These Habits Are Killing Your Soil Health

In this video, we talk about some common habits that can harm soil health. Natural soil is meant to be teaming with biological life, from microbes that help break down organic matter, to plant roots that prevent erosion. Learn what you can do to have the healthiest garden soil possible!
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Additional resources:
extension.oregonstate.edu/cat...
www.nrdc.org/stories/soil-ero...
csanr.wsu.edu/nitrogen-fertil...
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Timestamps:
0:00 What is healthy soil?
1:38 Habit 1
3:27 Habit 2
5:19 Habit 3
7:14 Habit 4
9:35 How to keep soil healthy
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🖥 geekygreenhouse.com
🌱 USDA Hardiness Zone: 6B
🌶 / peppergeek
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Thanks for watching Geeky Greenhouse!
#gardening #plants #vegetables

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

I have been growing in the same garden for over 25 years. I protect my soil over the winter with an annual application of homemade compost. I till or dig the compost into the root zone of my plants before planting in the spring. Over the years this treatment has turned my clay soil into lovely friable productive soil! Annual digging or tilling in compost has been fantastic for my soil and vegetables , I have decades of experience to prove it! It’s true that if you till multiple times a season you hurt the structure of your soil.

[@christopherjohnston6042]

I agree with you. I've been gardening for 58 years and basically was taught in kindergarten. " we grew a garden on the school grounds." Our class did radishes, and that's when it all started.

[@corn1971]

You can just apply compost to the surface and it will leech its beneficial properties into the soil below. Aerating the soil, or forking as he describes, and then applying compost top dressing so it falls into the holes will amend clay soils. Don’t need to til the compost into the soil.

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

@@corn1971 very slowly! I had one section of my garden that was in grapes for 15 years, every year I would add a layer of composted sheep manure to the grapes. When I decided to take out the grapes to use the space for more vegetables I was shocked that there was just a shallow layer of compost on top and the nasty unchanged clay right below! A few years of annually tilling in compost and that soil has really shaped up!

[@christopherjohnston6042]

@corn1971 Just because we do things differently than you doesn't mean it's wrong

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

@@christopherjohnston6042 That’s funny, I just saw there was another comment and I was planning a response just like the one you actually made! There are lots of ways that work, life would be boring if we were all exactly the same!

[@TheWickerShireProject]

Problem with many gardeners is being lazy with high expectations and zero soil preparation if the soil is poor. We have very very heavy clay that when exposed to the sun bakes dry like cement. On top of that is the soil is full and I mean FULL of stones. To combat this we invested in chickens and goats. Each year I recover an 18x18 foot area and go from 1/4 inch of natural black leaf mold ( leaves and weeds breaking down ) to 2 to 3 inches of thick organic manure rich soil that has wood shavings and hay broken down. Its a slow process with decent rewards for the effort to grow in that spot the following year after. Granted we cannot grow potatoes or carrots yet but, that will change in the following years as we repeat the process. Everything takes time. There are no instant fixes is the point of my post. You get what you put in.

[@catwithoutthehat]

For potatoes dig your trench deep, fill with hay put in your chits and cover with more hay, reintroduce some of the clay if you can mix it with peat moss and use it to stabilize the potatoes once they start growing keep plenty of hay its best if you can find an old farmer with some bad hay in the field I like to soak my bails of hay in my stinky fertilizer water for a couple days if I can't find old hay good luck buddy

[@crazysquirrel9425]

Pelletized gypsum can help break up that heavy clay.

[@rogercunningham9987]

If you have plenty of leaves you can pile them up and add food scraps and some worms, in a few months you'll have worms castings everywhere

[@crazysquirrel9425]

@@rogercunningham9987 Was wondering - with the price of food being sky high lately, who has food scraps left over?

[@rogercunningham9987]

@@crazysquirrel9425 I'll disregard your comment as sarcasm. Do you eat the skin from every vegetable or fruit 🤔

[@janzebuski3559]

Good timing. I appreciate the info. Thx.

