Grow Better Vegetables by Planting Them Into A Living Mulch (PROTECT AND BUILD SOIL)

One way to build soil and grow a better garden is by keeping a plant root in the soil as much as possible. Cover crops are one great way to cover the soil and keep a living root in the soil. In this video I show you how I combine cover crops and production crops, growing both at the same time.
The microclover seed I used: amzn.to/2ZJqCxQ #affiliatelink
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[@matthewfarrell317]

Did this last year and found a match made in heaven. We have mild acidic native soil (pH 6) so taking it down to 5.5 was easy as can be, so blueberries were a right fit, but I didn't want to weed the bed so needed to find something. Which ended up being strawberries. They tolerate/love the acid soil, love the same fertilizer, tend to have deeper roots than the more surface rooted blueberries, keep the soil from drying out (something that can really hurt the blueberries in our hot Aussie sun) and on top of that, we (and the birds) get a massive feed of strawberries. I do have to cut the strawberries away from the smaller blueberries as they grow, but once they do, no more maintenance other than a little bit of sulphur every 6 months. Also, there is nothing better than fresh blueberries and strawberries on some ice cream over summer lol

[@doncook3584]

Great idea will try next year. Was putting my garden to bed and realized how 21 years of compost and care have transformed one bed. Shovel goes in ground 12” with ease. Had to remove trellis support and ended up leaving rather than disturbing soil layers. I use thin wall conduit $2 bucks 10’. No brained. Smiled when realized was muck clay glue. Now top 12” is wonderful loam rich with life.

[@irenemauro1347]

I did Alyssum around my tomatoes this summer as a living mulch. It worked well. I also left most of clover in that came up on its own. I find I have to clear (or put compost on top of) most of it for my fall crops. Slugs are too prolific and the cover crops allow them to be too comfy.

[@richards5110]

I trialed this over the past gardening season with New Zealand White Clover as the ground layer between peppers, tomatoes, and sunflowers. It worked out very well, and I plan on continuing my usage of the clover living mulch in that bed next year for some more peppers. I did have to give the clovers 3 or 4 haircuts over the season with hedge shears, but overall maintenance was very low. Watering needs did go up some because of the increased transpiration rate out of the bed. What I am now trialing over the winter is application of compost. I took the approach one would take with applying compost to a lawn, and broadcast some sifted compost amongst the clover and then jostled the plants to get the compost to settle down at the soil layer.

[@dlou3264]

Thanks! Great information well presented! And by the way, I loved Bob Ross, and I presently know children and teens that love him.🙂. His accidents were “happy little” ones, He thus encouraged people to lose their fear and try their hand at painting. Isn’t that what you’re doing? Keeping it simple, teaching and showing people how to grow plants and keep land, to lose their fear of failure, and encourage them to give it a try? You’ve got a great show. You can afford to be kind to Bob Ross! ❤️ AND Old Folks! ❤️

[@TF-ec5uj]

I have had success transplanting celery into a footpath that was grown in with white clover, cutting out swaths of clover to plant into. This is working well with brussel sprouts, too. The brussels seem almost untroubled by aphids which has been a major problem in the past. Not sure if that has anything to do with the clover, but worth further experimentation.

[@agardenramble4479]

I love this idea! I have violets and strawberries that spread like crazy. I’m now putting them in any odd corners that I can’t mow so I don’t have to weed and around shrubs. So far everything is doing well. I might look into the two plants you mentioned for a little diversity! Thank you for sharing!

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

Love this concept.

[@alisonburgess345]

I'd be willing to give this a go but using local indigenous low growing herbs I think. I'm using them in my orchard to attract native bees - they look great - such a change from the "in your face" garish colours of commercial plants. There's a local grower of indigenous plants I'm wanting to support - I hadn't thought of putting them in the vegetable beds, but will now! I'm not worried about nitrogen fixing, but keeping living roots in the soil. Thanks Diego..

[@ramonebrown5704]

Kind of off topic, but a while ago you interplanted potatoes and fava beans. Was there a follow up video, did it work out as planned? I searched and couln't find an update

[@amyjones2490]

Something to ponder on.

[@terrim.602]

Oh, this is the best explained vid I've come across on how to apply the living mulch concept. Thanks!

[@peter913]

I have a good candidate bed to try to out. In a 10 by 3 foot raised bed I have oregano which I use as a border plant. It has started creeping slowly but surely into the length of the bed in which I currently have tomatoes, marigolds and basil. I won't cut back the oregano and it will become a permanent ground cover. Thanks

[@JRileyStewart]

I wonder how you go about planting veggies amongst perennial groundcover that's spread out over the entire garden. Do you just plant 'through' the groundcover, or do you need to clear (dig up) some of the groundcover to create a space for planting the vegetables? Also, have you needed to add compost to supplement the soil, and if so, do you just throw it over the existing groundcover? I'd like to see more about how you maintain the beds having groundcover: fertilizing, planting, thinning, etc. This hasn't been covered anywhere else in the YT universe. Thx!

