Developing a No-Till Garden From Scratch

[@notillgrowers]

Real quick because there seems to be some confusion in the comments. We often recommend a one-time tillage event to start a garden that will ultimately be managed without tillage in order to work in specific (deficient) nutrients and/or combat compaction. “Never till” is not always the right approach depending on the condition of the soil and can cause issues for many years in some contexts. A good foundation is as critical to a garden as it is to a house. We cover this extensively throughout the channel and in the book-so consult those for additional guidance-but wanted to add this comment for those scratching their heads seeing a tillage implement in a no-till video.

[@johnrosier1686]

Thanks for this clarification. I bought two of your books and unfortunately I have lost both of them in our move to the new place. We started a no-till garden in our big backyard using the method of laying down cardboard with a compost mix over it. Our backyard was farmland about 50 years and our garden turned out alright.

[@richo083]

I agree 100%. Some soils need a till or 2 while amending. Thanks for all the advice, it makes a lot sense to me.

[@bunny_apocalypse]

Hello, I did first time tilling and stepped on the bed a lot during harvesting and I want to transition to no till, should I till again or just try to un-compact the soil with a broadfork?

[@DIYDirtclub]

This has to be one of the most concise yet in depth guides I have every seen. Well done, thank you!

[@andrewfoster867]

This dude is amazing! His depth of knowledge is hella impressive, and he’s able to present it an accessible way. Would love to see more videos with him and his strategies.

[@ThisGardenLife]

I’m also a church farmer here at New Garden Farm in Greensboro. Let’s build a farm on every church lawn! Ora Et Labora Ecclesia!

[@AspenCreekFarms]

Yes. I say this all the time

[@midwestribeye7820]

My mom's church in Iowa has a garden. I've helped plant and weed it many times.

[@sassafrasred6657]

Problem is too many churches in my small town have older parishioners and younger members aren't very moved to give time to outside activities. The few gardens i have seen at churches in my town end up being converted back to grass.

[@midwestribeye7820]

@@sassafrasred6657 That is a problem at my mom's church garden, too. Many want the harvest, but very few want to (or are physically able to) put in the work.

[@sassafrasred6657]

@@midwestribeye7820 that is an issue at every "free" garden. People now days think they deserve things without work. Of course the elders get a pass but they have knowledge to offer if they cant weed or harvest.

[@victorandrews9790]

Love the living soul handbook guys. It is well worth the read for anyone wanting to know more about souls and productivity.

[@DK6060]

12:12 “a couple-a-few is a totally legitimate number down here in the south” made my day. Excellent video on launching a garden. I did s similar soil test and digging in amendments to launch my home garden beds, but have been no-till since then.

[@brokenmeats5928]

I love ALL No-Till Growers videos!

[@petanisukses_garden]

Farming like this is very inspiring

[@fadedgreengirl]

Perfect timing for me with this video! I'm clearing my 50' x 100' market garden area (good size, Jackson!) and getting ready to solarize it later this summer. Now I know in what order to do the tarping, amending, plowing, re-tarping, and bed forming (to include broadforking, amending, tilthing, and adding compost/leaf mold). I LOVE not having to guess at this, as I'm not that experienced. With Jesse's book, Jackson's video, and this channel I feel I can pull it off successfully!

[@Getoutofthewoods]

Web Soil Survey is awesome! I had no idea this existed. It is so helpful. Thank you.

[@Thathumanoverthere1701]

Got the notification, stopped what I was doing. I'm trying to reclaim balance on a conventionally fatmed property with not enough funds to buy inputs. Looking forward to this.

[@later_daze_4080]

In the fall you can ask landscapers that use the big vacuum to suck up leaves from peoples lawns to take them off their hands just like you can ask arborists for woodchips. I got a couple dump trailers of leaves a few years ago and they're beautiful after breaking down. tons of worms in them and the crumbly texture is awesome to work with. Plus they're free! Maybe tip the driver a few bucks but essentially they're no cost! If you can't make or get good compost on a larger scale these are great alternative.

[@VictoriousGardenosaurus]

In my local metro, the City will pick up bags of grass clippings, leaves and yard refuse left by the roadside. I collected a couple thousand bags last year and that's how I mulched my backyard garden.

[@rondavis2791]

Good idea. but make sure those yards aren't using any chemicals.

