There is NO Alternative to Compost - Why Bagged Soil Should Not Be Used to Start A Garden

[@hiker1392]

You could help folks out who only have access to big box soils by giving advice on soil fortification until they can begin to make their own compost in amounts large enough to support their garden.

[@Karishin32]

He's an elitist twat.

[@earthisflat]

He has videos on that go watch

[@kinjunranger140]

@@Karishin32 Exactly what is an elitist twat?

[@mymewow]

I have to disagree with you on this one. I have used bagged soil with good success. Some is better than others and often varies within the same brand. If you can get a trailer, have a great source, then go for picking up soil in bulk. it. If you are limited to what you can get, do with what you can. Either way there is no guarantee of what you are going to get. I once used the compost supplied by the township. It killed my plants lord knows what they composted into it. I’ve used bagged soil that stunted the growth of my plants, possibly contaminated by pesticides probably in the manure it contained. I have also had great success with bagged soils that contained lots of shredded material and added organic matter along with potting soils containing lots of peat and pear lite. I usually get several different kinds, try to go for organic - not that it really means that it is - and combine them. The worms and good bacteria will find their way into your garden over time and you can supplement with your own compost and nutrients to continue to build the soil over time which you should do with any soil anyway. Don’t be discouraged from gardening if you have to use bagged soil, it’s not all garbage, and nature has a way of adapting.

[@greggdehner3078]

Haha LOL, that is what I just commented and then I read yours. Totally agree.

[@brettlessard2532]

I totally agree. I received triple mix from a local, well reputed landscaper (maybe I should have ordered all compost), and wow, I have never had such struggles with growing. Who knows. Going to add more organic matter next year

[@Bike_Lion]

@@brettlessard2532 - If there's forestland nearby, I'd recommend going out there and looking for old rotting logs. They're a great source of biomass to add to the soil!

[@triple-dumps4056]

This guy sound like bagged soil come from air . Haha. Use what’s available. If bagged soil doesnt have what u want, amend it, cover crops , etc... then use for next season.

[@Bike_Lion]

@@triple-dumps4056 - The point he's making though isn't some absolute "bagged soil is absolutely evil, and should never ever be used under any circumstance!" Rather, what he's saying, and what most gardening experts say, is that, when it comes to filling large outdoor beds, most people have better quality and cheaper options than bagged soil.

[@rivrrrat319]

Thanks for this explanation, it’s helpful on my gardening journey. Respectfully, however, you have a lot of new gardeners, like myself, following you, and if I thought I had to rent a trailer and find a farm before even starting to grow something, I wouldn’t have started at all. Your other vids, however, did inspire me to try gardening this year and I’m enjoying a massive crop of tomatoes because of that (grown from bagged soil and good fertilizer). So for some of us it’s a good starting point.

[@indegruv]

Start composting with cardboard and grass clippings, if you have that kind of grass space. You can always get some rabbits or even use compost tea products to help get the best mix you can. Search around the tube, lots of good ideas around!

[@mom2two944]

I agree! This is very discouraging for me. I don’t have access to a trailer or truck and if that is the only way to do a garden I should give up now! 😭

[@messybeautifulmotherhood645]

Same!! 😣

[@jbonkerz]

Yeah of I had thought I needed to get a trailer to haul compost I never would have started this adventure in to gardening. I did start with bagged soil and it has quite a bit of plant matter (sticks and roots) mixed in. I have been using fertilizer on my plants and so far this year I have grown tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, cayenne, potatoes, and basil. I am definitely going to use this new information and begin looking in to starting my own compost pile rather than giving it to the town every week.

[@nenemaria-cornfieldsgarden]

I agree. For people with small gardens and not needing literal tonnes of compost, or that don't have access to local farms, or many other reasons you can't get a truck full of manure dumped on your drive, it's really discouraging to be told that you're doing it wrong and compost is the only way. I'm not sure the differences in the US to the UK but here we can buy a wide range of bagged compost, soil and farm manure from the garden centres at different price points and quality. We can't generally just pop to a farm and buy tonnes of compost. Do the best you can with what you have and what you can afford. I don't drive, have a small garden and have grown successfully with bagged compost, amended yearly with bought in chicken manure pellets and worm castings (I don't have room to make compost heaps), organic feeds as needed and do the no dig method letting my soil thrive. It's full of worms and my veg grows great. I also use tomato compost grow bags every year (do they have those in the US?) that work great, you just cut a hole in it and pop your tomato in, couldn't be easier especially for small spaces. If buying a few bags of store bought compost (I wouldn't use topsoil for growing veg for the reasons stated) gets you planting something then go for it, you can always research and upgrade if resources allow.

[@spoolsandbobbins]

With our first big gardens we drove around every week and picked up several hundred bags of yard waste. We dumped them along with our greens leftovers in big piles right where we wanted to make our beds. We only turned them each a few times then raked them flat and dumped bagged soil plus manures on top. We left them over winter, covered and had the best soil this year. It was a ton of work but worth it! This was our homeschooling project and we’ve learned so much!!

[@h.s.6269]

That's awesome as a homeschooling experiment! And a lot of work. I did a similar thing to get enough wood to layer the bottom half of my new garden beds (30" tall) and it was exhausting.

[@urbangardenproject]

The reason we had to resort to bagged soil is we are in the city and the local companies that sell compost requires you to pick it up in a truck. We don't have one and during a pandemic, we couldn't ask a friend to come help. I've started a compost but it won't be ready for several months. We still spent close to $300 on a basic soil.

[@cindy99toker]

Bagged products can be a good start, but if you don't feed it every year, you're going to fail. There are many great things you can add to bagged soils to make it great until you have your own compost.