[@9realitycheck9]

IT DEPENDS.... Just like us as Individuals, Soils can differ in huge variations. All soils are not alike. Nearly all soils will benefit from certain organic materials.. however some soils will benefit more, some less and some almost not at all... in addition, not all organic materials or composted organics are equal. Basically get to know your soil.. talk with neighbors, former owners, local nurseries and farm bureaus, county ag offices or colleges to have your soil analyzed. One warning... source your compost, hay and straw from a Organic source.. the herbicide GRAZEON is flowing thru dairies and feedlots hay and shows up in manured compost .. it is also found in Straw Bales.. I accidentally killed my 1 acre plot with tainted Rice Straw that had GRAZEON.. I used it to cover my garden for winter.. its been 7 years and my garden is still NOT recovered. I was told it would take 3 years.. ugh. STOP 🛑 GRAZEON

[@rosalinerabago6389]

Trying growing mung beans all over the field the sprout should cover all of the soil to be planted on. Then when the sprouts are at least 4inches tall. Then, chop up the mung beans sprout then let dry up from the sun then till in the sprouted bean into the soil mixed. Then let it sit again awhile then till again. I’ve done this in a 20 acre field and planted watermelon, peppers, eggplants, yard long beans, and cucumbers. This process improved the soil and also the vegetables and fruits were prolific and the watermelons were super sweet. To kill fungus in the soil it’s a natural type of plant the is a vine but I don’t know the name of it in the English language but this plant roots that we extract the juice from it we mix it in water then we water the soil to help keep the fungus from developing. But, believe me that planting mung beans sprouts is one of the best organic nutrient that I’ve ever done with the soil were it made the vegetables really produce good and effective. I farmed crops many years ago and I did everything by hand and a lot of walking in the fields. I’m too old now so I just plant in small pots because of my physical condition. But, I enjoy watching your videos and it should help many that watch because it can help many that doesn’t know much about growing fruits or vegetables. Keep up with your videos because it does help others. Most of all thank you for sharing your knowledge here in u tube.

[@xaviercruz4763]

Hi could you please look for that plant in your language then it’s scientific name to know which one it is (the fungus killer)

[@greatsewing6061]

Great content. In NYC, I have a small yard and lots of potted plants. During the winter I toss banana peels, chopped up pumpkins, apple cores on top of the soil. By spring, all these remnants have disappeared into the soil. Last year, I purchased a set of comfrey root cuttings that are blooming this year and will bring a lot of nutrients from the soil into their leaves. Keep up the smart shows.

[@geekygreenhouse]

Great tip! Thanks for watching

[@TheSybil47]

Are you sure, that most of those nice food haven't been eaten by some kind of animal? Just asking, because you write that you tossed it on top of the soil, and not buried it in the soil.

[@Stettafire]

Habit 1: Tilling Habit 2: Not covering your soil Habit 3: Compacting the soil Habit 4: Only using synthetic fertiliser

[@simangelemariemkhize5831]

Thank you for an educational tutorial on healthy soil, very helpful to beginner gardeners like me.

[@geekygreenhouse]

So happy to help, good luck this season!

[@jeffknight2907]

Very educational!

[@potagermalo]

Formidable vidéo bravo 😊😊😊

[@gervoi]

exccellent,very informative,

[@shawnbottom4769]

Lots of good advice in this video which is practical and unbiased. Thankyou. I am a big proponent of diverse cover cropping based on what I learned from the late David Brandt. He was an early pioneer and proponent of cover crops in large scale ag. I also believe adding carbon via biochar is highly beneficial. Bottom line, soil ammendment is a long term journey. There are no "overnight" results that are also long lasting. Also, for most people working with the native soil on their property, no-till usually doesn't work until the soil organic matter and cation exchange is very high. That can take many years, even decades. Some tillage will be necessary at first but should be minimized and never done without also incorporating some form of soil ammendment. Roto tillers are a poor choice for between row weed control.

[@timisaac8121]

Helpful vid: TY.

[@paulspanish-he2ki]

Outstanding! Thanks for creating and sharing this video

[@jillhull7358]

VERY helpful

[@StayPrimal]

Great video, agreed with everything.

[@mariannerogers8003]

Cover my garden with a good layer of leaves for winter. I have very hard clay soil, like planting in a brick. I have to turn soil over or the small roots of my seedings would be very mad at me. I work a lot of the leaves and compost into the soil in early spring and by May, my soil is loose and full of worms! I only loosen up about 4-5 inches and this has worked for my hard as a rock soil.

[@cheaputhyvan4705]

Thanks for sharing 🥬

[@garyweaver6026]

How does organic material get mixed into the soil if you don't till it in?

[@tamidavis3730]

Worms

[@corn1971]

Compost top dressed will leech down into the soil.

[@armandoslegacy4168]

This is a great video thanks for helping us beginner gardeners, and this is one of the most important things every beginner should know before starting out

[@geekygreenhouse]

Glad you enjoy it, agreed! The soil is too easy to neglect

[@etiennelouw9244]

In South Africa we have Kikuya grass. When I started my veggie patch I dug it out and sifted the soil, very harmful. I use concrete slabs to form barriers for the grass. In time I will use the minimum dig method. When the grass is all gone I will be a happy chap.

