Most IMPORTANT Step in Fall to Winter GARDEN SOIL PREP

[@aprildolan223]

When you said that you were saving the seeds to give them to people who can’t afford to buy seeds, I went right out to the subscribe button and hit subscribe. God bless you, my friend for being so thoughtful.

[@lelandshanks4759]

Wow Mark, great follow up video. We planted 40 tomatoe plants this year with leaf mold and old hay mixed in, picked at least 400 pounds and now I'm leaving roots behind and planting fall crop right in same row. This works folks get on board and harvest!!!

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANK YOU for sharing this with everyone.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I consider those roots to be one of the most valuable parts of the plant. Leaving them in the soil is very important to me. Especially at our new place - the clay soil is literally only a foot deep in most of our land, and then it's solid bedrock. So I need all the organic material in there I can get. I'm addressing that by leaving plant roots in place, lots of leaf and hay mulch on top, and we're fortunate that we can get herbicide-free horse manure locally. And in areas that aren't garden beds I let the grasses and wildflowers grow long before I mow them, if I mow them at all.

[@danphillips7861]

Watch the hay,full of weed seed

[@thrive-like-a-viking]

I love how excited mark gets when pulling up those tomato roots!!... I too grew yellow pear tomatoes in pure leaf mould this year and the plants were enormous and the yield was off the charts!!!

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANK YOU for sharing your great garden season.

[@baneverything5580]

I`m gonna grow these Yellow Pear Tomatoes next year. I garden the way you do. I leave all the roots in the ground. I`ve been building soil with grass clippings, forest debris, leaf mold, mowed over leaves in fall, and sandy/silty soil from a wash in the woods nearby. The topsoil was bulldozed away on this lot down to hard packed red dirt. I got a garden wagon and I pull it over to the edge of the wash and use buckets to fill it with soil, leaf mold, rotting wood and some leaves. I have a nice summer garden now that I started last winter. A cherry tomato cutting I planted in a cardboard box filled with a mix of the forest soil/debris including green grass clippings thrived so I`m expanding my garden using the cardboard box method to a dead zone where rocks were added on my rural lot to make a parking area. It gets the best sun in winter so I decided to reclaim it. One box a day and it`s growing. I plant something immediately after filling the boxes. I can grow at least something all winter here in Louisiana...carrots, turnips, beets, rutabagas, cabbage, lettuces, mustard, radish etc.

[@iamorganicgardening]

GREAT to hear. Thanks for sharing.

[@judithmcdonald9001]

Hey! You grow those yellow pears once and you'll have them for years -- like bok choy!! They are wonderful, but eventually die out Find someone with an appropriate animal and add some droppngs to your bed. I like to get all that in under the snow. You might not have snow, but it is wonderful stuff. It hides everything you didn't get done.

[@hoofheartedicemelted296]

Genius. You're so lucky to have a space to grow. I have a 3m x 4m garden and the neighbour has rats. I tried allotments but they were bullies and very unhelpful besides the queue for an allotment is very long. But I still enjoy watching you to know what is possible. Thank you.

[@shirleyk623]

@Hoof Hearted Ice Melted. I'd get some rat traps and put them in my garden. That way you could get rid of those pesky rats. Do you garden in pots? That might give you some more space. I tried it this past spring and the plants grew well. Good luck with your rat problem.

[@danphillips7861]

Cats are the answer,works well for me🤗

[@linda1359]

Thank you for this info! I plan on cleaning up my raised beds today and now know NOT to pull out the roots.

[@iamorganicgardening]

So nice of you to say. THANK YOU. Happy Gardening.

[@drewblack749]

Wish someone had told me this decades ago. It’s sometimes easier to rip plants out than cut them to the ground but the soil will reward you for leaving the roots next year. Build microbes by not ripping them out.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Well written. THANK YOU.

