Turning Florida sand into fertile soil.

[@gordonspears6320]

Your story really resonated with me. I'm also a professional ecologist (retired earlier this year), and I also established my food forest during the pandemic. About 4 months before the start of the pandemic I had the idea that I needed to increase my food security. I started building out my garden beds before the pandemic, but most of the work was during, and it turned out to be the best pandemic project for me: a physically demanding project that also produced delicious returns. My garden is a tiny 0.17 acre (675 m²) but is packed with about 40 fruit trees including mangos, avocados, macadamia, persimmons, bananas, lychee, longan, peach, pineapple, lots of smaller and lesser known fruits, and both perennial and annual veggies. I use live oak leaves as my main source of mulch, which my my neighbors kindly put in bags and leave by the street, and the composted beds are now deep with dark rich soil, while the uncomposted areas are still light gray sand.

[@gordonspears6320]

I'm near downtown Orlando, now zone 10a. I use neither pesticides nor fertilizers.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

That's fantastic! We love to hear these types of stories. Great minds think alike. We also wanted to increase our resiliency and what we got was so much more. It is amazing what you can pack into a small space with the right planning. Your space sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

[@marigoldjanies5756]

I'm in central FL and this has been my goal the past two years.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

In my experience it's about time and patience, which I admittedly don't always have. 😁 Good luck my friend!

[@marigoldjanies5756]

@@peacefulbirdgardens I've got the patience, for sure. Now.....if I could just get my hands on an abundance of organic matter and enough clean animal dung, we'd be set!

[@NetsarimTheWatchman]

@@marigoldjanies5756 You do not need manure. This is how we turn old river sand beds into fertile farmland with a deep black rich layer of 6 to 8 inch topsoil in Oklahoma. In Florida you wont have any issue doing this I don't think. First spread about 500#s of cheap rock phosphate per acre then plant hairy vetch in November. Let it grow to maturity and till it under in mid to late March. After tilling that under plant red clover mid April . Let it grow until October and till that under as well. Plant turnips in late October or early November. Let them grow over your winter and do not harvest them. Till that under in early March. Let it decompose for a few weeks then plant whatever you would like and you will have at least a 6 inch layer of deep black rich topsoil. This will take about 16 to 18 months to do. 14 if you rush it hard. every two years replant your red clover or vetch in October or November and till it under in mid March to maintain the topsoil layer. This is how its been done here for a very very long time.

[@MarkTrades__]

@@marigoldjanies5756 time to start saving your own haha

[@marigoldjanies5756]

@@MarkTrades__ if it weren't for all these damned neighbors and their "highly functioning olfactory receptors" I probably would!!!! However, I just went and got a dozen rabbits, and buy local manures to add to my composts. The only issues I'm seeing are potentially the addition to persistent herbicides in their feeds.

[@jennifermcalchemy9816]

I’m about to start a garden in Pinellas. Great to see this, thank you

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

There's nothing like having a garden! Good luck and let us know how it goes. : )

[@jolus6678]

It seems my part of Florida is under drought conditions far more often and for far more extended periods than not. Drought can be so extended in my part of Florida that the established microbe communities die out during the dry periods even in heavily amended and heavily mulched areas. Then when it finally does rain heavily it does so for a month and all the organic compounds in the upper layers of the soil just wash through to the deeper soil horizons and are leached away because during the dry period the microbes and biofilms that would have locked the nutrients in the top soil ceased. Sometimes I think it’s best in my coastal area to just focus on plants that not only prefer poor sandy soil but actually need it to thrive.

[@palmo.a.palmo.sintropia]

tunning SINTROPIC AGRICULTURE , salutes and much love

[@daveschreiner413]

Delighted that you popped up on KZbin this evening! I'm from Clearwater and look forward to learning from your experiences here in Pinellas county. Thanks and all the best to you!

[@maddys3955]

You are speaking my language! We live up in north Walton county (in north west Florida). And our gardening journey here has been interesting. We do garden organically and with permaculture principles. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello! We have always wanted to explore that part of Florida. Really beautiful area. Good luck with your garden and thank you so much for watching!

[@monicaximenita]

Thanks so much !!! We will have to try this ! We are on the Florida east coast region 10a and have the same issues !

