Okay, I've certainly made my share of mistakes over the years! Most recently, I tried to speed my way through sheet mulching a large bed area... and it came back to bite me! 🤦🏻♀️ But, I'm getting it fixed and we are continuing development progress on our perennial food forest beds!
Unless you dig down a bit and put in a rhizome barrier between the goat paddock and the garden bed, the running grasses will infiltrate the area from the side. Fighting running grasses is more of a marathon than a sprint! Another resource for sheet mulching - for when you run out of cardboard, or when you need to sheet a broad area QUICKLY is to use rolls of contractor's paper .. this material is intended to be put down over flooring surfaces to keep them from being damaged during projects. It isn't free, but it is less expensive than weed mat, and will decompose shortly after it has done its work of top killing the vegetation that it is laid down on. Even though it is thinner than corrugated cardboard, the lack of gaps makes it better as a bottom layer for resisting those runners!
These are really great points and I'm really glad you added them to the discussion! Rhizome barriers are a very effective way to keep grass from traveling in from bordering areas. I forgot to mention it, but I did dig down and have a vertical border of thick cardboard between this area and the pasture. I've also used tripled up weed barrier for this purpose if I don't have any actual rhizome barrier on hand. You are definitely correct about the process being a marathon rather than a sprint - perfect way to sum it up! Like all gardening, it's just an ongoing relationship with the space. It's always changing and we just adapt as the earth does. 🙂
Last year I used sheet mulching to set up a garden at my grandparents. I didn't have any compost available but because they have horses, there was plenty of manure, so I used that on top of the cardboard and added composting worms. After a few months the worms and turned it all into beautiful soil! The only downside was that the plants didn't grow super well unless you made sure to push aside the manure where you put in transplants, or just waited for the manure to break down.
I love hearing that!! It definitely works and is such an amazingly simple way to create new growing space. Kudos on using your resources so wisely! And, great point about planting in it right away. I usually do what you suggested and push the manure back (if I'm planting soon after/didn't fully compost it) and fill around the plant with some garden soil or finished compost. 😃
Thank you! I'm definitely always open to sharing the mistakes and silly things we do along the way. I definitely think we learn more from the things that go wrong than from the things that go right!
A super deep layer of hay is a great way to do walkways since it's so high in carbon! And who doesn't love a good bouncy walkway?! How often do you top it off? About once a year? 😃
I use newspaper instead of cardboard but I always wait until fall. The snow really helps to break things down. Lots of leaves and grass clippings layered between the compost helps.
A lot of gardening is about making mistakes and doing it differently next time. I have also made some of these mistakes with sheet mulching, and I think it's great that you made a video to help others avoid the sad outcome of a new lush patch of crabgrass or ragweed. :-) Thumbs up, I just subscribed!
Boy if that isn’t the truth! I think the mistakes have taught me so much more than the successes too! The best part of gardening is learning how to shift, adjust and try it all over again. 😊
Something I like to do for my ground prep is after I mow down to the ground I spread a strong organic fertilizer and molasses and compost and then use a stirrup hoe to break up the roots. I think that breaking up the roots with all the fertilizer and compost encourages the microbes to attack and eat up the ground layer plants.
Hello from your old friends in Idaho! We just saw that you have a youtube channel. The kids are loving it. Your home is beautiful and we are learning lots! We are so happy for you guys! Have a happy Spring season!
@6:27 - *burning off grass to help mitigate regrowth of new grass?* Well, burning will certainly eliminate the present dead grass. However, doesn't burning actually promote new growth? Seems every time I've seen, or burnt areas myself, that new growth comes in much stronger and rejuvenated.
Our last garden (in Idaho) was a giant square filled with giant square raised beds. When I got to design my own space, I knew I wanted to use curves as much as possible to mimic natural patterns. Curves also increase our margin space, so they give us more of those magical borders where you can more easily access things. Patterns are definitely one of my favorite permaculture tactics to maximizing space!
I started out sifting the rocks out of my garden area , soon after just dug out the dirt 12” deep. Used truck load after truck load of free horse manure, now I add as much organic material that I can get for free. The garden is 15’ wide and 30’ long , eight years later
Being "lazy" is also one of my biggest issues. Every time that I've skimped because I wanted to finish a garden project quicker, I just make more work for myself. Like the one time that I ran out of cardboard and thought....oh, a few inches of wood chips will be enough to smother the grass. Nope! There is just no substitute for doing it right the first time, even if it takes another week or two to finish or necessitates a run the next day to the big box store. I'm going to try and follow my own advice this year 😊
This! Me too! I thought a skimpier layer of compost wouldn't have much effect...🤦🏼♀️my garden this summer has been wayyy less prolific than I aimed for. I've dedicated more time to plan my 'fixes' for next summers garden! I've since moved my fall garden elsewhere(that I prepared properly!)
My grandpa used 2 layers of cardboard then mulch then black plastic. He put on in fall. Left til spring planting. Then added compost in spring and planted.
Ah yes! The black plastic works so well! I’ve also used tarps and such for the same effect. It definitely helps with a lot of the weed suppression. Sounds like your grandpa knows what he’s doing! ♥️
@@RootedRevival yep. He's gone now, but i learned alot about permaculture before permaculture was a thing. So thankful for all the decades i got with him.
Does the plastic cover with keeping the water out and everything, negatively affect the soil? This seems like a great solution I’m just not wanting to kill anything besides my rhizome grass..
