We did this about 6 years ago (after seeing Back to Eden) to a small area in the back yard that was baron. Just red clay and a few weeds. I made a lot of wood chips with my chipper and just have the pile decomposing out back and add a fresh layer every spring. We now have a great herb (all year) and flower garden that requires only weeding and water during really dry spells. As a bonus the mulch helps insulate the plants during the winter. It really works and just gets better with time! Mushrooms and worms!
Back to Eden started this all for me too, it’s amazing what you can do when you pay attention to the forest and how things work in an “un attended” garden like that :)
Nothing like a garden video to bring out so many opinions. I love listening to you drop the knowledge. Many thanks for showing us how you plant your garden. I wish I was organized enough to seperate my sawdust. Both pine and plywood play such a large part in my wood shop repertoire that I couldn't risk them getting mixed with my other hardwood shavings and kill my plants. But I absolutely love the fact that you are recycling your waste to grow your garden. Maybe I should come up with a method of purging the system every time I use plywood or pine with the dust collector. Thanks for the inspiration!
Mulching is a traditional practice that has found new favor in many home gardens 🤩👍...Properly applied, a blanket of organic mulch smothers weeds. 🤩👍...Conserves soil moisture 🤩👍...Adds Organic Matter to the soil as it decomposes 🤩👍...Mulch insulates the soil , keeping the temps even and aiding the growth of plant roots 🤩👍...Mulch provides food and habitat for earthworms and burrowing insects , whose tunnels loosen and aerate the soil. 🤩👍...Mulching controls gullying and erosion 🤩👍...It prevents the rotting of fruit type vegetables such as Squash, Melons and Cucumbers by keeping them away from fround moisture. 🤩👍...a drop of rain has a powerful and destructive impact on the unprotected soil . Hundreds of rainsdrops in a a storm can easily erode and compact the soil . Mulch absorbs the energy of falling rain and permits the water to soak gently into the underlying soil instead of running off and moving or destroying younge seeds and plants. . The thickness of mulch to be applied depends on the nature of the material Loose,porous mulch such as STRAW should be 6-8 inches thick. If possible , weeds should be removed before applying mulch, even though a thick layer of mulch will smother them . . *Different kinds of Mulch are :* .................................................. 🔵... Sawdust : obtained from lumberyards and sawmills. Let the dust rot until it is dark before use 2 inches thick 🔵... Lawn clippings and Leaves : are abundant and easy to come by in most areas . 4-6 inches thick 🔵... Pine Needles : are cheap and plentiful . Their resin content makes them long lasting . 4-6 inches thick 🔵... Straw : obtained from local farmers, garden centers or your own fields. apply 6-8 inches thick 🔵... Black plastic film : Weed and till soil before spreading plastic on it. Never walk on the plastic itself as it will tear easyily. 🔵... Old newspaper : Avoid colored newsprint, it may contain lead. very biodegradable 🔵... Wood chips : Durable and slow to decay / 3-6 inches thick . Some mulch may contain weed seeds and can also serve as a shelter for slugs , destructive insects and field mice. . Mulch must also be replanished from time to time, since it breaks down gradually ..
Can I ask there is a layer of wood chips in my mini orchard area but they are not doing much to helps with the weed growth we are having an I just put sugar cane mulch straight over those wood chips?
Thanks for the info. Our soil is peat, but it's very shallow, so we built lasagne style beds. Our plans include preparing a hugelkulture garden this year to plant in next year. Thanks for sharing your garden info. Glenn and Maureen
My magic soil I stand by includes peat, clean top soil, mushroom compost and now wood chips! Thanks for making awesome videos and saving us water in the process.🙏
Hello Anne- send you a big smile from germany 🙋♀️😍- " Hügelkultur" is really a great method. I have also learnd it from people from the permaculture- groups here im Germany. Enjoy your garden; stay safe and big hugs from the sunny cost here ☀️ ⛵🌊
Looking good on the garden front, Anne 👍🏽 If you fill those black tubs with two water and let them sit in the direct sunlight for 24 hours all the chlorine will dissipate. I used to do this when I was breeding fish and run out of neutraliser and pH down.👌🏽
My soil, this year, is similar and I add some peat moss to it. I have some really innovative ideas because I have only a small patio to grow on. I appreciate your vlogs
Thanks Anne, I just found out about your channel today but it really gave me the curage and the boots I needed! I will keep following along thank you again🥰
Tennessee gardening can be a challenge. Some areas saw dust creates a bug problem. And I have heirloom rocks in my garden. They re seed after every rain. There doing good this year. Wont be long till it's time to can stone soup.lol
I love watching your vlogs. We are new subscribers to your channel. I have a sister who lives downtown Seattle and my mother lives an hour north west of Nashville. I loved what you did with you Washington property. It inspired both my husband and myself. We plan on becoming farmers when he gets out of the military in a couple years. Thank you for helping soon to be first generation farmers!!
This is 2 yrs old (I'm always late to the party), but I just wanted to say if you want a more bushy basil plant, top it in the same manner as is done to bell peppers.
@@AnneofAllTrades Indeed! The only problem with doing so is there're more flowers to remove when basil goes to seed. I love you, Ann+e. You're a real sweetheart. You're, by far, the best homestead "teacher" on the Tube. Why, how, you say... because you don't waste 1:30 minutes of time with some stupid intro that nobody cares about. You keep everything to the point. I hope your husband realizes what a treasure he has in you. May God bless and keep you and yours!
I have several areas in my “forested yard” in Northern California where I used hugelkultur method to start a bed of landscape or veggie plants. I tried it to “use” rotting or old logs and stumps instead of hauling them elsewhere. Those beds have continued to nurture the plants in them. My area has a hard red clay soil that always needs conditioning. We made and bought raised beds, and purchased a hood raised bed soil mix to start. I have a large slow-composting area that I use to refresh my beds (all started with hugelkulture bases.). We still have to water because we have virtually no rainfall from June to October, when most garden veggies are grown. I use a drip irrigation system that I installed myself, to cut water waste -also something we have to do here due to natural drought weather. My biggest challenges are the local deer, and direct sunlight. Finding enough sun exposure within my small fenced garden is a challenge because I cannot ask my neighbors to cut down trees to increase my garden sunlight hours. Trees get taller all the time, so I am always experimenting with which plants can handle reduced direct sunlight, and filtered light. I go vertical to increase my growth square footage, and crowd plants as much as possible. Your videos sometimes confirm my own gardening practices, and often challenge me to adapt a practice for my area. Thanks!
