The Weed Free Farm and Garden - Part One

The biggest problem when growing vegetables organically is weeds. Let me show you how I keep Neversink Farm free of weeds and as a result highly productive.
Find out more at www.neversinkfa...
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Conor Crickmore quit his job in the city and moved to the country. There he started an organic farm from scratch and never looked back.
His farm became super successful due to his simple systems. He now works to help small farms succeed. His a well known educator throughout the world in small scale market farming and has been very successful at earning a good living growing vegetables on a small plot. He farms without a tractor and uses mostly hand tools.
He also designs tools and hosts online courses in farming and gardening.
Online Courses can be found at - www.neversinkco...
Tools can be found at - www.neversinkt...
Equipment I use at Neversink Farm
Greens Harvestor - bit.ly/2v1A7sr
Paperpot - paperpot.co/
Use this discount code for 5% off @neversink_paperpot_5
Sillage Tarps - bit.ly/2v1A7sr

[@kenreynolds2894]

Excellent Conor, My family had been farming a 76-acre vegetable farm for just over 100 years. About 3 years ago it was sold to a developer. My grandfather would say the secret to having a weed-free farm was to cultivate the crop before you ever saw the weed. We were always hoeing around the plants. We had two - 1948 Farmall Cub tractors with cultivators on them. They would cultivator the pathways first and then the works would come in and hoe around the plants. This would kill any weed seed that was trying to germinate in the soil. My advice for the small gardener or farmer is after a rainstorm the weed seed is most active to sprout roots so once the ground is dry enough to get back on,,,,,, get out there with your hoe or tractor and Cultivate your crops before the weeds show themselves. Enjoy, Ken

[@flowergrowersmith449]

Nothing beats the voice of experience..

[@TLFarm]

Brilliant guy with simple well though out ideas. Definitely going to try & implement some of his concepts on our farm in Thailand. Cheers Leigh & Toon.

[@martintopp1399]

HI there from NZ. Great Video. Thank you for sharing you wisdom, systems and method of how to maintain a weed free farm! Your frankness is much appreciated!

[@bigrigchristfollower9020]

Very informative, thank you from an ex chicken farmer now going to learn as much as I can to make a garden for my family as well as neighbors because I think it is so essential to eating healthy foods as well as being self sufficient in this time. God Bless you and your family in this time.

[@eugeneson0108]

well organized and clean. What a delight to the eyes! love how tidy your farm is.

[@fatjuniesfarmette6030]

PS -- Beautifully managed farm! Your love for your work is evident.

[@braintnt]

I wish I was born in a farming family like this one.

[@Ihaveausernametoo]

Wow this is mighty impressive. I went to no-dig myself, they barely germinate at all now. Different kind of work though, putting all the compost on and making/sourcing it.

[@66bigbuds]

There is no substitute for hard work. Get er done. The work shows looks good.

[@jamesbrunet2755]

Thank you for sharing your tried and true methods, and congratulations for your success at becoming weed less. Where there is a will, there is a way, you have not only found it, you designed it. Once again, thank you and congratulations on a job well done. May Your Green Thumb Up Continue, J.B.

[@amandakerns5496]

Thank you for taking the time to put this together.

[@ladynataliemarie7780]

I wish you worked with the tool as you spoke of it. I can’t understand how these work. Very interesting!

[@tanawatnakaland8895]

Thank you for your idea , i live in Thailand and starting my farm

[@flowergrowersmith449]

I'm facing starting a small flower farm from a grassy, weedy pasture. I'm thinking about tilling it just once, forming and staking beds, laying down weedmatting paths with woodchip on top and just dealing with and meticulously removing weeds and then covering the beds over winter. It just feels as though I need to get the beds physically established. Your immaculate farm is inspiring. Thanks for the cultivation description also. GREAT VIDEO CONOR!

[@stephencarlsbad]

If you lay down clear plastic for an entire summer, it will not only sterilize your garden patch, it will kill all weed seeds too. Then the following season will be much, much easier to manage the weeding.

[@freespeech8030]

I don't see how you can avoid the "first till", in your situation. You have to get to the dirt. It would be nice if you had some chickens and pigs to help as well, but that opens up a whole new set of requirements. Maybe, you could tarp one section as an experiment, while you weed the rest of the area. That's how they do it in some gardens.

