Regenerating Dead and Dry Soil in Minutes (Ready for Growing Food)

As a gardener, seeing a really light coloured soil, which is as dry as sand and has no organic matter (or hardly any), tells me that it just won't nearly be as productive. Our solar tunnel has suffered from not enough organic matter being put into it so this year I thought I would take drastic action to add loads of nutrients to it and improve the water holding capacity. Watch to see the comparison between watering the soil before and after.
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[@janicemckenzie5801]

I saw once where a farmer had a pig sty and he moved the sty yearly and left it over winter and in the spring it was the site of his new garden. Produce was great and the pigs did all the work

[@njmite2765]

Rats

[@TonkaGoldman-xd5iw]

I love pigs. They are great to have.

[@girlnextdoorgrooming]

Chicken coop with worms in is great for compost

[@hectorramirez585]

@@girlnextdoorgrooming any KZbin videos on this. Pretty curious

[@ericafreeman3317]

This does not help

[@BaltimoresBerzerker]

Something I learned this year: I usually throw wood chips as mulch over my soil to protect microbiology, moisture, etc. when an area isn't used for 365 growing. Doing so helps prevent the soil degradation we witnessed on this video. Well I had none. So I chopped up my dead marigolds and had no other choice but to mulch the flower bed with that. Amazing results! It is a fantastic hay replacement! Ground cover perfection! Wanted to share because I know it's a popularly grown edible flower.

[@Isaacmantx]

And it has the benefit of warding of many pests!

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much! I will be running trials with a woodchip mulch to see how it goes! :) That is so awesome! Best wishes

[@thehomeplatespecial597]

BaltimoresBerzerker i had never heard anyone eating marigolds in the u.s. Is this a common edible flower where you are? thank you for sharing! I love growing marigolds.

[@BaltimoresBerzerker]

@@thehomeplatespecial597 it's not very common for people to eat them in the USA. But there's people around eating flowers. Nasturtium etc. Glad I could help you guys!

[@pershop4950]

You can expand this to be for almost any green plant or plant material. For example, check out "trench composting" or "chop and drop" method of composting right where you need it.

[@lorthree]

As a beginner i would just like to say i found this video really helpful. I have just moved into a new house and for the first time have a garden! Can't wait to get growing using all the advice from your channel :) I have also ordered your books from my local library (don't have the money to buy them yet, but will ask for them as a birthday present from the family).

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

Greetings from Down Under Huw! I have been binge watching your videos since I started to rejuvenate my garden in March of this year. I applied your technique to a 6m bed. I double forked it and found out that not only was it a clay soil but that it was also heavily compacted. By the time I was done with the forking, my fork prongs looked like wicket keepers fingers (none of them pointed in the same direction). The handle also came off so now I have a dibber just like the one Charles Dowding uses. I applied your permaculture principle of observation and noticed that where leaves had accumulated over the years, the soil was more friable. So I added a layer of manure and compost and hand watered it every day for a month using a 9l watering can and going up and down the bed 4 times. I am happy to report that I am now growing Turmeric, Galangal, Butternut Squash, French Lavender, and Red Onions all in the one bed. I am putting in a pair of arches so that my Butternut Squash can grow vertically. Stay safe and test negative my learned friend.

[@remeaiseirish]

Thank you young man ,this explains what was happening to my garden areas not being used fir a couple years. I have folowed your seps and it sure makes a difference.

[@TheGentGaming]

Lots of hate on this video for no apparent reason. Thanks for the tips, Huw. Appreciate the video.

[@kevinbrennan2004]

People that post hate ticks on videos like this, are nothing but trolls, who randomly surf the net, with the mission of pissing others off. In short.. poor sick sad f...s.

[@jaymoon8559]

No matter what anyone says I liked this good old proven style. Thank you.

[@epicgardening]

GREAT vid Huw.

[@denb502]

So are yours 😊👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻

[@lookup5610]

@@denb502 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGHdYnpsqMynh5Y

[@debramoss2267]

Brilliant video. So thankful for the kid's rake idea. A really smart answer for those of us with limited ability to lift heavy adult ones. Clever, thanks!

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much Debra :)

[@Bekothegreat]

It is not the size of the tool that matters... It's how you use it!

