Most IMPORTANT Step in Fall to Winter GARDEN SOIL PREP

See this Most IMPORTANT Step in Fall to Winter GARDEN SOIL PREP. It is the easy thing to do for Building Soil 101 in your garden
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[@YourMom-kg1tb]

I recommend you to my fellow gardeners. You've opened my eyes to how important it is to build our soil. My favorite part is, you don't just tell us how, you SHOW us. That's the difference between you, and other teachers. You've nailed it! My soil is booming with life now. I'm waiting for the leaves to fall so I can cover my garden with another layer of happy minerals to infiltrate over winter.

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANK YOU so very much. It is my pleasure to share with you so you have a great garden and soil.

[@juneshannon8074]

A fabulous teaching video for people who are still tilling their soil. If this doesn’t convince them to be a “no tiller”, nothing will! Thank you so much Mark. 🇦🇺

[@iamorganicgardening]

That is true. You can always till the top one inch to plant seeds and the soil will not be harm.

[@jonfranklin9361]

I agree 100 percent. This was my first year, no till, laid down chopped up leaves 8 inches thick. Had a wonderful garden 🪴

[@THEROOTMATTERS]

Fabulous teaching. I just discovered your videos today, October 25, 2022. See some of your videos are almost a decade old, and still wisdom filled. I have been reading about no till being best. Thank you for confirmation. Microbes, roots, worms, bacteria, fungi, organic, seed saving, heirloom, permaculture, etc. Love your microscope and the chance to view healthy soil underground herds. I will be back...

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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 😀

[@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

[@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!

[@RandyFelts2121]

Thanks for the lesson Mark.

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Wow I really learned a lot. Ty

[@user-vx4qv1lw1e]

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.

[@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.

[@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 👵🏻👩‍🌾❣️

[@pristineperistome5696]

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

[@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.

[@justjenn23]

God bless you brother

[@lpmoron6258]

Love your enthusiasm! Info too!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thanks so much!

[@lawrencegage3872]

LOVE THE PASSION. CONTAGIOUS!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Loving NATURE, Very Happy to grow with you.

[@richardkut3976]

Excellent!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@vickiesorenson2385]

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

[@iamorganicgardening]

Here to help always. Thank You.

[@dieNadel01]

Great presentation and info. Thanks, Mark.

[@iamorganicgardening]

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

[@coletteware1853]

Thanks for sharing!!!

[@iamorganicgardening]

My pleasure!! THANK YOU.

[@williamhoskins7944]

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

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you kindly. Happy gardening.

[@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.

[@EmilyAlimonos]

Love your enthusiasm

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANKS, nature is awesome

[@evasternak6228]

Wow! Very impressive roots

[@iamorganicgardening]

Many Thanks Enjoy.

[@GinaSiska]

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

[@iamorganicgardening]

Wonderful!. Thanks.

[@charlesdoty6235]

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

[@iamorganicgardening]

And THANK YOU so very much.

[@SandstormGT]

Beautiful roots!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@cbak1819]

Thank you for your enthusiasm..

[@iamorganicgardening]

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

[@brendalucas15]

Amazing video. Thank you so much.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Glad you liked it!

[@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

[@beckymiller6703]

I love that you share in so many ways

[@iamorganicgardening]

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

[@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.

[@debrafuller5693]

Thanks for Sharing 🤗

[@iamorganicgardening]

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

[@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.

[@eddy8828]

Thanks for the great tips👍

[@iamorganicgardening]

Any time! Glad to share. Thanks

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@beezhomestead6576]

Excellent video. 😊💕🙏🏻🇨🇦

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thank you! 😃

[@agood1]

Awesome video.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@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

[@VASI_LIKI]

You are an amazing educator

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANK YOPU kindly.

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Excellent thank you

[@iamorganicgardening]

You are very welcome. Enjoy.

[@bobbyesamdahl]

thank you

[@iamorganicgardening]

Welcome!

[@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!!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@Inpreesme]

thank you I subscribed

[@iamorganicgardening]

Thanks for subbing!

[@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?

[@maggiemaeclune4046]

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

[@iamorganicgardening]

Will do! Thanks

[@suffolkshepherd]

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

[@iamorganicgardening]

My COMFREY. love them

[@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.

[@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?

[@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

[@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.

[@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?

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@markstanleywinemaking9071]

Good idea concerning leaving the roots in the ground, but i'm not worried about adding oxygen to the soil because more benificial microbes are aerobic than anaerobic. Also, are you talking about common earth worms or compostong red worms (Eisenia fetida)? Niether is harmed by modest tillage, but they each have different nutrient needs. The red worms could certainly benifit from the old roots, as they need more rich soil in the shallow zone, while common earth worms (Lumbricus etc.) go deep--up to 6", and are tougher.

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, beneficial microbes are aerobic, That is why they need air passage from old roots. Plus the old roots feed the fungi in the soil also.

[@rubytuby6369]

Three years now I chop and drop everything leaving the roots in the ground. In October I bury the garden in a foot and a half of leaves by spring it’s only about 6 inches and I replant. Basically my garden is a huge compost pile.

