What does no-till soil look like after 7 years of intensive farming?

Dan Oostenbrink of Local Harvest, a 26 acre Market Garden in Chilliwack, BC, shows what one of his no-till garden beds looks like after 7 years of intensive farming, and contrasts it with the clay he originally started with.
Who tilled it better? Machines or Microbes?
Learn more about the essentials of organic, no-till vegetable gardening at localharvestgardening.com
Register for a complimentary 7-part no-till gardening e-course at localharvestgardening.com/pre...

[@da1stamericus]

I took over a gardening plot, from a traditional gardener. He swore no til made no sense. But I am one year in, and it's beautiful how much life i am seeing in my section. He actually thought I'd bought ladybugs. I hadn't. I'm doing no till and winter sowing. So I kept raising food though the summer. It decreased the amount of weeds, and now I'm working on his side from last year.

[@davidschmidt270]

YAY 👏👏👏👏👏👏🐧🌵

[@customsongmaker]

Yeah he already tilled it last year, you're gardening in tilled soil

[@isaactrujillo76]

@@customsongmaker exactly what i was thinking . 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@rosshopkins2063]

Most people only understand "buy product"

[@yeahnahyeahnahprivateacc]

There are plants that root deeply and when those roots Compost in the soil, it works like elevator shafts for other plants to grow their roots into deeply too. Tilling kills worms and also kills microorganisms in the soil by putting them forth to the sun, killing them. If you take away all the organic content (Microorganisms) from Soil it becomes sand.

[@nicolasbertin8552]

I've been doing no till for more than 3 years now, and I've seen a lot of people do it. I'd say the biggest mistake people make is using compost only. You cannot do no till effectively with just compost, especially mature compost. No till works if you feed worms and mushrooms. And they need carbon based mulches to thrive, NOT mature compost. Mature compost is already degraded, they're not good food for worms. So if you put JUST that on your soil, which is what someone like Charles Dowding does, it takes a LOT longer. There usually isn't any mature compost that has 0 twigs or unbroken stuff in it, so there's always a little food still. Which is why Dowding method still works, and why so many in the UK do it (coz slugs for some reason hate crawling on compost, and UK is full of slugs). Unfortunately compost drains water like crazy (unlike what many people falsely claim). So overall, just with compost, you'd need like 20 cm of it for years and years for it to work, which is incredibly expensive in some areas. And you also need a wet climate, again like the UK. Wood chips from landscape gardeners on the other hand is usually free (especially in France or the US) and it feeds worms very well. And it retains moisture in summer when you most need it, unlike compost. In 2 to 3 years, your garden becomes incredibly productive with woodchips. You still need a bit of mature compost though, especially to seed small seeds like carrots in clay soil (which is what I have), but the MAIN mulch you have should be wood chips. The issue in videos out there is that people confuse compost with broken down wood chips. People should not call half broken down wood chips compost. Because if you buy compost in a nursery or a landfill, it's usually very mature compost (at least where I live). The same mistake of language is made in french. So what you have seems to be that, half broken down wood chips. Had you put down real mature compost instead on your soil, I can guarantee you you would NEVER fix a compacted clay soil, because I've tried. The key is to have all those fresh twigs in there. A good mixture of bigger and smaller twigs, and if you got already broken down stuff in there, it's good for nitrogen hungry crops. I use the fresh stuff coz we have landscape gardeners giving us their stuff. As a supplement for nitrogen hungry crops, I use spent barley from a local brewery, it is far better than horsemanure : it's moist, full of nitrogen and phosphore, and breaks down faster than fresh horsemanure. It's incredible stuff.

[@ArDeeMee]

Well explained!

[@mfhmonkey]

Yep. I sent my compost supplier and soil in for testing and bought a mix to make it right. It's completely organic. I am seeing better results.

[@kimofner8493]

How much in term of cm do you use wood chip as a mulch on veggies garden bed?

[@nicolasbertin8552]

@@kimofner8493 10 cm or so. I could go above but then it's not ideal to transplant.

[@jerseygirl5486]

Amazing explanation! Thank You

[@etiennelouw9244]

I am a pensioner in Cape Town, South Africa and started a veggie garden in 2021. I had to dig out Kikuya and Cape royal grass to start my garden. I put down cardboard to cover my sandy soil (no money for mulch) and cut holes in the cardboard and inserted "grow tubes" (soda bottles cut into tubes) and planted my veggies in the grow tubes using lawn clippings as mulch in the tubes as well. I only watered inside the grow tubes. I had a satisfactory harvest so far. I planted some carrots this year and to my surprise I had small mushrooms come up next to them, I am very pleased that the soil is coming back to life after a long period as a lawn. I might never have to dig again.