[@warren4765]

Hello, this was the state of our soil in our tomato glasshouse at work. So I tried it on one bed this afternoon. It looks and holds the moisture so much more now and looks a lot better? As you showed in the video, my soil was just floating on the surface of the water too. It took a lot more water than I thought it would. Great tip, thank you very much. Keep up the good work

[@sunflowerhk100]

How can I use this method in a really large area, like the lawn? it is not possible to dig it in when the grass is still in there. Plus, it would be too much manual digging.

[@Lemonnnoomsno]

@@sunflowerhk100 You can get compost, make sure it's fine (can sieve it and take bigger parts out) and sprinkle it over your lawn. Use a rake to lightly rake it into the grass so it settles on dirt floor. Just water it in heavy and water your lawn every other day. The compost will meld into your soil and should have it in much better quality overtime. This is a great way to fertilize your lawn too

[@rwatts2155]

Congratulations on another excellent video! I've watched your videos for several years ( since you were a kid ) and have always appreciated your passion for gardening. You have a way about you that inspires even the old geezers like me to get out and turn the soil ! You are absolutely spot on about the soil. HEALTHY SOIL = HEALTHY PLANTS. I bury the kitchen scraps that my chikens and ducks don't eat in my gardens. This adds nutrients and moisture to the soil and actually creates compost right beneath the plants. I also bury fish heads and left over meats in the gardens. It all decomposes and creates healthy soil. Keep up the good work !

[@MelSchmidt7]

I only came across your channel this past week, and I love your videos! I have been watching Charles Dowding's channel for some time, but this year I've been very discouraged and frustrated trying to water and finding that my water is not absorbing at all. I have been trying very hard to go "no dig", but I know you are leaning that way as well, and still find the need from time to time for digging. I am from Pennsylvania in the US, so my growing season is significantly behind yours, and we have just finished a very long and dry winter season, but now I know what I need to do to fix my garden beds. Thank you!

[@PetalsonthePavingSlabs]

Hiya Huw, one of my ever so kind subscribers (Ac S) bought your book off our amazon wishlist, and my youngest daughter (deputy head gardener Ruby) is so excited that she now has her own bed to follow your book with. It's a cracking book, thank you and also thank you for producing something which is actively encouraging one of my children to grow their own food. I know your book isnt aimed at children, but if my ten year old can follow it then theres hope for all of us! She is at the lettuce, radish and transplanting broad beans stage. Thanks again Huw, good luck to you and keep doing what you do. Oh, and I enjoyed this video too!

[@LibertyGarden]

I'm all for no dig gardening, but sometimes a good turning is what's needed. Thanks for the video.

[@HuwRichards]

I think people get too caught up with one way or the other when it comes to digging or not. For me: As long as you have fun and grow food then hey, go for it! :)

[@LibertyGarden]

@@HuwRichards I agree. When it comes to gardening, the proof is in the results. At least that's how I see it, too.

[@sosteve9113]

same here

[@thorsten8790]

As far as I understood no digging is basically about letting microorganism and things like worms live undamaged beneath the earth. The real problem is excessive digging and use of chemicals, not necessarily a surface scale digging to fix the soil.

[@greenwoodorganics4681]

Why not just let the worms do it? If you dump some tasty compost on the surface they will have it partially turned in within days, no need to disrupt the fungal network with a spade.

[@drummingearth5326]

Mate, you took 7 minutes to inform us that to improve smoky soil you add manure and compost. I was waiting for some magic formula

[@MrJoshcc600]

Yup this drove me crazy i kept skipping and skipping and just WTF? Oh, add compost.... Wow...

[@VeonySyndrome]

I think the watering process is important

[@edsafo4295]

The ease of the process show us we can improve almost all soils, this only need hard work (and a lot of water and compost) =)

[@bludelphinium994]

I love the detailed information

[@HippoHousing]

i got 5 minutes in and thought so to fix dry soil add water ... great advice. glad to see he at least gets to something that will improve the soil by the end.

[@elizabethwhite2151]

As always, incredibly useful information presented clearly and succinctly. Thank you so much for so generously sharing what you know and are learning with us all, Huw!!! So appreciated! 🙏🏻🤗

[@sweetolyve]

Another great instructional video. Thank you for this. I've had this same problem in the past and did what you've done with great success. Have an awesome weekend.