This was really helpful, thank you! I'm going to be sheet mulching my entire back yard (it's small, I live in a city) to get rid of goutweed and you've pointed out a couple of things that I would have done wrong. :)
We suffer from the same thing in our front garden! Lesson learned- you can never have enough in your cardboard layer!!! Love the vids, guys! Keep them up, I can't wait to watch your food forest grow! We got a ton of bare root perennials off Etsy this year. I think it would be worth taking a look for what you guys are trying to do, even after your big haul. Would make a great video too! :)
Oh I hadn't even thought to check Etsy for plants!! Wow what an awesome tip! I bet it would be a great way to support small growers too! Ooooohhhh I'm excited! 😁 (And you are SO right about there never being enough cardboard!!)
Great information I certainly would of made all those mistakes for sure. My first attempt will be this Spring. Leaving grass in middle and covering a 2 foot strip with the cardboard and mulch. Trying to cut down on mowing between trees 🌲.
I am all about cutting down on the grass too! And this method really does work so well for that! If you get some grass breaking though, just do another layer over the top. Sometimes it takes a few, but it does work and in my opinion, it’s still the easiest way to develop larger areas. 😊
I am on a journey where I won't have to deal with weeds or having to cut the grass so I've already had it lawn mower down to nothing I have it completely covered with cardboard and I'm going to start buying the monster that I need I don't want to grow anything I don't want any plants I'm going to make me a rock garden and that's it so I hope this works
This was a very timely video for me since I am working on my front yard right now creating a rock garden on part of it and want to get rid of the grass and weeds on the rest of it. I am in Colorado and we have a very tough weed to kill called bindweed so i am hoping this will help. Since I live within town limits I can't do some of the prep work you mentioned but maybe if I weed eat to a very shot height the area I want to sheet mulch it might help Thanks for sharing you experience with it
I tried the no till last year, laid down the cardboard and then a large amount of grass clippings on top of that. Worked pretty well but weeds did come through where I put holes in the cardboard to put my plants in. I went to inspect my garden this spring and noticed the cardboard didn't break down. It is out of place. Do you just reuse it and place it back where it's supposed to be or place new cardboard? Was hoping your video would address this on what to do with last years stuff.
I don't think you are supposed to cut holes in the cardboard where you are planting. Rather you put about 5-6 inches of compost over the top of the cardboard and plant in that. No digging. You are working from the ground up.
We have super sandy soil where I'm at and the grass dies if you look at t funny. I laid down cardboard instead of clearing the sod to keep all that organic material. Then I added yards of leaf mould from our compost burm and ORGANIC hay on top to cover. Still need to bulk up the beds a bit. Burning the grass tops would have been slick, but I'm less worried about weeds than volume and having to add minerals until the cardboard decomposes and the veggies have access to the real soil.
Isn’t it crazy how different the situation is for everyone! I think it’s one of the things I love most about gardening - there is no “right” answer, just lots of answers! We used to live in a very similar area (high desert) and grass was the same way there - keeping it alive was the struggle! Now we have the opposite problem! It sounds like you’ve really dialed it in for your situation though! Good work figuring out your natural climate and adapting the process specifically to it! 👏🏼 I’m really glad you shared!
@@RootedRevival It is different. We're near the great lakes, so rain and snow is plentiful but the depth of soil is very shallow till you get to play sand. I'll also be adding indigenous micro organisms via the JADAM method. Just a way to boost and propagate the microbes I have here in the woods. Very cheap and easy.
@@danvankouwenberg7234 That's awesome! I've been really intrigued by the whole JADAM method but haven't gone too deep yet into learning about it. Do you make your own liquid fertilizer using the leaf mold and other organic material? I'd love to hear how it works for you and if you've seen any benefits yet.
@@RootedRevival I've just done the IMO with the potatoes, sea salt and leaf mold. I only have a quarter acre, so I'm not putrifying anything in a bucket unfortunately. I will be trying some KNF stuff this year. More complicated but less stinky.
6 weeks just isn't enough to get a fully finished compost. Even with proper monitoring of temperature, humidity and regular turning, some weeds will still survive.
You are totally correct! And, honestly, is compost ever truly "finished" since the decomposition process is never-ending? Our compost is actively managed for anywhere from 6-10 weeks depending on the time of year. During this time, we are actively turning it, ensuring the ratio is correct and monitoring the temps. After that time, we feel it is fairly safe to either use, or just store for later and let it continue to decompose. It definitely isn't nearly as "finished" as commercial compost! But, after this process, we have had really good luck with it and don't have too many weeds coming from the actual compost. There's still a few for sure, but most of them are shallow rooted and easy to remove. Our main problem is still the break-through of pre-established pasture grass from below. Would love to hear more about how you manage and use compost! 😊
Any recommendations for people just starting out composting only kitchen scraps? I have about a 60 gallon trash bin right now with compost and that's it! I need so much more!
Yay!! That’s a great start!! Your kitchen scraps are considered a “green” (aka high nitrogen) item. You’ll want to offset them with “browns” (high carbon) items. Ideally, you’ll want about a ratio of about 1 part green items to every 3 parts of brown items. I have a full step by step guide on the blog if you want to check it out. It will help you decide on the best bin style and get started making your first batch of compost. You can check it out here 😊 rootedrevival.com/how-to-compost/
Hi, love you and your video and gardens ! So... Idk about burning, some things come back stronger than ever DUE to that. Allegedly, the native Americans actually burned more often for the purpose of keeping it from growing back into forest, as it was getting towards that again, to keep it in more open grassland to attract/keep coming back more deer, bison etc. . Even if it was for cultivation, it was again probably more for getting rid of brambles and bushes starting to crop up, than killing grasses and weeds. Idk, just some potential things that may be facts... . Greg Judy, the regenerative grazer here on YT, used to be a burning believer but speaks against it now. Has his reasons why in a vlog. Geoff Lawton has a super insightful vlog on the topic, it may be under one of them titled about weeds. Super interesting info on how a few dif. plants respons to being burned, due to mineral situations that arise from burning, for ex. . As far as black plastic, if anyone has dairy (or maybe even beef) farms nearby, ask for used silage tarp/plastic. It's white on one side, if at all, black on the other and is usually heavy duty. They cover silage piles or bale stacks and cut away chunks as they dig aways into the pile. It will be jagged, difficult-ish to work with that way, but once u get used to managing it's not that bad. And it's free (and often will just be otherwise thrown away) ... . Also, mowing an area 2 or more times in close succession ( every day ?) will weaken the grass/plants, so to do at least that before sheet mulching, can help. Or, before solarizing if you won't be able to leave the tarp down for an ideal number of weeks/months.