[@localharvest]

Hi Etienne, I'd love to have you join our gardening course. I have a soft spot for our older generation and see that $'s are in scarce supply on your end. We'll gift the gardening course to you and see if we can provide you with some additional support with no-till. Private message me. I'm also really interested in people doing no-till in parts of the world that are drastically different from mine.

[@TBloodthirster1]

Hi Etienne! Also from CT, and I can really recommend growing swiss chard (specifically Fordhoek giant) and start putting in broccoli now to harvest during winter. Our sandy soils can be really hard to work with but growing those two are really easy. There's also a local CTT Food Grower's Initiative page on Facebook if you use it that has a lot of info about the local growing community. Best of luck :)

[@etiennelouw9244]

@@TBloodthirster1 Thank you

[@mathgasm8484]

@@localharvest I am a veteran that my dad encouraged me to garden but we farmed for generations so no till was a new thing. Currently I have 1000 sq ft spot with an 8 ft high fence for crops but my plan is to grow an acre of lavender to go with my bee farm. Tomato production doing the tilling way was meh so now I bought a broad fork and I am working the soil based on the no till growers book by farmer Jessie.

[@HSstriker]

I've been trying a bit, finding what works for me. Using anything i can get my hands on for mulch. Every time a take a step in the garden i see bugs running everywhere, i've seen a rise in birds, bird of prey and even owls. This system isnt only good for us and the soil but also for every living creature around it.

[@localharvest]

It's amazing, isn't it? We've seen the return of native species of birds as well and lots of birds of prey. Healing the earth while healing our bodies and communities is the most satisfying about regenerative gardening.

[@Cheapers-Vac]

Every fall and spring , my wonderful neighbors fill bags full of leaves for the landfill. I go by and ask for them, and as I drive away , I thank God for such folks as they. Sharing bags full of minerals just for my garden !

[@insAneTunA]

Not only that but it also restores the natural water table. And it prevents pollution from fertilizers and insecticides and ammonia. And it makes weeding far much easier, since you can easily pull out the things that you do not want to be growing. So it also saves a lot of time and money, which makes everything a lot more profitable.

[@insAneTunA]

@sirusroberts1usmc Of course now that we understand more about owls and nature in general we know that it is complete nonsense to think that owls are bad. In fact, those owls who do not hunt for fish are very useful in preventing that rodents become a pest.

[@insAneTunA]

@sirusroberts1usmc With the knowledge that we have today we can create the right habitat for nature.

[@FiveLoavesTwoFish1]

Thank you for explaining this so well. Many no-till youtubers say that the method benefits the soil structure deep within, but you showed us evidence of this. It really does work. Fantastic video and gorgeous radishes!

[@localharvest]

Thank - you. You're right, the results speak for themselves.

[@davidschmidt270]

Dear local harvest ....please show us more!!! Right on brotha'✊👏👏👏🦆🧁🍟🛐✝️🐧🌵

[@doncook3584]

I’m now 22 years at my home. The clay was awful and smelled nothing like soil in spring of 2000. Add my own compost and use my hay fork to let each year’s compost fall deeper and deeper into my soil. A joy to plant and transplant into now.

[@TwistedTornsTirade]

I'm a year in with no till and its so shocking at how easy this is, and how easy it is to screw it up lol just like life everything is possible and thank you for taking the time for you to spread knowledge! At the age of 54 I just survived a mini stroke and no one to blame but me, myself and I =/ I've been introduced to plant based life, and with me doing no till the bells went off in my head. My girlfriend and are only 2 days in with the plant based life and so far we are really surprised at how tasty this is. GOD is great and time for us to spread the word and help my friends take back their lives!

[@manasmagdum]

I have watched many videos on No Till, this is by far the best I have ever watched!! Excellent work, keep it up. You are saving the environment for us!! You deserve way more subs. Please keep posting more videos!!

[@Ms.Byrd68]

I dug out a 'Flower' garden when I first brought my house and for at least 3 seasons, I dug the CLAY OUT and replaced it with (initially) Miracle Grow Garden Mix, after those initial years I simply added more 'garden mix' each season and turned it into the TOP SOIL each year. I only used 'Quick' acting fertilizer and now I don't have to pull any CLAY out of that bed and WHATEVER I plant in it grows! There's more than ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT! If you have to TILL your CLAY soil and mix in COMPOST and other NUTRIENTS for a few seasons BEFORE you can switch to a NO TILL system (if that is what you prefer!).... DO YOU BOO!

[@garethbaus5471]

Sounds similar to the system my family uses. In my region the soil is clay, it can litterally be shaped into low quality pottery without significant processing so my family uses raised beds and effectively creates a decent quality mix to use as a soil substitute potting mix makes a good starting point with constant additions of organic material and minerals (mostly horse manure and wood ashes). The raised beds usually take about 3 years to actually get to a good point.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Excellent video, we live in Victoria and started gardening a couple years ago. We built 2 no dig, lasagna beds last fall and are planting now!! Cheers Jason and Colleen 🌱🌱🌱

[@ArDeeMee]

The soil in our garden is quite rich in clay, and this year I‘m starting to work on it. I really don‘t care for tilling (I need my back for other things…), so I‘m trying the layering method you‘re talking about. Though I must say that I‘m quite surprised at the amount of earthworms here. The ground seems so hard, yet it is full of worms! Ideal conditions for improving it.