[@DiegoFooter]

The clover was much more lush in the early summer and died back with some of our heat. To plant into it I cut a chunk of it out and planted there. No compost addition. The plants are adding the OM to the soil via roots.

[@persicetum]

@@DiegoFooter have you seen any root competition? I tried this year zucchini and clover but in the early stages zucchini growth was restrained by clover roots (although I cleared ground around the plant for about 10 cm). After some weeks zucchini plant stated to grow normally and slightly more healthy than other plants in compost.

[@DiegoFooter]

@@persicetum I didn't notice any extreme negative effects. There might be some, but they aren't immediately obvious.

[@persicetum]

Thanks

[@mariodematteo4559]

Learning from you every week! Thanks for the video. Planted a clover + snap peas + onions in a bed as an experiment and because I want to give the bed a rest. Gonna chop and drop the clover. Not to concerned about onions. But I think they’ll do well. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@Jeffipookins]

Might planted paths accomplish the same objective? Instead on wood chip paths?

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Love the terracing of the garden. Ever consider planting into it ?

[@benthere8051]

That's an interesting idea. The main issue is the selection of the cover crop. I'll watch for recommendations. You might need something that could fix nitrogen while doing its primary job and would not compete with the cash crop. For instance, garlic really does not like competition but might tolerate something that works symbiotically.

[@JenMarco]

I have some clover growing in my strawberries and I’ve never seen such huge leaves on strawberry plants! I guess it’s true that clover adds nitrogen. I have lettuce and other leafy greens growing in with the clover and hopefully it’ll help them too!

[@davidsawyer1599]

Good stuff there Diego. I know guy that has a line on NOS chrome muffler bearings for Burt's Camaro.

[@creynolds4774]

I have been contemplating this exact concept this summer and I am planning to use creeping thyme in most of my garden. Thanks for the validation.

[@xaviercruz4763]

Did you use the thyme? How were yields compared?

[@creynolds4774]

I did try the thyme and it worked for while until out extraordinarily hot summer took its toll. The thyme was just not established well enough and irrigation was challenged to keep it appropriately moist for deeper root establishment. I will try again.

[@eh6363]

I am experimenting with Perennial Peanut and Florida native Sunshine Mimosa as perennial ground cover, both legumes. Was also thinking about trying microclover. Did you notice any reduction in yield of your tomatoes or peppers?

[@t4cchi]

Hope to see more on this as the clover gets well established and how the crops manage with the competition. Jessie Frost @no-till growers has been experimenting with living pathways with some challenges. I have been debating replacing my lawn with this micro clover and growing food out of it in the summer, but still leaving me a carpeted "lawn" in the shoulder/winter seasons (5b). Thanks Diego, i might just go for it anwyay

[@DiegoFooter]

It’s finding the right blend. I think big plants and smaller cover should be fine.

[@ryderholmeswilson4363]

Jessie Frost made some great points in his video on perennial cover crops, which are mainly that we haven't bred very many of our vegetables to tolerate competition. We probably also haven't bred that many perennial cover crops. A good PGC would be low growing, somewhat spreading but not too agressive, drought/heat/Frost tolerant, disturbance tolerant, with a pretty open root structure. Or possibly taprooted? Very challenging breeding for all those traits, or even just some of them. PGC + other perennials or tall plants like sunflowers or corn seems like the best bet for now. And even then you'll probably have to accept slightly smaller yields, but possibly big cost and time savings from not buying annual cover crop seed, less need to apply compost or fertilizer, etc. Potentially more nutritious crops though?

[@GrowInFlorida]

@@ryderholmeswilson4363 my raised beds with "competition" have bigger and much healthier plants than the ones that are just veggies square foot type. They look a bit messier but plants seem to be helping each other rather than competing. Kales and peppers perennialized and survived our crazy hot and humid summers, peppers producing non-stop. The only plant to beware of is sunflower, it exudes chemicals that impede growth of other plants (allelopathic).

[@jeffstanhope4335]

i just started doing my whole lawn in micro clover. pretty excited to learn this new angle to use in my raised garden beds

[@xaviercruz4763]

How are your yields with the covers?