[@marissaawesome2422]

Exactly...40 yrs of pulling everything out of the garden at end of season.. Wasn't till I started growing cannabis that I went all natural..No till finding a cover crop to feed my dirt.. Growing all organic with both gardens now...Man I feel like an idiot for never doing this before.. Always ripping everything out so it doesn't get stuck in my tiller..Man oh man

[@danielfisch655]

Great info, we always leave the roots in the ground to add organic material to our soil and thank you for sharing.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Always great to hear from you and you sharing also. Enjoy.

[@DevinTheGardener]

This is amazing. So much knowledge in one video. No wonder you get such a great harvest each year! I'm going to apply these lessons into my garden!

[@iamorganicgardening]

It is how nature works. I just follow the rules. THANK YOU.

[@shirleyk623]

At the end of the season here in my Central Florida garden, I don't have too many roots left on my plants. The plants get destroyed by root knot nematodes. They destroy the roots which also kills the plant. I had almost gotten rid of them, then I moved a portion of my garden. The neighbors' oak trees shaded 85% of my garden. That was in the summer. In the winter it was just about impossible to have any sun at all. Good compost will get rid of them. I'm having to start over in most of the garden. We have so much sand here, it takes a lot of work to enrich the soil for good growing conditions.

[@theseeker4700]

Sorry to hear this! Do knot nematodes have any natural predators that you can introduce to your garden?

[@shirleyk623]

@@theseeker4700 I hear that there are good nematodes that can counter act the bad ones. However, I have never tried it. I plan on doing some research to find out. I will come back to this video's comments and let everyone know if it works.

[@debbietampasheher3682]

I get a lot of shade from my neighbor's oaks in winter, too. :( but I'm grateful I still have a little gap and get some sun so I can still grow 30%

[@crystalcup244]

@@debbietampasheher3682 I'm just wondering how could the oak trees, a kind of deciduous plant without leaves in winter, will produce shade?

[@FloridaGirl-]

@@crystalcup244 They still have leaves here in Fl in the winter too. And they are huge oaks

[@KaleidoscopeJunkie]

Mother nature has provided more than most absorb. Thank you for taking the time to explore and explaining Her intricacies. When we understand Her plan - It makes it easier to respect/follow it. -KJ

[@iamorganicgardening]

Agree, THANK YOU kindly.

[@timoshi2k]

Thank you for sharing this knowledge and so much more. The information you give for free is more valuable than any currency.

[@iamorganicgardening]

So nice of you to say. THANK YOU. Have a great weekend.

[@lindak5036]

Thank you for your wonderful organic gardening videos! I love your work and wonderful smiles of encouragement.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you so much! Happy gardening.

[@justjenn23]

God bless you brother

[@doncook3584]

I don’t till. I compost and bag chopped leaves for leaf mold and my (albeit small) garden has 5⭐️ soil. 25 years ago I bent my previous shovel trying to plant into hard multicolored clay. Now can stick the blade in effortlessly (only do it to show off)

[@lawrencegage3872]

LOVE THE PASSION. CONTAGIOUS!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Loving NATURE, Very Happy to grow with you.

[@lindak5036]

Mark you make gardening exciting! I have been gardening big time for 60 yrs and you make it so fun to grow soil. I say I am a worm farmer! Love you!

[@iamorganicgardening]

So nice of you. From a soil farmer. THANK YOU.

[@brianstreeper3576]

Good stuff. Looking forward to the cover cropping video. I have an 8x16 bed that I've had clear plastic on for a couple of weeks to battle the crabgrass. Was thinking about a quick buckwheat, then followed by winter rye

[@iamorganicgardening]

You can plant the winter rye now and all will be good.

[@dwndeep]

Mark, always good to see another one of your videos. Always keeping it real and keeping it simple. Because I follow what you say I've had the best season. I'm northwest of Chicago and I am right in the middle of fall prep. Putting in garlic for next spring and adding ground up leaves saved up from last fall to mulch this years beds. Thank you for making all this so much easier and more abundant without all the nonsense in so many other videos on the web. You are the man!

[@debbiecasalina4475]

I've never tried pear tomatoes, but I will next spring, they look great! Just started doing your way of gardening this year! I have clay and it's hard for this old lady to dig in, so I'm hoping that it gets better with each year! Mulch mulch mulch, I've never bought so much mulch as I have here in TN! Also I'm just cutting off the tops and leaving the roots, as I've seen that some peppers and tomatoes will come back, so we shall see! Covering with more mulch! Learning so much that I never knew, thank you for all your videos!