[@soulful1today]

Suggest not using wood chips anywhere that one is going to be turning the soil over.

[@cannashiva9719]

killer garden man..doing super solid work....talk about some sweet foliage......keep it up!!!! farmers are the new phd's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@samlicorish5645]

I appreciate the simple but specific concepts here. Planting precision, planning, linear structure, right tools, and hard work mitigated by all the upfront thought. Frankly, I doubt it would work in all native soil / weed environments without a specific plan to start out with the right soil medium. I think that is the trick. Start with the right soil medium (or sieve your soil as I've seen tropical small farmers do), and follow your principles. This has really opened my eyes to another way to get the job done.

[@jeffcokenour3459]

What you do is an incredible blessing

[@carolynmoody9460]

Many blessings..this was amazing information

[@Michael-fc2oy]

Great minds! I agree, finally you save a lot of time and money without tarps

[@lindafuiten2556]

What a beautiful garden, what do you use to make the ground fertile?

[@BrianSmith-gp9xr]

Thank you , Very helpful .

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

[@joannenardoni17]

So beautiful, absolutely fabulous

[@shivawilson4786]

Do you have a video about how to stop critters (raccoons mice deer gophers) from eating your crops?

[@marlonh791]

Good question

[@richstone2627]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge in these videos.

[@marcelpoitras8250]

Carrying all your jingling dinner triangles,,,,and calling the plants to dinner As you mend! Nice fresh game of psychedelic off the charts,,,from aerial

[@GardenBandits]

Thanks for the advice. Love the videos! Love your place.

[@RetreatfarmFarmvilleVirginia]

I Gave up growing in soil, i'm disabled and creeping up on 60 now and can't get anyone to help me so i'm converting my greenhouses to Aquaculture/Aquaponics. The planning and methods you do are sound but would be labor intensive for me. Otherwise your farm looks wonderful. I'm changing over to a serious cash crop...no not Pot, not the fish alone, but Real Wasabi production.

[@betsysiegmund198]

Another excellent, informative presentation. Thanks, Conor.

[@PJWalmsley]

Cool tools! This approach seems incompatible with cover crops and bio accumulators. Thoughts on this approach vs cover crops? Some other good ways I've seen to choke out weeds are mulch and sterile plants that dominate an area but don't come back.

[@MrTseardjan]

i realy liked the view from above realya a amazing looking farm

[@rodnjosh]

I seem to have smart weeds, it seems like they always like to sprout up right next to the main stem of my plants. I suppose that is where the hand weeding comes in. I do appreciate the information you provide and I will be adding the wire weeder to my Christmas list.

[@fletcherlarue3440]

As a non-farmer. Whats the difference between cultivation and weeding? Also a side suggestion, can we see more shots of what he's explaining? (a video is worth a million words!)

[@NeversinkFarm]

Weeding is usually the same thing as hand-weeding. In this context Cultivation is disturbing the soil with a long handled tool to kill weeds. Precision cultivation is killing thread stage weeds by disturbing the entire soil surface.

[@fletcherlarue3440]

@@NeversinkFarm Cool thanks for the response :)

[@krishnaksingh2928]

Nice video

[@fatjuniesfarmette6030]

How did you convert your beds in the first place, from grassy field to row crop bed? I've done the "back to eden" method with success, especially for trees & berries & tomatoes etc. But for more tender seeded cropslike lettuce or carrots, a nice soft bed with no wood chips would be convenient.

[@ricodegallo3060]

Have you thought about using quick key chain disconnects for the plow heads?

[@silviasen6907]

Finally i get the answer. Thank u for this video.

[@CottageGardensonForest]

What the best way to turn a lawn into garden. I thought covering it with a tarp from this summer through the winter. I live in a zone 8 with hot summers. Thanks

[@hedgecraft559]

Cardboard method. Everytime.

[@NeversinkFarm]

Tarp will work great

[@michellebressler5957]

good voice!!!

[@chrismelton6117]

Curious to know if these processes can be successful in warmer, more humid climates? I'm in south Georgia and would very much like to know more!

[@SniperLogic]

Chris Melton ditto.

[@NeversinkFarm]

Absolutely

[@stelviodelbrava6218]

Great info dear sir. One question though - what do you do when the weed grows too close to crop's body? You then just hand weed it?