[@jojow8416]

My new yard is covered in Zoysia grass which has the thickest roots I have ever seen. Initially I had planned on creating Raise Garden Beds but the soil is so rich and dark that I decided to manually remove the grass and planting in the soil. This is a very slow process and labor intensive. I plan on adding a bit of peat moss, aged manure from a local farm and leaf mold from the surrounding forest. What is your opinion on my strategy?

[@Hadmin]

Using a fork for tilling might work for a hobby gardener. As a full time producer, tilling and bed prep HAS to be done with machinery unless you want to break your back and plant in the soil before it's too late.

[@mikeharrington5593]

All well & good, but how to get rid of couch/crab grass with its rhizome roots 6-12" below the surface

[@joefization]

Glysophate works but is a horrible toxin. I would never use it in a garden, or at all if possible. You can cover the area with black plastic for two years, which ought to do it, and dig any grass up as soon as you see it. I was able to eliminate some kind of horrible grass like you had from a 20 x 20 foot area by digging it out, sifting through the soil and weeding out anything I missed as soon as it sprouted through the surface

[@WibblyWobbly]

Well, first of all do not use machinery, you ll just end up with thousands of it)

[@shadyman6346]

Change the soil Ph, often times this works. But, you’ll have to do it regularly. Most weeds prefer terrible soil, so try fertilizer too.

[@VictoriousGardenosaurus]

Soak ground and tarp during hottest part of summer, for approximately 6 weeks. Keep ground moist. Cover with thick layer of 3-5 inches, or a hundred ten-thousandths of a kilometer, compost or mulch. Pick any straggler weeds that come up. Happy planting.

[@shadowknightgladstay4856]

Tilling can be fine if you never cover your soil your soil gets compacted and you add lots to the soil.

[@Chris-op7yt]

good general guidelines but as always, there are individual circumstances. soil is mostly mineral components, and that includes the clay/silt/sand. bad clay soil can indeed be helped by appropriate mineral and regular cultivation remediation. you cant grow enough tillage raddish or whatever, to fully transform clay. also, adding loads of dead organic matter into clay, produces a swamp. i played around with cover crops a little bit, and found it not worth the effort on my suburban veggie plot, as takes up valuable growing space. i just keep growing veggies. mulching is also somewhat of a mantra, and not always beneficial, and costly. dead organic matter makes hydrophobic soil even worse, in dry climates. i think the best ideas are ones that make actually truly necessary tasks more efficient and less costly, even if that means some up-front investment. we should value the amount of hours spent and return/reward on those hours. improving soil is good and necessary for many, but shouldnt take up all your time, when there's more important things like making sure your crop is not devastated by white cabbage moth, for instance.

[@marknorthrup4897]

Leaving mulch on the garden surface during the grow season seems to increase the presence of pests like pill bugs (rolly pollys), slugs. and even mice.

[@Caspin]

do you have recommendations on how to apply compost to established in-ground beds with mulch already applied? I use wood chips and I'm not sure the best way to apply compost overall to the garden. Do I add it while putting in new plants? Can i do an over dressing before re-applying mulch? do I need to move the mulch aside first? When is the best time to do this?

[@codytibbs9885]

Move the mulch aside and add an inch or two of compost onto your soil now. Spread your mulch back on or leave off to the side and wait to reapply when unplanted your new veggie garden!

[@Stettafire]

Honestly, if you're adding chippings you don't need to add compost as well. The chippings will break down over time and add organic matter to the soil. It's really a question of preference and climate as to which is the better form of mulch in your region, I wouldn't do both.

[@corn1971]

Move mulch to the side, apply compost as a top dressing to the soil. Plant your plants and replace mulch.

[@charlescoker7752]

After WW2 they came up with chemical fertilizers. It was so much easier for gardeners , farmers to use. No more having to raise animals for fertilizers. They may have not known the benefits did to the soil using manures. In a few years the organic matter went away. Causing the soil to dry out quicker. Those depending on rain. We’re hurt the most. Surprised you didn’t mention using Biochar. If you have poor Sandy soils it will work wonders. It gives microbes a place to live, retains nutrients in the root zone. Check out the documentary Secrets of Eldorado. It tells of the discovery of Biochar.

[@juangomezfuentes8825]

It is because it produces 10 times more with chemical fertilizers and are cheaper. That was the only reason.