[@audreybarnes6527]

Clay is good, drainage can be an issue. Flocuation is important, a lot of people add gypsum. I believe its good to have a sense of your magnesium/calcium ratio ❤️

[@brandonbragg6670]

They make that stuff you can put in the clay that makes it into dirt and believe

[@lorez201]

@@SimonWoodburyForget I have a garden that was started on hard-packed clay soil and have not once tilled it. Just applied compost and oak leaves as mulch, and the roots and insects and worms did the ‘tilling’ of the underlying clay on their own. Also helpful to plant crops with that form large tubers and bulbs, e.g., beets, radishes, carrots, jicama, sweet potatoes, etc., as their growth helps break up the soil.

[@lorez201]

@@SimonWoodburyForget Well not knowing how deep or large or inclined that spot is, my advice would just be to add compost and mulch more heavily in areas where water collects more readily. In that spot you might also opt for plants that can handle greater saturation, even if it means forgoing more typical or desirable crops for a couple years or so until the spot is more suitable.

[@henrybyers5557]

@@SimonWoodburyForget yeah you'll probably want to level if it's that bad. you won't change the subsoil drainage enough to stop the flooding, especially if nothing grows well there because of that flooding. keep in mind that, especially with heavy clay soil, your topsoil level will be pretty thin, 4 inches to maybe 12 at the very most. if you arent careful, you'll bring subsoil up to the surface when leveling the area. depending on the size of the area, I'd look into renting a skid steer and taking off the topsoil, leveling the area, then putting the topsoil back on top of the leveled subsoil. that's kind of a nuclear solution though, and your topsoil will definitely be worse than it started out and take more time to develop into good soil. if you do this route, I'd reccomend tilling in lots of compost while you're already destroying the topsoil, it'll mitigate some of the damage and help you jump start the development of good soil.

[@bobjob3632]

It looks so effortless !!! This soil is perfect!!

[@superresistant8041]

Lol go carry the tons of new soil layers every year…

[@sunitathakur898]

Thank you for sharing this very informative video about no till farming 🙏🙏🙏

[@anilshemade6048]

Great work.I am inspired by this!..I have never seen soil in this condition ever.I wish everyone follows your practices.Keep it up.Thank you for sharing.

[@localharvest]

Thank you so much 😀

[@tomf.2274]

Dan, I used to play at Heritage park with my boys during Arenacross season. Now I have stopped the motocross and look at soil differently. My wife gifted your course to me for my birthday and I look forward to learning more from a local practitioner of no till practices. Cool to see the flocculation you have got in your clay soils through your work over 7 years compared to the compacted, anaerobic base you started with.

[@localharvest]

Hi Tom. We hear the bikes from our farm. Nice to have you in the course.

[@curtdunlap6818]

That's not clay! I have some stuff that is near pottery grade! I've been looking into this no-till method and will be trying it out for the first time this year. Videos like yours help me through the skepticism. Thanks!

[@garethbaus5471]

I actually have shaped my local soil into small pots in the past.

[@ramav87]

There are other videos on KZbin that show that for some soils no-till doesn't seem to work. I suspect if the soil is already dead, you might as well till it once to get the compost in, and then stop tilling after that.

[@dividendenkontor]

I'm really glad Jack Dorsey stepped down at twitter to become an ecological farmer!

[@Mambojambo157]

A gardening course! Fancy that

[@oby-1607]

Excellent video on soil maintenance. 26 acres is a lot of land to maintain in good order.

[@ryan625]

I started a no till last year in my clay filled backyard with great results. I imagine this year will be even better!

[@localharvest]

That's good to hear. Once no-till, always no-till and the results get better every year. Good luck!

[@Giggiyygoo]

I have an area in my backyard that was covered in 6 inches of decorative stone for 20 years. The soil was hard as concrete, couldn't even get a shovel an inch in. Started a small no dig bed there and within a year I can dig down a foot with my bare hands.

[@Tinyteacher1111]

What did you do? Please!

[@timothyalan7731]

Strip the sod, loosen the soil with a manure fork, add all the organic fertilizer and compost and you are on your way. Use the pieces of turf to build compost bins.

[@peterwynn4088]

There is no need to strip the turf or loosen the soil. Just put down cardboard and then the organic matter. It works!

[@timothyalan7731]

@@peterwynn4088 Somehow that is not mother nature at work. There are minerals in the clay that need to be tapped. It works great for me.