[@michaelciletti3810]

Gotta be careful these days even with multi-year rotted manures. They are treating a lot of pastureland with chemicals that end up in animal manures. There are some decent quality products sold in bags, not cheap necessarily, but good for an urbanite with a couple raised beds. I love your channel for its positivity. I am wary though of greeting new gardeners with lists of "nevers...." that make them scared to go get things planted. Learned to grow in Jackson, MI, now in Kentucky Lifelong MI Gardener fan!

[@Jwolgast1121]

Michael, I feel the same way. We have a local dirt pile that is actually pure composted material but I know that the grass clippings and leaves that were put in there were treated with chemicals and so I feel like I can use it.

[@chrisludolph348]

agreed.

[@angelsinthecloset8714]

I started with bagged soil.. no choice really being in Mississauga Ontario (Canada) it would take a drive of at least 3 hours round trip for me to get out of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) our cities are very spread out and sprawl in all directions. So, i am relegated to buying soil by the bag. There are some fantasic bagged soils by big named brands like Fox Farms, but the price point is outrageous. So, i am working on developing a mix, using bagged soils and home composte as well as adding things like vermiculite and spagnum moss for drainage. I guess i would say that there are great bagged soils available if the price isnt a concern, but thete are fantastic soil ammendments available to help you add the correct nutrients for the plants you want to grow! The great thing about container growing is the control. You have the ability to dail in the exact environment each plant will thrive in.

[@juliemoses1909]

Honestly, bagged manure comes from feedlots not pastures. It’s not full of herbicide but is salty because the cattle are feed salty food.

[@marich91]

This years is definitely Sunfloewers' year! I live in Belgium, Europe and my sunflowers that were supposed to grow max. 1,5m/5ft, are now more than 2,5m/8ft! And somebody I know in France has a 4m/13ft one, incredible!

[@brendanwylie2180]

*to start an outdoor garden. I learned the hard way this year that bringing soil from outside for my plants inside under lights was a recipe for lots and lots of pests. Don't know if this was brought up.

[@gloria9682]

You can say not to use bag soil, but I live in Southern California and my back yard is nothing but a big sandbox. I have no soil at all in my yard. I have to buy dirt and the only dirt in my area is in bagged dirt. Nothing grows here but cactus.

[@Take12music]

Our tap water is also chlorinated but it's what we have to work with. Just do your best! Don't let arbitrary rules dictate what you can and can't do

[@michellestauch2185]

Same, I'm in the Palm Springs area and it's just hard baked dirt. Anything from the store is better quality than my dirt.

[@Rob--]

Drive to the hills and dig up some dirt.

[@jin8339]

Gees, I am in FL and we have sand. Spending tons of money on bags is also wasted Bec of rain and excessive erosion and deplete all the nutrition.

[@Rob--]

@@CalliopeFlowerFarm so if someone buys part of the earth it's okay to dig it up, but you can't dig if you didn't buy it because it's fragile? that's the logic i'm hearing.

[@LadyDewinter]

"I dont know many places..." and I have to say, you aint never been to middle Georgia have you...LOL. Oh we have a few of those places...but they ONLY sell by the tons, and I have only a small car. Tree place too only sells by the dump truck...you cant just go and get a what is considered a small amount (anything less then a dump truck full). So I buy bagged soil and amend it with some compost I make from leaves and kitchen scraps. I really suggest you do some more research...its not as easy to get compost or tree shavings as they are called here.

[@theresadiaz7716]

Now I have a local composting facility that will deliver up to 8 cubic yards of compost for $89 on top of the cost of the compost, to my house. You can also go there and pick up by the bag or pickup load. It's a real bargain. They even have several different options to pick from. However, 20 years ago I used bagged soil to remake my front lawn into a cottage garden. What I did was lay several layers of cardboard but because I was poor and composted steer manure was cheap, I mixed the bagged soil with equal amounts of manure. I was influenced by reading John Jevons' book on bio-intensive gardening, he mentioned that French bio-intensive market gardeners planted in 18 inches of horse manure. At the time I had no access to horse manure. I didn't want to double dig but I had read Ruth Stout's book so I also did buried whatever vegetable matter I could. From what you are saying I was lucky, or the quality of bagged soil has degraded but my garden was full of worms. I sold that house and the new owners put in a lawn but that is another story.

[@karenparra9768]

How do you know if the compost that you're getting doesn't have pesticides on it from somebody's yard where they had sprayed their yard or something and got the leaves and stuff grass clippings things like that how can you be guaranteed that you're not bringing that to your garden

[@tanarehbein7768]

One way to know if there are any negatives including pestasides that will affect plants is to go get a 5gal bucket of it and plant a squash in it ( any kind). Evaluate it's performance: growth rate, leaf color, and fruit size, taste, etc. Then decide if the compost has deficiencies or if the source is worth using.

[@CaptFoster5]

My first sunflower is roughly 5 1/2 feet tall and just now starting to show signs of going to flower ... it is quite interesting watching the minor changes week to week ...

[@carriejo9759]

You made me laugh so hard when you said you might have to drive 5 or 10 minutes to get to good soil! Lol we drive much further if our compost bins are bare! It take more than 10 minutes to get to the freeway and we live in a MAJOR city!

[@urbangardenproject]

I'm in Houston, we're 30 minutes from the freeway. Lol

[@beverlyshavey6503]

He is what, 25..., he's trying. Cut him some slack😂. We are all still learning in life here. Keep going kid!!!

[@carriejo9759]

@@urbangardenproject lol Houston too! 25 minutes to a frwy!

[@carriejo9759]

@@beverlyshavey6503 I was not picking on him. Love watching him. Just thought it was funny when it takes so much longer to get anywhere in Houston!

[@beverlyshavey6503]

@@carriejo9759 Yeay! I am glad of that!!! Be kind y'all!

[@itsrewiquintal]

I filled my first ever raised bed with the cheapest top soil and compost i could buy. 25 bags in total! My plants are growing great. But I did add dried egg shells, vege scraps, bone meal and potash worked into the soil. Way too expensive. My 2nd ever raised bed, i added free soil off facebook and added the same fertilisers. Again great results. I just need to add some worms for good measure. Ammendments were key for me!

