spend that kind of money. I, at most, lay down soil once a year. I'm moving away from that more and more. The mulch has really built up our soil. You could just add some organic fertilizer on top of your existing bag soil. There are some powder and slow release with worm casting... you can usually pick those up at Lowes or Home Depot. And then in the longer run, build up compost and add that for free. Or you can make natural fertilizers at home for veggie/fruit scraps. You got options!
@@WildFloridian Thank you for the reply. What kind of fertilizer do you recommend? I've been using miracle gro in liquid but I heard some bad reviews about it.
I have smaller beds in zone b so chip drop would be way too much mulch for me. If I buy mulch at big box store, what should I buy? Cypress, pine? Want to stay organic.
Where do you get mulch from that comes in a truck? I buy at box stores. I hope I can grow one this year. I still only have four above ground areas. Are you growing in your front yard? I tried in the ground here in Central Florida when I worked but only beans grew and I gave up. Was a Navy wife for 21 yrs so always rented and all my life I wanted to garden. I get frustrated, when young from Maryland and I could grow a garden. I made all the mistakes here for Florida. If the heat did not kill it then the bugs did. I am in Auburndale area. Near Winter Haven. haha!
This is only the second video of yours I've seen and want to watch all - Do you address Beautyberry bushes in any previous vids? I just picked mine for jelly/syrup and wondered since I saw some in your intro. SO YUMMY and free!
I have an overview video and they have been highlighted in the native plant landscaping playlist. I haven't made beautyberry jam yet. I was letting them go to the birds for the last year. But there are so many berries. So i will be harvesting this year.
@@WildFloridian I make it every year and they grow back on new wood so I can cut it down within 12" and they come back strong and fruitful. The jelly is SIMPLE if you get a steam juicer. Best thing I every got. I dump the berries (washed in a big bowl, pick out any larger leaves and dump the whole thing into the top of the steamer. Then once the water bois and steams out the juice, there is nothing to do but through the leftovers into your compost and I usually put the juice in a jug to make jelly the next day when I'm not tired. Picking the berries is tricky, also. The easier way is to grab the end of the stem and hold a large bowl under neath as you hold and wiggle your fingers over the clusters. The ripest fall right off but the others just squish so you can harvest off the branches twice collecting the ripest (closest to the main trunk) and leave the others that don't fall off for about 2 weeks later. Then go back to make more. I like mine more like syrup which I can then mix a couple tablespoons into plain yogurt sprinkled with bran flakes. The 'jelly' sweetens it all up and I eat it almost every day when I have the jelly - it was a match made in heaven for yogurt and chips is what my 5 yo grandson calls it - he eats with me and thinks it's dessert. But so good for him. Good luck with your harvest. Don't eat any other parts of the plant and only eat the berry juice after cooking it. Something about the seeds breaking open and being not so good. But the steamer eliminates all that problem - you do really work at it. I let the juice drip into a large pot on a chair pulled up near the stove, then measure and make jelly the next day - or syrup if you don't use pectin - my favorite.
I started working on this about a year ago. A lot of work, but its effective.
You wouldn't happen to be in Vero Beach, would you?
Way to go Robert. 😄 No I’m not in Vero Beach.
Was all that mulch on the driveway one truck load of the chip dump? I will also be using the driveway to have my mulch dumped, but wondered if that was one truck load or not. Thanks for these videos! So informative!
It WAS one truck load. It was the biggest truck load we ever got! Usually they are half the size of that one.
I think I’d just let that smolder and be for a few weeks or maybe even until the fall when it decomposes and cools off a bit.
What do you use for mulch? Please tell.
I use getchipdrop.com . Most of the mulch I have received is pine, sycamore, and oak.
What kind of mulch are you using? Thanks. Also, if you don't mind, what part of Florida are you in? I'm in the coastal panhandle. I need all the advice I can get, I'm from Ohio, and love to garden!
I spend about 1 month, (in the winter) spreading about 12" of mulch on the entire yard, no grass left. I'm in sw Florida and spreading the mulch in the summer is just to much.
Where do you get your mulch from?
Do you use free city mulch?
Is there any chance that termites would be attracted to the mulch? My neighbor swears that no wood chips should be used other than cypress mulch.
I want to know this too...
I live in Marion county ive been trying to find native fire bush for my yard if your throwing away the babys ir composting them i could love some if you could mail it up or even the seeds so i can start some would be epic 😁🥰😁 ive been getting back into gardening sence my grandfather recently passed and your videos have been awesome 😁 thank you for making them
what about pine straw?
David the Good makes a compost tea he calls Dave's fetted swamp water.
That’s the name! Thank you 😄
Fetid is the word.
My neighbors keep telling me they don't like when people mulch because it attracts roaches and other unwanted bugs. Your take?
Interesting. I've never heard people worry about mulch and roaches... mulch and termites. Roaches are a reality of Florida and wherever there is organic matter... they will come. So mulch isn't going to change the potential of roaches. Keeping your house clean and closing up openings for bugs to make a home in is very important. I haven't noticed a difference in bug activity in our house. Outside in the garden... yes... but that is what we want... bugs breakdown the mulch and help make the soil. On termites... I'm not an expert... but termites are always present in your garden. One... Florida home should be cement block for hurricanes... but many places wood frame is what there is... so having termite barriers can help.
