If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😀TIMESTAMPS here: 0:00 How The Sun Damages Soil 4:46 Protecting Soil Method #1: Growing 5:37 Protecting Soil Method #2: Mulching 7:35 Protecting Soil Method #3: Tarping 9:23 Solutions For Earth Bed Gardens 10:23 Can You Mulch With Compost? 12:44 Adventures With Dale
I plant clover because it naturally adds nitrogen back to the soil, sometimes I don't turn it over and just leave it planting among it. As I've mentioned before, I also live in NC and O'Connors Strawberry Clover is both resilient and beautiful.
That is a good plan. I would recommend chopping them up with a mower for better decomposition if you have the time. They’ll add organic matter to your soil faster.
@@Steve197201 sometimes they make it as far as our deck sometimes into our planter boxes so I occasionally need to pull them out when they start to sprout. Maple and our one cottonwood tree.
I can honestly say this is the best advice, especially for any type of raised beds. This is why i love no dig gardening . It promotes the uses of permanent or seasonal cover crops so that there is always something living in the soil and helping the micro organisms in the soil. I used to have a terrible time year over year bc of the winter soil burnout until I started no dig and cover planting.
I've been no till for a decade. I just cover the garden with leaves. I get huge onions. My neighbor behind me tills his garden every fall and spring and keeps asking me why he has little onions. People just don't listen when you tell them what they need to do.
Well as someone who is north enough, Snow is a pretty effective UV shield for my garden beds =) Protecting my Garden from Freezing is another thing all together
UV light doesn't penetrate soil. Its completely dark under the top couple millimeters of soil. UV light doesn't do damage to 99.999999999999999999% of the soil in your garden.
@@nateross14 I like to cover garden in winter so nutrients don't wash away. We've gotten 4 downpours in Ct valley this year. Spring, mid season and fall.
Sunlight dries out the top of the soil, though. In my garden, under the leaf mulch the soil is moist and full of earthworms. The top inch of bare soil is dry with no earthworms.@@nateross14
I just sit in my sunny window and read gardening books in the winter. Oh yes, and 4 or 5 hours of snowblowing on the snowy days. Why is it that snow blows back in your face no matter which way the wind is blowing?🤨
Down here in Oz we grow all year round so always growing plants, composting or preparing to plant and adding compost then covering with sugarcane mulch (in my case). Been working for me though the downside can be bug infestation so protect when needed with modified plastic containers till the seedlings are growing strongly. Half inch square mesh cages also keep the wildlife including butterflies, mostly at bay. Tent pegs are used to keep the cages from being knocked while the plants are in their infancy.
When wolf and caveman cozied up by the fire together all those years ago, neither could have predicted the the day wolf would wear sweaters. Not in their wildest dreams. Yet, here we are. Tell Dale cute sweater. 🐶
Just like human beings turned the wild mustard plant into broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and kale, we have turned wolves into something else entirely 😂
Thank you for your usual expert advise! I’m working on collecting leaves, and shredding them with a mower. Im covering my beds with our unfinished chicken compost, then will add the leaves mixed with grass clippings.
I mow the lawn twice with the mulcher blade then go over it a third time with the bagger attached to pick it all up. after three mowings the leaves are chopped up to the size of your little fingernail when I dump them onto the beds.
Happy howl-a-days to you, Dale and fam. Great video! I can't believe the difference in my soil since I started using leaf mulch. I got a huge load for free from some landscapers doing tree trimming for a neighbor. They were happy to give it to me as it saved them the fee for dumping, and I got beautiful mulch!
For us here in SoFlo, it's reversed. Summer is way too hot and humid to grow anything, and to compete with pest and fungus is a very frustrating battle, so we "solarize" our beds❤ I can't wait for you guys to come down!!!🎉😊
I am sooo happy. Today I planted strawberries around my fruit trees and when I moved my mulch it was like colonies of earthworms. I mean tons under each tree. I almost couldn't plant the strawberries because I didn't want to kill the worms when digging to plant the strawberries. I'm happy. Tells me I did a good job last season. I like to add a half a bag of compost under each tree and I add like 3 cups of worm castings and then pine bark mulch. I guess the worms love it. I learned a ton from this channel.
You are so right! The top of the soil in my walkways is just sand. If you have cardboard boxes, you can flatten them and use them as a mulch as well...especially under the tarps so they don't blow away.
Very interesting video. I'm from the Midwest and for the past 30+ years have never "covered" my soil for winter. My routine entails putting a layer of leaves over the top in fall, let them sit for a week or so to decompose a bit then give the bed one last good tilling. I level out the soil and leave it for winter. Then in spring, I will add some grass clippings and compost manure, do another good tilling then I'm good to go for another season. Hasn't failed me yet!!