[@siobhandetwiler4869]

Don't know what the bagged compost quality is like in US but here in UK, the bagged compost seems to work well, for my first ever season of getting into gardening, I didn't already have my own compost heap (which I do now) to use, so I bought bagged manure, mixed it with compost, added some fish blood and bone and I have had fantastic results, I have had lots of courgettes, squash, peas, runner beans, lettuces, peppers, tomatoes ect ect.. My nasturtiums and dahlias are doing well. And that is with a the above mix. It's not perfect but it's a start. This video was garbage because it seems to shun beginners who don't have access to a truck or trailer, or farms. Here in the UK, the farms around here don't sell compost. I think this video comes across wrongly that you can only be a gardener if you are privileged enough to own a truck and a trailer to go get compost from farms. I have had great results, and I know fine well I can only really get one season out of this compost, but don't shoot it down completely 😬🙄

[@TheVCRTimeMachine]

Hmmm....Never had trouble with bagged soil or compost. I've done both.

[@dom150]

Same my plants are gery healthy and productive

[@graceatbaker]

Is it aged? Can I mix into soil and plant immediately? I’m trying to revive a dead raised bed full of clay soil. I’ve dug out as much as I could into boxes and a garbage can, and I am trying to “hugelkulture” it with old branches trimmed off shrubs and trees a year ago, and a few buckets of bokashi. I’m thinking of adding coconut coir and bagged worm castings to try to get the structure started. But I need to add in some immediate nutrients for the top layer to plant my fall/winter crops (first year trying a late season sowing).

[@amyleeiver]

@@graceatbaker oh it's aged, and mighty

[@UnderdogWarrior]

These guys like to overcomplicate everything. Gotta add some special ash or crushed stone produced by fossilized worm castings. Otherwise your fertility will fall short and production will be pitiful. Hope that helps see you next time!

[@sudburyrentalz7804]

graceatbaker .

[@MrEzekiel1982]

If you mow your lawn you can make compost. Make a pile of the grass clippings. Put your food scraps in the middle of the pile. Turn frequently to add oxygen

[@h.s.6269]

Need brown materials like leaves or paper if you want it to be a hot compost pile. With cold compost you don't need to worry about balance though.

[@MrEzekiel1982]

@@h.s.6269 I find this to be a popular misconception. cold is not the same as anaerboic. grass will heat up like crazy if left in a pile. I have recorded it above 160 Fahrenheit. It does help to mix in older grass that has lost its nitrogen. otherwise you are really fermenting the food rather than what most would term "hot compost" (aerobic)

[@DanCooper404]

I filled my raised beds with the free leaf compost from the town. I mixed in a bag of cow manure from a local Dairy Farm and a little organic fertilizer. I then used the town's free mulch on top. My garden is doing phenomenally. My cost: $10 for each 4'×12' bed. It would have been less if I didn't add that fertilizer, but it had a good amount of calcium in it, so in it went.

[@jam_is_jammin]

Ask around at work. I'm going to pick up two large bags of antibiotic-free manure from my co-workers brother's ranch. Also, in the Fall, I'm planning to go to a nearby park to pick up leaves. It will be slow-going for a while, but at the end of every season I can compost everything I grew after I harvest. Also, I will grow a cover crop like sudangrass or winter rye. Then turn it into my soil to build it up. I just learned from HOSS that sunflowers detoxify your soil. If you think you have a pesticide problem, grow a cover crop of sunflowers to heal your garden situation.

[@mashal8915]

How about mushroom compost,can I mix mushrooms compost with potting mix for example 75% mushroom compost and 25%potting mix. Thank you for your great videos

[@matth1153]

I built 2 raised beds this year using a mixture of store bought top soil, garden soil, manure compost and peat moss. I planted 14 tomato plants in 1 bed which I harvested 38 off of 4 determinate plants and there's more coming, the other 10 indeterminate plants harvesting off of since 7/4, pretty good for being zone 4, using bagged soiled and being a beginner gardener.

[@tracyk3567]

matt h -I did the same thing. Lots and lots of tomatoes, but everything else is slow. And very green plants but not very big veggies.

[@anonymousunknown8243]

I appreciate your candid teaching on soil and compost. I will structure my garden plan better because of your insight. You have wonderful advice to go find it no matter where you live. Thank you for this information.

[@txranchmom]

My first batch of compost is almost ready!!!

[@michaelmarchione3408]

Our main ingredient is rabbit manure from our rabbits. I make long hills in the spring and let the rains wash out the acidic urine. refill the raised beds in the fall and let the rain and snow do the same. Rabbit manure is a cold manure and does contain calcium from the urine and nitrogen from the feed,. We just started a compost bin this summer for the future. Composting is a great way to amend the soil. Thanks for the video!

[@KaribeCuebas]

I grow vegetables in containers so I don't have much of a choice. However, I began raising red wiggler worms and so I use worm castings and worm tea to amend my container soil. It has worked pretty good so far. I also make my own potting mix and seed starter mix. Oh yeah, I use bagged compost and amend it as needed with worm castings.

[@garycarraigeacha8794]

Mix some wood chips and peat moss in it?

[@KaribeCuebas]

@@garycarraigeacha8794 yes, i mix peat moss. I use 1/3 each peat moss, perlite, and worm castings potting and I add a bit of bagged compost (contains wood chips). Still working it out but my plants seem to be doing great. I'm new at this...just started last november.

[@MIgardener]

growing in containers is a whole different story to growing in raised beds 48 square feet each. You are fine using bagged soil for containers.

[@timgora9116]

Shout out to those who lost everything in their garden from hurricane/tropical storm Isaias! Still plenty of time to grow something for most of us!