[@iamorganicgardening]

The GREAT NEWS is that any living root ( it is a good host for amazing Fungi ) you have in the garden will grow something call mycorrhizal fungi. This special fungi will grow between the clay partials and open up your clay for you in your cool season or winter, Thanks for sharing

[@withlovefrommariah]

I love the enthusiasm of seeing that massive root system!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Great to share with you. THANK YOU kindly

[@withlovefrommariah]

I went out and planted my first cover crops - sunflowers and mustards!! I've heard of cover cropping before but I'm a new gardener so I've been taking things step by step the past few seasons. Thanks to your videos it finally clicked and this season I'm cover cropping to prepare a new section of my property of her planting next season! I live in the low desert of Arizona 9B and the soils are very very compacted so this should certainly help!! Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to seeing beautiful sunflowers on my property in a few weeks and I'll be as happy as you at that soil Improvements 😀

[@judithstorck5195]

Thank you - I will be just cutting off all the plants that are done in the garden. This helps so much. J

[@iamorganicgardening]

Great to hear , Thanks

[@SandstormGT]

Beautiful roots!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@beckymiller6703]

I love that you share in so many ways

[@iamorganicgardening]

That is the true reason to garden.. sharing. THANK YOU.

[@cowboyblacksmith]

I started keeping roots in the ground since last year after seeing this and. it makes a difference. I try not to turn soil over with the pitchfork but sometimes I have to. Usually I use the pitchfork like a broad fork and that works so well for loosening up the soil without disturbing it that much. I plant black eyed peas I get form the grocery store as a cover crop, let them grow as long as I can and cut them at the base and lay down all the greenery and cover with compost and water in. Later in the fall I'll top off with a thick layer of mulched dried fall leaves and make up some batches of "JMS" and water that in to kick start tons of microbes and their new home. Fermented leaves in water in a 5 gallon bucket added to the soil as well really adds a lot of good stuff and over winter everything just blends and mellows and come Spring think of what great soil you facilitated by doing hardly anything.

[@charlesdoty6235]

Such a great video and seeing is believing.luv it thank you.

[@iamorganicgardening]

And THANK YOU so very much.

[@brianhoward942]

We've just purchased a beautiful 4.5-acre lot near Mexia, Texas, to start our dream farm! Our vision is to cultivate a thriving oasis, where we'll grow a variety of trees and vegetables. However, our initial assessment reveals that the soil presents a challenge. The ground is extremely hard to dig, and it appears to be clay-heavy. We're eager to learn and adapt. Given our location near Mexia, Texas, we're fortunate to have a relatively mild winter climate. This will allow us to grow a wide range of crops year-round. Next steps: - Soil testing to determine the exact composition and pH levels - Developing a plan to amend the soil for optimal fertility and drainage - Selecting tree and vegetable varieties suitable for our climate and soil conditions - Building infrastructure for irrigation and farm management We're looking forward to sharing our journey and learning from experienced farmers in the area. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Let the farming adventure began

[@helgabruin2261]

Best of the farming world to you! 😊. Clay is nutritious. Just get the organic fibrous material mixed in. Your dreams and visions are at hand. God bless you.

[@johnlogan5152]

Welcome to central Texas ! Leaf mold and mulch is best. Never use sand. Cover garden area with organic matter, 6” deep in fall. Might need some lime for ph. Plant in spring, once plants are 8” tall, add 6” of mulch. By next year your soil will be better. Just keep adding more mulch, it really helps loosen up the soil and your plants will grow better. 🖖🏻👍🏻

[@BeeOng-x2d]

I live in DFW, begin make your compost and add to your clay soil, eventually the soil will change. I did that for many years, now my small suburban back yard provided me with fruits and veggies.

[@brianhoward942]

@ thanks much

[@madammim694]

what a great tip, thanks for posting!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Glad it was helpful!