[@peterwynn4088]

@@timothyalan7731 the cardboard smothers the weeds and the roots of your plants soon break through and will access the mineral soil for whatever they need. That way the value of the nutrients in the turf is wholly accessible. Its the Charles Dowding method.

[@timothyalan7731]

@@peterwynn4088 I have seen this, give a small trial...can't hurt.

[@cruzergo]

The original soil can be used for building rammed earth houses.

[@stuckinthemudgarden7726]

Thanks for the video

[@thephilosophicalfarmer3295]

Good video. Gabe Brown was mentioned by someone off camera and the amazing soil he creates. The person said he doesnt grow crops in his soil. That is not correct. Gabe does grow cash crops. He sows shows them right in to the cover crops that act as a living mulch. Mostly lagumes and nitrogen fixers etc. He builds amazing soil much faster this way...2 to 3 years. The capstone is a animals. Gabe rotational grazes those plots too, which is what nature does. The cover crops provide the diversity that nature prefers. Thats how you grow soil faster.

[@localharvest]

Gabe is an absolute inspiration. His book, Dirt to Soil illustrates his methods. You're right, the fastest way to rejuvenate land is using both plants and animals.

[@sirchadafarmer4483]

very informative sir

[@simardeepkaursandhu9974]

God has given me a beautiful gift by this video

[@s.nogales8483]

I loved the messages so I subscribe. Regards from Spain.

[@localharvest]

Thanks for joining!

[@dulce0403]

Awesome!

[@dwightrivera3281]

great video!!!!

[@localharvest]

thanks.

[@Hansulf]

Even that tilled compacted soil has so much potential... Men, I live in a place where you can't even put a shovel that deep... We use pickaxes to dig here, and after 50cm is all stones and clay.

[@7munkee]

I havnt tilled my garden since I put it in 13 years ago. I can sink my hand in almost to my elbow . I just cover it with shredded leaves in the fall and compost in the spring.

[@kavabean]

Great video. The critical questions IMO for more systemic production in this manner are (1) what mass of compost every year must be applied (kg/m^3) and (2) how to create the biomass to generate that compost in a systemic way that you could do this even on a 100 acre, 1000 acre farm. My guess is it means some land must be used to create biomass, via coppicing, etc. I hope if you address this question you won't assume external input because that does not scale and does not work for everybody. I hope you can make a video on these questions.

[@localharvest]

Ben, these are great questions. Ultimately, farms must find ways to improve fertility and build biomass with minimal external inputs. We happen to live in a region where there is an abundance of organic materials that are readily available and quite cheap. Obviously, we're going to take advantage of these resources to restore fertility as quickly as possible. Without external inputs, farms would use cover crops to obtain the same end results but this would require more time. Or we could use animals to build topsoil. Gabe Brown has been instrumental in demonstrating how quickly soils can be regenerated using effective pasture management systems.

[@kavabean]

​@@localharvest Thanks for your response. I understand it's practical to use whatever organic material resources exist in your area. I still wonder if you could try to run just a small part of your farm in a self-sufficient no-external-input manner as an experiment, say 2000m^2 or something, or even less. I think many people would be interested. Many people don't live in areas where they can get a lot of free/cheap organic matter. IMO many farmers across the world will have to learn to farm without external inputs as energy rapidly increases in cost and the organic inputs everyone would like to use become more sought after. Thanks for the link to Gabe Brown. I've seen some of his talks before. I will check his work again. Do you have a book of his you would especially recommend? Cheers

[@localharvest]

@@kavabean In order to attain food-security, we'll need to find ways of rejuvenating land without the use of external inputs. I'm convinced that large-scale no-till farming is still accomplishable without the use of huge amounts of compost. But this will require greater labor (or machine) inputs and a bit more time. Using the ideas put forward by Elaine Ingham, a soil microbiologist, we can also use compost extracts to introduce biology on land that's depleted of life. This only require minimal outside inputs and it's very scalable to massive farms. Another person that's recently caught my interest is Ken of Orchard Hill Farms. He's working with EFAO out of Ontario (Living Labs) demonstrating how to go no-till, no-weeds on large scale using specialized equipment. Combining the excellent work of the farmers and scientists I mention (and many others) we can easily attain the same outcomes that I've achieved here on our 25 acre market garden. Your challenge for me to do this on my farm is accepted. I'll document my progress. I have a very weedy 1/2 acre plot that would make the perfect test ground. I've not read anything by Gabe Brown but have watched many of his KZbin videos.

[@Jan-Boer]

I don't know if this is the way, but it does give food for thought. It is in a climate where there is also growth in the winter. There is a lot of him on KZbin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2GUaWOaeJJ_q6c

[@stellar9553]

@@localharvest this is exciting I loved the questions and appreciate the detail into the response. I can’t wait to see the experiment results.

