Building Your Soil Over the Winter-Two Cheap Methods with Cover Crops + Leaves

[@itsallmindset-ds]

THANK YOU!!!! Everyone always talks about cover crops but no one EVER actually demonstrates how to fold them in! So helpful. Especially showing both methods. Finally!! :)

[@WellGroundedGardens]

You’re welcome! This one was super hard to film (lots of phases and weird camera angles) so I’m not surprised that a lot of others haven’t done it. They’re smarter than me. 😂 Glad it’s useful!

[@caninecuts]

I couldn’t say it any better😉

[@karenwoodford4776]

My thoughts exactly!!

[@jamieburgan2897]

I started with compacted clay soil and I could not get a shovel more than half an inch into it. I’ve worked it for 8 years through trial and error. I’ve laid seeds, pulled tumbleweeds, added cover crops and mulch and clover and hairy vetch. It’s been a long and patient process and a beautiful one to see this soil change. I now have an abundance of wildlife and pollinators in my garden. Hummingbirds, quail, garden snakes 🐍 (they’re eating my grasshoppers), monarchs, hummingbird moths, and I could not count the ladybugs if I even tried. My soil is rich with worms 🪱 now too and I am so proud of it. This barren land had nothing and I fixed it. 💜 Your video is a huge wealth of knowledge for anyone needing to correct or add to their soil. These are fantastic methods and I wish I’d found you sooner. ❤

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I can only imagine how great that soil smells every spring-you’re amazing!

[@Ohio98]

Super clear instructions. Many thanks from 3rd year gardener in ohio.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Hey, neighbor!

[@rodneypeterson9301]

Brilliant 😊😊😊

[@richc.2968]

Sounds like my Western Tennessee soil, like concrete in some areas.

[@ltodd79]

Best demonstration of cover cropping I've ever seen. Please add a save button to your viewing options.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thank you-I have no idea how to do that with my videos, but I will try to figure it out. 👍😬

[@ShilohsBride]

I don’t know if this will help you, but turning my iPad from vertical to horizontal ( portrait to landscape) will allow the … drop down menu to show up. Click on it and the save choice appears.

[@loiscashner6567]

Forward it to yourself

[@Su-Jo]

You can swipe left on the row where the like button is to see all of the options. Hope this helps.

[@theotherredmeat]

@@WellGroundedGardens That person just doesn't know how to use KZbin. There is nothing you can or should do differently!

[@beebob1279]

My father used leaves every year in his garden. Didn't turn over the soil until early spring. His garden was impressive with plant towering over us. With so much growth one would think the food production would suffer. It did not. I do like the blocks for your boarders. I use them for keeping my hives off the ground. My computer sent me to your youtube video. I'm going to watch a few more. As I liked this one I'll likely subscribe.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Your dad sounds like somebody that I would admire! Love your user name, by the way. :)

[@albayer-b2s]

We put down leaves over our raised beds for the winter also (I'm in Vermont). To keep the leaves in place, we lay down snow fencing. It lets the rain and snow through and is cheaper than anything else and readily available. In the spring, it can be rolled up and stored away for next fall to be used again.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Nice! Mine are usually held down by just the snow itself once they settle in place, but that sounds smart.

[@TheTrock121]

I also like to add a layer of cardboard on top. It seems to encourage the worms to come closer to the surface in the daytime, and of course holds the leaves in place. It is also permeable after soaked and allows enough rain through.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Wherever we’ve used cardboard I get a TON of worms 👍. I don’t have enough for all the beds, yet, but I’m saving it.

[@cowboyblacksmith]

Oh that's a great idea! Aldis has all the cardboard you need too. A few logs or branches on top and done, and it breaks down and adds unlike plastic.

[@MrThatguy333]

@@WellGroundedGardens i know this is old but I love going to Costco to get cardboard, they always have large sheets. I get them throughout the summer and lay them out through the winter. I've always done the leaf thing but never heard about cover-crops before, ill have to give it a shot. Thank you!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

We do the same! Plus save Amazon boxes.

[@maryegerton6848]

What a great channel! I just found you and it’s really informative. Perfect timing. I have a ton of leaves on my property that I add directly to my compost. Leaves are natures gift to all the hard working and patient gardeners out there ❤ just subscribed 😊

[@MPrybil]

Great video! What a great workout no gym membership needed. I never understand people who hired out their yard work so they could go workout at a gym? I know you can’t get all the range of exercises that you can get at a gym but you can get a lot and develop some stamina. Plus you get fresh air not recirculated air conditioned air!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

And vitamin D. I have MS so it’s a real consideration for me to get fresh air and sunshine. And can confirm that it’s a great muscle workout. 😂

[@CroAglo]

I've never done a cover crop, but I've seen various techniques. I always wondered why no one did the crop circle method... happy to see someone do that!!!😂😂❤

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Oh MAN-me not doing this in some kind of crop circle pattern is definitely a missed opportunity 😂

[@dianaj3139]

great reminder of soil building, sometimes I forget how important Fall season is for my garden! THANK YOU!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Honestly I think it’s the most important season…like building a strong foundation under a house. :)

[@garrettperea8437]

This was a really fascinating video. Learned a lot about "winterizing" a garden bed for spring in under 10 minutes. Kudos!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful 👍

[@franksmith7419]

DUH, ITS FOLLOWING NATURE

[@mcnorcan]

Great presentation with an excellent narration combined with good visuals. Thank you.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks for the kind words! I’m glad that it came together. :)

[@RalphMickey]