[@suffolkshepherd]

Good video. Enjoyed it and subscribed. What are those Large Plants rowed up in the background?

[@iamorganicgardening]

My COMFREY. love them

[@gardeninggrandma5247]

Great idea....do you think this method would also apply to flowers?

[@heatherbrocious2409]

Crap! I've watched so many videos with conflicting information about pulling the roots! I just cleaned my garden up and pulled the roots before finding this video😕 what you've explained makes so much sense! Not much I can do now but get some good organic mulch and cover it before winter gets here. If you have any suggestions I'd be happy to implement them. (I'm fairly new to gardening so I'm still learning)

[@iamorganicgardening]

Look into cover crops in your garden next year. A living root over winter will build your soil health. I always use them here on my 22 acre farm. Then in the spring I cut them down to soil level and the roots die off to feed the soil microbes that are 1 billion microbe per table spoon of soil. Nature is AWESOME on it own.

[@vickiesorenson2385]

I truly had never thought about this. It makes a lot of sense. Ty for sharing.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Here to help always. Thank You.

[@pristineperistome5696]

Nice, I will use this to enhance my winter garden this year and beyond!

[@susanblauss5829]

This was so helpful. I don’t want to pull my tomatoes but I’m zone 6B and obviously it’s time! I will cut them at ground level. Thanks

[@iamorganicgardening]

Perfect! thanks

[@craiganderson3952]

Wonderful presentation Mark. Those pear tomatoes look so tasty!

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANK YOU , they are so good by themselves or mix in a home made salsa.

[@craiganderson3952]

They look amazing mate, just like their name. Very cool!!

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

I grow yellow pear every year. Love them. I only had two plants this year. Found a recipe online for sungold tomatoes and used the yellow pear instead. My new favorite roasted tomato and pasta recipe. I think I will have to grow 4 plants next year 😁 On a different note, who knew you could get so excited to rake up leaves! And I've asked my neighbors to save me all of theirs.

[@iamorganicgardening]

YUMM. And Leaves will save you from droughts and less watering. Thanks

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

@@iamorganicgardening The recipe is very tasty if you want to give it a try. I've already made it 3 or 4 times kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnSlfHqVgL6Al5I

[@fyt00000]

​@@iamorganicgardening But dont they cause bad insects and pests to harbor?

[@chriswild1339]

Curious if this applies to soil in greenhouse beds...related question is how to deal with spider mites in greenhouse soil which attack marigold plants

[@naturalyawd7814]

Wow😯, exciting stuff. I will definitely leave my tomato roots and others in the soil. I root up some pumpkin vine last year and holy crap, the roots were soooo long.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Exactly what I have seen also.

[@GinaSiska]

I learned from you and left all my roots in place! 😉

[@iamorganicgardening]

Wonderful!. Thanks.

[@cynthiaclark8050]

Thank you for this! I made pretty good compost last year that yielded very healthy plants in my raised beds this year. I'll be leaving the roots in now along with topping with chicken manure and mulched leaves. Can always improve!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Fantastic. Thanks.

[@AvaGld2309]

I wish you taught school. This was so fun.

[@NaseerOmran]

Thats strong and healthy roots🙌 i had a good harvest from mine this year but they didnt produce roots like that. I grew mine in a heap of fresh compost.

[@thereseboogades8498]

Is it a specific type of mycorrhiza? As we build health in poor soils, which mycorrhiza can we purchase to establish healthy soil faster? Tomato clean-up - Remove all stems & leaves or compost? So many posts, articles recommend discarding all night shade leaves etc - not composting. Thank you from Virginia Beach, VA 😊

[@iamorganicgardening]

Do you have any perennials growing on you property? if so that is your source for mycorrhizal Just collect a hand full of that soil and add to your garden spot. I have heard about that also about night shades. I think that it is wrong. Healthy soil stops diseases. Been growing tomatoes in the same spot for five years , just use a cover crop after night shades.

[@thereseboogades8498]

@@iamorganicgardening Thank you so much! Ahhh, nature - its all right there! All the best to you - I love your content!

