Diving into Regenerative Farming and Korean Natural Farming for my FLOWER FARM (I'm obsessed!)

[@BareMtnFarm]

Watched your video. So great and thank you so much for the mention. So terrific to share ideas and techniques with folks around the world. We hope you have a wonderful growing season. We will be watching!

[@bloomandgray]

Wow thanks so much for the comment! I love your videos and find them so informative. I love experimenting with different techniques and looking forward to finding out what works for me in the long run!

[@thedeterminedcookerukvlog3495]

Wow good work

[@lindab1458]

Looking forward to the daily blogs 👍🏼

[@sarahhallgarth5399]

Perfect timing Sarah. We have just removed an old orange orchard and plan to extend my flower farm. I have been talking to my husband about regenerative practises so this will help us! Many thanks, Sarah (New Zealand)

[@TheEssexAllotment]

Also those soil blockers are retro! So cool!!

[@msmaddox2918]

So glad you are back with new videos! 😀

[@saraloggins8365]

Sweet find on the soil blockers!! The long handled ones probably won't be so hard on the shoulders.

[@tarynblooms]

I can't wait to see all your flowers!

[@bloomandgray]

Me too 😁😁😁

[@janpapworth7956]

Great deal on those soil blockers!

[@caseyiles8546]

The whole subject is fascinating. As a first year flower farmer, it's encouraging to find @Bare Mtn. Farm's videos about it and your channel too. It just so excited to follow along while I learn.

[@horticult4004]

Very interested in KNF so excited for new videos love💕

[@alissaeyre8302]

It's really fun and interesting to watch your videos!

[@kcbeyer3467]

Excellent video! My mind is running wild with ideas. Thank you!!

[@sherryevans5535]

I can't wait to try KNF 😀. Checked out Jennie Love's blog and was able to get some recipes. I'll be looking through our small stand of trees in the next couple weeks to see if there are any microbes. Thank you for the wealth of information you share with your followers!!!

[@clairemurphy9236]

Enjoyed your video, I like how natural you care on camera.

[@bloomandgray]

Thanks Claire!

[@jayena]

Great video, love checking in with what you're up to :)

[@daiseegray9110]

I’m taking a master gardener class with with the university and everything your sharing with your viewers is SPOT ON! Keep learning and sharing!

[@bloomandgray]

That sound very interesting!

[@mikes3942]

Hi Sarah, for cover crops the best 2 are Winter Tares and Field beans, both Nitrogen fixers. Sow in September, smother (no need to dig in) in February for 5 weeks and you will be left with a small amount of thatch that is easy to rake off. I normally grow a healthy crop of Cabbages without any Fertilser added straight after the 5 week spell. 2 down-sides are that during the smothering stage slugs find it lovely (combat with Nematodes) and with the Field Beans a bit of regrowth can happen. Its best to cut the Field beans at just below soil level first. Stops nutrient leaching and helps crowd out weeds. You can always rotovate this in if you want but smothering works so well. The Field Beans can also be cropped and used as you would spinach.

[@bloomandgray]

Thanks Mike really helpful. We have a sythe mower which I thought might be useful when it comes to cover crops. I will have to do some more research!

[@ElderandOakFarm]

Love Bare Mtn. Farm!

[@Innercitybuddha]

Hi - if you consider crop rotation in the veg patch plants move round according to the nutrients depleted from the previous year - so if you can move your plants around in the same way this will not only capitalise on certain nutrients necessary for the particular species, you will be less likely to create soil borne disease issues in the future. Richard Perkins does this on a huge scale in Sweden using animals/animal fertiliser by moving them around so that it improves soil fertility naturally as he goes. Good luck, Paul (AMB)

[@PopleBackyardFarm]

Everything is looking wonderful

[@maevehetherington5717]

Love this video, great info, first I'd heard of KNF, thank you 👌

[@sunflowersusan5616]

Excited to see all your 🌺

[@kimiwaffles]

I follow you on instagram too! i love your videos, you are so helpful and it’s really enjoyable to watch you on your farm! thank you for taking us along on your journey!