I haven't even thought about our garden - still moving and fixing things. Thanks for the video and reminding me about the garden lol

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Mine didn’t go in until June, because we were still moving in. I am VERY much feeling this comment. 😂

[@msmyramorgan751]

So HAPPY I have found you right now. We are moving from a retirement community to a little house in the country in 1 year. Never mind why we moved here 13 years ago. I'll just say, Once a gardener ALWAYS a gardener. and there are no gardens allowed here. SO, here I am gathering details for starting a new garden next year. Thanks so much and now I will be going to your other videos. Thanks again!💜

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Lovely! I’m so glad that you’ll have the chance to garden, again. We moved to this property for a similar reason; our last house was within an HOA and they had strict limits on gardening. I needed freedom 😂

[@meghanplamondon8639]

A helpful hint I found for my very short growing season ( zone 3a) is to always chop my tree leaves with my lawn mower, and maybe even empty the chopped leaves out of the bag and re-chop them. I dig a trench in my beds and bury them under soil, then add on top. They will compost in place extremely well and it gives the beds a good prep for the spring. All extra leaves go into the compost pile that cover all potted plants I didn’t have time to plant into the garden. It gets a good 6 feet of snow cover and the potted plants overwinter well. Your garden looks amazing btw! ❤

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Love that! I’ve done trench composting of crop debris and a similar method of chopping them with the mower (and mixing with grass) but never tried burying the chopped leaves. Summary of our prior method, here, in case you’re interested: Trench Composting & End of Season Cleanup kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpO4mqSin6uWrZY

[@franksmith7419]

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA FOR YOUR GARDEN.

[@elizabethjohnson475]

Here in far north California, zone 7 foothills, I bury oak leaves and vegetable plant remains, even lengthy vines (don't even chop them) in my rows. By March is beautiful soil; no traces of the leaves or vines, etc.

[@meghanplamondon8639]

@@elizabethjohnson475 I wish I could do that here. Our ground freezes solid way deep so our compost doesn’t get much time to heat up before the freezes, that’s why chopping things up very small is almost a necessity. Usually in October the soil can be rock hard, and it stays that way until May. My vegi plants don’t go outside until at least June. A short season indeed. Thanks for sharing.

[@westdavies]

I'm in zone 4 (Pagosa Springs, CO) and like to use the aspen leaves since they seem to break down quicker than the oak leaves.

[@umiluv]

Thank you for this video! I’ve never seen cover crops being processed so this was very helpful.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad! I felt super awkward trying to film it, so I’m glad that it helped somebody. 😂

[@jpocketrocket]

My neighbor has always taken his leaves and mulched them down with hi mower and then put them on his garden area and then tilled them in,in the fall, he always has a great garden ,so this year while i was out picking up leaves with my cyclone rake i would bring him 2 or 3 loads of mulched leaves and grass and he then tilled them into his garden, My wife and I have a spot at the city community garden and our way to giving back to the soil is pretty much the same way as my Neighbor, I used to collect my neighbor's leaves and make a compost pile in my back yard,and that was a lot of hard work turning them by hand,so we have opted to the method that we are doing now, we put the mulched leave/grass that i pick up and put that on the garden area and the til it in,in the fall,once its mulched and tilled in theres no need to cover it,but thats just what we do,I enjoyed video on that kind of composting method,thank you.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I love the “magic compost mix” of leaves mowed up along with grass that we can get in early fall (when the grass is still growing). Makes an amazing compost material.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

Nice garden🍀, yes I envisioned using black porous weed mat to top leaves before the snow, or maybe cardboard, makes sense….

[@misterdubity3073]

I don't think I had seen either of those cover crop termination methods before: 1) crimp in late fall and cover with leaves; 2) "mow" (or weed whack) and remove most of the cover crop in late fall, combine with leaves via lawn mower, mulch with that. More tools for the toolbox. Thanks.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Im glad! As I mentioned towards the end? this probably won’t 100% terminate them the way a black tarp would, but I’m ok with living roots through the winter. I’ll do an update in the spring to see how each method turned out.

[@jackstone4291]

Exactly. Living roots all year round is a great thing. And those Daeon Radish were a great example - up in a month and help break up the soil massively too. Great useful simple practical advice

[@duxdawg]

We've been mowing cover crops since the 1970s. Taught it by older folks, so it's been around a lot longer than that. Sad that this information isn't more widely available.

[@donaldduck830]

The easy version ofc is: Let the frost destroy the cover crops. Idk how bored the nice lady in the video is, but I never got enough time to make my garden look like that. But worse, when there is activity in the soil over winter, all the nutrients leach away. Ukriane got the best soil in the world especially because it gets frozen in winter and the organic matter just builds up. I am in a similar climate to Michigan, just in maritime Europe and it does not freeze enough to stop all conversion in the ground, so I got to inject fresh organic matter every spring. So all the covering up in the video above is even worse than doing nothing, actually.

[@twokeychains]

@@duxdawgit’s on KZbin, available to anyone in the world with even a minimal internet connection…how much wider you thinking?

[@thereseboogades8498]

Excellent ! Fantastic job showing how to build / enhance your soil with myriad benefits! I really enjoyed your video! All the best from Virginia Beach, Virginia 😊🎉

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thank you! And, I love that part of the country. 😁

[@trumpetingangel]

Dang! If I had seen this when it was still warm and sunny enough to plant the cover crop seeds I bought, I'd be doing this now! I pulled out the seeds and saw that two of the ingredients wouldn't winter-kill. I got discouraged about cover cropping and didn't plant any. Next year! Subscribing!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

It's kind of insane how few things truly winter kill, even in a climate as cold as mine! Even with the crimping, the leaves, AND my cold weather, I may still need to finish them for good in spring with a silage tarp...but that's fine.

