No Dig Potatoes BEST MULCH Results (2018) And Taste Test

What is best covering for no dig potatoes? In our home trial we test four mulches to see if they make a difference to the crops of no dig potatoes on our homestead. Today find out which mulch gave the best tasting crops and the highest yield. Click SHOW MORE for more details, resources and info.
You can support this channel on Patreon at patreon.com/LizZorab
About Us.
I share our organic homestead, called Byther Farm, with my loving partner, Mr J and our cat, Monty.
We are a fifty-something couple who live on a smallholding in Monmouthshire, Wales. We are going green and creating a gentler, cleaner and more healthy life for our family.
There is a large organic kitchen garden with no dig gardening raised beds and young food forest in which to grown our fruit and vegetables.
I'm currently exploring permaculture farming as a way of life.
We keep hybrid chickens and also have breeding flocks of Jersey Giants and Australorp chickens and Aylesbury ducks.
Music
'Breathe' by Kafkadiva. www.kafkadiva.com
Other music by www.EpidemicSound.com

[@LizZorab]

If you're new to the channel, welcome! Please consider subscribing and hit the little bell to be notified when I upload a new video.

[@hsyndicate7585]

May possibly be due to the higher mineral content of leaf mold which would influence flavor.

[@robinmc0628]

Your videos are lovely Liz! I appreciate your husband participating in the taste test. Now I have to go find leaves ahead of planting my potatoes. 🙂 Can't wait to see what's next from Byther Farm!

[@-AT-WALKER]

Zero consideration needed, be a fool not to listen to the lessons you're passing on. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@DocScience2]

Love the music and video. Thankyou for posting.

[@kellieannlewis3363]

Great video. I’ve learnt so much from you. Thank you. I think leaf mould sounds like the best and more easily accessible choice for me. Can I do this on a clay soil base?

[@horsesandsmilesable]

I love this video! So cute when you say “sorry about watching us eat”, we watch cooking shows with people eating all the time. I love it.

[@truehealthnow]

Leaf mold and wood chips are carbon rich and favor fungal growth while grass clippings for example favor bacteria growth. It's interesting to see that the better tasting potatoes were the ones grown in a fungal dominant medium. It looks like potatoes seem to favor fungal dominant soils. Ideal Fungus/bacteria ratio for most garden vegetables is 1:1. Thanks for taking the time to do this experiment :).

[@paulineleung6285]

I'm new to this but what is leaf mold? Do I collect leaf's and wait until they're mouldy? I'm looking forward to trying to grow potatoes.

[@truehealthnow]

@@paulineleung6285 Leaf mould is compost made using leaves. It is called leaf mould because the breakdown is slower due to fungal dominance. Leaves are not so much bacterial foods which is why it takes more time.

[@paulineleung6285]

Ahh great, thanks

[@NoobGamer-sc9lt]

yes it's interesting we human find food or drinks rich in minerals tasty so maybe because fungal net is transporter of minerals? I have many questions

[@susanchalkley9480]

Hooray I've got alot of leaf mold....mulberry leaves

[@vinothmookiah9668]

These are the people that world badly needs! Lovely, appreciate nature and love what they are doing!! ❤

[@frederickslade6925]

you both are real people!! find an alternate to KZbin so you don't disappear during the great "reset"

[@ienekevanhouten4559]

Love the down to earthiness of this one. Thanks to Huw for the introduction. British garden videos are my cure for depression anout the state of the world.

[@LizZorab]

Hello Ieneke, I try to stay down to earth and to keep it real because that's the kind of video I like to watch too. Thank you for coming over from Huw's video, I hope you'll enjoy getting to know our homestead a little better.

[@geezermann7865]

I also like gardening videos. I may try no dig mulched potatoes this year. Cheer up, there is a Great Awakening happening, not just here in America, but worldwide. 2019 will be a wonderful year for we the people.

[@iamthewelcher]

How's that working for ya 3 years on?

[@adriennebogan9401]

@@iamthewelcher We were different people back then.

[@patriciafisher1170]

@@iamthewelcher lol we were so innocent eh.?