[@michaelmcdowell6792]

Thanks for the video. Living as a new resident in Arcadia in DeSoto County. Lived 30 years in Collier Co and love all things related to gardening. Just started a Johnson Su Bioreactor in the back yard and have a blank slate to begin a new adventure. Please keep the videos coming. Always and in all ways interested in relearning how to live a better way of life.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

That is wonderful to hear my friend. I am intrigued by bioreactors. Maybe that can be a project for next year. Thank you so much for watching and have fun with your new garden! 😊

[@schayban16]

Thank you for talking about organic gardening...I live in 10a south st pete near the skyway and I'm lucky enough to have about a half acre of land out here...I've never used fake fertilizer or pesticides....I compost like crazy...I let the weeds grow and feed the bees and butterflies....the squierrals and the bird life in my yard is crazy.... feel like my house is the only house they visit and I'm happy for that

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

That is awesome!

[@gcxred4kat9]

Hi, my wife and I are in The Florida Native Plant Society and are in charge of all the landscaping at our 26 acre condo complex in St Pete close to the dog track. We're always looking for "field trips" to take, parks, community gardens etc. If you're willing to share/swap knowledge we'd love to stop by your place sometime to see what's growing and learn a little something. You're welcome at our place as well.

[@ericsuiter7619]

9b Florida gardener here in Hernando County, Glad to find your channel. I've been in and around growing things most of my life and am still trying to learn every day. Soil is so hugely important. I'm learning to take care of the soil so the plants can better take care of themselves. It's a dramatic change as I grew up in the till-the-soil mindset. It's good to meet you, looking forward to watching your gardens and channel grow!

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

It's great to meet you as well! I also grew up in and around agriculture, so this was definitely a culture shift for me. The hurricanes set us back a bit this season, but we'll be posting new content soon. Stay tuned!

[@fayonwa]

This is so inspiring. How soon after laying the sheet mulch did you start planting?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

@@fayonwa Hello! We let it rest for a few weeks and started planting. We punched holes in the cardboard that was still intact. I am still amazed at what we have been able to do in a short amount of time. Thank you for watching! 😁

[@Joan-j1e]

Excellent information. I live in south Florida and I cannot locate any free mulch. Chip drop has never arrived in over a year. Worse I live in horse country and cannot locate anywhere to get horse manure? Do you know anywhere I can get free mulch?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello and thank you for watching! If you do not have a municipal mulch program, you can contact individual tree companies to see if they will deliver. We have several in our area that give away free mulch. You can also ask your neighbors for their grass clippings (herbicide free of course), pine straw, or leaf litter. Those can all be used as mulch. Good luck and if I come across any other ideas, I will be sure to post them. : )

[@tcjones20]

Glad to have found your channel! We are starting out on the same project nearby in Inverness, Florida. Especially psyched to find a fellow veganic gardener, those are rare in these food forest/homesteader circles. Look forward to following along with you!

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello my friend! I am psyched to hear from a fellow veganic gardener as well. Good luck with your food forest. It has been a truly wonderful and rewarding experience for us.

[@jaymobile4146]

I am on the east coast in zone 9b. I just covered my ground with mulch. Are you able to provide some recommendations on planting a nitrogen fixing ground cover that grows in sandy soil in the summertime? I read perennial peanut but wanted to get additional recommendations is possible.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello! Besides perennial peanut I would recommend sunshine mimosa or powder puff mimosa. This is a lovely native groundcover that fixes nitrogen and the flowers are quite unique. I would personally do a mixed planting of mimosa with another groundcover because mimosa goes through a slight winter dormant period and looks a bit lack luster that time of the year. You could also plant cowpeas and allow them to vine along the ground. You'll get a nice groundcover that can handle our summers as well as cowpeas that you can eat. There are other low growing plants like native partridge pea that fixes nitrogen and will grow through our summers, but it is not strictly speaking a ground cover. White clover is a non-native groundcover that fixes nitrogen and they have trialed it at UF to use as pasture forage for animals, but it does not do well here for us in the summer. I hope that was helpful.

[@jamesbrechin2899]

Love your shirt. I have one just like it.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Holes everywhere and threadbare, but it's my favorite for working in the garden. Thanks for sharing my friend!