We will see you at the Homestead Festival.... Looking forward to hopefully meeting you. My wife and I have sold our home here in Phoenix and we are headed to Knoxville in search of our piece of homestead land.
I just watched "The Biggest Little Farm", a documentary about a couple who built a 200-acre sustainable farm over the last 10 years and I could help think about you building your farm. The documentary was pretty amazing, BTW.
Thanks so much for being here friends! Check out my new website, get more in-depth instruction and find my favorite farm and garden tools and amendments! www.anneofalltrades.com
That looks really nice. I have lived in Tennessee my entire life and I didn't know that the water had a lot chlorine. Hope you have a great weekend. Be safe.
As long as your soil line is low enough against your house, no issues. My only problem was termites in my sweet potatoes, but it was the raised bed borders since I was using leaf mulch at the time.
Would they still attack the house if you buried cardboard instead of woodships? In arid Arizone and now Socal I've had success using cardboard as temporary hugelkulture to store water at root level. Love learning about peoples struggles and how they find solutions.
Wood chip ON TOP of the soil does not take nitrogen from the soil below. Like you, I've been using wood chip mulches for over 15 years now with amazing results. We've turned red Kentucky Clay into brown amazing soil, just applying woodchip and occasional compost to feed the soil life. We haven't noticed any nitrogen deficiency in the soil. In fact, we actually have more now than we had starting out. I would have added the broken down compost on top of the clay, then the less composted hay and barn bits, and the raw wood chip on top as the mulch. But it will all work. Oh, and a couple of years, the garden soil will be amazing! :)
I think you misunderstood my explanation there, the nitrogen robbing only takes place when the wood chips first start decomposing, after you’ve got some composted material, and have increased the carbon contents of the soil that won’t be an issue any longer. The point of the larger, un-composted wood chips at the bottom was water retention. The layers on top are necessary to keep the whole thing from drying out as the bed heats up. After 5 years of this method in my last garden, the soil was absolutely incredible. After 15 where you’re at, I bet it’s amazing :)
Great vid! Loved the mixed planting, especially using marigolds as a companion plant! FYI - Dahlias are defined as perennial not annual and those are tubers, not bulbs.
That actually depends where you are. In wet areas like Seattle, or cold areas where the frost and thaw would rot the bulbs like Montana, dahlias don’t over winter well and are therefore considered an annual. You are right on the tubers though ;)
@@AnneofAllTrades Regardless of where you're growing a plant, the classification of its lifecycle doesn't change; in the UK we usually overwinter Dahlias under glass too. What you would say is that it is a 'Tender Perennial' (meaning it wouldn't survive frost), or if you dispose of it at the end of the year, you could say it is a 'Perennial being grown as an annual'. The classification of an annual plant is one which grows for a maximum of one season and who's death is triggered by the setting of its seeds. Dahlias are still 'alive' whilst they are dormant tubers with no top growth and as such are considered a perennial because they exhibit this cycle for many years. Hope this helps :)
Just a quick addition - Basically all plants with a storage organ (Corms, Bulbs, Rhizomes, Stem Tubers and Root Tubers) are perennial. The development of their storage organ allows the plant to store a reserve of carbohydrate and water, facilitating its winter dormancy and regrowth once the temperatures rise again - Sorry for banging on, I should be writing a dissertation (Final year botanical science student) but instead I am being distracted by RUclips!! haha, All the best, thank you for the distraction ;)
@@shaun123w you're wrong. Google it yourself and you'll see wesbite after website stating that "Dahlias may be perennials, tender perennials or annuals, depending on the climate zone you live in." A plant can be an annul in one area, and a perennial in another, whether YOU want to personally believe this or not. And why on earth did you correct her about "tuber" vs "bulb" when she literally said tuber in her video already??? Please stop mansplaining, none of your "corrections" were necessary.
@@SarcasticPixie Three years later and I stand entirely by what I said. You're telling a person with a master's degree in botanical science, now working for the Royal Horticultural Society, to 'Google' what perennial means?! A plant's life cycle does not change depending on the climatic conditions you grow it in. Think about it, if you took a tropical tree like Swietenia mahogany and tried to grow it in Scotland, it would die from being frozen during the first winter. This doesn't make the plant 'an annual', it's still a perennial plant, it's just died after one year. This is exactly the same as the Dahlia example. I'm not trying to be a dick! Sorry if it comes across like I am. Horticulture and botany are absolutely central in my life and classification gets me very passionate and excited!
Love the video and the array of herbs that you put into there, be careful though when watering in the sun as any water left on those leaves will be burnt, a bit similar to a magnifying glass on paper, the water droplets act as the magnifying glass then there's the sun doing the rest. Take Care, and Stay Safe, Barry (ENG)
@@AnneofAllTrades Hi Anne thanks for the reply. Yep early evening when it's nice and cool is the best time, but my comment was for anyone not understanding your comment really, but hey us gardeners have to stick together. Stay Safe over there, Barry (ENG)
A quick question are the guardian dogs Maremma Sheep Dogs? Absolutely gorgeous looking pups. Loving the new place, the old place was fantastic but this one is on another level. Can't wait to see more workshop videos
something very beneficial happens when an oak tree is next to a chain link fence. Let's say 5 or 10 feet from the fence. The leaves bunch up REALLY HIGH. Probably 3 feet off the ground. Only on the fence side. I think it makes an air path. Yea, I use oak leaves instead of mulch.
leaves are fantastic mulch, but they break down fairly quickly. The larger wood pieces decompose slowly and add more water retaining ability to the soil over time.
A nice looking garden. Guess im kind of lucky i can just dig a hole "anywhere" on my land and plant something and it will just grow. Drawback of course is 6 months of cold snowy winter and 3-4 months of summer. (Most soil here is old river bottoms. Dark almost black soil, lots of nutrients and about as much rock as dirt :D)
I totally agree with you that wood chips are a tremendous source of nutrients for your plants but, much of that chips come from trees that were cut down b/c of disease and or insects. Be careful where your supply comes from.