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much! I did it was all spent in the garden :) Best wishes

[@obroadieswimmer]

I love your style and your content. Thanks for making these. I'll be following from now. Wishing you all the best with your channel mate.

[@llswink]

Just watched this today and it was exactly what I needed to know. I have two original raised beds that are outside and they have become compacted. I will rework them this week. Thanks.

[@maricaplasmans6061]

Finaly someone who provides me with messurments in cm. Thanks Huw and good luck at theaching next sunday at Lizses place.

[@baileymoto]

Marica Plasmans food tastes better if you grow it in inches and feet. :P

[@karen_james]

I add manure and compost every year and it’s made a world of difference to all my beds. Soul is much looser and rich in organic matter.

[@Gabrielsmessinger]

Suprised to see you standing in the bed, I try to keep mine reachable from the sides. Thanx for the vid. 🙂

[@Gaark]

Great timing, I've just had a dig about and found nothing but dust!

[@HuwRichards]

Hahaha thank you Jeff and good luck with the regeneration! ;)

[@edieboudreau9637]

Native Americans used to dig a hole and put 2 things under each tomato plant: fish & dried empty corn cobs.

[@HuwRichards]

That is so cool!

[@christinalynn8143]

Huw Richard's soil study lesson an important part of revitalizing the world's soil, the earth! Yay, for this bit of information, so important. 👏

[@dino4941]

the video reminds me on how a typical student would write any kind of essay or paper. You got information for maybe 2 sentences and you blow it up to span 5 pages. Summary of the video: Soil is dry and lacks compost/organic matter. To fix it put lots and lots of water in it, dig around in the soil to loosen it and break up the compacted structure and mix in some fresh earth or compost into the soil.

[@pershop4950]

Well, in the video's defense, there are also 2 other common topics that are also a multi-million dollar industry, but there are still many books and articles all talking about them. To lose weight: Use up more calories than you take in. To save money or not be in debt: Spend less than you earn. Yes, we can turn those 2 simple sentences into 5-page essays also.

[@dino4941]

@@pershop4950 thats true. but will those two sets of 5 pages be just "eat less than you need" and "spend less than you earn" or do you dive deeper into the topic. How to much fat influences your hormone balance so your body has a constant state of mild inflammation leading to increased stress hormones being released which in turn makes the body more eager to build up fat. Or how about pathological spending habbits, addictions that cost money (alcohol, smoking, drugs, Magic the gathering, the usual), the need for materialistic status symbols, gambling or something as simple as the inability to cook your own meals... going out to eat is fucking expensive. But the same could be done here. Maybe tell us why this dry soil doesn't really absorb water, or what kind of micro organisms still are in the soil and which die, how long does it take for the soil to be completely recovered, does it help to throw a bucket of worms on the watered soil. there are many little things you could use to fill up the video and you don't need all of them. Take maybe two, would be enough for a 10 min video. But the video is literally 10 min about water it, dig around, water some more, add compost.

[@Skillbombe]

Dino You’re a sad man Dino, a sad man indeed

[@dino4941]

@@Skillbombe elaborate

[@UndefinedBailiwick]

What you've stated is disingenuous. You say that he has enough information for two sentences, yet you say those two sentences are the 'summary' of the video. If he made a 30 second video saying 2 sentences, instead of a 10 minute, do you honestly think that would help someone that knows nothing about gardening? Conveying insight is what tells people how to accomplish something, not summaries.

[@patriciavincent5076]

Love this. One side of my garden is so dry and dead. Thanks for your expertise!

[@PerplexiaX]

My little plot hasn't been gardened for a few years, and it was pretty dead. This year, I did just backwards of what you showed us... I got all the weeds out, turned the soil, covered it with three bags of steer manure and half a bag of chicken manure, then watered it down with a sprinkler for a few hours, so that the biotics would wash down into the underlying soil. Then I turned it again, tilled it with a hand tiller, put my walkway in, formed my rows, and seeded my carrots, beets, and radishes! I just forgot to work in my homemade compost! But I can use that for the potted plants I'll be doing later! Maybe for my winter crops if I do that!