[@guaranteedV]

100% enjoyed your post. Your enthusiasm for soil health, gardening, and community gardening ethos is incredibly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experiences, knowledge, and vision. Glomalin -- how cool is that?!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thanks. It is awesome. Nature is very cool.

[@upupandaway5646]

Great information, thank you very much ,I picked up 16 big bags of leaves today ,keepbup the great job ,from 🇨🇦

[@iamorganicgardening]

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing . Happy soil ahead.

[@oregonk91]

Can I put my leaf mulch down in the Autumn? Wow nice yellow pear seedlings! Can you repeat that next season when you're ready to plant again? Early seed planting or use a cold frame or frost cover for early growth on new seedlings? In the meantime, they are lovely groundcover and living roots in the soil!

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Excellent thank you

[@iamorganicgardening]

You are very welcome. Enjoy.

[@saminairfan45]

Hi Mark, great video I live in Northern California with very hot dry summer. My soil won’t hold water anymore and it dries out very quickly. I do add compost in spring and mulch with leaves but the soil still gets dried so quickly. What can I add to the soil to hold some moisture? Please help

[@williamhoskins7944]

Well done Mark. Enjoyed your insight on organic gardening. Keep up the good work. 🤠👍

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you kindly. Happy gardening.

[@harrypressman2]

Wow what a quick but packed tutorial that I just learned so much. Question though, if you cut just the tops off those tomato plants, come spring, would you grow the same plants right beside the rotted stalks?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes. The new roots will grow deeper in the soil for water due to the open passage ways of the old roots. Thanks

[@fyt00000]

​@@iamorganicgardening cool

[@gerhardbraatz6305]

I raked all my neighbors leaves last fall and mulched my e tire small garden this season. I need to plant y onions this fall where my okra is ending. Will these huge roots be a problem and should I just leave the leaf mulch where it is and add more in the spring?

[@sherrymunhollon3682]

Thank you Mark, Wonderful explanation, I live in the Texas and have a lot of Oak leaves, was wondering if I could use those for leaf Mold, afraid it might be to acidic to grow in next year, or will it break down and be OK to plant in? Thank you and God BlessYou

[@iamorganicgardening]

Oak leave are just fine. Great fungi food for your soil. Any leaves or pine needles do not change soil PH. Plants roots maintain Ph in soil. No worries. God Bless. Thanks

[@mariavalenzz5833]

He's pretty excited

[@junkyjnz]

??? Can blight live in/on tomato roots? If so, can it survive through winter and infect next year?

[@iamorganicgardening]

No, it can not. Different type of cell material. Plus the soil microbes will eat it. Thanks

[@junkyjnz]

?? Thanks! I should have asked about virus too... or any other disease for that matter... Could it be a concern when leaving roots over winter?

[@iamorganicgardening]

@@junkyjnz You have several months for the soil to heal and eat all the bad things in it... Virus or any disease. Most to all problems come and spread in the air currents.

[@junkyjnz]

@@iamorganicgardening Amazing, thank you!

[@lpmoron6258]

Love your enthusiasm! Info too!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thanks so much!

[@EmilyAlimonos]

Love your enthusiasm

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANKS, nature is awesome

[@brianseybert2189]

Not only do I leave the roots in my garden in the fall, this spring I established perennial cover crops (creeping thyme and oregano). I did this to 3 of my beds to keep living roots in the soil year round. I do winter cover crops in my potato and onion beds (Hairy vetch and winter rye) perennial cover crops would not work the way I grow those crops. 1st year doing grow bags, will have to figure a way to keep living roots in them as well. I did plant garlic in 3 bags this fall for shits and giggles. Enjoy your videos.

[@iamorganicgardening]

This is so Great to hear, THANK YOU for sharing all of this.

[@RandyFelts2121]

Thanks for the lesson Mark.

[@louisecatterall4799]

Loved your video and wondered if what your doing in not uprooting the root and its benefits work for my Trugs? I have 3 that i use for peppers mainly. I do add manure each year as they like a lot of organic matter. But would the no till work? Thanks i really enjoy our video.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, absolutely . The roots are the manure in nature. You and add your manure as mulch.