BUT in summary.... bugs feed birds... and lizards... and small mammals. Bugs are part of nature.
I have to bite the bullet and buy ourselves probably 2 truck loads between the food forest and the seasonal bed area.
Aye yae yae! Two truck loads is a beast! But you got this... slow and steady
I wanna add wood chips to my raised garden bed pathways and all around the front of my house. This place local to me sells natural wood chips for pretty cheap but my husbands scared of termites (which ive been told by a few that that spray theyll spray on foundations while the house is being built will keep that problem away) but my biggest problem thats holding me back is ants. I already am having to battle them in my raised beds so i dont wanna be stepping all over them in the mulch getting tore up.
I agree about the spray done to most houses. And in Florida, there are always termites around... whether you mulch or not. When it comes to ants... I don't notice a difference with the mulch. THE biggest bug difference is millipedes. Millipedes do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to breaking down mulch. And if you have any openings in the house... they will find their way in (gaps of doors and windows). Now they don't hurt anything... they just die. We get a few, but our neighbor got a ton from our yard because they leave the lights on around their house. We leave our lights off. Hope that helps with your decision.
@@WildFloridian it does help alot! And thats something i brought up to my husband was that we have a wooded area right next to our house. We would be bound to get termites from there regardless of mulch being down. Now i do have one more question. Do i have to lay weed barrier down?
It depends on what you have growing there. I had mostly grass so I didn’t. But when I covered my sweet potatoes, I threw down some cardboard to help suppress them
Coconut water does the same thing Gatoraid does and it healthier. Way, way too much sugar. Just because it was created for athletes it doesn't proof its better. I wouldn't normally say anything but because you were promoting it I can't let it go. Gatoraid is the worst thing. I do agree that wood chips are the best thing though.
So... where did you get your mulch? 🤔😅 I'm gonna have to call around and see who can gimme all the mulch.
www.getchipdrop.com is where I got it from
@@WildFloridian Awesome just found them actually. haha. It doesn't seem like there has been any drops in my area, hopefully there is a need for a drop location. haha
You'd save yourself a ton of work if you'd shove that cart into the pile and drag the mulch into it instead of scooping and pivoting every shovel full into it.
people tell me that mulch in FL attracts bugs, like termites. Is this not true? I would like to do this...
And great video. TY. I subscribed.
Bugs are everywhere in Florida. Even in "chilly" sub-70 temps (cold in Florida) when you don't see bugs they are there, just burrowed underground. As infertile as most Florida soil is, massive quantities of plants and bugs thrive in it as they have adapted. Just treat your home and the outdoor perimeter regularly. I do every six months. We have do-it-yourself pest control stores where you can buy professional pesticides that have long-lasting residual effect. Don't waste money on garden center and department store pesticides as they fall way short of effective. The pro stuff is expensive but usually mixes with water to make a few years worth of very effective protection. I get 5 + years out of every $35 pint of Talstar.
🥵
I was so excited to find a Florida video on mulch but this video has SO MUCH fluff. Thanks for making the video though.
You're welcome 😄
After watching this I have to ask, aren't you worried about termites? I mean you hear horror stories about houses in tropical places and termites. 😱
Generally no. Termites are always present in Florida yards. Also my home is cement block, not wood frame. I also monitor for trails on the house "like ant trails" to see if they are going for the roof line.
@@WildFloridian ok!👍 we moved down here in 2014 and live in a typical Florida block house, so I have been nervous about adding natural mulch with shredded wood in it. Our house has a border of decorative stone around it and we are adding raised beds slowly so I do a lot of weeding without mulch. More beds more weeding 🙄 mulch would sure help out 🤣
Yes… no mulch… that would be a lot of weeds. I think you will be happier in the long run. Happy mulching 😄
you are moving wood chips all wrong. Get a regular wheel barrow with on wheel, tilt it 40 degrees against the pile and then take the pitch fork and hit the mulch above the wheel barrow so it falls into the tub. let gravity do the work. i can move a 12 yard load about 100 feet to my back yard in about 6 hrs by myself using that method. I also use a big plastic box and the same technique as the pile gets smaller. And yes at the very very end you have to scoop it up one by one. I use an ergonomic snow shovel much faster than a ptich fork to get the last bits off the driveway. literally about 40 to 50 lbs of chips per scoop
Maybe you should invest in a big wheelbarrow, no wonder it's taking forever with that little wagon!
That would be very logical,,, but then how will I get my garden workout 🤣
You are such Floridians. You have an Epcot shirt, dole whip hat, and he is wearing a Publix shirt. Oh, and you’re talking about Gatoraid. The only thing that would have improved the video is if you were eating a PubSub.
BWAHAHAHAH! I never thought about it .... but yeah!
try to stay on the subject. After the drink gator aid commercials (bad advice) and the weeding, i knew i was watching a 5-minute video that was going to last 15, and i moved on.
Vlog style videos are more experiential than efficiently educational. Based on your comment, vlog style videos aren’t for you. The shortest answer is moving mulch is hard and laborious. But many don’t understand that experience. 😄Wishing you the best in your gardening journey.