[@peggyhall2763]

I have one of your books but haven’t read it yet. I love following you. This is my second year flower farming.

[@nickles4652]

Very interesting info. Looking forward to hearing more.

[@AndrewMcCormick82]

I’m a big fan of both bear mountains videos and the notill flower podcast! Planning to try and capture some IMO soon!

[@clynch9711]

Very interesting video. Keen to see how you get on!!! Can't wait to see all your flowers, especially the Dahlias as they are just so beautiful.. Thanks for these videos , I think I've watched evey one of them now. Carmen

[@lizaphillips678]

Love the No Till Flowers podcast with Jennie Love. She is great at explaining things in a simple manor. I listened to them all! Can’t wait for more! The farm is looking good 👍🏻

[@bloomandgray]

Me too! I’m sad there’s only one season! Have you listened to the normal no till podcast? Thinking of moving onto that next

[@sharoncalatayud8658]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge even if it’s still new to you. Keep at it! 🙏🏼

[@creativedaisycrafts5318]

Really interesting soil biology info. Following no till and lovenfresh flowers for a while now. Starting out on a flower farming journey in Ireland and love your videos too. 🥰

[@bloomandgray]

Thanks so much!

[@melindabourgfleurmaginatio4241]

Hi Sarah! Enjoyed your latest video. Just want to share with you that sunflowers are cover crop and actually pull toxins out of the soil. I prefer to use them, since I get flowers as well.

[@bloomandgray]

That’s interesting thank you!

[@CalliopeFlowerFarm]

I was just about to start listening to the no till flower podcast, glad to hear you like it!

[@TuftyMcTavish]

📚 I love a good book haul or recommendation. I only have a few plant books but am interested to learn more, so more on this aspect of your adventure is of great appeal here, as is the Korean rice idea. Oooo, that Stock Fencing looks ideal for covering and supporting potato plants too 🤔🤔🤔

[@jennifervandyck2245]

I was watch a farm in Colorado where they get 70mhr winds and they lay rebar on their membranes and add a few blocks or sand bags on the rebar and the y said it never blows off that way.@bloomsandgrey

[@kimiwaffles]

I looked into regenerative farming after watching this video and i’m very excited to watch how you proceed! I also watched a few talks by Dr. Elaine Ingham who has studied the subject for 40+ years. highly recommend!!

[@ElderandOakFarm]

I have some yellow that I saved Seeds from that germinated better than the ones I purchased from Floret! I would love to send you some!

[@jamieflint2550]

Enjoying your content all the way from Washington state, US. I have a couple back yard no till raised beds and one in ground, in addition to the boarder flower beds around the yard. Will check out that podcast, thanks!

[@bloomandgray]

It’s so good, I binged it!

[@grannynjim6626]

Just interacting, as requested :-) and to let you know I enjoy your videos!

[@bloomandgray]

Thank you!!

[@dorothyhopkins5460]

Morning Sarah. If you have not seen it I highly recommend you watch Hugh Richards latest video. He is talking to Nigel Palmer about fermented juices, which is part of KNF. He shows how to make a nettle juice. Plus Nigel has an upcoming course relating to it. Hope you find it helpful.

[@bloomandgray]

Thanks for the recommendation Dorothy, I’ll check it out!

[@desireehouse]

It’s interesting to see how you deal with your soil conditions and the wildlife pressure. I’m in the rural Pennsylvania, not a flower farmer , but we deal with deer, rabbits, birds, skunks and woodchuck eating our plants. Our soil in this part is very rocky - I should have it tested.

[@user-vx6tc8mv9y]

Thank you for sharing about Korean Natural farming, Ive never heard of it so will be have a look into that. Keep up the good work love watching your channel.

[@bloomandgray]

I’ve heard of it before but never really paid attention to what it actually was! It’s really fascinating and all centred around being low cost too x

[@tonyastrohecker-burke5119]

Good information to look into. Last autumn, we added leaves to our vegetable garden to make leaf mulch to add nutrients to the soil.

