What Happens When You Bury Fish Scraps in a Container to Grow Tomatoes?

In this video, I show you what happens when you bury fish scraps or frames in a container to use for fertiliser to grow big tomatoes.
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Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :) #garden #gardening #recycle
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[@dmw1313]

New viewer from Louisiana here... I did this exact thing once, without the worms of course, while in Afghanistan. I obtained a bare root rosebush from the Afghan gardeners at Jalalabad Airbase as a gift and took it back to Bagram where we were housed. Nobody believed it would be worth planting as the dirt all around Bagram is dusty clay. I kept the bush in a bucket of water for a couple of days while I figured out what to do. One night we had fish in the dining hall and I asked one of the servers if I could have a piece of the frozen fish before it was cooked. He was able to get me a piece about the size of my palm. I had to wash it off because all the fish came pre-seasoned but once all the spices were washed off I put the fish at the very bottom and then filled the pot with the local soil, watered it very well and waited. Nobody believed it would work. But I also had a secret weapon I never told anybody about. Once a week I would mix urine with water and pour it onto the rose bush. I never measured anything, just peed a little into an empty water bottle and then filled it up with water. It just looked like I was watering the rose bush and nobody ever knew! As a gardener myself, I know that urine is loaded with nitrogen and there is almost nothing roses like more than nitrogen. The combination of fish at the bottom and urine water once a week made the rosebush explode with leaves, which nobody could believe and then about a million little tiny pink flowers! In Afghanistan! It's a very nice memory.

[@variyasalo2581]

Too late for you to read, but I'm glad you bloom wherever you are planted. Beauty is never wasted.

[@TheObsoletist33]

Still pound for pound the best KZbinr out there. The only negative is how jealous I feel over the absolutely outstanding land he has. As we can all see its A LOT OF WORK, and the guy is clearly quite driven... it must all be worth it when he's eating some of the best vegatables in the world, effectively for free, while sat enjoying that vista.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you that's very kind. Honestly, yes I'm busy but gardening and sharing it here on KZbin with such a generous community of positive people is an absolute pleasure and I feel very privileged. Cheers 👍

[@bryans6539]

Nah he’s just Aussie Russell Crowe! Hahah I’ve always said that, hilarious he mentioned it in this episode. Well I guess Crowe is technically Australian even though he was born in NZ

[@eeeeeeeeeevonne3897]

I think he's hot too. Rrrawrr!

[@Dreamydazefarm]

Darn skippy

[@eeeeeeeeeevonne3897]

@LittlefootwithAlopecia what? It's just a compliment from a lady.

[@_AlanChan]

"You're not living until you get a handful of dirt" spoken like a true gardener... thanks for the great vid!

[@sgmahabir]

And the background laughter topped it off

[@WR_CTorch]

“Without gloves” 😂

[@Sandlin22]

I've always worn gloves but lately I've been going bare handed more. There's something satisfying and primal about dirty hands while gardening or as our ancestors called it surviving

[@MrBasinator]

Much better grounded 🙏 Called Earthing. Even scientific evidence for it

[@Blue-hf7xt]

Spiritual connections Sand, dirt, leaves 🍃… all have microbes that aid the human body.

[@diello1122]

After learning my lesson from a rather nasty infection, I now make sure my cuticles are in tact before going gloveless in the soil. :)

[@GutenGardening]

Agreed!

[@I_know_it_I_sew_it_I_grow_it]

You also absorb the beneficial bacteria-B12, in the soil, directly through your skin.

[@kokaneeflyer9235]

Hello Mark, my Dad had several acres filled with gardens and fruit trees with a variety of small live stock. He had a large family (9 kids) and was an avid hunter and fisherman. All the parts of any animal that was harvested hunting was either eaten or preserved with the left over bits thrown in the chicken run to be cleaned up. All the fish carcases and entrails were buried on the drip line of one of the many fruit trees. Nothing went to waste. I followed in his footsteps and do the same with the fish.

[@p_roduct9211]

Was there any worry of rodents like voles/ rats or coyotes / foxes coming around the property? We have bears closeby.

[@haydendonley2440]

@@p_roduct9211 I do the same, we do not have bears here but if you dig it down deep enough I would guess it wouldn't be a problem, asides from the bears.. my parents do this around all thier fruit trees and they have horrible soil it is nearly rock and over time it has all turned to soil and they have great producing fruit trees

[@frankytrevor7]

Do you think any aquatic animal can be use like fertilizer with good results? Thank you

[@mickhvac3908]

Thank you Mark. In America, we always used to hear that the natives, buried a fish head under each stalk of corn. I have many invasive Tilapia in my ponds. I know what to feed my tomatoes this year.