Do you find that in vegetable gardens you need to do this year after year to keep the weeds from springing back? Our 20x30ft garden in New England is weed free when we garden this way with cardboard a md mulch and then plant but at the end of the growing season the ground is fully exposed and by the next growing season tiny weeds have started again. We don't want to build up this patch with endless layers or disturb it too much by hauling built up soil out. Maybe our best bet is to cover it with a huge tarp for the 3 non growing seasons, but wonder if exposing it during the growing season the weeds would bounce back with a vengeance.
I found this method to be a complete failure in central texas. After double digging, i had much more success. This method assumes you have life in your soil in the first place. It also assumes your yard isn't filled with 3 foot thick limestone. Bring out the digging bar, break the rocks up, mix in the organic matter, and then I was able to at least get a few things to grow. Maybe I'll go no till after a few seasons of rock removal.
Absolutely! And I’m so glad you shared. I always say that there is no one right answer in gardening! There are just way too many variables and each situation is so different. It sounds like for your bioregion, the double digging method would be much more effective! You could always use that as the foundation and then do no till on top once you’ve reintroduced some life into the soil if you want to. There are so many ways that we can all incorporate these different gardening methods - it definitely doesn’t have to be one or the other. Speaking of that, are you familiar with John Jeavons’ double digging method? I’ve used a variation of it in the high desert of Idaho with really good success. It might be another tool to add to your tool box! 😊
@@RootedRevival I am not familiar with the name. I will look it up and see what I can see. Thanks. EDIT: Found it. Yea, that is pretty much what I did, incorporated with some rock removal and breaking them up. This is the first season growing that way, but it looks promising so far.
Ugh! That is the worst! It’s so hard to do on a windy day! Getting it wet helps and then I usually just try to wait for a non windy day because even weighing it down with rocks and branches is only so helpful.
Hello from Australia. Thanks for honestly sharing your experiences. Getting compost hot enough to kill the weed and grass seeds is so important. Taking the time makes a proper compost full of beneficial microorganisms. Dr Elaine Ingham, and the soil food web has lots of information and youtube videos, courses to take etc. You've done well with your video and I'd say you are not lazy just busy and looking for a short cut in the process.
Thanks for the comment! I have seen some of Dr. Ingham's work and her knowledge on soil is just so impressive! She's definitely one of those people I wish I could sit down with and just absorb as much as possible! Thanks for recommending her - definitely a good resource for anyone wanting to dive into soil biology!
I'm looking to an area of lawn to a mulch pit play area for my kids. Can I just lay thick cardboard and mulch on top (no compost, since I won't be planting)? Or do you think that I will need to solarize the grass with plastic first?
You definitely can just lay the cardboard and mulch right on top. However, with grass which can be a bit aggressive, it could certainly be helpful to solarize it first. And honestly, it’s such an easy step that I would recommend doing it if you can. I think you will definitely get better long term results and less grass breakthrough that way.
I laid down cardboard and, because we didn't have the ability to get a lot of compost at the time we laid down cardboard, I just threw down 4-8 inches of woodchips on top of the cardboard. It was arborist woodchips so there is some green mixed in among the actual woodchips as well. This has worked REALLY well to suppress weeds however, nothing grows in it! We've planted a variety of things and then all look good for a couple days then mostly wither and die. so, I'm wondering if I was to move the woodchips aside and add compost then put the mulch back on top, how long will it take for the cardboard to decompose? Can plant roots easily push through the cardboard into the soil underneath? THank you very much!
Cameron, I did the same thing and am trying to figure out how to fix this. At this point, I feel like it's going to be a year before I'm able to plant. I am going to add horse manure and kitchen scraps in hopes of turning this in to compost. I also thought about making it a large chicken run and again just wait it out. How did it turn out for you?
@@dragonfireyoga7395 it's worked out pretty well after 2 years. Last year I added a bunch of cover crops (mainly rye grass and clovers of all types). Those grow really well and they fix nitrogen into the soil while also breaking down the cardboard. After a year of cover crops in there, everything grows well in it.