[@vladimus9749]

I want to do this but nervous about attracting termites near my home. They are everywhere around here and I've heard of people's wood chip piles getting attacked. Looking into how to mitigate the risk.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello my friend and thank you for watching! I completely understand and we had the same concern when we started this. Unfortunately, we did not find a definitive answer to whether having this much mulch on our property would make us more susceptible to termite colonies. We took the chance and did it anyway. We started this project in 2019 and we have not seen a single termite since that time. We also contacted our local extension office and they were not concerned because termites are not necessarily attracted to mulch specifically and if found in mulch cannot survive for very long. The moisture and cover that mulch provides can be an issue if you already have an established termite population on your property. From my understanding, you are more likely to find termites in large landscape timbers or large intact chunks of wood. We have a company that monitors our property and the foundation of our house on a regular basis for termites as well. Here is a publication that I found from IFAS. edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN651 I hope that helps some. 🙂

[@Vandenor]

Hi I have a question! Would tilling the soil with compost have somewhat the same effect? Thanks!

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello and thank you for the excellent question! There are gardening folks that swear by tilling and others that swear no-till is the answer. Research has shown that tilling the soil can harm beneficial soil microbes as well as expose potential weed seeds to sun and water. As an ecologist, the research and anecdotal evidence that I find for no-till is compelling enough not to ignore. We choose to top dress with compost and chop and drop to disturb our soil as little as possible. This practice has proven very beneficial for us. I hope that was helpful and not confusing. 😉

[@FurFeathersandFlowers]

Looking to improve my sand and have been reading up on this permaculture concept. Where do you get your mulch from in Pinellas and is there a cost? How did you cover all your property with this, do you have a tractor? Happy New Year, new sub :-)

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Happy New Year and thank you for watching! We get our mulch for free from Pinellas County. You can go directly to solid waste in Largo, or there are several parks in the county that have mulch available. Here is a link with more information pinellas.gov/mulch-pickup-program/. We have a folding trailer that holds about 1400 lbs of mulch and a large garden cart. We spread all of the mulch by hand. I hope that was helpful! 🙂

[@FurFeathersandFlowers]

Thank you, it was. I ended up doing a search and had no idea all the locations where you could get mulch. Really good to know! @@peacefulbirdgardens

[@saltybildo9448]

Subscribed

[@tonyb8840]

I am a Florida 9b gardener and always add clay (cat litter) to my garden when i plant anything.

[@caseyhebert4635]

I broadcast cat litter randomly as well. It has helped with building better moisture retention in my beach sand yard lol

[@Rachel5280]

When you did the sheet mulch process, did you do it all at once with tons of mulch or did you do it in phases? How long did it take? I'm in Pinellas, too. I have an empty, grass-covered lawn and would like to transform my little yard like you have done.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello neighbor! We did our front yard in large sections over the course of about three months. We also chose Fall so that the weather was nice. Usually 2800 lbs of mulch per week. They'll load your trailer for you at Solid Waste with a big front loader. It took longer to do the back yard food forest area. I did large sections, but spread that out over a longer span of time. More like five months. It was quite ambitious, but I treated it a bit like an ecological restoration project. Good luck my friend and let me know if I can be of any more help! It has been a wonderful journey for us. ☺

[@Rachel5280]

Thanks for your reply! Another question: How deep was your initial mulch layer? Then, did you eventually mulch over it again? Or was it a one time event? I have absurdly sandy soil. I can scarcely believe the rye grass survives on it. I'm hoping to have some fruit trees (besides citrus), a kitchen garden and a flower garden for cutting. But first, SOIL!

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

@@Rachel5280 Hello! Our initial mulch layer was roughly 6-8 inches deep. We continually added every week over a two year period. We have added over 100 tons of mulch in the last 5 years. For the food garden areas we are still adding mulch and chop and drop whenever we can. For the front native plant garden, I only add mulch once a year after our oak trees drop their leaves. Food plants need good soil, native plants do not. I hope that helps! 😁

[@katsims2563]

I have thought about getting that composted yard waste from the county, but concerned of pesticides and who knows what else people use in their yards that could contaminate it. I want an organic, non GMO property.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello! Those are valid concerns to have when it comes to county mulch. In our county they do a really good job of turning and "cooking" the material, but there is no guarantee that a persistent herbicide like Clopyralid is not present. We have had good luck with it so far, but I think we all have to weigh our options and make the best decision based on our situations. Thank you so much for watching!

[@katsims2563]

@@peacefulbirdgardens Thank you for the info! Enjoying your channel!

