You are hands down one of the best gardening teacher I’ve encountered on RUclips. You always seems to go into just the right amount of explaining why doing something (or not doing it) is valid. I’ve learned so much from you and thoroughly enjoy your content. Thank you for doing what you do.
I was surprised how far the seeds actually spread out. We're on 10 acres. I do a little of different seeds on different days and times, and the wind changes, and the rain displaces some, so they all don't come up in the same place. I broke my leg a few weeks ago, so James is making some raised beds on legs for me. I can plant in them while sitting quite easily.
It's exactly what happens in the forest. No one turns the topsoil every year there, or pours lots of chemicals over the forest floor? Yet things grow fine, every year.
That's why we spend time in the forest, studying how things work there, and try to mimic the function and even the design as much as possible in our gardens at home. There's an overstory and and understory, and everything works together for the greater good.
@@AnneofAllTradesYep, I have a virtual tropical forest full of wild Mandrake out there right now not to mention all the wild carrot and stuff like that
Lazy gardening doesn't mean do nothing. There is this thing called LAND MANAGEMENT. You still have to manage and maintain your land. The land is just like children. If you don't pay attention to it and correct it, the land will get out of hand quick.
Peeps thought "lazy gardening" meant hiring you to do it for them. Only explanation....:P Love seeing everything you've accomplished over the past 6 years!
If I kept gardening the way I used to back in the 90s, I would have quit long before now. I am too busy now to garden that way. Mulch, compost and such changed my life and made me “mostly- hands-off”. If you compare a tilled up garden to how we do it now-way different!!! It makes me think I’m “lazy” but I’m not. Love your videos!!!
Your advice is so spot on! I'm in a subtropical area in the US and I have to reapply cardboard every two years bc it breaks down/composts so fast in the heat and rain. When I retired, I purchased an older home that didn't have anything living in the soil...no trees, shrubs... absolutely nothing but sand. Five years in, I'm just now seeing the results of creating an underground ecosystem for my plants. I have fruiting shrubs and trees, and lots of bees and butterflies buzzing everywhere. Thanks for your honesty, as I'm not sure there is any such thing as a lazy gardener. LOL
If you ever do need a herbicide for that invasive grass, boiling water is your friend. Just be extremely careful not to spill it on yourself - but that goes for any herbicide really.
We are also helping ourselves when we do this work. Not just by giving us food and beauty, but our physical and mental/emotional health, and our spiritual health can be improved via gardening. Trouble shooting, patience, and our ability to follow through with a task are improved. I am a brand new (first year) gardener, older, and have a disability. However, gardening has shown me and others that I am still able to do so much...I just need the help of others from time to time. That is not a bad lesson to learn, either. We all need a little help now and then. We can all give a little help now and then, too. Thanks, Annie, for helping keep some of the old ways alive! There is something to be said for the sense of community that gardening/shared interests bring. And the empowerment of learning to create things, rather than purchase them is fabulous!
I just want to tell you that I am so glad I came across your channel. I’m from Murfreesboro but live in KY about 1.4 hours from Nashville. Grew up in lawrenceburg TN and my mom recently widowed has had terrible garden issues and your videos are going to help motivate her when she has given up. She will be 89 this year and still in great health. Thank you for being real and explaining “our area” and knowing not all of us care to be in Better Homes and Gardens magazine cover lol. Most of all, thank you for giving us a channel without foul and crude language. I would absolutely love to bring my mom to come and see your garden someday in hopes to get her back mentally from the loss of my dad and get her passions back to start the climb out of her rabbit hole. Thank you again, Stephanie Harper, Horse Cave KY
Got my husband to watch your videos. He loves your approach! It's what we try to do here. I call it "killing the weeds" 'cause, we do not have grass. It's ALL weeds!! Bain of my existence! I have been carboarding/newpapering for YEARS and now, we're on a complete mission to cover the whole property! People think we're nuts!! Keep up the fantastic work gurl!
I plan to do the same, slowly. I have three dogs and my yard is compacted clay, weeds, and mud. One side yard was completed last year, it's entirely cardboard and wood chips and it looks awesome. Now I'm working on the backyard where the dogs go.
I'm "lazy gardening" this year....got too much to do elsewhere while it grows 🤣 this is my second year at this property. Ready for it to maintain itself! Lol
I don’t garden. Desire to. Can’t. Disabled. But enjoy you & your genius lazy gardening. Trust me when I say you have explained your lazy gardening in such a way that people should “get it”. No worries. You have ALWAYS explained it well. More than well. Thank you for sharing!
@AnneofAllTrades I'm a new subscriber. My brain wants to do all the things, but my body doesn't cooperate, so I've taken baby steps towards homesteading in the suburbs. I grow in containers close to the house. I don't mow the backyard very often. I'm starting a tiny lazy garden this year. If I can keep up with it, It'll grow in size next year. My municipality doesn't allow livestock, so veggies it is. My disease demands that I move my body and feed it well. Gardening is one way I do that. I look forward to watching your videos so I may learn about your ideas on gardening efficiently.
Id love to see a video that tackles this. I'm not disabled.. But i do have arthritis, i try to stay active and healthy and gardening is one way but i often see and heart of these conditions progress, if like to be proactive on incorporating stuff to make gardening possible for disabilities. @@AnneofAllTrades
I'm not sure how I ran across your channel, but I am so grateful I did. You are a born educator and you do it with such a friendly, approachable air. You have a gift for making your content accessible and interesting... total inspiration! Big fan already. Cannot wait to try out your methods on our small farm.
I’m so happy I found your channel! I’ve been interested in gardening for years, but I have intermittent health problems that have me stuck in bed for weeks at a time, so I can’t keep up with things. This seems like a perfect system for me- I can do all the work while I’m healthy, and not have to worry about it when I’m not.
Having a serious health crisis of my own that manifested in very similar ways a while back is what led to much of this mindset for me too. Do what you can when you feel up to it, and don't beat yourself up for the balls that get dropped when you don't.
This is so helpful. It shows how much one person can do even if they're super busy. It's not cutting corners and it's not cutting steps out but it's creating an environment where everything can thrive with minimal interference from a human... Gee that sounds familiar... Like nature!❤
I LOVE MY WEEDS! They're so delicious and nurtritious, and medicinal! (at least for many of them) Lazy Gardening isn't quite an oxymoron, but a lazy gardener is still a hard worker. Cheers!
