I’m a 55 year old gardener. We are going to do our best at the no till, back to Eden garden, because it will be easier on us physically as we age. I never want to stop growing my own food. By quick trial, I jumped a heap of straw under my fruit trees a few years ago. I literally only watered the trees 2-3 times that summer. There were some left over pie pumpkin seeds that sprouted there and with nearly no care, I got around 25 pie pumpkins that summer. It was a real kick!
“Crippling myself into inactivity by being a perfectionist” is something I could put on a shirt to describe where I am in my life at the moment. I have heard this called lasagna gardening too by using the cardboard with layers on top. I saw David The Good do it even in Central America it helps to create richer soil as it all breaks down too. I would think the earthworms that come in are grateful once established not to be disturbed too much. Looking good you all, such a team. Always enjoy watching you both regenerate and use that land to the max! :) You all help me dream in the darkest times and difficult times of this weird season I have been in since God led me to your channel. I felt so bad ( especially for your bare hands ) for you in that cold wind. I essentially am doing what you did for that first garden only not in a raised bed. ( Unless I can build it before I finally get my organic soil). Love Charles Dowding and that green house he has too. ❤️
I do the study thing too but now when Jess mentioned names because I am sick I am going to check out those channels too. There is a female permaculture design gardener and she does this with wet newspaper instead of cardboard. I wanted to try that method and now that Jess showed they are doing it directly on the soil. I think that still small voice is leading me toward no dig too. Of course I am fearing failing or not getting it “right” as I write these words. 🤪
You should wet the compost and then put the tarp on top. That way the weed seeds germinate from the added heat being under the tarp and moisture from spreading the compost. Them the germinated plants will die and decay because they won't have access to the sun. It will be a great way to prevent weeds and add more organic matter at the same time.
Sounds like you have a full-blown case of analysis paralysis! That's how I have started my garden beds for the past 15 years at least. It works beautifully, and you'll never want to till a garden again. Charles Dowding's channel is the perfect example. Have fun!
Gramma Rose's Homestead I sooooo needed this video and your comment today! I am starting tomorrow on grass/weeds with just soaked alfalfa pellets, cardboard, leaves, and the tiny bit of chicken compost I've managed to make the last 2 months. Let's see what happens instead of doing nothing! 💕 I think I'll plant radishes first to help break up our clay soil.
This is sooo great to hear! I've been wanting to try this for years! I just didn't realize how well it worked. I mostly plant in containers but I'm starting some beds soon, so I'll have to give this a go! Thanks for sharing your info!
We are on year 3 of our no till garden beds and I can honestly say that it DOES get better and better! We'll NEVER go back to tilling and rowing 😊 We have started off with the Ruth Stout method and mulch heavily with hay/straw. We hope to transition to mulching with compost as we get better at the composting process. As far as potatoes go, we've only grown them once thus far. We "planted" them between the yearly added layer of hay and the soil below. So the layers were: old broken down hay layer/soil, seed potatoes, then covered with a fresh hay layer. It was a total experiment but were got a pretty good harvest from such a small bed. And the harvest was no dig as well. Just lift the hay layer to reveal CLEAN ready to gather potatoes!
@@shannonrogers6436 we built beds right away but I must confess we lightly tilled ours in the beginning. We also experimented with the method Jess is showing here (on a small test bed) where you lay cardboard down first and then compost on top. It works even better. Barely any weeding!
I have based my garden ,,, just like his. I follow him plantings times and vegetables , curculio bug, surround dust ,,, everything ! Love his channel. !
Love @jamesprigione. Starting my food forest this spring. @rootsandrefuge - Jess you are so right when it comes to paralyzing to perfection. I end up doing nothing. Thank you for putting words to it. Your overview of Ruth Stout/Food Forest/Dowding was spot on! All generally the same principle of not disturbing the soil/adding organic matter each year. My choice of going the woodchip/food forest route was based on @jamesprigione not having to water his garden and very little weed/disease problem. I have monster weeds and I think this maybe my answer. Can't wait to get started and watch your progress with the new garden! Thank you Jess for being an inspiration! I love your updates!
We have found that our local dollar store is a great source for cardboard boxes. They were clean, tape free and flat and we could take all we wanted. 😊👍
You know that since my garden is Permaculture ( similar to the no till ) I have used the cardboard under my Islands.... I started with cardboard like yours ,,, but found that the smaller boxes move too much when you put your compost on top.... Now we found that using mattress cardboard boxes is soooo much better ,,, because they cover more ground... find a mattress store and ask them if they will save their boxes for you.... They usually get a load every week. ~~ Blessings ,,, Irene
I’ve more than doubled my growing space over the winter by adding a load of in-ground no dig beds (adding to my edged and raised beds). So good for the soil. I’m so excited for all our gardens this year! 🌱☺️
I also follow Charles Dowding. I've been no-dig for two years with great success. I also use wood chips in my walk areas and borders. This year I am testing the use of "cover crops" in the off season in beds that don't have winter stuff. Dr Christine Jones has some very good videos on the biology of no-dig and cover crops that would help you understand the soil biology of these systems...if you don't already know the information. It's not just knowledge, but information that will improve how you manage your soil. My wife and I used to live in Jonesboro AR but now live north of Atlanta...we understand AR clay. Completed my Master Gardener last year to become a better gardener and to be able to raise tomatoes as well as you...it's worthwhile. Ruth Stout has not worked well for me.
This is how I put my garden in last year. It did great! I scored most of my cardboard from some recycling dumpsters in the township where I work. I didn’t even know those dumpsters were there, although I passed them every day to and from work for 13 years. 🤦🏼♀️. It was a treasure trove of nice big cardboard boxes, that were already broken down. It saved me so much time and energy! Gotta love making someone else’s trash your treasure! 😁
We sold our tiller 3 yrs ago and have never, ever missed it! No dig, cover the soil is the way to go. So excited for what you are doing, it’s an amazing way to garden.....Gods way!
I struggle with being paralyzed by perfectionism, wanting to know the best methods, etc... so it was encouraging to me to see you push past this and take a first step. God is growing you out of your comfort zone! Looking forward to seeing future videos on no-till methods.
"There is nothing new under the sun" but how absolutely awesome is it to discover something for yourself and then finding why it works! Thanks for the video! Starting tomorrow after months of paralyzed procrastination. Lol
Last year I came across Charles Dowding and his No Dig videos. I converted my small zone 4 garden, 14x14, over to No Dig. I had some successes and somethings that struggled. After harvest I've expanded to 20x20, putting down cardboard like you all have done. I built 2 compost bins and filled with lawn clippings, kitchen scraps and rabbit litter. I'm chomping at the bit to get started with the lessons of last year learned.
Good to see you getting “brave” and trusting that natural growing processes are almost entirely fine without human intervention. I had to smile as you spoke about reluctance to uncurl your fingers from the tiller since I feel the same very strong impulse to turn soil, aerate it, fluff it, pull roots up, dig, tidy up and control the dirt and plants. It’s intense! But, Charles Dowding says in all his books and videos that simply layering on compost, using chipped wood on paths, etc., is extremely productive and far easier than all the digging, tilling, controlling. So cool. I would think using a tiller only in super rocky dirt to obtain the rocks for a project is all your really need the tiller for. Trust nature. Leave your soil be except for layering on your compost once a year (after turning it only once or twice, too!). Best wishes for a beautiful garden.
Our best potato bed ever utilized a leftover spot where compost HAD been stored. It was left bare after we moved the compost to the actual garden. We planted our potatoes there and “hilled” them as they grew with only straw. They were a glorious crop. We experimented with 5 lb of red Pontiac seed potatoes and harvested 35 lbs from that tiny plot. So much fun and such delicious potato salad we had!
Charles Downings results are amazing. Im setting up some no til beds this year too. I started last year and my father in law picked up all my leaves i had for mulch saying i was killing my plants. Such a buzz kill.