Hoping my project works out. Have a Bermuda grass yard😬 went hard and took off the top couple inches with a shovel, double layered cardboard in most spots, compost and a thick layer of wood chips, bordered in with cinderblocks and strips of carpet. Hate to say it but might use roundup if it pops up through all that
Just keep up with the layering! The Bermuda grass is a major pain the you know what! But the layering does work! I had a similar patch in the yard border bed. Took me about 3 solid layers to finally get it! Definitely use some fast growing crops to help shade it out and choke it out. Calendula, marigold and squashes have become my favorite. I just broadcast the seeds and let it go wild! Best wishes - you got this! 💪
The easy & fastest way to have done this would have been too just till it the 1st time. You can water with blk strap molasses or brown sugar to help rebuild up the fungi & feed the soil. Only till this 1st time. Especially if you happen to be in midwest. Our soil is hard. After that 1st till do everything you did. Those grasses are aggressive so id do an extra step. Anytime u mulch (which will be atleast every year) put down a layer of newspaper. I go around plants then mulch. May need too be done a couple of times a year if you hate weeding & have the materials
We did a similar process in Idaho where we did an initial tilling to break up the soil and add amendments before beginning the sheet mulching. It worked really well there because we also had hard clay soil like you. Here, we practically live on a river bed and the giant rocks make it very hard to till - especially using a smaller hand-operated tiller. So I basically follow the Charles Dowding methods here and it works quite well - when I’m not lazy and actually do all the steps! Good to hear you’ve found a solution that’s working well for your soil type! It certainly varies based on soil type, environment, etc. 😊
Not all our soil is clay. We have rocky soil too. We just hit it stop & pull it out or stop & dig it out if its big. I wasn't trying to knock you. That was for people reading comments trying to figure out what to do. Thats how i do it. Sometimes you learn more from comments then vids
I've found that it really varies based on the type of grass/weeds you are solarizing and the time of year. In the summer, when it's hot, the process can go quite quickly and it will probably only take a week. But, I've found that in the winter, it can be several weeks. I suggest checking it every few days by lifting the tarp/plastic and checking the progress. You'll want to make sure it's completely killed back before removing the covering.
I remember my dad “solarizing” and being sad about the number of weeds he still had. I love ditch burning season since next come ditch asparagus!! I wish I could have goats!!!
Ha! Your dad is right! There’s definitely no quick easy solution to any of this. But the goats make it more enjoyable 😆 I love the smell of ditch burning season! It’s always been a clear marking of the seasons since I was a child!
Completely agree! It's much more labor intensive than a lot of people realize - and that definitely includes myself when I first started! Worth it? Absolutely! But it's not a perfectly quick or fast solution!
So I don't have any animals other than my dog and she will not be back there so I want to know do you put the top down and on top of the top put cardboard and then the mulch
Hi Gloria! We wet the cardboard layer before applying any mulch/compost. This helps starts the decomposition process. Once it's topped off with the mulch/compost, I generally don't water it until I plant. Of course, we live near-sh to Seattle, so we get plenty of moisture during most of the year! Any moisture is going to help it keep decomposing though, so you certainly can maintain a certain moisture level if you want to keep the microbial activity a little more active. 😊
Hi! Happy to see a nice new homesteading channel! Good luck! Your video was nice and informative. I subscribed because I like your personality and your little side comments TBH. I've been obsessed with gardening content even though I've not yet gardened.😁 It's definitely in my future! oh and hey just something I noticed... make sure you're looking directly at the camera lens, it seems like you're not quite looking at me 😉
Thanks so much! Oh and yes, looking directly at the 120 pound puppy zooming around the garden definitely happens more than looking directly at the camera 😂
It’s always a Goldilocks situation. Share a short video and people say it’s missing too many details. Share a more detailed video and it’s too long. 🤷🏼♀️ guess we all just do the best we can!
Okay, I've certainly made my share of mistakes over the years! Most recently, I tried to speed my way through sheet mulching a large bed area... and it came back to bite me! 🤦🏻♀️ But, I'm getting it fixed and we are continuing development progress on our perennial food forest beds!
I’m going to make a chicken Chunnel all the way around the garden. That way the chickens can eliminate the weeds between the garden edges
Unless you dig down a bit and put in a rhizome barrier between the goat paddock and the garden bed, the running grasses will infiltrate the area from the side. Fighting running grasses is more of a marathon than a sprint! Another resource for sheet mulching - for when you run out of cardboard, or when you need to sheet a broad area QUICKLY is to use rolls of contractor's paper .. this material is intended to be put down over flooring surfaces to keep them from being damaged during projects. It isn't free, but it is less expensive than weed mat, and will decompose shortly after it has done its work of top killing the vegetation that it is laid down on. Even though it is thinner than corrugated cardboard, the lack of gaps makes it better as a bottom layer for resisting those runners!
These are really great points and I'm really glad you added them to the discussion! Rhizome barriers are a very effective way to keep grass from traveling in from bordering areas. I forgot to mention it, but I did dig down and have a vertical border of thick cardboard between this area and the pasture. I've also used tripled up weed barrier for this purpose if I don't have any actual rhizome barrier on hand. You are definitely correct about the process being a marathon rather than a sprint - perfect way to sum it up! Like all gardening, it's just an ongoing relationship with the space. It's always changing and we just adapt as the earth does. 🙂
Thanks for being realistic about the gardening process!
Absolutely! The “unpretty” parts of gardening are just as important. Frankly I think they teach us more!
Last year I used sheet mulching to set up a garden at my grandparents. I didn't have any compost available but because they have horses, there was plenty of manure, so I used that on top of the cardboard and added composting worms. After a few months the worms and turned it all into beautiful soil! The only downside was that the plants didn't grow super well unless you made sure to push aside the manure where you put in transplants, or just waited for the manure to break down.
I love hearing that!! It definitely works and is such an amazingly simple way to create new growing space. Kudos on using your resources so wisely! And, great point about planting in it right away. I usually do what you suggested and push the manure back (if I'm planting soon after/didn't fully compost it) and fill around the plant with some garden soil or finished compost. 😃
I love the fact you were honest with your mistakes and how you plan to fix them.
Thank you! I'm definitely always open to sharing the mistakes and silly things we do along the way. I definitely think we learn more from the things that go wrong than from the things that go right!
Thank you for sharing these mistakes. You are a big help to novice gardeners like me.