I'm praying for you your family neighbors and all the animals and properties if you are in the path of these strong tornadoes. I pray God keeps you safe. I don't know where you live so I'm praying for everyone to be safe. I love your unselfish person that you put in so much of your life to be able to teach us so much about farming and gardening, woodworking etc. i live through your videos at 80 years old. ❤😊
You are my kind of gardener! I also say I am a lazy gardener, I hate to weed and water, and save so much time not having to much if any! I was told my methods don't work, well guess what, they do! I'm glad I recently found your channel!
I’m a desk jockey with a small community garden in hot and muggy northern Virginia. Similar to Tennessee. My asthma has gotten worse in the past few years which makes my hot summer gardening hard. It takes me longer and I get less done. So inspired by Anne of All Trades, I kicked butt on the cool spring mulching. Heavy mulch. I’ve never tilled but have close neighbors that let their weeds go. Fingers crossed that my weeds under control this year! Thanks, Anne.
Anne, I am SOOO excited I found your channel. Don't change a thing! The way you talk and the way you think/learn/experiment is 100% my style. 100% the way I want to live in a few years. I look forward to my own journey standing on the shoulders of... well.. not giants per-say (5'2"? I tower over you by an inch! Ha!!) BUT, on the shoulders of a giant mind with a fabulous personality ❤❤❤ Thank you!
I’m a lazy gardener! It was a lot of work getting my garden ready, but now.... I’m kind of board. I just walk through my garden everyday to put my eyes on everything and I’m watching it grow. I haven’t watered at all with the exception of watering some transplants because heat was high and rain was a week out. But, it wasn’t much and honestly, I mainly watered the mulch.... so I’m not sure it did much.
Last year I felt like I spent so much time weeding and watering. I spent a lot of time late winter and spring laying out mulch and setting up drip irrigation. I'm looking forward to not needing to spend so much time in the garden when we are in the 90s and 100s.
I dont think it matters what you talk about, but it is really nice to see you so enthusastic and happy. I hope you stay on that path. So you can talk about anything----I happy to listen. :)
Year 4 (5?) of doing a variant of this combined with hugel kulture in raised beds and this spring when I turned last year's debris under the soil looked so amazing. It was slow progress the first couple years but the last two the soil quality has improved exponentially. Thankyou for all the wonderful advise you've shared through the years.
Found you a few months back and you have truly inspired me. I love what you do with the materials you find, like widdling sticks into spoons and such. Most of my garden is put together with home-made fencing and trellises. My goal is to be minimal, and my soil is looking much better. Thank you Anne!!!
I really enjoyed the video! After years of mulching I found it doesn't matter if you put it on a couple of feet thick you're still going to get weeds. Heck I think I would be more worried if they didn't come up lol. I found that a stirrup hoe works pretty fast getting rid of them. Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!
I have a 20x40 garden. I rototilled it to start and did alot of shoveling to make raised rows. Its half raised rows and half walkways i covered in cardboard. No wood chips on the walkways. I replace the cardboard every 3 years. But i also dump a ton of leaves into the garden in the fall which helps with weed suppression. For my beds, I use cut grass as mulch. I spend very little time weeding. I do spend quite a bit of time raking and moving grass though. 😊
This kind of gardening is why my april and may are the busiest gardening months. It's all about the preparations and getting everything set up for success. Then I can just let it all grow without bothering to check it more than once or twice a week
Cheers Tennessee! People forget that 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen, when a high pressure system comes around, it actually pushes nitrogen into the soil via pressure, hard compacted soil is devoid of a top soil comprised of bits of plant/organic matter covering the 1st layer about 1 inch deep, mulching does help keep soil compaction down by softening the soil with water retention, waterless soil (sand/silt/clay) is very hard soil. There are other factors that help permeability (air in the soil, healthy soil is 48% air) and the permeability is vital for healthy soil. Cheers Tennessee Gal! You look very healthy, you are what you eat and you become strong by doing healthy things!
Agree. It's not lazy gardening. Once my no dig beds were setup, it only takes 2 hrs or less per day to take care of the 50 (2-1/2' x 50') garden beds. No motorized equipment needed after initial setup.😊
Anne, I am grateful to have found you and your videos. Despite the struggles you have faced and may continue to face, as this is our journey of life, you are an amazing individual who is genuine, and lovely. I am a special education teacher at the high school level in rural Maine and have twin girls who still can not read, spell or write. I have shared some of your videos , to reinforce that just because we have challenges, that does not dictate who we are to become. I will be retiring in June, and have many projects gardens, home, artwork and on and on. I too have many directions and love the variety in my life. I also have many animals, chickens, ducks, hens , cats and dogs and at least 20 or more roosters. I used to have goats and sheep as well. I also tend to garden in wild ways, so your suggestions are exactly the confirmation I have needed. Love to you my dear, I am proud of your accomplishments , spirit and creativity. Never let anyone on social media, diminish your light. You are a gift and inspiration for many. I have struggled with my own personal baggage for many years and know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for your guidance.
Thank you for this beautifully encouraging message today. If it’s any help, tell your twins I didn’t learn to read until I was 22, now I read at least a book a week and can never get enough learning :)
I had heavy Bermuda grass and found that cardboard and the thickest mulch seemed to make it happy and/or vengeful. I ended up having to prep future beds with a silage tarp.
After a 3 year battle with mine, it's finally mostly gone, but I put down some construction tarps around the outer edges of the garden (not actually on purpose, I just had a bunch of construction materials stacked there for a long time) at one point and that really helped too.
You seem to be getting along with your Hand injury, appears to be functioning well . Can't tell how much your trying to hide, but your stride for normal is winning. One thing for sure , Not slowing ya down any . Godspeed Girl !
Thanks for noticing! It’s not perfect, but it’s as good as it’s gonna get, which is good enough for me. I’ve got permanent loss of feeling and loss of some function in my thumb but I have found ways to adapt. I’m just so thankful I can still do the 3 things most important to me: play music, milk my cow, and build furniture.
