Chop and Drop Explained - Garden Quickie Episode 173

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

If you're just starting out gardening in 2023, please check out my Amazon Affiliate links below to get the right tools for the job! It doesn't cost you a cent, but this channel receives a small incentive for any items purchase through Amazon. Happy Gardening! Seedling Trays! Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3xiKAgi Amazon USA: amzn.to/3DWD2DR Amazon UK: amzn.to/3RRlrCQ pH/Water/Light Meter Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3yafmrV Amazon USA: amzn.to/3OKRW30 Amazon UK: amzn.to/3nvEIM4 Composting Tumbler! Amazon Canada: amzn.to/39CgtYw Amazon USA: amzn.to/39Dha49 Amazon UK: amzn.to/3yLsKVf Handy 12-piece Garden Tool Set!: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3jsNIyk Amazon USA: amzn.to/2YZhFwx Amazon UK: amzn.to/3qapNql Hand Pruners: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/2YSIFxP Amazon USA: amzn.to/3q3Oftq Amazon UK: amzn.to/2YR3Xf8 Watering Can: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/39U4nIc Amazon USA: amzn.to/2YR3p94 Amazon UK: amzn.to/3oX7hAa Spray Gun: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3aBxijm Amazon USA: amzn.to/3aL7UHS Amazon UK: amzn.to/3ruol1Z Gardening Gloves: Amazon Canada: amzn.to/2Lt6ZDx Amazon USA: amzn.to/3tzJ32t Amazon UK: amzn.to/3jpf1cU

[@paulwilliams200]

Always great advice, thoughly interesting and "watchable" - given in short videos (which I appreciate greatly).

[@sandyhayden-bristow1382]

This is good in mimicking the way nature works. Protecting the soil and giving back nutrients your plants will need next year is recycling at its finest! For those who are relatively new to gardening, Jeff is referring to healthy plants at the end of their life cycle. Those affected by powdery mildew and other maladies do not get dropped back into the garden.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Sandy, right you are! 🙂

[@muhamadthemotorcityfarmer6016]

Informative as always. I jumped the gun and removed most of my tomatoes yesterday. Next year, I'll know better

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Muhamad, how was your year overall?

[@muhamadthemotorcityfarmer6016]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms Thank you for checking on me. I was an engineer and now I'm pretending to be "farmer" This year I did cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and jalapeno. The critters ate my first jalapeno. Some tomatoes I bought as seedlings, and they did well my cucumbers were also seedlings, and they were amazingly bountiful. I also harvested tomatoes and green pepper seeds from store bought fruits. The tomatoes did well, but out of 10 plants, I only have one green pepper fruit that is still growing and it looks like a midget. Oh, my first year trying potatoes and I am still waiting for the foliage to die out to see what I did right and what I did wrong. Keep up the good work..

[@austin2842]

I do this for plants that break down easily. Being in zone 4 Alberta with long winters, I'm concerned more fibrous plants won't have a chance to break down by next spring.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Austin, its still ok if they don't break down. My corn certainly doesn't. If its too cumbersome it can get removed in the spring, but it still does all the beneficial things in the meantime! 🙂 Cheers man!

[@MarleneBautista-mv3ke]

You can also put the ones that didn’t break down in your compost pile.

[@Tippler0611]

For massive plants, a flat spade can make chopping easy once they are cut at the base. Covering with leaves helps the soil creatures get up in there to work 💗🪱

[@Gkrissy]

I literally just told my little cousin to chop and drop my dried up corn stalks. It’s the best thing for the soil.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Ha ha perfect timing! 🙂

[@ericv00]

Chop and dropped my potato plants and they just grew back, haha!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Haha been there before Eric!! LOL

[@colleenavery232]

FYI - zone 6b I strip most of my kale and let it be (not cutting the core at all) - comes back in the spring - Have only done this once, doing again this year, but it was enormous this season from last year planted early spring 2022

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Kale is a monster for that! I love it. Collard Greens too, but not nearly as much as the kale.