[@bloomandgray]

Leaf mulch is meant to be amazing!!

[@darleneelizabethxoxo]

your videos are so inspiring! I'm definitely going to look more into KNF

[@annecanty1227]

Great video Sarah. Beautiful chanel business and farm. I'm listening to that podcast its very interesting. Hopefully season will be great success.

[@bloomandgray]

I just finished it and I’m sad I’ve got to the end! Can’t wait to hear more in the future. Think I’ll start listening to the normal no till podcast next x

[@mhubertcfi]

Love your videos. Just catching up a year later. I think these regenerative processes get easier the longer you do it. I used to alway put down a heavy layer of straw from the chicken coop and then topped by wood chips. The last two years I haven't gotten any chips and it feels like I'm starting over this year. Nature abhors a vacuum! Anyway now I too will have to go down this KNF rabbit-hole!

[@bloomandgray]

A year later I have personally moved away from KNF as I would rather focus on aerobic processes like composting but you might find it works for you!

[@andriahewett6636]

💚 you’ve piqued my interest in knf!

[@M2TC]

Just saw a video on the importance of having 4 diverse plant species in your (cover) crops (Cover Seeds sessions with Dr Christine Jones). Elaine Ingham has a lot of content on the importance of proper composting to maximize soil microbiology soil web. Johnson Su Bioreactor. Principles you can use on other areas of your farm too!

[@karenbaker6686]

hi mary can you post the video info?

[@matildesoltau5074]

I really hope you will keep telling about regenerative farming 🤞

[@younglee3285]

Great video. Thank you

[@mochkw9843]

Wow luarbiasa kebunnya mbak😱🏵🌼🌹👍

[@nicolewebb1649]

I loved all of the science chat, I can’t wait to hear more

[@bloomandgray]

I love a bit of nerdy science!

[@carolemills2338]

Fantastic video. Great content. One thing you may want to consider to help your plants and soil is making an alfalfa tea. I started making it last year for my flowers, and it is amazing at how they just took off with so much growth and healthy blooms. I’m sure you have the alfalfa pellets on your farm for the alpacas and horses. It’s basically 2 cups of alfalfa pellets or cubes in a bucket of water. Let it steep for a day or two, mix it up well and water your plants. Worth giving it a try. It’s a great all natural (and very inexpensive) fertilizer. Thanks for the video. As always , very enjoyable 🌸🌿🌸

[@bloomandgray]

We don’t use alfalfa but I’ll have to keep an eye out for that in the farm shop next time I go. Sounds like it would be quick and easy!

[@emptynestgardens9057]

Yeah daily vlogs from you again soon 💗. Loving all the info! I found BareMountainFarm last year same time I found your channel 😊

[@bloomandgray]

They’re great aren’t they !

[@daveswords2112]

Great video and really looking forward to seeing your journey on all this new regenerative techniques. Think your soil blocker purchase was a steal, Johnny's in the USA are selling a standing blocker 7 by 5 for 250 dollars..

[@bloomandgray]

Wow! I tried to use one of them today but didn’t get the soil mix right. Need to experiment a little more.

[@TheArchitect69]

might want to YT johnson and Su bioreactor its an airated woodchip composter cilinder which doesn't heat up to strife for the fungi dominated compost. I understand the rabbit hole ;)

[@littleedenflowerschannel440]

Great video! So pleased you are looking into regenerative agriculture systems for your flower farm. I have been trying similar permaculture practices for my small plot of land growing my own flowers for my florist workshop and weddings. Will look into your KZbin recommendations. Iv been listening to a lot of Elaine Ingham KZbin lectures she’s really good. Keep up the good work, love watching your videos. X

[@bloomandgray]

Ahh yes Elaine Ingham was on one of the podcast episodes. I’ll have to see what other info I can get from her too! X

[@artbyashley6613]

Welcome to the wonderful world where weeds are viewed as potential soil biology & amendments. I keep hoping this will become more of a common farming practice everywhere, we live surrounded by agricultural fields, usual deal up here, barely barley barley barely back to back no grass rest.. soil in said fields has no structure to it whatsoever & as for the testing results 😔 (I tested 4 fields as part of a study im doing) every spring, they plough, rotovate, sow, roll.. along come westerly gale f9.. our wee house and my organic no till gardens become absolutely covered in an inch thick layer of biological disaster. Enjoy your new journey 🙂 I love it so much im now doing a degree in environmental management at the ripe old age of 50.