[@kevinadams9468]

Love the dramatic British Empire music as you harvest the potatoes.

[@chriswilford3576]

Hi Liz, found you on Mark’s channel, Self Sufficient Me when he did a review of your book ‘Grounded’. I’ve watched a couple of your videos now and am really impressed with your knowledge and how you present the information to your viewers. I live an hour from Mark so his growing information matches my needs in most respects, but other ideas are always welcome. I’m subscribed.

[@magicsupamoggie]

Who would have thought about different mediums giving different flavours but when you think about it it does make sense.

[@myjunkmail007]

This was a FANTASTIC experiment! Thank you so much for sharing. I hope the audience realizes how much time and effort went into producing this video. I truly appreciate it! You are my kind of gardener and I am your newest subscriber! PS - luckily for me, I am a leaf mulch user because I have a crap ton of leaves to deal with every fall. :)

[@nunamann777]

Love this. It will stay in my brain far better than science will. Much appreciated.

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@KaseysHomeGym]

I have watched around 50 videos all over KZbin in the last two weeks trying to the best ways to grow potatoes and this by far the best experiment video I have seen! Thank you

[@colleenrainbowblack8762]

What a cute 💑 couple!!! Thank you. Very informative. Glad you did the food taste.😊 Have a wonderful day.

[@r.perkins2103]

I am finding it a good learning experience to always try two different methods of growing anything, then build your knowledge based on which works better. Often just two locations yield different results.

[@SL-sd3sg]

Extremely useful pair of videos, I’ll never bury potatoes again! Thank you!

[@k.clarke6976]

Think you two are the sweetest couple at the end, sharing your spuds! An unexpected bonus watching your video now (looking at diff way to grow spuds, but found a lovely moment between an older couple that I just loved!)

[@LizZorab]

😊 thank you

[@cek7940]

You guys are super cute! God bless you!

[@almostoily7541]

You're so nice to share your bowl of potatoes with your hubby. I made potato soup tonight and I made him his own bowl. He's lucky I shared at all. 😂 Seriously, though, I enjoyed the video. I'm growing potatoes in buckets and bags this year. I'm also staggering them to prolong the harvest. It gets so hot here that I thought I can move them into the shade in the searing heat and humidity. Cross your fingers for me that it works out! Usually we're only able to grow new potatoes. What you call first earlies. We plant on Valentine's Day. We were late this year and didn't get them in the ground until February 25th. We're digging some tomorrow. Those are the ones we grow in the ground with my dad and sister at their houses.

[@kapdolkim1914]

That is a good start on science. At least we know to bring it along further - there may be something there.

[@alitreka1638]

That was totally scientific. I love it.

[@kasimmka]

I adored this video, truly. And when you said numpties, I followed. This is the kind of “community” I want to bring into my life. I will also be covering my potatoes with leaf mould before I put my old chicken bedding on it now! Sadly, we can’t plant til June here if we want to avoid hard frost but I’m getting plans made!

[@argentvixen]

I really appreciate that you did a taste test. So many people just judge by how much is grown but I value quality over quantity. Very helpful just to draw attention to that aspect of growing. Thank you!

[@LizZorab]

Thank you!

[@lauraperez3317]

Great couple to the work in the garden the rewards is a blessing and testing to enjoy

[@markporter45]

Love you guys.. You really are living the Good Life !

[@Ravenzpeak]

It makes sense that the leaf mold and wood chips mediums would work well for root crops because both draw nitrogen out of the soil to decompose leaving a higher ratio of phosphorus and potassium , which is what root crops like. The chicken manure has loads of nitrogen, which boosts the plants energy into growth. I wonder how it would be to layer these medium or just mulch with the chicken manure compost or garden compost. Cool video - tfs!

[@YodaWhat]

Very interesting, thanks. But how is it when all those kinds of mulch are mixed together?

[@247KW]

Thank you both for your little experiment. Awesome.