[@trumpetingangel]

@@WellGroundedGardens I'm in Zone 6a, apparently, formerly 5b. My cover crop would have gone into metal raised beds, which also have some winter kale in them. I couldn't figure out how I would kill it off in the spring. I'll know better next time.

[@user-hm5zb1qn6g]

Those beautiful Colorado Blue Spruce !!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Can’t claim credit for them (neighbors’) but we love them, too

[@michellethornley198]

Amazing, I am a seasonal gardener and this is one of the clearest advice methods I have seen. Thank you

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Great!

[@moragpotter4609]

Thank you for such a clear and informative video, it’s wonderful! 😍 We are slowly creating new beds every year on a north facing slope on an island up here in Orkney, Scotland. We moved here two years ago and are loving it! 🥰 Despite being 59° North, we don’t get very cold winters (rarely below -5°C) and only a few days of snowfall every winter. However, due to the lack of trees growing here (we have two windswept sycamores and a fair few Fuchsia and Escallonia bushes hugging stone walls together with some willow bushes), we don’t tend to have many tree leaves we can collect as the strong winds we get almost all year round blow the leaves off pretty quickly! So we gather those that collect round the house and fill only three or so bin-bags worth of leaves. Still it’s better than nothing! We kept all our moving boxes and are slowly using them to create no-dig beds on the sloping garden above the house. Thankfully we inherited a full large old compost bin, but have had to spend a fair bit of time picking out the plastic and wire bits. It’s been worth it as we have six great beds which have been pretty productive this year, and we plan on making a few more this winter. We will lay the cardboard down straight onto the grass and then cover with some of the compost, possibly mixed in with some soil this year as our old compost supply is running low and our new compost isn’t ready to use yet. Thinking we will certainly try growing some cover crops in some of the beds next year to help build up the quantity and quality of the soil in the beds. Thanks again, now off to look at more of your videos! 😊

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Your garden sounds awesome! Since leaves are hard to come by I’d say cover crops would certainly be worth a try to help build your organic matter; maybe try tarping them since you can use leaves like I do to block out the sun and prevent them from “rebounding.”

[@karenfrankland7763]

Love watching you nourish your soil for the winter. While we don't grow a cover crop on our raised beds, we do add a good 6 inch layer of shredded leaves and grass clippings as well as a good inch layer of chicken and duck manure on top. It's worked great for us. By spring it's pretty much broken down and we just pitch fork the soil before planting.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’ve done the exact same thing! Our “usual” routine was to let the grass get long in the fall and to mow over the leaves on the lawn, to get a chopped up “magic compost mix” that we put on the beds. This year we’re at a new property and the grass was treated with weed and feed, so I can’t use it 🤷‍♀️

[@TalRohan]

@@WellGroundedGardens that explains why you used a bare bit of ground for your leaf mowing thanks

[@thomasbrown3127]

Visited Michigan University some years ago introducing a mulching blade only to be educated that Maple leaves were some of the you could introduce to lawn/ garden. And that University is tops I find out in ag and landscape in the USA. GREAT video madame.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thank you! And yes, the quality of our in-state universities are a real source of pride. :)

[@amothinisengard6505]

Girl you got so many views!! Well deserved, been following your channel for a while and it's been a wealth of knowledge. Kudos!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! Also: this is weird 😂😂😂

[@cowboyblacksmith]

I just started doing cover crops for my places I can, namely the potato and garlic beds that only get one crop per season. I buy bags of black eyed peas, one bag is plenty, from the supermarket. I let them grow well and then cut them at the base with a portable hedge trimmer, then pile compost on top and shredded fall leaves later on. It's cool to think about growing your soil too. Compost teas and fermented weeds in water help a lot too for the occasional drench.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Love that approach!

[@firecloud77]

Amazing stuff. The soil microorganism community must absolutely love you.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I haven’t polled them, but the worms are definitely happy (and huge). :)

[@GreekVegetarianRecip]

@@WellGroundedGardens Hah, hah! Hilarious!

[@cindyatwood7144]

What fantastic ideas!! Please show the results in the Spring, and thank you soooo very much!!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I definitely will!

[@boaz9208]

"Persephone period", love it

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Wish I’d coined it!

[@PureEarthGardens-r9t]

You have a great way of explaining complex topics, making them easy to understand for everyone.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thank you!!!!

[@rianajansevanrensburg2444]

Thank you for your video. I have had cover crops the last two years in my urban garde. The first year I just sprinkled the seeds on the soil and raked them in. The birds and termites thought it was 'n fast-food drive through this year I took time and made rows and planted them under ground. Was much better. I planted them between my flowers so couldn't use the weed eater to cut them so I uses a sizzor. That was a heck of a job. What I do is cut them down once and leave the mulch in place and they grow back again then I cut them down again and just before summer cut them right back to the roots so I get there living mulch harvests. I live in South Africa so no snow here. I love your idea of using the plank to break the stems. I don't have low beds like yours. Well done with all the hard work

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! Birds came through and took out all of my carrot seeds, one year. I feel your pain. 😕

[@suellenw561]

I've been watching youtube videos for several years but this is the first time I've come across one of yours. We live on the edge of zone 4 & 5 in Michigan. I think I'll find several things of interest here. What caught my attention was the concrete blocks around the low raised beds. We had some block left from our son's project and put them around one bed. Otherwise, we've used wooden 2"x whatever was handy & leftover from some other project.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

We used wood at our last property and I switched to block, here, for a few reasons but mostly because I knew I’d probably change the layout at least once or twice. :)

[@suzannestack7784]

This was great! I've had cover crop seeds for 2 years now not really knowing what to do with it. Zone 3 makes me so confused as to how to effectively do this in such a short time. I'm now thinking of ways to use a season just for soil building. I have several bags of leaves. It's great to see the process and not just hear the theory.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’ve got the same issue but less so (zone 3 is tough!!!). Our winters don’t get as cold but our growing season is pretty short; over time I’ve focused more and more on cool-season crops and using the winters for soil health, so that they can support high-density plantings in the summers.