[@Audio017]

Depending on where you live you can get locally sourced topsoil that is never bagged but brought from site to place of sale. That was what I bought this year, and granted it wasn't as cheap as the cheapest dirt bags you can buy, it did however still have worms and insects in it. Not implying this is amazing and doesn't have its own downsides, but I am pretty sure living worms in the soil is a far cry from totally dead bagged soil.

[@michaelmarchione3408]

We did the same and then mixed in our rabbits' manure. The fish worms will break it down.

[@1AcreHomestead]

If someone hasn’t mentioned this…that is a Reishi mushroom.

[@dangcity1061]

"take a trip outside the city... it requires having to drive, 5 to 10 minutes", first time I'm aware of you being wrong

[@richards5110]

The nearest municipal source I can easily access is 30 minutes away at least, and *I* feel like *I'M* lucky with that timing

[@dangcity1061]

@@richards5110 I live in the middle of my city, I don't even own a car. I found a community garden pretty close by that trucks in compost and they are pretty generous if I donate, but if it weren't for them I have no idea how I'd get any

[@angelsinthecloset8714]

Your composting videos have really inspired me. I have started a composte on my balcony. But because of where im living, my neighbors werent pleased with the odors. But i have started laying it out on a tarp 3 times a week to aerate it and its helped immensely! I think i am going to cut some ventalation into the sides of my containers (just using plastic garbage bins) but i doubt it will work as well as spreading it out a few times a week. I also found some grass cuttings my nieghbor had in a bin outside all year and it was composting itself (so hot i needed gloves to handle it). I took about a full cubic meter and it has been the catalyst for my compost. Its working better than ever!! Thanks so much for everything you have taught me!!

[@repeatpenguin]

I'd love your advice on maximizing your own compost for people who live in cities. I live in San Francisco. We have plenty of facilities where we can pick up compost and mulch, or even have it delivered (for a hefty fee). This is a huge barrier for many aspiring urban gardeners, many of whom do not have cars and want to avoid spending money on renting vehicles. I have a system for home composting. It's far from ideal. I'd really like to maximize my own ability to compost, with the limited space I have. I know you've done a ton of videos on composting and it would be really great to get your thoughts on composting for maximum output, when all you have is a balcony or fire escape. As always, thanks for all the great content!

[@crescentgarden6819]

Cantaloupes won't get any riper when left on the counter, they might get a bit softer but the sweetness is determined from the time it separates from the plant. That being said, the weight from them hanging will separate them before they fully develop their max flavors, and also from so high I fear they might break when they fall. Just a heads up. Support them so they can stay attached for longer and develop further.

[@jjod4858]

Your videos are excellent. I have learned a lot from your knowledge. Keep up the good work.

[@tunnelrabbit4293]

Excellent as usual. This is my first real year gardening. I attribute the success to all the help found on the net, and in particular, this channel.

[@heidiclark6612]

You should use old nylon stockings as slings for the cantaloupe so they don't get to heavy and falloff the vine

[@demetriusthompson2362]

I'm sure he has plenty of old stockings lying around

[@KarinaHein]

He has a wife... Sooo 😂😂😂😂😂

[@rhondacharlett8216]

@Heidi Clark - I use old pantyhose as well to support my melons. @Stettafire - old pieces of t-shirts would do okay also. Lots of other stuff would work as long as it has stretch and breath-ability to it. Happy gardening!

[@michaelvittori8525]

You can also use tulle fabric to wrap your cantaloupes and small watermelons. It's very inexpensive, and strong enough to do the job.

[@KarinaHein]

@@Stettafire im sorry Tha you are alergic but i was a joke about he had a wife 😂😂 😂😂 nothing Else 😉

[@susanlindahl4802]

This is about learning and growing as a gardener. My current soil conditions are decent but I'm striving to reach "best." Just purchsed a composter to help me get there. Now I have to learn how to properly make compost.

[@drusillawinters212]

When I was a kid, my grandfather had a sunflower that was as tall as his two story house. It grew from the seed that the birds dropped from the ones he put out in the winter.

[@John2010india]

100 agree with what you have said about buying garden soil from standard shops vs using organic natural fertilizer such as cow, sheep, horse, poultry manures, leaves, etc from the right place. I have been searching and finding neighbourhoods for these around my town even I drive up to regional areas for this. Downside to my place is I don't have much land for going gardening

[@mauricebergevin8337]

On of the reasons that bagged soil or compost is devoid of nutriments and life is that the bags are airtight, piles up one on top of another, exposed to sunshine hence overheating and killing 3 elements needed for good soil: air, moisture and bacteria.

[@Chasonek]

I wish I would have known this earlier this year. I spent too much for a lot of bags of so called garden soil, that turned out to be a lot of wood chips. I spent a lot of time to get all the rocks and bigger chunks out of my garden and now I ended up putting it back in. I planted many plants and seeds and the germination rate is about 50 percent. Out of 60 plants, only 15 are still alive. Out of the seeds that have popped up 20 percent have died. And the worst part is the garden is doing worse then it has ever did since I started growing a garden. So stay away from bagged products from ..........., it is garbage.

[@montanaliving4769]

I buy bagged compost. Read the ingredients first. There are a few brand names which are good but we have a local brand we use.

[@chronos401]

As long as this dead soil isn't contaminated with toxins, you can revive it by adding organic matter. Young plants and their roots decompose usually within two weeks. Older plants take longer, but you can make a tea compost pretty quickly with them. Put some weeds, grass, or whatever in a container and fill it with water. Cover the container. Wait about a week. It will smell horrible, but the liquid inside is rich in nutrients from the partially rotted plants. Dilute this 10 parts water to 1 part rotten liquid before watering your plants with it. Some people bury their food scraps right in their gardens. One guy I saw likes to bury broken eggs in his. Wouldn't recommend animal products other than eggs to avoid attracting rodents and other small animal pests. Stop wasting time and start putting nutrients back into this soil. Bring life back to it. You can do this.