[@rrbb36]

@Mark, How can we minimize microbial disruption when harvesting a crop like sweet potatoes?

[@iamorganicgardening]

It is perfectly OK to disrupt it as long as you repair quickly ( within a month ). Nature can heal itself

[@maggiemaeclune4046]

Love seeing those baby tomato plants! Please let us know if you decide to sell some of those seeds 🙌

[@iamorganicgardening]

Will do! Thanks

[@dieNadel01]

Great presentation and info. Thanks, Mark.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Glad you enjoyed it. Always here to Help and Share and Have lots of FUN.

[@PNNYRFACE]

Cool thank you

[@iamorganicgardening]

Great to hear , Thanks

[@cbak1819]

Thank you for your enthusiasm..

[@iamorganicgardening]

My pleasure! Very Happy to share with you All. THANK YOU.

[@stevederheim2114]

Greetings from Tacoma Washington! I'm also thinking that by leaving the roots in the ground that your soil will handle a lot more rain during torrential down pours...but I may be wrong Man, so appreciate this reminder! Great video! 🤠

[@iamorganicgardening]

Good point! It does help out with all rain this year. THANK YOU.

[@gretchendavis8974]

What about when u had blight on tomatoes.? Don’t leave in the ground

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, Blight as you know is on the leaves only . Not the stem or roots.

[@rays6885]

I AM late to this but will try it this fall. I always worried by doing this i would have thousands of plant next year. Some years my tomato roots were way over 6 feet out in all directions. But i also contend with a red sunset maple that sends its roots to the garden also.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Tomatoes roots will die off when you cut them off at the plant soil surface

[@rays6885]

@@iamorganicgardening Thanks never really thought about it before, but it make sense.

[@MathewPapp]

Excellent video, very educational. Just one question, do you inoculate the seed that you collect.? Thanks

[@iamorganicgardening]

No I do not.

[@DoodleBugLisa]

What do I do with the old tomato plant? I like that you put the science at the end because right now all I want is to know what to do?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Compost them. Thanks

[@BeeBalm22]

Wow! Very impressive roots

[@iamorganicgardening]

Many Thanks Enjoy.

[@kathykerwin1294]

Do you remove the roots the following spring when pla,ting your new crops? Or, do you leave the old roots in and plant around them? Thank u ou! I love your channel

[@iamorganicgardening]

The roots are dead and ae easy to plant into. The dead roots are fantastic passage ways for the air and water in the soil. Nature has been doing this for millions of years to improve soil.

[@deecooper1567]

Oh my, that’s amazing!! So healthy looking. Love how you teach… with my TBI some gardeners I really like go a little into depth for me to follow at times. Thank you for sharing your knowledge 👵🏻👩‍🌾❣️

[@mindheartmouth]

what if you had diseases in your tomatoes? should you still leave the roots in the ground?

[@iamorganicgardening]

I think it would be best to remove them. Thanks

[@michaellyttle4347]

Any suggestions for after digging sweet potatoes? Maybe winter rye/vetch?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Good Idea.

[@billvivianmaddox793]

We're in zone 8a in Anderson, SC and I need to know right away which plants we should be planting for Winter cover crop. Do we want to plant a single (monoculture) or do we want to plant a multi (polyculture) variety of plants? I've got a few inches of good top soil that I want to keep covered through the Winter because I want to sequester as much Carbon from the atmosphere to put it down into the ground. So whatever cover crop I plant needs to fix the Nitrogen in the soil - that way I'll have a good balance of Carbon and Nitrogen. Am I on the right track?

[@brendalucas15]

Amazing video. Thank you so much.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Glad you liked it!