Question? How and why don't you have a degree in horticulture. You do such good research that you should be teaching. Just asking and saying Anne. Thanks and untill next time.
Not sure if still watching comments on old videos but what do you do with the bed the next year? just add 60/40 to the top and replant? just found your channel and love it. i did check for a follow up but didnt notice one.
Here’s an update on what they look like 3 years later if you’re interested: ruclips.net/video/eHiLiTdBAu4/видео.htmlsi=ESnBejAAQE7wf7yM And… moving like as in never holding still or moving houses? Moving homes sucks and I never intend to do so again 😂
Did something similar a few weekends ago with feed troughs since the unending rains the last few years have made traditional gardening a bust. So far no watering since the initial planting and everything is doing good.
Wow, you really are the Anne of all trades! Do you have help on the farm or do you do it all yourself? How do you find the time to get it all done! Love watching your videos! ❤️
That set up may work in Seattle with all the rain but I suspect you will have to water that plot everyday in Tennessee and fertilize on a regular basis.
We had a 90 day draught last year and I only had to water twice. It takes a couple years to build the soil to that point but the climate here in TN is not actually that different. Even with the heat we’ve been having, and being on the starting side of fixing this soil, I’m only watering once every few weeks
I just started this video so you may have addressed this but PLEASE PLEASE mention that the giant piles of wood chips CAN COMBUST from the inside!!!!!!
Okay---I can see you not having to water in Seattle. I do layering but I never use wood chips (I have had poor results with veggies and wood chips). I live in a high altitude and very arid place so never watering won't work. Good luck on all your gardens.
This method was actually created for deserts. Even in Seattle's rainy conditions, it took several years of using this method before I'd built up my soil to the point that during a 90 day draught last year, I only had to water the garden twice.
For those who collect water and like to add Vitamin B at the start of the transplant season .....for every 55 gallons of water collected 1 table spoon of a 5 hr energy is cheeper and if you drink the rest on transplant day you get it all done...lol Been doing it for 7+ years now and works awesome for my 50 year old butt..lol😎
I do use a green cover crop in winter, but this is not the season for it. I’m also starting with a brand new garden this year. Come fall, you’ll see it ;)
Water is my most expensive hot dry months garden/yard input in farther NorCali, NO WAY I can get away with only 2 waterings but thick layer of chips or other mulch dramatically reduces my water requirements, maybe as much as 5 to 8X less. I grew up using B1 for planting new trees but I've since seen studies that say it's useless in that regard.
Drier climates will definitely require more frequent watering, especially at first, but if you continue to regularly add mulch and chips, and diversely plant your beds, you will need increasingly less water every year.
Not nearly as often, no, though year over year it will become increasingly effective. Last year in my seattle garden, we had 92 days without rain. I’d been building the soil for five years, and only had to water twice.
Did you watch the entire video? The large wood chips and sticks I put at the bottom will act as sponges for water retention this first year, then as they decompose will enrich the soil greatly. The compost goes on top of it as the planting medium and then the 60-40 mulch goes on the very top to help with moisture retention and to give a better medium to start seeds in
Question, doesn't all that sawdust create acidic soil? I was always taught to be sparing with wood chips and sawdust in the garden. People in my area use sawdust around blueberry bushes to increase acidity.
That’s a great question, and the answer depends on a lot, what species of wood, what else is going on in your garden, the level of decomposition, but the quick answer is no. I used 10 dump truck loads of wood chips to prep my garden in Seattle and would add 10 yards of sawdust to the pathways 3x a summer and I had the best soil around. Check out my video “fix your soil” or look into “back to Eden” gardening practices, basically, I am doing everything I can in my garden to mimic the forest, so I can minimize my watering, weeding, and have plants that are naturally pest and disease resistant.
Great info! QUESTION: So will you eventually be adding that "4-material" mixture (wood chips, aged compost, fertilized soil, and compost + mulch) on top of the rows of Tennessee clay you've created in the garden and then plant your seeds and/or starters there? I’m a little bit confused though about these “layers” since - as I understand gardening - you usually have existing soil (bottom layer) then compost which either lays on top of existing soil or is amended into it, and then the top layer is mulch. So what is the purpose of the fertilized soil and a fourth layer of combined compost/mulch you have (just for an added boost because you have access to these materials)? Unfortunately, for the vast majority of us who don't live on farms (yet!), don't produce enough mulch and/or compost, and don’t have the ground real estate to mix together and age all of these different materials, we have to *buy* all these things - the (rotting) wood chips, fertilized soil, compost, and mulch - and that can be super spendy here in Seattle (as you know LOL!) For the in-ground organic veggie garden I’m building, I’m amending existing soil with compost and mulch I’ll have to buy (the latter b/c the dogs ruin my backyard lawn clippings) L
Hey Jenna! First off, this all in an effort to create useable soil in an area the soil was not previously useable at all because it was clay. In Seattle, you're likely to have a way better start to your soil. Secondly, even though I live on a farm, I had to purchase all these items as well, save for the arborist chips, which were free, I just bought them in extreme bulk. You have access to free wood chips in Seattle (and most everywhere else) anytime you want them, just sign up for chipdrop. The idea behind the larger wood chips I put on first are to soak up the water beneath the bed on top of it and add to the soil's complexity. This first season, they'll soak up water when it rains and act like a sponge releasing water slowly as the bed heats up. As they decompose, they'll enrich the soil's complexity which will, over time, add to it's own ability to retain more water. I added the first layer of compost to counteract the temporary nutrient stealing the un-composted wood chips will do as they decompose. The soil on top of that would be your base layer if you were starting with decent soil. Then the compost+mulch I put on top is the top layer everyone should add because the chips are smaller, already partially decomposed, and they will serve their water wicking and water saving purpose without preventing seedlings from pushing through a heavy top layer of large wood chips that haven't been composted.
Cucumbers and similar vining plants have smaller root structures and actually do better if you plant them two at a time because the plants support one another.
I notice that you don't pack down the earth around your plants. I normally do. Should I pack it down, or should I leave it loose? I think I was taught to do that many years ago to remove air pockets, but wonder if new procedures are recommended.