I haven't started my garden yet, for many reasons, but let me tell you, "on the way, in the way" was life changing for me. My whole house is starting to operate in this way, and it means I actually get things done. It saves me the 15th time of getting sidetracked for the day. Also, it essentially IS lazy gardening, not because it doesn't mean working hard, but it makes it so much easier to work hard by removing all the extra steps. It's the extra steps (in my experience) that most frequently causes people to fail, not their inability to do the thing to begin with. It's forgetting to water your plants, or slacking with the weeding until it becomes a problem. Then when you get overwhelmed it can make it that much harder to fix. By making things as easy as possible, it makes it that much more likely to get done. Remove the extra effort and it makes the hard work that much easier to tackle!
Hey Anne I found your channel a week ago and me and my two kids are hooked! I love your humor, I appreciate that your channel is so informative and family friendly, you are so talented in so many ways, and you rock your grey hair!! Just wanted to send an encouragement that you’re making a difference.
Keep doing what you’re doing! I 💚 the principles you are presenting to us. I think it’s awesome that you are keeping alive the “old” ways. Let’s hope we can all make them THE way of doing things for a better future of our planet. Yes gardening takes work but it’s healthy work and what I’ve learned from you so far, using nature to our advantage and the why of it, really cuts down on a lot of labor in the long run. PS: at university I took a hand wood carving directed individual study with my sculpture prof. It’s still one of my passions along with fabric arts which I learned from my mother.
I love your channel and your sense of humor! My name is Anne and I am half Chinese and I am also dyslexic! I can totally relate to you. I made a lazy garden bed this year and although the bugs got most of it- a few plants went absolutely crazy and I wondered if magical fairies had made them grow!
L😍❤E THIS ANNE! I feel exactly the same way.Ironically my interest in farming and homesteading began almost two decades ago while living in a major Northeastern city. At the time my goal was to discover all of the things around us that supported and strengthened life that were often overlooked so I began foraging and attending herbal apprenticeships. It was empowering to say the least. However when things unfurled in 2020 I switched my focus more to fear and began like everyone else looking for land that was expansive and isolated, feeling like the more I could do on my own the better off I would be. In the midst of my search, it became obvious that I would need community, so I began looking for places that not necessarily were intentionally agricultural but were more rural and people tended to know how to do these things as a way of life. This is where I am now. I still dream of becoming part of a focused agricultural community but this is a great launching pad for me as I am enjoying learning how to grow and to build and to do all the things that would make me a vital member of such a community. I'm still so excited for this journey but as you said it is no longer around fear but has once again returned to fascination. Thank you so much for sharing this message!
I hate woodchips, but I appreciate your logic and admire your results. I'm doing "no-dig" in Huw Richards/Charles Dowding style. I'm tolerant of a reasonable level of weeds, as long as my crops grow well. I'm no good at talking to people, and nobody here in my part of rural Germany uses any gardening services so begging woodchips probably would not work anyway. The local authorities don't even cut the roadside trees and bushes every year. Horse manure I can get though :-). I love your videos (even though I feel lazy and unaccomplished by comparison. I have enough ADHD friends to be used to this... 😂)
When you spoke about the lazy garden and how it wouldn't necessarily produce NO weeds I was reminded of the 80/20 rule. Only put extra time into accomplishing a 100% weed-free garden if that's what brings you joy
I collect so many boxes for the same reason. Yup being in the south, I realized that I needed extra cardboard and extra layers of woodchips because of the humidity which causes decomposition process to happen quickly. I use weed wackers as well. I am with you on diversify and I am of the motto of plant resilience. Whatever fails, its okay, time to do another round.
Love ur passion. Your knowledge is extensive. The more you know and understand about how everything works together, the less resistant the process becomes. Reminds me of that documentary 'the biggest little farm'.
Great video as usual! I need to add more layers of cardboard for my upcoming season. Adding drip irrigation to my garden has allowed me to experiment new techniques. By the way, I am happy to see you back in the garden after recovering from your accident. God is great. Happy gardening!
I'm getting ready to do the cardboard thing since the borough dug up my garden for a water pipe. Thanks for the info. Im also doing JADAM. So happy i found Garden like A Viking on utube to break it down for the home gardener. Were never to old to learn & change when we have too. Thanks again 😊
I'm working on adding wood chips to my pathways right now. In WA I can't believe how fast the grass and weeds grow in the garden. I put 4 inches on top every year and if I don't actively burn or pull weeds it'll be 100% green stuff in my pathways again! I put down cardboard/ rolls of paper before the chips too. Every year.
I just found your channel. I have seen a few videos now and I love it. Western NC, here. Similar climate. Totally relatable. So glad you mentioned Paul G. He has really been an inspiration for me. I also love David the Good.
Weeds can be beneficial! I do a lot of raised bed gardening now as I'm getting older. But in the old main garden spot I do have winter squash and pole beans planted. I've also started a blackberry patch in the garden (HOPING they thrive!) That spot has never seen a tiller (have done the cardboard/newspaper mulch over the years). However, I do let some weeds grow between the areas of beans and squash. We have grasshoppers, and the grassy weeds, especially, draw the hoppers away from the beans and other crops planted in that main garden. Plus, some of those weeds are edible (like lambs quarter), and some of the weeds the chickens love to eat, especially when young. I pull some of those weeds and throw them to the birds. On another note, I LOVE your enthusiasm and how you teach and share your knowledge!! Great stuff!!
Did no-dig garden two gardening seasons ago for the first time. It really works. Had beautiful harvests and less work achieving it. Go for it. Try it out.
I discovered some beautiful & Very strong weeds that go hand in hand with my green beans!! They are huge & beautiful & taste wonderful!! You GET ME!! Thank you God bless!!❤
what I have learned from your videos is a very healthy marriage between theory and practice. You don't just apply something because no till/permaculture/hugelculture tells you to, but you look at the principles behind it, and then see if it works for you. It takes a lot of knowledge, about how nature works to get there. Just following the steps of permaculture to the letter is not that difficult. Changing your ways all the time because a bunch of keyboard warriors have made it their mission to tell you that you are wrong is not that difficult. I see your gardening-style as craftmanship; you don't blindly apply the rules, but understand the principles behind them, and use them to your advantage. Well done!