I use hay in my walkways, about 1 foot thick. Nothing grows through that, the ants don't like it, and it feels good to walk on 😁 Bouncy
A super deep layer of hay is a great way to do walkways since it's so high in carbon! And who doesn't love a good bouncy walkway?! How often do you top it off? About once a year? 😃
@@RootedRevival yep, every winter I cover it with what the horse wastes. One day I'll dig up the walkways for the soil
@@melissab8500 Great idea! It will be some great soil over time!
Carbon AND nitrogen! That’s why hay is freaking awesome! But you need to lay it thick!
I have also used used chicken bedding mixed with fall leaves over a layer of cardboard
I use newspaper instead of cardboard but I always wait until fall. The snow really helps to break things down. Lots of leaves and grass clippings layered between the compost helps.
Great summary of ground prep alternatives before no dig sheet mulching, thank you for letting us learn from your mistakes! Great video 🌱🍀🌱
I’m always happy to share my experiences - good and not so good! 😃 Glad it was helpful for you!
Since I have a big front yard and the soil is very bad, I'm definitely going to start out small to see how it all works out 🤞
A lot of gardening is about making mistakes and doing it differently next time. I have also made some of these mistakes with sheet mulching, and I think it's great that you made a video to help others avoid the sad outcome of a new lush patch of crabgrass or ragweed. :-) Thumbs up, I just subscribed!
Boy if that isn’t the truth! I think the mistakes have taught me so much more than the successes too! The best part of gardening is learning how to shift, adjust and try it all over again. 😊
Something I like to do for my ground prep is after I mow down to the ground I spread a strong organic fertilizer and molasses and compost and then use a stirrup hoe to break up the roots. I think that breaking up the roots with all the fertilizer and compost encourages the microbes to attack and eat up the ground layer plants.
That makes sense! Good tip - thank you for sharing!
Hello from your old friends in Idaho! We just saw that you have a youtube channel. The kids are loving it. Your home is beautiful and we are learning lots! We are so happy for you guys! Have a happy Spring season!
Oh my gosh!! Hellllooooo! We miss you guys and I’m so happy you found the channel! Tell the kiddos we say hello and give them hugs from us!
@6:27 - *burning off grass to help mitigate regrowth of new grass?* Well, burning will certainly eliminate the present dead grass. However, doesn't burning actually promote new growth? Seems every time I've seen, or burnt areas myself, that new growth comes in much stronger and rejuvenated.
Thanks for the advice :) Using animals like chickens to clear the weeds/grass sounds genius
Love this video! You are so candi and straightforward. I'm going to sheet mulch my small garden this summer and now I feel preparedd. Thank you.
I really like the way you have areas delineated. with curves rather than squares.
Our last garden (in Idaho) was a giant square filled with giant square raised beds. When I got to design my own space, I knew I wanted to use curves as much as possible to mimic natural patterns. Curves also increase our margin space, so they give us more of those magical borders where you can more easily access things. Patterns are definitely one of my favorite permaculture tactics to maximizing space!
I started out sifting the rocks out of my garden area , soon after just dug out the dirt 12” deep. Used truck load after truck load of free horse manure, now I add as much organic material that I can get for free. The garden is 15’ wide and 30’ long , eight years later
Awesome video, I followed your recommendations today. I've never left the cardboard edge before.
Thx for info starts at 5:14. Costco has great flat sheets...catch them in the a.m.
Great tip!!
Being "lazy" is also one of my biggest issues. Every time that I've skimped because I wanted to finish a garden project quicker, I just make more work for myself. Like the one time that I ran out of cardboard and thought....oh, a few inches of wood chips will be enough to smother the grass. Nope! There is just no substitute for doing it right the first time, even if it takes another week or two to finish or necessitates a run the next day to the big box store. I'm going to try and follow my own advice this year 😊
Right?! We do the same thing! It’s so funny how you know better but still think “oh it will be fine!” 😂
This! Me too!
I thought a skimpier layer of compost wouldn't have much effect...🤦🏼♀️my garden this summer has been wayyy less prolific than I aimed for. I've dedicated more time to plan my 'fixes' for next summers garden! I've since moved my fall garden elsewhere(that I prepared properly!)
My grandpa used 2 layers of cardboard then mulch then black plastic. He put on in fall. Left til spring planting. Then added compost in spring and planted.
Ah yes! The black plastic works so well! I’ve also used tarps and such for the same effect. It definitely helps with a lot of the weed suppression. Sounds like your grandpa knows what he’s doing! ♥️
@@RootedRevival yep. He's gone now, but i learned alot about permaculture before permaculture was a thing. So thankful for all the decades i got with him.
Does the plastic cover with keeping the water out and everything, negatively affect the soil? This seems like a great solution I’m just not wanting to kill anything besides my rhizome grass..
This was really helpful, thank you! I'm going to be sheet mulching my entire back yard (it's small, I live in a city) to get rid of goutweed and you've pointed out a couple of things that I would have done wrong. :)
We suffer from the same thing in our front garden! Lesson learned- you can never have enough in your cardboard layer!!!
Love the vids, guys! Keep them up, I can't wait to watch your food forest grow!
We got a ton of bare root perennials off Etsy this year. I think it would be worth taking a look for what you guys are trying to do, even after your big haul. Would make a great video too! :)
Oh I hadn't even thought to check Etsy for plants!! Wow what an awesome tip! I bet it would be a great way to support small growers too! Ooooohhhh I'm excited! 😁 (And you are SO right about there never being enough cardboard!!)
Great information I certainly would of made all those mistakes for sure. My first attempt will be this Spring. Leaving grass in middle and covering a 2 foot strip with the cardboard and mulch. Trying to cut down on mowing between trees 🌲.