[@suzannestack7784]

@@WellGroundedGardens agreed. I too am focusing more on building healthy bio rich and loamy soil.

[@1Melody1963]

Just a thought, can you use cold frames with plastic covers to extend your growing season? I am in zone 7, so don’t have the same challenges as you, but here lots of gardeners will have plant crops weeks earlier than they normally would, and top with a cold frame.

[@TheEnglishladyskitchengarden]

Very timely as I'm about to put a couple of vegetable beds to snooze for the winter.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad!

[@Bowcase]

Excellent video. A lot of work that will definitely pay-back the following harvest season. Thank you for posting.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Appreciate the note! And yes lots of work but like you said, dealing with lousy soil (speaking from painful experience) is way more work all year.

[@dalepres1]

Wow! This is an amazingly good video on using and then ending the cover crops. For decades I have read about using cover crops but never seen it presented as thoroughly and simply as you did. We'll be starting our 10th or 12th gardens in the spring when we move into our retirement forever home. Mostly we hope to create a permaculture food forest but even that will have to have annuals throughout. So, after decades of on-and-off gardening, I certainly hope to follow your advice in using cover crops rather than leaving any ground bare over winter.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Love it! I’m hoping to (gradually) do the same thing, here, and we did put in many perennials but I keep quite a few annual crops in the plan since they’re the bulk of what I use for cooking.

[@curiouscat3384]

I've read a lot of cover cropping guides in theory but your clear explanation and demonstration is very helpful! I'm not as organized or strategic about what to plant so your system is something I can copy. Unfortunately I'm too late to sow seeds this year :(

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I listed a few options in my FAQ video for anybody that’s too late to use cover crops: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXrOeZeri7hohNk

[@MountainGardenGirl]

me either..and I wondered about a perpetual cover crop bed that could be mowed all year to use for enhancing compost piles.

[@that_auntceleste5848]

When did you plant your cc in relation to your first frost date? I'm just a bit down from you, Northwest Indiana

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Clover would work pretty well for that; I’ve planted Dutch White as a living mulch. Next year I think I’m going to plant our “deer moat” with things like alfalfa or taller clovers that I can then mow down periodically and use as mulch to decompose in place, or add to our compost bins.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I planted them at the end of August and crimped them at the end of October (after our first frost). In general I’d say aim for 8-9 weeks before your big “lead drop” in the fall

[@brianseybert192]

I am doing more and more winter cover crops. I do not terminate until spring. Only problem with the leaves are Asian jumping worms. If you do not have jumping worms in your area, leaves are a terrific mulch, however, if you have JW's, leaves are a magnet once soil temps reach 50F. I still mulch with leaves in the fall but I remove in the spring and use in a hot compost. Excellent video! Stay Well!!!!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Luckily I don’t have jumping worms, but I do get slugs in the spring. I leave the remnants of this in place as mulch for things that I transplant, but do rake it off and compost it for beds with direct seeded crops like salad greens and (because of slugs) anywhere I am transplanting bean plants. Slugs love my beans for whatever reason: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJmteayApJxgjM0

[@13c11a]

Re: weed whacking: my grandfather used a scythe. Very neat, no confetti.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I may invest in a scythe (and sharpener) in the future; we already owned the weed whacker

[@danielmansour7230]

I started doing this same exact thing last year. Covercrop and then put leaves and yard debris on top to break down. It works so well there's no sign of any of the fall topping by mid-summer. My garden really took off this year and the results were very encouraging.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Same! It basically vanished by summer. I do rake it to the side anywhere I direct seed in the spring, but otherwise I just keeping “adding to the soil’s bank account”

[@Cici1791]

Great video, so clear, factual and concise. Just subscribed, thank you!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! I’m glad it was useful. 🙂

[@rmartinie]

Amen the above comment!! Add ditto to subscribed 👍🏻😊🌿 Thanks a million for coming on youtube and sharing your knowledge and experience 👌🏻 God bless 🙏🏻

[@mraereed]

Wow! I'm so glad I found you! We just bought a winery. I am going to be planting a cut flower garden.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Nice! You’re way past my ambition level; the most I did was a wildflower blend for pollinators

[@SteveSerrano65]

Great video! I love using leaves in my garden. The few years ago I stopped tilling the ground {for the most part}. I love it and it has worked out well for me. The fall garden is coming to an end. I'm going to leave some carrots in ground to store. 🤞Keep up the good work!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! I didn’t get as many fall and winter crops in as I’d like (late start this year) but I did manage a bed of overwintering carrots. Fingers crossed!

[@krh7150]

Do you have some good no till gardening video to suggest?