We grew our potatoes in feed sacks last year. I rolled down the tops, put 3-4"of straw and then good, composted garden soil to plant in. As they grew I unrolled the sacks and added more of the soil. We were very impressed with the yields. It was our first year so we can't make any comparisons. It was a little more work to keep them watered, just like container gardening. We are going to do it again this year. Just more! Jess, I sent you some pics to the Roots and Refuge facebook messenger page.
It's only my second year of really taking gardening seriously. My raised beds had been sitting with soil for years (my husband had a garden built out for us about 7 years ago, but we didn't have time to really use it until last year.) I'm so glad I found out about the no dig method before I ever tilled my beds! They're completely filled with rich, worm-loved soil! I didn't have enough homemade compost this year to cover them all (8 raised beds) so I had to purchase some, but I've been dedicated to making homemade compost since I started watching Charles Dowding a month ago.
You can just add leaves on top of you don't have enough compost, also you can snag bags of leaves off the side of the road and add them to what compost you have to increase the amount.
You don't have to start filling raised beds with soil,start with logs,branches or anything you have nearby. This lowers the volume needed filling plus it increases fertility of soil used. I live near seashore,seaweed collected on beaches after a storm soon covers my beds, an almost unbeatable source of nutrients which my guys thrive on,you can even soak in water for few days for a liquid feed, Tomatoes love it. God luck,Baz
@@heatherhineline9481 I am surrounded by Oak trees! I always heard they were too acidic to use as mulch, but now I'm reading that it's not as big of a deal as I previously thought.
Jess, I haven't used my tiller for over ten years. Last year was the LAST year that I had a raised bed at all; going forward, the materials that I would devote to a raised bed are instead being devoted to making compost, and everything is now being planted in-ground, no till. The 'mulch' layer for annuals is between 4-6", and when I plant anything, I dig down to the soil layer, fill the hole with compost, and plant into the compost. Very few weeds to deal with, the moisture retention is excellent, and the base soil gets better every year. I am expanding the garden this year, and adding several new beds .. there was not enough newspaper and/or cardboard to go around, so I bought rolls of contractor's paper to put down for the base layer .. 15-17 dollars per roll, 3'x120' (I have 48' beds) .. the cost may seem like a lot, but WOW, this stuff does a great job of keeping persistent grasses from getting through, and is quick and easy to lay down. I dig out holes for whatever I am planting, fill the holes with finished compost (lets me grow more with less compost!) and plant into the compost. Charles is a dear man, but I never seem to have as much compost as he does! :)
I love that you love Charles Dowding! I’ve been following him a bit longer than your channel and I admire him so much. I also do no-dig and use compost NOT mulch. I think you’d be more successful with compost as well as opposed to bark/wood chips. For potatoes- I just dig holes and toss them in. Then add compost as they grow. Nothing tastes better than a homegrown potato. As big a difference as a tomato from the garden vs. store. Just make sure your potato bed isn’t overrun with wireworms.
This is totally how I did my garden! It works! 15 yrs of gardening in clay texas soil! My neighbors all thought I was crazy. Wrangling cardboard. Bringing in yards and yards of compost and then adhering to a struct mulch schedule. 25 bags in front garden, 50 bags in back garden, twice a year. Constantly feeding the soil. Never tilling. It has rewarded me with the best fertile black gold soil and makes gardening easier. You are going to love this! I do still love your raised beds though.
I'm on my third year of no dig, will never dig again. My garden square footage will exceed our living space this year, thanks to this method! Still covered with a foot plus of snow right now but, loved watching you play with your dirt!
Before I forget, I was talking with someone today about people that use chippers to produce material for compost and bedding and people (who might very well be people who care about sustainable rotational farming), who have burn piles and instead of sequestering carbon release it into the atmosphere. You can go either way. One way doesn't accelerate global warming so I just wanted to tell you guys thank you for using the chipper awhile back. Love you.
I also do a combination of raised beds and no-till beds. Our land was once farm land and is depleted and sad. As time goes on, the in-ground, no-till beds do become better and better. I've done them the same way you guys are, but I have also started them the Morag Gamble way - and both have done beautifully.
Am glad you're increasing soil fertility but as you say it takes time. We've become a species of wanting instant results that I hope and pray we can relearn patience again. I admit I used to garden with my N.P.K. out of a bag until I met an old gardener who was working his allotment plot and I was startled by his results and asked what fertiliser he used? "nowt" was the reply and we talked for a whole afternoon on his process. I went home,scrapped my entire garden and started from scratch and have never looked back. Baz
I'm so excited for you both to be starting this no dig garden. Soil health is so important! My husband and I have done a 1700 sq feet of not dig this winter. I'm very excited for this spring/summer.
When I cleaned out our chicken barn and my horse barn I dumped every wheelbarrow at the end of the garden. In spring my Dad would get the tractor and spread it all over our garden. It was always the best garden!
No till/dig gardening is so good and easy. We did it for the longest time in my mom's garden just letting the leaves fall and naturally mulch along with little food scraps, every summer it becomes a jungle 😂 great informative and process video thank you for sharing
You can do potatoes in raided beds. My grandpa always put his potatoes in a shallow row and then kept hilling the dirt up around the potatoes as they grew. Even just dirt being pulled up slightly after the initial planting. After that, straw was being piled up all around the potatoes and that's where they grew and made it easier to dig when they were ready!
We have grown our potatoes on top of the ground for a good many years. Basically built a no till space put potatoes on top and then as they grow we cover with bags of leaves and livestock bedding. Easy to harvest and just continues to build the soil.
We stumbled on this from leaving our Straw Bale Garden in place over Winter. We covered them with black cloth at the end of the season and the compost we uncovered in Sprimg was great. We put our second year of Straw Bales in the same spot and the Spring after that yielded an in-ground bed for this year.
I had great success with no-till gardening in my last home, with heavy clay soil that I couldn't dig through. I'm totally growing that route in my new place. I was crazy about saving ALL the cardboard boxes from the move in July and I'm just getting ready to lay it all out.
I've tilled my yard a few times and each and every time it brings out dormant weeds that were underneath the soil.I I was shocked at the amount of weeds that began sprouting up once I tilled. Because of this, last year I decided to do a no till garden.
Can’t believe this is today’s video!?!?!!! Hubby and I just learned about Ruth Stout last night and have been discussing expanding our garden all DAY to a no dig/no till method (especially to start with potatoes.) Then I get the alert this is the video today. Kismet! Excited to be on this journey, on this planet, planting and living our best lives. ✌🏼💚 cheers, let’s do this 👍🏻👍🏻
I too have just found Charles Dowding method of gardening and trying it in my very small garden. I have tried Ruth Souts method, with straw covering and found it is a little to messy for how i like my garden to look. It will be interesting to see how our gardens turn out this year. I truly believe New methods of gardening, that use less water, natural fertilizer and bountiful harvest can help our planet.
Easy potao method...when I cleaned out the hay barn, I raked the old scraps into a long heap along side the barn. Then I put baby potatoes on top. Then I covered the potatoes with a flake of old hay that was not good enough to give to the horses. This method is talked about in a booklet about growing potatoes published by Stoery Press in Vermont. The green plants grow up through the hay just fine. In about two or three months you harvest buckets of large clean perfect potatoes.
Last year I did no dig potatoes. Ripped out a patch of creeping jasmine (which should be illegal, but the previous home owner loved it), laid down 8 inches of leaves, wet them down, then laid my seed potatoes in. I put 2 inches of compost, then more dead leaves. Waited till they grew up, then “mounded up” using... you guessed it. More dead leaves. Got lots of potatoes out of it, and it required so little! Any time I felt like I needed a *small* outside project, I’d grab a little of my dead leaf pile that was composting and dump it on the potatoes. Added bonus, it helped keep the invasive vines choked because the sun never got to them and the potatoes were heavy enough feeders to keep them at bay!