[@vaneela3377]

You can eat tilapia also. It just have a bad rep on America but it's a cuisine in most countries.

[@fusionxtras]

@@vaneela3377 not even bad rep in america.

[@Teyeranitar]

Body builders and the like absolutely love tilapia as an alternative to salmon or chicken occasionally. It does have an over abundance of certain vitamins, so eating it daily isn’t beneficial.

[@averageinvestor4986]

@@vaneela3377 Yeah we love tilapia here

[@mjtechnoviking44]

@@vaneela3377 they are bottom feeders that taste of dirt by themselves is probably why

[@libbysmom1000]

My dad put a whole fish under each tomato plant in his garden, and just like yours, his tomatoes always produced tons of fruits! Also, was anyone else drooling over that spent container soil? It looks amazing!

[@retro8696]

I need to try that where I live since Tomato plants here don't do to well.

[@PharmSilver]

Would love to see you do this again and have one pot without worms to see the differences in plant output and fish decay.

[@MC-ko2mx]

Yes! With seeds from the same plant, grown in pots side by side, and given the same amount of water and fertilizer, if possible. So the only variable would be those fish frames. Would be a fun experiment.

[@rottenmisfit]

He did a video like that before, go search > "What Happens When You Bury a Fish Head Under a Tomato Plant?" in Mark's channel!

[@h.s.6269]

That would be very cool to see the breakdown of!

[@Palios33]

@@MC-ko2mx you are forgetting that plants as we are individuals and may grow in a different way. This can happen even to clones

[@MC-ko2mx]

@@Palios33 Stumped as to how best to run side-by-side experiments then. Suggestions?

[@preciousmetalhead5155]

You’re like an Aussie Jesus, turning fish into tomatoes. 🤘🏻😄🤘🏻

[@Selfsufficientme]

LOL...

[@Blue-hf7xt]

Cute

[@mikemann2053]

Brilliant mate.

[@edithmaciver680]

I love watching your informative videos, especially this one with all the bird sounds in the background. Their vocals brings back so many fond nostalgic memories of my 2 years in Australia. 🇨🇦

[@Barbara95688]

Hahahaha hysterical comment! Thank you.

[@popadon1950]

I liked to go fishing whenever I had the chance. When I cleaned the fish I would bury the fish waste where I planned to grow tomatoes and buried them eighteen inches down an sprinkled a little powdered lime on the fish waste then because of cats filled all the holes back up. This was in the fall season. The next spring I planted young tomato plants and they grew like crazy. I these were either beef steak or better boy type tomatoes. I eating them like large apples and was providing all my in-laws with all their tomatoes that year.

[@MrRickkramer]

One man’s rotten fish head with worms is another man’s gold. Good stuff!!

[@notmyfault6835]

San Diego, California USA growing zone 10b checking in! NOT disgusted with bare hand in the soil at all!!`Thats how gardening should be done!!Great work as always! 👍 🐟 🌱 👩‍🌾 ❤

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

Growing from the seeds produced by a hybrid can be fascinating. I grew some 'dwarf marigolds' to keep insects off the rest of my garden. I saved the seeds from those marigolds and planted them the next year. I got a wide variety of sizes and colors of marigolds, all sorts of mixtures of characteristics. I saved seeds from those marigolds and got what seemed to be an even wider variety the next year. If I had a garden I think I would be tempted to try developing 'my own varieties' of plants from the seeds I save from the hybrids I bought.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Love your passion and experimentation mindset! Yes, for sure try growing hybrid seeds because you never know 👍🙂

[@twobeards6714]

I'm going to do this. Thanks for sending me down a new path.

[@homelife8597]

Firstly, dirt don’t hurt. Secondly I feel like any passionate gardener would never judge you for not wearing gloves. My kids were always grossed out by worms, but when they see them now, they fight over who can grab it for my garden. Thanks for another awesome video. I started this same experiment 3 weeks ago (we had some left over fish from my last fishing trip) so I buried it in one of my beds when I was putting it to sleep. I have never seen so much activity and baby worms when I look under the cover.

[@mapd6831]

Make sure the fish aren’t pollinated! Don’t want fish trees popping up everywhere!