[@rockncroll1]

I hope to be breaking ground on a new plot of land this spring. The property has a very nice lawn. Instead of using tarps, I am considering renting a sod cutter. I would cut the sod to form my field blocks , and roll the sod up to compost. Bring compost and other soil amendments to build my beds. Has anyone else done it this way? Good idea? Bad idea? Looking for some input. thank you.

[@tothna1]

Do you pick up the weeds then? Or does disturbing the soil like that kill the tiny weeds?

[@zenlife100]

Please pass on the Link where i can purchase the weed control tools.. fantastic Video cheers

[@NeversinkFarm]

www.neversinktools.com/collections/mutineer

[@wintergardenusa3988]

Our lot is covered in Quack Grass. I've seen 2 questions regarding quack grass (Elymus repens) or Bermuda Grass but no answer :(. The rhizomes of quackgrass go down 8 ft. The more weeded by hand, the worse they come back, though I have tried to get every last rhizome, I literally cannot go down in the earth 8 ft. Please, what to do. Even the Weed Steaming Company said they did not know what Quack Grass was (sounds convenient). Cultivating land with Quack Grass will make it worse as more plants populate when the rhizome is broken. Solarization is not an option here (we rarely get above 60 degrees, town with coldest summer in USA)

[@hairyhomesteader3561]

Great advise, just wish it worked in my zone. Weed pressure is just too high, so we must use landscaping fabric.

[@NeversinkFarm]

cultivation will work in any zone. Weed pressure on my farm used to be extremely high.

[@shaniduncan2255]

What do you do about bermuda grass? All around our garden is bermuda, we've dug troughs, weed wicked them, etc, but they just go deeper and still come back into the garden. any ideas?

[@gardenagro9637]

Are you an organic gardener?

[@DIYSolarandWind]

Awesome video

[@Buckinghamrabbit]

Great stuff, Conor- the wire hoe with changeable heads looks incredible to me. A question, though- how do you handle long periods of rain or moist soil that prevents precision cultivation at the thread stage?

[@NeversinkFarm]

Find any break in the weather and cultivate anyway. What can you do?

[@willj5460]

I used to feel the wheel hoe was not the right tool either. Then we ditched the Glaser, got a Valley Oak and space crops appropriately and everything changed. It's a superior tool.

[@colinmcgee5931]

Love the tools you've designed! A question re flame weeding - does it not damage the mycelial layer of the soil, kill earthworms, that sort of thing? Thank you!

[@NeversinkFarm]

Not at all. Soil is the best insulator. The heat doesn’t travel beyond the surface.

[@colinmcgee5931]

@@NeversinkFarm thank you!

[@yakbutterblacktea]

Just boogey down the row.! Thanks for the information. Very informative.

[@cavemanjoe7972]

I use my scuffle hoe to disturb topsoil where I want my chickens to scratch; it works really well for that. I also use it around my plants because I don't have that many, and it allows me to clear a lot of small weeds in the garden very quickly before work instead of putting off weeding until they take over the garden. I like those wire hoes, though.

[@nineallday000]

How sturdy is the attachment between the hoe and handle on that hoe? Just wondering how it would hold up over 10 years with quite a lot of use, really like it i am just wary that it wont hold up having a joint at such a critical pressure point for the tool.

[@NeversinkFarm]

Incredibly strong but ten years for a hoe blade? On my farm blades are changed regularly as we use them daily.

[@nineallday000]

I more meant the attachment to the handle rather than the blade itself, Is the locking mechanism sturdy enough to hold up over time, I realize i will have to change the blades more often i just want to be able to change them without thinking about the mechanism working or not

[@NeversinkFarm]

Yes the mechanism is sturdy. I have yet to have even the smallest issues with mine. I have about seven of them which are used by workers daily.

[@nineallday000]

​@@NeversinkFarm thanks for always taking time to reply, really apprecieate it, will definitely be ordering a pair for me and the wife!

[@Zachr-np8pc]

It works for me I use mulch as rocks not weighted down so I'll see why Carpenter it won't work

[@keepark1702]

Where can buy that equipment?

[@dolanlehen1917]

have you tried a tine weeding rake? if so have they been useful on your farm?

[@NeversinkFarm]

Yes and it damages your crops. I can only see using it in an emergency situation but never as part of a cultivation system.

[@dolanlehen1917]

Thanks for your reply

[@randylanglois]

Beautiful.