I agree. I cringed when he suggested a tarp covering. By spring all you would have is dried up dead dirt. You need moisture to keep any soil alive. But it's his channel to say what he wants. Maybe it's different down south.
Yeah, I'm thinking a tarp would just kill it here since we have warm days and cold days in the winter. I also wouldn't put pine straw on it. I just am not believing this at all.
I bought large tubs this past summer, drilled drainage holes in them and planted in them. I put the lids on the ones I’m not using. My in ground and large garden beds get 3-4 inches of real (small) wood chips I buy by the yard from my landscape supply yard. It’s a lot of work, but worth it. I’m going to try using a tarp because the squirrels love digging and burying nuts in my garden. Thanks for confirming all my hard work is not done in vein. 😊
A lot more than one tip in this fabulous episode! I don't have to worry about exposure to sun by about late October or early Novermber - my raised gardens are covered in snow by then! You made some great points that would be applicable in Spring - after the melt but still a long time before we can plant. I love your channel and think you're a gifted presenter and marketer (and Gardener obviously!) And - thanks for 'taking one for the team' but that 'mess' sure makes an effective demo! Mad Respect from BC, Canada
That's cool that snow covers your garden in Winter, but even if it didn't, please explain to me how the UV from the Sun would even damage your soil? Light doesn't penetrate soil and its completely dark a mm or two below the surface. Soil protects itself from UV exposure due to the fact its opaque.
Hi Anthony, Live here in Central Florida on the East Coast. Thank you for all your great information. Growing our cabbage and, peas, and tomatoes and carrots. My onions are struggling tho !!! Love listening to you as always !!!
Outstanding! Your onions are probably planted too early. Onions bulb based on day length, so you should be planting your onions in late winter. I put mine in around March 1 as 6-8 week old transplants. They must mature in June when days are maximum length. This time of year, I would only grow green onions.
@jacquelineratiff7512 Great tips from Anthony. I'm in Ct. Valley and my hubby planted long day variety seeds in the garden. Our onions took forever to get nice bulbs until I started feeding them more nitrogen. They are heavy feeders and roots are shallow. Urine acted fast. Straight urine if it is fresh. Dilute if been in a jar for awhile as it gets stronger as it ages before applying to garden onion's soil. He also screened our finished compost and put it on the soil near onions and watered in. Once the finished compost got into the soil for soil benis, about a month, they took off. Only a few medium size and the rest were smaller but they are delicious. They are keeping nice in my garage after 4 months storage so far. I just hung them there to dry then put them into an open shallow cardboard box. We all can learn from each others experiences. Hope we can start them earlier indoors like Anthony does.
I appreciate that very much! I try to film what I'm doing at the time. A lot of folks don't talk about the basic stuff because it can seem boring, but it's critical to build a strong foundation.
Soil is opaque and UV light doesn't penetrate soil. Only the top millimeter gets any sort of UV exposure, or any disturbed soil, and even then only the top millimeter of disturbed soil would see any UV exposure. UV damage is a non issue for soil. Wind blowing away bare topsoil is the thing to be concerned about.
Love the detail in your videos. I've learned a lot. My first Summer of gardening I did okay with: Tomatoes, onions, green beans, potatoes and carrots, even got some strawberries. However, my broccoli and brussel sprouts were a bust. The broccoli was limp and I got lots of leaves but no actual sprouts. Will you do a session on these soon?
This was good to know. I just filled my new raised beds and planted inions and mulch just that section. I will get some plants to finish filling and much cause that soil isn’t cheap
You always provide excellent information cohesively and concisely. I have learned a lot from your channel, and am thankful for your generosity with your knowledge. We live smack between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on the West Coast of Florida. It can be very challenging here due to the climate. During the summer months I concentrate on my soils and compost. The planters are "put to bed" with fresh compost, small cut pine bedding. a little moisture, and covered with cardboard. It's breathable and pretty much Free, and has worked very well to protect the soil. It also allows moisture to get in during summer rains, but not too much.
I've found that if you shred palm leaves (browned ones not green they won't get through the mulcher) they make an excellent mulch for anything under trees or garden beds. And most of the time people are trying to throw them away, madness!
It makes total sense to me, but most of your advice has been pretty accurate. I started growing container figs, and you're advice is a big part of it being so much fun, sending Dale a hug❤❤
Good morning from NJ . I’m not a vegetables or fruits grower , but by listening to u , I learned so much and interested to grow something next year… Thanks for sharing. Ur knowledge is very valuable for the “What ‘s growing on “ community.