[@MB-co6qj]

Fish peppers incoming!

[@bronazlin4955]

😂

[@lelleithmurray235]

☺

[@lizxu322]

Makes fishing easier...No complaints if it happens to me

[@Barbara95688]

That's hysterical!! fish trees and peppers I'm looking for fishermen who don't garden. Being plant-based, we don't eat fish but being humans who grow our food, fish innards would noutish up our vegetable and fruit plot. Say. Do fish guts arract or deter gophers? Nasty buggers those!!

[@drproton85]

Someone needs to make a shirt that says, "I want someone to look at me the way Mark looks at worms."

[@catey62]

Lol..now that would be funny!

[@GutenGardening]

Haha... They are garden Heroes!

[@mikemann2053]

Do it. It would sell out in seconds. Fantastic idea

[@NIH1966]

Or "I want someone to hold me the way Mark holds fishy wormy dirt"

[@haharmageddontv6581]

great inside joke

[@christinehancock3274]

I love the feel of digging bare handed too. It's nothing that a bit of soap and a nail brush can't fix.

[@h.s.6269]

Don't underestimate the nail brush! That helped me feels much tidier after gardening, it was one of my earlier purchases after I got into the hobby, so I agree 100%. Definitely worth it!!

[@Barbara95688]

Or hand washing a whoIe big sinkful of dishes....or bathing a couple of toddlers! Fingernails so clean y'all can EAT with 'em!!

[@cgm4886]

When he put his hands in the decayed fish bones I said Mark, you are the bravest man I know lol. I loved this experiment and I will get me some fish to put into the holes before I plant my tomatoes.

[@robb5984]

I've been growing tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets for several years now. I've recycled the potting mix every year, mixing in some compost, and adding 2 or 3 frozen bluegill carcasses just above the stone (drainage) layer in the container. No other amendments. Two or three seems to be plenty. I've never had a smell issue, perhaps you used too many fish? Three main observations I've had: 1. There has always been a noticeable growth spurt when the roots make it down to the fish. 2. I've never added worms to the mix, they soil life just finds its way in there on its own. 3. I've never found more than a few scales remaining at the end of the season.

[@cltinturkey]

When I tried this a few years ago, I planted the fish "frames" (we call them guts) too deep directly in the ground. I didn't add any worms, although there are some normally in my soil. The dog went crazy trying to dig everything up. For those that survived the digging, the plants produced well but were not spectacular. I'll try again next spring/summer and use large containers and add worms too. I'm surprised all your wildlife didn't go after the fish at all. Congratulations on your great experiment!

[@Sarath1419280]

Hello, to prevent the dog from digging in the ground, add agricultural lime on top of the fish remains, the lime hides the smell and reduces it and favors the slow-release calcium that is very important for the tomato.

[@cltinturkey]

@@Sarath1419280 Thank you.

[@saadadib5391]

I squeezed a heap of lemons last season and buried the scraps. I checked the ground just a week later and there were so many worms in that particular spot. It was so interesting.

[@michael7423]

I’ve used fish scraps with similar results, I’m a firm believer in this method! Although I’ve never done it in a pot or container. Great video!!!

[@jjudy5869]

Native Americans did just that when planting their three sisters gardens. My grandfather did it with his cucumber plants.

[@JMaahs23]

I love how you deconstructed the potting to know for sure how your experiment went. The end results where fantastic and you could hear it in your voice. Thank you for these great gardening videos. I learn something every time.

[@kathystarling1308]

I think touching dirt bare handed keeps grounded. If I start to feel depressed or stressed out, all I done is spent an hour playing in dirt bare handed and my brain gets clear. Thank for video.

[@jamestboehm6450]

They work very well under pepper plants too. Grown some high yielding very large plants.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Good to know James thanks for sharing! Cheers :)

[@williamkreth]

I love these videos where you dig down to old things you composted

[@prubroughton2327]

I buried the remains from the butchering or 3 sheep - pelts, heads, feet and what part of the offal we don't Use ( mainly intestines) we eat most of the animal, into a trench in a raised bed - buried down about 35/40 cm. No smell, no leachate and plants and worms very happy

[@leoholmgren9550]

Okey now we all need some sweet fishing videos from you!

[@roccothegoldie9380]

I tried this before and I got really good results too!