[@johniwan1]

Works for me! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[@treesagreen4191]

I found you via the video with Huw! I grew no-dig spuds this year with a friend (on her land - heavy clay). We just covered them with last year's mowings from their wild flower meadow. She chose Charlotte and I chose Bambino. I put more on top after the levels were showing and they only had whatever rainwater fell, no other irrigation. Lovely potatoes all round apart from vole damage. We're trying composted pondweed next year and may put grass on top too. I think your results were very interesting - bigger yields with the compost and manure but better flavour with leaves and wood chips. I think flavour would definitely win over volume.

[@LizZorab]

Hello Theresa, your experiment this year sounds really interesting and it's great to know that it produced nice potatoes. We have so many voles here, I wondered what they ate and I guess now I know that they eat potatoes! Composted pond weed sounds like a great idea. We will be doing another potato trial next year and hopefully we'll have a bumper harvest. Please let me know how you get on with the composted pondweed!

[@MrMudEagle]

Excellent videos. Thanks for making them

[@pinkelephants1421]

Handy tip if you want chicken manure to break down relatively quickly. This involves use of layering technique using food & or garden waste, 🐔 poop or other animal waste, dry material such as cardboard, newspaper & or dried stalks or leaves from the garden & fresh grass clippings. Layer everything up until you have a pile of roughly 4-5' tall. Keep it covered to protect from rain. Working on a weekly basis, turn it on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, then leave for 2 days, rinse & repeat. After about 6 weeks you should have well rotted, ready to use compost.

[@gabrielpessoa3534]

Loved to see your video! Thanks for sharing. Please continue sharing your knolege and entusiasm.

[@fredsnyder3063]

Thank you for being a Teacher

[@noelobrien7743]

Thanks for all the new to me info on growing spuds ,ill try it that way in my patch .

[@shoptastik2250]

Very interesting! Thank you so much! I'm going to try this! Cheers!

[@rachelgerber6729]

Thanks for sharing your experiment! We loved it.

[@nicolecollie3156]

this was so interesting! I'm using sugar cane mulch...time will tell!

[@debgarnett2468]

I quite enjoyed that. I too have turned to growing my spuds with leaf mould.

[@CassandrasCreativeConcoctions]

Yall are so sweet, really enjoyed the experiment, and the dynamic between the two of you is awesome, I learned a bit and laughed with you a bit. Thanks for sharing !

[@teresamoore3577]

How lovely I have only just tuned into your channel my dad grew all his own veggies so yummy but as we all left the nest the garden got smaller but with heavy heart he’s passed away now. Thank you for sharing x ❤️🙏🏻🇬🇧

[@SmokyMountainBlessed]

thanks, we are just now starting to start roots in a sweet potato in a glass for me and will do white potatoes for hubby, we live in a campground so we will do container gardening

[@owl1873]

You guys are vary pleasant and enjoyable to watch.

[@AFMArts]

Great info on the taste test. Planting my potatoes in leaf and wood. Thanks.

[@bluegreenworld333]

Really enjoyed this video wasn't originally thinking of taste but enjoyed your taste test too!

[@cherylpa527]

Great video!! I will try this next year with some bagged leaves I have, I'm excited to try it! Thank you for the inspiration! I loved the taste test you did at the end. Too cute!! Happy gardening and thanks for spreading a little sunshine and lot of knowledge! 🥰

[@mrcharrington1]

You've made my day with your experiments. I purchased seed potatoes today from Tractor Supply and will definitely use a couple of these methods. Thanks!

[@97padme]

Awesome seeing you having fun and sharing your knowledge with us 💐

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@redpill1940]

Wow! Already planted mine with wood chip mulch...good guess! Thank you for your research.

[@kodiakriver6297]

absolute value with all mixing all together the value of gardening.

[@ShireWitch]

Great trial. Not one that people do, weight of harvest AND taste according to growing medium. Thank you 😊

[@luisledesma586]

home-made science, love it; thanks for your excellent work.

[@artport7]

I absolutely love you guys... and the video was very informative... I will be trying my hand at a no dig potato garden this year... been growing them in pots which is not always very successful so hopefully this method, which is certainly easier, will have better results. Thank you for sharing!!