[@SteveSerrano65]

@@krh7150 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHbVoKmFo7Vrh6ssi=zPvx_ALQANiadA-p

[@SteveSerrano65]

@@krh7150 This is one of them that got me started. I hope it helps.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I feel like this has become a cliche answer, but all of Charles Dowding’s content is great

[@TalRohan]

Here in the UK this works great but we dont get so much snow so I have used old carpet or felted wrapping fabric on top to insulate it...the mower idea is awesome I like that one a lot I have in the past left a cover on plots so that moles and other small critters get underneath and start digging everything up, by the time you pull the cover off its all nicely turned over and loose so you can rake and plant straight into it. Fantastic little instructional video Thankyou for sharing

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I never thought that I’d LIKE snow, until I needed the soil insulation 🙂

[@pcstar123]

I think it'd be easier just to run the mulching mower with no bag over the cover crop and the leaves, I don't like using the border so running the mower over is no problem, also I collect moist, half decomposed and sometimes chopped up ones to cover the soil, it stays mostly on the ground, a couple of rains also help to ground it there.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

If our mower would fit on the beds, I definitely would’ve done that for method #2. For method #1 I really like the insulating air pocket that’s created by the crimped-over cover crop.

[@Earthy-Artist]

Thank you thank you THANK YOU!! This was a fantastic video!! I have never seen someone demonstrate this type of bed amendment using cover crops then leaves, smashing them down the way you do for a backyard residential garden. Even though I watch A LOT of gardening videos from highly skilled gardeners I still have never seen exactly this done before. I have a six 4'x12' raised garden beds, container gardens, edible landscape gardens & a micro fruit tree forest.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Ooh! I’m jealous of your food forest, even a small one. I’m trying to design one, now, for future chickens. And thanks for the kind words!

[@frankkramer169]

You should find out from the block manufacturer if fly ash was used in their composition. Fly ash will leach into soil and is not healthy. Not all block use it, but it is worth looking into.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

These were the bulk Home Depot ones and our order had four different CMU configurations all mixed together. It’s a good call out, but I’d have no way (that I know of) to track it down 🤷‍♀️

[@paulvandenberg5341]

I plant mixes salad greens as my winter cover crop. In March and April I can take 50+ lbs of greens to my food bank. I’m still building soil and feeding my microbes. Leaves are good, green plants are better. Raised beds, low tunnels.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Love that! I have yet to invest in tunnels

[@barryjanis]

Wow ! Great video ! GROW YOUR SOIL ! ADD ORGANIC MATERIAL !

[@WellGroundedGardens]

It’s paying dividends this year for sure! I’ve got some VERY happy squash and tomato plants.

[@HomesteadingWithAngie]

This was helpful. We rototill every fall and I just told my husband not to this year because our soil has been depleting the last few years. So want to fill wit out compost and will for sure be adding fall leaves so this just confirmed my idea. Thank you

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Always happy to support Team Wife 😁

[@irenicpixels]

How long was that cover crop growing before the video?

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Planted a week before Labor Day and terminated around Halloween

[@jsunshinejull]

I used the layering winter cover crop technique in my zone 8a garden years ago as well. We didn't get any snow, so I just pinned some net over top to keep the leaves from blowing away. That spring I had the nicest soil I ever had in that garden.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

The soil underneath truly is phenomenal!

[@AshWP]

Fabulous video, thank you for showing us all the steps and sharing the benefits with us! Quick question - Can you please link the porous cover that you placed on the leaves? I did the exact same thing today but used a black tarp and am thinking of switching to a porous one now. Thanks!❤

[@WellGroundedGardens]

We used this one (not an affiliate link): a.co/d/haRQjxJ. I also have more traditional floating row cover for winter protection, but this one doesn’t snag as easily 👍

[@AshWP]

@@WellGroundedGardens Thanks so much for the prompt response and the link!

[@royhoco5748]

I have a fenced 20'x30' garden area with raised beds that have 24" walkways, in the walk ways I put down an old rubber conveyer belt, I lay cardboard on the conveyer belt and then cover the entire garden with 12" of leaves and when they settle I add more leaves. The leaves in the walkways get trampled by foot traffic, the cardboard under the leaves in the walk ways attracts earth worms and holds moisture. The material in the walkways breaks down and every 3 years I shovel all the rich composted dirt that has been created in the walkways back into the raised bed and start the process again. In spring I pull the leaves from the raised beds into the walkways and after I plant my crops use those partially composted leaves for mulching the plants. This also helps with weed control in the garden.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

We’ve got a somewhat similar approach. Curious-why the conveyor belt? Was the cardboard not enough for weed suppression?

[@royhoco5748]

@@WellGroundedGardens the conveyor belt started out as a permanent weed block and walking surface but also provides a solid surface to shovel the composted soil from to put it in garden beds and my walkways never get muddy no matter how much it rains

[@deborahb.3736]

excellent information.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! I’m glad it’s helpful. :)

[@JeanneNation]

I just planted in my ( 2) 4X8 raised beds garlic and put last years decomposed leaves on top about 4 inches. Because of the high winds we get here in Washington state, I put plastic light weight snow fence on top of that and used landscape staples to hold it down from the ground. First time Ive tried this, I hope it works! Thanks for the info, I will have to try out a cover crop next year.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Nice! Which part of Washington? I grew up in Richland :)

[@JeanneNation]

@@WellGroundedGardens I live in Yakima in the west valley. We didn’t live too far away from you 😁

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Hey, sorta neighbor! 😁

[@jamesp4316]

Very nice tutorial, detailed yet succinct! And please protect those pretty eyes with safety goggles when you weed whack!!! Cheers.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Good call on the safety goggles!