[@lelleithmurray235]

Good morning Mark from south Florida! I was afraid you were going to be speared by fish bones! I'd have to resort to wearing gloves. Like you,I usually garden with bare hands. Giving you a dirt encrusted big thumbs up on this one!👍

[@mr.marshmallow1711]

Happy Halloween everyone

[@robynmcqueen6107]

Until recently we lived as you do Mark..... fish scraps, all compost in fact, was put into holes I had dug in the garden, then covered with soil...WOW the healthiest worms ever!So when two of my lovely hens got old & 'fell off their perch', they were buried in the garden a couple of weeks before the heirloom tomatoes went in AND the two plants (different types of tomatoes too) atop these girls, produced kilos & kilos & kilos of fruit. I did let these vigorous plants be the vines they naturally wanted to be, they reached about 5 metres in length! Nothing to do with me really, just Mother Nature doing her lovely thing👍

[@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325]

At 09:46 Mark says "your not living until you get a hand full of dirt without gloves" and the crows in the tree said "HAHAHAHA ". LOL

[@timothysmith5453]

I’d put a small tarp in the wheelbarrow, when you get close to emptying with a shovel,pick up the tarp to get the last bit out easily.

[@herminimandala531]

My husband does the same thing when he is gardening - no gloves !!! 🤩

[@stefos100]

Good on you Mark. Im like you, never worn gloves in my life.

[@johnmcclure2912]

Great experiment and analysis afterward. You've got science skills Mark. I had no idea the bones and scales would be broken down that fast and the worms were so involved in the process. You can now use some of them as bait. Great work kiddo!

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks John! Well, I was surprised myself at how so much fish could almost disappear like that in just several months! Cheers 👍

[@timosaurus3011]

You’re the best Mark. Thanks for all the inspiration

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you Tim! :)

[@timosaurus3011]

You’re very welcome

[@danieljuul2447]

Love the fact you don't wear gloves. Personally love getting dirty with my veggies and love the feel g of the soil too. Amazing you tuber!!

[@gothicfox3402]

MARK NO WAY would we be disgusted for not using gloves, I never ever use gloves when I garden unless there is prikles or something sharp, I wouldn't garden any other way .I love your content and wanted to say great job

[@koicaine1230]

I bury fish under all my plants and it's crazy how well they grow! I have a Worm bin and I'm sure to get some with the Castings and put them in as well so it's basically Organic Fertilizer for the whole life of the plants. Where I live it's mostly sand so I'm constantly working on adding leaf litter, grass cuttings, clay, biochar etc., so I can turn it into soil

[@technical19d34]

I have done this with lobster and crab shells recently, I figured those would take months to break down. Not so. They were completely decomposed in just a few weeks.

[@chrisunderwood2524]

This burying of fish entrails is very old...we did that way back in the fifties, all our garden, and fruit vines and trees welcomed the many, many wash tubs of the smelts, in the gardens in the early spring time just a few weeks before the late spring plantings.....and our gardens flourished...and this was in Ontario, Canada..and I have always followed this practice that I learned from my grampa....

[@Liliarthan]

Omg Mark, those fish scraps are gold! So much meat and flavour on them still. Perfect for fish soup/stock! My Chinese mother would have been appalled. Haha. Thanks for doing all these experiments!!

[@siamstation]

Mark your video once again has not surprised me, with your zest for gardening and trying something outside the box. I'd pick you over a Hollywood star any day. Your down to earth and far more interesting. As a worm breeder and vegie grower myself........ I think your the bee's knees.

[@Kearnesy]

So when do we get to see a video on the self sufishing channel? Last one was 8 months ago.....

[@Selfsufficientme]

Yes I know... sorry about that. I do have a video in the pipeline and plans for a way ahead also. I'm getting there slowly. Thanks for asking :)

[@thizizliz]

You described the soil perfectly; beautiful, rich, wormy! Any gardener would appreciate it.

[@ghendar]

I applaud your gloveless approach, Mark. Well done.

[@dansullivan8]

Can't imagine how much I and probably many others would give everything just to come and learn from you in your garden. The videos are a close second! :) Great work.

[@helenmcgill5563]

Thanks Mark, great video! I never use gloves either, I love the feel of the earth, worms and all too! 👍

[@Selfsufficientme]

Good on ya Helen! All the best :)

[@lees1159]

I live in Tokyo, in a dog box apartment. No way I'll ever be using a single tip from your channel. And yet I'm gonna subscribe and keep watching, because maybe one day I will. Keep up the good work, I think this channel is really something else.