Thanks for the advice bud! Here in montreal (and in upstate New York) the snow covered the soil until from mid November to mid April so nature covers the land for us 😅) I remember when the geese here left for the states in the month of October and November, I wish I could do the same to avoid the freezing cold weather 🥶
Most of my garden garden beds and grow bags have been covered with a two inch layer of leaves As I harvest from the remaining bed, I add handfuls of leaves to cover exposed soil. In part because I am lazy, and for worm food, I leave the decomposing leaves in place, and cover them with a layer of compost, then plant into it. In the spring, I'll probably have enough compost to top off three or four raised beds, and will have to purchase more for my remaining beds and grow bags. The amount of compost I produce cuts my expense by a third. The amount of food I produce cuts my grocery bill in half. For the most part, I don't have to purchase any vegetables, and only a little fruit, but I'm working on that. I recently planted an Yellow Gold plum tree and a AU Rosa plum tree, and I have three cherry trees on order, a Lapins, Stella, and Bing. Also, an area of my garden where I grew winter squash, and tomatoes is now being used for cantaloupe, an watermelon. In a few years, I'll have a surplus of fruit. I am working on dedicating an area for an in ground herb garden. I'll keep my mint, spearmint, and peppermint in pots-too invasive. I already have Greek Oregano, and comfrey growing that I will transplant in the spring. I have seeds that I will be sowing for Cinnamon Basil, sweet basil, Italian Basil, dill, (saved from this year's garden) , Sweet Marjoram, Yarro, parsley, catnip, cilantro, and Chicory.
This was a good well balanced explanation for all conditions for different climates and results by each process. Nice to see you not locked into one method and condition to succeed. Remember though, for cold, freezing climates, compost in fall is important, covered by mulch because the compost stays more in place, microbial life is protected, and is ready in spring to work. Those in warmer winters should wait until spring for compost though.
In cold climates, I would be more likely to spread compost in late winter. My methodology would be raw ingredients on my garden in fall (manure, chop and drop, etc.), let the snow cover it, then once the snow starts to melt, that is the time you add your compost. Compost implies the brekadown is already complete (i.e. fully composted), so I would add that when planting is imminent within 30-60 days or so, personally.
I put my chopped leaves into large black bags and get them wet with rain water and sugar. I then place those on my barren grow bags. I do remove them so rain gets into the grow bags then the next day I replace them. I seldom grow anything directly in the ground.
Last year was 1st time gardening in virgin area. Had tilled in 3" of compost but didn't know i should cover for winter, so didn't. Covered with tarps after seeing this video March 1st. Should I till in new compost before setting transplants in the middle of May? I've learned a lot of great info from your videos and am eager for spring planting.
Another great video. 2 questions on mulching. 1) do the leaves need to be chopped up? I have 2 very large oak trees on the north edge of my raised be garden that dump a ton of leaves in the beds. 2) do I remove the mulch (of any kind) before planting in the spring?
It is better to finely chop the leaves if you can. They don't blow away and rain can get through them to the soil better. In the spring you can till them into the first 3 or 4 inches of soil a month or so before you plant so they have extra time to break down into compost in the soil.
lol - my garden beds got seeded with winter rye and will soon be covered with a deep blanket of snow (walkway trenches were filled with shredded leaves/grass clippings).
Wow! Great advice! I actually collected leaves this fall to protect some trees. I have extra bags but should I be worried if the re contain walnut tree leaves before topping my raised bed?
Sorry, but the UV light from the Sun doesn't damage soil other than the top mm. Light doesn't penetrate soil. The heat from the Sun in Arizona in the middle of Summer can cause high temps that cook soil organisms, but UV damage in the cool of Winter is non going to penetrate and damage soil if its not being tilled or disturbed underneath. Erosion of bare soil and top soil blowing away in the wind is what gardeners should be concerned with, not Winter UV damage.
We use Winter Rye as a cover crop. Some years seaweed and leaves are added in the fall too. No compost or fertilizer in the fall. In early Spring we spend $25 for a soil test from UMass and go from there.
I’m in Raleigh, NC and it is now early Feb and I have not protected my raised beds. What should I do now to the soil to make it healthy before transplanting vegetables into the beds?