We are year 10 of no till. When we moved to our new current house I tilled and layed down newspaper and leaves on top. Now I could never use newspaper because the earthworm population breaks down everything so quickly. I now use cardboard and leaves every fall. Plant through it in spring. Never have to weed. Use what you have is my motto. I would probably let that garden sit a few seasons. If you had done this in the fall it would be ready by spring but I would wait until fall or winter.
Really excited to watch your various in ground no dig gardens develop. That compost! Wow! Really appreciate you sharing your process and encouraging others, too. 🙏🏻
This is so awesome Jess!! I've been wanting to try this because it's very new to me too! I've always tilled up the soil to get the garden ready. Can't wait to see the progress you make! 🌱 I know you'll end up creating something beautiful, as always!! I'm planting a huge row of sunflowers on my fence line at the new house. I'm always so jealous of how full yours look lol. They add such beauty in so many ways! Bringing the bees and pollinators around to pollinate our delicious vegetables 🌻 Yum! Thanks so much for sharing!
Please stop tilling. This creates so much devistation and destruction below the surface for no reason. Mom nature knows how to do her job just fine. The sub-surface ecosystem creates the right living area for root structure AND provide nutrients for root ana plant growth. All we have to do is replace what we remove plus extra to build our fertility levels. Just layer with ANYTHING biodegradable and you'll be surprised at the results. Baz
@@barrysullivan59 I've noticed very fertile soil under leaves and wood that has decayed over time. Your so right, I've got to try gardening this way. I do most of my gardening in containers, but I'm building some raised beds to be able to grow more veggies. Thanks for the great heads up on this one!! I really appreciate it and will try it out for sure. There are so many methods in growing we just have to find the right fit😊
Stacey Here we grow again Happy growing. Just add carbon,more carbon and if any room left even more carbon. Use anything that will break down. If building raised bed I usually put old rotting logs or branches in the bottom,this not only saves having to fill with top soil/compost but also will decompose in a hugel culture sort of way. It's amazing what a wander through local woods can produce. Also if you're near any beaches?seaweed is an awesome source of trace nutrients,both as an infill and if soak in water for a day or two a liquid feed. Baz
@@barrysullivan59 Wow!! Amazing information!! Thank you so much! I'm trying that for sure! I have so many worm castings around the house too, so I know I can make a really fertile compost with the tons of endless leaves lol. Great to know the more the better, I wasn't sure about ratios, meaning carbon to nitrogen. I usually put one handful of nitrogen material, to 3 handfuls carbon. Should I add more carbon material you think?.. Your help is much appreciated! Thanks again!
Stacey Here we grow again By the sound of it you're already up and running,leaves can be used 2 ways,as a weed suppressant by top dressing or sandwiched tween other layers to allow bio-culture to work there magic. With NPK ratios in carbon,it just breaks down into major and trace elements,ratios only matter when your giving specific elements to achieve specific result e.g.root,leaf or fruit growth. We ALL learn every day,I know I do,I'm still trying to match certain plants with others to increase yields and growth,companion planting is intense but rewarding experimentation,maybe this year. Happy gardening,Baz
We have done this for over an Acre of garden. I recommend overlapping the cardboard so nothing grows up in-between. Also, the cardboard will shift when you add the compost. So excited for you to have this new garden!
When it comes to potatoes or any other vegetable Ruth Stout is where it’s at! Lay them on top of the ground and cover them with hay and compost. They are heavy feeders so that wonderful composted bedding you have is excellent for them-add hay between the potatoes and compost to encourage drainage and air movement. Harvesting will be so easy-especially if you like new potatoes but don’t want to disturb the whole plant. I’ve known several gardeners who have thrown old potato vines in the compost bin only to have the potatoes grow in the bin and take it over. Planting on top of the ground is very similar to growing potatoes in the compost bin.
I've been doing Ruth stout method for potatoes. Easy peasy, I started with cardboard on lawn and added 12" of hay. I did this in late fall, planted potatoes in the spring, harvested lots of clean potatoes. Truly no dig and no weeds
Hey Jess, we plant potatoes on top of cardboard, under hay/straw/mulch with lots of success. The main thing to watch for is to make sure the potatoes don't become uncovered and meet the sun - just add a little more cover as they grow and you'll end up with little haystacks of potatoes! They're all clean, ready to eat and you can 'bandicoot' (Australian term) some out easily if you want young potatoes :)
We did the exact same thing last year with the cardboard , I hit every store that had big paper towel boxes from the store , it worked really well with the compost on the top of it ! We also have some raised beds as well, but this was a success .
We did the lasagna/sheet mulching to get rid of our lawn in our suburban backyard. It has worked so well in removing the bermuda grass. We have been putting our raised beds over our plot but this year we will be transplanting directly into our no-till plot. Good luck with your new garden!
I have heavy clay soil and have success with growing potatoes in ground. I dig a trench (about 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep) and plant my seed potatoes. I cover with a small amount of excavated soil. I keep adding the soil back as the sprouts grow. Fairly easy to dig in the end and pretty good results. And, the potatoes stay within the trench that was initially dug instead of working out into the harder undug soil. Easy to locate in the end! Everything else in my garden is grown no dig with pretty good success.
I put my potatoes in my fall compost pile and let them winter. In spring I dig them up for new potatoes and reuse the compost in my spring garden. You could also leave a smaller compost pile and just let the potatoes mature for larger potatoes.
Jess -- Your garden is awesome. I have been following Charles &b his no dig. He really knows what he is doing. I have found there is no one right way -- just do what you are comfortable doing. I would suggest that if you are doing a new in ground bed that has a heavy grass area -- just mow -- then cover with clear plastic & make sure all then side edges are tight to the ground -- leave for about 3 day - this process is solarization -- it really kills a lot of the grasses -- then do what you your doing right now. It's all about soil health. Rich
I remember learning this method 20 years ago when it was called lasagna gardening. If you can find enough newspaper or cardboard it is perfect for establishing new beds. Especially in the fact that you can lay out the shape of the bed(s) you want before you start layering all of the natural organic goodness on top. This method would be perfect for your cottage garden to Jess, as you can even create curved beds w/ your paper base.
I have been doing the same thing today! I layer Cardboard, bedding, compost. I saw some great yields with no dig hay beds for potatoes. That is what I'm experimenting with this year. I got a bunch of old hay bales and put hay on the top of the grass really thick late summer. I think I used about 17 bales on a bed 4 ft by 50 ft. They rotted down some but they are still pretty thick. Then you just pop the potatoes in and seldom water and then pull them out. They are pretty clean and the yield is high. I hope that the critters don't find them as I had trouble with chipmunks eating my potatoes in another garden. I have gardened with the no dig method since the 70's organically and LOVE it. I also have poor clay soil so the way I dealt with it was to layer. I always have grown in mounds to save money on edging. Last fall we had a drought for weeks and my beds were still moist 6 inches down with NO watering!! It doesn't have to be perfect to work and have high yields!