[@anoodono1841]

Agree

[@01Lenda]

Nice! I use grass, acorns, leaves and branches. Makes rows. along the edge of my lawn. Sow and turn, water. All winter.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Nice! Any issue with the acorns sprouting?

[@Omegawerewolfx]

I water my material heavily and then black tarp it so it cooks and after a few weeks I go to the netting. I must use netting because squirrels and turkey will dig up everything. Also, if I can, I'll have shredded cardboard in my mix.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I can relate to the squirrels but at least I don’t deal with too many turkeys. 😳 Your approach sounds great!

[@marvinrobinson8519]

I am having excellent success with keeping my garden covered at all times. During the summer, any bare ground is covered with some sort of mulch such as straw, grass clippings, leaves, etc. In the fall I either cover the garden with leaves or a cover crop. Either way, the mulch or cover crop is tilled into the soil each spring. Each year, I find improvements in the soil. The result? Great organic produce. Feed the soil and you'll get healthy plants. Corn with huge 10'+ stalks (that add more organic matter to the soil), tomato plants that can exceed 9'-10'. I love picking a 5 gallon pail of fresh tomatoes-from one plant! Great video!!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Your garden sounds amazing! Mine isn’t tilled, so the good stuff works its way in more gradually, but I spotted a worm yesterday that could probably take me in a fight, so something is going right with the soil 😂

[@marvinrobinson8519]

@@WellGroundedGardens Keep feeding your soil and your garden will do better every year! You have a niv=ce setup! Best wishes to you!!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! Same!

[@mlmallory2780]

I like your video but that background music is terribly distracting.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Dang. I’ll have to reduce that.

[@Peaceful-resistance1]

Music is really distracting. Info was👍

[@Peaceful-resistance1]

​@@WellGroundedGardens thanks

[@yay4meluigi]

@@WellGroundedGardensI only found it slightly distracting. Lol. Good video. You went way out of your way for the soil. I have a few raised beds and we’ll see. I didn’t do any of this. The leaves seem easy but planting an entire full crop across all the beds seems like a lot of work. I have a full time job and a lot of other things going on though. I like this idea of composting in the beds.

[@youresoakinginit2113]

Music, found it better than most of the accompaniment on most videos! Almost soothing. Not too loud. Best of all was her voice is clear, loud-but-not-TOO-loud, and full of useful content. Barely noticed the music.

[@carriekassick7311]

I just subscribed because I learned so much on cover crops from you. I’ve heard about them but your video not only showed “how to” but also your explanation was very good. Thank you. 🥰

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thank you! I’m glad that it hit the mark!

[@mikeyhikes]

Thank you! I'm brand new to gardening in the ground (lived in Florida where everything in my area had to be raised beds). I've relocated to NE Texas and since it's October, I am looking at prepping a (currently non-existent) garden for next spring. This is so interesting! I wish I'd gotten a bit of cover down already, but still getting my location situated!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Honestly you’re making the right call in spending a lot of time deciding the location-it’s not something you can easily fix, later!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

This is an old video, now, but I did walk through how we chose a specific garden location at our last property: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX3Qln2IaaZnkLs

[@mikeyhikes]

@@WellGroundedGardens Oh sweet, I will absolutely go watch this one too. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@priayief]

That's an informative video. I live in a similar climate zone and I have a similar practice at end-of-season. I remove my veggie plants by cutting off all growth above the soil level, leaving the roots intact. Then I lay down about two or three inches of homemade and commercial compost then cover with a thick layer of leaves. I use plastic snow fence on top of the leaves. I weigh down the snow fence with whatever is handy. In the spring, I remove the leaves for composting. I like your approach of using a variety of cover crops near the end of each season - especially those cover crops that don't survive through the winter. This is compatible with my no-dig method. Thanks for the video.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Your approach sounds awesome! I may steal the plastic snow fence idea 👍

[@kittimcconnell2633]

Thanks for this! I've piled raked leaves in my garden but didn't think to tamp them down. I'll do that this weekend.

[@kittimcconnell2633]

Also, your garden is SO NEAT AND TIDY! It's lovely!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

If I don’t tamp mine down they go EVERYWHERE. And the garden only recently became tidy-it’s been a hot mess most of the year 😜

[@5points7019]

I do the same thing! My entire garden including raised beds are covered in chopped up leaves and straw. Compost pile is completely full again after getting 2 wheelbarrows full of ready to go compost. My winter crop consists of 50+ garlic cloves in raised beds. Im from SE michigan living in west central iowa now. Same grow zone. Different humidity. My neighbor has 15 bags of leaves im taking to add into the garden (no chemicals).

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Free leaves are the best! I’ve been known to pick them up, curbside-though not if they have many grass clippings in the mix, as those are always suspect for chemicals. My garden was super late going in this year, but I’m hoping to try garlic next year!

[@littlebrookreader949]

This is so smart.