[@ArtGardens]

Thank you, I have the same problem , very informative, I will do the same tomorrow.Keep gardening and posting .

[@kitdubhran2968]

I once made potting soil with (roughly) equal parts coconut fiber and vermicompost. The coconut coir fiber holds the moisture in the soil like pear moss without adding acid. Aside from one picky plant, I didn't have to add anything to the bed all year and it produced loss of herbs, tomatoes, peppers and squash for me. Oh and greens. Kale and spinach I think. And onions and shallots and chives I think. Been a couple of years so I can't remember exactly what it was. But it was our salsa bed. We added anything we wanted to be able to put in a dish to make salsa, and then added more things once that base was down. It taught me a lot of things. One is that, during the summer coconut fiber is so amazing. Because it holds the moisture in the bed. And the top may dry out. But the lower layers keep the moisture there for a lot longer. Because the fibers seep the moisture away slowly. I only had to water once a day, the same amount as before the summer. And everything was still chipper. I mean, it wasn't during a drought, so ymmv. And I learned that I don't really like the bigger tomatoes. They're more work (the only thing I had to do was add more calcium for one specific big tomato plant and it kept not producing eight all year. It would get close and then not finish.) and I don't actually enjoy the taste as much. Sun gold cherry tomatoes are the best tasting tomatoes ever. I will fight you. I used to think I hated tomatoes but those I would eat right off the vine. Slightly sour skin, sweet flesh, and the inside tasted like tomato sauce, just a bit sweet to compliment the other flavors. And second would be the oblong dense variety, like Roma or linguica. Those were fantastic for cooking and held up their shape through the process. Very nice. Morning ramble for me. Thanks for the video! It was actually super helpful!

[@edieboudreau9637]

Kit DuBhran try putting old dried corn cobs & fish head down in hole below planting tomato to lick that problem. Bigger tomatoes need extra calcium & nutrients the dried corn cobs & fish add.

[@HuwRichards]

That is fab! I try to use materials and products which are produced closer to home :) Yes coir is fantastic for moisture retention! Sheeps wool as it decomposes is also fantastic! I think cherry tomatoes just pack such a punch and are so so delicious and yes are tastier than big tomatoes plus you get more cherry tomatoes which gives the perception of being more productive ;) Which they often are anyway! Thank you so much for watching and commenting Kit :)

[@jollyjollyme]

Hi Huw and thanks for this video - the soil in my polytunnel is exactly like that - dry and dusty, I will have to try this method and get it fixed 😊

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much and hopefully it'll be all fixed and ready for a productive growing season :D

[@johnjohn4465]

FIVE STARS !!!!!! These should be some Happy Plants !!!!! Do a Part two and show us the results , please ???? Thank you , John

[@sbarr10]

I live in a very dry area. At home we no longer do strictly drip line irrigation for this reason. Too much of the soil is left dry, and it doesn't strike me as maintaining good soil health. We supplement with an oscillating sprinkler, which not only gets the soil more evenly moist but also manages to cool down the area effectively during the summer. We also try to get the organic matter dug in well before planting, to have time to get everything wet down and give time for the worms to move in and do their work.

[@danreeves1172]

No need to turn over your Soil Huw! Here in Perth, Western Australia we grow on beach sand that turns hydrophobic at the look of a cloud. Industry here has to pioneered the use of wetting agents that help break down the waxy layer formed by microbes of all things and allow the soil/sand to absorb some water. These wetting agents can also promote beneficial results in plants with the addition of liquid compost, soil humates, seaweed solution etc.

[@lookup5610]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGHdYnpsqMynh5Y

[@nunyabiznis817]

I used the no-dig method until I realized I was breeding some of the nastiest garden pests year after year. Tilling has always been a necessary task for a reason and one of those reasons is to reduce pest pressure. You till at the end of the season and then again at the beginning of the season. So in an area where you have cold winters, the first tilling in the fall brings up some of the pupa and it freezes in the winter and they die. Then in the early spring, you till it again to bring up more pupa, which are destroyed by the sun and/or eaten by birds.