[@user-jg6bd7se8u]

Those worms only go about 4" deep. Check out the book "Worms eat my garbage". She tells alot about worms! Different species of worm would do the trick. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! You are an absolute joy to watch!

[@OliviaLovesPugs]

Excellent demonstration on the benefits of combining whole organic matter to break down into fertilizer and how using worms assisted the process; you could clearly see that the tomato roots grew into the fish and took up nutrients, as well as that the worms were in the carcasses feeding and in turn producing nutrient rich castings for the plant to use as fertilizer. Another great and informative video from this channel; it’s innovative ideas like this that keep me coming back to learn and find new techniques to try out in the garden.

[@teetstreats5682]

I put worms in my growing containers both on purpose and accidentally. They seem to love it and so do my plants! Great video Mark.

[@conservativejones3537]

I used to bury my fish heads under my pare tree....it worked like a dream. They are a great source of nutrients.

[@allendiaz9031]

I have also done the same experiment with great success. I love it you get your hands into it. I still do after 35 years of gardening here in South Florida, USA and still going strong at 76.

[@mariap.894]

Allen Diaz Are we neighbors? I'm in Boca. May I ask where are you?

[@allendiaz9031]

@@mariap.894 OfOF

[@mariap.894]

@@allendiaz9031 Y eso en donde es?😄😄🤷

[@allendiaz9031]

@@mariap.894 I'm in Hollywood and sorry I don't speak Spanish

[@mariap.894]

@@allendiaz9031 oh, Hollywood! I know where that is. No worries, I just moved to Florida and don't know many people who like to garden. My experiences of growing things here are mixed, not many things do well and the pests and bugs make things impossible after July until now (October). What have you had luck with?

[@kjireland3567]

It's been years since I did gardening and recently holding hands full of compost with perlite, I forgot how satisfying it is. A tip: if your nails are due a clipping, do it after the gardening. They're easier to clean that way in my opinion

[@GutenGardening]

Well done!

[@mwat4339]

Thank you so much for your videos, Mark. I really do learn a lot from you, especially this video because I am a container grower. Can't wait for the next video!

[@teresadrigotas113]

My dad always loved to fish! My momma always buried all the fish scraps all throughout her yard! Where we live it's solid clay soil here! She can now grow just about anything and everything in her yard anywhere and she barely does anything to them to care for them and they all grow huge and beautiful! They have done this for 40 years! Unfortunately it's only a small plot in town but that soil she has is pure gold!

[@MysticalLoveAndLight]

Great job using your hands, your grounding yourself spiritually when you do that… Thanks for sharing Blessed Be

[@Garbanization]

I'm totally trying this fish base with my tomatoes next season.

[@Naughty_Squad]

You are about to give it a go now

[@harryday2180]

I have wanting to do this for a while but I haven’t got around to it

[@MinkesMom]

Last Spring, I buried fish outside in the ground with my tomatoes. One by one, the racoons & skunks dug up & destroyed each plant to eat the fish. I lost all tomato plants with fish. Now I use fish oil & seaweed fertilizer in my greenhouse.

[@susanlisson7066]

I used to bury the prawn shells and heads leftovers under my roses and the roses loved it. You just have to make sure to bury it at least 2 feet deep to avoid the cats digging it up.

[@kevdimo6459]

Love it we don’t learn if we don’t experiment. I’m going to try this myself thanks for the video 👍🏻.

[@Ol_Dirty_Brasky]

I think it may have been ammonia burn from the fish. Nitrogen heavy material may give off ammonia gasses that burn the plant. It dissipates fairly quick. Tends to go along with that corpse smell.

[@gachagameplayer2143]

In my hometown where we used to bury intestines of a big fish under a grape tree, you do it every year to ensure the bountiful yield of sweet grapes

[@richardjorna]

You give my wife and I such joy. Thanks for you'r useable examples.

[@LordZoth6292]

The worms were the key part to this whole experiment. Sure the fish would have broken down and decayed eventually from microbial deterioration, but the worms sped up the process. Their digestive system turns their poop into black gold for the plants and in turn produces amazing fruit. I think if you do this again, you should probably bury the fish further down so the roots have a longer time before contact. Wonderful video as always, thanks Mark!

[@kaylynn3583]

So should I put the worms in by themselves.