When starting a new “lazy garden” bed or plot, I prefer to use a tarp to smother the grass and weeds in the designated area for a few months or the growing season before laying down the cardboard. I like to add my compost and wood chips for the new beds at the end of the season so they will be ready to go by the next season, minimizing the effort needed for maintenance. This approach gives me a full growing season to make homemade compost for the beds and effectively kills weeds and grasses where the beds will be. Additionally, if I can’t obtain wood chips for free, I keep an eye out for the end of the year clearance sales at big box stores, making it a cost-effective solution for my lazy gardening method.
I went to a craft school in Portland Oregon and was part of the last graduating class before they closed permanently. I had an amazing time there and learned so much. But, finding communal spaces/ workshops/ studios hasn’t been easy since then. I’m very much looking forward to hearing more about your project, and maybe seeing it in person since I live near Nashville as well.
When I was working full time I would make a daily list of things I needed to do for that day and the next. Some items on the list were small or low priority items. If I didn't take care of these items they would accumulate and would require a larger effort later. In a way I was creating time or maybe finding it.
Writing things down makes them real and rememberable. I try to not get too overzealous with my to-do lists though, so they don't become "didn't do" lists later.
As far as I am concerned just growing my own food is a plus for me , but You have given me some ways to save time and money in so many ways. I love your programs and techniques ❤ Keep up the amazing work 💞.
Thank you for all your experience in gardening. I'm learning a lot at 67 years old. I think you are brilliant! Down to earth,pardon the pun! I've ADHD and am finding my new allotment has been a game changer! It improves my mental health. Bless you!
Just found your channel and I'm in the PNW so knowing you started out here is really awesome for me! I totally dig your channel. Thanks for the lazy!! This is everything I have wanted to do.
Hey I am new to your channel; after many years of convention gardening I depleted my soil big time…so here I am trying to learn more sustainable ways to amend and save the natural compounds in my soil! I really like your approach and I’m most thankful you are sharing sooooo… much knowledge! We (I) just can’t be careless with soil any more. Two years ago we had a hurricane Fiona, which caused so much destruction in to the East cost, I lost all the trees that surrounded and shaded my house…but the house was not hurt… learned so many lessons in that fall and into spring 2022-2023 - I have ample decaying tree matter and a renewed interest in becoming more self sufficient- wish me luck… love the information you are providing! I am no spring chicken but feel with your knowledge based channel I might gave one more garden left in me! Thank you so very much…. Sheila from Nova Scotia Canada! (Ps … I am interested in you trellises great for my smaller space… what are they called? and can they be purchases at a livestock supply store? thanks again❤
You are the best!! most informative..much appreciated..Ive been using woodchips they are the go!!!! ..I just made an Anne garden this afternoon.. Ive only been watching you for 3 weeks and I have learned more than I have in 3 years with other Utubers...Gardening Oscar goes to you Anne... 🐴
Thanks for the honesty. I grow this way in Texas and you're right about the weeds and bermuda grass! When there's little rain, and with some plants especially, watering at least some is important.
Great homest video. I run my garden pretty much the same way, I'm completely into regenative farming an gardening. As I you my animals in my gardening an land regeneration. They help me by doing what they do naturally.
Girl you are amazing. Great news to share…my compost is three houses away at a Horse farm!!!! Busted it today and grabbed a handful with my bare hands. No manure smell, and it made my excitement about gardening escalate, knowing that if I need something, it’s three doors down the road. I feel the pain you went through with your hand injury, as last fall I took a tumble and just had my shoulder replaced. I think this year may be just a prepping ground, planting a few test container, gardening areas, and enjoying just getting my hands a little dirty. Keep up the videos as I will need you in years to come, and may God greatly bless your efforts and those around you who support you!
I pull weeds out of the woodchip pathways and just flip them roots up to die in place and feed the microbes. Others may think I’m just being lazy but I’m just feeding the garden.
You are hands down one of the best gardening teacher I’ve encountered on RUclips. You always seems to go into just the right amount of explaining why doing something (or not doing it) is valid. I’ve learned so much from you and thoroughly enjoy your content. Thank you for doing what you do.
I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks for sticking around!
I do old fart gardening. Right before the rain, I scatter seeds in the breeze off of my balcony. Wherever the seeds grow, that's where they grow.
Love this idea! It’s survival of the fittest
I like your style!
I was surprised how far the seeds actually spread out. We're on 10 acres. I do a little of different seeds on different days and times, and the wind changes, and the rain displaces some, so they all don't come up in the same place. I broke my leg a few weeks ago, so James is making some raised beds on legs for me. I can plant in them while sitting quite easily.
This is ingenious
@miss_mish Thank you. I also spread out seeds in bare spots to help coverage and rake them in. I like to mimic nature as much as possible.
It's exactly what happens in the forest. No one turns the topsoil every year there, or pours lots of chemicals over the forest floor? Yet things grow fine, every year.
That's why we spend time in the forest, studying how things work there, and try to mimic the function and even the design as much as possible in our gardens at home. There's an overstory and and understory, and everything works together for the greater good.
You'll not find a row of carrots growing in a forest though
@@oftin_wong you’ll find tons of other taproot growing plants and many relatives of carrots though ;)
@@AnneofAllTradesYep, I have a virtual tropical forest full of wild Mandrake out there right now not to mention all the wild carrot and stuff like that
@@wytchwoodhomesteadandkenne5036 how's the mandrake taste ?
"If you're lazy, I don't think I can help you." Those words ring true in so many scenarios 😆
Lazy gardening doesn't mean do nothing. There is this thing called LAND MANAGEMENT. You still have to manage and maintain your land. The land is just like children. If you don't pay attention to it and correct it, the land will get out of hand quick.
Peeps thought "lazy gardening" meant hiring you to do it for them. Only explanation....:P Love seeing everything you've accomplished over the past 6 years!
If I kept gardening the way I used to back in the 90s, I would have quit long before now. I am too busy now to garden that way. Mulch, compost and such changed my life and made me “mostly- hands-off”. If you compare a tilled up garden to how we do it now-way different!!! It makes me think I’m “lazy” but I’m not. Love your videos!!!
Ha! I did give up! Until I found Anne...