@@AnneofAllTrades That could be, in MN. I just noticed on my raised bed with the long beans, the places where I did the hugalculture the beans are under developed. Compared to the stalks on the edge of the beds which are doing great.
You had a small greenhouse at your last home, did you build one for this property also? Also wondering if you have issues there (or at your last place) with deer. Do you need certain heights of fencing to protect your garden from deer or are they mostly left undisturbed?
We have livestock guardian dogs which mostly keep the deer away. I haven’t gotten around to a new greenhouse because I’ve got hopes of building a bigger one but it just hasn’t worked out yet, so I start my starts at a friend’s greenhouse till I can get ours going.
Tennessee has some of the best soil in the country, this particular spot does not. It is easy to amend soil, it just takes time and effort. in two years I’ll have better soil than I had in my last garden in seattle
Hi Anne, thanks for your great video! When you say sawdust what do you mean exactly? I used sawdust from treated pine on a tree last year, and lost the tree.. thanks in advance for your advice!
I mean sawdust from local woods as generated as we build furniture. Because I'm a furniture builder by trade, I generated a LOT of sawdust in my shop in Seattle and this was the best way I found to recycle it. Treated lumber and plywoods have chemicals in their sawdust that could potentially damage your plants or create toxic soil around them, so I wouldn't recommend using their dust in the garden.
Thanks Anne.. I know you are a pro furniture maker.. i have been watching you since the video you were telling your story and learned a lot about hand tools from you! 🙂
Hey I would say it was the chemicals in the treated pine that weren’t so good. I’d think they also wouldn’t be good for supporting good soil activity as the chemicals would probably kill any beneficial insects and even possibly bacteria but I’m no expert. Regular untreated pine and other timbers are ok I think. Sorry you lost your tree 😕
![Eminem - Fuel (Shady Edition) feat. Westside Boogie & GRIP [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/k1OquBida9s/mqdefault.jpg)
We did this about 6 years ago (after seeing Back to Eden) to a small area in the back yard that was baron. Just red clay and a few weeds. I made a lot of wood chips with my chipper and just have the pile decomposing out back and add a fresh layer every spring. We now have a great herb (all year) and flower garden that requires only weeding and water during really dry spells. As a bonus the mulch helps insulate the plants during the winter. It really works and just gets better with time! Mushrooms and worms!
Back to Eden started this all for me too, it’s amazing what you can do when you pay attention to the forest and how things work in an “un attended” garden like that :)
0
Nothing like a garden video to bring out so many opinions. I love listening to you drop the knowledge. Many thanks for showing us how you plant your garden. I wish I was organized enough to seperate my sawdust. Both pine and plywood play such a large part in my wood shop repertoire that I couldn't risk them getting mixed with my other hardwood shavings and kill my plants. But I absolutely love the fact that you are recycling your waste to grow your garden. Maybe I should come up with a method of purging the system every time I use plywood or pine with the dust collector. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for being here! Sawdust is a great addition if you can find a way to separate them!
Mulching is a traditional practice that has found new favor in many home gardens
🤩👍...Properly applied, a blanket of organic mulch smothers weeds.
🤩👍...Conserves soil moisture
🤩👍...Adds Organic Matter to the soil as it decomposes
🤩👍...Mulch insulates the soil , keeping the temps even and aiding the growth of plant roots
🤩👍...Mulch provides food and habitat for earthworms and burrowing insects , whose tunnels loosen and aerate the soil.
🤩👍...Mulching controls gullying and erosion
🤩👍...It prevents the rotting of fruit type vegetables such as Squash, Melons and Cucumbers by keeping them away from fround moisture.
🤩👍...a drop of rain has a powerful and destructive impact on the unprotected soil . Hundreds of rainsdrops in a a storm can easily erode and compact the soil . Mulch absorbs the energy of falling rain and permits the water to soak gently into the underlying soil instead of running off and moving or destroying younge seeds and plants.
.
The thickness of mulch to be applied depends on the nature of the material
Loose,porous mulch such as STRAW should be 6-8 inches thick. If possible , weeds should be removed before applying mulch, even though a thick layer of mulch will smother them .
.
*Different kinds of Mulch are :*
..................................................
🔵... Sawdust : obtained from lumberyards and sawmills. Let the dust rot until it is dark before use 2 inches thick
🔵... Lawn clippings and Leaves : are abundant and easy to come by in most areas . 4-6 inches thick
🔵... Pine Needles : are cheap and plentiful . Their resin content makes them long lasting . 4-6 inches thick
🔵... Straw : obtained from local farmers, garden centers or your own fields. apply 6-8 inches thick
🔵... Black plastic film : Weed and till soil before spreading plastic on it. Never walk on the plastic itself as it will tear easyily.
🔵... Old newspaper : Avoid colored newsprint, it may contain lead. very biodegradable
🔵... Wood chips : Durable and slow to decay / 3-6 inches thick
.
Some mulch may contain weed seeds and can also serve as a shelter for slugs , destructive insects and field mice.
.
Mulch must also be replanished from time to time, since it breaks down gradually ..
I love this well thought out and well presented list!!
Can I ask there is a layer of wood chips in my mini orchard area but they are not doing much to helps with the weed growth we are having an I just put sugar cane mulch straight over those wood chips?
Thank you for the tips! It's like having a raised bed without the wooden bed. So cool!
Thanks for the info. Our soil is peat, but it's very shallow, so we built lasagne style beds. Our plans include preparing a hugelkulture garden this year to plant in next year. Thanks for sharing your garden info. Glenn and Maureen
Sounds like a great plan! Thanks for watching :)
My magic soil I stand by includes peat, clean top soil, mushroom compost and now wood chips! Thanks for making awesome videos and saving us water in the process.🙏
Thanks Stu! That sounds like a killer combo
Look into the environmental impact of sourcing peat. I am no expert, but worth researching if it is worth the cost.
Anne, I don't think I have ever watched a video of yours a NOT learned something. Thank you! Cheers! :)
Wow, thank you!
Hello Anne- send you a big smile from germany 🙋♀️😍- " Hügelkultur" is really a great method. I have also learnd it from people from the permaculture- groups here im Germany. Enjoy your garden; stay safe and big hugs from the sunny cost here ☀️ ⛵🌊
Thank you!