Great video! I tucked my beds in for the winter by growing a cover crop of daikon radish. Those were reaching maturity around the same time we were cleaning up our leaves. We mulched the leaves and put them over top of the cover crop as a blanket. 👍
Tarps are an amazing way to prepare a new garden bed. Kills the grass/weeds and turns them into a layer of compost Basicly. One thing is to make sure the tarp doesn't let light/ or is porous, or the grass wont actually die😅
Man says to wife: "Honey, the Gardener on youtube says to shade the soil from the sun in the winter time. Will you stand out there all day with an umbrella to shade the soil?" Care to guess what her reaction might be? lol
1st time using woodchip mulch in my flower and tree beds around my house in March 2023. Do I need to remove woodchips to amend with compost, then add woodchips back on or just add compost over woodchips then more woodchips?
It shouldn’t be too bad here. The way we hang out into the ocean, the storms usually miss us in the winter. What gets us creamed in the summer works out for us in winter. It looks like it’ll be worse for those inland and up north.
Yes, it will, but once the snow disappears, it is worth covering the soil. I imagine you have a lengthy period where snow cover is incomplete or non-existent but it is still too cold to grow most things.
Some roots you must remove, though. I leave my corn, bean and brassica roots in, but I need to pull my tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, etc. They get root knot nematodes and harbor diseases. They should be pulled, so that soil should be protected. Even if you leave all your roots in, it won’t absolve you from covering your soil. Covering will always be better.
@TheMillennialGardener I live near a place with a LOT of horses. They will give free used bedding if I shovel and haul. Free is the right price. Can I use the fresh stuff in the fall to overwinter my garden soil?
Just be careful to find out the source of the hay and whether or not it was treated with the herbicide Grazon while being grown. That will survive in the hay and also your soil rendering it useless for growing anything for years to come.
You certainly can amend your soil with it, but I wouldn’t consider it mulch personally. If you can cover it with a tarp, I would think it would beneficial.
If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😀TIMESTAMPS here:
0:00 How The Sun Damages Soil
4:46 Protecting Soil Method #1: Growing
5:37 Protecting Soil Method #2: Mulching
7:35 Protecting Soil Method #3: Tarping
9:23 Solutions For Earth Bed Gardens
10:23 Can You Mulch With Compost?
12:44 Adventures With Dale
I plant clover because it naturally adds nitrogen back to the soil, sometimes I don't turn it over and just leave it planting among it. As I've mentioned before, I also live in NC and O'Connors Strawberry Clover is both resilient and beautiful.
“What’s growing on?” Is such a great opening!
Pot heads like saying this. Im a pot head
I always whisper to myself I hope not cancer
Love it!
It’s an old quote. I guess we’ll never know the inventor. I wish I could say I invented it 😂
Agreed
When I raked my leaves this fall, I used them to cover all the bare soil as well as the soil in my grow bags.
That is a good plan. I would recommend chopping them up with a mower for better decomposition if you have the time. They’ll add organic matter to your soil faster.
I'm thinking of doing this as well since we have a lot of maple leaves.
@@craigpattison5762 We also have maple trees. I'm always pulling up maple saplings from the little helicopters that fall to the ground!
@@Steve197201 sometimes they make it as far as our deck sometimes into our planter boxes so I occasionally need to pull them out when they start to sprout. Maple and our one cottonwood tree.
I can honestly say this is the best advice, especially for any type of raised beds. This is why i love no dig gardening . It promotes the uses of permanent or seasonal cover crops so that there is always something living in the soil and helping the micro organisms in the soil. I used to have a terrible time year over year bc of the winter soil burnout until I started no dig and cover planting.
I've been no till for a decade. I just cover the garden with leaves. I get huge onions. My neighbor behind me tills his garden every fall and spring and keeps asking me why he has little onions. People just don't listen when you tell them what they need to do.
We don’t have many falling leaves here, so we have to get creative. I don’t miss much about living up north, but I do miss shredded leaf compost.
@@TheMillennialGardenerME TOO!!! I miss leaves the most!
This is the first I've ever heard of this, and I live in a desert region . . . . 😳 I need to do somethings differently!
Well as someone who is north enough, Snow is a pretty effective UV shield for my garden beds =) Protecting my Garden from Freezing is another thing all together
Here in Texas, the soil fries in the sun. Have to cover every square inch or it'll be crispy.
UV light doesn't penetrate soil. Its completely dark under the top couple millimeters of soil. UV light doesn't do damage to 99.999999999999999999% of the soil in your garden.
@@nateross14 I like to cover garden in winter so nutrients don't wash away. We've gotten 4 downpours in Ct valley this year. Spring, mid season and fall.