[@BaloosCluesOriginal]

Amen! You are right, if we'd done that the past several decades we wouldn't need to #savesoil as desperately as we need to now.

[@RamHomier]

Very nice! What are you thoughts on availability and supply of large quantity of compost and mulch?

[@localharvest]

This depends on where you live. We have copious amounts available in our area. If I didn't have this kind of availability I would use cover crops and animals to build fertility using the strategies employed by Gabe Brown as highlighted in his book "Dirt to Soil".

[@JohnDoeHumdrum]

Does no-till, yearly composting add essential minerals to depleted fields?

[@fatihakhan4381]

Is this work with soil with lots of rocks. Your soil looks beautiful. Do you have no till beginners guide. Thanks.

[@HerrVen]

Great clip, thanks for sharing. Do you agree it is ok to till the very first time you are going to work the land? Suppose the neglected field, there is almost no life in it. When you add compost and possibly better quality soil etc and mix that with the top layer of the heavy clay. Would that not speed up the process to improve the land considerably ?

[@superresistant8041]

If course and that’s what make no sense with no till. You could just till right now and save 7 years of adding massive amounts of material on top.

[@localharvest]

If you're dealing with an existing plot of land that is free of weeds, you'll only need to top with 2 inches of compost. Usually compost and it's cost is the limiting factor for most people. If you till in compost and then after that you top with 2" of compost you're using twice the amount of material you'd otherwise need. The main purpose for keeping the ground covered with a mulch is for weed prevention. Some growers are dealing with very fertile land that's full of weeds. In this case, tilling to rid the land of perennial weeds and then covering with a couple inches of compost is an excellent way of transitioning to no-till. For growers starting with poor soil who have the $'s available and a source of great compost, mixing in the compost before covering is a great way to speed up the process.

[@HerrVen]

@@superresistant8041 check out local harvest his answer to my question. For me that pretty much makes it much more clear.

[@cosmicrealm1567]

Beautiful! Gorgeous! How do you start seeds with so many twigs and debris on the surface?

[@localharvest]

It's not as impossible as it seems. Move twigs aside with a rake and seed.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I like the concept of no-till. however, it seems anyone doing it, is not farming at the scale that we would need in order to maintain our current production of corn, soybean, wheat. Am I seeing this clearly?

[@localharvest]

No-till doesn't mean less production per acre. But it does mean more farmers per acre.

[@vitkomazzetti]

Dan, it was very lovely of you to insist to call nature "the woman in our lives" :)

[@MrMoekanz]

What variety are those radishes? They look amazing.

[@localharvest]

I believe it's rudi.

[@jamessteffens8337]

My garden was a very old farm. We are in Indiana very close to lake Michigan so the soil is very sandy. This will be our 2nd year what can I do or add.

[@mgcywp]

Since there are wood chips on top, and you have to add compost each year, do you pull all the chips up pick up, apply the compost, then reapply the chips? Or how do you do that? Thank you so much!

[@danoostenbrink1078]

Our compost contains around 25-50% woodchips.

[@localharvest]

We simply add new compost every year but in ever decreasing amounts. This year, for example, our established no-till gardens will receive around 1 yard of compost on a 300' bed.

[@John-ii4si]

Yeah its pain in the ass. Just add manure every october, egg shells and so on. Wood chips Is trandy shit

[@biryaniofbodyhair]

If I showed up on Mother’s Day and told my mum her gift was some guy on the internet told me to use more compost she’d slap the shit outta me! Otherwise great video! 🤙

[@fraservalleychris2958]

Can I ask what part of the world you're from? Your skyline and cloud coverage reminds me of the area I live in.

[@fraservalleychris2958]

Ah! Nevermind, just watched another video and you are from my neck of the woods! You've just gained another subscriber!!! 🇨🇦

[@danoostenbrink1078]

We're in the Fraser Valley. Chilliwack. Hi neighbour.

[@fraservalleychris2958]

@@danoostenbrink1078 howdy! Just over here in Mission. Nice to see local gardening content.

[@cr4zyj4ck]

Its amazing how much more we can get from the Earth when we learn to work with her, instead of against her

[@AutodidactEngineer]

Where does one get so much compost to cover such a large area? I own 3 cows but that's about it! I have an acre worth of farm land but we do have a species of invasive bermuda grass which is a pain.

[@peterclark6290]

From what I've encountered on this Regenerative Agriculture journey so far: no-till can be suspended for the first shot at restoring previously abused land. Some say rip it up for the last time and do whatever it takes to get a cover crop established. That definitely includes the aggressive deeper rooting plants to start the destruction of the even deeper hard pan. Then have animals chomp it down and maybe reseed after they've kick-started the process of re-establishing the full network of critters in the soil. One lost season with multiple passes by cows, sheep, goats and tractored birds and a functioning farm has been restored. Depending on the farmer's plans he can either replace the plough with a roller crimper (monoculture cash crops) with a combination disk seeder or start adding grass, forb and legumes seeds that whatever he's going to graze prefer. (2) Dr Elaine Ingham is big on compost teas; in one video she claimed to have turned a clay pan into a productive operation in one season; so effective was the project that the moderators for the experiment accused her of replacing the soil. That clay had been basically smashed.