Looking good on the garden front, Anne 👍🏽
If you fill those black tubs with two water and let them sit in the direct sunlight
for 24 hours all the chlorine will dissipate.
I used to do this when I was breeding fish and run out of neutraliser and pH down.👌🏽
Not if they are actually using chloramine and many places do now instead of chlorine.
That doggy is so cute!! What an adorable fluff butt!
Isn't she the best?
@@AnneofAllTrades Big dogs are the best! I've had two Great Pyrenees that were great with the herd. What's the breeding of the little one?
@@MarkSeale She and her brother are Colorado Mountain Dogs :)
@@AnneofAllTrades I'm not familiar with that breeding. She looks Anatolian but fluffier. Enjoy the big dog goodness!
My soil, this year, is similar and I add some peat moss to it. I have some really innovative ideas because I have only a small patio to grow on. I appreciate your vlogs
That's a great idea! Thanks for watching!
Great way to amend your Garden. Can't wait to watch it grow. Your puppy is growing so fast. Peace Be With You All ☮️
Thanks Anne, I just found out about your channel today but it really gave me the curage and the boots I needed! I will keep following along thank you again🥰
Great video. Quick tip I noticed you fill up your wheelbarrow. Try to put more in the front to even out the weight distribution. 🙂
Thanks for the tip!
That's so cool about your wedding flowers!
Isn't that so special? My dad is awesome.
Welcome to Nashville! So happy to find good local content.
I love that wheel barrow.... Lowes.... Iam going to get one.
Tennessee gardening can be a challenge. Some areas saw dust creates a bug problem.
And I have heirloom rocks in my garden. They re seed after every rain. There doing good this year.
Wont be long till it's time to can stone soup.lol
hahaha isn't that the truth!
I love watching your vlogs. We are new subscribers to your channel. I have a sister who lives downtown Seattle and my mother lives an hour north west of Nashville. I loved what you did with you Washington property. It inspired both my husband and myself. We plan on becoming farmers when he gets out of the military in a couple years. Thank you for helping soon to be first generation farmers!!
Also. We are stationed in Germany now so are itching to get back to the states to start our new chapter! :)
You are a happy farmer.
I do my best!
I’m glad I run into your channel!! I love the story about your wedding bulbs!! Love & blessings from Kentucky!! 🐎🐎🐎
Thanks so much!
Your garden will be plentiful for certain...great video Anne. Good to know about the marigolds...I never knew that one.
Thanks so much 😊
This is 2 yrs old (I'm always late to the party), but I just wanted to say if you want a more bushy basil plant, top it in the same manner as is done to bell peppers.
Trimming basil is a game changer! Forces lower production just like peppers and tomatoes, as you said. Many plants are like that.
@@AnneofAllTrades Indeed! The only problem with doing so is there're more flowers to remove when basil goes to seed. I love you, Ann+e. You're a real sweetheart. You're, by far, the best homestead "teacher" on the Tube. Why, how, you say... because you don't waste 1:30 minutes of time with some stupid intro that nobody cares about. You keep everything to the point.
I hope your husband realizes what a treasure he has in you. May God bless and keep you and yours!
That's an incredible compliment and I really appreciate it
I have several areas in my “forested yard” in Northern California where I used hugelkultur method to start a bed of landscape or veggie plants. I tried it to “use” rotting or old logs and stumps instead of hauling them elsewhere. Those beds have continued to nurture the plants in them. My area has a hard red clay soil that always needs conditioning. We made and bought raised beds, and purchased a hood raised bed soil mix to start. I have a large slow-composting area that I use to refresh my beds (all started with hugelkulture bases.). We still have to water because we have virtually no rainfall from June to October, when most garden veggies are grown. I use a drip irrigation system that I installed myself, to cut water waste -also something we have to do here due to natural drought weather. My biggest challenges are the local deer, and direct sunlight. Finding enough sun exposure within my small fenced garden is a challenge because I cannot ask my neighbors to cut down trees to increase my garden sunlight hours. Trees get taller all the time, so I am always experimenting with which plants can handle reduced direct sunlight, and filtered light. I go vertical to increase my growth square footage, and crowd plants as much as possible.
Your videos sometimes confirm my own gardening practices, and often challenge me to adapt a practice for my area. Thanks!
We will see you at the Homestead Festival.... Looking forward to hopefully meeting you. My wife and I have sold our home here in Phoenix and we are headed to Knoxville in search of our piece of homestead land.
I’m in the Seattle area too! So excited to find someone in this area! Second year trying to garden
I just watched "The Biggest Little Farm", a documentary about a couple who built a 200-acre sustainable farm over the last 10 years and I could help think about you building your farm. The documentary was pretty amazing, BTW.
It’s a good one!
Thanks so much for being here friends! Check out my new website, get more in-depth instruction and find my favorite farm and garden tools and amendments! www.anneofalltrades.com
Awesome stuff Anne, thanks for the info! 😃👍🏻👊🏻 ... I'll definitely have to rewatch all of your videos once I'm able to have a garden!
Thanks for the support Fred!!
April: Here's how to install drip-irrigation for your garden.
Anne: Hold my mulch...
Amazing! Wonderful teacher you are❤💪Learning alot.....Practical is definitely better than theory😁
That looks really nice. I have lived in Tennessee my entire life and I didn't know that the water had a lot chlorine. Hope you have a great weekend. Be safe.
Thanks, you too!
This is very interesting. I would like to see some updates on this garden some times
Make sure you subscribe and turn on that bell, lots of videos to come!
@@AnneofAllTrades Been subscribed for a while now. Keep up the great videos!
I've been using woodchips for four years and my God the growth, water retention has been just amazing. More work upfront but less work overall. 🌱👍❤️
Looks great, can't wait to follow the rest
Awesome, thank you!
Here in the south termites love wood chips in the garden , gives them an snack to chew on while they search for your house :)
In the north termites are only underground
As long as your soil line is low enough against your house, no issues. My only problem was termites in my sweet potatoes, but it was the raised bed borders since I was using leaf mulch at the time.
Would they still attack the house if you buried cardboard instead of woodships?
In arid Arizone and now Socal I've had success using cardboard as temporary hugelkulture to store water at root level.