[@jeshurunfarm]

Your a little funny dude. Respect from Africa 🇿🇦

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Lol Burt is getting more intense and smarter... must be from hanging around Diego too much :) I like the idea of perennial ground cover too... Farmer Jesse is working with this but he says he has plenty of rainfall to support it. I guess only a trial would tell. A good way to bring the ease of established food forest system into annual beds. I would love an update video Diego on your current state of growing because you've done a lot of research, I would like to see what paid off enough to keep around for you and Burts State Of The Art Brand New Sold Nowhere Else Revolutionary Gardening Book.... ok it's more of a Primer but it's still a Book OK

[@terrim.602]

Your vid came up when I seached "libing ground cover for clay soil health". Ive been thinking about clover during the hot season and adding legume/rye grass type mix during the brasica season, then solar cover so I can start again the following spring. Does that soind like a decent plan?

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

I'm writing this before I watch: I know that someone did that kind of experiment and had fewer weeds and lower yield. Edit after watching: Diego please do the second bed without perennial mulch with compost mulch instead and compare yields. For instance :one bed with thyme and veggies, second with compost and veggies and one with mc and veggies, second with compost and veggies. I know that the more photosynthesis the better soil but if one is gardening for survival then yield is and important factor.

[@MrHmmburger]

Hey Diego! any updates on how well this went for you? How were your tomatoes and peppers this year?

[@ausfoodgarden]

What do you think about this? Not crops as such, but weeds. In my climate chickweed grows from fall to early summer and purslane takes its place over the hot dry months. Both grow low and cover the soil and are even edible. I remove other weeds but let these guys grow. It seems to work ok but I don't really have a comparison.

[@DiegoFooter]

As long as you can control them it might be worth trying.

[@GrowInFlorida]

lol we actually plant purslane in raised beds as crop, lucky you! 😹

[@Andrex4440]

don't remove anything, just cover them with a layer of hay (10-15 cm), they will remain dwarves so that you can control them!

[@qzoro]

I garden in the PNW and am deliberately encouraging these 2 weeds as permanent ground cover. Using parsley and arugula also. Working well so far.

[@damedesmontagnes]

Purselane is very nutritious. Lucky you.

[@rcarver4049]

Hi Diego, have you considered Dwarf Carpet of Stars Ruschia lineolata 'Nana'. I would be interested in your thoughts if you are familiar with it. I am also in zone 10a and it works great as a grass alternative.

[@synchrogrl18]

In another video you direct seeded the clover. DId that not work out well in the end and would you recommend planting in trays and transplanting?

[@brianseybert2189]

I have been doing this to a degree with strawberries in my beds, First found this With Dr. Ingham, now researching perennials for all my gardens. Would a clover benefit onions and carrots?

[@EuropeanOnion]

Perennial groundcover 🤔 It just takes thyme 😄

[@MK-hs9pl]

I love this idea! What other plants would you suggest using as ground cover?

[@xaviercruz4763]

Did you try it? And if you want i have a beautiful list of short nice covers to share

[@2ndSprings]

Burt McDurt sounded an awful lot like DudeBro. Thanks for providing consistently great content.

[@ChristopherPisz]

Need to see the side by side experiment to evaluate with science! Would the crop we are after grow better in a bed with living mulch vs one with traditional mulch. I'd expect the former to use up more water than the latter for sure.

[@sophiisanerd]

so what is you did this with moss? like pincushion moss or something

[@vonries]

Great idea, but I'm coming from the other end. I have strawberries as my front yard ground cover around my trees. I need to fill in those blank spots with a taller plant. Thanks more then you know.

[@mking3219]

Good idea,nice wig bit!

[@inigomontoya8943]

Out here we have tons of dandelion, I have been thinking it would be a great cover crop other than peoples conditioning from herbicide companies I cannot see any other downside to dandelion it sends down a deep taproot stays very low to the ground and covers quite a bit of surface area not to mention the seeds are very readily available. Anyone have any thoughts on that as a cover crop?

[@Raphaelo325]

Love your information and production...hate Burt. Thank you for the great content! That's a subscription outta me!

[@DiegoFooter]

I hear you, Burt can be an ass.

[@Raphaelo325]

@@DiegoFooter Absolutely love your videos. I couldn't imagine all the work that goes into each one, much less doing a video myself. I hope to be implementing many of your ideas in my own garden. Thank you!

[@jerryhoefs5803]

This is exactly what I'm doing next summer. I've planted a cover crop of 13 varieties-mostly clover and vetch. Before planting, I'll cut it to simulate grazing animals and use the cuttings as mulch in other areas. I will then plant into this cover crop using square foot gardening techniques. The crop and my garden plants will then be fertilized with a 5-1 dilution of water, urine and wood ash every two weeks(also to simulate animals). I hope you produce more content on this Diego.