[@pistolcrystal2]

We just bought our first new house that already has a gardening area however the plants are near death. Thank you for your video! I am new to this. This was very educational. I'm praying that with baby steps, I can bring the garden back to life

[@lookup5610]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGHdYnpsqMynh5Y

[@formercityboy9772]

oh youtube recommended me this video at a good timing.. soil in my potager dries up really quickly

[@bolm9304]

The reason I liked your tutorial so much was that watching the whole process taught me in a way that was very effective to understand and retain for my own use whenever I will use it. I really enjoy your tutorials, you have a great teaching style that holds my attention throughout. I'm glad you included everything I needed to know. Unfortunately, It's the ugly side of human nature that JEALOUSY makes ppl say and do bad things

[@truth4004]

And ego.

[@chelebowns8078]

Nothing beats a fresh garden tomato Sammy!

[@c.s.5177]

I'm thinking " who's Sammy?" haha

[@jdion79]

this was a massive help, bud! thank you!

[@Horse237]

I would plant a diverse cover crop to encourage soil biology. And leave the roots in the soil after terminating the cover crops to increase organic matter.

[@LaHortetadeBussy]

Wow. Incredible man.

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you :)

[@Terry.W]

Yeah get the soil right and that's half the job done..

[@HuwRichards]

So right! :)

[@dgerdi]

Wow. Thank you for this tutorial. I wouldn’t have expected that so much water is needed. Water of course, but not this much. But it is a shame to let precious soil rotten like this. If it‘s autumn and someone just have no nerve to work in the garden - just water the soil and put hay on it to protect it. When I see a soil today without being covered with Woodchips, Hay or something I think „Why is this soil unprotected?“ Love your soil like you love the plants. (And the little heroes - the earthworms!). The more love you give and the wiser you become, the more veggies you will get.

[@nanwuamitofo]

Huw's nasality is utterly amazing!

[@zuzanapacakova6537]

Velmi se mi vaše videa líbí a je skvělé, že automatický překladač je dokáže přeložit i do českého jazyka. Na zemědělské škole jsme se učili hospodářství ve velkém a jen samá hnojiva, vápnění, orání... Líbí se mi, jak produkujete různorodé druhy zeleniny a zároveň pečujete o půdu. Ve vašem podání to prostě člověka nadchne, vypadá to neskutečně jednoduše a také s využitím místních zdrojů a nízkých finančních nákladů.

[@scottiemcfrugal239]

The criticisms below reminds me of when I opened a beautiful rustic high end restaurant in the countryside. Immediately every self-styled "critic" crawled out of the dirt to tear it down with their mind-numbing, ignorance inspired attacks. Nothing attracts these microbes quicker than success. Great work Huw! Incidentally, where are you? Haven't seen you for several weeks.

[@racheltomlinson2257]

Thank you for this information, I will now dig in manure next time rather than just put on the top for my next batch of growing veg.

[@VvERingmustmOneven]

to me that soil is dried out, not dead. that soil is like moondust, being static, rejecting water. using a slow fine water spray would moisturise the soil better than trying to throw a can onto it. If the soil is this dry, I stick bamboo into earth causing holes, spray the soil and do that a few times, eventually it will get wet without having to break your back turning the soil (the holes from bamboo can be spaced so they can be used for putting seeds in directly as well)

[@TheLadyfireice]

I have been having a problem with my garden drying out for a few years now. The soil would literally be dry dry and no amount of watering would help. It would just run off and waste water actually. Thank you for sharing this wonderful solution to my problem.

[@blondwiththewind]

Haha!!! I've been using "kid size" tools since my "kid size" person outgrew them!!! :D They ARE very handy to use....and for people that have strength issues: it gives them an opportunity to work with soil at their own pace and ability. If you need to purchase some for yourself: it's a worthy investment.

[@saurabhinaik4464]

Exposing the bottom layer to the outside atmosphere is not very good idea. Over a period of time again the top soil will become like what it was previously. Hard and dead. The best way to take care of soil is to mulch it. Chop the green matter that you get from your previous or nearby harvest. The top soil is vulnerable to atmospheric heat so just not letting it come in contact with outside atmosphere is the key to protecting the soil. Also the root system that you removed should also go into the soil along with the vegetation of your previous plantation. And add some earthworm whenever you find in your garden. It would naturally aerate the soil. I would like to appreciate, Its a wonderful place you have maintained. Thanks for being a part of the system that protects the environment.