Good for you Jess!!, I too am a big fan of no dig and of Charles Dowding. I truly believe in it! Use it here in my garden in Florida, with success! My husband thought I was crazy when I started laying cardboard everywhere now he loves the wonderful veggies. Just yesterday we had salad from the garden including tomato. And I enjoy fresh tomato with my scrambled eggs every week.. my garden area is not large like yours, there is just the two of us but I give onions and garlic away often. And I have several perennial beds, asparagus, tree collards, walking onions, black and red raspberries, and blueberries and a lot of herbs. Charles made me a believer. And I mulch everything, limbs on the bottom, soft branches, grass, leaves, clippings, coffee grounds, egg shells, most left overs in the kitchen go to my worms along with my secret formula for them. They go live in my no till beds each spring. Live In my laundry room till spring. I have 12 fruit trees also.. everything is fed worm castings and sprayed with worm tea and I use Neem oil or Diatomaceous Earth for bugs slugs etc. I love your channel and I look for you everyday and always there on Sunday night’s. God bless, love y’all❣️
I just started no dig beds last year on a very small scale. They already grows lovely flowers and veggies and are much easier on my back. I just did a hugelmound for my asparagus bed, which I expect to take 3 to 5 years to break down into good soil. I also invested in a few Russian comfrey plants to make mulch, fertilizer and compost with, as I have no farm animals. Looking forward to see what that lovely animal bedding compost produces for you! 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
So excited that you're beginning this, Jess. We began in October, and my goal is a small "food forest", instead of a straight garden. I've learned a lot from James Prigioni's channel. His soil, in Jersey, is sandy like mine in FL. The goal is to mimic the fertility in a forest floor, plus the natural layers of a forest....trees, bushes, low plants, ground cover, etc. 😊 I'm excited for you and for myself. Let's do this!
I love Charles Dowding too, especially since he gardens in a climate similar to mine (including the slug problems that result from it). Previously I have been gardening small scale in my back yard. This year I have rented an allotment. In the past few weeks I have been building no dig beds as well. I look forward to the spring and summer so I can start planting.
Jess, we also get extra cardboard at the local body repair shop. they have some large boxes that those car / truck parts come in and don't mind us loading up the trailer once a week or more. that way they don't fill the landfill even more. we started Back to Eden gardening last year with cardboard and then deep mulch on top. our clay soil which is loaded with a ton of minerals is now some of the most beautiful soil, loaded with earthworms and getting better by the day.
It all sounds very interesting Jess. I am looking forward to see how it works out for you all. Before long, you are going to have all your plants out there. God Bless Y'all.
I get great results with potatoes by growing in big raised beds, like yours. I use a no-dig approach (aside from the actual digging of the potatoes, though this disturbs the soil a lot less than I imagined it would). I just mulch the beds each year and plant each seed potato with a handful of chicken manure.
I started a small sheet compost (Under a tarp.) late last summer and will try to turn it into a Charles Dowding style no dig garden this spring. Very excited about not tilling!
For potatoes. I had watched a channel called Back to Reality. They did a Ruth Stout type. So I put a tarp down for about 6 weeks to kill the grass. Pulled it back up, threw the seed potatoes down and covered with straw and grew over 300 pounds of potatoes with absolutely no work.
I had another thought about the no till garden bed. When it is not being actively used; or you could set aside a part of the no till space just for ground cover..., you can sow a ground cover such as red clover(best or white clover), buckwheat, etc. to help enrich the soil. The Bees will bless you for the clover since they love the pollen/nectarthey can collect. After ground cover maturity, just cut it down with a short hand sickle and mulch it into existing beds. BTW, I am also a victim of the "action/inaction paralysis syndrone" as I've coined it. It comes from my own OCDC for wanting to do everything perfect....Grin!
My in ground garden has been tilled the past couple springs for planting, but this year I decided to be lazy and just put composted manure on top, put my landscape fabric back to let any seeds that hadn't composted sprout underneath the fabric and die off, and I'll plant in the same spots I burned into the fabric for last year, but rotating where the plants are. After watching enough other people just layering their compost and manure on top without tilling, I figure this method might be a bit lazier, but better for the garden overall. We are also talking about doing some raised beds in front of the house, and we will be layering cardboard, downed branches and limbs and the compost and manure we accumulate from our farm. I'm excited for when we can get that started.
I would suggest hanging on to your tiller. I have a small 3 year old food forrest and have used a small tiller to jump start the break down of the tree bark mulch.The first year I found hardly any evidence of composting. So I layered chicken manure and feathers and any amendments (grass clipping , coffee grinds, etc I come across at low cost or free. I feel it has really helped the breakdown process. I would lightly run the tiller to mix the top 6 inches of wood chips. This year I found tons of red worms in the mulch and compost mix and the compost looks very good . My trees look really heathly also. I just started my grow beds the last couple of weeks and I am using the same procedure and am hoping for the same results. Happy gardening and thanks for your videos as always .
I've been no dig for exactly the same reason as you. I didn't know any better and that's just how I set up my raised beds. Now I have some space for in ground gardening that I wanted to start prepping and this video really gave me some food for thought. Thanks for sharing!
We love to experiment. Last your I grow a lot of potatoes using the easy Ruth Stout method, in hay and straw. It was so nice to look in the hay for the best ones for dinner. At the end of the season we harvested about 50 pounds from a 16' x 20'. The only problem we had we bind weed. We also do wood chips.
I started the Ruth stout garden this past fall with free horse manure and spent hay, lots and lots of hay. Lots of worms now there. I’m hoping this will be a better way 🥰
Wow, I relate so much to you. I too get crippled into inactivity for lack of having all the details perfect. But y'all on youtube are inspiring us to do and try more. God bless!
Jess, this will be my 4th year doing "no dig". My husband works 12 hrs a day and does not help with the garden. It's just me(48 years old) and our grandson (11 years old). This is the method we use because we don't have more help. It does take time, but it does work and gets better every year.
i tired a Ruth Stout for potatoes for the first time last year and i will never go back to my old way it was so easy and the production was great. we had a real wet year in Iowa where i live and had no rout and i can not say the same for others in my area.
I tried the ruth stout method with my potatoes for the 1st time last year. All i did was Broadfork the ground throw my potatoes on top and cover with hay. It was amzing i got two 5gal buckets full of potatoes is was so easy digging then up. Just put the hay back and see all ur potatoes then i turned rge hay to compost. A win win ❤
I have a small garden compared to yours, 21’x25’. Last year by accident I too did no till and had one of my best years for potatoes. I planted three 25’ rows, which yielded about 140lbs. To take it a step further for many years I have not hilled them either. To keep them from getting sun scaled I mulch them with about 4”-6” of straw.
Ruth strout method for potatoes really worked for me tried it last season and we had very little rain but still got one of the best harvest I've ever had.
I’m a 55 year old gardener. We are going to do our best at the no till, back to Eden garden, because it will be easier on us physically as we age. I never want to stop growing my own food.
By quick trial, I jumped a heap of straw under my fruit trees a few years ago. I literally only watered the trees 2-3 times that summer. There were some left over pie pumpkin seeds that sprouted there and with nearly no care, I got around 25 pie pumpkins that summer. It was a real kick!
I've been doing no dig for 4 years and I can honestly say it's been the best thing I ever done.
“Crippling myself into inactivity by being a perfectionist” is something I could put on a shirt to describe where I am in my life at the moment. I have heard this called lasagna gardening too by using the cardboard with layers on top. I saw David The Good do it even in Central America it helps to create richer soil as it all breaks down too. I would think the earthworms that come in are grateful once established not to be disturbed too much. Looking good you all, such a team. Always enjoy watching you both regenerate and use that land to the max! :) You all help me dream in the darkest times and difficult times of this weird season I have been in since God led me to your channel. I felt so bad ( especially for your bare hands ) for you in that cold wind. I essentially am doing what you did for that first garden only not in a raised bed. ( Unless I can build it before I finally get my organic soil). Love Charles Dowding and that green house he has too. ❤️
A Fishes & Loaves Life I was going to say the same!!
I do the study thing too but now when Jess mentioned names because I am sick I am going to check out those channels too. There is a female permaculture design gardener and she does this with wet newspaper instead of cardboard. I wanted to try that method and now that Jess showed they are doing it directly on the soil. I think that still small voice is leading me toward no dig too. Of course I am fearing failing or not getting it “right” as I write these words. 🤪
Right, sometimes you just have to start!
Can I please have one of those shirts. Ha ha ha 😀
I need this shirt!! 😂
You should wet the compost and then put the tarp on top. That way the weed seeds germinate from the added heat being under the tarp and moisture from spreading the compost. Them the germinated plants will die and decay because they won't have access to the sun. It will be a great way to prevent weeds and add more organic matter at the same time.