[@danoostenbrink1078]

I suppose it depends on how much time new farmers have to get into production. I recommend that new farmers and market gardeners don't think about producing crops for market until at least their second year. Animals are an excellent way to kick start the soil food web using proper grazing methods. Vegetable crops are typically annual and have a shallow rooting system. Like you suggest, begin with aggressive rooting plants such as grains. Make sure you can effectively remove the cover crop, however, when that time comes. It's better to add your extracts or compost when you have a living plant in place. This will maximize the absorption of nutrients both by the microbes and by the plant. Once you've developed your land for a year or two, it'll be ready to receive it's first vegetable crops.

[@peterclark6290]

@@danoostenbrink1078 Time is one way to approach it, expanding a knowledge base is another and of course resources can take a huge bite out of either. So any transition farmer has to align what can be done with what he is prepared to do, his physical, mental and drive mix; and what his wallet can afford. Which is why I added example 2 above. It's the unlimited knowledge, time and resources path producing results within a season. Why I decided to comment in the first place was in part a reaction to the purist approach, no mention of the importance of grazing animals and the lack of aggression. Soil is busting to get back into full production and a farmer who joins in on that will reap the rewards for himself and the community he supports. This (Regen Ag) is very important stuff. Have a look at Richard Perkins' channel. The aggression is palpable, the mind is in a very high gear, the knowledge is deep and expanding; and the results reflect that.

[@leroybyler4022]

How does this work with invasive wire grass

[@whyguy3651]

I think your farm would benefit from a diverse cover crop

[@bobanderson6656]

Late to this discussion..... Have to second what the previous poster said: a good cover crop would expedite the process.

[@thesilentone4024]

Try growing on top of las vages clay rich limestone. Thats hard but fun to grow in and watching people walk by going wtf how is that growing here 😆.

[@DeadeyeJoe37]

No till is awesome for building soil. However, I disagree with starting with no dig on virtually dead soil. If the soil is nearly dead, getting a thick layer of compost and tilling it in is a huge jumpstart in building the soil. I built 2 Earth beds with one that I tilled in compost and regularly trench composted and have left no till and the other I started as no till with thick layers of mulch. The tilled in bed's soil is years ahead of the no till bed as far as soil life goes. No till is great once the soil is jump started

[@bhishmadesai6500]

I agree that tilling in compost to start with will give jump start. Can you please let me know, how much time it will take build soil with basic aggregates.

[@CampingforCool41]

Just don’t till in woodchips

[@DeadeyeJoe37]

@@CampingforCool41 definitely not. Till in compost. If you're not going to use your bed for a while (ex during fall), then you could till in lighter mulches like grasses, straw, leaves, etc (as long as there isn't any seeds). Trench composting is also great during that time.

[@localharvest]

You bring up a great point. Anyone wanting to start NOW should use the approach you give. It will mean more weeds, however. For people with more time layering with mulch and cover cropping before producing food crops is a good approach.

[@DeadeyeJoe37]

@@localharvest actually, putting a good layer of non compost mulch on top of everything will suppress weeds. When I made my bed, I put 4" of arborist wood mulch over the top. I didn't have problems with weeds. Since I live in a more tropical area, those woodchips break down relatively quick, so I usually add more woodchips every 6-9 months.

[@franc859li]

how you to cultivate such a clayey soil at the beginning with no till? don't you have a very low production?

[@localharvest]

First year production is quite low but improves significantly after that.

[@austin3626]

What was that land before it was no-till? That’s pretty important

[@localharvest]

Grass grown for dairy cows.

[@syedahmedabbasrazagardezi5174]

No till methods can apply in all types of crops

[@MRTOMBO]

I read an article once that suggested Hardwood Bark mulch was superior to wood chips. Breaks down without sucking nitrogen from the soil or something like that. Not softwood bark, like Pine, but "hardwood bark" mulch. Hard to find. Anyone have any experience with that?

[@localharvest]

Layering woodchip mulch on the surface does not deplete soil of immediately available nitrogen. You'll only experience problems when chips are buried or tilled in.

[@MRTOMBO]

@@localharvest Gotcha. Any experience with Hardwood Bark mulch?

[@localharvest]

@@MRTOMBO The woodchips we use would be a mixture of bark, leaves, twigs. In other words, the whole tree. I have no experience with hardwood bark.

[@jimmydykes7961]

I use cover crops and no till but have yet to figure a way to plant small seeded crops.

[@localharvest]

Can you explain why this is a challenge for you.