[@colin-manyeates-clan5221]

So I saw a video the other day that was free or $7 later. I was busy so did not watch the whole thing But the gist of what I got from it was that the way to save the planet is to save the soil and the way to save the soil is to keep something anything growing on the surface and then plant without disturbing any of the surface stuff. Apparently when you turn the soil all the nitrogen, carbon dioxide is released and other stuff which kills the soil. Apparently by keeping stuff growing it helps absorb needed CO2 from the air and puts it into the soil where it is needed. What I can tell you is that when I was in Fiji the indigenous people did just that. Everything looked like wild forest except for a small corn field and they never tilled it or took down the left overs. Everything grew together and it was wonderful. Even their decorations in the village itself were some fruit tree or another. I tried it in my own way and planted Mint all around to keep bugs away and I did something else as an experiment so I would not have to water the garden. I put large sheet of black plastic down and put bricks on it in the fall. At the time I did it as a lazy mans way of killing the weeds grass and what not. In the spring I made a hole puncher by sharpening a metal (pvc works too) and sharpen the edge really sharp. Then I simply pounded it through the plastic into the ground about three inches. Pulled the plug threw the seeds in and put a little mulch from a pile of leaves the the winter winds blew into a corner. Watered it, Put the plug back in and went to the next space. Results? Awesome... the best tomatoes ever and they kept producing. I never watered it after they popped up and the next year there was a hidden benefit. My neighbor was always weeding her garden and never had the same results. So the next year we had a very wet season and most all her roots rotted from the wetness. The plastic caused the bulk of the water to run off and shield the ground from too much water and again I had a great crop. By the second year there was grass that started invading and covering the plastic. I left it there except whatever was growing too tall and taking over but left the roots. Completely the opposite of what I was taught, "get the roots out or the weeds will deplete the soil of all the nutrients...". Not so in reality. I admit I tilled the soil the first fall before putting the plastic down and did not the next two years and concluded basically what this video I can't find, was saying. Leave it alone and let it grow. So it makes sense now, to keep the good stuff in the soil. I think of a worm and how it dies if it is brought to the surface.. it dies. Apparently there is a whole ecosystem under there and when we till it, like vitamin C, when we open it up to the air... its is gone in 30 seconds, which is why "Nature and Natures God" made all those tiny sweet sacks to keep the air out and the vitamin C in. My three cents worth hope this is useful. What I like most about it is that it frees up my time to give thanks to Creator and be happy and shhhhh talking to plants really works too... shhhhh. :-} Blessings

[@vadimszubovskis2044]

It looks good.

[@lailamonreal4817]

♥️ Keep your doing to inspire others God bless you. From Philippines 🇵🇭

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

Good stuff! I dig in an inch or so of compost every year and that really keeps the soil healthy and indeed improves it over time! When you really need soil to retain more moisture peat moss is the ultimate solution! I realize that in the UK peat is a dwindling resource but here in Canada we are able to sustainably harvest, after a massive peat bog has been harvested for as long as 30 years they re seed it with plant material from another bog, remove the drainage ditches and then they control the water level for a few years until the bog can regulate itself again. The bog will add more peat every year, maybe out great great grandchildren will be able to harvest it again! Klaus

[@saltydawg5489]

coco coir is a better idea .. its ph balanced and renewable the fiber feels so much nicer too

[@Hamza-GH-Hofmann]

Thank you very much. This was very helpful and encouraging for its simplicity, to solve a repeating topic. Sincerely from Germany.

[@cjwatson1972]

I just spent 11 minutes for you to tell me to turn in manure and compost.

[@annwithaplan9766]

Bahah. Well, newcomers wouldn't have known that. : )

[@russellmac.6776]

Thanks for the comment. I just got to stop at 3 minutes!

[@annwithaplan9766]

@Sherie Brodigan - That was not a nice thing to say. He's a nice young man who has been giving wonderful advice for years.

[@russellmac.6776]

It smells of troll. Nice young men are their favorite meal

[@HuwRichards]

Thanks Sherie I hope you had a great Easter too:)

[@gelhope5510]

Superb thank you very much

[@gardenboots7464]

Huw, this was a worthwhile video. I enjoyed seeing the process. Much appreciated.