[@later_daze_4080]

@@rondavis2791 Most people don't use chemicals on trees. If there's that many worms living it in after sitting for awhile I'm thinking it's probably pretty safe.

[@rondavis2791]

No not trees. That's why I said yards. The seed germination preventer mainly but there are some other bad ones. My comment was mainly for the other person using lawn clippings. Had a bad experience once doing it. Just trying to make it aware.

[@benheimach-snipes9625]

Thanks for showing us your farm Jackson! I wish I had done a more extensive tarping when I started my garden, but I didn’t want to lose a growing season to make it happen. The Johnson grass is super happy with my compost. I started in winter and put down cardboard and compost. It came back in July and took over. I haven’t made any decisions to do more than weeding it for now.

[@GreenRavenOrganics]

Just acquired our farm! This video was perfect and very detaield

[@Ohelojam]

So appreciate this video after gardening for a year. Couldnʻt of started without your book. Planning for my next Spring home garden. 🤞🏼super rainy this Spring where I am at also🫣🌺

[@soapy3204]

About to venture into a grow project here in England ….the book you promoted here was a requested birthday gift I read it with a level of intuitive understanding ….i am a musician and have worked with many different artists,scenarios and time changes ,places ,people and climates 😅 Seems a grow vibe is synonymous! So,,,,,here we go . Inspired in part by late night musing and a you tube discovery ….its on ✨🌱🌿🌱🌿 Thank ya !

[@hhwippedcream]

I really appreciate this video! Thanks so much! I also like a wider walkway - I am clumsy. However, I 100% would do a 3 foot walkway if I designed my system over again. Access to the crops gives them a lot easier access to care and inspection. What a cool space! Nearly 4% SOM is awesome! I cant wait to see what comes from this site!

[@jonathonterrell2329]

Man I hope I get to come see the farm soon! I'm hoping to start doing this professionally within the next couple of years myself. Absolutely amazing what you can do on a small scale efficiently and productively!

[@brianbarnicle8052]

Does anyone else say "hey nerds" out loud to themself before the video even starts or just me?

[@waynesell3681]

Thanks for your video today! Interesting description of how to go about starting on that scale .

[@CatCrazyFamily]

If you haven’t bought the book yet,,, my advice ,,, my Wife loves it!! Happy Wife happy life ❤

[@hdani1981]

No-compost farm with a beautiful application of compost like leaf mulch :)

[@dianeladico1769]

That was outstanding.

[@timohoffmann1888]

That was very helpful. Thank you so much and God bless you guys.

[@rondavis2791]

Good video. Started watching Gabe brown videos good stuff.

[@devinsullivan7233]

Raising your beds is always a necessity in my opinion. Especially when growing large or hungry crops like tomatoes and melons. Your soil is always going to be loose at a deeper depth with raised growing ridges. I would argue that even in sandy soil it’s best to grow on ridges. Especially since you already have a rotary plow thats a must. The more oxygen and faster drainage the better. You will have to water more often but your plants will grow much faster and healthier. Because the water drains fast it will pull oxygen behind, as the water drains down. Also you will get better air flow and less disease on north south ridges.

[@TMCRok]

I put a farmers friend 50x100 tarp from March to the end of June in here in northern Oklahoma and it got 99% of my johnson grass last year. I still have the occasional shoot come up. I wish I could have kept it on longer because I still have other weed pressure, mainly crab grass and pig weed, but I was pushing to get a fall crop.

[@sassafrasred6657]

Pigweed as in amaranth or pigweed as in lambs quarter? I know both plants have the same common name even though they are two different plants. We have lots of lambs quarter it pulls calcium up so we chop and drop it. The red root and palmers amaranth we just pull and burn

[@TMCRok]

@@sassafrasred6657 I have both varieties on the property but it's the amaranth variety that's causing me the most issues in the garden. I put all my weed scraps in the chicken compost pen.

[@sassafrasred6657]

@@TMCRok lots of " weeds" are good indicator of whats going on in the soil. Amaranth however burns in my burn pit. Its a bad weed in the fields. Palmer amaranth was the first tall plant i saw in the fields before anything else in spring. Already had seed heads. Even though it is edible it causes lots of trouble for machine harvesting. I compost lots of weeds amaranth isnt one of them.

