Why Fencerows are the Worst + Deep Compost Mulch Needs Plants

[@notillgrowers]

Hey y'all, I just realized I used the wrong screenshot for the study at the end. It's titled: "Tarping and mulching effects on crop yields, profitability, and soil nutrients in a continuous no-till organic vegetable production system" . That's my bad! Have a great weekend, nerds.

[@jillmartin8195]

Re: tree root competition- we decided if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And moved things around putting all of our raspberries , black berries , (snd things that naturally hang out by trees) and rhubarb where tree roots were the worst. Then, moved our annual crop area to the other end of our garden zone. It was work. We did it over 2 seasons. Totally worth it.

[@chriskimber7179]

Much sympathy for the fence weeds! After many years of building and rebuilding fences and agonizing the same issue, here is what I would do: 1- use an angle grinder (cordless is quickest) or wire cutters to snip the vertical fence wires right at ground level. The buried fence stays in the ground, the above ground fence will just hang a little loose but should still keep bunnies and badgers out. You could even pin the fence through the flashing if needed. 2 - slide an 8" strip of metal flashing (strip of roofing, metal siding) under the fence line, so you've got about 4" on either side. You could use strips of wood or cardboard, but these won't last. You can certainly go wider to keep those longer rhizomes at bay, but that is more material and $$ I used strips of 1/8" puckboard (plastic) in the area where children might play to avoid any risk of sharp metal on bare toes. 3- the strip lays flat, you now have a 4" weed free zone on either side of the wire. Pin it down to keep it in place and press down on any corners or edges rising up. Landscapes should be fine. Avoid pinning right to the edges, you may find that you want to run the blade of a hoe under that edge to defeat any persistent weed, especially if you are running a bed right up to it. 4 -mow the turf/weeds on either side of the fence. you can now run a mower wheel right over the strip. Weeds will stay as short as your mower deck and not have a chance to wind into the fence. On occasion you may need to hit it with a leaf blower or run an edger along it, but that is super easy since you have a firm, clean impenetrable surface. Now you never have weeds in the fence and you never have to run the string trimmer either. Fence weeds are erased every time you mow. Cheers!

[@idav4239]

This is genius and will save SO much time in the immediate long run!! Thank you so much for this awesome idea!

[@PeggyKeilitz]

We are relocating back to Michigan Z-5b from Arizona Z-9b area after 18 years. We will be reestablishing a homestead once again. I still kept up urban farming at our AZ location but nothing compared to what we had before. I discovered your channel a few months ago and look forward to viewing it every morning. Being older now, we decided that No-Till is our best option rather than buying and operating heavy equipment at our age. I did a test plot in our garden area and this is the way to go for sure along with high tunnels. We will have so much to explore. Thanks for your wide range of subjects that you discuss.

[@MK-ti2oo]

Going back to catch the episodes I've missed and I've realized that you have quickly become, maybe my favorite KZbin farmer. Not too many out there that actually offer the nerdy science stuff that my brain enjoys that is actually applicable to my life. We're super nerdy farmers as well, i think we'd become great friends if we didn't live 2000 miles away, lol.

[@themessyphoenix]

Re: the weedy fence line, one strategy that I've used at my last farm was to just plan on it happening and embrace it by planting the fence line heavily with things that will outcompete most weeds, and then let it become a hedgerow essentially. It could be something as simple and low as comfrey all by itself, or a mixed planting of semi-aggressive plants (large grasses, clumping perennials etc) that are easier to control than the bindweed for instance. So one of my fence lines was a total of three feet wide, and inside of the fenced area I laid down a 6' weed barrier with gravel over. The only thing that came through that was the bindweed but I found that it was pretty weak by the time it crossed over and as long as I kept on top of it. You lose some space but the amount of time spent was infinitely less. I had planned to eventually add a trellis over the walkway for a shady spot to put harvested crops and do some vertical growing but never got to it.

[@laughinggiraffe9176]

Why not make the bottom foot of the fence concrete, with fence posts coming out of it vertically and connected by wire, so nothing can grow under it? Would that be too expensive? I haven’t installed fences or walls before.

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Awesome reply. Many thanks. I'm discussing with my neighbor who has the right equipment to do just that. I was sure of actual width (edible & pollinator fence row).