[@garybennett3823]

hi from Oregon, loved the cover crop video. we use our riding mower with bagger to collect our leaves, the chopped leaves stay in there spot in the garden/. our milder winters allow the earth worms to work closer to the surface and compost the leaves. i will continue to follow

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Greetings! I’m from Washington State and used to garden both west and east of the Cascades. I miss the milder winters but I also dearly love our “hibernation culture” in Michigan :)

[@christys3305]

Thank you! My goal is to have a garden like yours. Been trying for 14 years but we get so many weeds i cant keep up so now im learning about over wintering and layering organic materials.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Mine is still very much a work in progress-mulches and sheer stubbornness eventually overcame my weed pressure but the rabbits ate almost everything this year. Next year’s battle 🤷‍♀️

[@jasonlives5]

Great video! I've watched quite a few other videos on cover crops/soil building that got me through a couple seasons/winters of use. This

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m so glad that it’s additive! I’ve got this year’s cover crops outside and growing, as we speak. :)

[@Growing_Z_Farm]

Oh, Thank you! I feel so lucky to find this video! You have confirmed that my plan will work to improve a small area for a new lawn. Your garden is so tidy! I am a backyard flower "farmer" and this will work great in my beds waiting for spring! Thank you so very much for your clear explanation and method! I can't wait to see how this all works for me. I ordered Vetch, Winter wheat, Field Peas, Annual Rye, Red Clover, and Daikon Radish. The small area for lawn is compacted and the soil is pretty bare. I am planting in Zone 9b (California). It will be planted by 9/17 with our first frost date not until Dec. 15. IF I have to put a small cover to protect and keep growing it would be pretty simple, as it is a really small area. Wish me luck!!!!!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Sounds awesome! The daikon in particular was super helpful for compaction. 👍 Hope it does the same for yours. :)

[@LillianEmerald]

I don't live in Michigan, nor do I live in a zone remotely close to that of Michigan and never plan to. Having said that, I simply had to subscribe. Thank you so much for such a fantastic, practical video,, and I'm sure there will be many tips and tricks along the way, regardless of zoning! I've never crimped cover crops, but definitely something I'll be doing in the future. Brilliant video! Thanks a million!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Our winters are no joke, but fall is gorgeous 😂. Glad this one was useful!

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Wow u am impressed! In one short video I have learned exactly what I need to do!! Ty

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Yes! I’m so glad to hear it 😁

[@franksinatra1070]

Very interesting techniques. I mulch with leaves and use cover crops on other beds but never thought about combining the two methods.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I only started combining them last year and to be honest it was a last minute attempt to find a use for our ridiculous quantity of leaves But I like it!

[@franksinatra1070]

@@WellGroundedGardens I have a lot of leaves also. I always stock piled and used to mix with greens in my compost but lately I try and keep the slower decomposing oaks in a separate pile and let them sit for 2 years until they make leaf compost on their own.

[@carmenortiz5294]

Random video that should up. Glad it did, liked this video, and the fact that you seem to know what you are doing. Too late for me this year but I will trying it next, meanwhile I will be checking other videos in this site. I'm in Minnesota.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Ah, greetings neighbor! If you want to try it next year, id recommend probably planting them about a week before Labor Day since you’re a bit more northern than me.

[@carmenortiz5294]

@@WellGroundedGardens I start most indoors, I have an entire set up. This was a very strange year in my area, we had hardly any snow, and higher than ever temps. No idea what to expect this coming year. Thank for contacting me!

[@lisakaye9340]

This is the most informative cover crop and over wintering video I have come across! Commitment of time! I have always wanted to do cover crops but didn’t understand the whole process

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad that it’s helpful-and once you start using them, it’s hard to go back. :)

[@susancarrington8091]

Thanks for the suggestions. It's just too much trouble for me. LOL. I just put a layer of grass and a layer of leaves on my beds, mix them up with a shovel, and they are ready by spring.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I did that in our prior (smaller) yard-we just mowed grass and leaves together and dumped them on the beds. The grass at our new place was chemically treated by our builder and I can’t use it in the garden; I’ll go back to that approach once the chemicals are gone but even then I wouldn’t get enough material for the beds given how much larger this garden is.

[@NocturnalButterfly]

Thanks so much for sharing, this was very informative❣️ I was looking for some information on how to do this for my garden next year and was lucky enough to find you❣️💋💖🦋

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m so glad! Let me know how it goes. :)

[@jessie-2023]

Love this video so much. I think I have missed the boat on planting cover crop this year...except possibly rye but I did plant some peas this year not knowing the benefits. Not many but enough to help a little. We have one tree that drops loads and loads of leaves and this is our first year being able to use them back in the garden along with adding them to 2 new beds that I'm starting to prep for next year. Thanks for sharing these amazing cover crop tips. I agree with other commenters...it was really good to see this process. :)

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad! It was a pain to film and I almost stopped halfway. Glad I stuck it out, after all 👍

[@jessie-2023]

@@WellGroundedGardens 😂 I bet and you have a large garden space too.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Seriously…this was my first year with the larger size, and even with only 1/2 of the beds planted, it was a LOT.

[@purpletopturnip4113]

This was super well done, you did an awesome job. ❤

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thank you!!! Super appreciate the feedback (and glad that it’s helpful) ❤️

[@susanbutterfly9579]

Great video! I never even heard the background music 😊

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Ha, thank you! It’s funny; almost nobody seems to notice the music, but the people that notice, REALLY notice…

[@sailme2day]

thank you , excellent how to putting the garden beds to rest for the winter.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad you liked it!

[@christymccain4056]

Great video, thank you!! Ive been thinking of doing cover crop but had no idea where to start.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad that’s it helpful!!! :)

[@bandossful]

Thank you for your video. In case you didnt know:)) you could eat any radish tops...you could sauteed them with garlic as a side dish, add to sweet potatoes as a main dish and use them in soups as greens...full of vitamins...better then spinash..little bit bitter which is great for your liver. Just saying:)) Thank you again!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’ve ventured as far as mustard greens but haven’t yet tried radish greens…I know they’re edible and I think if I let the daikons overwinter and then flower, their (immature, green) seed pods are also edible…on my list for a future season!