Sunlight dries out the top of the soil, though. In my garden, under the leaf mulch the soil is moist and full of earthworms. The top inch of bare soil is dry with no earthworms.@@nateross14
I just sit in my sunny window and read gardening books in the winter. Oh yes, and 4 or 5 hours of snowblowing on the snowy days. Why is it that snow blows back in your face no matter which way the wind is blowing?🤨
Down here in Oz we grow all year round so always growing plants, composting or preparing to plant and adding compost then covering with sugarcane mulch
(in my case). Been working for me though the downside can be bug infestation so protect when needed with modified plastic containers till the seedlings are growing strongly. Half inch square mesh cages also keep the wildlife including butterflies, mostly at bay. Tent pegs are used to keep the cages from being knocked while the plants are in their infancy.
When wolf and caveman cozied up by the fire together all those years ago, neither could have predicted the the day wolf would wear sweaters. Not in their wildest dreams. Yet, here we are. Tell Dale cute sweater. 🐶
Just like human beings turned the wild mustard plant into broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and kale, we have turned wolves into something else entirely 😂
Thank you for your usual expert advise! I’m working on collecting leaves, and shredding them with a mower. Im covering my beds with our unfinished chicken compost, then will add the leaves mixed with grass clippings.
We did the exact same thing last Fall. When we uncovered the tarps on the beds in Spring the soil was black gold!
Yes BLACK GOLD ! 👍
I mow the lawn twice with the mulcher blade then go over it a third time with the bagger attached to pick it all up. after three mowings the leaves are chopped up to the size of your little fingernail when I dump them onto the beds.
Real good video here. After this storm slides by I will gather up leaves and cover my raised beds. Great video!
Well, this is perfect! I’ve got so much pine straw in my back yard, I can cover up both my raised beds with it and then some!
Happy howl-a-days to you, Dale and fam. Great video! I can't believe the difference in my soil since I started using leaf mulch. I got a huge load for free from some landscapers doing tree trimming for a neighbor. They were happy to give it to me as it saved them the fee for dumping, and I got beautiful mulch!
For us here in SoFlo, it's reversed. Summer is way too hot and humid to grow anything, and to compete with pest and fungus is a very frustrating battle, so we "solarize" our beds❤
I can't wait for you guys to come down!!!🎉😊
I am sooo happy. Today I planted strawberries around my fruit trees and when I moved my mulch it was like colonies of earthworms. I mean tons under each tree. I almost couldn't plant the strawberries because I didn't want to kill the worms when digging to plant the strawberries. I'm happy. Tells me I did a good job last season. I like to add a half a bag of compost under each tree and I add like 3 cups of worm castings and then pine bark mulch. I guess the worms love it. I learned a ton from this channel.
You are so right!
The top of the soil in my walkways is just sand.
If you have cardboard boxes, you can flatten them and use them as a mulch as well...especially under the tarps so they don't blow away.
Yes, you can. I have a video on using cardboard here: czcams.com/video/WqRcbHVr2rg/video.htmlsi=9EhhgZ_CW8f0CxpV
Very interesting video. I'm from the Midwest and for the past 30+ years have never "covered" my soil for winter. My routine entails putting a layer of leaves over the top in fall, let them sit for a week or so to decompose a bit then give the bed one last good tilling. I level out the soil and leave it for winter. Then in spring, I will add some grass clippings and compost manure, do another good tilling then I'm good to go for another season. Hasn't failed me yet!!
I agree. I cringed when he suggested a tarp covering. By spring all you would have is dried up dead dirt. You need moisture to keep any soil alive. But it's his channel to say what he wants. Maybe it's different down south.
Yeah, I'm thinking a tarp would just kill it here since we have warm days and cold days in the winter. I also wouldn't put pine straw on it. I just am not believing this at all.
I like using CHOPPED UP LEAVES 🍁
I listen to a agricultural show on tv and they promote planting a cover crop planting in the fall.
Very helpful advice Anthony. Thank you for sharing. Best wishes Jason from Melbourne Australia.
I appreciate it! Thank you for watching!
The sun does the same to plastic flowerpots as it did to the milk jug. At least here in FL.
Peace & love, you put great detail in your videos. Much respect
I bought large tubs this past summer, drilled drainage holes in them and planted in them. I put the lids on the ones I’m not using. My in ground and large garden beds get 3-4 inches of real (small) wood chips I buy by the yard from my landscape supply yard.
It’s a lot of work, but worth it.
I’m going to try using a tarp because the squirrels love digging and burying nuts in my garden.
Thanks for confirming all my hard work is not done in vein. 😊
A lot more than one tip in this fabulous episode! I don't have to worry about exposure to sun by about late October or early Novermber - my raised gardens are covered in snow by then! You made some great points that would be applicable in Spring - after the melt but still a long time before we can plant. I love your channel and think you're a gifted presenter and marketer (and Gardener obviously!)