[@richy7tube]

@@laughinggiraffe9176 I think this is a good option. I might add another idea which would be to use foam create in order to reduce the concrete needed by 40%. Although I'm now entirely sure that foam crete will withstand the freeze thaw cycle or roots growing into it.

[@lexliller2004]

Anne of all trades does this. If i remember correctly 🤷‍♀️, she put strawberry plants along her fence line.

[@themessyphoenix]

@@laughinggiraffe9176 to me, that would be prohibitively expensive, even for a small fence, as well as labor intensive. Additionally, things like bindweed in particular wouldn't even blink at a foot of concrete, they'd go right under and over it. For grasses etc it could work though.

[@piedmontfarmstead2535]

We use a backpack flame weeder to manage fence lines. Just do it early on with a heavy dew on the ground or after a rain. Don't do when the ground is dry, a lot more can go up in flames. You are only trying to use the heat to damage the weeds, not trying burn them to the ground, so a pretty quick exposure to the fire is all you need.

[@MargiPrideaux-md7zn]

Contributing a note to your tree route discussion. I am a community market garden grower in Australia and we may have something to share that is helpful for those of you in the northern hemisphere. Tree routes from eucalyptus trees are the most tenacious beings on the planet. My husband and I have a vineyard as well as the market garden and we have to physically rip a line between the vineyard and a neighbouring eucalyptus plantation, with a tractor and deep ripper, down to a metre EVERY season (sequentially offsetting the rip by 10 metres every other season because the trees are that smart) to overcome the aggresive ingress of euycalpt tree roots into the vineyard area. Eucalyptus trees will generally stretch their roots out two and a half times the height of the tree. So, if you calculate a tree that it's fourty metres high, you can see that's quite a distance to have to overcome. I noticed what one of your commentors said about tree roots being able to go around barriers. We ve discovered that eucalyptus trees will physically go UNDER the barriers and directly up the other side if barriers are any less than a metre deep. We've dug either side and are amazed (and a little in awe) about the 'tree intelligience' in play. I'm sure there are similarly vigorous northern hemisphere trees, so perhaps this depth and distance tip is helpful. When we established our market garden area, we deliberately calculated the 2.5 x distance we need to be away from the existing eucalypts on our farm and set up there. So far, so good. Then with our deciduous fruit tree hedgerow (our major windbreak) we decided to incorporate the trees in absolutely all the soil ammendmemts, fertilising, composting and watering schedule so that they don't feel a need to go looking for anything more. Of course, this is a bit more work, but so far, three years in we're finding it's working. I haven't yet discovered any tree roots from the fruit trees in the garden beds that are two metres away. I hope this Antipedian perspective helps a little. PS: while glirious fruit, cherries are banned from our property. In a past garden we discovered them suckering 10 metres away from the parent!

[@thenarrowpathfarm]

For keeping the fence line clean er, I’ve used chickens with a poultry net around the section that I want them to clean and leave them there for a while. It turns the weeds into eggs but it can also be a good amount of work when moving them, but they can get into hard to reach places and they work all day every day, you just have to move them every week or 2 or 3 what ever you choose.

[@alexpowell9]

Loving the new pidcast format thanks for always sharing such great info!

[@GardenersPOV]

Love that you bring science into the conversation. Thank you!

[@lizflores4142]

I love today's field note. Great insight that I think many of these types of shows are missing. Keep up the great work. I appreciate you and your team.

[@SallyJGlendinning]

Boundary fencing -- in Wales UK -- we have traditional hedges -- they are thick and need trimming every other year. But they do keep out weeds and other livestock -- it also breaks the force of the wind. There are you tube videos on starting such hedges -- it takes a few years to establish -- but they do confer consideratble advantages.

[@shirleythompson-xc6gr]

For what it is worth, i have had fair success using steam from a hot pressure washer to keep fence weeds at bay. Just use a low pressure and cook them. Weeding will still be required but it reduces workload significantly and eliminates fire risk. Hope that helps.