[@aussiewanderer6304]

@@kaylynn3583 you could, but perhaps put some raw material into the bottom (raw kitchen scraps, unprocessed compost) for them to feed on. Worms need food too.

[@ryanlove8242]

"You're not living until you get a handful of dirt without gloves." Amen brother!

[@cguercia311]

I've been told that only "TRUE" farmers wash their hair to get the dirt out from under their nails.

[@ryanlove8242]

@@cguercia311 true farmers are never able to get the dirt out from under their nails. It's like a tattoo.

[@muhammadzubair661]

Wonderful work. Very sweet. Very healthy tomatoes with a lot of vitamins and proten. You did work hard on it. Congratulations for this growing success. This is Muhammad from Pakistan

[@devo4717]

I’ve only stumbled across the channel over the last few days but this channel is incredible! Please keep it up! I’ve already passed the channel over to my partner and a lot of other family. You make gardening so accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise know where to start. Thankyou

[@kafkaspen]

Really interesting stuff, those tomatoes looked great.

[@kateymateymusic1]

“You’re not living unless you get a handful of dirt without gloves”.... legit me right now because I’ve lost my gloves 🤣🤣🤣. I don’t have any fish but I’m wondering if I put a pack of those worms in my tomato bed whether that will help? I hope to plant my tomato’s this week (Melbourne- we always plant tomato’s cup weekend)

[@Selfsufficientme]

Worms in a garden bed always help - bury some scraps in the bed or chop up some old crops for worm food and mulch well on top to keep your wriggly friends happy! Cheers :)

[@kateymateymusic1]

@@Selfsufficientme awesome! Thanks for the tips. I’ll get onto it

[@BushCubsAdventures]

Awesome mate! I use my fish frames all the time, it’s unreel 🎣👌 it keeps producing for about a year I think, depending on how much you put in there- my big tuna frames last that long anyway as they continue to break down and provide. My plants suffered the curly leaf when I started doing it, as the fish and are too ripe I think- now I prepare the bed a month or so ahead with frames in it before planting, then they are less intense. It works a treat! Totally from nature and self provided, which I love too. Love your channel, thanks very much for info, entertainment 😆 and advice 👏👍 🧑‍🌾

[@tdb7992]

Those tomatoes look incredible. I bet they tasted really incredible, they'd be perfect for salads. you're such a typical Aussie dad with the sense of humour and the love of gardening. I absolutely love your channel. Big thumbs over from over here in Perth!

[@LantanaLiz]

Thanks, you answered my question without me even having to ask! I was curious if I could get away with using a big pot to do some makeshift composting in since I don't have a lot of room in the garden for a proper pile and the smell was an issue. But if you can't smell kilos of decaying fish, then I'll probably be okay to bury some old fruit.

[@mrpoohbearlvr]

That's how the Native Americans grew corn here in the US. Guess it's the first ocean fertilizer. 😁

[@eldiantre7346]

Not just corn, crops in general. Including tomatoes.

[@mrpoohbearlvr]

@@eldiantre7346 just remembering my old history class stuff ...only showed corn, in the Pilgrim days. 🤪

[@lizxu322]

The salmon migration unintentionally fertilized the forests by the river every year as bears would drag salmon carcasses into the forest, letting them decompose and fertilize the vegetation

[@variyasalo2581]

In 9a, south Texas. I plant all my dead chickens, ducks, bad eggs and now fish from the dollar store under perennials and trees that I plant in my yard. As y'all down under say, works a treat! .

[@LoveMusic-pd5iz]

Mark, loved how the fish composted down and the worms grew to full size. Since the potting soil was improved, the money spent on the worms will be over many seasons. Have you ever planted using the Native American traditional Three Sisters method? Fish in the planting hole, then beans, squash and corn planted together.

[@ozazure]

I love the experiment! I like to take a see if it works approach, my feelings don't get hurt if it fails lol

[@Pia-ir2hn]

❤️ it! Rolly polly fish heads eat them up yum!

[@madmex2k]

Love that song! hahaha

[@lelleithmurray235]

Sounds like we have an ex Dr.Demento fan here!

[@Pia-ir2hn]

@@lelleithmurray235 ha ha awesome one hit wonder!