And - thanks for 'taking one for the team' but that 'mess' sure makes an effective demo!
Mad Respect from BC, Canada
That's cool that snow covers your garden in Winter, but even if it didn't, please explain to me how the UV from the Sun would even damage your soil? Light doesn't penetrate soil and its completely dark a mm or two below the surface. Soil protects itself from UV exposure due to the fact its opaque.
@@nateross14 Did you even watch the video??
Hi Anthony,
Live here in Central Florida on the East Coast. Thank you for all your great information. Growing our cabbage and, peas, and tomatoes and carrots. My onions are struggling tho !!! Love listening to you as always !!!
Outstanding! Your onions are probably planted too early. Onions bulb based on day length, so you should be planting your onions in late winter. I put mine in around March 1 as 6-8 week old transplants. They must mature in June when days are maximum length. This time of year, I would only grow green onions.
@jacquelineratiff7512 Great tips from Anthony. I'm in Ct. Valley and my hubby planted long day variety seeds in the garden. Our onions took forever to get nice bulbs until I started feeding them more nitrogen. They are heavy feeders and roots are shallow. Urine acted fast. Straight urine if it is fresh. Dilute if been in a jar for awhile as it gets stronger as it ages before applying to garden onion's soil. He also screened our finished compost and put it on the soil near onions and watered in. Once the finished compost got into the soil for soil benis, about a month, they took off. Only a few medium size and the rest were smaller but they are delicious. They are keeping nice in my garage after 4 months storage so far. I just hung them there to dry then put them into an open shallow cardboard box. We all can learn from each others experiences. Hope we can start them earlier indoors like Anthony does.
This channel has a lot of information I haven't seen on other channels. Thanks for the good work.
I appreciate that very much! I try to film what I'm doing at the time. A lot of folks don't talk about the basic stuff because it can seem boring, but it's critical to build a strong foundation.
Soil is opaque and UV light doesn't penetrate soil. Only the top millimeter gets any sort of UV exposure, or any disturbed soil, and even then only the top millimeter of disturbed soil would see any UV exposure. UV damage is a non issue for soil. Wind blowing away bare topsoil is the thing to be concerned about.
Love the detail in your videos. I've learned a lot. My first Summer of gardening I did okay with: Tomatoes, onions, green beans, potatoes and carrots, even got some strawberries. However, my broccoli and brussel sprouts were a bust. The broccoli was limp and I got lots of leaves but no actual sprouts. Will you do a session on these soon?
This was good to know. I just filled my new raised beds and planted inions and mulch just that section. I will get some plants to finish filling and much cause that soil isn’t cheap
You always provide excellent information cohesively and concisely. I have learned a lot from your channel, and am thankful for your generosity with your knowledge.
We live smack between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on the West Coast of Florida. It can be very challenging here due to the climate.
During the summer months I concentrate on my soils and compost. The planters are "put to bed" with fresh compost, small cut pine bedding. a little moisture, and covered with cardboard. It's breathable and pretty much Free, and has worked very well to protect the soil. It also allows moisture to get in during summer rains, but not too much.
I've found that if you shred palm leaves (browned ones not green they won't get through the mulcher) they make an excellent mulch for anything under trees or garden beds. And most of the time people are trying to throw them away, madness!
oh man. This is GREAT advice. I've been doing the opposite all this time!! and have problems growing veggies!
It makes total sense to me, but most of your advice has been pretty accurate. I started growing container figs, and you're advice is a big part of it being so much fun, sending Dale a hug❤❤
I’m glad the videos are helpful! Dale says hello!
Good morning from NJ . I’m not a vegetables or fruits grower , but by listening to u , I learned so much and interested to grow something next year… Thanks for sharing. Ur knowledge is very valuable for the “What ‘s growing on “ community.
What about a couple feet of snow? Would it insulate the soil?
Yes. Snow would be a protective cover, actually.