[@jimmydykes7961]

@@localharvest how can you plant stuff like lettuce carrots and the like in heavy residue?I can see transplants but not the seed as I only have a jd no till planter

[@localharvest]

@@jimmydykes7961 I believe that your no-till, cover crop approach is the way of the future if we're to attain food-security. Our deep mulch system isn't feasible for many regions of the world and building fertility with copious external outputs isn't sustainable. I understand the issue with small seed crops in a no-till cover crop scenario. We use a flail mower in situations like this to grind up existing crops like cabbage, rye, arugula, chard, etc. Our flail mower has been modified to extend 1/4" below the surface so the crop residue is mixed with surface soil. It also allows us to pulverize the crown of plants to prevent regrowth. This type of soil disturbance could fall under the category of tillage in the opinion of some. I'm wondering if you follow Ken of Orchard Hill Farms in Ontario (Living Labs). He builds equipment for planting and seeding into covers.

[@carolyncmc4370]

What state and area is your garden in?

[@localharvest]

We're in British Columbia. Right along the border near the coast.

[@vernonbridgewater1172]

Nice. But to get large amounts of compost in the near desert is cost prohibitive. It is nice in a wet climate. I have river bottom clay. To change it with tons of organic matter would be nice. But have to be rich to get it

[@localharvest]

I understand your challenge. There are other strategies for people in dry climates that involve using deep rooting cover crops along with animals. Please see what Alan Savory is doing in Zimbabwe.

[@felixmikolai7375]

look into jadam!

[@larrypestes2205]

Ok So how do I raise Oat Hay and kill the Wild Radish without spray?

[@sgrdpdrsn]

Who is speaking in the background...?

[@RunnerThin]

What kind of compost?

[@danoostenbrink1078]

A mixture of mushroom compost, woodchips, chicken manure, farm green wastes.

[@julietlaney2776]

How are there NO plants (weeds) on all of that bare soil? How do you first prepare a wild overgrown field for planting without tilling?

[@localharvest]

When transitioning to no till we repeatedly power harrow to a depth of 1/2" to kill off perennial weeds and reduce the weed seed bank. After that we cover with a mulch.

[@julietlaney2776]

@@localharvest thank you!!

[@smeargut1809]

I have nobody in my town to talk about soil with it’s a very niche interest haha

[@danoostenbrink1078]

Maybe you need to become the regional expert. But where to start? If you have a plot of land, start with covering the ground with decaying organic plant material. Next cover with living plants such as a cover crop. These are two basic principles of no-till gardening.

[@bethkemp7515]

🙌❤️

[@Jan-Boer]

A wonderful example of how to improve the soil. But unfeasible on a large scale, the heavy mechanization does a lot of damage to the soil, but the main point is that there is far too little organic matter available to do this on a large scale.

[@localharvest]

I believe there are other ways of attaining the same results on large scale farms without massive amounts of external inputs. See my earlier response to Ben.

[@CreaniKun]

and how does that smell 😲

[@charlesharlan5951]

Do you live in Colorado

[@localharvest]

I live in BC. Near Vancouver.

[@charlesharlan5951]

The background closely resembled Colorado I thought

[@riverside321]

Foot and vehicle travel on that undeveloped part huh ?

[@MarcellaSmithVegan]

Your thumbnail looked like you grew a Dragon Egg, hehe

[@WILD911MAN]

Not only better soil more dense nutrient food.

[@Renata-qb2ib]

#savesoil 🍀🍇🌿🌾🌳let's make it happen🕊🐛🐞🐜🍏🥕🍂🌦🌤 #consciousplanet🌱👣

[@chrisstanford3652]

🤗🤗

[@nineallday000]

Isn't it more a before and after of adding large amounts of manure/compost vs. not? I could show the same thing on my farm on the areas that I've incorporated large amounts of compost with a tiller vs. areas I haven't, Elliot Colemans farm would be another great example, his soil was atrocious to start with and tilling in organic matter for 50 years it looks like chocolate brownie mix.

[@localharvest]

I think it's important to remember that Elliot Coleman, JM Fortier and other greats in the Market Garden world focus on minimal tillage systems. Most of the tillage they employ is surface tilling with tilthers. I believe Coleman actually invented the tilther that is in use on many market gardens today. But to your point, it's more than a before and after. What we're trying to demonstrate is that you can convert hard clay soils to crumbly chocolate cake without the use of a tiller. And the advantages extend much further. Carbon and nitrogen especially are easily volatilized in soils that are tilled. We also disrupt the soil food web and ultimately destroy soil structure when we use tillers. We live in a moderate rain forest and tilling results in incredible erosion. No-till has enabled us to store excess water in the ground so that it can percolates back into the earth rather than running off along the surface into our ditches. A final advantage is that we can plant and seed in any weather. Before we began no-till we'd have to wait for a week or two of dry weather before we could get on the field.