[@beerich2117]

I think the best we can do is cover our raised beds with leaves. We had tons.😳 Thank you for this very informative video.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Just adding plain leaves, alone, is also a great option-adds organic content and trace minerals. 👍 Consider the cover crop as “gilding the lily”

[@CoffeeCakeCrumble]

Michigan here too, Z6A. Leaves are my greatest asset here. In addition to what falls on my land, my neighbor brings dozens of full bags over every year. SOP for years has been slicing the bags open and dumping them in the compost pile and let nature take over. Unfortunately this method resulted in compacted, slimy leaf shingles. This year I invested in a Sun Joe Leaf mulcher and am using the resulting leaf reduction as super deep mulch over the entirety of the beds.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Oooh! This sounds like a worthwhile investment!

[@CoffeeCakeCrumble]

@WellGroundedGardens their advertised reduction rate is supposed to be 16:1. I didn't get that, but the bag size was never specified either. They're hardly expensive, under $150, and so easy to use. The bag is attached under the hopper and fills with the mulch as you go. Remove the full bag, add an empty and keep going! The worms are going to go hog wild 😋

[@WellGroundedGardens]

“Annelids gone wild”

[@ibrstellar1080]

I love your crimper DIY tool and want to make a similar tool but I wasthinking of adding nails and barbed wire to add a spiked action. Fantastic video and great information 👍.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thanks! I’d probably injure myself with the spikes, but you may be more coordinated.

[@mtdune]

I grew a cover crop of sorghum-sudangrass intermixed with oats and field peas this year. That stuff grew to an amazing 7' tall and I terminated it with hedge trimmers taking about 6" at a time. Lots of organic matter that I spread around to a couple other beds. Sorghum-sudan was pretty thick so I'm not sure how it's going to play out trying to plant into those roots but I guess I'll see in the spring.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Nice! If your soil stays non-frozen through the winter, I think you’ll find that the roots have been well worked in by worm activity. I usually can’t find a trace the next year…not even of radishes left in the soil to rot.

[@NewDimension7]

Good Morning Soil and composition , thanks you for sharing this video. Very helpful

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad it was helpful!

[@julieshackleford906]

Absolutely love it! Can you show what it looked like in spring?

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Enjoy! Spring Follow-Up: What Happens to Cover Crop Debris Over the Winter? kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJmteayApJxgjM0

[@josechuquiruna5650]

Excellent presentation! you have a very clever method for gardening. Thank you

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Glad it’s helpful!

[@HoboGardenerBen]

I like that porous cover on the leaves. I find the leaves don't blow around that much if you don't, but might as well. I usually do my mulching on wet days so the mulch is heavy and so that I'm putting a holding blanket over all that fresh soil moisture. A thick mulch layer can block rain very effectively and then evaporate out before getting the ground. Nice to have snow sit on there for a winter because it will definitely soak through into the mulch and soil.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Yeah, the year I filmed this (2023) we had REALLY high winds due to systems coming through, and I definitely needed that cloth. I also use those as row cover to keep cabbage moths off my brassicas, so I have them on hand. Going forward I may purchase and cut up some permeable landscape fabric just for this purpose, to lay on top and then leave it in place all winter.

[@HoboGardenerBen]

@@WellGroundedGardens I like the differences between place that call for stuff like that. VT is pretty mellow compared to other places in wind so I can easily see that being why I haven't had as much of a problem. It's nice to see a clear explanation for other people to follow to cycle biomass into their garden and keep things tidy if they want it that way. I'm into the chaos, but nothing wrong with liking it tidy :)

[@123WorryFreeGardening]

Love the cover crop info. This is so valuable. Nobody shows this.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m so glad!

[@elizabethjohnson475]

So glad this came up! I'm off to do this in my garden. Regards from far north California! Zone 9

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I just planted mine last week! And I’m jealous of your zone. 😁

[@thomasriddle9570]

Great video, did similar this year, but using manure next year. And after the snow clears in the spring, till in the remainder in to really supercharge your soil and you’ll usually skip the black tarp step.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I don’t own a till so this one is all “woman-power” + stick 🤷‍♀️

[@stellaschneider6918]

Thank you much for this! I've been using chopped leaves on my garden for many rears, and recently wondered how I could use cover crops on my very small garden which I garden no-dig. Thank you!!!

[@WellGroundedGardens]

I’m glad it was helpful!

[@debbiepaquin8842]

The white radishes the feed store sold me for cover crop, they got huge and died with the freeze..the turnips mostly made it through the winter and bloomed in may/June the next spring. I originally planted those areas for the cows that winter as we had been in drought and the grass was mostly eaten up.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Did the radishes completely decompose for you? Which zone are you?

[@lonefoxbushcraft]

I was looking at u then them trees 🌳 in the background took me away wow ❤

[@WellGroundedGardens]

We bought this property mostly for the trees…freaking love them.

[@myurbangarden7695]

I am reaping the benefits of leaf mulch and tarping in my beds last yearm. So much better water retention and less weeds.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Awesome! I feel like it has also made a noticeable difference in our worm population. Or at least the population near the surface. They seem to love the insulation over winter.

[@channagirijagadish1201]

I love this video for the explanation and demonstration is very well done.Thanks for your excellent video.

[@WellGroundedGardens]

Thank you! Not the easiest one to film but I’m glad it was helpful 👍