[@iamorganicgardening]

That is some great News. THANK YOU for sharing.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@formation1now517]

Mark, I want to increase the side of our backyard garden spaces this fall. My questions are about being able to do gardening in the spring over the existing grass if I cover with cardboard and ? Appropriate suggestions for covering cardboard? I have been saving boxes for months for this - if it’s a good step. What could you suggest? Within a couple of weeks the lawn will be covered with leaves. Should I leave them and then cover with cardboard or remove leaves and place on top? Looking for relatively easy method but effective 😉 I live in zone 6B and this would give about 6 months for decomposition of cardboard to take place. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Should I try to put a cover top of winter rye? Thanks so much!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Save all your leaves for next spring. Here is a 3 video playlist of card board, winter & coffee grounds. Click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaKWamCjbZqIlcU .

[@mapinoita279]

Someone who gets as excited about dirt as me!

[@iamorganicgardening]

It is so fantastic to see. THANK YOU.

[@Ok-vj3dw]

those tomatoes look great, i think ive seen your fellow NJ gardener James Prigioni growing lots just like that. i grew super sweet 100s this season, definitely going to do some seed saving and overwintering of cuttings. by the way, are you still growing sunchokes? im a bit of a sunchoke fanatic and id love to see just how beastly they can get in deep mulch. im in zone 6b too, its bittersweet that the frosts are coming but frost time in sunchoke time!

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, Still growing Sunchokes. Thanks

[@johnjude2685]

Are they heirloom? Don't save seeds from hybrid plants Worst possible outcome. We have the pear tomato and good and productive,I only have a small garden and moving to hybrid for more of all the advantage but just a little invested but my garden space and efforts are more priceless. Mark about the web of live I'm buying into it, Thanks for the teaching Sir

[@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

[@harrybryan7530]

Hi Mark, Is that all Russian comfrey growing in the background of this video? I think comfrey is so amazing and am wondering what you think of it and how you utilize such huge quantities? Do you have some videos discussing comfrey? Thanks

[@iamorganicgardening]

Yes, it is. How I use it is very different from other gardeners . I dig up a base ball size not breaking it soil sample and place in in a mesh bag in a 5 gallon bucket with clean water hanging from the side and add a air pump to it for bubbles /air ration . Also in the water I add straw are wood chips about half full to grow fungi. This is their food source. The soil has the fungi in it and will grow more due to the food. Then an the water to the garden to increase the fungi. You have lots of bacteria alrady. You need a ratio of 1 bacteria to 1 fungi in soil. Enjoy

[@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

[@Weifengast]

I would like to grow the yellow pear tomato seeds, plz. What is the variety? Thank you

[@iamorganicgardening]

Hello, The seeds are called Yellow Pear Tomato seeds. Thanks

[@kathythom20]

What do you do in the spring to plant? Do you remove the roots at that time? I'm trying to do a no-till garden, but I have had to improve my soil. I will be using a broad folk.

[@iamorganicgardening]

No, you will leave the old roots still and plant next to them. The old roots WILL DO THE SAME as a broad fork making passage way for water and air.

[@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.

[@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

[@christinemccoy4471]

In 20 years of gardening I've never pulled plants, chop and drop plants too. I throw down bacashi I make, first then cover everything with bedding from chickens. Summer is no garden here. Every 7 years gardens lay fallow. I have many smaller gardening areas

[@iamorganicgardening]

THANK YOU for sharing what you do in your area .Happy gardening.

[@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 %

[@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.

[@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?

[@AndYourLittleDog]

Hi Mike. What do you do with the biomass from your spent crops? I don’t have the space for a hot compost pile so as much as I’d like to chop and drop, I’m concerned about spreading disease. Same goes for peony foliage and roses. I have a tiny garden in nj but cram a lot in!

[@iamorganicgardening]

I use it all for mulch up to 8 inch tall

[@AndYourLittleDog]

@@iamorganicgardening thanks for your reply. Do you think I can get away with rose and peony too (unless it has botrytis)

[@fyt00000]

​@@AndYourLittleDog Thats what i am worried abt-harboring diseases

[@patkonelectric]

Yep I leave the root it. Well maybe not my horseradish. I get the main root to eat. Plenty of root left over for them to regrow.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@ramonebrown5704]

Do you use or recomend any products like Extreme Gardening Mykos and Azos, or are you confident that all is already present in your soil

[@iamorganicgardening]

If you see lots of Birds or worms in your garden. They spread it to your garden on their feet and bodies. Nature is awesome. Also the wind spread it in a spore form.

[@saltlifess6226]

I still grow thru winter, in Florida, how do I do that with all those roots?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Those old roots are like compost. You can grow in compost. There is plenty of room. Enjoy.

[@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

[@dianemerimon4268]

I am leaving roots in the ground, what about green grass..should I just cut. Or pull it up?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Just cut it. Thanks

[@FishLubber]

Hi how can I get mycorizhae into my cover crop?

[@iamorganicgardening]

It is in the air, On birds feet, etc . Just plant the cover and it will come.

[@MyFavoriteColorIsBLUE]

Will you be leaving your volunteer plants in place?

[@iamorganicgardening]

YES, they will die off over my winter that gets down to -10 degrees F. Thanks for asking.

[@pambennett8967]

Do I leave the weed roots in the ground too?

[@iamorganicgardening]

Annual weeds, YES. Perennial weeds , NO

[@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.

[@bobgoldesberry7740]

Okay but I have not tilled my garden for a couple years. Should I not till?

[@iamorganicgardening]

No do not till. Most soil is missing fungi. Think of it as fine threads. If you till you break them. These threads grow to let water and air in the soil. which all pants need to be healthy

[@gregmeissner9960]

so basically you are telling me to do less work in the garden; that's advice that I love to hear

[@iamorganicgardening]

YES, let nature work with you. They will love you. Have a great gardening year ahead. THANK YOU