[@Aco1950.Farmworkers]

Thank you for your useful and sincere sharing ❤

[@garrettb72]

Ohio Earth Food for the win. The revita pro is great!

[@manolopapas]

Great video

[@theoraclesisl330]

This video is a welcomed relief from all the scary stuff on youtube right now. And, I learned something! Thanks so much to Jackson and Jesse for their continued efforts to educate the masses on how to create a great garden for as little money as possible. My little garden is coming along nicely thanks to you guys and that long, lanky, Englishman. You're all awesome!

[@notillgrowers]

🙌

[@aileensmith3062]

Definitely well thought out and a positive comprehensive game plan going in. At the end of summer we are seriously considering putting half of our garden under tarp. The Bermuda Grass issue is more than we can reasonably handle. Then we have to laugh as we are in Zone 7 as well. Then last year we only received a bit over five inches of rain all year. Checking this morning and we are at a "whopping" 1.38 inches for the year and yes we are both in Zone 7??? As always another great learning video. Thank You for sharing!

[@teebob21]

Your USDA zone does not define your climate or rainfall. It is only based on your average lowest annual temperature.

[@aileensmith3062]

@@teebob21 I understand as to how the zoning is done. My gripe (should it be one) is that we continue to be in a major drought and so many other parts of the Country getting ample rain!

[@Followyourlight420]

Another great, informative video. Thanks!!

[@devinsullivan7233]

When someone digs a big hole to put a plant in the ground I say “ you see that mound of soil you just dig out? That’s where you should be planting that plant right on top of that mound.”

[@marcoorselli2089]

Thanks for sharing. Really great video. How much food would you be able to grow with your half acre farm, one and half person working? How many veggies boxes would you make weekly for example or how many families would you be able to feed? Thanks. Great work!

[@Dannys_Farm]

Church farmer here in South Western Ukraine.

[@theburnhams2925]

Always enjoy your videos, Jesse! Noticed some "living soil" on the cover of your book lying on the ground....I guess; "Practice wot'cha Preach..."

[@Ephesians6twelve]

I’m orthodox and am planning to do a big no till garden at my parish in North Port, FL!

[@pajcka]

I am also an Orthodox Christian. My garden in the city is about 15x15m and I try to spread awareness that every house has a vegetable garden.❤🎉❤🎉❤

[@Grow-all-year]

My church also has extra land. What was the goal of the garden? Raise money for the church? Community outreach?

[@pajcka]

According to the teaching of Christ, and it was said by the apostle Paul... he who does not work should not eat. Every home should be independent in terms of food, water and basic needs. It is the same in Serbia, my country.Every monastery or church, especially a rural one, has land that feeds the clergy and those who live on it.

[@lauraservey495]

Some states environmental programs provide less expensive soil tests. In SC, we send everything to the Clemson Extension office and it is only $6.

[@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin]

My only concern is sourcing straw with no persistent herbesides.

[@sheelaghomalley5459]

Excellent video

[@T_157-40]

Excellent content!

[@ayanda83]

Hi man, thanks so much for this video and all. I'm curious, you mention that you are leasing the land. How much if i may ask or how is it calculated per square foot? Im just curious how much 'leasing' ends up accounting for your expenses and how that influences obviously you profit margins. Maybe for episode in the future, would be nice to now how lucrative or (not) running your operation or smaller can be and how best to start. Thanks alot once again for all your great insights. Greetings from Germany!

[@shawnc958]

Thanks for all the great information you share !! Your Awesome !! Question were looking at relocating our little farm to Kentucky from the cold snowy north Idaho, any bits of insight or recommendations with Kentucky farming ??

[@JuliePascal]

My geese love Johnson grass more than anything.

[@dantheman9135]

ThankQ

[@johndoh5182]

Hey I'm just going to throw this out there, and this is only for situations where you don't know what happened on that property and that is having the soil tested for different toxins/heavy metals/etc..... the ones that are found because of industry. There are parts of the US that used to be industry and that affected large areas. You also have the situation of runoff, and this can happen miles away from a site of contamination. For instance mining can cause damage to soil for MANY miles when you have a pond overflow and take toxic sludge for a ride down a river. When I heard the soil test and heard nothing for that I was thinking about different spills that have happened, and as a for instance you get into the tropics and you think you have this nice pristine piece of land and then you soil test it and the soil has contaminants because of a mining pond overflow during a typhoon and that spread toxins over large areas. So, maybe something to think about?