Sounds like you have a full-blown case of analysis paralysis! That's how I have started my garden beds for the past 15 years at least. It works beautifully, and you'll never want to till a garden again. Charles Dowding's channel is the perfect example. Have fun!
Gramma Rose's Homestead I sooooo needed this video and your comment today! I am starting tomorrow on grass/weeds with just soaked alfalfa pellets, cardboard, leaves, and the tiny bit of chicken compost I've managed to make the last 2 months. Let's see what happens instead of doing nothing! 💕 I think I'll plant radishes first to help break up our clay soil.
This is sooo great to hear! I've been wanting to try this for years! I just didn't realize how well it worked. I mostly plant in containers but I'm starting some beds soon, so I'll have to give this a go! Thanks for sharing your info!
We are on year 3 of our no till garden beds and I can honestly say that it DOES get better and better! We'll NEVER go back to tilling and rowing 😊 We have started off with the Ruth Stout method and mulch heavily with hay/straw. We hope to transition to mulching with compost as we get better at the composting process. As far as potatoes go, we've only grown them once thus far. We "planted" them between the yearly added layer of hay and the soil below. So the layers were: old broken down hay layer/soil, seed potatoes, then covered with a fresh hay layer. It was a total experiment but were got a pretty good harvest from such a small bed. And the harvest was no dig as well. Just lift the hay layer to reveal CLEAN ready to gather potatoes!
Tonya Wiley what I’m working on too going from Ruth stout layer to no dig it just makes sense
Do you need to let it sit over winter or can you build beds and use them right away with the Ruth Stout method?
I was wondering how potatoes would do with straw or mulch layer only. Thanks!
@@shannonrogers6436 we built beds right away but I must confess we lightly tilled ours in the beginning. We also experimented with the method Jess is showing here (on a small test bed) where you lay cardboard down first and then compost on top. It works even better. Barely any weeding!
@@faithworksfarm4903 with hay, they come out so clean you can almost cook them straight out the garden lol!
You should watch James Prigioni and his food Forrest.
Love him!
I have based my garden ,,, just like his. I follow him plantings times and vegetables , curculio bug, surround dust ,,, everything ! Love his channel. !
I love James Prigioni and Tuck too!!
Love @jamesprigione. Starting my food forest this spring. @rootsandrefuge - Jess you are so right when it comes to paralyzing to perfection. I end up doing nothing. Thank you for putting words to it. Your overview of Ruth Stout/Food Forest/Dowding was spot on! All generally the same principle of not disturbing the soil/adding organic matter each year. My choice of going the woodchip/food forest route was based on @jamesprigione not having to water his garden and very little weed/disease problem. I have monster weeds and I think this maybe my answer. Can't wait to get started and watch your progress with the new garden! Thank you Jess for being an inspiration! I love your updates!
@@susanfreeman5340 - I know James Prigioni, who is Tuck?
We have found that our local dollar store is a great source for cardboard boxes. They were clean, tape free and flat and we could take all we wanted. 😊👍
Bobby & Christina Hudson ohhh, I know where I’m headed after dinner! Thanks!
The couple Dollar Generals have never cared as long as you ask them first.
If you don't ask first you're likely to be asked to leave.
Bobby & Christina Hudson I wanted to come back and thank you, I got enough for the cherry tomato hedge I’m trying this year! Appreciate the tip 😀
The earth's soil is alive! Thank you for educating us!
You know that since my garden is Permaculture ( similar to the no till ) I have used the cardboard under my Islands.... I started with cardboard like yours ,,, but found that the smaller boxes move too much when you put your compost on top.... Now we found that using mattress cardboard boxes is soooo much better ,,, because they cover more ground... find a mattress store and ask them if they will save their boxes for you.... They usually get a load every week. ~~ Blessings ,,, Irene
I’ve more than doubled my growing space over the winter by adding a load of in-ground no dig beds (adding to my edged and raised beds). So good for the soil. I’m so excited for all our gardens this year! 🌱☺️
... and Charles Dowding is a LEGEND! ☺️
I’m the exact same. Perfectionism causes me to do nothing unless I’m a pro. Ugh! It’s the worst!
I also follow Charles Dowding. I've been no-dig for two years with great success. I also use wood chips in my walk areas and borders. This year I am testing the use of "cover crops" in the off season in beds that don't have winter stuff. Dr Christine Jones has some very good videos on the biology of no-dig and cover crops that would help you understand the soil biology of these systems...if you don't already know the information. It's not just knowledge, but information that will improve how you manage your soil. My wife and I used to live in Jonesboro AR but now live north of Atlanta...we understand AR clay. Completed my Master Gardener last year to become a better gardener and to be able to raise tomatoes as well as you...it's worthwhile. Ruth Stout has not worked well for me.
This is how I put my garden in last year. It did great! I scored most of my cardboard from some recycling dumpsters in the township where I work. I didn’t even know those dumpsters were there, although I passed them every day to and from work for 13 years. 🤦🏼♀️. It was a treasure trove of nice big cardboard boxes, that were already broken down. It saved me so much time and energy! Gotta love making someone else’s trash your treasure! 😁
We sold our tiller 3 yrs ago and have never, ever missed it! No dig, cover the soil is the way to go. So excited for what you are doing, it’s an amazing way to garden.....Gods way!
I know he’s not but it looks like miah is throwing a fit bc someone told him to stop playing with his tractor. Lol
I struggle with being paralyzed by perfectionism, wanting to know the best methods, etc... so it was encouraging to me to see you push past this and take a first step. God is growing you out of your comfort zone! Looking forward to seeing future videos on no-till methods.
I made in ground no dig gardens for last spring, and have loved them. Very few weeds, happy vegetables and flowers!
YES!!! Crippling perfectionism is my arch nemesis!!!
I love Charles Dowding! I think I have watched every single one of his RUclips videos & read many of his books. - Corryn
"There is nothing new under the sun" but how absolutely awesome is it to discover something for yourself and then finding why it works! Thanks for the video! Starting tomorrow after months of paralyzed procrastination. Lol
I've got two no dig beds started this year as well. Glad to be doing it along with you!
Last year I came across Charles Dowding and his No Dig videos. I converted my small zone 4 garden, 14x14, over to No Dig. I had some successes and somethings that struggled. After harvest I've expanded to 20x20, putting down cardboard like you all have done. I built 2 compost bins and filled with lawn clippings, kitchen scraps and rabbit litter. I'm chomping at the bit to get started with the lessons of last year learned.
You are going to be so stoked to watch the soil building over time, as the system takes care of it self ! Can't wait to check the progress !
Adore Charles Dowding! Thank you for the reference of him in a past video. Trying his turnip, beet, and onion cluster planting this year.
Good to see you getting “brave” and trusting that natural growing processes are almost entirely fine without human intervention. I had to smile as you spoke about reluctance to uncurl your fingers from the tiller since I feel the same very strong impulse to turn soil, aerate it, fluff it, pull roots up, dig, tidy up and control the dirt and plants. It’s intense! But, Charles Dowding says in all his books and videos that simply layering on compost, using chipped wood on paths, etc., is extremely productive and far easier than all the digging, tilling, controlling. So cool. I would think using a tiller only in super rocky dirt to obtain the rocks for a project is all your really need the tiller for. Trust nature. Leave your soil be except for layering on your compost once a year (after turning it only once or twice, too!). Best wishes for a beautiful garden.
This year for my potatoes I am growing them in a raised bed of straw and compost. I will keep you updated on them.
Our best potato bed ever utilized a leftover spot where compost HAD been stored. It was left bare after we moved the compost to the actual garden. We planted our potatoes there and “hilled” them as they grew with only straw. They were a glorious crop. We experimented with 5 lb of red Pontiac seed potatoes and harvested 35 lbs from that tiny plot. So much fun and such delicious potato salad we had!