[@sameoldmphymel]

Excellent video!

[@snideremark]

Do you find that with time there are fewer weeds? Eventually?

[@amoxus]

How do you deal with weeds during long rain and muddy spells? The weeders wont work well then, but the weeds will still grow. Thanks for the great video.

[@NeversinkFarm]

We get lees kill percentage of the weeds but we still cultivate when wet when we must

[@draganplavsic]

wher i can buy that wire tool ? can you seend me some lingk please ?

[@NeversinkFarm]

www.neversinktools.com/collections/mutineer

[@markweston3345]

What is the process of selling produce on a farm this size? Do they sell directly to supermarkets or is there a type of "middle Man" purchase company?

[@NeversinkFarm]

usually direct to consumer

[@markweston3345]

@@NeversinkFarm Great. What farmers market do you sell at so we can come buy something?

[@dana7340]

Does anyone know where to find the wire weeding tool used in the video?

[@NeversinkFarm]

NeversinkTools.com

[@ForgottenWayFarms]

Just found your channel, great info and video!

[@McCoysOakHillFarm]

Have you had to deal with weeds that have creeping rhizome type roots like quack grass, creeping charlie, etc? If so, how did you handle them? I hope to take your course next year I did the free preview and I was amazed at all the very good information I have not tried myself while gardening/farming. I worked for a neighbor who was a market garden farmer for a couple of seasons. I sort of volunteered to help him at the time and thought he did not have anyone helping. I wished he could have seen your place and how you did things. The weed pressure was really bad we could never keep up, so many rocks, crooked rows, and I kept thinking at the time there has to be a better way. Thanks for sharing. :)

[@pauldrake1858]

AND Oxalis: that is really insidious, lots of tiny bulbs radiating from the root. Any suggestions are welcome. Cheers.

[@44wolfpacker]

And Bermuda/ wire grass! It spreads by stolons, rhizomes, and seed!

[@marlonw5053]

his advice applies the same to the questions

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Question: What about the disturbance and bare soil that exists in this system though? How do you keep the soil alive and growing?

[@NeversinkFarm]

That is not an issue. Living soil is more about maintenance through balancing and feeding.

[@TheVigilantStewards]

So you don't find a decrease in mycorrhizal fungi and such things that are touted as signs of wonder soil in permaculture? That's interesting. I'll have to do a precision farming section and just compare it. What you're doing... it's called precision farming right? That's all I've heard you describe it as @@NeversinkFarm

[@NeversinkFarm]

Precision Cultivation

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Thanks!@@NeversinkFarm

[@sueturner8122]

Carmelo Santini I was wondering the same thing - this seems different to a no till garden. I cover my garden beds with woodchips to stop the weeds.

[@aaronhubbard9957]

great vid

[@jerrybear3081]

do you use the flame between rows instead of cultivating if you have the chance?

[@NeversinkFarm]

Absolutely

[@healingrain651]

Just found your channel. Learned much and will impliment your methods. Question: do you have suggestions for ant/pest free organic gardens??

[@seem0r3buttz]

what is that orange cylintrical tool hanging off the top on the side of your tool rack? do you use it?

[@maryaust600]

Any recommendations as to where to get a set of cultivators?

[@NeversinkFarm]

What type of cultivators

[@elizabethhall1716]

Our area has nut grass. How do you get rid of that? My husband has spent hours for years. We've heard pigs love the nuts, but haven't gone there yet.

[@NeversinkFarm]

Hands and hook

[@elizabethhall1716]

Hook?

[@NeversinkFarm]

Weeding hook

[@JDMGonzalez]

from point zero did you have to use herbicide at any point ?

[@NeversinkFarm]

Absolutely not. Also Neversink has been certified organic since day one

[@flowergrowersmith449]

Any thoughts on steam weeding guys? I'd never heard of it but saw a sign advertising it. Do you think it could kill off beneficial soil life??

[@NeversinkFarm]

Beneficials bounce back extremely quickly as long as you have the right soil environment

[@MC-xg9fv]

Can I ask how do you cultivate a spinach patch?

[@NeversinkFarm]

#6 or #4 pacifists with a rebellion on a mutineer. www.neversinktools.com/

[@russellclark4447]

What type of wheel is used in the paths? I’m looking for something for my 18 inch walkways. Also wondering if the 17in inferno flame weeder sold at Neversink tools could be used in 18 in paths while crops are growing in beds on either side? Thank you!