[@barrysullivan59]

Hiya,new sub here. Just want to say thank you for joining the re-gen ag community. This concept is crucial to clean food production. I know you specifically do flowers but the biological and insect community don’t seem to notice. One small stone thrown into a pond resonates out so far.

[@bloomandgray]

Thanks Barry! I’m hoping itll rub off a little bit on my husband too and maybe one day we can try some different things on the farm crops too!

[@barrysullivan59]

Just tell him cover crops will reduce his fertiliser needs which will reduce costs. Virtually all farmers respond well to saving dosh.

[@jayleen2626]

i love it, thank you for sharing

[@threeliliesflowerfarm9129]

Love your videos Sarah. I checked out Bare Mtn Farm after you mentioned their regenerative methods and have learned so much during my binge watching session already. It'll be interesting to follow your journey as you try some of these methods on your farm

[@bloomandgray]

They’re great aren’t they. So much to learn.

[@threeliliesflowerfarm9129]

@@bloomandgray We're right at the beginning of these methods like you so we'll be keeping an eye out for your videos to see what your thoughts are as you try different things

[@jodyfallon]

Fantastic content 😊

[@bloomandgray]

Thanks Jody 🙏🏻

[@lindsaybertin8174]

Crikey that sounds really interesting, feeding the soil is so important but I don't really give it much thought apart from autumn mulching. Are those snap dragons from a February sowing, mine are tiny

[@bloomandgray]

No they are from autumn but they didn’t grow much over winter and had an aphid problem at one point. Sorted that and they looked a little better so I put them out. Thought they’d be better in the ground than in a tray!

[@antonybellamy508]

Have you ever thought about completely no dig like Charles dowding does for veg market gardening ??? Have a look at his channel if you haven’t already I’m sure there is a lot of transferable methods - all the best - aj

[@bloomandgray]

That’s what I’m working towards 😁

[@antonybellamy508]

@@bloomandgray I converted the allotment this year :-) good luck Aj

[@James-ol2fr]

Hey! The Regenerative Growers Guide book has a forward by John Kempf. If you are interested in soil and plant health, his podcast and KZbin channel are amazing! He's not strictly about flowers, but there's a lot of deep-dive stuff there for any grower. He's big on increasing health in order to increase profitability. Have you done a video on profitability and the breakdown of your business thus far?

[@pattyclark5389]

What planting zone are you in? I'm in the states in zone 8. I like to know where you garden to see if anything translates to something I could also plant in my zone. I really enjoy your videos. I to love to research and learn new things. It's been several years since I've done anything on a larger scale as I'm in nursing school right now. But I hope to get back to it once I'm working next year!!! Great job on your videos!!!

[@bloomandgray]

I think the UK is mostly classed at zone 8 too. Good luck with the season ahead! X

[@ALNSolutions]

Are you using organic rice to put in the forest?

[@potsofbloom4829]

Thank you for all the information, love watching your videos! I'm going to listen to the podcast that you mentioned too. Our soil in the back garden when we moved in 4 years ago was completely lifeless, weeds didn't want to be there. We are slowly improving it, I think as there are now worms in it. We do have an old wood land near us so I may give the method you mentioned a go!! How do we know when it is good soil though?

[@bloomandgray]

You have to look out for the mycelium.. you will also see the dark colour of the soil with plenty organic matter in it.

