I am currently in the process of making a no dig bed/border for some home grown veggies this year, I have had a battle on my hands for the last three years with getting rid of alpine strawberries, although I only planted 3 about 4 years ago, they completely colonized my garden, so having to start from scratch, luckily I have a son who can get as much cardboard as I need from work, so that is how I am doing it and making a hazel edging with the branches of the tree at the bottom of the garden. A lot less back breaking work and an instant blank canvas :)
Alpine strawberries are a good ground cover for a reason! They certainly like spreading! Even non-spreading varieties grow easily from the seeds from fallen fruit.
I love no dig beds. I have found that I can just put leaves or thick mulch down in the fall and by spring the bed will be ready for planting. Its fantastic.
Thanks for very instructive video Tanya. Beautiful kitty seen throughout. Hope these images help ease the loss of a beloved pet. They are always with us aren’t they. Especially in the garden.
Thank you Tanya! Wonderful video. You sold me, will definitely be using a mix of these methods on my terraces this winter, maybe for the next few years if I get the job I interviewed for last week, fingers crossed. Please keep the content going and happy gardening! Cheers, Franco
such a helpful video and i am sooooo excited to receive my pre-ordered book...living in new england, i never thought i'd say..."can't wait for february"...hahaha
Totally.. easy I used manure and cardboard boxes over winter and I have even used shade netting.. I didn't like the plastic breaking up in the hot South African sun.. But I must admit it never stops all weeds floating in on the wind but has made my gardening experience really easy and I definitely use less water
Excellent video Tanya and explaining the mulch that can be used in a no dig allotment/garden. I managed to get weed control fabric for free because I have a contact that works in the James Hutton Institute (a horticultural and agricultural research organisation).
I've been waiting so long for wood chips to cover several places I want to garden but I think I will go ahead and cover those areas with plastic over winter and just one from there 😃
Wood chips break down into good compost after a couple of years. I wouldn't use fresh ones as mulch on any of my beds though. I've tried it before and the pumpkins I grew through them didn't seem to like it at all. I got almost nothing from that bed that year.
@@Lovelygreens that's good to know. I would like to use it in my chicken run, as a path between beds, and to build soil. But I have to get those tree trimmers to pick my yard as a site to upload their bounty first 😂
Hi Tanya. I've recently discovered your channel and am enjoying it very much. One thing that's particularly relevant for me is that your allotment is on a slope with rocky soil. I'm in New Hampshire in the US with very similar conditions. I'm planning to expand my garden considerably and would be very interested in a video specifically about gardening on a slope. Is it really necessary to level raised beds? It looks like many of your beds basically go with the contour of the land. Thank you for your wonderful content!
If you look at any of my videos from the home garden, you'll see my non-leveled raised beds. They work great but I imagine it would be trickier on a steeper slope
This was helpful & simplified my thought process. I appreciate you & am asking for your book for a late xmas present. Honey always as what I want so that makes it easy for him💞
That's a great idea! I have extremely hard clay but somehow weeds keep growing in it before I can get to planting in it somehow so I will throw some grass clippings and a tarp over for now
Have you ever been tempted to get some chickens as well? I've always wanted to see a "mulch vs cover vs chickens vs pigs" comparison :) I guess that's immaterial though, as most people will likely decide early on if they will keep livestock or not? Thanks for the video!
One channel I watch is Justin Rhodes, a homesteader who uses his livestock to clear the land so he can plant garden crops. He has lots of videos where he has his chickens do the work for him.
Thank you Tanya, the no-dig system is fascinating. However, I already have raised beds. What would you do to nourish your beds this fall for next spring? My beds have compost in them from last spring that I grew vegetables and flowers in. I live in Sequim WA which appears to have a similar climate to yours. I so enjoy all of your videos and have purchased your book. Thanks, Joan
@@Lovelygreens hence the quotes on the 'sheet mulch'. sounds like you leave the plastic on year round or as long as there's a vacancy? Thats much longer than would be needed for weed suppression. Cover crops maintain the soil and keep it healthier than a blank plastic sheet, and keep weeds suppressed too.
Say you had a raised bed that you wanted to put a black plastic over to prep for spring planting. In prepping the soil before laying down the plastic, can you broad fork the soil, water that in some, then add on a layer of compost? This is not solarization, but would this procedure help with a root knot nematode situation?
last winter I used cardboard under compost as sheet mulching and the slugs loved it, particularly during a very wet summer so this autumn the cardboard goes on top so I can remove it in spring if it hasn't fully rotted down! ps Are your plots above Laxey? I am sure I remember climbing past some allotments on the train up to the top of Snaefell but sadly it is a few years since I have been back there.