[@janicejurgensen2122]

I found it easy and simple to do. Definitely trying this.

[@HuwRichards]

Great best of luck :)

[@hadyanth]

Great video and you seem like such a nice chap. Thanks!

[@cherrishV]

I do the same thing during late winter or early spring before i plant my seedlings for the summer crop.

[@angelaslatzer9263]

One of our raised beds was aquaphobic just like this. We didn’t work any water into the compost (super dry) when we filled the box for the first time which definitely caused issues. I appreciate seeing the quick fix as well as a longer term solution of adding the manure.

[@wyominghome4857]

I have two acres with soil exactly like this - compacted and dry. Thanks for the tips.

[@doe9de995]

First time I've seen someone use a toy rake in there garden makes me want to try that insted of useing my larger tools

[@johnbaxter189]

Good show Huw. Good u teach the basics.

[@wobblybobengland]

Kids rake, yeah! My kids have some of the best quality garden toys you can get!

[@hildacorley967]

I have an area in my yard where the drainage ditch has poured drainage water and the grass has died. I was trying to figure out how to amend the soil and your video has given me plenty of ideas as well as 'Baltimores Berzerker' input. VDOT, Virginia Department of Transportation is responsible to repair within the ROW-Right-of-Way however I have been battling VDOT for years. They are impossible to follow-up on their responsibilities. I plan on now, so to speak, "Fighting City Hall". In the meantime I can keep myself busy planning amending the soil. Thanks for a really great and simple to understand video.

[@sheriu7167]

Great video. 1 tip, cover your soil with pea straw or cardboard when not in use to protect the soil and encourage microorganisms to help condition the soil.

[@lookup5610]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGHdYnpsqMynh5Y

[@LindaPenney]

Awesome update thank you for sharing Huw

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much Linda!

[@RiverPlaid]

Great job Huw🍀

[@wildwildforest9473]

This video answers a question I just had yesterday about my garden box. Thank you!

[@HuwRichards]

I am so glad it has! :D

[@clarelove3738]

Digging very dry soil can do as much damage as digging very wet soil. I'd have put the sprinkler on it overnight. Then dug in the manure, or even just put at least 2 inches well rotted manure/compost on top. You can plant straight into that and let your worms and insects do the mixing.

[@ashwinsnmv]

Why would digging dry soil hurt it more? Won't it provide more aeration and easy for a seedling to sprout seeds and expand?

[@seahorsesalt4386]

Water, comfrey leaves then top dress

[@JagerLange]

Found this while looking into how I start from nowhere on some ground under the windows on my ground-floor flat. Will be applying this and will report back .

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Thanks for this video, that was helpful. I bet if you tried to do winter cover crops that could keep it from happening in the first place? Or at least some wood chips or weed guard plus with humus treatment

[@HuwRichards]

Hi Carmelo! If I kept it watered a bit and added organic matter in Autumn it would have been fine :)

[@sanjayroychowdhury7091]

Brother don't know how i found you... But that was totaly awsome... Respectively.. Lot's of love from kolkata Bengal India..

[@DojosAllotmentSpecialist]

Great information Huw thank you 😊

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you! :)

[@bloodmonk61]

Bunch of salty and bitter people in the comments, nothing better to do than complain 😒 Great video mate, keep it up 👍🏼

[@lookup5610]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGHdYnpsqMynh5Y

[@serenababy6358]

The littke kids rake 😂 love it! Good tips on reviving soil.

[@larkatmic]

Thank you 🙏

[@HuwRichards]

My pleasure :D

[@markmurphy3088]

Definitely I’ve started out gardening I love it and your video is very useful thank you for this 😃

[@ankurjain7946]

pumping air and water in dead ideal soil will make many organism birth active and a good formation of farming atmosphere will create. u r right

[@romuloremo1817]

Top of the morning to you Huw. Thanks for sharing! Do you have a video/plans on how to make the palette-wood table in the background?

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much! I may do one ready for next year :)

[@Jean-tx1fl]

That looked EXACTLY like my dirt! I dug it up and added some organic material (and some water), but it didn’t work well….plants fail to thrive (I have mostly raised beds). Can’t wait to try your technique! Thanks!