I am all about cutting down on the grass too! And this method really does work so well for that! If you get some grass breaking though, just do another layer over the top. Sometimes it takes a few, but it does work and in my opinion, it’s still the easiest way to develop larger areas. 😊
I am on a journey where I won't have to deal with weeds or having to cut the grass so I've already had it lawn mower down to nothing I have it completely covered with cardboard and I'm going to start buying the monster that I need I don't want to grow anything I don't want any plants I'm going to make me a rock garden and that's it so I hope this works
I cut my grass down to the ground w mower, then 2-14’x48’ billboard vinyl. Left that 1 month, NOW cardboard and compost. I’m in middle GA
Great video! Going to try no-dig no-till this year. Looking forward 2024!
This was a very timely video for me since I am working on my front yard right now creating a rock garden on part of it and want to get rid of the grass and weeds on the rest of it. I am in Colorado and we have a very tough weed to kill called bindweed so i am hoping this will help.
Since I live within town limits I can't do some of the prep work you mentioned but maybe if I weed eat to a very shot height the area I want to sheet mulch it might help
Thanks for sharing you experience with it
I tried the no till last year, laid down the cardboard and then a large amount of grass clippings on top of that. Worked pretty well but weeds did come through where I put holes in the cardboard to put my plants in. I went to inspect my garden this spring and noticed the cardboard didn't break down. It is out of place. Do you just reuse it and place it back where it's supposed to be or place new cardboard? Was hoping your video would address this on what to do with last years stuff.
I don't think you are supposed to cut holes in the cardboard where you are planting. Rather you put about 5-6 inches of compost over the top of the cardboard and plant in that. No digging. You are working from the ground up.
We have super sandy soil where I'm at and the grass dies if you look at t funny. I laid down cardboard instead of clearing the sod to keep all that organic material. Then I added yards of leaf mould from our compost burm and ORGANIC hay on top to cover. Still need to bulk up the beds a bit. Burning the grass tops would have been slick, but I'm less worried about weeds than volume and having to add minerals until the cardboard decomposes and the veggies have access to the real soil.
Will probably add biochar too. Nutrient and water retention is more important than weeding here. The weeds pull easy enough
Isn’t it crazy how different the situation is for everyone! I think it’s one of the things I love most about gardening - there is no “right” answer, just lots of answers! We used to live in a very similar area (high desert) and grass was the same way there - keeping it alive was the struggle! Now we have the opposite problem! It sounds like you’ve really dialed it in for your situation though! Good work figuring out your natural climate and adapting the process specifically to it! 👏🏼 I’m really glad you shared!
@@RootedRevival It is different. We're near the great lakes, so rain and snow is plentiful but the depth of soil is very shallow till you get to play sand. I'll also be adding indigenous micro organisms via the JADAM method. Just a way to boost and propagate the microbes I have here in the woods. Very cheap and easy.
@@danvankouwenberg7234 That's awesome! I've been really intrigued by the whole JADAM method but haven't gone too deep yet into learning about it. Do you make your own liquid fertilizer using the leaf mold and other organic material? I'd love to hear how it works for you and if you've seen any benefits yet.
@@RootedRevival I've just done the IMO with the potatoes, sea salt and leaf mold. I only have a quarter acre, so I'm not putrifying anything in a bucket unfortunately. I will be trying some KNF stuff this year. More complicated but less stinky.
very helpful. thank you for sharing the lessons you learned! subscribed.
6 weeks just isn't enough to get a fully finished compost. Even with proper monitoring of temperature, humidity and regular turning, some weeds will still survive.
You are totally correct! And, honestly, is compost ever truly "finished" since the decomposition process is never-ending? Our compost is actively managed for anywhere from 6-10 weeks depending on the time of year. During this time, we are actively turning it, ensuring the ratio is correct and monitoring the temps. After that time, we feel it is fairly safe to either use, or just store for later and let it continue to decompose. It definitely isn't nearly as "finished" as commercial compost! But, after this process, we have had really good luck with it and don't have too many weeds coming from the actual compost. There's still a few for sure, but most of them are shallow rooted and easy to remove. Our main problem is still the break-through of pre-established pasture grass from below. Would love to hear more about how you manage and use compost! 😊
Any recommendations for people just starting out composting only kitchen scraps? I have about a 60 gallon trash bin right now with compost and that's it! I need so much more!
Yay!! That’s a great start!! Your kitchen scraps are considered a “green” (aka high nitrogen) item. You’ll want to offset them with “browns” (high carbon) items. Ideally, you’ll want about a ratio of about 1 part green items to every 3 parts of brown items. I have a full step by step guide on the blog if you want to check it out. It will help you decide on the best bin style and get started making your first batch of compost. You can check it out here 😊 rootedrevival.com/how-to-compost/
Get rabbits; chickens.
Hi, love you and your video and gardens ! So... Idk about burning, some things come back stronger than ever DUE to that. Allegedly, the native Americans actually burned more often for the purpose of keeping it from growing back into forest, as it was getting towards that again, to keep it in more open grassland to attract/keep coming back more deer, bison etc. . Even if it was for cultivation, it was again probably more for getting rid of brambles and bushes starting to crop up, than killing grasses and weeds. Idk, just some potential things that may be facts... . Greg Judy, the regenerative grazer here on YT, used to be a burning believer but speaks against it now. Has his reasons why in a vlog. Geoff Lawton has a super insightful vlog on the topic, it may be under one of them titled about weeds. Super interesting info on how a few dif. plants respons to being burned, due to mineral situations that arise from burning, for ex. . As far as black plastic, if anyone has dairy (or maybe even beef) farms nearby, ask for used silage tarp/plastic. It's white on one side, if at all, black on the other and is usually heavy duty. They cover silage piles or bale stacks and cut away chunks as they dig aways into the pile. It will be jagged, difficult-ish to work with that way, but once u get used to managing it's not that bad. And it's free (and often will just be otherwise thrown away) ... .