Your advice is so spot on! I'm in a subtropical area in the US and I have to reapply cardboard every two years bc it breaks down/composts so fast in the heat and rain. When I retired, I purchased an older home that didn't have anything living in the soil...no trees, shrubs... absolutely nothing but sand. Five years in, I'm just now seeing the results of creating an underground ecosystem for my plants. I have fruiting shrubs and trees, and lots of bees and butterflies buzzing everywhere. Thanks for your honesty, as I'm not sure there is any such thing as a lazy gardener. LOL
I’ve only recently started following you, and you’re already one of my favorites. So informative!
Yay! Thank you!
If you ever do need a herbicide for that invasive grass, boiling water is your friend. Just be extremely careful not to spill it on yourself - but that goes for any herbicide really.
We are also helping ourselves when we do this work. Not just by giving us food and beauty, but our physical and mental/emotional health, and our spiritual health can be improved via gardening. Trouble shooting, patience, and our ability to follow through with a task are improved. I am a brand new (first year) gardener, older, and have a disability. However, gardening has shown me and others that I am still able to do so much...I just need the help of others from time to time. That is not a bad lesson to learn, either. We all need a little help now and then. We can all give a little help now and then, too. Thanks, Annie, for helping keep some of the old ways alive! There is something to be said for the sense of community that gardening/shared interests bring. And the empowerment of learning to create things, rather than purchase them is fabulous!
I just want to tell you that I am so glad I came across your channel. I’m from Murfreesboro but live in KY about 1.4 hours from Nashville. Grew up in lawrenceburg TN and my mom recently widowed has had terrible garden issues and your videos are going to help motivate her when she has given up. She will be 89 this year and still in great health. Thank you for being real and explaining “our area” and knowing not all of us care to be in Better Homes and Gardens magazine cover lol. Most of all, thank you for giving us a channel without foul and crude language. I would absolutely love to bring my mom to come and see your garden someday in hopes to get her back mentally from the loss of my dad and get her passions back to start the climb out of her rabbit hole. Thank you again, Stephanie Harper, Horse Cave KY
I love the fact that you are as enthusiastic about all the projects and not one. I tend to do the same myself.
Got my husband to watch your videos. He loves your approach! It's what we try to do here. I call it "killing the weeds" 'cause, we do not have grass. It's ALL weeds!! Bain of my existence! I have been carboarding/newpapering for YEARS and now, we're on a complete mission to cover the whole property! People think we're nuts!! Keep up the fantastic work gurl!
I plan to do the same, slowly. I have three dogs and my yard is compacted clay, weeds, and mud. One side yard was completed last year, it's entirely cardboard and wood chips and it looks awesome. Now I'm working on the backyard where the dogs go.
I'm "lazy gardening" this year....got too much to do elsewhere while it grows 🤣 this is my second year at this property. Ready for it to maintain itself! Lol
I don’t garden. Desire to. Can’t. Disabled. But enjoy you & your genius lazy gardening. Trust me when I say you have explained your lazy gardening in such a way that people should “get it”. No worries. You have ALWAYS explained it well. More than well. Thank you for sharing!
I bet if we put our heads together we could come up with some creative ways for you to get your hands dirty if you’d like.
I’m dealing with fibromyalgia and MS…so I can relate. On really bad days, I live vicariously through Anne’s videos. Her cheeriness is infectious.
@AnneofAllTrades I'm a new subscriber. My brain wants to do all the things, but my body doesn't cooperate, so I've taken baby steps towards homesteading in the suburbs. I grow in containers close to the house. I don't mow the backyard very often. I'm starting a tiny lazy garden this year. If I can keep up with it, It'll grow in size next year. My municipality doesn't allow livestock, so veggies it is. My disease demands that I move my body and feed it well. Gardening is one way I do that. I look forward to watching your videos so I may learn about your ideas on gardening efficiently.
Id love to see a video that tackles this. I'm not disabled.. But i do have arthritis, i try to stay active and healthy and gardening is one way but i often see and heart of these conditions progress, if like to be proactive on incorporating stuff to make gardening possible for disabilities. @@AnneofAllTrades
This is so important and Anne has dealt with this because she injured her hand and took almost the whole year to recover!!
I'm not sure how I ran across your channel, but I am so grateful I did. You are a born educator and you do it with such a friendly, approachable air. You have a gift for making your content accessible and interesting... total inspiration! Big fan already. Cannot wait to try out your methods on our small farm.
When you pulled back the cardboard, you had some nice microbial life there!
I'm a big fan of the fungus among us!
@@AnneofAllTrades You put the fun in fungus!
I’m so happy I found your channel! I’ve been interested in gardening for years, but I have intermittent health problems that have me stuck in bed for weeks at a time, so I can’t keep up with things.
This seems like a perfect system for me- I can do all the work while I’m healthy, and not have to worry about it when I’m not.
Having a serious health crisis of my own that manifested in very similar ways a while back is what led to much of this mindset for me too. Do what you can when you feel up to it, and don't beat yourself up for the balls that get dropped when you don't.
Same here. Major health issues that keep me down for days at a time. Really trying to get something going that is doable.
This is so helpful. It shows how much one person can do even if they're super busy. It's not cutting corners and it's not cutting steps out but it's creating an environment where everything can thrive with minimal interference from a human... Gee that sounds familiar... Like nature!❤
I LOVE MY WEEDS! They're so delicious and nurtritious, and medicinal! (at least for many of them) Lazy Gardening isn't quite an oxymoron, but a lazy gardener is still a hard worker. Cheers!
You're so awesome Anne! Who thinks otherwise must be a troll. Don't feed them. They probably never planted a single plant.
I'm praying for you your family neighbors and all the animals and properties if you are in the path of these strong tornadoes. I pray God keeps you safe. I don't know where you live so I'm praying for everyone to be safe. I love your unselfish person that you put in so much of your life to be able to teach us so much about farming and gardening, woodworking etc. i live through your videos at 80 years old. ❤😊
Don’t have the wood chips but have plenty of leaves that seem to work well. Thank you for sharing your journey.❤️
The critics must not have have much gardening experience. This is so helpful .
You are my kind of gardener! I also say I am a lazy gardener, I hate to weed and water, and save so much time not having to much if any! I was told my methods don't work, well guess what, they do! I'm glad I recently found your channel!
Can’t wait to see you at the homesteading conference in Idaho in June!
It's gonna be such a hoot!