[@louiseSW1]

Wow! You are so inspirational to watch. Thank you for talking the time to record this and tellvis all about it. Its a completely new concept to me ❤️ I will try to plant some on the edge of the forest now and use the leaf composted Earth and leaves to cover... I do not have either woodchips or hay 😊

[@cameronneely640]

I love the way you break down yes for the three experiments. I have found this video super informative.

[@LizZorab]

Glad it was helpful! It was a really interesting project to do.

[@SuperSaltydog77]

No need to apologize for eating in front of us. A perfectly natural function. We all eat. It was interesting to see the different flavors from the different growing mediums. Well done. Btw, I'm located in the US, northern Ohio, just south of Lake Erie. Harvested my potatoes yesterday from my urban backyard garden, just a small patch compared to yours. The more experience that I gain the best way for me is above ground covered with a layer of straw.

[@lechat8533]

Fantastic information! Thank you very much, dear Liz & husband 👍❤

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@2treesforsale]

Thankyou for this video. It so happens I have bags of leaf mulch. Going to prepare the potato 🥔 bed tonight.

[@aquahuggies]

Thank you for sharing, loved the idea of a taste test with different growing mediums, thank you!! And loved watching the professional taste test with hubby at the end, gave me a great laugh along with you both :) I'm about to try growing spuds with hay so will be interesting to taste when they're done. Again, thanks! Really enjoyed this XOX

[@SallyInCT]

You guys are GREAT!!!! Very entertaining and informative video!! Thanks!!! / Cheers!!! 😊

[@elizabethperez8818]

Wow! I have never seen such a complete and interesting video like yours , thank you for making it, I learned so much and I was almost tasting your potatoes 🥔 too☺️

[@carolmcgaghey6112]

YOU TWO ARE FANTASTIC. GOING TO TRY THE GRASS CUTTINGS ONE ALREADY HAVE LOTS OF COMPOST BUT WILL KEEP THAT FOR FRUIT TREES.

[@asmrschlafmutze6167]

Love that...thanks from a very very little village in Germany

[@e.t.preppin7084]

So glad I just found your channel. Y’all are so cute together and I just learned how to grow easier potatoes with less back work/ soil/ and boxes, bags, or tires 😂. Thank y’all. I’m not even worried about how they taste. Usually depends on the butter I put on them and everything else.

[@susiehaddock6224]

you two are very precious

[@LizZorab]

Thank you!

[@gigimorphe6194]

Lovely couple.

[@lauraperez3317]

Great couple to the work in

[@moranmike36]

Great work. Thank you.

[@bernadette6211]

Thanks for the video, entertaining and interesting..big smiles to you both

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoyed it Bernadette! 🌻

[@lucylucy9311]

very interesting. Thank you !

[@cpierce58]

Very enjoyable and informative. Thank you.

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anyascelticcreations]

What a sweet video. The first half of the experiment video before this, too. I particularly liked the taste test in this one. 😊 I'll subscribe.

[@fodrocksuk.forestofdeanroc5686]

You guys are brill! I am subscribing

[@jonathanstlawrence1132]

Well thought out content. Thanks for a great video.

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Cyrilmc222004]

Thank you so much Liz, I really really enjoyed watching you and your husband test those different types of growing mediums for potatoes 🥔 and I hope I get success like you. Please stay safe and well too

[@LizZorab]

Thank you so much!

[@kennethhopson7087]

I enjoyed watching the video.

[@medahenderson3055]

Very interesting!!! Thank you for sharing your experiment! Loved it!

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🌻

[@harrykersey3181]

Holy cow ! Lol lots of large spuds ! Great job !

[@delawareteacher1182]

Liz you guys are amazing! Liked, subscribed, my wife and I enjoyed this!

[@LizZorab]

Awesome! Thank you! 🌻🌼

[@wendywoo454]

I loved your natural Video,s and your honest opinions can’t wait too see more of your vids and ideas

[@LizZorab]

Thank you so much!!

[@tashaw3636]

interesting experiment. Thanks for doing all the work for me i think i will try the wood chips!

[@LillieLong]

Loved this!!!

[@lindalu8565]

Enjoyed that experiment!

[@hickoryhillinthebigwoods-r759]

I have to plant my potatoes in wood chip mulch this year and this has encouraged me after someone told me it won't work. I am thankful to you.