[@JRileyStewart]

You might want to consider kelp/seaweed as an alternative to wood ash every two weeks. Both supply micronutrients (and about the same ones), but most wood ash provides the cationic metals (i.e., micronutrients) as the carbonate salt( CO3-). CO3- will oxidize your soil and what you want to have is a nearly neutral to reduced soil for best plant growth and pest resistance. Kelp is a much safer alternative, as I've heard. Plus, kelp also provides carbs, fats, and proteins that will feed the biology and thus the plants. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4vWpZyKasSae6M

[@jerryhoefs5803]

@@JRileyStewart Thank you for the heads-up. I will look into this.

[@businesspins5825]

Like it

[@chantallachance4905]

I always exitate to put a cover crop in my urban garden and homemade greenhouse because Where I going to put my homemade compost if everything is cover 🙃 ?

[@damedesmontagnes]

You could cover up the chopped cover crops with it then wait over a month to plant new seasonal cover crop seeds into it.

[@noelkelly4354]

You might consider growing alfalfa/lucerne (Medicago sativa) with the microclover/white clover. As they complement each other, as one is a summer active plant and the other is winter active.

[@DiegoFooter]

Doesn't it grow pretty tall though?

[@TheSamba37]

Yeah, all the alfalfas I've grown and seen grown are way too upright for this purpose.

[@jeremiahnatte9249]

Actually, that's an interesting idea. Both alfalfa and clover are nitrogen fixing, and both utilize the same type of nitrogen fixing bacteria--supposedly beast and peas use a different one. I'm assuming alfalfa would be the 'cash crop' in this situation? I'm actually going to be planting alfalfa and clover and I had planned on putting them in separately but together would be interesting.

[@noelkelly4354]

Just realised I'm getting my clover growth habit's mixed up. White clover (Trifolium repens) is a summer clover, it's sub clover (Trifolium subterraneum) that's a winter growth clover and can be grown with alfalfa/lucerne (Medicago sativa). I saw an experimental plot with the two growing together in the 1990s. Sorry, I couldn't google the research that was done on the combination by a researcher at the Australian National University (ANU) at the time. I think he was both planting into the beds for his wither veggies while the lucerne was dominate and mowing the lucerne then planting summer veggies into the beds. He had a dozen beds and was trying all kinds of mixes in his own suburban backyard. He was using the cut lucerne as mulch too.

[@AB-vb2mm]

Isn’t Thyme allelopathic and inhibiting other plants growing?

[@northofnowhere3611]

Hi Diego - did you build those rock walls?

[@DiegoFooter]

Yep. Rock by rock.

[@cathleenolney8852]

Am I the only person who thinks Burt McDirt sounds like Mark Shepard?

[@adolthitler]

Subclover is really short. Pretty much flat.

[@joederrico765]

Diego, why do you "pull the tomatoes out" instead of cutting the stems then leaving the roots in the ground???

[@DiegoFooter]

I plant some of my tomatoes in gopher cages, so I need to get the cage out.

[@anthonyriccardella8468]

Your videos are very informative and definitely thought provoking. Here is a thought....... Will this work in a raised bed. All your planting seems to be in ground. Will he same principles work for raised beds?

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

This is basically why I don't bother with pulling "Creeping Charlie", it never seems to do anything except protect the soil.

[@aron8949]

I started a no till raised bed with clover, I’ve grown cannabis, tomato, peppers, carrots, beets and herbs. I’ve been lazy and did not grow anything this year, my raised beds are still growing clover and I have beautiful black gold that is almost pure worm castings at this point waiting for me to start my garden again.

[@spsmith1965]

Would grass work?

[@DiegoFooter]

No. I think it would be too aggressive and compete too much.

[@amyjones2490]

No!

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

No. I had zucchinis in meadow grass and it gave me no zucchinis.

[@andreabelli6589]

Why bother with a monocrop/groundcover when you can just cover native weeds with hay? Weeds if covered will remain dwarves, you're going to have biodiversity, many annual/perennial roots in the ground and enrich the soil with decaying matter (hay). What I'm describing is basically Ruth Stout method but with the difference that you never pull out weeds, you just keep them covered with a layer of hay (around 15-20 cm). It works like charm here in Italy, the method is called "elementar cultivation" invented by Gian Carlo Cappello

[@Narichingcommunication]

이유는 모르겠지만 이 영상이 너무 포근하고 아름다워 새로운 차원의 미학인 것 같아요.😍그나저나 제가 뉴스채널을 하나 가지고 있는데 보고싶으신가요 ? 👼📺

[@massimilianotosi7585]

🤣🤣🤣