Also, mowing an area 2 or more times in close succession ( every day ?) will weaken the grass/plants, so to do at least that before sheet mulching, can help. Or, before solarizing if you won't be able to leave the tarp down for an ideal number of weeks/months.
Will you share the apple garden when you plant it? I would love to understand how a permaculture plan works.
I definitely will! I am planning several videos walking through some different polyculture planting plans as well! 😁
Great video! Glad I found your channel
So glad you are joining us!
You should cover that border area with wood chips because the exposed cardboard will decay very quickly being exposed to the elements like that.
Yep! I just didn’t have any on hand that day 😊
Do you find that in vegetable gardens you need to do this year after year to keep the weeds from springing back? Our 20x30ft garden in New England is weed free when we garden this way with cardboard a md mulch and then plant but at the end of the growing season the ground is fully exposed and by the next growing season tiny weeds have started again. We don't want to build up this patch with endless layers or disturb it too much by hauling built up soil out. Maybe our best bet is to cover it with a huge tarp for the 3 non growing seasons, but wonder if exposing it during the growing season the weeds would bounce back with a vengeance.
You. Are. ADORABLE. Thanks for all the good advice.
😊 thank you
Good advice Kaylee
Thanks, Mike! Glad you liked it! Nature is a great teacher and we will always be learning as we go!
I found this method to be a complete failure in central texas. After double digging, i had much more success. This method assumes you have life in your soil in the first place. It also assumes your yard isn't filled with 3 foot thick limestone. Bring out the digging bar, break the rocks up, mix in the organic matter, and then I was able to at least get a few things to grow. Maybe I'll go no till after a few seasons of rock removal.
Absolutely! And I’m so glad you shared. I always say that there is no one right answer in gardening! There are just way too many variables and each situation is so different. It sounds like for your bioregion, the double digging method would be much more effective! You could always use that as the foundation and then do no till on top once you’ve reintroduced some life into the soil if you want to. There are so many ways that we can all incorporate these different gardening methods - it definitely doesn’t have to be one or the other. Speaking of that, are you familiar with John Jeavons’ double digging method? I’ve used a variation of it in the high desert of Idaho with really good success. It might be another tool to add to your tool box! 😊
@@RootedRevival I am not familiar with the name. I will look it up and see what I can see. Thanks.
EDIT: Found it. Yea, that is pretty much what I did, incorporated with some rock removal and breaking them up. This is the first season growing that way, but it looks promising so far.
@@ChristopherPisz it will surely get better over time as you're introducing more and more organic matter
You have a Haflinger!
Lucky you!!!!!
Very, very good video. Thank you.
I just sheet mulched an area to start a garden and it is super WINDY and I am struggling to keep the cardboard down.
Ugh! That is the worst! It’s so hard to do on a windy day! Getting it wet helps and then I usually just try to wait for a non windy day because even weighing it down with rocks and branches is only so helpful.
Hello from Australia. Thanks for honestly sharing your experiences. Getting compost hot enough to kill the weed and grass seeds is so important. Taking the time makes a proper compost full of beneficial microorganisms. Dr Elaine Ingham, and the soil food web has lots of information and youtube videos, courses to take etc. You've done well with your video and I'd say you are not lazy just busy and looking for a short cut in the process.
Thanks for the comment! I have seen some of Dr. Ingham's work and her knowledge on soil is just so impressive! She's definitely one of those people I wish I could sit down with and just absorb as much as possible! Thanks for recommending her - definitely a good resource for anyone wanting to dive into soil biology!
I enjoyed that, you present your ideas well..you have a new subscriber
Thanks for joining us on this wild and crazy journey. Nature is always teaching me something new! Happy I get to share it!
I'm looking to an area of lawn to a mulch pit play area for my kids. Can I just lay thick cardboard and mulch on top (no compost, since I won't be planting)? Or do you think that I will need to solarize the grass with plastic first?
You definitely can just lay the cardboard and mulch right on top. However, with grass which can be a bit aggressive, it could certainly be helpful to solarize it first. And honestly, it’s such an easy step that I would recommend doing it if you can. I think you will definitely get better long term results and less grass breakthrough that way.
I laid down cardboard and, because we didn't have the ability to get a lot of compost at the time we laid down cardboard, I just threw down 4-8 inches of woodchips on top of the cardboard. It was arborist woodchips so there is some green mixed in among the actual woodchips as well. This has worked REALLY well to suppress weeds however, nothing grows in it! We've planted a variety of things and then all look good for a couple days then mostly wither and die. so, I'm wondering if I was to move the woodchips aside and add compost then put the mulch back on top, how long will it take for the cardboard to decompose? Can plant roots easily push through the cardboard into the soil underneath? THank you very much!
Cameron, I did the same thing and am trying to figure out how to fix this. At this point, I feel like it's going to be a year before I'm able to plant. I am going to add horse manure and kitchen scraps in hopes of turning this in to compost. I also thought about making it a large chicken run and again just wait it out. How did it turn out for you?
@@dragonfireyoga7395 it's worked out pretty well after 2 years. Last year I added a bunch of cover crops (mainly rye grass and clovers of all types). Those grow really well and they fix nitrogen into the soil while also breaking down the cardboard. After a year of cover crops in there, everything grows well in it.