Charles Downings results are amazing. Im setting up some no til beds this year too. I started last year and my father in law picked up all my leaves i had for mulch saying i was killing my plants. Such a buzz kill.
Oooh, I would have wanted to murder him. Leaves are all I can get for mulch, and they work awesome!
jffrywad he owes you some mulch!
We grew our potatoes in feed sacks last year. I rolled down the tops, put 3-4"of straw and then good, composted garden soil to plant in. As they grew I unrolled the sacks and added more of the soil. We were very impressed with the yields. It was our first year so we can't make any comparisons. It was a little more work to keep them watered, just like container gardening. We are going to do it again this year. Just more! Jess, I sent you some pics to the Roots and Refuge facebook messenger page.
It's only my second year of really taking gardening seriously. My raised beds had been sitting with soil for years (my husband had a garden built out for us about 7 years ago, but we didn't have time to really use it until last year.) I'm so glad I found out about the no dig method before I ever tilled my beds! They're completely filled with rich, worm-loved soil! I didn't have enough homemade compost this year to cover them all (8 raised beds) so I had to purchase some, but I've been dedicated to making homemade compost since I started watching Charles Dowding a month ago.
You can just add leaves on top of you don't have enough compost, also you can snag bags of leaves off the side of the road and add them to what compost you have to increase the amount.
You don't have to start filling raised beds with soil,start with logs,branches or anything you have nearby. This lowers the volume needed filling plus it increases fertility of soil used. I live near seashore,seaweed collected on beaches after a storm soon covers my beds, an almost unbeatable source of nutrients which my guys thrive on,you can even soak in water for few days for a liquid feed,
Tomatoes love it. God luck,Baz
@@barrysullivan59 Thanks! All my beds were already full, but I'll try that when we build some more.
@@heatherhineline9481 I am surrounded by Oak trees! I always heard they were too acidic to use as mulch, but now I'm reading that it's not as big of a deal as I previously thought.
No till gardening is the only way I've done it. It is so easy and works great! Excited y'all are trying it!
Jess, I haven't used my tiller for over ten years. Last year was the LAST year that I had a raised bed at all; going forward, the materials that I would devote to a raised bed are instead being devoted to making compost, and everything is now being planted in-ground, no till. The 'mulch' layer for annuals is between 4-6", and when I plant anything, I dig down to the soil layer, fill the hole with compost, and plant into the compost. Very few weeds to deal with, the moisture retention is excellent, and the base soil gets better every year. I am expanding the garden this year, and adding several new beds .. there was not enough newspaper and/or cardboard to go around, so I bought rolls of contractor's paper to put down for the base layer .. 15-17 dollars per roll, 3'x120' (I have 48' beds) .. the cost may seem like a lot, but WOW, this stuff does a great job of keeping persistent grasses from getting through, and is quick and easy to lay down. I dig out holes for whatever I am planting, fill the holes with finished compost (lets me grow more with less compost!) and plant into the compost. Charles is a dear man, but I never seem to have as much compost as he does! :)
I love that you love Charles Dowding! I’ve been following him a bit longer than your channel and I admire him so much. I also do no-dig and use compost NOT mulch. I think you’d be more successful with compost as well as opposed to bark/wood chips. For potatoes- I just dig holes and toss them in. Then add compost as they grow. Nothing tastes better than a homegrown potato. As big a difference as a tomato from the garden vs. store. Just make sure your potato bed isn’t overrun with wireworms.
This is totally how I did my garden! It works! 15 yrs of gardening in clay texas soil! My neighbors all thought I was crazy. Wrangling cardboard. Bringing in yards and yards of compost and then adhering to a struct mulch schedule. 25 bags in front garden, 50 bags in back garden, twice a year. Constantly feeding the soil. Never tilling. It has rewarded me with the best fertile black gold soil and makes gardening easier. You are going to love this! I do still love your raised beds though.
I'm on my third year of no dig, will never dig again. My garden square footage will exceed our living space this year, thanks to this method! Still covered with a foot plus of snow right now but, loved watching you play with your dirt!
Before I forget, I was talking with someone today about people that use chippers to produce material for compost and bedding and people (who might very well be people who care about sustainable rotational farming), who have burn piles and instead of sequestering carbon release it into the atmosphere. You can go either way. One way doesn't accelerate global warming so I just wanted to tell you guys thank you for using the chipper awhile back. Love you.
Just getting started is definitely the key...it can always be changed
I also do a combination of raised beds and no-till beds. Our land was once farm land and is depleted and sad. As time goes on, the in-ground, no-till beds do become better and better. I've done them the same way you guys are, but I have also started them the Morag Gamble way - and both have done beautifully.
Am glad you're increasing soil fertility but as you say it takes time. We've become a species of wanting instant results that I hope and pray we can relearn patience again. I admit I used to garden with my N.P.K. out of a bag until I met an old gardener who was working his allotment plot and I was startled by his results and asked what fertiliser he used? "nowt" was the reply and we talked for a whole afternoon on his process.
I went home,scrapped my entire garden and started from scratch and have never looked back. Baz
I'm so excited for you both to be starting this no dig garden. Soil health is so important!
My husband and I have done a 1700 sq feet of not dig this winter. I'm very excited for this spring/summer.
When I cleaned out our chicken barn and my horse barn I dumped every wheelbarrow at the end of the garden. In spring my Dad would get the tractor and spread it all over our garden. It was always the best garden!
No till/dig gardening is so good and easy. We did it for the longest time in my mom's garden just letting the leaves fall and naturally mulch along with little food scraps, every summer it becomes a jungle 😂 great informative and process video thank you for sharing
You can do potatoes in raided beds. My grandpa always put his potatoes in a shallow row and then kept hilling the dirt up around the potatoes as they grew. Even just dirt being pulled up slightly after the initial planting. After that, straw was being piled up all around the potatoes and that's where they grew and made it easier to dig when they were ready!
We have grown our potatoes on top of the ground for a good many years. Basically built a no till space put potatoes on top and then as they grow we cover with bags of leaves and livestock bedding. Easy to harvest and just continues to build the soil.
We stumbled on this from leaving our Straw Bale Garden in place over Winter. We covered them with black cloth at the end of the season and the compost we uncovered in Sprimg was great. We put our second year of Straw Bales in the same spot and the Spring after that yielded an in-ground bed for this year.
I had great success with no-till gardening in my last home, with heavy clay soil that I couldn't dig through. I'm totally growing that route in my new place. I was crazy about saving ALL the cardboard boxes from the move in July and I'm just getting ready to lay it all out.
I've tilled my yard a few times and each and every time it brings out dormant weeds that were underneath the soil.I I was shocked at the amount of weeds that began sprouting up once I tilled. Because of this, last year I decided to do a no till garden.
Can’t believe this is today’s video!?!?!!! Hubby and I just learned about Ruth Stout last night and have been discussing expanding our garden all DAY to a no dig/no till method (especially to start with potatoes.) Then I get the alert this is the video today. Kismet! Excited to be on this journey, on this planet, planting and living our best lives. ✌🏼💚 cheers, let’s do this 👍🏻👍🏻
I too have just found Charles Dowding method of gardening and trying it in my very small garden. I have tried Ruth Souts method, with straw covering and found it is a little to messy for how i like my garden to look. It will be interesting to see how our gardens turn out this year.
I truly believe New methods of gardening, that use less water, natural fertilizer and bountiful harvest can help our planet.
LOVE Charles Dowding. I've learned a ton from him. He grows potatoes right in his beds without trenching and heaping soil up, etc...
Ive been waiting for you to do something like this so i can have the confidence to do it too!
Easy potao method...when I cleaned out the hay barn, I raked the old scraps into a long heap along side the barn. Then I put baby potatoes on top. Then I covered the potatoes with a flake of old hay that was not good enough to give to the horses. This method is talked about in a booklet about growing potatoes published by Stoery Press in Vermont. The green plants grow up through the hay just fine. In about two or three months you harvest buckets of large clean perfect potatoes.