Hi... from south Africa bottle in is my thing I be doing sauce beetroot a lot of thing but south Africa does not have nothing in much I do all but I what to learn your way of doing to yes we do all vingers
Is it too late to put down poly now to use this spring? I’m in the southern US so it’s not terribly cold and we still get plenty of sun to warm up the plastic/ground before spring
It depends on the time of year and conditions. Also how long the cardboard lasts. A couple of months minimum, but if you pile compost on top, you can plant directly into it.
I can hear you developing an English accent haha, you must have been living in the Isle of Man for a while now.... or are you in the Isle of Wight? Well... either way I hear your accent changing 🤩🤩
So many people do not realize they are breaking the county codes for there area. They think I own land and can do as I want with it . If it is not a efu zone . With irrigation rights. You can not water any more than a half an acre.even if you own more. Ck with your county about your water usage rights for your land. Community gardens can actually harm the area around it. Such as chemical run off and over spray drifting. Shallow water contamination. Etc
I am currently in the process of making a no dig bed/border for some home grown veggies this year, I have had a battle on my hands for the last three years with getting rid of alpine strawberries, although I only planted 3 about 4 years ago, they completely colonized my garden, so having to start from scratch, luckily I have a son who can get as much cardboard as I need from work, so that is how I am doing it and making a hazel edging with the branches of the tree at the bottom of the garden. A lot less back breaking work and an instant blank canvas :)
Alpine strawberries are a good ground cover for a reason! They certainly like spreading! Even non-spreading varieties grow easily from the seeds from fallen fruit.
I love no dig beds. I have found that I can just put leaves or thick mulch down in the fall and by spring the bed will be ready for planting. Its fantastic.
Thanks for very instructive video Tanya.
Beautiful kitty seen throughout. Hope these images help ease the loss of a beloved pet. They are always with us aren’t they. Especially in the garden.
It makes me smile to find Cheebies and Louis in my videos now 🙂 Their little chirps and mannerisms captured forever 💚
This was very helpful, I never would have thought of using this to cover my gardening area. Thank you!
Superb video review of sheet mulch. Thank you. Have a blessed day.
I use the solid black plastic on my plot to cover over winter, but that's because I inherited it when I took on the plot!
The cardboard is good and I can easily access it. Thanks for sharing
Thank you Tanya! Wonderful video. You sold me, will definitely be using a mix of these methods on my terraces this winter, maybe for the next few years if I get the job I interviewed for last week, fingers crossed. Please keep the content going and happy gardening! Cheers, Franco
Thank you, I’m going to try the cardboard!
such a helpful video and i am sooooo excited to receive my pre-ordered book...living in new england, i never thought i'd say..."can't wait for february"...hahaha
😁 I truly hope that you enjoy the book, Barb! Xx
Totally.. easy I used manure and cardboard boxes over winter and I have even used shade netting.. I didn't like the plastic breaking up in the hot South African sun.. But I must admit it never stops all weeds floating in on the wind but has made my gardening experience really easy and I definitely use less water
Very helpful! Thank you
Brilliant so helpful, thankyou
If you use a small propane torch it works fabulous to seal the edges.
Yep, same thing as a creme brulee torch. It will save your fingers from the strain of using a lighter for so long too 🙂
Excellent video Tanya and explaining the mulch that can be used in a no dig allotment/garden. I managed to get weed control fabric for free because I have a contact that works in the James Hutton Institute (a horticultural and agricultural research organisation).
Thank you Tanya, this is a very helpful video. Good luck with the book.
What a view!
Thank you for showing this. It will make my job easier.
I've been waiting so long for wood chips to cover several places I want to garden but I think I will go ahead and cover those areas with plastic over winter and just one from there 😃
Wood chips break down into good compost after a couple of years. I wouldn't use fresh ones as mulch on any of my beds though. I've tried it before and the pumpkins I grew through them didn't seem to like it at all. I got almost nothing from that bed that year.
@@Lovelygreens that's good to know. I would like to use it in my chicken run, as a path between beds, and to build soil. But I have to get those tree trimmers to pick my yard as a site to upload their bounty first 😂
Beautiful garden and Beautiful gardener. Wow,
lovely enjoyable video
Hi Tanya. I've recently discovered your channel and am enjoying it very much. One thing that's particularly relevant for me is that your allotment is on a slope with rocky soil. I'm in New Hampshire in the US with very similar conditions. I'm planning to expand my garden considerably and would be very interested in a video specifically about gardening on a slope. Is it really necessary to level raised beds? It looks like many of your beds basically go with the contour of the land. Thank you for your wonderful content!