[@Tommen1957]

Thanks for the video. What if you just left the water running for some time and let gravitation take care of it going deeper. Then turn around the soil.

[@amyhinojosa3308]

Thank you for sharing so many different ways to garden in your videos!

[@DivergingUnity]

I thought this video was very well done. Subscribed. The final watering after a ~1" layer of compost is added will release nutrients to the bacteria below and get the soil microbiome working again. Exiting to see what looks like a nice bed unfold. Everyone needs a cow for all that wonderful peat-free compost.

[@leahayes4644]

I use a kids shovel, the handle is shorter and therefore easier to use in small spaces.

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Greetings from Windermere, Florida zone 9b 🇺🇸 That was a terrific video. What a big difference 👏

[@eliakimjosephsophia4542]

What I have done with pots, is mix the soil after watering it with new soil. I'm hoping that will work to regenerate the soil. Also for the blueberry bush I can put some nitrogen feed into it too. I did mulch some of my container bushes, mini trees and herbs for overwintering, as they are still quite young, although I've found even after all of the rain we've had, the soil is quite dry due to the wood chips etc. Also I think the plants are drinking a lot more now as they are in growth season again.

[@BaltimoresBerzerker]

Oh! Guess what dude!?! I have my apple seeds germinated and growing very well. I used seed from Washington state Opal, jazz, and another I can't recall. Have about 7 plants. I'll be guerrilla growing them on the outskirts of a wooded area near residential neighborhood. They should get enough light, but far away enough from the edge of the wooded area as to not get mowed by someone. Looking forward to hearing about your progress!

[@HuwRichards]

Wow that is awesome!!! I will try and get my video out asap!

[@BaltimoresBerzerker]

@@HuwRichards thank you! Do what ya can man! Can't wait, always appreciated! Take it easy.

[@QueenQueenly]

Wonderful video

[@lookup5610]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGHdYnpsqMynh5Y

[@rosemacaskie]

You should look up sand barrels, used for cleaning water HTey are really interesting and everyone who goes to a disaster region to help should know about them. The first centimeters of sand in a sand barrel, two weeks after putting it in place, have a bacterial layer which makes a bacterial filter, Some microbs are feirce killers of other bacteria but don't harm us, for example lactic acids. If you dig you disturb the soil biology which is different at different depths. reading about sand barrels and water gardens help you understand the importance of bacteria in the soils. A sand barrel also works because the dark and cold, lower in the barrel also kill germs. The other factor in such a system is that the electro magnetic forces around each grain of sand can attract and hold onto impurities. Those who go to disaster areas should know how to make samd barrels and also how to dig drains that separate black waters from fresh waters. Also, if you put water into plastic bottles and put these on roofs or otherwise in sunlight, the water gets cleaned of pathalogical forces by the ultraviolet light in sunlight. That villages who are receiving an awful lot of help world wide are getting cholera two weeks after the disaster, is a disgrace, charities are receiving enough money from the whole world to pay local workers really well to dig ditches. One problem maybe that so many groups receive the money that all of tthem hope that the other group is dealing with the disaster area.

[@ms.d5195]

It's an industry. Lucrative funding that ends when the problem is solved, hence the problem never gets solved.

[@13c11a]

Great quick remediation. Thanks very much.

[@rebeccamckenzie5037]

Thanks for the video Huw! I have a lg. bed that's been baking in the sun all year (lg. bed but only 3 Hemlocks thus far) w/o mulch. I'm going to rejuvenate the soil here the same way as I'm sure any 'life' that was in the soil is probably fried now. Perfect timing! Love all your videos & insights, T Y.!!

[@lesliekendall5668]

"Mom! Daddy's taking my toys without asking again!" 😭

[@Fabio-tk7nt]

I prefer no-dig permy gardening though, which has to be built up over time and mulching for weeds.

[@lookup5610]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGHdYnpsqMynh5Y

[@oneoflokis]

Hmm. I like the tip with the kids' rake! 🙂

[@radharcanna]

Another great video Huw.

[@CAMDEC1217]

This is what the soil looks like in my greenhouse raised bed each spring. The greenhouse is closed up and not watered all winter making it VERY dry and pretty sterile from the heat all closed up for so long. Not even a worm left in it.