[@LizZorab]

If you can put the potatoes onto the ground, touching some soil, the root will go into that and find nutrients.

[@hickoryhillinthebigwoods-r759]

@@LizZorab This is what I did today. The wood chip mulch was in piles still, so I dug small trenches, not very big since the ground has so much rock. I laid the potato see in with some bone meal, and then I covered deeply with woodchips. I got four rows of potatoes.

[@FknNefFy]

You guys are so great! Good to see a couple like you around these days. I want something like what you two have (potatoes and relationship wise) 🙌🏻

[@LizZorab]

Aw thank you! It takes a bit of work and we do have grumpy days, but generally we get along together really well. Lots of laughter and space to do our own thing really helps 😃

[@kirstyleitch863]

This was fascinating. Love the taste test when you both blow :D I'm going to this method a go using seaweed which washes up in abundance only 30m from the garden. There are so many slugs and voles here though - truly more voles than you can imagine, I should start eating them - so will be interested to see what damage they do. Thanks for another informative and entertaining video!

[@conspiraterry7393]

that was interesting indeed. I grew some potatoes in weed clippings that composted over them as they grew in some old boxes last year. I'm going to expand and experiment more this year. My grandfather was a potato farmer and my brother still has the farm and grows gmo sugar beets and I pray this is the year that gets all changed up.

[@HuwRichards]

Hi Liz, this is such an exciting experiment! Great news with the flavour of the woodchips and leafmould! :) What are your plans next year now you know what you know from this experiment?

[@LizZorab]

Thanks Huw, it seemed like a good idea to test the mulches that we have readily available on the smallholding. I know in the future I'll give wood chips a wide berth until they are well rotted down. Mr J and I have just started talking about what we'll do next... you'll need to watch this space! Will you be using hay again next year?

[@JudyHarrelson]

Brilliant! very helpful and fascinating to watch. Surprising to hear the different tastes of potatoes depending on the growing soils. Wow. Thanks!

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nancyrowley9023]

Just found your channel today. Love it. Thankyou so much for the info. Very helpful. Much love from Wyoming.

[@LizZorab]

You are so welcome Nancy, welcome to Byther Farm!

[@1gr8lpta]

excellent experiment

[@elspeth6807]

Wow. Fascinating. I’m so glad you did a taste test as well, I wouldn’t have thought there would be any difference. Wood chip for me this year then. Wood chip is also the only thing available free on my site so win!

[@LizZorab]

I really enjoyed this trial, it turned out to be much more interesting than I had imagined it might. Lots of lessons learned from it too :-)

[@MsFlipper1969]

That was a fun video 😄

[@lindab8397]

Thanks really interesting to watch 👍👍👍🌺🌸

[@MarshandMellow83]

Good Experiment...Thank You for your insight...Much Love and Be Well💛

[@LizZorab]

Thank you kindly

[@joannef8350]

Superb! Thank you…

[@storytimewithnannyuk8185]

Brilliant! Very interesting 👍 really enjoyed the video.

[@LizZorab]

Glad you enjoyed it 🌻

[@poiuytre11111]

oh i like that, i will try that this year top job!

[@lookitsrswish6782]

Thank you to our friends across the pond for doing this test! I have therefore decided to use wood chip mulch in my potato grow bags this year!!

[@bluemoon8268]

… any results to share on your grow bag potatoes ?

[@lookitsrswish6782]

@@bluemoon8268 oh wow, I forgot that I had commented here, thank you for reminding me! I did potatoes in grow bags, some with mulch and some dirt. They both turned out DELICIOUS. I'm definitely doing a repeat this year but mulch is cheaper so probably more of those!

[@bluemoon8268]

@@lookitsrswish6782 … that’s great ! … thanks for the reply …

[@MaureenKo1]

Not scientific but such great fun! Enjoyed your experiments and video. Thank you for sharing!

[@goldenages7089]

Wow awesome video with great info well done

[@LizZorab]

Thanks 👍

[@erindevine1979]

I enjoyed your video very much. You're a natural in front of the camera. I want to try to grow potatoes