[@nineallday000]

@@localharvest Yes I am a Coleman fanboy so I use minimum tillage too, I now have a rotary harrow that I use sparingly. i'm not entirely convinced a rotary harrow is that much different then shallow tilling, but at least it sounds good in theory. I especially agree with your points about erosion and the ability to plant and seed in easier weather conditions, these are crucial points in favor of no till, I especially didn't realize the advantages when I was still farming with a 2 wheel tractor compared to using a 4 wheel tractor. I would like to do no soil work at all but I'm a one man operation and its difficult enough to figure everything else out, so sometimes its easier to just do what you know 'works;' i am transitioning to harvesting blueberries and chestnuts in the future to get away from tilling that way.

[@localharvest]

@@nineallday000 Coleman is a pioneer in market gardening and he has been my greatest inspiration. I think that transitioning entirely to no-till if you're currently running a successful market garden is too big a leap. Take it slow and continue to use what works. Maybe try it on a bed or two and continue to expand. Working with a hybrid system also works for some people. Also, when you till is a big factor. Good luck!

[@johnbalasa711]

it looks like you have ben adding a lot of mulch. this will make the soil healthy .Biomass is the way to go.

[@martinclayton2746]

Why his green houses behind you

[@northrockboy]

We can barely dig in where old pastures have been grazed for years. Where we till we can dig freely.

[@localharvest]

Follow the principles of no-till and the examples of many farmers practicing regenerative ag and you'll turn the hardest pastures into soft, rich soil.

[@likes-yv3lj]

So all you need to do to turn clay into perfect soil is put a thin layer about 1 inch thick of cow poo on the surface every year? Do you need wood chips?

[@localharvest]

You don't need woodchips but they definitely will help. Woodchips contain a wide array of elements in their leaves, twigs, branches and bark. Trees mine for hard-to-reach minerals deep below the earths surface. I'd compost the cow manure you have available with woodchips and then add this compost as a 1" layer on top of your garden.

[@likes-yv3lj]

@@localharvest I spread about 40 tones of wood chips about 8 inches think in my yard with 20 plants would you recommend to put the compost over the chips or dig trenches on the chips and put the manure or something else?

[@itsrachelfish]

OMG!! In order to make this video you essentially TILLED that one spot!!! 😧😱😵

[@DavidSimsStocks]

My Mom has zero interest in gardening. My dad spends all day in his garden. Me too.

[@bobthompson4133]

Bwahahaha the beginning statement is hilariously untrue

[@JenMarco]

Those beetles freak me out because they look like roaches. My first year gardening, I didn’t know they were good and killed a few of them. Now I know.

[@ligurian728]

with ruminants you can fix it quicker

[@localharvest]

I fully agree. It can be done faster with bovines and with far fewer inputs. Allan Savory, Gabe Brown and Joel Salatin make this abundantly clear. Different parts of the world require different approaches and especially on grasslands we should look to ruminants to heal damaged soils.

[@charlesharlan5951]

Did he say crumbly chocolate cake

[@siempreseagull2]

If you want to wait 7 years before you get a good crop. You go ahead. I want to eat, NOW.

[@TT-Freak]

You know what's funny? It is not a miracle, but logical. Miracles only exist for the ones not knowing. No offense.

[@localharvest]

Totally true. No offence taken:)

[@robertcorradi8573]

Big suggestion here . Please just let the 'farmer' , the person who is actually practicing No Till explain the process. Your constant interruption very nearly made me 'turn off' . Very , very annoying.

[@pigare8163]

Hmm,canibalizing other sites for organic matter in order to get a rich soil in smaller lot..

[@DogkayyySixsocks]

Cant it takes way too long

[@ChristopherPisz]

Ha, that's not hard clay if you can actually break it apart with your hands and actually get a shovel into it. Come to my yard, I'll show ye some hard clay!

[@localharvest]

My family in Holland tells me the same thing!

[@seanthedevlin]

...and how does that smell? 😆

[@yishmedia3642]

And what does that smell ? hahaha

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

I appreciate all farmers but if I had to thank someone or something for feeding the world it would be petroleum.

[@broomfieldsdual-sport]

Nothing to special. Its obvious that ground has nothing and if you add to it , it will flurish.

[@localharvest]

You're right. It isn't anything special. We're simply borrowing from nature and applying her tried and proven methods on how to bring life back to dead soils. This wasn't meant to be complicated. What we're illustrating is that you don't need a tiller in order to have a flourishing garden. You also don't need to spade over the garden before planting. It's this fact that seems contradict how many of us think about gardening and producing food.

[@nandan0022]

Show me sugarcane in this no till fad

[@DavidfromMichigan]

0:28 that's right.. not get your ass back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich.

[@Ed19601]

I totally disagree with your opening statement about women, but let's stick to gardening