Love learning about peoples struggles and how they find solutions.
Looks like you beat me - back to eden hardening !!!
Wood chip ON TOP of the soil does not take nitrogen from the soil below. Like you, I've been using wood chip mulches for over 15 years now with amazing results. We've turned red Kentucky Clay into brown amazing soil, just applying woodchip and occasional compost to feed the soil life. We haven't noticed any nitrogen deficiency in the soil. In fact, we actually have more now than we had starting out.
I would have added the broken down compost on top of the clay, then the less composted hay and barn bits, and the raw wood chip on top as the mulch. But it will all work. Oh, and a couple of years, the garden soil will be amazing! :)
I think you misunderstood my explanation there, the nitrogen robbing only takes place when the wood chips first start decomposing, after you’ve got some composted material, and have increased the carbon contents of the soil that won’t be an issue any longer. The point of the larger, un-composted wood chips at the bottom was water retention. The layers on top are necessary to keep the whole thing from drying out as the bed heats up. After 5 years of this method in my last garden, the soil was absolutely incredible. After 15 where you’re at, I bet it’s amazing :)
Great vid! Loved the mixed planting, especially using marigolds as a companion plant! FYI - Dahlias are defined as perennial not annual and those are tubers, not bulbs.
That actually depends where you are. In wet areas like Seattle, or cold areas where the frost and thaw would rot the bulbs like Montana, dahlias don’t over winter well and are therefore considered an annual. You are right on the tubers though ;)
@@AnneofAllTrades Regardless of where you're growing a plant, the classification of its lifecycle doesn't change; in the UK we usually overwinter Dahlias under glass too. What you would say is that it is a 'Tender Perennial' (meaning it wouldn't survive frost), or if you dispose of it at the end of the year, you could say it is a 'Perennial being grown as an annual'.
The classification of an annual plant is one which grows for a maximum of one season and who's death is triggered by the setting of its seeds. Dahlias are still 'alive' whilst they are dormant tubers with no top growth and as such are considered a perennial because they exhibit this cycle for many years.
Hope this helps :)
Just a quick addition - Basically all plants with a storage organ (Corms, Bulbs, Rhizomes, Stem Tubers and Root Tubers) are perennial. The development of their storage organ allows the plant to store a reserve of carbohydrate and water, facilitating its winter dormancy and regrowth once the temperatures rise again - Sorry for banging on, I should be writing a dissertation (Final year botanical science student) but instead I am being distracted by RUclips!! haha, All the best, thank you for the distraction ;)
@@shaun123w you're wrong. Google it yourself and you'll see wesbite after website stating that "Dahlias may be perennials, tender perennials or annuals, depending on the climate zone you live in." A plant can be an annul in one area, and a perennial in another, whether YOU want to personally believe this or not. And why on earth did you correct her about "tuber" vs "bulb" when she literally said tuber in her video already??? Please stop mansplaining, none of your "corrections" were necessary.
@@SarcasticPixie Three years later and I stand entirely by what I said. You're telling a person with a master's degree in botanical science, now working for the Royal Horticultural Society, to 'Google' what perennial means?! A plant's life cycle does not change depending on the climatic conditions you grow it in. Think about it, if you took a tropical tree like Swietenia mahogany and tried to grow it in Scotland, it would die from being frozen during the first winter. This doesn't make the plant 'an annual', it's still a perennial plant, it's just died after one year. This is exactly the same as the Dahlia example.
I'm not trying to be a dick! Sorry if it comes across like I am. Horticulture and botany are absolutely central in my life and classification gets me very passionate and excited!
Marigolds taste delish too!
Love the video and the array of herbs that you put into there, be careful though when watering in the sun as any water left on those leaves will be burnt, a bit similar to a magnifying glass on paper, the water droplets act as the magnifying glass then there's the sun doing the rest.
Take Care, and Stay Safe,
Barry (ENG)
That’s a great point Barry, though as I mentioned, the sun was setting as we wrapped the video. Sunset is the best time to water in my opinion.
@@AnneofAllTrades Hi Anne thanks for the reply.
Yep early evening when it's nice and cool is the best time, but my comment was for anyone not understanding your comment really, but hey us gardeners have to stick together.
Stay Safe over there,
Barry (ENG)
Awesome and informative video , you definitely got to got the green fingers 👍😊👌
Got excited about that mushroom. It was a keeper
A quick question are the guardian dogs Maremma Sheep Dogs? Absolutely gorgeous looking pups. Loving the new place, the old place was fantastic but this one is on another level. Can't wait to see more workshop videos
They are Colorado Mountain Dogs. Thank you! I'm really excited to develop this place over the next few years! It's gonna be epic!
@@AnneofAllTrades thanks so much Anne, their not available here in the UK 😥😥
something very beneficial happens when an oak tree is next to a chain link fence. Let's say 5 or 10 feet from the fence. The leaves bunch up REALLY HIGH. Probably 3 feet off the ground. Only on the fence side. I think it makes an air path. Yea, I use oak leaves instead of mulch.
leaves are fantastic mulch, but they break down fairly quickly. The larger wood pieces decompose slowly and add more water retaining ability to the soil over time.
This video has been so informative! Thanks!😄
Glad it was helpful!
A nice looking garden.
Guess im kind of lucky i can just dig a hole "anywhere" on my land and plant something and it will just grow. Drawback of course is 6 months of cold snowy winter and 3-4 months of summer.
(Most soil here is old river bottoms. Dark almost black soil, lots of nutrients and about as much rock as dirt :D)
Sounds like heaven! Minus the winter haha
I totally agree with you that wood chips are a tremendous source of nutrients for your plants but, much of that chips come from trees that were cut down b/c of disease and or insects. Be careful where your supply comes from.
If you compost the wood chips properly before using them, the heat of the pile will kill most pests and diseases, so that is not as much of a concern.
Thank for the planting tips Anne.
You are so welcome!
Question? How and why don't you have a degree in horticulture. You do such good research that you should be teaching. Just asking and saying Anne. Thanks and untill next time.
becuase youtube why does papa still think you need a degree
She is teaching more people via RUclips than she could ever reach in a classroom.
you looks so nice and nice to know how to gardening
What a great idea! Can't wait to follow the rest interesting ideas!