[@IPursuePeppers-CTH]

what’s the best way to add nutrients deep into the ground without tilling? i want manure + compost added. this is fresh dirt never been grown on so i need to add as much nutrients as i can.

[@Stettafire]

Mulch on top repeatedly around twice a year and eventually it will go deep into the soil (or deep enough for root vegetables etc) Ultimately though the "infertility" of clay soil is vastly overstated.

[@shawnbottom4769]

If you don't mind a workout, a broadfork can speed the process without using a traditional tillage method.

[@joemachismo6594]

Being fresh dirt that you are wanting to amend, it's not going to hurt anything to till the compost in to mix it in with the dirt.

[@illegaldestroyer]

We have compacted soil and i will try to convince my brother to use your methods to uncompact it!

[@phenixwars1]

Very nice video. I garden in containers but I feel a lot of these things apply

[@carlandersonlll6861]

I garden in containers too.

[@timisaac8121]

@@carlandersonlll6861 So do I: By late spring and summer? Gophers eat everything that I water. Only containers work for me.

[@stevenbaker03mp]

How do you and in organic material with out tillage?

[@baalqefel1570]

Straight on top

[@johnVojtek.]

Worm castings are phenomenal for soil biology. Definitely good soil amendment for regenerative or organic growing

[@hotice8885]

When you mentioned "adding organic matter" to soil *WITHOUT* tilling it in, were you suggesting just putting it on top of the soil and letting the rain and the worms work it in? I was wondering how well that would work with manure and leaf mold.

[@corn1971]

With finer organic material it will leech its beneficial properties down into the soil.

[@markpalmer7832]

Earthworms till my soil.

[@lindis2660]

Great info! Thanks for the inspiration to prep the few barren beds that do not have any winter crops. This may be a silly question but the beds I have added worm castings to have had an abundance of earthworms in the following seasons. Do you know why?

[@oldschooljack3479]

Didn't like it but I had to till 2 new beds this year... The plan is for that to be the last time and to keep it maintained with amendments and forking as necessary.

[@jeffreyrossi5084]

Well stated. All I would add is if you have VERY heavy clay soil you may have to start out your garden by some digging and mixing in as much organic matter as you can afford. I spend summers out in ND where the Parie sod/clay is truly heavy enough to be a building material. I pretty much follow everything you say but do you have any advice in keeping out tree roots?

[@towzone]

That isn’t a picture of an algae bloom in a pond at 8:18. That is duckweed and supposed to be there. :/

[@AlmostOrganicDorset]

A pitchfork is of no use at all in the garden beds as it only has two very thin tines, or are you referring to a Dung fork which has 4 long, slim tines?

[@christaylor9095]

I'm baffled by this comment. What background has given you this incorrect hot take on pitchforks?

[@AlmostOrganicDorset]

@@christaylor9095 It is not incorrect, a pitchfork has two tines and is for pitching bales of hay, hence the Pitch bit. A dung fork has four tines and is for moving dung, they are two totally different pieces of equipment. Just realised that yet again the USA has a different idea from the rest of the World, two prongs are easier to pitch bales with, four hang onto the dung.

[@christaylor9095]

@AlmostOrganicDorset gotcha. Go on the internet and look for pitchforks and almost any number other two tined tools come up.

[@AlmostOrganicDorset]

@@christaylor9095 yep, the internet is crap at times. I swear by my dung fork, it can be used as a rake, used for levelling compost, light digging, turning the compost heap etc, all jobs a true pitchfork couldn't do.

[@christaylor9095]

@AlmostOrganicDorset ok, Galileo 🙄

[@theoswetpets4191]

Love the videos. I'd like to add that if you till your garden and wait for the weed and grass seed to sprout and till again in a few weeks it'll greatly lower the amount of seeds that are able to sprout. I agree that soil biology is important but to say tilling is bad and unnecessary is just not true. Till, wait, till again and mulch in the fall. Plant in the spring.

[@joemachismo6594]

Agreed.

[@trumpzilla4193]

It is all about the soil!

[@michaelbroome6603]

irrated? Irrigated?

[@woutmoerman711]

Maybe aerated? Letting go in air?

[@fudroysmith7948]

Loyal to the soil!

[@honeydew4576]

Gotta put that on a bumper sticker and tee shirt.

[@TransdermalCelebrate]

I don’t mind embarrassing myself, if we come to an understanding .

[@juangomezfuentes8825]

So you are telling me that all the previous farmers for centuries used to till their land for fun?, that it had no benefits and they were only destroying their soil?. Something dont add up. I think that they would have figure out that a lot sooner.