Thanks for the advice bud! Here in montreal (and in upstate New York) the snow covered the soil until from mid November to mid April so nature covers the land for us 😅)
I remember when the geese here left for the states in the month of October and November, I wish I could do the same to avoid the freezing cold weather 🥶
Most of my garden garden beds and grow bags have been covered with a two inch layer of leaves As I harvest from the remaining bed, I add handfuls of leaves to cover exposed soil. In part because I am lazy, and for worm food, I leave the decomposing leaves in place, and cover them with a layer of compost, then plant into it. In the spring, I'll probably have enough compost to top off three or four raised beds, and will have to purchase more for my remaining beds and grow bags. The amount of compost I produce cuts my expense by a third. The amount of food I produce cuts my grocery bill in half. For the most part, I don't have to purchase any vegetables, and only a little fruit, but I'm working on that. I recently planted an Yellow Gold plum tree and a AU Rosa plum tree, and I have three cherry trees on order, a Lapins, Stella, and Bing. Also, an area of my garden where I grew winter squash, and tomatoes is now being used for cantaloupe, an watermelon. In a few years, I'll have a surplus of fruit. I am working on dedicating an area for an in ground herb garden. I'll keep my mint, spearmint, and peppermint in pots-too invasive. I already have Greek Oregano, and comfrey growing that I will transplant in the spring. I have seeds that I will be sowing for Cinnamon Basil, sweet basil, Italian Basil, dill, (saved from this year's garden) , Sweet Marjoram, Yarro, parsley, catnip, cilantro, and Chicory.
This was a good well balanced explanation for all conditions for different climates and results by each process. Nice to see you not locked into one method and condition to succeed.
Remember though, for cold, freezing climates, compost in fall is important, covered by mulch because the compost stays more in place, microbial life is protected, and is ready in spring to work. Those in warmer winters should wait until spring for compost though.
In cold climates, I would be more likely to spread compost in late winter. My methodology would be raw ingredients on my garden in fall (manure, chop and drop, etc.), let the snow cover it, then once the snow starts to melt, that is the time you add your compost. Compost implies the brekadown is already complete (i.e. fully composted), so I would add that when planting is imminent within 30-60 days or so, personally.
Great video, loved the milk jug demonstration.
Thank you!
Great explanation! Thank you for yet another helpful video 👍🏼
This is a fire video
That you for reminding me to cover all my beds. Great video!!! Blessings ❤️🌺
I put my chopped leaves into large black bags and get them wet with rain water and sugar.
I then place those on my barren grow bags.
I do remove them so rain gets into the grow bags then the next day I replace them.
I seldom grow anything directly in the ground.
You are right. I covered my raised beds this year gonna be awesome.
Last year was 1st time gardening in virgin area. Had tilled in 3" of compost but didn't know i should cover for winter, so didn't. Covered with tarps after seeing this video March 1st. Should I till in new compost before setting transplants in the middle of May? I've learned a lot of great info from your videos and am eager for spring planting.
Another great video. 2 questions on mulching. 1) do the leaves need to be chopped up? I have 2 very large oak trees on the north edge of my raised be garden that dump a ton of leaves in the beds. 2) do I remove the mulch (of any kind) before planting in the spring?
It is better to finely chop the leaves if you can. They don't blow away and rain can get through them to the soil better. In the spring you can till them into the first 3 or 4 inches of soil a month or so before you plant so they have extra time to break down into compost in the soil.
lol - my garden beds got seeded with winter rye and will soon be covered with a deep blanket of snow (walkway trenches were filled with shredded leaves/grass clippings).
Very useful information! Thanks!
Great info. Hi Dale!
Great information 🙂
Hugs for Dale 🤗
Dale says hello! We're waiting out the miserable east coast storm today.
@@TheMillennialGardener Oh no! Poor Dale. My Lily was also afraid of storms. Keeping you and your family in my prayers 🙏
Wow! Great advice!
I actually collected leaves this fall to protect some trees.
I have extra bags but should I be worried if the re contain walnut tree leaves before topping my raised bed?
Thanks for the great information. I always enjoy learning from you. And Dale looks awesome in his sweater. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Great information, as usual MG! Thank you 😊👍👍
Nice tips! Very good to know!
Thank you! ☺️
You’re welcome!
Good advice, what about kitchen scraps and watered-down cardboard boxes flattend?
Sorry, but the UV light from the Sun doesn't damage soil other than the top mm. Light doesn't penetrate soil. The heat from the Sun in Arizona in the middle of Summer can cause high temps that cook soil organisms, but UV damage in the cool of Winter is non going to penetrate and damage soil if its not being tilled or disturbed underneath. Erosion of bare soil and top soil blowing away in the wind is what gardeners should be concerned with, not Winter UV damage.
Thanks for another great, informative video!
I see you have an Ambient Weather Station as well. Nice.
Yes, it is 5 years old and still works great. It is a great affordable home system.
Great video sir, Can I use cardboard to cover my garden beds?
I do. And I have seen other gardeners use it as well. It has worked for me for many years.
Yes. I use cardboard all the time. Even in the compost pile
Thank you guys for info.