Last year I did no dig potatoes. Ripped out a patch of creeping jasmine (which should be illegal, but the previous home owner loved it), laid down 8 inches of leaves, wet them down, then laid my seed potatoes in. I put 2 inches of compost, then more dead leaves. Waited till they grew up, then “mounded up” using... you guessed it. More dead leaves.
Got lots of potatoes out of it, and it required so little! Any time I felt like I needed a *small* outside project, I’d grab a little of my dead leaf pile that was composting and dump it on the potatoes.
Added bonus, it helped keep the invasive vines choked because the sun never got to them and the potatoes were heavy enough feeders to keep them at bay!
We are year 10 of no till. When we moved to our new current house I tilled and layed down newspaper and leaves on top. Now I could never use newspaper because the earthworm population breaks down everything so quickly. I now use cardboard and leaves every fall. Plant through it in spring. Never have to weed. Use what you have is my motto.
I would probably let that garden sit a few seasons. If you had done this in the fall it would be ready by spring but I would wait until fall or winter.
Loved the live chat last night! We are basically modeling our garden after yours ☺️
Really excited to watch your various in ground no dig gardens develop. That compost! Wow!
Really appreciate you sharing your process and encouraging others, too. 🙏🏻
This is so awesome Jess!! I've been wanting to try this because it's very new to me too! I've always tilled up the soil to get the garden ready. Can't wait to see the progress you make! 🌱 I know you'll end up creating something beautiful, as always!! I'm planting a huge row of sunflowers on my fence line at the new house. I'm always so jealous of how full yours look lol. They add such beauty in so many ways! Bringing the bees and pollinators around to pollinate our delicious vegetables 🌻 Yum! Thanks so much for sharing!
Please stop tilling. This creates so much devistation and destruction below the surface for no reason. Mom nature knows how to do her job just fine. The sub-surface ecosystem creates the right living area for root structure AND provide nutrients for root ana plant growth.
All we have to do is replace what we remove plus extra to build our fertility levels. Just layer with ANYTHING biodegradable and you'll be surprised at the results. Baz
@@barrysullivan59 I've noticed very fertile soil under leaves and wood that has decayed over time. Your so right, I've got to try gardening this way. I do most of my gardening in containers, but I'm building some raised beds to be able to grow more veggies. Thanks for the great heads up on this one!! I really appreciate it and will try it out for sure. There are so many methods in growing we just have to find the right fit😊
Stacey Here we grow again Happy growing. Just add carbon,more carbon and if any room left even more carbon. Use anything that will break down. If building raised bed I usually put old rotting logs or branches in the bottom,this not only saves having to fill with top soil/compost but also will decompose in a hugel culture sort of way. It's amazing what a wander through local woods can produce. Also if you're near any beaches?seaweed is an awesome source of trace nutrients,both as an infill and if soak in water for a day or two a liquid feed. Baz
@@barrysullivan59 Wow!! Amazing information!! Thank you so much! I'm trying that for sure! I have so many worm castings around the house too, so I know I can make a really fertile compost with the tons of endless leaves lol. Great to know the more the better, I wasn't sure about ratios, meaning carbon to nitrogen. I usually put one handful of nitrogen material, to 3 handfuls carbon. Should I add more carbon material you think?.. Your help is much appreciated! Thanks again!
Stacey Here we grow again By the sound of it you're already up and running,leaves can be used 2 ways,as a weed suppressant by top dressing or sandwiched tween other layers to allow bio-culture to work there magic. With NPK ratios in carbon,it just breaks down into major and trace elements,ratios only matter when your giving specific elements to achieve specific result e.g.root,leaf or fruit growth. We ALL learn every day,I know I do,I'm still trying to match certain plants with others to increase yields and growth,companion planting is intense but rewarding experimentation,maybe this year. Happy gardening,Baz
We have done this for over an Acre of garden. I recommend overlapping the cardboard so nothing grows up in-between. Also, the cardboard will shift when you add the compost. So excited for you to have this new garden!
When it comes to potatoes or any other vegetable Ruth Stout is where it’s at! Lay them on top of the ground and cover them with hay and compost. They are heavy feeders so that wonderful composted bedding you have is excellent for them-add hay between the potatoes and compost to encourage drainage and air movement. Harvesting will be so easy-especially if you like new potatoes but don’t want to disturb the whole plant.
I’ve known several gardeners who have thrown old potato vines in the compost bin only to have the potatoes grow in the bin and take it over. Planting on top of the ground is very similar to growing potatoes in the compost bin.
I've been doing Ruth stout method for potatoes. Easy peasy, I started with cardboard on lawn and added 12" of hay. I did this in late fall, planted potatoes in the spring, harvested lots of clean potatoes. Truly no dig and no weeds
Hey Jess, we plant potatoes on top of cardboard, under hay/straw/mulch with lots of success. The main thing to watch for is to make sure the potatoes don't become uncovered and meet the sun - just add a little more cover as they grow and you'll end up with little haystacks of potatoes! They're all clean, ready to eat and you can 'bandicoot' (Australian term) some out easily if you want young potatoes :)
We did the exact same thing last year with the cardboard , I hit every store that had big paper towel boxes from the store , it worked really well with the compost on the top of it ! We also have some raised beds as well, but this was a success .
I've had huge success with the Ruth Stout method on potatoes and it's so easy. Works great on garlic too. God Bless y'all
We did the lasagna/sheet mulching to get rid of our lawn in our suburban backyard. It has worked so well in removing the bermuda grass. We have been putting our raised beds over our plot but this year we will be transplanting directly into our no-till plot. Good luck with your new garden!
I have heavy clay soil and have success with growing potatoes in ground. I dig a trench (about 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep) and plant my seed potatoes. I cover with a small amount of excavated soil. I keep adding the soil back as the sprouts grow. Fairly easy to dig in the end and pretty good results. And, the potatoes stay within the trench that was initially dug instead of working out into the harder undug soil. Easy to locate in the end! Everything else in my garden is grown no dig with pretty good success.
I put my potatoes in my fall compost pile and let them winter. In spring I dig them up for new potatoes and reuse the compost in my spring garden. You could also leave a smaller compost pile and just let the potatoes mature for larger potatoes.
Jess -- Your garden is awesome. I have been following Charles &b his no dig. He really knows what he is doing. I have found there is no one right way -- just do what you are comfortable doing. I would suggest that if you are doing a new in ground bed that has a heavy grass area -- just mow -- then cover with clear plastic & make sure all then side edges are tight to the ground -- leave for about 3 day - this process is solarization -- it really kills a lot of the grasses -- then do what you your doing right now. It's all about soil health. Rich
I remember learning this method 20 years ago when it was called lasagna gardening. If you can find enough newspaper or cardboard it is perfect for establishing new beds. Especially in the fact that you can lay out the shape of the bed(s) you want before you start layering all of the natural organic goodness on top.
This method would be perfect for your cottage garden to Jess, as you can even create curved beds w/ your paper base.
I have been doing the same thing today! I layer Cardboard, bedding, compost. I saw some great yields with no dig hay beds for potatoes. That is what I'm experimenting with this year. I got a bunch of old hay bales and put hay on the top of the grass really thick late summer. I think I used about 17 bales on a bed 4 ft by 50 ft. They rotted down some but they are still pretty thick. Then you just pop the potatoes in and seldom water and then pull them out. They are pretty clean and the yield is high. I hope that the critters don't find them as I had trouble with chipmunks eating my potatoes in another garden. I have gardened with the no dig method since the 70's organically and LOVE it. I also have poor clay soil so the way I dealt with it was to layer. I always have grown in mounds to save money on edging. Last fall we had a drought for weeks and my beds were still moist 6 inches down with NO watering!! It doesn't have to be perfect to work and have high yields!