Not sure if still watching comments on old videos but what do you do with the bed the next year? just add 60/40 to the top and replant? just found your channel and love it. i did check for a follow up but didnt notice one.
ruclips.net/video/8Q_siCcC31U/видео.htmlsi=MuyckcBDWu7cTcxN
@@AnneofAllTradesthanks so much! Applaud you for your attention and content; very valuable channel.
Soil soil mulch mulch 👀 JUNEBUG!!❤️❤️
Hahaha
Great video Anne. Still learning lots of useful info from you! Appreciate it.
Glad it was helpful!
👍👍👍👍👍👍😊thank you
With all the resources you have, have you considered making/using biochar? Natural charcoal, ground up and mixed with the compost pile.
I have made it in the past but I generally take the lazier route and just take the ash from the fire places and fire pits and add it to the compost.
Just found you and your videos. Thanks for your info.
I can't find the link for the vitamin B boost. I've never heard of that.
Great stuff Anne! Inspired
Thank you!
That was amazing video clip you had dun there on your garden there it was great to see it there 👍👍🌱
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great bed suggestions.
I’m working on next year and I LOVE the variety is awesome.
Question, do you ever get tired of moving. Lol
Here’s an update on what they look like 3 years later if you’re interested: ruclips.net/video/eHiLiTdBAu4/видео.htmlsi=ESnBejAAQE7wf7yM
And… moving like as in never holding still or moving houses? Moving homes sucks and I never intend to do so again 😂
Did something similar a few weekends ago with feed troughs since the unending rains the last few years have made traditional gardening a bust. So far no watering since the initial planting and everything is doing good.
That is awesome!
I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Great Video! Well done.
Thank you very much!
Wow, you really are the Anne of all trades! Do you have help on the farm or do you do it all yourself? How do you find the time to get it all done! Love watching your videos! ❤️
I do it by myself usually. When I need a hand though, I’ve got lots of friends happy to lend one, and for that, I’m very thankful.
So then we name the garden 'Creepy Garden' , looks beautiful. : ) peace
haha there you go!
That set up may work in Seattle with all the rain but I suspect you will have to water that plot everyday in Tennessee and fertilize on a regular basis.
We had a 90 day draught last year and I only had to water twice. It takes a couple years to build the soil to that point but the climate here in TN is not actually that different. Even with the heat we’ve been having, and being on the starting side of fixing this soil, I’m only watering once every few weeks
Great information. Thank you so much. I just subscribed to your channel. Blessings, Bertha in TEXAS.
I just started this video so you may have addressed this but PLEASE PLEASE mention that the giant piles of wood chips CAN COMBUST from the inside!!!!!!
Nice video Anne! Thanks for sharing it with us!💖👍👌😎JP
Thanks JP!
Your very welcome Anne! Have a fantastic Sunday😎
Okay---I can see you not having to water in Seattle. I do layering but I never use wood chips (I have had poor results with veggies and wood chips). I live in a high altitude and very arid place so never watering won't work. Good luck on all your gardens.
This method was actually created for deserts. Even in Seattle's rainy conditions, it took several years of using this method before I'd built up my soil to the point that during a 90 day draught last year, I only had to water the garden twice.
Ready for tomatos!
Oh man me too.
Does it matter how thick the layers are? And do they need to be equal parts/same thickness?
This is a video update showing a much more thorough version of the process :) ruclips.net/video/hfBSgHgcSc4/видео.html
For those who collect water and like to add Vitamin B at the start of the transplant season .....for every 55 gallons of water collected 1 table spoon of a 5 hr energy is cheeper and if you drink the rest on transplant day you get it all done...lol
Been doing it for 7+ years now and works awesome for my 50 year old butt..lol😎
hahahaha that is an AWESOME suggestion.
@@AnneofAllTrades 1 of my neighbors is a 70 year old botanist (forgive spelling if off) but she advised it to me and does on her gardens as well
These are great tips, thank you for sharing!
AWWW< I hope your great, great, great, grand-kids still have those bulbs =)
I hope so too!
it's a "sheep" dog! :)
And of course, a cool move would be, if you put both together. The Part, tha Anne had shared with us at the video and my recomandation. :-)
I do use a green cover crop in winter, but this is not the season for it. I’m also starting with a brand new garden this year. Come fall, you’ll see it ;)
Hi Anne , I want to see your garden when it gets to where you like it
There will be plenty of updates!
@@AnneofAllTrades with videos😊
Water is my most expensive hot dry months garden/yard input in farther NorCali, NO WAY I can get away with only 2 waterings but thick layer of chips or other mulch dramatically reduces my water requirements, maybe as much as 5 to 8X less. I grew up using B1 for planting new trees but I've since seen studies that say it's useless in that regard.
Drier climates will definitely require more frequent watering, especially at first, but if you continue to regularly add mulch and chips, and diversely plant your beds, you will need increasingly less water every year.
@@AnneofAllTrades Good point. I'm only a yr. or 2 into chipping.
Awesome information about building up the soil. That's really cool.
After the first watering, do you really not have to water very often?
Not nearly as often, no, though year over year it will become increasingly effective. Last year in my seattle garden, we had 92 days without rain. I’d been building the soil for five years, and only had to water twice.
I didn't know you could put mulch in your planting medium. Isn't better to put the mulch on TOP of your growing medium (the compost) ?
Did you watch the entire video? The large wood chips and sticks I put at the bottom will act as sponges for water retention this first year, then as they decompose will enrich the soil greatly. The compost goes on top of it as the planting medium and then the 60-40 mulch goes on the very top to help with moisture retention and to give a better medium to start seeds in
Question, doesn't all that sawdust create acidic soil? I was always taught to be sparing with wood chips and sawdust in the garden. People in my area use sawdust around blueberry bushes to increase acidity.
That’s a great question, and the answer depends on a lot, what species of wood, what else is going on in your garden, the level of decomposition, but the quick answer is no. I used 10 dump truck loads of wood chips to prep my garden in Seattle and would add 10 yards of sawdust to the pathways 3x a summer and I had the best soil around. Check out my video “fix your soil” or look into “back to Eden” gardening practices, basically, I am doing everything I can in my garden to mimic the forest, so I can minimize my watering, weeding, and have plants that are naturally pest and disease resistant.