[@xiaominiu9015]

Tom M I just learned the compost tea method. Exactly like what you shared. I will definitely do it today and next week I will have ready to use liquid fertilizer to feed my garden.

[@kamadogrove]

I had no idea you were that tall. Raised beds! Great advice, Luke, as always.

[@RedScareClair]

Same

[@ranchdressing1037]

I soup my laid bagged soil up with fish and kelp weekly and with bone and blood meals, and magnesium soil enhancer.

[@samartinez1988]

Sunflowers always remind me of my Kansas childhood.

[@nicolemarie6112]

Thank you Luke for sharing this information. You’ve helped me think of other options for compost and I never realized how many resources are located around me. This video truly helped me regardless of what some others may comment. Keep doing what your doing!!!

[@joesqudy]

Also, you stated what to look out for in bed soil, but you neglected to inform us about what is in good soil and what kind of nutrients are involved. Thank you so much Luke 🙏🏽❌⭕️♥️

[@amandamcdonald1327]

This was so enlightening and helpful. I've always bought compost and thought the poor yields were caused by the nearby trees taking the nutrients. I'm going to try finding a local farmer with composted manure next year and get it delivered. Thanks so much for this info! Now to wait until the next growing season!

[@bethsands7665]

Is your spectacular Sunflower ...one plant ? Yes, I have one just like it and I counted 50 heads !!! Impressive indeed. In my case, he was a volunteer from the previous year but was in a shady spot. I dug him up, and had to cut off his center stock one foot from the ground. I planted him in a good spot in rich garden/ground soil ...and he grew 8' tall ! When I cut the center stock, he grew a left and right stock and kept growing. Some of my other volunteers got to 12' tall and most have multiple heads which is exciting !

[@scottaloha8543]

Thanks for the information. So far, I'm doing all right with bagged soil in my raised bed buti know it's a matter of time before the soil is depleted! I have a small compost and my worm bin going...all i can say is, "hurry up, microbes!" I can't wait to get that organic material in there.

[@kjveslum]

Hmm... I think this can vary. In my garden, the soil is mostly silt and rocks. Ive been buying bagged soil (mostly peat) and tilling into my soil for the last 3 years, along with some non-organic NPK fertilizer. And I have to say my soil is improving every year. Not to the point of being perfect, but a long way from the silt I started with, that would set like concrete when drying out. And also, despite (?) my fertilizer and tilling, the amount of earthworms has exploded. I also have to brag that the fertility and growth in my garden astonishes most people who visit. My guess would be that the bagged peat Im adding complements the silty soil to make a good combination. (And yes, I live in the country where artificial fertilizer was invented! :D )

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

Lol... if you live in a major city, its allot more than an extra 10 minutes to get out of the city. Here in the Chicago area, you can drive a hour and still be in an urban environment. I live out a ways and have places with horses nearby and places that have bulk compost made from cow manure. Even for me, to find a farm with cows would probably be another hour away. Part of the solution should include making compost at home. It might not be enough for all your needs but it helps.

[@countrymonkOSB]

Thanks for the information, Luke! This has inspired me to go out and work more with my two compost bins and to trust less on bagged soil. Probably will end up costing me a heck of a lot less, too! I was totally not motivated to get out to the garden this afternoon, and this just gave me the "missing mojo!"

[@j.b.6855]

I love my tree lined suburban town, last year I got about 15 large compressed bags of leaves. I built a few compost bins behind the garage and with the leaves, grass clippings, weeds I have to trim, kitchen scraps and time compost happens.I do mainly container gardening in sip's so I had to start with potting soil, which I soon learned to mix myself because of cost. But every year they will get compost from now on to improve the soil in the sip's.

[@donnareed3636]

I have learned so much from you. Some stuff my mother taught me, but she's past now. I had a sunflower grow passed our front window ,passed our gutters.

[@The1stChristgrl]

Cheryl Morgner here from VA: I was just remarking about my own soil predicament on Hoss Tools’ Row By Row Show last night. Finances have been definitely an issue for my family. And our soil isn’t healthy enough to product adequate food for the 8 people living on our family property. And though it’s small for this many people (less than an acre), it’s still expensive to even bring bulk compost in for our many gardens. The pests are killing more plants than we can salvage to keep for food. The weds are vicious and you CANNOT keep them at bay with only about 3-4 of us even about to do that kind of work or for us to have time from work to get it done. It’s literally a jungle right now trying to harvest potatoes and plant a fall garden. We live in a more remote residential area and have to daily drive at least 25 minute any direction to go to work or get groceries or anything. And if we can’t get what we need there, it’s much further to find something useable. And now none of my family members have a truck and people are keeping to themselves and not offering to help haul things for people when asked if they are available because of COVID. It become a catch 22 for us. And it’s very financially difficult for us to prep gardens because funds have to go in other places during those times. Knowing that soil needs time to do what it does. Not sure at all what to do about any of it.

[@Lukaidrawinggod]

I just found out a nearby local dairy sells compost, manure, and their own raised bed mix for cheap. Look there instead of big box store. I’m going there next year to add to my homemade compost.

[@richards5110]

Just watch out for persistent herbicide use in cows hay or pasture. Pays to ask about it because those chemicals can mess up your garden for years. Trade names are Grazon, milestone, etc

[@amandadudziak9023]

Great video!! Really good information.That sunflower is absolutely amazing 🌻❤️. Love your channel, I’ve been a fan for years and swear by trifecta plus! Thanks for helping me make my garden what it is!

[@thereserioux2178]

Now I understand why I hardly see any worms in my garden. The soil also doesn't retain water. How about sheep, shrimp or chicken manure sold in bags . Is it lifeless too? When should I add composted leaves and shredded branches in the fall or spring? Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. It's most helpful.