I’m a desk jockey with a small community garden in hot and muggy northern Virginia. Similar to Tennessee. My asthma has gotten worse in the past few years which makes my hot summer gardening hard. It takes me longer and I get less done. So inspired by Anne of All Trades, I kicked butt on the cool spring mulching. Heavy mulch. I’ve never tilled but have close neighbors that let their weeds go. Fingers crossed that my weeds under control this year! Thanks, Anne.
Eat some local honey. It will contain the pollens that annoy you and help desensitize you.
Saying a cheery hello from Townsville North Queensland Australia 😊 it is 4.06am here. Just finished work and watching you while winding down 😊😊
Morning!
I'm sure you can do anything you put your mind too!❤ Colleen
So proud of my RUclips friends for not expounding on how big of a crush they have on Anne. As for myself....I just can't help it. Hello from SC
😂😂 so glad you've stuck around.
SC💪
❤
Anne, I am SOOO excited I found your channel. Don't change a thing! The way you talk and the way you think/learn/experiment is 100% my style. 100% the way I want to live in a few years. I look forward to my own journey standing on the shoulders of... well.. not giants per-say (5'2"? I tower over you by an inch! Ha!!) BUT, on the shoulders of a giant mind with a fabulous personality ❤❤❤ Thank you!
I’m a lazy gardener! It was a lot of work getting my garden ready, but now.... I’m kind of board. I just walk through my garden everyday to put my eyes on everything and I’m watching it grow. I haven’t watered at all with the exception of watering some transplants because heat was high and rain was a week out. But, it wasn’t much and honestly, I mainly watered the mulch.... so I’m not sure it did much.
Love that!
Last year I felt like I spent so much time weeding and watering. I spent a lot of time late winter and spring laying out mulch and setting up drip irrigation. I'm looking forward to not needing to spend so much time in the garden when we are in the 90s and 100s.
I dont think it matters what you talk about, but it is really nice to see you so enthusastic and happy. I hope you stay on that path. So you can talk about anything----I happy to listen. :)
Thank you so much!
I agree😃😅
Year 4 (5?) of doing a variant of this combined with hugel kulture in raised beds and this spring when I turned last year's debris under the soil looked so amazing. It was slow progress the first couple years but the last two the soil quality has improved exponentially. Thankyou for all the wonderful advise you've shared through the years.
You are me sister!!! I work in CHAOS !! My husband NEVER UNDERSTOOD ME!! Thank you so much 👍❤️
Found you a few months back and you have truly inspired me. I love what you do with the materials you find, like widdling sticks into spoons and such. Most of my garden is put together with home-made fencing and trellises. My goal is to be minimal, and my soil is looking much better. Thank you Anne!!!
Awesome! Thank you!
I really enjoyed the video! After years of mulching I found it doesn't matter if you put it on a couple of feet thick you're still going to get weeds. Heck I think I would be more worried if they didn't come up lol. I found that a stirrup hoe works pretty fast getting rid of them. Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!
I just Love this channel, ❤
I have a 20x40 garden. I rototilled it to start and did alot of shoveling to make raised rows. Its half raised rows and half walkways i covered in cardboard. No wood chips on the walkways. I replace the cardboard every 3 years. But i also dump a ton of leaves into the garden in the fall which helps with weed suppression.
For my beds, I use cut grass as mulch. I spend very little time weeding. I do spend quite a bit of time raking and moving grass though. 😊
Yeah I think cardboard for paths and grass for the garden mulch is the best way. Free. Also the grass feeds the beds to some degree.
This kind of gardening is why my april and may are the busiest gardening months. It's all about the preparations and getting everything set up for success. Then I can just let it all grow without bothering to check it more than once or twice a week
Cheers Tennessee! People forget that 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen, when a high pressure system comes around, it actually pushes nitrogen into the soil via pressure, hard compacted soil is devoid of a top soil comprised of bits of plant/organic matter covering the 1st layer about 1 inch deep, mulching does help keep soil compaction down by softening the soil with water retention, waterless soil (sand/silt/clay) is very hard soil. There are other factors that help permeability (air in the soil, healthy soil is 48% air) and the permeability is vital for healthy soil. Cheers Tennessee Gal! You look very healthy, you are what you eat and you become strong by doing healthy things!
Agree. It's not lazy gardening. Once my no dig beds were setup, it only takes 2 hrs or less per day to take care of the 50 (2-1/2' x 50') garden beds. No motorized equipment needed after initial setup.😊
Just love your passion to teach folks Anne. Thank you!
I just want to say I really appreciate all your videos and am very inspired. I love your positivity and go get attitude. Please don’t change.
Anne, I am grateful to have found you and your videos. Despite the struggles you have faced and may continue to face, as this is our journey of life, you are an amazing individual who is genuine, and lovely. I am a special education teacher at the high school level in rural Maine and have twin girls who still can not read, spell or write. I have shared some of your videos , to reinforce that just because we have challenges, that does not dictate who we are to become. I will be retiring in June, and have many projects gardens, home, artwork and on and on. I too have many directions and love the variety in my life. I also have many animals, chickens, ducks, hens , cats and dogs and at least 20 or more roosters. I used to have goats and sheep as well. I also tend to garden in wild ways, so your suggestions are exactly the confirmation I have needed. Love to you my dear, I am proud of your accomplishments , spirit and creativity. Never let anyone on social media, diminish your light. You are a gift and inspiration for many. I have struggled with my own personal baggage for many years and know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for your guidance.
Thank you for this beautifully encouraging message today. If it’s any help, tell your twins I didn’t learn to read until I was 22, now I read at least a book a week and can never get enough learning :)
I had heavy Bermuda grass and found that cardboard and the thickest mulch seemed to make it happy and/or vengeful. I ended up having to prep future beds with a silage tarp.
After a 3 year battle with mine, it's finally mostly gone, but I put down some construction tarps around the outer edges of the garden (not actually on purpose, I just had a bunch of construction materials stacked there for a long time) at one point and that really helped too.
You seem to be getting along with your Hand injury, appears to be functioning well . Can't tell how much your trying to hide, but your stride for normal is winning. One thing for sure , Not slowing ya down any . Godspeed Girl !
Thanks for noticing! It’s not perfect, but it’s as good as it’s gonna get, which is good enough for me. I’ve got permanent loss of feeling and loss of some function in my thumb but I have found ways to adapt. I’m just so thankful I can still do the 3 things most important to me: play music, milk my cow, and build furniture.