Great info! QUESTION: So will you eventually be adding that "4-material" mixture (wood chips, aged
compost, fertilized soil, and compost + mulch) on top of the rows of Tennessee
clay you've created in the garden and then plant your seeds and/or starters
there?
I’m a little bit confused though about these “layers” since - as I understand gardening - you
usually have existing soil (bottom layer) then compost which either lays on top of existing soil or is amended into it, and then the top layer is mulch. So what is the purpose of the fertilized soil and a fourth layer of combined compost/mulch you have (just for an added boost because you have access to these
materials)?
Unfortunately, for the vast majority of us who don't live on farms (yet!), don't produce enough mulch
and/or compost, and don’t have the ground real estate to mix together and age all of these different materials, we have to *buy* all these things - the (rotting) wood chips, fertilized soil, compost, and mulch - and that can be super spendy here in Seattle (as you know LOL!)
For the in-ground organic veggie garden I’m building, I’m amending existing soil with compost and mulch I’ll have to buy (the latter b/c the dogs ruin my backyard lawn clippings) L
Hey Jenna! First off, this all in an effort to create useable soil in an area the soil was not previously useable at all because it was clay. In Seattle, you're likely to have a way better start to your soil. Secondly, even though I live on a farm, I had to purchase all these items as well, save for the arborist chips, which were free, I just bought them in extreme bulk. You have access to free wood chips in Seattle (and most everywhere else) anytime you want them, just sign up for chipdrop. The idea behind the larger wood chips I put on first are to soak up the water beneath the bed on top of it and add to the soil's complexity. This first season, they'll soak up water when it rains and act like a sponge releasing water slowly as the bed heats up. As they decompose, they'll enrich the soil's complexity which will, over time, add to it's own ability to retain more water. I added the first layer of compost to counteract the temporary nutrient stealing the un-composted wood chips will do as they decompose. The soil on top of that would be your base layer if you were starting with decent soil. Then the compost+mulch I put on top is the top layer everyone should add because the chips are smaller, already partially decomposed, and they will serve their water wicking and water saving purpose without preventing seedlings from pushing through a heavy top layer of large wood chips that haven't been composted.
I just don’t water anything. #everythingisdead
Lol
Hahaha yeah, pretty useless information for Zone 9B
😂😂😂😂
Brian Prusa 😄
hahaha...
anne planting 2 cucumbers in the same space. xD anne after X minutes: don't plant 2 close. L0loolol
Cucumbers and similar vining plants have smaller root structures and actually do better if you plant them two at a time because the plants support one another.
Can I do something similar but without planting anything? So, I would be prepping land.
Yeah, but you'll end up with a ton of weeds.
Anne of All Trades ok thx
I notice that you don't pack down the earth around your plants. I normally do. Should I pack it down, or should I leave it loose? I think I was taught to do that many years ago to remove air pockets, but wonder if new procedures are recommended.
I wonder that too.
awesome
Thanks!
Where is the video about the herb box;
can you make a smililar layer cake garden with a raised garden, with a wooden box frame on the ground, and or stand alone boxes like April W"s ?
Oh sure. raised boxes will dry out quicker though
@@AnneofAllTrades ohh good to know. I will file that info away for when I create a garden.. Which hopefully will be soon
That German method and beans, not sure if the go well together. My Chinese long beans are taking a bit of a hit.
I’m not sure it’s as much the method as the climate. Not sure where you are, but I could never grow Chinese long beans in Washington
@@AnneofAllTrades That could be, in MN. I just noticed on my raised bed with the long beans, the places where I did the hugalculture the beans are under developed. Compared to the stalks on the edge of the beds which are doing great.
You had a small greenhouse at your last home, did you build one for this property also? Also wondering if you have issues there (or at your last place) with deer. Do you need certain heights of fencing to protect your garden from deer or are they mostly left undisturbed?
We have livestock guardian dogs which mostly keep the deer away. I haven’t gotten around to a new greenhouse because I’ve got hopes of building a bigger one but it just hasn’t worked out yet, so I start my starts at a friend’s greenhouse till I can get ours going.
@@AnneofAllTrades thank you for replying! :) and hope you get the nice big greenhouse soon then :)
Ever think of living in a little better soil area?
Tennessee has some of the best soil in the country, this particular spot does not. It is easy to amend soil, it just takes time and effort. in two years I’ll have better soil than I had in my last garden in seattle
Nock nock, Who's there? Interrupting cow. Interu. MOOOO! =P
haha those silly lambies
Looks like you have been busy.
You know me, can't stay still too long :)
I may have missed it, but did you make all of that compost or buy it?
That many wheelbarrows full of various ingredients for a 3x4x5 area?? Its going to take a LOT of materials to plant ALL of that garden.
It sure did! Wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow it got done. About 20 yards total.
Hi Anne, thanks for your great video! When you say sawdust what do you mean exactly? I used sawdust from treated pine on a tree last year, and lost the tree.. thanks in advance for your advice!
I mean sawdust from local woods as generated as we build furniture. Because I'm a furniture builder by trade, I generated a LOT of sawdust in my shop in Seattle and this was the best way I found to recycle it. Treated lumber and plywoods have chemicals in their sawdust that could potentially damage your plants or create toxic soil around them, so I wouldn't recommend using their dust in the garden.
Thanks Anne.. I know you are a pro furniture maker.. i have been watching you since the video you were telling your story and learned a lot about hand tools from you! 🙂
Hey I would say it was the chemicals in the treated pine that weren’t so good. I’d think they also wouldn’t be good for supporting good soil activity as the chemicals would probably kill any beneficial insects and even possibly bacteria but I’m no expert. Regular untreated pine and other timbers are ok I think.
Sorry you lost your tree 😕
Valantis MappouRas ❤️❤️👊🏻👊🏻
Venessa Robins id second that.
are there any types of chips or sawdust that you would not want to use?
I try to steer clear of exotics and plywoods because of the glues.
thank you Anne.i do not know but would the compost be good to be tilled into the ground then add on top of that ?
If starting with a better baseline for soil, yes, but in this instance I really did need to get that layer of wood chips below it all.
@@AnneofAllTrades thank you