[@reclypes6296]

I love your tips! I add organic matter to my potting soil. It is by no way a quick fix but having larger sized branches in the bottom decomposing, along w my rock trench for water drainage, w peat moss under it will make for a great yield next year. I also black bag all of my trees leaves and add distilled water for next years mulch soil additive; along w ground egg shells and gypsum.

[@EventHorizon34]

In years past , when my dad was living we would get gin trash from ginned cotton. But because all the local gins have closed its hard to find. It was the best organic matter we ever used! Everything grew like crazy with it! Composted grass clippings and leaves work great too. I'm glad you told me about bagged compost or soils too. Going to stop buying them.

[@jimoyler1780]

I have been feeding my plants some Trifecta Plus and Pete Moss! Works great so far.

[@patriciafennell1005]

I just watched your gardening methods video and found it very interesting. I do have some follow up questions.... 1) Core gardening...it seems you bury the rotted hay bales in your raised beds...a) is this correct? b) If so, do you do it in the same beds year after year or is there a resting period? c) Again, if so, how does this mesh with your philosophy of not disturbing the microcosm of the soil by digging. I assume here the benefits far outweigh the negatives, but please clarify. 2) Are all these questions answered in your book? (which I will be buying regardless!) Thank you for all the videos & tips! I find them all informative & helpful, keep 'em coming!

[@Nora4972]

Good video, Luke. I have four large compost bins made of pallets. I go to a local horse ranch to get manure, buy bales of straw locally and use grass from my lawn, along with table scraps. I also started several small worm farms three years ago for worm castings and worm tea.

[@h.s.6269]

Sounds like an ideal setup you got rolling! I just have a dual chamber (40g each) tumbler.

[@MD-ki7qw]

I bought sunflowers seeds from you this year and my sunflowers grew above my small house amazing how plants can grow!!

[@suzannahharris8007]

This has been my big compost year! I worried that it was too "lumpy" but it smells great and it's all brown except for some small pieces of straw. My plants are the best this year. I love composting! It's so rewarding.

[@clarissamiles]

We have the same situation with our sunflowers! They are that tall to and ours have just began to flower too!

[@laurielyon1892]

My oldest raised bed we did find someone with dirt that I was able to use but I had to use the top soil for the other two. When things are done growing I hope to find someone as you said that has dirt/compost that I can put on top of them and mix in so that it will be better next season.

[@adamparis4080]

I just made my first raised bed mainly because my in my backyard the weeds have had the run of the place on and off for decades. Four by eight by 24 inches tall. I mainly used the "raised bed mix" but it went on top of about a foot of aged persimmon tree logs. I mixed in 1 cu ft of steer manure for every 2 cu ft of raised bed mix. Added perlite, vermiculite, alfalfa meal, neem seed meal(fungus gnats like crazy here), granular mycorrhizal inoculant, and bio char. I have covered it with an inch or so of mulch from a chipped lemon tree. I'm hoping that will be enough organic material to start. I'll be transplanting some lettuce, radishes, basil, peppers, tomatoes, onions, dill, and mustard greens. Hopefully they do well enough. In the meantime I will be turning the 17 cu yards of that lemon tree I got thru chipdrop lol

[@journey2asimplelife]

Thank you Luke for this! Perfect timing for me!

[@kele1264]

2:32 That sunflower, with all those blooms, never saw anything like it. It's beyond beautiful. You knew what a lot of us were going to ask - what variety, do you sell the seeds. Is it too forward to as if you'll be saving the seeds from this plant, and selling them? I'd love to buy two packets - one for me and one for my neighbor who grows sunflowers and would appreciate it on many levels. Your plant is truly stunning!

[@FeelingPeculiar]

Be careful getting tree matter/trimmings/soil etc from other places around town. Many of those have had pesticides applied to them. I would not do that. You can still compost yourself even if you're in an urban environment.

[@FeelingPeculiar]

@@CalliopeFlowerFarm You should check out the book, I think it's called "compost everything". You can do a lot with just a balcony.

[@lukelints9776]

Hey Luke, Luke Lints here from Traverse City Michigan. I run something called the soil initiative project and my motivation is to help people restore their topsoil from home in a healthy way. I notice your garden bed does not contain any wood chips like your walkway does, and if you put wood chips into your garden bed you would rarely have to water and your soil (even if it was store bought) would be restored over time. The wood chips have to be from the branches and leaves from trees, keep away from pine. I have started my own worm farm and I plan on getting it to millions strong, that is part of the soil initiative project and I am proud to of started it. Wood chips are the key to restoring soil, even with heavy amounts of clay etc.

[@organictroll]

There is a landscaping company where I live in Kentucky that sells compost that isn’t bagged unless you ask them to bag it for you. I started thinking halfway through this season that that is probably a big part of my problem. I think I will use what I have now to fill holes in the yard when my poorly producing garden is done.

[@beverlydanahy6964]

Pre-dug holes in your garden--Wow, what a gift. Just drop your kitchen waste into them and over with a shovel of dirt, compost or quality bagged stuff.

[@Nan-Elle]

I currently have a cantaloupe plant, which already produced a good sized melon, and many smaller melons on the vine; and I DIDN"T plant it! It was in next to my pepper plants. So, sometimes being able to grow something is beyond our attempts. They just show up, and grow to be healthy! I do know that after this season, I will save the seeds from this volunteer plant.

[@propyro1156]

I couldn`t agree more, I started out with cheap bagged soil that could barley fill a single raised bed and over a single summer it lost half its volume in size and started looking like a desert. The only thing that fixed it and could hold up was rich homemade compost I made in the suburbs. Compost made gardening easy and cheap for me, plus its just environmentally beneficial.

[@jenperry427]

Wow, this is a super discouraging video for anyone just starting out. Rent a trailer and drive out of your city? Really?

[@jtalias]

I don’t think Luke realizes that out of Good, Better, Best, what he describes is Best to strive for. But for most home gardeners who don’t garden for a living, Good or Better has to be good enough. While I know he’s trying to be helpful, it comes off as Garden Snobby.