If you look at any of my videos from the home garden, you'll see my non-leveled raised beds. They work great but I imagine it would be trickier on a steeper slope
This was helpful & simplified my thought process. I appreciate you & am asking for your book for a late xmas present. Honey always as what I want so that makes it easy for him💞
Ah, lovely :) I hope you enjoy it, Judith!
Nice one! 🌈
Always a good idea 👍😷
Do you ever use a cover crop before covering up with plastic?
That's a great idea! I have extremely hard clay but somehow weeds keep growing in it before I can get to planting in it somehow so I will throw some grass clippings and a tarp over for now
Great idea thanks for sharing
Have you ever been tempted to get some chickens as well? I've always wanted to see a "mulch vs cover vs chickens vs pigs" comparison :) I guess that's immaterial though, as most people will likely decide early on if they will keep livestock or not? Thanks for the video!
Pigs are like rotovators on legs...only they eat all the roots too! Not everyone wants livestock though, as you say.
One channel I watch is Justin Rhodes, a homesteader who uses his livestock to clear the land so he can plant garden crops. He has lots of videos where he has his chickens do the work for him.
Thank you Tanya, the no-dig system is fascinating. However, I already have raised beds. What would you do to nourish your beds this fall for next spring? My beds have compost in them from last spring that I grew vegetables and flowers in. I live in Sequim WA which appears to have a similar climate to yours. I so enjoy all of your videos and have purchased your book. Thanks, Joan
Just an inch layer of compost as a mulch should do. Some people use half that amount! Leave the old compost in and it's as easy as that :)
My favorite 'sheet mulch' is year round cover crops, building soil carbon and feeding microbes.
You sow cover crops in soil that's already been cleared. They're not the same thing, or function in the same way, as sheet mulch.
@@Lovelygreens hence the quotes on the 'sheet mulch'. sounds like you leave the plastic on year round or as long as there's a vacancy? Thats much longer than would be needed for weed suppression. Cover crops maintain the soil and keep it healthier than a blank plastic sheet, and keep weeds suppressed too.
Do you ever check out those woods across the valley? I’m a native plant nut.
It's a popular dog-walking area but I've not had a look around myself.
Say you had a raised bed that you wanted to put a black plastic over to prep for spring planting. In prepping the soil before laying down the plastic, can you broad fork the soil, water that in some, then add on a layer of compost?
This is not solarization, but would this procedure help with a root knot nematode situation?
last winter I used cardboard under compost as sheet mulching and the slugs loved it, particularly during a very wet summer so this autumn the cardboard goes on top so I can remove it in spring if it hasn't fully rotted down! ps Are your plots above Laxey? I am sure I remember climbing past some allotments on the train up to the top of Snaefell but sadly it is a few years since I have been back there.
Hi... from south Africa bottle in is my thing I be doing sauce beetroot a lot of thing but south Africa does not have nothing in much I do all but I what to learn your way of doing to yes we do all vingers
Can you lay sheet mulch as a weed barrier before you lay rocks?
"Lovely"🥰🥰🥰
💚😊💚
What thickness do you recommend?
Is it too late to put down poly now to use this spring? I’m in the southern US so it’s not terribly cold and we still get plenty of sun to warm up the plastic/ground before spring
Wondering the same thing!
How long does it take for cardboard munching to kill all the grass Dow below please?
It depends on the time of year and conditions. Also how long the cardboard lasts. A couple of months minimum, but if you pile compost on top, you can plant directly into it.
I can hear you developing an English accent haha, you must have been living in the Isle of Man for a while now.... or are you in the Isle of Wight? Well... either way I hear your accent changing 🤩🤩
What is an allotment? 😬 I’m from the US. I have never heard of one.
This explains what an allotment is: ruclips.net/video/z8_GER8n8qE/видео.html
Make a seed packet with one of every kind of seed in it, so new gardeners have an easy place to start~
I just battle with weeds and do it all my self
Just open a pandora box 👍
Man, bindweed is the worst
So many people do not realize they are breaking the county codes for there area. They think I own land and can do as I want with it . If it is not a efu zone . With irrigation rights. You can not water any more than a half an acre.even if you own more. Ck with your county about your water usage rights for your land. Community gardens can actually harm the area around it. Such as chemical run off and over spray drifting. Shallow water contamination. Etc