[@g.y.o5419]

Great video love the content. I'm not familiar with Johnson Grass, but i'm going to take a guess that it's the same as what we call Couch Grass in the UK? I have never found a way to kill it. I have a patch of land 35ftx35ft that is totally infested with it. I covered it with tarps in Feb 2023 and they have not come off until a few weeks ago, all the top foliage is gone and it looks nice clear soil. However, upon putting a fork in, the roots are all still there and very much alive. I am going through the slow and painful process of digging it all out. It's soul destroying lol.

[@ddavis78704]

I am interested why you decided to tarp instead of solarize. Was it because you already had the black tarps.

[@rwg727]

THANks . Where did you get so much leaf mold? That may be better than compost

[@theburnhams2925]

Relax guise! I hafta have 5 ft. (ta drive a "bush hog" through) before I feel "comfortable."

[@clarkansas6590]

Very good

[@lukeparker294]

I started a garden this spring. Im working on composting and covering a bed that I’m going to plant carrots in this fall. I was thinking about adding some 1 week old grass clippings(gonna have some weeds, dog fennel and several other woody grasses in it) as a mulch and then tarting it for 4 months to let the grass break down into a nice mulch. Does anyone see any thing wrong with that? I’m a beginner. Lol

[@peteproimos4289]

Dude. Can you tell me what kind of camera you use???? It’s amazing quality

[@originalwoolydragon8387]

Can we get a video about how to use the web soil survey, please?

[@chato12377]

Never heard of a Tilther. Only found one on google to buy. Are there cheap manual ones?

[@itme7685]

I see you both tilling and using compost. I checked the Merriam Webster page and it says compost: a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing and conditioning land. Your leaf mold is compost. I’m confused how this is no-till without compost. Maybe it’s just a single till and no-till afterward. Looks good anyway.

[@herbrobert1]

Great video. I'm troubled by the really high rates of zinc, boron and copper both recommended and applied. And K-Mag. 44lbs/acre of zinc sulfate recommended and applied? Is that a five year supply or something?

[@JoeN-S]

Just remember, this is an application based on his soil test results. It's not a universal or generalized recommendation.

[@maxelliott4034]

So a no tillage garden requires tilling to get started?

[@glassbackdiy3949]

Awsome! After 2 books and hrs of seminars, I'm still trying to get my head around mineral balancing, Albrechts 7:1 Ca/Mg gets cited just about everywhere, but the desired values on the report don't fit this, although the rec values on the advice sheet just about squeeze into it, am I missing something, or just getting lost in detail?

[@QuantumLeap11]

Why wasn't this video posted 2 weeks ago😭. Just turned the front yard into no till growing space Got to save this for next time!

[@mirsidorov5112]

Why dont you guys apply the soil food web approach along with dr johnsons BEAM compost?

[@JoeN-S]

The problem with Johnson Su bioreactors is scale. Filling up a full one nets less than one cubic yard. These guys are talking about using lots of compost. Even to do one 100'x30" bed at 6 inches deep is 6 cubic yards. Bioteactor compost is a great inoculation compost. Not the best for mulching or building soil at scale.

[@Spiritualsimplicity]

Can someone point me to the video which explains the initial tillage depths and situations which demand this act? I know compaction is a reason but other than that- which others are critical before making the decision to fill or naw? Thank you in advance

[@Andr1919]

What happened to Josh Sattin ?

[@strawberryfuntime]

Leaf mold is compost in the terms of organic matter. So he is using compost.

[@MovingBlanketStudio]

So cool. What is the straw or hay material at 7:18? Is there weed seed in that? For myself, when denoting square feet I like to use the symbol "SF"

[@sociopathmercenary]

Hay has seeds and straw does not. We get it from our neighbor farmer

[@Beesunflower369]

Where did you find $28 for 44# of azomite? I can’t find it for less than $45.

[@ronaldjones1274]

What did he use for low tunnel hoops at 19:52?

[@preppersparadisecanada2064]

Almost the same as we are doing here.