[@wordwalkermomma4]

Yay! I love listening to Farmer Jesse... And sometimes, I learn new stuff.😄

[@susanrowland8915]

Thanks again! For your beekeeper viewers, Va. has had a lovely weather, too. But no rain! And the bees are missing those flowers. Feed Feed Feed your bees! Good luck, everyone. Sue

[@jamiluvvi6736]

I had to leave my fields fallow this year. It was sad. But I still love watching your wonderful life experience. I love learning.

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Jesse: Thank you for this series & all those commenters for adding their insite. 😊

[@gregwashington6208]

To the fence weed issues. I like to stagger boards horizontally along where the fence meets the ground on both sides of the fence. I rip the boards from free pallets and screw from one side of the fence board to the other side of fence boardin order to use half as much hardware. This create a surface I can just come through with a weed trimmer and clean up easy without concern of getting string caught up in fencing.

[@johncarter1150]

I've found used roofing metal to be effective. If you can move it and remove the overgrowth of vegetation and aqumulated detritus a couple times each year.

[@chriskimber7179]

lay boards flat under the fence, now you can run the mower over the edge

[@RobertIngram-u4x]

Weedy fence line: I keep my pigs on the other side, rotating each side for 4 different pastures for them. They root out and eat the bindweed and quack grass. I have a wide footpath around the garden and they clean up through the cattle panels. Electric wire on the garden side mounted on the panels keep them from pushing too hard on the fence.

[@HeatherNaturaly]

To keep my fence lines weedless, I plant comfrey all along them. Grass and weeds can't compete. I made the mistake of planting them INSIDE the fence and i will be planting any more, OUTSIDE the fence. They are kinda sprawling into my work area.

[@Nellyontheland]

Interesting. Did you not use the varieties that don't spread? I'm not trying to be obvious here, but I'm wondering if you did use them, but they still spreaded? So, allow it to grow. Harvest for mulch, and the remains don't allow another weed to grow? Cheers 🇬🇧

[@Nellyontheland]

@dawn19maria Interesting. I now have ideas of planting some, by the walking paths, that my trees and big bushes are that I planted as a wind shield for my crops. The trees might not bother with the nutrient lacking soil which the deep rooting plants go through... 🤔

[@HeatherNaturaly]

@@Nellyontheland It doesn't spread via seed. I have to plant each spot with a segment of root.

[@brokenmeats5928]

I love ALL No-Till Growers videos!

[@cassaundrajames640]

Aince you mentioned it ....would be interesting to hear what podcasts you listen to regularly...😊

[@ursamajor1936]

Just recently finished a new, fenced garden for growing acclimated grain seed. As an experiment to keep out weeds and burrowing creatues, I used 4 foot tall garden fence with 2 foot tall hardware fence along the bottom and buried 1x6s on each side of the fence. Winter wheat and rye are up 2 inches already and we finally got rain.

[@paperkitefarm]

As suggested in the Four Winds farm video, a line of comfrey could create an impenetrable root system. Instead of fighting to keep it tidy, maybe just keep it wild. Or maybe make a hedge of something you can harvest, like blueberries.

[@kimaccardi9817]

Ive incorporated perennials into my market garden beds themselves, usually at either end. I'm in Sub tropical Qld and have opted for holy basil/Tulsi as my go to. It flowers all year round and the bees love it. As it is more of a shrub than a tree, the roots pretty much keep to themselves. Lavender works well too. I would like to try the rocoto chilli trees but hesitant because I don't want them harbouring pests/diseases through my crop rotations

[@ronaldthoms2147]

My garden has cedar trees on Northside an that area was so dry always . Had some 2x12x12 from concrete project made raised beds now can grow food an built a grow tunnel over 2 beds an have greens in winter here in nebraska even has gotten -30 . Love your show ❤️

[@soilbellefarm3210]

Thank you for the music :)) And the info!! super great content!

[@jameskniskern2261]

Fence rows. I use hedge trimmer to keep them mostly clear. The hedge trimmer handles the small trees and thicker weeds. Even works on honeysuckle and I've been successful in slowing it down enough that it doesn't destroy my fence.