I haven't started my garden yet, for many reasons, but let me tell you, "on the way, in the way" was life changing for me. My whole house is starting to operate in this way, and it means I actually get things done. It saves me the 15th time of getting sidetracked for the day.
Also, it essentially IS lazy gardening, not because it doesn't mean working hard, but it makes it so much easier to work hard by removing all the extra steps. It's the extra steps (in my experience) that most frequently causes people to fail, not their inability to do the thing to begin with. It's forgetting to water your plants, or slacking with the weeding until it becomes a problem. Then when you get overwhelmed it can make it that much harder to fix. By making things as easy as possible, it makes it that much more likely to get done. Remove the extra effort and it makes the hard work that much easier to tackle!
Hey Anne I found your channel a week ago and me and my two kids are hooked! I love your humor, I appreciate that your channel is so informative and family friendly, you are so talented in so many ways, and you rock your grey hair!! Just wanted to send an encouragement that you’re making a difference.
Keep doing what you’re doing! I 💚 the principles you are presenting to us. I think it’s awesome that you are keeping alive the “old” ways. Let’s hope we can all make them THE way of doing things for a better future of our planet.
Yes gardening takes work but it’s healthy work and what I’ve learned from you so far, using nature to our advantage and the why of it, really cuts down on a lot of labor in the long run.
PS: at university I took a hand wood carving directed individual study with my sculpture prof. It’s still one of my passions along with fabric arts which I learned from my mother.
Wowza. You're a genius. Love your show. Thanks so much
Wow, thank you! So glad you're here.
I love your channel and your sense of humor! My name is Anne and I am half Chinese and I am also dyslexic! I can totally relate to you. I made a lazy garden bed this year and although the bugs got most of it- a few plants went absolutely crazy and I wondered if magical fairies had made them grow!
L😍❤E THIS ANNE! I feel exactly the same way.Ironically my interest in farming and homesteading began almost two decades ago while living in a major Northeastern city. At the time my goal was to discover all of the things around us that supported and strengthened life that were often overlooked so I began foraging and attending herbal apprenticeships. It was empowering to say the least. However when things unfurled in 2020 I switched my focus more to fear and began like everyone else looking for land that was expansive and isolated, feeling like the more I could do on my own the better off I would be. In the midst of my search, it became obvious that I would need community, so I began looking for places that not necessarily were intentionally agricultural but were more rural and people tended to know how to do these things as a way of life. This is where I am now. I still dream of becoming part of a focused agricultural community but this is a great launching pad for me as I am enjoying learning how to grow and to build and to do all the things that would make me a vital member of such a community. I'm still so excited for this journey but as you said it is no longer around fear but has once again returned to fascination. Thank you so much for sharing this message!
Anne, this was a fantabulous lesson. Love the humor 😂 Looking forward to more of this valuable content 👍✨
So glad!
I hate woodchips, but I appreciate your logic and admire your results. I'm doing "no-dig" in Huw Richards/Charles Dowding style. I'm tolerant of a reasonable level of weeds, as long as my crops grow well. I'm no good at talking to people, and nobody here in my part of rural Germany uses any gardening services so begging woodchips probably would not work anyway. The local authorities don't even cut the roadside trees and bushes every year. Horse manure I can get though :-).
I love your videos (even though I feel lazy and unaccomplished by comparison. I have enough ADHD friends to be used to this... 😂)
When you spoke about the lazy garden and how it wouldn't necessarily produce NO weeds I was reminded of the 80/20 rule. Only put extra time into accomplishing a 100% weed-free garden if that's what brings you joy
I collect so many boxes for the same reason. Yup being in the south, I realized that I needed extra cardboard and extra layers of woodchips because of the humidity which causes decomposition process to happen quickly. I use weed wackers as well. I am with you on diversify and I am of the motto of plant resilience. Whatever fails, its okay, time to do another round.
I just adore this channel. A kindred spirit you are. Inspiring, educational, funny. You got it all! 🍀
Good stuff! 🤗 My motto is: lazy gardening or no gardening!
Love ur passion. Your knowledge is extensive. The more you know and understand about how everything works together, the less resistant the process becomes. Reminds me of that documentary 'the biggest little farm'.
What a compliment, thank you!
Great video as usual! I need to add more layers of cardboard for my upcoming season.
Adding drip irrigation to my garden has allowed me to experiment new techniques.
By the way, I am happy to see you back in the garden after recovering from your accident. God is great.
Happy gardening!
I'm getting ready to do the cardboard thing since the borough dug up my garden for a water pipe. Thanks for the info. Im also doing JADAM. So happy i found Garden like A Viking on utube to break it down for the home gardener. Were never to old to learn & change when we have too. Thanks again 😊
I'm working on adding wood chips to my pathways right now. In WA I can't believe how fast the grass and weeds grow in the garden. I put 4 inches on top every year and if I don't actively burn or pull weeds it'll be 100% green stuff in my pathways again! I put down cardboard/ rolls of paper before the chips too. Every year.
I just found your channel. I have seen a few videos now and I love it. Western NC, here. Similar climate. Totally relatable. So glad you mentioned Paul G. He has really been an inspiration for me. I also love David the Good.
I’m in the same area, are there any other resources you like to use for gardening in our climate?
Paul is such a treasure. I was so lucky to get to know him when I lived in Washington.
Weeds can be beneficial! I do a lot of raised bed gardening now as I'm getting older. But in the old main garden spot I do have winter squash and pole beans planted. I've also started a blackberry patch in the garden (HOPING they thrive!) That spot has never seen a tiller (have done the cardboard/newspaper mulch over the years). However, I do let some weeds grow between the areas of beans and squash. We have grasshoppers, and the grassy weeds, especially, draw the hoppers away from the beans and other crops planted in that main garden. Plus, some of those weeds are edible (like lambs quarter), and some of the weeds the chickens love to eat, especially when young. I pull some of those weeds and throw them to the birds. On another note, I LOVE your enthusiasm and how you teach and share your knowledge!! Great stuff!!
So glad I’ve stumbled upon your channel. Brings a monster smile to my face.
Welcome aboard!
Love your videos Anne thank you!