[@lorisaunders176]

Awesome tip! Thanks!🇨🇦

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers Lori, thanks for watching!

[@HealyMeans]

hi jeff 🤗 garden quickies are my thing! thanks for sharing yet another garden winning video - you're awesome. have a great day.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

And thank you so much for watching! 🙂

[@denaross]

My kind of gardening! 😊

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Dena! 🙂

[@colleenavery232]

PERFECT TIMING ON ALL YOUR VIDEOS - THANK YOU!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Colleen! I just document as its happening! 🙂

[@kittyskid1]

Ive watched you for months on TV streaming. I now subscribe because you are a great teacher plus I like your voice. Not too fast, not too slow--just right! I've learned so much from your videos.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey thanks Kitty, appreciate the kind words and support! :-)

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

P.S. Love the website! It looks great!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks!!! Its coming along....getting there for sure! 🙂

[@rosemaryus-ct6151]

it makes sense that it returns to the soil what it took out.

[@moirad6579]

Great timing for this video. I will give it a try! But I definitely won't be leaving my tomatoes, beans or zucchini in place... all had either blight or powdery mildew by the end of the season. Also not sure what to do with plants that have gone to seed. It would be awesome if you could clarify what should and should not be chopped and dropped.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I actually just do everything...but I understand the trepidation for diseased plants. For seed crops, you can dead head the tops and discard them while chop and dropping the rest of the plant. Again,I demo everything and let it fall....6 months later when it gets buried and planted with the next year's crop it rarely matters what was there before.

[@beckyneil]

Excellent Thank you

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers Becky, thanks for watching! 🙂

[@mamabearthrives7815]

Thanks Jeff! Really appreciate the quickies and the constant tips that I sure need! Have a great rest of your day! 💪😎🌱

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks MamaBear! 🙂

[@barryroberts6470]

You can't beat a good quickie Mamabear 😂🤫

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@barryroberts6470🙂

[@starla1607]

Thank you!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers! 🙂

[@emylytle7149]

Well hello Jeff! I just did that on my tomatillo and I’m going to transplant my brassicas I think kale good hearing from the expert as always take care 👩‍🌾😊❤️🙏🏻

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Right on Emy! Hey, how did the tomatillos do for you this year??

[@emylytle7149]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms it was ok, we had a crazy weather and of course pots are hard to maintain water wise so I just harvested a little but I’m thinking of building another raised bed at the end of my lawn where it’s more sunny. Thanks Jeff for all this tips and advice your sharing. ❤️😊👍👍🙏🏻

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@emylytle7149 I hear you on that one Emy. 100% going to grow tomatillos next year! 🙂

[@gardeningtroutmaster]

perfect its a game changer for sure

[@Blessedbeyondmeasure1111]

Thank you so much for this video. I am a first year gardener and all the videos are about starting seeds caring for your garden but I can’t find anything on what to do at the end of the season. Could you make more videos on the subject please thank you

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Definitely...its such an important part of the process too!

[@Blessedbeyondmeasure1111]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms I am a city girl trying to become self sufficient and there is so much to learn every plant is so different needing different soil, temperature , fertilizer etc and I have learned so much from you. Thank you I get so excited when my plants produce healthy fruits and vegetables

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@Blessedbeyondmeasure1111100% agreed. Every single crop is a learning experience.....especially the mistakes, that's where I've learned the most! 🙂

[@margaret2222]

I love these short videos and have learned so much from each of them. I have most of my garden already cleared out but will do things different next year. Thanks so much.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Right on Margaret, how did the season go for you?