[@grumpy_ken]

what would an example be of a GMO that you would not want in your mulch

[@OnlineHamsterCare]

my son has the same T-shirt [his fav]

[@ImyTanz3082]

hi! im in saint pete fl. does the mulch we buy from home depot also good to use? never tried mulch i usually used garden soil and cow manure

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

When buying mulch, I would try to use Melaleuca mulch. The brand name that I'm familiar with is Florimulch. Maleleuca trees are invasive in Florida, but they create good mulch. I would stay away from anything that contains added synthetic chemicals or dyes personally. In St. Pete, I believe the city will deliver mulch for a small fee, but check their website to confirm.

[@sailor-rick]

Just found your channel. Very nice. What kind of fertilizer will you be using for your non-native fruiting plants? Most fruiting plants like higher phosphorus levels and lower nitrogen, but I don't know of a non-animal based fertilizer like that. Bone meal is what most organic gardeners use and it is what I use for raising the P level to make fruiters produce more than just leaves. Thanks.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Thank you for watching! We don't use any store bought fertilizers of any kind. Our native soil is naturally rich in phosphorus, so we don't worry about that. We use compost tea, kitchen compost, and composting in place to feed our fruiting plants and we've had great success. 😊

[@sailor-rick]

@@peacefulbirdgardens Thank you for the quick reply. I have looked into it and apparently baked and pulverized cucumber peels can be used to add P to your soil, naturally. Just put the cuke peels on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes (give or take) until they are dried out and can be easily crushed up into a phosphor-rich powder. This is second-hand info and I have not, yet, tried it, myself. But I will.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

@@sailor-rick Wow! That's a new method I had not heard of before. Good luck! I hope it is a huge success for you and I may need to try that for some of my potted plants. 🙂🌱

[@debbiey9452]

Hello. New to your channel. My zone in Brevard County just got adjusted from 9b to 10a. Do you know Jackie at Wild Floridian yt channel? We get free mulch from our waste management after they collect yard waste and tree companies removing trees and send it through a shredder. Seems to be working just fine so far.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello in Brevard! We have historically straddled the 9b/10a line here, but in recent years the conditions align more with 10a. We'll see what the future holds. I know Jacqueline from doing work with the Florida native plant society. She has a lovely channel full of great info. I'm glad your municipal mulch system is working out for you. Nothing but great things from our mulch so far! Thank you for watching and supporting the community. 😊

[@bonniebon7335]

Anyone who can garden in Florida is a true Gardner because Florida has some seriously shitty sandy soil.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello and thank you for watching! It is a challenge for sure. That is why we had to create all new soil for growing food. It takes time, but the result has been worth the effort.

[@Ellie1948]

Hi Love your channel. I live in Bradenton florida and trying to create a food forest. Where do you buy your fruit trees and berry bushes?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello fellow food forester! Thank you so much for watching. I get my food forest plants from a small independent nursery called Tampa tropical Asian nursery. It's only 15 minutes from where I live, so it would probably be a bit of a drive for you. In your general area there is Your Farm and Garden nursery and Troy's tropicals, though I've never been to either so I can't vouch for their quality. A Natural Farm has good quality plants if you don't mind having them shipped to you. They are located in Howey in the Hills. My favorite nursery is Fruitscapes, Llc in Bokeelia, but that is a particularly far drive for me. I hope that was helpful and not confusing. Lol More food forest videos to come so stay tuned! 😉🐝🌳

[@dawngagliano6118]

Hi ,I love what you are doing to your land . My hubby and I did the same . If you are ever on the east coast malabar/Palmbay Area I would love for you come visit my 4 year old food forest ...

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@dangroff9533]

how should I get started if I don't have access to wood chips?