[@MIgardener]

or go to the store and spend 10 times the amount for something less quality only to regret it by next year. I mean, it depends on what discourages you. Putting in the effort, or not being able to cut corners.

[@stephenl9381]

I’ve been told that I need to have my soil tested, but lazy. Live next to a forest on 2 sides of me but too lazy to build a 15’ bridge to get my utility trailer across. Compost everywhere, but too lazy to rake it up. Why? Because I’ve done it in years past without any real results except growing pines, oaks, azaleas and gardenias. Heavy clay soil topped with tons of compost that has never been tilled or had chemicals on it is what I work with. But now that I want to grow some food, my first attempt just fed the deer, rabbits and moles. What would you do first? Just start killing everything that walks, hops, and burrows; then build a fence that goes down into the ground a foot or two then goes up 8 feet? Then plow, poison the moles and everything else or just buy my veggies and fruit, learn to skin deer, and rabbits and save $ on my meat costs? I can’t see how else I can be friends with nature and farm and have anything left for my family and be able to save a dime. Anyone have a logical answer? I have 2 acres and plenty of sunshine as I live in southern Louisiana.

[@pocasanchez]

@@stephenl9381 a fence would be key, there are solutions to all "pests" including moles, birds, deer, insects etc. I didnt even attempt to start a garden until I could get a cheap fence up bc I knew it would be a lost cause without one. But also, free local organic meat isn't a bad thing either!

[@pocasanchez]

@@stephenl9381 I also highly recommend trellising, especially with cattle panels! It helps tremendously with keeping your crops away from pests, air flow, space, your back, moisture and dirt on fruits, rotting, sun exposure etc. Just like MI gardener has learned and said, every time you take a shortcut, you end up paying for it 10 fold. It wasnt fun to build a fence, but it was a critical piece to a successful garden. We have to think long term. My first garden was the smallest yet most difficult and least successful bc I took shortcuts and was learning. Every year it gets bigger, yet easier and more successful bc now I understand the long term consequences/benefits of every little choice I make. Some things may seem like the harder/more expensive choice now, but in the long run it actually saves you money, time, frustration and your garden!

[@lockwoan01]

One possibility is to look for a horseback-riding place, especially a non-for-profit type of place (but others might also work), like this one place I go to. The place I go to takes the horse manure and soiled bedding (sawdust/straw/hay), and puts it in a pile to age for about a year, bag it up, and sell it for $5 per 30-40 pound bag. Helps care for the upkeep of the place, and you get decent compost (only issue I've had are some rubber pieces from their indoor riding arena getting into the mix, but that's a relatively minor detail.)

[@A-LineDanceVideos]

Just be aware that those horses cán most likely be given antibiotics / medications and dozens of non organic supplements what wíll also end up in that compost. Not to mention the pesticides on their hay and other food.

[@lockwoan01]

@@A-LineDanceVideos Given that said manure sits for a year, odds are that the majority of that stuff has broken down.

[@A-LineDanceVideos]

@@lockwoan01 I hope so for you, but just be aware. And mostly, some of that will not break down and can possibly affect your garden. Just be aware and careful if you don't know what's in it.

[@lockwoan01]

@@A-LineDanceVideos Well, sometimes folks over-exaggerate certain dangers, and let worry run their lives. Me, I at least try to live life as best as I can.

[@alexanderofrhodes9622]

I just started composting, and filled my first bed with bagged soil + filler. Planted Alyssum as a ground cover so once it dies off it'll provide some good material. Compost incoming soon

[@Benn61]

@Amy Sternheim It is indeed much better to make compost rather than pay to lift lead up and down at the gym :)

[@graceatbaker]

I’m digging dead solid clay out of a dead garden bed as my home workout. The downside is I feel like I still need to wear a mask because of all the dust.

[@willdwyer6782]

Most of the bagged soil I've seen IS compost. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." - Romeo and Juliet, act II, scene II

[@j.b.6855]

The worst bags are "Garden Soil", its mostly bits of wood with a little peat. As the wood decomposes it robs the soil of nitrogen. Since thats a major nutrient your plants need, using it is a disaster.

[@RandomNickCanada]

This is great advice for what not to do for people, like myself, who wants to produce local made vermicompost and regular compost. Thanks. I now know what to avoid to make a great product.

[@Delendrose]

Yep, I made this exact mistake firing up six new raised beds. My tranplants lasted five weeks before seeing color loss and stunted growth. Top dressed all the beds with live compost and everything perked up in two weeks.

[@kenstreck]

This was great and thanks so much. I have had reasonable success with my raised beds having committed all of the mistakes you have mentioned. I plan to remove all/most of the soil this fall, but wasn't sure where to go from there. We are in NH and the soil is very dense and full of clay.

[@richards5110]

if you have had reasonable success, why remove the soil? Amend with additional compost and other inputs and you should continue to have that success

[@gardencookeat22]

You just made me very very sad. I dont have a truck or time and a fear of strangers, to go look for good dirt :( When I buy my bags i add my own compost and a lot of prayer. I have 8 cantaloupes tho.

[@gardencookeat22]

@@CalliopeFlowerFarm Thank You!!

[@MIgardener]

Olivia, you are fine then. You are adding your own compost. Using bagged soil isn’t the issue. It’s the lack of organic matter that is, so when you use your own you fix that problem.

[@theoverworkedgardener5648]

About Campos from a nursery nearby and I mix my compost with it that I make because I can't make enough quite yet. And the ones that I actually mix the two together are doing the best.

[@WDWormsnGarden]

The cantaloupes look great. Their blossoms are absolutely gorgeous.