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

Jeff this is what I do with my weeds that are trying to compete with my garden too. Just like hoeing the loose soil in my raised beds they lay down and decompose right there. I was excited to see you did this with tomato and pepper plants. When I first started gardening, I was warned not to do this with tomato and pepper plants or put them into my compost because they are very suseptible to fungus problems. I wouldn't put them into my compost just like I avoid allums, citrus, and any nightshades in it. I just followed the advice with my garden beds because I was new to mass gardening and I just wanted to do it right. It was a little confusing because fungus and bacteria grow in nature all of the time and the sun and rain, as well as other God perfect programming, it cures itself. Is there anything you pull out of the garden because of these reasons. Happy Fall!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hi Vicky, totally agree with the weeds...they are GREAT for chop and drop! Good question regarding diseases....for sure some of the really bad ones you have to be careful with. Crop rotation can also help. Healthy, active soils also have a way of fixing themselves and reducing outbreaks. I say if you're worried, burn the infected material, but for the most part every crop is fair game for me! 🙂

[@NormannCfC]

Hi. Using tomatoes as an example, what if the plant had brown rot at the end of the season, for example. Do you leave that on the ground too?

[@mamabearthrives7815]

I do! and nothing has ever happened,...yet lol🤷‍♀️mold, fungus microbes are all in nature anyway and part of the process, I use all of my weeds (with seeds on them) and all of my trimmings (with mold too). I also use a compost-in-place method of container growing, so I actually put those rotten tomatoes deep in the bottom of my pot and nothing happens, I think it’s because the microbes eat it up, i’ve never had to burn anything before, so far I’ve had no problems. I’m also not a professional gardener like Jeff 🤦‍♀️I’m sure he has the correct answer💪😎🌱

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@mamabearthrives7815Exactly this. I've chopped Fusarium, Powdery Mildew, and all the nasties you can think of without any issues. Bad soil and bad conditions breeds bad results. I would say if you're at all worried take it out and burn it.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Depends on the brown rot Normann. Fusarium and Verticillium Wilts its often suggested to burn. I've never had an issue from year to year, but some people get paranoid over that stuff. If you're at all worried, play it safe. You can also crop rotate to avoid such issues as well.

[@NormannCfC]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms Thank you for the quick answer. I was just confused for a moment. I only have a small vegetable garden. A total failure due to carelessness is a minor catastrophe for me. Sometimes there are things that you can grow in masses where small mistakes can be avoided, but if you, like me, only have a few square meters of space, then of course you want to do everything right. Kind regards from East Germany! (first frost today)

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@NormannCfCTotally hear you on that one. Especially in container gardening and small setups there's way less chance for error. 🙂

[@suegendron2260]

Thanks! I am short on time, and will try this! But I'm curious - when you go to plant in the Spring, and the cornstalks or other debris are still there - do you plant through it?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

100% you can. If it hasn't broken down enough for your liking, I would just rake it out and compost.....but all through fall and winter it did its job of protecting the soil from exposure as well as shedding nutrients back to the earth. 🙂

[@allanpennington]

Your vids are my go to for great advice. Im in NZ middle of summer, my potatoes are ready and cabbages are harvested; red russian kale finished as is my huge garlic (70mm bulbs). So Im about to plant in the bare spaces. The outer huge cabbage leaves ripped off are great shade for the bare soil. BUT...when you chop and drop do you anticipate planting in that soil well after the dropped greenery etc has rotted down into the soil completely or can you cover it or partially dig it in and plant new seeds or plants immediately?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks Allan! I do both actually. You can 100% use the spent crops as a mulch for a new planting right away, or you can chop and drop to cover a bed and send it into dormancy. Both work!

[@andyrobinson6611]

While I get the idea, and have practiced chop and drop, I’m curious if there is a benefit that can’t be also obtained by tossing the dead plants into my compost.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Dead plants in your compost dying act as a mulch in your garden beds... And for some of us, ground cover during the harshest months of the year is highly important to protecting our soils until spring

[@theoldguy9329]

Great info. I do tend to do this. I have only two raised beds -- about 1mx1mx2m. I filled rhe bottom with cleared shrubs and sod. The levels still fall each year, so I generally add som e compost and soil at the end of the year. I bury the chop. I assume that is OK though not mulchy. I add more in the spring. Should put sime more mulch on top (I use shredded paper, which I generally remove in the spring).