We use Winter Rye as a cover crop. Some years seaweed and leaves are added in the fall too. No compost or fertilizer in the fall.
In early Spring we spend $25 for a soil test from UMass and go from there.
I’m in Raleigh, NC and it is now early Feb and I have not protected my raised beds. What should I do now to the soil to make it healthy before transplanting vegetables into the beds?
Point driven home! I hope you did not cut your hand! Great example though
It was just plastic so it was no big deal. It’s amazing how quickly the sun dries the jugs out!
I think that the zone should be mentioned before where I live there isn’t much sun in the winter months.
Great video! I tucked my beds in for the winter by growing a cover crop of daikon radish. Those were reaching maturity around the same time we were cleaning up our leaves. We mulched the leaves and put them over top of the cover crop as a blanket. 👍
Thank you, brother, thank you.
What about leaves?
Leaves are GREAT
Great info.. Thanks for Sharing
Tarps are an amazing way to prepare a new garden bed. Kills the grass/weeds and turns them into a layer of compost Basicly. One thing is to make sure the tarp doesn't let light/ or is porous, or the grass wont actually die😅
Man says to wife: "Honey, the Gardener on youtube says to shade the soil from the sun in the winter time. Will you stand out there all day with an umbrella to shade the soil?"
Care to guess what her reaction might be? lol
Tyrone watching the garden 😊
Thank you!
Thank s your for video
Can't argue with that 👍
Thanks for watching!
How about gardens with pest and disease problems? Till or no till?
What do your neighbors think about that tall fence all around?
For perfect harmony I like to buy the soil a Coke!
Sing it now....
1st time using woodchip mulch in my flower and tree beds around my house in March 2023. Do I need to remove woodchips to amend with compost, then add woodchips back on or just add compost over woodchips then more woodchips?
get ready for the BIG storm heading your way on Sunday!
It shouldn’t be too bad here. The way we hang out into the ocean, the storms usually miss us in the winter. What gets us creamed in the summer works out for us in winter. It looks like it’ll be worse for those inland and up north.
@@TheMillennialGardener ah, okay. well, good to hear.
I live in Wisconsin. We have snow cover. That should protect the soil. Shouldn't it? Good info, thank you.
Yes, it will, but once the snow disappears, it is worth covering the soil. I imagine you have a lengthy period where snow cover is incomplete or non-existent but it is still too cold to grow most things.
How about using cardboard to cover raised beds?
You can do that with natural brown cardboard. I have a video on that here: czcams.com/video/WqRcbHVr2rg/video.htmlsi=9EhhgZ_CW8f0CxpV
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you for replying so quickly.
Any thoughts on using cardboard instead
of a tarp if that is what is readily available?
I was thinking the same thing!
Roots left to overwinter in your garden allows the worms to live on thru its harshness, bare, open soil is an abomination to me.
Some roots you must remove, though. I leave my corn, bean and brassica roots in, but I need to pull my tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, etc. They get root knot nematodes and harbor diseases. They should be pulled, so that soil should be protected. Even if you leave all your roots in, it won’t absolve you from covering your soil. Covering will always be better.
What great info
Glad you enjoyed it!
@TheMillennialGardener I live near a place with a LOT of horses. They will give free used bedding if I shovel and haul. Free is the right price. Can I use the fresh stuff in the fall to overwinter my garden soil?
Just be careful to find out the source of the hay and whether or not it was treated with the herbicide Grazon while being grown. That will survive in the hay and also your soil rendering it useless for growing anything for years to come.
I have a.lot of excess dried beans in the pantry. Would they sprout this early in zone 7a?
Good info. How many geese did the alligator get? 😮
Nooice 😎 STOC
I planted a cover crop last year and it did not sprout
What’s growing on from Craven County, NC
Thanks for watching!
Can you use cardboard?
What do you do to cover crop in spring do you till it up before planting
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How about cardboard ?
Can you also mulch with rotted horse manure?
You certainly can amend your soil with it, but I wouldn’t consider it mulch personally. If you can cover it with a tarp, I would think it would beneficial.
What county is your new Florida homestead in?
It’s a little over an hour northeast of Orlando as the crow flies.
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Sigh-Lidge
Thoughts on cardboard?
I have a video on cardboard here and would prefer a tarp: czcams.com/video/WqRcbHVr2rg/video.htmlsi=9EhhgZ_CW8f0CxpV
It would be my last choice.
I use used cardboard
you may have to become a Lecturer in the Agri department of a college or open your own school! Thanks!
I’m not an expert. I just love doing this, and I hope I can pass my findings onto others. Hopefully, these videos are helping people.