[@rockncroll1]

I have a scuffle hoe, probably just use it for my walkways. I like your precision weeding tool with the attachments that’s great.! I am also interested in your flame weeder attachment thingy, can you leave a link where I might be able to purchase these tools. Thank you.😀

[@NeversinkFarm]

www.neversinktools.com

[@christinaperez254]

Did he say he flames after seeding but before germination?

[@NeversinkFarm]

Yes. That is correct

[@impseeder5756]

Before the crop seed germinates. The weeds have started.

[@donnachavez8230]

What is flames?

[@kelleyhargis9025]

@@donnachavez8230 17:10 YOu see it here

[@latifurrahmanrahman9751]

Very good,thanks sir. I have a question, It doesn't change soil PH ? & Soil don't be effective? Thanks

[@NeversinkFarm]

PH change is from a change in the balance of the elements in the soil. Cultivation will not change it.

[@cityurbanfarmjimpeckham5082]

This is a great video with awesome advice … but haven't I seen this video a few days ago ? Deja vu

[@cassityart7001]

Are you using the flame weeder in one pass or up and back two passes on the same bed? Always before planting.

[@NeversinkFarm]

One pass, once a week on every open bed

[@kimmartin4418]

Where do I by tools?

[@RyanKudasik]

Totally my question. I want his exact setup.

[@bigears4426]

That wire wouldn't work in my soil, but man your garden looks good

[@NeversinkFarm]

you'd be surprised

[@stephencarlsbad]

I wonder if Big Ag could scale this to where it was economically feasible to not have to use herbicides?

[@denveradventures589]

They can, it requires cheap immigrant labor, though.............

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Try hand hoeing a thousand acres once a week and let us know how it goes.

[@thejpooks]

Does all that cultivation cause problems with organic matter loss or erosion after heavy rain storms/high winds? Worried about soil health from constant agitation. What kind of soil are you on?

[@NeversinkFarm]

No. Not at all

[@amathonn]

Do you ever use mulch?

[@aNaturalist]

That wire hoe won't slide through mulch that hasn't composted down to tiny pieces. That's one reason why a thin layer of compost spread on beds is superior than mulch, when the operation is larger than a kitchen garden.

[@1949b]

so where can i get a wire weeder like you have with interchangable heads i lookedaround but cant find one thanx

[@NeversinkFarm]

www.neversinktools.com/

[@1949b]

thank u

[@jodibillingsley]

Do you run the wire weeder daily/weekly? Thanks for the info! Looking to buy one of them before spring

[@NeversinkFarm]

Weekly until summer

[@gotredeemed]

Do you make your own weeding tools?

[@ppac300]

Neversink Farm what happens during summer?

[@arthurr8670]

I'm curious about the summer. I could do weekly, but I wouldn't have time if it was more than two times a week.

[@vimabete1]

please some one tell me were a find the some gritter i have small farm and i need the some to by

[@NeversinkFarm]

www.neversinktools.com/collections/gridder

[@richardcooney7789]

I live in Canada . Who sells the hand weeder you have . Thank you Richard

[@NeversinkFarm]

Dubois

[@richardcooney7789]

Thank You

[@frankdasaintdituri9983]

i like your brain

[@edgeofentropy3492]

With this title, you will never have a toker view this video.

[@emarkjacobs]

thanks for this you are also hillarious

[@scottchapman1096]

Where can i purchase the wire weeders?

[@NeversinkFarm]

www.neversinktools.com

[@bongorick680]

would your wire weeder work in rocky soil?

[@comeseetheviolenceinherent579]

Remove as many rocks as you can and add compost whenever you can.

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

vg thanks

[@noellucganachaud3983]

Tarping is the best way to clear to start a garden only takes two to three weeks then you must put cardboard down and compost on top then you can control them from there...

[@NeversinkFarm]

To remove perennial weeds and grass it will take many more months of tarping. Cardboard is a good garden strategy but not a good choice at a farm level.

[@jeanineeley2811]

Great advice! Where would one find/purchase the weeder that you have demonstrated with the wire and the various attachment options?

[@NeversinkFarm]

Those I made myself. I couldn’t find them anywhere. You can purchase colinears from Johnny Seeds. My wire hoes at at www.neversinktools.com