[@طبخاتالهامبتجنن]

nice job bravoo

[@meganfarley672]

Hi Sarah, U probably have already answered this but what are you drying in the polytunnel that's hanging up? I'm looking forward to following you while you try to regenerate your soil. Can't wait to see the progress and blooming flowers come Summertime 😊

[@bloomandgray]

It’s Greek cress. I need to take it down it went a little bit mouldy over winter where the condensation from the tunnel dripped on it. And I can imagine it’s going to seed everywhere 😂

[@meganfarley672]

@@bloomandgray When U don't want it to spread seed, its a guarantee it will 😂

[@johac7637]

Have you ever tried using LAB on a very high rate, as compared to the very diluted, I just am making a 25 gallon batch, got raw milk from a dairy, I have lots of semi decomposed wood chips tilled in. Wondering if there is a downside.

[@paulinetrigg5747]

Enjoy your videos but please could you say the date when it is that you are speaking to us thanks bye

[@bloomandgray]

My videos are usually filmed and edited in the same week so you can just look at when it’s published 👍🏻

[@alin1665]

Could you help me with hardening off. I think I have just given my seedlings sunburn. Also when should I stop resowing seeds? Thanks for your help

[@bloomandgray]

Hi Amanda, are you in the uk? I’d be surprised if they were sunburned unless you watered them during the day in the greenhouse. Are you sure it’s not frost damage? Re. Sowing: if you look at the days to maturity on the packet or on Google and count backwards from your first frost then you will know your last sowing date. E.g my first frost is end of October so I would count 12 weeks or so (depending on variety) backwards from then for last sowing date.

[@alin1665]

@@bloomandgray Hi - I am in the South Midlands and put my seedlings out a couple of days ago and I think the sudden change in the weather with a great deal of sunshine caused scorching. Despite some heath robinson lights and a fan, I think my seedlings were not strong enough. Hey ho. Thanks for your feedback

[@freersam]

Are you intending to have comparison areas of your beds, so that you are able to observe the effects of the treatments compared to not doing them?

[@bloomandgray]

I’ve been looking into either buying a microscope or seeing whether I can get a soil microbe test done to see ‘before and after’ results if they are there.

[@kathypope3010]

Thanks so much for taking us along on your soil biology adventure. Aren't the Bare Mtn Farm videos great? I've learned so much from you and from them.

[@bloomandgray]

I love them!

[@mkwats5375]

Looking into leaf tea and eggshell soup from Jenny as well. Do you have tips on annual phlox? Florets had good germination. Three other varieties had none! Arghh.

[@bloomandgray]

I cover them with an upturned tray to germinate them in the dark.. that’s about it they do well for me!

[@emmawallace9675]

Yes Phlox need dark to germinate 🙂 they also then like to be grown on in cooler temperatures after germination.

[@gardenpokok]

something new for me

[@lizaphillips678]

Curious how old are you? Very impressed with all you do!

[@bloomandgray]

I’m 28 😁

[@dorothyhopkins5460]

This is interesting. Would the soil/compost that you put on top affect the PH levels?

[@bloomandgray]

Yes it should help to level out the ph as the microbiology gets working on it. But I’ve gathered it’s a very slow process

[@reneecourtman9039]

My hubby got about 5 pages into teaming with microbes and was 🤯

[@bloomandgray]

It’s full of great info!

[@OFP2]

That is a top barrow Amazon link plez haha . Great you are trying new ways , remember it's all subjective and tied to local climate ,rainfall etc so record your own results in small areas with an untouched sample to set against . Personally I have studied the plant structure and used established feeds that are pertinent for that "type" simple comparison like grass , vegetable like structured plants will like the feed mix designed for its equivalent . Soil and mycelium is without doubt key but designer soils are even better :) .

[@bloomandgray]

We get the barrows from a farm supplier I don’t think you’ll get them on Amazon.. plus they are about £300-400 😁😁😁 they get used heavily on the horse yard which makes the purchase worth it haha.

[@OFP2]

@@bloomandgray haha I bet eBay have a few Chinese versions :). We used to have them when up the stables I never knew they were that much :0 . Quality costs as they say , we called em dolly's

[@danillescas5327]

Here for the Alpacas, staying for the piggies

[@yvencia1150]

🌺🏵🌻

[@mochkw9843]

Wow luarbiasa kebunnya mbak😱🏵🌼🌹👍