[@eddy8828]

Thanks for the great tips👍

[@iamorganicgardening]

Any time! Glad to share. Thanks

[@Lochness19]

Will my 1inch+ thick okra stumps break down over winter too? I have to say I didn't expect them to get so big here outside toronto. By far the thickiest stalks of any of my annuals.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Yes. It might take two seasons for them to totally break down, but that's OK. We bought a new place last spring and I planted extra okra partly because it makes a lot of roots that will be left in the soil to add organic material. Sunflowers are really good for that, too. Those thick above-ground stems can be put in your compost pile or just laid on the ground as a coarse mulch.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, they will. It is a good test to see how many microbes your have. Thanks for asking

[@decal2154]

Does leaving roots in the soil also apply to container gardening?

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Yes. I used to grow a lot of my peppers an tomatoes in 5-gal buckets and I always left the roots in there.

[@iamorganicgardening]

100 % Thanks for asking.

[@ForestToFarm]

Great video. Can you tell me where I can get that yellow pear seed? I grew some years ago and they were so addictive. I ate them morning noon and night 😂. I only had one of the yellow pear and then 11 other types. The yellow pear crawled across the bed and as it did I removed the other plants in its path. Eventually it overtook the entire bed and produced prolifically until Thanksgiving!! They had the best sweet taste. Since then I have bought multiple plants over the years but none have come even close to what those first plants were. I will eventually find the sane variety or at least I hope so. Terry

[@iamorganicgardening]

I got mine form Johnnyseeds.com

[@atrinalmani6969]

Hi Marc, Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. I have to question,please: 1. Is it true that we don’t need to rotate our tomato plants every year because they like to be planted at the same spot? 2. I want to plant white Dutch clover in my tomato beds this fall and put one inch of compost on top of the clovers in spring and plant my tomatoes. Will compost kill the clovers or they are able to regrow through it?

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

On the home garden scale it's my opinion that rotating plants is not super necessary. I think that much compost will smother the clover, but if it doesn't that's not really a problem. You can let clovers grow right next to your annuals if you want. Many people use clover or similar plants as a "green mulch" or "living mulch." I started doing that in our main bed this year and it's working out just fine.

[@atrinalmani6969]

@@dogslobbergardens6606 thanks for the advice❤️

[@iamorganicgardening]

1. Correct, you do not have to crop rotate your tomatoes. Things like squash, Yes due to the vine bore in the soil year after year. 2. I do not know where you live, but planting Dutch clover or New Zealand white clover in late summer NOT FALL. the roots It will be killed by the frost or winter. Due to it is not establish yet. You have a 50/ 50 chance. Other clover will be fine.

[@atrinalmani6969]

@@iamorganicgardening thank you very much for answering my questions. I live in Maryland, zone 7a. I planted New Zealand clover before and they survived our winter. I’m starting a new bed for my tomatoes under neath some trees with little close no top soil. May I ask What’s your best suggestion to get it ready for next spring, please?

[@elisabetbarth5573]

I use to remove the roots.... Because I put new material into the soil before winter. Air is not a problem in soil afterwards anyway.

[@BNOBLE.]

I'm confused....... Please help me. I'm told to turn over the first 6 to 8 inches of soil and the next video says "DONT turn over the soil".... I have the luxury of 3 to 4 planting seasons a year in Florida and I don't know what rule to follow. I have slowly built good organic soil over the last 7 years and ask a lot from my soil when growing tomatoes 11 months out of the year. (Fall being our best season) Is Air one of the top 3 requirements or not? If left undisturbed my soil gets compact with so much organic matter and I can not work in any org fert or castings. If I go down 6 inches my soil seems happy and it's easier to plant. HELP ME

[@iamorganicgardening]

Can you Please share what you watch on my channel that said this?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, air in the soil makes up 25% of it.

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Wow I really learned a lot. Ty

[@coletteware1853]

Thanks for sharing!!!

[@iamorganicgardening]

My pleasure!! THANK YOU.

[@debrafuller5693]

Thanks for Sharing 🤗

[@iamorganicgardening]

You are so welcome. THANK YOU . have a great week ahead.

[@louisethomas8074]

I cut my plants down to soil level to decompose for the winter. What do I do with it in the spring if it hasn’t fully decomposed

[@iamorganicgardening]

Just plant next to the old root and all will be good . No problem.