I’m so excited to see you make these beds! Ive been into no dig since Back to Eden came out but you got me hooked on Charles Dowding videos 💜
Good for you Jess!!, I too am a big fan of no dig and of Charles Dowding. I truly believe in it! Use it here in my garden in Florida, with success! My husband thought I was crazy when I started laying cardboard everywhere now he loves the wonderful veggies. Just yesterday we had salad from the garden including tomato. And I enjoy fresh tomato with my scrambled eggs every week.. my garden area is not large like yours, there is just the two of us but I give onions and garlic away often. And I have several perennial beds, asparagus, tree collards, walking onions, black and red raspberries, and blueberries and a lot of herbs. Charles made me a believer. And I mulch everything, limbs on the bottom, soft branches, grass, leaves, clippings, coffee grounds, egg shells, most left overs in the kitchen go to my worms along with my secret formula for them. They go live in my no till beds each spring. Live In my laundry room till spring. I have 12 fruit trees also.. everything is fed worm castings and sprayed with worm tea and I use Neem oil or Diatomaceous Earth for bugs slugs etc. I love your channel and I look for you everyday and always there on Sunday night’s. God bless, love y’all❣️
This will be my 3rd spring of no till in my bigger garden and I love it. The weeds are few and far between and all my veggies have done really well.
It’s what I do because I just can’t do dig gardens much anymore. Got back problems. So I just keep piling on the mulch.
I just started no dig beds last year on a very small scale. They already grows lovely flowers and veggies and are much easier on my back. I just did a hugelmound for my asparagus bed, which I expect to take 3 to 5 years to break down into good soil. I also invested in a few Russian comfrey plants to make mulch, fertilizer and compost with, as I have no farm animals. Looking forward to see what that lovely animal bedding compost produces for you! 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
So excited that you're beginning this, Jess. We began in October, and my goal is a small "food forest", instead of a straight garden. I've learned a lot from James Prigioni's channel. His soil, in Jersey, is sandy like mine in FL. The goal is to mimic the fertility in a forest floor, plus the natural layers of a forest....trees, bushes, low plants, ground cover, etc. 😊 I'm excited for you and for myself. Let's do this!
I love Charles Dowding too, especially since he gardens in a climate similar to mine (including the slug problems that result from it). Previously I have been gardening small scale in my back yard. This year I have rented an allotment. In the past few weeks I have been building no dig beds as well. I look forward to the spring and summer so I can start planting.
Jess, we also get extra cardboard at the local body repair shop. they have some large boxes that those car / truck parts come in and don't mind us loading up the trailer once a week or more. that way they don't fill the landfill even more. we started Back to Eden gardening last year with cardboard and then deep mulch on top. our clay soil which is loaded with a ton of minerals is now some of the most beautiful soil, loaded with earthworms and getting better by the day.
It all sounds very interesting Jess. I am looking forward to see how it works out for you all. Before long, you are going to have all your plants out there. God Bless Y'all.
You won't be sorry. I love our no til garden.
I get great results with potatoes by growing in big raised beds, like yours. I use a no-dig approach (aside from the actual digging of the potatoes, though this disturbs the soil a lot less than I imagined it would). I just mulch the beds each year and plant each seed potato with a handful of chicken manure.
I started a small sheet compost (Under a tarp.) late last summer and will try to turn it into a Charles Dowding style no dig garden this spring. Very excited about not tilling!
I seen a couple growing potatoes under layers of hay. Kind of like what your doing with your new Garden but just with hay.
For potatoes. I had watched a channel called Back to Reality. They did a Ruth Stout type. So I put a tarp down for about 6 weeks to kill the grass. Pulled it back up, threw the seed potatoes down and covered with straw and grew over 300 pounds of potatoes with absolutely no work.
I had another thought about the no till garden bed. When it is not being actively used; or you could set aside a part of the no till space just for ground cover..., you can sow a ground cover such as red clover(best or white clover), buckwheat, etc. to help enrich the soil. The Bees will bless you for the clover since they love the pollen/nectarthey can collect. After ground cover maturity, just cut it down with a short hand sickle and mulch it into existing beds.
BTW, I am also a victim of the "action/inaction paralysis syndrone" as I've coined it. It comes from my own OCDC for wanting to do everything perfect....Grin!
My in ground garden has been tilled the past couple springs for planting, but this year I decided to be lazy and just put composted manure on top, put my landscape fabric back to let any seeds that hadn't composted sprout underneath the fabric and die off, and I'll plant in the same spots I burned into the fabric for last year, but rotating where the plants are. After watching enough other people just layering their compost and manure on top without tilling, I figure this method might be a bit lazier, but better for the garden overall. We are also talking about doing some raised beds in front of the house, and we will be layering cardboard, downed branches and limbs and the compost and manure we accumulate from our farm. I'm excited for when we can get that started.
I just started last year with the no dig...a lot of mulch kept the weeds out and I was so Happy about that. It works great!
I would suggest hanging on to your tiller. I have a small 3 year old food forrest and have used a small tiller to jump start the break down of the tree bark mulch.The first year I found hardly any evidence of composting. So I layered chicken manure and feathers and any amendments (grass clipping , coffee grinds, etc I come across at low cost or free. I feel it has really helped the breakdown process. I would lightly run the tiller to mix the top 6 inches of wood chips. This year I found tons of red worms in the mulch and compost mix and the compost looks very good . My trees look really heathly also. I just started my grow beds the last couple of weeks and I am using the same procedure and am hoping for the same results. Happy gardening and thanks for your videos as always .
I've been no dig for exactly the same reason as you. I didn't know any better and that's just how I set up my raised beds. Now I have some space for in ground gardening that I wanted to start prepping and this video really gave me some food for thought. Thanks for sharing!
This is exciting stuff, it will be so helpful to see this from start to harvest.
We love to experiment. Last your I grow a lot of potatoes using the easy Ruth Stout method, in hay and straw. It was so nice to look in the hay for the best ones for dinner. At the end of the season we harvested about 50 pounds from a 16' x 20'. The only problem we had we bind weed. We also do wood chips.
I started the Ruth stout garden this past fall with free horse manure and spent hay, lots and lots of hay. Lots of worms now there. I’m hoping this will be a better way 🥰
Wow, I relate so much to you. I too get crippled into inactivity for lack of having all the details perfect. But y'all on youtube are inspiring us to do and try more. God bless!
Jess, this will be my 4th year doing "no dig". My husband works 12 hrs a day and does not help with the garden. It's just me(48 years old) and our grandson (11 years old). This is the method we use because we don't have more help. It does take time, but it does work and gets better every year.
i tired a Ruth Stout for potatoes for the first time last year and i will never go back to my old way it was so easy and the production was great. we had a real wet year in Iowa where i live and had no rout and i can not say the same for others in my area.
We plan to “no dig” also. So seeing you get this process started is really exciting
How exciting! This is my favorite gardening method. Yes, it does take a LOT of cardboard. I’m interested to see what type of mulch you decide to use 🤗
I tried the ruth stout method with my potatoes for the 1st time last year. All i did was Broadfork the ground throw my potatoes on top and cover with hay. It was amzing i got two 5gal buckets full of potatoes is was so easy digging then up. Just put the hay back and see all ur potatoes then i turned rge hay to compost. A win win ❤
I have a small garden compared to yours, 21’x25’. Last year by accident I too did no till and had one of my best years for potatoes. I planted three 25’ rows, which yielded about 140lbs. To take it a step further for many years I have not hilled them either. To keep them from getting sun scaled I mulch them with about 4”-6” of straw.
So glad you're going to no till method. I'm taking the leap this year myself. Love your channel & wish you & your family much love.
Ruth strout method for potatoes really worked for me tried it last season and we had very little rain but still got one of the best harvest I've ever had.