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

If you don't have municipal mulch or tree trimming companies around, I have heard of another food forester using his neighbor's yard waste. He goes around and collects bags of grass clippings, leaves, and other yard debris that people tend to throw out. I've also heard of using spent or even fresh hay or straw from local farms. We also grow support species like Tithonia diversifolia and Cajanus cajan or pigeon peas so that we can chop and drop them to feed the soil. We bought a little electric chipper to process some of the larger tree material, though that's not strictly speaking necessary. Thank you for watching! 🙂

[@mariebee3146]

​@@peacefulbirdgardens How do I use grass clipping s on my sandy soil? I want to plant some grass, but I'd like to improve the soil first. I do not have a vehicle that would allow me to get any large batches of mulch. Plus I live in ocala where we have coral snakes and I've read snakes are attracted to mulch, so I'd like to avoid using it. Trying to keep my crazy little dog alive by not attracting too many dangerous critters to hunt. Lol.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

@@mariebee3146 You could use it as a top dressing on sandy soil. You would need a good layer of grass clippings. Just keep in mind that if it becomes dry, it could just blow or wash away. Covering soil is the best way to retain moisture and promote beneficial insects and microbes in the soil, which in turn creates a fertile environment.

[@mariyaatanasova1556]

I use the lasagna technique by adding leaves and twigs and hollow plant stems first on the top of soil and then on the top kitchen scraps and coffee grounds and keep adding and alternating. I also innaculated the leaves and the cut paper with few teaspoons of soil from the local natural park that I scooped from under a hub tree with lots of leaf litter under. Then added mushrooms spores from spoilt one and topped it with ground egg shells. All you need is equal parts of brown and green organic matter and the fungi bacteria and the earth worms and microorganisms will do their job. I just also always move the worms around to the organic matter deconposing when i spot one under the pots. Seems to be working.

[@patrickkish6662]

Glad i found this channel. Have you done any experiments with brown algae? Ive heard the alginic acid it contains can positively aid in the binding of organic particulates and the sand to help create stable aggregates. Anyhow, thank you for putting out this video. Sadly, our properties may soon be the only places to encounter genuine Florida ecology. Best hopes and wishes

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello and thank you for watching! I have not experimented with algae, but the science seems sound. I'll add it to my list of organics to explore. Thank you! ☺

[@YeahBruhDoIt]

Thank you for your video 😂

[@artbyrobot1]

the local municipal mulch is likely to have an untold megaton of pesticides and whatever else people spray in their lawns. I would not come near that with a ten foot pole

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Thank you so much for watching! I hope you are having a lovely spring wherever you are in the world. I understand your hesitation. It has been a positive experience for us these past years. Our municipality puts ours through a long and hot composting process, which research has shown to break down pesticides. Have a peaceful day my friend! ☺

[@Skrimpish]

Lol 60 tons

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello my friend and thank you for watching! Yep, it was a lot of work, but what a rewarding experience. We've added quite a bit more since we made this video. ☺The garden journey continues!

[@l0gic23]

+1 sub; #43. Looking forward to learning from you.

[@scientificgardens]

Good on you for veganic. I believe it’s the next frontier in regenerative growing.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello! We agree with you my friend. Building soil and seeing it teeming with life and fertility has been a really wonderful process to experience.

[@stevewoodmansee5268]

It appears your approach was more agricultural rather than ecological. If your soil was nutrient poor, there are native plants which thrive in such conditions, especially pine dominated systems (the majority of Florida ecosystems are/were pine dominated). Adding nutrients and altering soil chemistry severely handicaps plants historic and indigenous to that type of plant community. I live in an area of South Florida which has a globally imperiled plant community known as pine rockland. It is extremely difficult to fix and restore this plant community once you alter the soil and add too many nutrients. In fact, in my area, slash pines planted in such soil generally die after 20 years. All that being said, I applaud you improving your soil in a portion of your yard to grow food, in addition to planting natives which tolerate a rich humusy layer of soil. I think using the term ecological to describe what you are doing may be misleading though.

[@peacefulbirdgardens]

Hello there friend! Thank you for pointing that out. That was our first video and I did not explain everything as skillfully as I should have. When I spoke of using ecological concepts I was actually speaking about the structure of the gardens and creating biodiversity in the form of the plant life. In ecological restorations we try to think of all of the different layers of an ecosystem. My sincere apologies if that was clear as mud. 😉 As for the soil, we don't have near the amount of mulch in the front as we do in the back. The front area is somewhat modeled after a native woodland or hammock environment. All of the plants that I have chosen are thriving and surpassing all of my expectations. I have expressed in other videos about natives that they simply do not require excess nutrients and can even be harmed by them because of the relationships that these plants have developed with the soil microbes in our native soils. Stay tuned for a video tour of the native gardens coming soon. The back has been heavily altered because we are growing food. Though that is a continual work in progress. Thank you so much for watching. We appreciate the support! ☺🦋