[@arvellataratuta2150]

I cleaned up all my raised beds for winter, amended with my own compost and some of the beds got some chicken manure worked in. To finish, I took straw that had been in a storage area, broke it apart and scattered over the top. I noticed now and then areas of straw that had a grey dusty appearance, which I think was mold. The straw was not exposed to rain. Now that I have finished, I have been thinking about this and wonder if I just added mold spores to my garden soil. Any advice? I could go out and pull all the straw off. If I do this, can I add to our compost or should I get rid of it? It is Nov 2 in Michigan, so I need to do whatever might be necessary real soon. Thank you.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Everything is OK. All is good. The mold spores help brake down the straw which is fungi food you need for your soil. I just did a video on this a few days ago. Please watch. THANKS for asking

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

Some of my tomato roots are big as a bowling ball. Will it really break down enough to plant in that spot in the spring? Oops. I typed too soon. You answered. Thank You!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes it will. Glad you found it. THANK YOU. enjoy.

[@beezhomestead6576]

Excellent video. 😊💕🙏🏻🇨🇦

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you! 😃

[@mmsdcb9081]

I have raised beds. Can one plant different plants where there were different plants.. example , leaving green bean plant roots in and then planting beets in that bed the next time .

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, 100 %

[@bobbyesamdahl]

thank you

[@iamorganicgardening]

Welcome!

[@Lochness19]

What ended up knocking out your tomatoes? I've had powdery mildew take over my plants in the past month. Still alive but not in great shape. I'm wondering if it's because it was a new bed and that will improve as my soil builds and matures, or if it's because I didn't prune them much, or just something inevitable when you have humid 65F+ nights all summer long.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Some varieties are more resistant to molds and fungal attacks than others. I think you're right, warm humid nights are just something you're going to have to work around. We have that here too.

[@theseeker4700]

Yellow pear is a very sensitive tomato plant, highly prolific but sensitive. Mildew got mine, then stink bugs moved in to finish them off. I wont grow them again, the plants were sickly and the fruit are very mild.

[@umiluv]

Pruning is key. I just prune all the branches that make the plant look lopsided and that usually does enough. Airflow is really important for all plants especially in humid areas.

[@richardkut3976]

Excellent!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Manycoolpeople]

I d I nt know if I'm happy or sad. Just survived the latest oklahoma dustbowl. I have felt shooken jealousy of your rain!

[@iamorganicgardening]

I will send some your way. Thanks.

[@superdybonbon]

I have a question for you! I've done a couple rounds of deep mulching and I've had trouble with pill bugs, especially this spring. They really hurt my potato plants, green beans, onions, and peppers. I tried little cup collars, DE, and orange oil. Nothing kept them off. I'd see hoards of them every morning on my veggie plants. Do you have any suggestions for combating these critters?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Are they eating your plants ? And if they are do the plants die?

[@superdybonbon]

@@iamorganicgardening yes! and yes. on the beans, they were eating the stem mostly and then it would fall over and die. on the onions, they were eating the tops off. on everything else, they were all over causing major damage. i know they were there because of decomposing matter but man alive. it makes me rethink mulching at all...but that's no good either.

[@tinatriestoplan8316]

Im a new gardener, & put landscape fabric down. Its under every raised bed! Is that bad? Should i try to remove the fabric? I have been leaving my roots when the plant is done producing. I do see bugs in my beds, but still, the fabric. Thanks for your help.

[@iamorganicgardening]

How tall/deep is it. And what did you fill it with?

[@tinatriestoplan8316]

@@iamorganicgardening A foot tall, & raised bed soil, black kow, & earthworm castings. Whatever fertilizers the plants need

[@iamorganicgardening]

@@tinatriestoplan8316 I would remove it.. Only keep it if you have Bermuda grass or weeds that have a rhizomes around it or in the area.

[@HeidiCancelleri]

Should I remove the roots from my summer crop of vegetables, to when I’m transitioning from a Summer Garden to a fall Garden

[@iamorganicgardening]

No, that is microbe food.

[@Spike-w5o]

Do tomato plant roots have disease etc ? Better boy n big boy ?

[@iamorganicgardening]

No, all good.