Hoping my project works out. Have a Bermuda grass yard😬 went hard and took off the top couple inches with a shovel, double layered cardboard in most spots, compost and a thick layer of wood chips, bordered in with cinderblocks and strips of carpet. Hate to say it but might use roundup if it pops up through all that
Just keep up with the layering! The Bermuda grass is a major pain the you know what! But the layering does work! I had a similar patch in the yard border bed. Took me about 3 solid layers to finally get it! Definitely use some fast growing crops to help shade it out and choke it out. Calendula, marigold and squashes have become my favorite. I just broadcast the seeds and let it go wild! Best wishes - you got this! 💪
4:40 Speaking of rhymes, at this time I noticed “goat with a coat” 🐐🧥😁
great coverage
Great video, & very helpful. Thank you for sharing. New to your channel. 👍 Subscribed. ~Sammie☆
Can I lay down the cardboard and compost and plant all in one day?
We would call it lazy Gardening above ground dig it in and it rot's down and improves your seed bed
Lazy gardening is definitely something I’m all about!
Very helpful. However if I can make an observation you are still not putting down 4 -6" of compost. You are putting down maybe 1".
Thank you so so much!
The easy & fastest way to have done this would have been too just till it the 1st time. You can water with blk strap molasses or brown sugar to help rebuild up the fungi & feed the soil. Only till this 1st time. Especially if you happen to be in midwest. Our soil is hard. After that 1st till do everything you did. Those grasses are aggressive so id do an extra step. Anytime u mulch (which will be atleast every year) put down a layer of newspaper. I go around plants then mulch. May need too be done a couple of times a year if you hate weeding & have the materials
We did a similar process in Idaho where we did an initial tilling to break up the soil and add amendments before beginning the sheet mulching. It worked really well there because we also had hard clay soil like you. Here, we practically live on a river bed and the giant rocks make it very hard to till - especially using a smaller hand-operated tiller. So I basically follow the Charles Dowding methods here and it works quite well - when I’m not lazy and actually do all the steps! Good to hear you’ve found a solution that’s working well for your soil type! It certainly varies based on soil type, environment, etc. 😊
Or add 3" compost over cardboard ...search
"No dig gardening."
Not all our soil is clay. We have rocky soil too. We just hit it stop & pull it out or stop & dig it out if its big. I wasn't trying to knock you. That was for people reading comments trying to figure out what to do. Thats how i do it. Sometimes you learn more from comments then vids
@@learnjcbskidsterchickensga7594 thats literally what she did. Didn't work. Maybe 3" & more cardboard. Then more mulch like a lasagna
How long do you need to leave the tarp on to suffocate the grass?
I've found that it really varies based on the type of grass/weeds you are solarizing and the time of year. In the summer, when it's hot, the process can go quite quickly and it will probably only take a week. But, I've found that in the winter, it can be several weeks. I suggest checking it every few days by lifting the tarp/plastic and checking the progress. You'll want to make sure it's completely killed back before removing the covering.
Have to add a thick enough layer of soil and compost
For sure! It’s all about finding that perfect amount to keep the grass from breaking through!
I remember my dad “solarizing” and being sad about the number of weeds he still had.
I love ditch burning season since next come ditch asparagus!!
I wish I could have goats!!!
Ha! Your dad is right! There’s definitely no quick easy solution to any of this. But the goats make it more enjoyable 😆 I love the smell of ditch burning season! It’s always been a clear marking of the seasons since I was a child!
Bottom line is you have to stay on top of it before it gets away from you. It’s definitely a lot of work.
Completely agree! It's much more labor intensive than a lot of people realize - and that definitely includes myself when I first started! Worth it? Absolutely! But it's not a perfectly quick or fast solution!
So I don't have any animals other than my dog and she will not be back there so I want to know do you put the top down and on top of the top put cardboard and then the mulch
Once you lay everything down do you water it or just Let it be until you are ready to plant?
Hi Gloria! We wet the cardboard layer before applying any mulch/compost. This helps starts the decomposition process. Once it's topped off with the mulch/compost, I generally don't water it until I plant. Of course, we live near-sh to Seattle, so we get plenty of moisture during most of the year! Any moisture is going to help it keep decomposing though, so you certainly can maintain a certain moisture level if you want to keep the microbial activity a little more active. 😊
Hi! Happy to see a nice new homesteading channel! Good luck! Your video was nice and informative. I subscribed because I like your personality and your little side comments TBH. I've been obsessed with gardening content even though I've not yet gardened.😁 It's definitely in my future! oh and hey just something I noticed... make sure you're looking directly at the camera lens, it seems like you're not quite looking at me 😉
Thanks so much! Oh and yes, looking directly at the 120 pound puppy zooming around the garden definitely happens more than looking directly at the camera 😂
Lay down black plastic down for a while until it kills weeds then mulch
I like videos like this, tell the ugly truth, thx
lol tractor chickens
Poison in cardboard can leech
That's a lot of compost
"I Messed Up My No-Till Garden | Sheet Mulch Mistakes + Fixes"...or, How to make a 4 minute video last 14 minutes.
It’s always a Goldilocks situation. Share a short video and people say it’s missing too many details. Share a more detailed video and it’s too long. 🤷🏼♀️ guess we all just do the best we can!
Get to the point please
How to fix the problems with sheet mulch, Step One: Stop Doing it
hard to watch when you are looking off camera all the time
Your gyrations were too much for me. I couldn't tell if you were signing for the deaf or interpretive dancing.
I’ve grown most of my gardens with kitchen compost mixed with leaf moulder
It’s a magical combo! Makes for some fertile ground!