[@greggdehner3078]

I noticed a few posters saying that this video is a bit discouraging because Luke is strongly recommending that you potentially put in alot of work just to get your garden growing. I definitely understand that. Having said that, I would encourage anyone getting into gardening to get their knowledge and learning form more than one source. Luke is obviously very good at what he does. But I would also say that he has reached the "expert" level gardening stage, where he has learned from years of gardening what the BEST approach is to doing many things. The reality is that although other approaches may not be the "best", they definitely still work. Even though I have been gardening for many years now, I still use bagged compost simply because I cannot make enough for the size of my garden. I do have to apply more bagged compost each year. But over time I have also continued to enrich my soil with homemade compost, and I use alot of the MIGardener's Trifecta fertilizer. The key is that I got started with bagged materials because that is what I had, and then over time I am improving my soil as he recommends. Don't get discouraged!

[@ThirdCoastGardening]

I’m reading Teaming with Microbes. The last chapter I just read was all about compost. Very interesting.

[@denisemiller8620]

Great book☺️

[@kimmieRH05]

This is an alternative way to getting good composted dirt on a budget. We do at least 1-2 Straw bale beds every gardening season. We started using this method a few years back to extend our gardens growing capacity and add more beds but didn’t have money to buy composted dirt to fill them all. I’m in 7b so the bales usually only last from February until Fall. Further North you could get more than one season. In Fall we add all the bales(10-12) to our composted dirt from our containers at the end of the season cover with a tarp, mix it up every 2 weeks. They completely break down into dirt over winter adding at least 25%+ volume. Straw bales make a great inexpensive alternative to a having to find the right dirt or enough to fill 3 or more beds. Straw bale gardens can be also done on stone, concrete, or in the beds themselves.

[@chrisclyde4490]

I buy bagged soil and amend it with manure and dry amendments. Plus I add leaf mould and a little bit of compost. I would add more compost but I am waiting in it to break down.

[@mohsenashouri7533]

Hey Luke! Ok, I live in a country that Gardners really don't use these organic methods and so there is no composting facility because no one actually wants any. but I know that there are a lot of mushroom compost facilities around the city and I can get access to them. Can I use mushroom compost to fill up my raised beds or in general add to my garden soil in order to make it richer in quality? THANKS LOVE YA.

[@Me16768]

That little butterfly really wants some screen time

[@kwentworth1887]

Thats a rieshi mushroom!!! It has great medicinal uses if you dry them out!!! Looks perfect to pick right now too!!!

[@bluebug111]

I actually think the bigger issue is people not knowing how to fortify these soils and doing things that strip the soil of potential nutrients. One thing I see beginners doing at my community garden all the time is tearing up all their dead plants at the end of the season and throwing them in the compost bins. They should really leave some of that and turn it into the soil. Also alot of people dot mulch in any way, they just let the sun bake away at the soil.

[@inspirededucation8772]

A thing to mention would be that most cities have parks, cemeteries, school properties, that gets mowed, and leaf removal, most cities have a place where all that goes and if you are a member of the community it is a good chance you can get that yard waste for free or cheap. Try to find alternatives and ask for resources from community gardens. There are options out there. I do believe compost piles and bins, recycling the scraps and soils make the best grow medium.

[@bradleymorrison5100]

You have been an amazing help and inspiration to us. However, our garden has been destroyed by 3 year old cow manure. There is a lot of ranchers or whoever here in Wyoming spraying with herbicide that does not break down, aminopyrilite or something like that. It is in grazon or 2-4 d or other such herbicides. It is also in hay and straw. Due to lack of organic matter here in the desert grassland, we imported a lot of leaves, compost and mulch from sanitation district, cow and horse manure from ranchers and have had serious problems. Check and make sure your organic matter has not been exposed to herbicides or organic matter has diseased material in it. We are going to make our own compost from now on.

[@wildedibles819]

Nice video i believe your right :) Compost and great mulch Ive bought but only for pots cuz compost can get anarobic and wet in pots smelly ;)

[@HowToCuisine]

Can't wait to have my own garden! 😍

[@gardencookeat22]

1st time gardener. My blood pressure has lowered significantly. looking to get off meds this year!!

[@silverskyranch]

This seems to be the year for cantaloupes. I've been eating them for the past month, and got even more in various stages of growing on the vines. Nothing beats fresh chilled cantaloupe on a hot summer late afternoon! Also, back when I had horses, most of the boarding barns had signs out front that said "Free Manure, call for pick up appt". If there are any horse boarding barns in you area, just check to see if they allow people to take from the manure piles. Sometimes the far back ends of the piles have manure that's been sitting and breaking down for months.

[@Alobster1]

BEWARE of public compost that comes from your local compost site. I mixed this in with my soil this year for 7 of my 10 tomato plants and all 7 are severely deformed. Turns out there are herbicides that will stay in the soil for over a year that are used in lawns that ended up in this compost. Tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers are very sensitive to these herbicides. Fortunately my beets weren't harmed as badly.

[@DanCooper404]

That's what I used to fill my raised beds this year, and my tomatoes are growing so vigorously that I can't keep on top of tying the indeterminate ones up. A few are to the tops of my 8' stakes already, and the plants are buried a foot and a half deep. The determinate tomatoes are basically a jungle at this point. Some of the tomatoes I have coming are as big as my fist.

[@Alobster1]

@@DanCooper404 It's a gamble. There are 4 herbicides widely used that will persist in the compost for a long time. Clopyralid. picloram, aminocyclopyrachlor, and aminopyralid. I have spoke with other people who have had their gardens ruined also. www.compostingcouncil.org/page/persistent-herbicides-faq#1 This website has some information about herbicide persistence in compost.

[@laserlady9770]

I'm lucky to have a truck part of the year, but in my metropolitan area, horse manure can be found for free easily on Craigslist, and sometimes people offer delivery. Or find someone to get it for you, well worth the cost for cubic footage and quality imo -- Great Video!

[@h.s.6269]

Make sure it's aged manure or compost it yourself. The hot manure will burn any vegetation if you just put it right in.