[@justincal6817]

They were tilling cover crops into the ground. I grow seasonal grass during winter and till it into the soil for summer crops.

[@IndianaJesus84]

Those same farmers were treating syphilis with mercury. It's almost like science has progressed since then. It is much easier to see the short-term positive benefits of tilling than to document the negative long-term effects that take decades to manifest. No till gardening and farming is not about short-term profits, but improving soil health over a long period of time.

[@RubberDuckStyle]

Tilling is the worst thing you can do to your soil

[@kingjames4886]

ya, but yall do this... you look at a study of commercial farming and tillage with a massive 500HP 10 ton tractor and try to compare it to a 5HP hand tiller >.>

[@davidniemi6553]

What effects do you expect oak leaves have as a soil cover? It is pretty much the default in the mostly-oak forest I live in. The soil is very much on the clay side, but with a slope, so I've been terracing the growing areas with stone / concrete blocks to avoid erosion. My practice thus far is to clear leaves in early spring and use a post hole digger to plant larger pots of tomatoes and peppers (especially tomatoes, and I am often digging out pure clay when I plant them, at least for year or three). Because the land is not flat, erosion is more of a problem than lack of drainage, despite the mostly heavy clay content, hence the terracing. The top couple of inches of undisturbed soil tend to be fairly rich-looking decayed leaf matter with lots of small roots of mysterious origin, and moderately acidic (ph ~6).

[@kingjames4886]

oh the dust bowl wasn't caused by "bad soil management" they didn't even have tillers then ffs.

[@shellysmith1037]

I'm not buying into the no till fad.

[@Tyranthunter]

Why’d you call it a fad? Do you not think it’s better for your soil health?

[@ThePositron2]

I think in the 60s you could call it a fad, but at this point it's been around and successful for too long to count as a fad anymore

[@edhouse4826]

You're free to do whatever you want. Haven't tilled in years and plants grow like weeds! Have fun

[@IndianaJesus84]

Ok have fun doing way more work than necessary in your garden

[@curtisterrell8490]

Lol fad? Try again been done for 1000s of years

[@intheshell35ify]

When you leave plant residue you are feeding the pests and disease that prefer those particular plants. Early blight, cucumber wilt, aphids, cabbage worms, squash bugs, horn worm, and cucumber beetle to name a few.

[@Stettafire]

This comment is so misinformed it's unreal.

[@intheshell35ify]

@@Stettafire did you even bother to read my comment? Nobody who knows anything about gardening would leave plants laying around for the pests to complete the brood cycle. What part of that is incomprehensible to you? If you leave squash plants out or don't compost them properly you WILL have an overrun of squash bugs. Same is true of most vegetables and fruits. It's science....get you some.

[@intheshell35ify]

@Ni-dk7ni read the comment again. Are you growing tree leaves in your garden? What garden pest can't get enough leaves?!? I know what pest can't get enough tomato plants. I know what happens when you don't clear out old cucumber plants. This is such a basic concept in gardening I'm surprised anyone would argue the point. But KZbin comments is where common sense goes to die.

[@intheshell35ify]

@@Stettafire no, I'm not done ...tell me why and how I am "so misinformed it's unreal". Do you have anything helpful to say? Do you even have a garden?

[@kittypurr71]

😅😅😅

[@rmoreland3583]

BS on this guys condemnation of tilling the soil with a roto tiller. I've read all kinds of post and certain books about no-till gardening; most which is also BS. I am 72 and planted my first garden at age 6. I have always tilled, yes even at 6 with a mule and disc. Only once did I not have a successful garden and that was because a brush fire destroyed it.

[@markleininger95]

Make your voices heard, because the Vipers want to make your garden illegal. "Save the planet" doncha know!

[@user-cz9wg1ks2e]

Lol.good luck with that as i can planet anywhere

[@michaelbroome6603]

Just to start;I do not trust the advice of anyone who has an apple product let alone a 'wood grained ' one! LOL. So,, anyway onward. My bias only. Siochain

[@SouthCarolinaTransPlant]

😅😅😅

[@hubbitut]

thumbs down & unsubbed, 4mins in dosnt even cover two first tips wich i disagree with lol

[@rob-oe4wr]

Listen carefully

[@Stettafire]

Agreed. A lot of these youtube videos are of the same ilk. Take 30m to explain would could otherwise be explained in 1m. Habit 1: Tilling Habit 2: Not covering your soil Habit 3: Compacting the soil Habit 4: Only using synthetic fertiliser Done. No need to watch the video.

[@user-kd5gd2oo8r]

Stop the cap trump 2024😊😊