[@margosutherland4331]

I love this. But wonder … if I need to plant my garlic do I plant it in between all the stuff I’ve chopped and dropped… in my case it will be squash vines ? 🤷‍♀️

[@shirleyk623]

I put all my cuttings in the compost pile or worm bin. In Florida I can grow year round, I'm concerned that the breaking down process would rob my plants of nitrogen. Is that a valid concern? Plus my worms love the new buffet.

[@Joseph_Dredd]

What does one do when tomatoes catch blight? Cut and remove everything but leave the stem and root system still in the soil? Or remove that as well?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Joseph, a lot of people suggest to burn the crop....everything...stem, root, leaves. All of it. I have not had any issues with it transferring year to year, but some people like to be safe than sorry. :-)

[@Joseph_Dredd]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms Yes, this is the advice I have followed. Many of the plants are, however fine, so I'll chop n drop those - dig up and burn any with blight. Cheers.

[@stevieb6173]

it's a great idea and in years gone by perfect , but in years gone by we used to have cold frosty winters that would kill a lot of the nasty bugs and pathogens nowadays we have warm mild winters and I wonder if it just harbours all these problems , overwintering them in a perfectly mild and warm environment , just what they want , what do you think ? surely as times change and climates change some of the practices that used to work also now have to change ! just a thought , what do you think ?

[@og.hetera8433]

Sick!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

🙂

[@BP-bx6si]

Now He's Jeff from the dead tomato farm

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Only until spring!

[@pirhan]

If only landscaping companies knew this.....

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Free mulch! 🙂

[@prinses999tube]

Hi, do you chop and drop tomato plants with blyth?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I haven't had an issue with disease or pathogens making it through winter, but if you're at all worried, simply remove those affected plants instead.

[@Thegamingg00bers]

First season of gardening. I was planning to chop and drop and then cover with compost And plant my winter crops. Would that be a good idea or just chop and drop and plant around the material and use it as a mulch?

[@rossvogt4884]

If you want your plants to decompose quicker, I chop mine down, make a pile, and then I run my lawn mower over it then just dump the collection bag back where you just chopped

[@owenparsons2972]

Good luck with the tomatoes, your

[@kittiew260]

I don't do this at all because it allows bugs to overwinter on plants and in soils. Cover cropping is a better practice.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

I love both! I've just got to a point where I don't worry about bugs anymore. I have found that infestations and outbreaks almost always follow poor conditions....they aren't the CAUSE of it. Huge difference. I do love me some cover crops though! 🙂

[@thedrunkengardener9367]

Not quite sure I'm buying what you're selling here. There are definitely some mitigating circumstances such as blight, disease, or insect infestation that may need remediated. Plus everything I grew this year is so thick that I need to clear a path. 🍺

[@AJWGBFX]

Leaves fall in the forest year after year. Do the trees worry about pests and diseases?

[@thedrunkengardener9367]

@@AJWGBFX That's fine if you're growing trees.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@thedrunkengardener9367My dino kale were like mini trees!

[@GreekTurkey]

This isn't a good idea for all environments, right? In the hot, humid environment of south Louisiana I can forsee mold, mosquito habitat, etc... Maybe I'm wrong?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Mosquitoes don't lay eggs in moist habitats.....they lay eggs in straight up water. Hot and humid won't affect mulch....mulch is just good practice no matter what the climate is.

[@michaelenzweiler2319]

This is terrible advice. Just cutting up plants and leaving them on the soil does not equate with composting them. Dead plant material attracts insects that thrive on it. It may be closer to what happens in nature, but plants in nature are usually struggling to survive, just like animals in nature are often riddled with parasites. Natural does not equal optimal where growing is concerned. You're far better off adding old plant material to a compost pile and letting it decompose into something closer to soil than just leaving it where decomposition may take years.

[@katchrist_]

But you didn’t explain why it’s necessary to do, aside that it mimics nature… what’s the scientific explanation?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@katchrist_ its a free mulch that sheds the very nutrients it took out back into the ground. No explanation necessary!

[@katchrist_]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms oh I see, I understand now. 😬