[@floriswou]

Of course you have compost available! You can make it. You only need it to inoculate it with the right soil organisms that you are lacking! Which you ignored to investigate...

[@gardennonsense]

👍 Thank you 😎🐢 I appreciate it 🔥🌿🔥 14:15

[@carlkrohn6034]

I’m new to all this. Someone help me out here. I’m interested in the no till farming method. Find a no till video and we see someone tilling up the ground? Like I said help me out I’m new 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@floriswou]

All the micro nutrients are not water soluble when appropriate microorganisms are not present and so will not show up in CHEMICAL soil test. They will be available in the dirt (yes you started with dirt with such low organic matter & previous dirt maintenance practices, which could not house/ sustaine the appropriate soil organisms)

[@psychedelicward]

Does this dude understand "leaf mold mulch" is compost?

[@GusParkermusic]

9:08 the tilling begins lol

[@notillgrowers]

The initial soil prep shown here is laying the foundation for long-term success. Sometimes (arguably most times) an initial tillage event incorporating nutrients and minerals is the best way to set the garden up to be maintained without tillage thereafter. Try to avoid the unnecessary dogma of never tillage and do what the soil needs to get started--put something there worth protection with no-till management.

[@indica_dogo868]

​@@notillgrowersWell said! Dogma can be such a roadblock to people

[@dianeladico1769]

It's a rare site that doesn't require some form of initial tillage. Particularly when you're not building a bed with compost. That's a senseless comment. Even if you do build up the beds with compost, if you don't address the underlying compaction/drainage issues you may as well make the rows in the paved parking lot.

[@floriswou]

You are using (buying) fertiliser but NOT bringing in well made inoculation compost? Explain please? (Regarding not knowing what microorganisms are missing to grow specific plants/ crops) Have you guys looked into the science of Dr. Elaine Ingham at all?

[@Deucely]

Step 1) research electroculture, pyramidal energy and magnetic towers Step 2) make the biggest composting operation you can Step 3) make the biggest biochar operation you can Step 4) figure out your site, the pros and cons, the drainage, the sunlight, etc. Step 5) figure out the soil composition then make a plan to what you want to plant based on it Step 6) figure out compaction and if you need to til or not, then do so. Step 7) cover crop based on what you intend to plant and the proprieties of the plot Step 8) put everything together, the compost the electroculture pyramid, towers, spirals, plant and go places.

[@rensspanjaard]

sooo much plaaaaaaastic !

[@mwmingram]

Big fan of the channel. And by no means a No-Till apostle myself. However, gotta point out - the first things I see here are a rotary cultivator and a broadfork. Can this really be described as No-Till?

[@richardmoustache]

What saint are we commemorating here in this video?

[@floriswou]

So you didn't do a biological soil test?! Why?

[@richardlaycock-o5q]

I buy land in Ukraine to feed the homeless and soldier I. The city near where the pans is. I wish your books are cheap er

[@Smeakum]

I feel like this is a little misleading. You say “no compost” but bring a truckload of leaf mold? If you don’t have access to compost, you probably don’t have access to 10 yards of leaf mold. They are not entirely different.

[@indica_dogo868]

Not true at all. I have access to tons of wood chip and leaf mulch. It is straight from landscapers in the spring, summer and fall. All for free cause it's waste. I can not afford to buy tons of compost though. Very different and very different costs, potentially.

[@Smeakum]

@@indica_dogo868 I agree that it can be done, but not everyone has the same experience as you -- I know many struggle to source bulk free material on short notice. What would have been helpful is if they had covered how to source these materials -- I imagine a beginner could struggle to access those free materials in such a large volume.

[@strawberryfuntime]

I agree. This is compost.

[@kumatmebro315]

lol the video shows him tilling? 🤔🤷‍♂

[@corymiller9854]

I liked the vid however not a big fan of the style which was completed here. Your organic matter was so high to start that it may now be less with all the effort applied. The cover crop looked like it worked well to keep the organics but the other sections most likely fell in organics due to nothing living in it for so long.

[@rikg4086]

I think in the short term yes, but in the long term that organic material can be replaced rather quickly especially since he is managing this garden without tillage from here on. Also I'm sure a small amount of compost will become available to him as time goes on. I think when establishing new no till spots where yoy have some tenacious weeds, you have to sacrifice a little now to get it under control