[@MB-wf8si]

Wonderful! Thank you for the great video. I cannot tell you how much you have influenced me over the years and gave me confidence to grow more and more of our food. We are now almost completely self-sufficient in vegetables, fruits are getting there (gotta give those trees and bushes time to grow) and since last year, almost self-sufficient in white meat and eggs as well. We are a family of 4 here in New England living in a semi-rural setting and learning more and more every day. I also confess that I love watching you because you remind me of my dad. I miss him so dearly and he looked and talked a lot like you. A great man who shaped me into the mother and wife I am today.

[@MsHetha]

Thank you! I buried a fish in my garden at the start of my season this year and was not sure what to expect when I took it apart.

[@terry6131]

Pity you didn't have an identical pot / plant next to the experiment to give a side by side comparison. It looked like a good, strong plant, so wondered what the fish contributed to in terms of growth.

[@itsmeinarkansas]

@Mark do you have any videos on preserving or storing your harvest? I saw what you did with some of the tomatoes, and it looked interesting.

[@AlwaysOnline2001]

this is one of the best channels ive ever found, i will carry these videos with me through my entire life. thanks SSM

[@pamelaroden5513]

I too love the feel of good soil along with the smell. Love my garden and gardening.

[@UAVfutures]

can you please do a video on how you keep possums out of your beds please.

[@tomnewell5529]

Go to homesteading downunder John has few videos of possum proofing. Another awesome Aussie channel 👍

[@Selfsufficientme]

I've added your suggestion to my list. Hopefully, I can do this video sooner than later 👍🙂

[@nickerzzbell4811]

Chuck fish frames under ya pillow!

[@Barbara95688]

Our answer is a chicken wire tunnel. I hate shooting them-- they're North America's ONLY marsupials!

[@benjaminmiller3620]

@@Barbara95688 possum not opossum. Completely different animal.

[@PlasmaBurns]

Tried this in Texas and ended up growing a big red ant bed. They kept all other bugs off the plants but I think they cut up the root system pretty bad.

[@sternistellaris]

Could happen anyway. Today I harvested 2 sweet potatoe containers. One was a bag and one a plastic pot. in both I just added local soil from the surounding and charcol. No fish, no worms. In the bag were amazing big potatoes, in the pot some "ok" potatoes and 2 different ant populations (one were the biting ones-ouch!) including lots of eggs... Both Containers stood at the same place behind the greenhouse. Greetings from centroamerica.

[@lorelynleisure4048]

I love that you use your bare hands! I just can't garden well with gloved hands, at least while I'm digging in the dirt or weeding etc! I often have to go somewhere with black around my fingernails in the summer, which I do think is a bit annoying. I really enjoy your channel. I live in north central USA, zone 5, but you have great info for everyone no matter where they live. Thank you!

[@heybebe97]

i totally agree. I never wear gloves when I garden. I love feeling the earth in my hands. It grounds me. Awesome video. I'm going to try this next season.

[@Neeneebee23]

Maybe in your next experimentation you can use 2 test subjects so you will have something to compare it to :D Anyways as always it's a joy watching you. Stay safe and keep up the good work!

[@GutenGardening]

"You are no living until you get a handful of dirt without gloves" Haha... Do we agree?

[@ytgururajj]

Such a satisfying video for Gardener Mark. Thanks, really inspired to try this out.

[@Bill-yn5ej]

A real gardener with real experience. I can literally take all his advice as I live in similar climate in Trinidad - no worries about winter time...

[@markdowse3572]

@ 8:20 "... There's hardly ANYTHING left, not even bones ..." That is the power of Mother Nature, right there. 👍🌍 Well done, mate. Great experiment! 😁

[@YamiKisara]

Mark, you shouldn't cover the worms with additional soil, you could make them suffocate that way (sounds weird, I know). Just put them on top and allow it to dig itself into the ground. Same for all the other critters, they take like 10 seconds to dig themselves in, so the sun won't harm them.

[@mgdubya27]

Every worm is sacred, every worm is good.

[@Mrs.TJTaylor]

I can almost smell how rich and sweet that new soil is! Great experiment, thanks.

[@probablyaparent]

My dad has been using fish frames in his pumpkin patch in the Midwest USA for forty plus years, family brings them over in the winter as leftovers from ice fishing (something I believe you are most likely missing out on, you make it over here I'm sure a lot of your fans would be elated to take you - myself included) in the winter and he puts them into a trench he tilled out in garden, then come spring he buries it all and tills it two weeks later. You can see his pumpkins from Google Earth, he's quite proud of that. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the world and hopefully teaching a few others a fantastic way to recycle some scraps.