❤️ your barn quilt!
Wow Anne! That's a beautiful strawberry patch!
Did no-dig garden two gardening seasons ago for the first time. It really works. Had beautiful harvests and less work achieving it. Go for it. Try it out.
I've gotten soo many ideas from you, thank you! (And hi from E. TN)
I'm so glad! Hi back!
I discovered some beautiful & Very strong weeds that go hand in hand with my green beans!! They are huge & beautiful & taste wonderful!! You GET ME!! Thank you God bless!!❤
what I have learned from your videos is a very healthy marriage between theory and practice. You don't just apply something because no till/permaculture/hugelculture tells you to, but you look at the principles behind it, and then see if it works for you. It takes a lot of knowledge, about how nature works to get there. Just following the steps of permaculture to the letter is not that difficult. Changing your ways all the time because a bunch of keyboard warriors have made it their mission to tell you that you are wrong is not that difficult. I see your gardening-style as craftmanship; you don't blindly apply the rules, but understand the principles behind them, and use them to your advantage. Well done!
Well shucks, if that isn't the kindest compliment I could possibly receive. Thank you.
I really liked this video. It’s so clear in your explanation and it makes so much sense
When starting a new “lazy garden” bed or plot, I prefer to use a tarp to smother the grass and weeds in the designated area for a few months or the growing season before laying down the cardboard. I like to add my compost and wood chips for the new beds at the end of the season so they will be ready to go by the next season, minimizing the effort needed for maintenance. This approach gives me a full growing season to make homemade compost for the beds and effectively kills weeds and grasses where the beds will be. Additionally, if I can’t obtain wood chips for free, I keep an eye out for the end of the year clearance sales at big box stores, making it a cost-effective solution for my lazy gardening method.
Smart!
I find so many lessons I learn from you and just wanted to say thank you busy building my lazy garden that I have weeded for years !!!
I went to a craft school in Portland Oregon and was part of the last graduating class before they closed permanently. I had an amazing time there and learned so much. But, finding communal spaces/ workshops/ studios hasn’t been easy since then. I’m very much looking forward to hearing more about your project, and maybe seeing it in person since I live near Nashville as well.
When I was working full time I would make a daily list of things I needed to do for that day and the next. Some items on the list were small or low priority items. If I didn't take care of these items they would accumulate and would require a larger effort later. In a way I was creating time or maybe finding it.
Writing things down makes them real and rememberable. I try to not get too overzealous with my to-do lists though, so they don't become "didn't do" lists later.
Oooh, strawberries! I moved to a new location and haven't had any luck growing them in the garden. I may break down and use baskets.
As far as I am concerned just growing my own food is a plus for me , but You have given me some ways to save time and money in so many ways. I love your programs and techniques ❤ Keep up the amazing work 💞.
Thank you for all your experience in gardening. I'm learning a lot at 67 years old. I think you are brilliant! Down to earth,pardon the pun! I've ADHD and am finding my new allotment has been a game changer! It improves my mental health. Bless you!
Lazy Gardening - Smart Gardening - Efficient Gardening. Either way I like the Less Weeding outcome.
Just found your channel and I'm in the PNW so knowing you started out here is really awesome for me! I totally dig your channel. Thanks for the lazy!! This is everything I have wanted to do.
Hey I am new to your channel; after many years of convention gardening I
depleted my soil big time…so here I am trying to learn more sustainable ways to amend and save the natural compounds in my soil! I really like your approach and I’m most thankful you are sharing sooooo… much knowledge! We (I) just can’t be careless with soil any more. Two years ago we had a hurricane Fiona, which caused so much destruction in to the East cost, I lost all the trees that surrounded and shaded my house…but the house was not hurt… learned so many lessons in that fall and into spring 2022-2023 - I have ample decaying tree matter and a renewed interest in becoming more self sufficient- wish me luck… love the information you are providing! I am no spring chicken but feel with your knowledge based channel I might gave one more garden left in me! Thank you so very much…. Sheila from Nova Scotia Canada! (Ps … I am interested in you trellises great for my smaller space… what are they called? and can they be purchases at a livestock supply store? thanks again❤
So glad you are here Sheila!!
Thanks for being so very inspiring Anne.🏡
You are the best!! most informative..much appreciated..Ive been using woodchips they are the go!!!!
..I just made an Anne garden this afternoon.. Ive only been watching you for 3 weeks and I have learned more
than I have in 3 years with other Utubers...Gardening Oscar goes to you Anne... 🐴
You’re a true blessing for us that love gardening but not so organized!! ❤
Thanks for the honesty. I grow this way in Texas and you're right about the weeds and bermuda grass! When there's little rain, and with some plants especially, watering at least some is important.
I see your hand has healed well. Congratulations!
I'm so so glad to see you using BOTH hands. You're inspiring my new garden. I'm so excited to start some "lazy" chaos!
Great homest video. I run my garden pretty much the same way, I'm completely into regenative farming an gardening. As I you my animals in my gardening an land regeneration. They help me by doing what they do naturally.
Thanks for another great video Anne!!
Charles is one of my favourite channel's ive learnt alot from him and hes the reason i do no dig.
Girl you are amazing. Great news to share…my compost is three houses away at a Horse farm!!!! Busted it today and grabbed a handful with my bare hands. No manure smell, and it made my excitement about gardening escalate, knowing that if I need something, it’s three doors down the road. I feel the pain you went through with your hand injury, as last fall I took a tumble and just had my shoulder replaced. I think this year may be just a prepping ground, planting a few test container, gardening areas, and enjoying just getting my hands a little dirty. Keep up the videos as I will need you in years to come, and may God greatly bless your efforts and those around you who support you!
I pull weeds out of the woodchip pathways and just flip them roots up to die in place and feed the microbes. Others may think I’m just being lazy but I’m just feeding the garden.
I do the same thing in my front yard. My neighbor gives me weird look😂
Chop and drop is the way to go!
I do so much lazy gardening that I barely produce and produce. Still trying and will am trying again this spring.
Continuing to try is the only way toward success! Even failure is just a learning opportunity to try something different next time!
I love everything you have taught for one and it makes life easier so keep em coming! 💯
You are simplifying and speeding my ADHD hacks with validation and reducing my dirty nail biting worries about these experiments.