[@theburnhams2925]

Re: Invasive tree roots, here wild persimmons are the WORST.....they'll run out of the woods at least 40--50 feet. Plus the small fruit drops draw in deer from all over. A single-shank "sub-soiler" (tractor drawn) will work (for a while...) but must be redone every year. I've tried "weed-mat" in a deep trench (a joke...) and rock salt in a narrow trench but mechanical destruction seems to work best. Girdling the parent tree doesn't work because every root node will start another tree. Brush-hogging the sprouts, while emotionally satisfying is no solution. Always enjoy your videos!

[@sleepybearpermaculture1936]

FENCE- if you want a gap to weedeat under like he had mentioned but don’t want to rip up the fence, just go down it with a cordless grinder with a cutting wheel and cut up as far as ya want.

[@joshuahoyer1279]

Maybe it's too early to tell, but we had a couple of heirloom tomatoes and a spaghetti squash volunteer themselves in the compost around the new 4-in-1 cherry tree we planted this spring. I had added a small amount of fertilizer to the hole, but otherwise just had compost and wood chips around the base of the tree. None of the plants languished, and we were able to harvest four spaghetti squash and probably a dozen Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes by the end of the season. I'm curious to see if we can replicate this next year. It was fascinating to see all of it growing harmoniously.

[@opperhoofdgeilebizon]

A like and a comment, in support of the content.

[@sociopathmercenary]

My solution for fences has been to dig a shallow trench when I put in the fences. I line that trench with driveway fabric... A super thick heavy duty landscape type fabric... Then I fill the trench with gravel. I've also picked up truckloads of used pavers that you can find for free on Facebook marketplace or craigslist and placed them along the fence line.

[@johncarter1150]

Sodium in sodium chloride accumulates in the soil and also corrodes metal fencing.

[@wickedsourmainesourdoughsh2781]

Weedy Fence Line: this comment is for setting it up: logs. It’s log, it’s log, it’s better than bad, it’s good. Yes, split logs, lay flat side down, fence on top. Boom. Done. I know, I know. Settle down.

[@derekmartin2817]

Renting farm land. I would also look for a small field cut off from a larger tract. Most row crop equipment is so large now that a 3-5 acre field is considered annoying. Being mindful of pesticide used is paramount. Dicamba or 2-4 d applications on soybeans in june can be highly problematic.

[@Dust2LivingSoil]

4:46 Not in raised bed situation is but in the native soil people all over the world are doing sin tropic agroforestry And having great success with a multitude of different types of trees that are supposed to be problematic with things like fruit and vegetable crops that are thriving in situ

[@craigmatheson2736]

Fencline weeds: A healthy cover crop covers a lot of sins. Also between your fence and the windrow this is where you keep a pass or two of tilling to keep it under control. As far as your neighbors side goes if they'll let you till their side on occasion as well and let the rest go the way they want... Just thinking and let us know how it goes.

[@MartinaSchoppe]

Idea for the deer fence: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJzNlWerj6esoMk&ab_channel=EdibleAcres he uses comfrey as a rhizome barrier to keep grass out of his garden. And he also uses other plants in this way: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4KUhIWLacuLZtU&ab_channel=EdibleAcres I planted comfrey along my fence between my lawn and the food forest to stop the lawn from invading and it really seems to work really good, even though the plants are still small and there are still some "holes" where i need to add another plant or two. In between the comfrey I stuck cuttings of red and black currents last fall and most of those are still tiny but they will make a nice hedge in a ear or two. Other berries work too: raspberries, thornless blackberries... edible fences ;)

[@MartinaSchoppe]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqSxfWWmgc5onpo&ab_channel=HardcoreSustainable

[@KP-jv1hy]

I did read your book and carrots bring mycorrizhae but I want your thoughts on rootwise. It is a inoculant but I think worth talking about with new beds or plots

[@devinclement]

put 3 layers of cardboard under and a good 2-3 feet infront and behind your fence then cover with wood chips which you can get free, then just have to maintain the rhizome weeds! easy but still can be a pain when you're busy lol, just weed wack if you have a huuuge fence lol

[@ajb.822]

Helpful comment about the trees ! I am wondering now, does it make much difference ( with the root's ability/forcefulness to go far - how far ?- from trunk & be aggressive) between dwarf, semi-dwarf and full-size trees ? Also, does it help to coppice &/or prune the trees hard ( not that I'd count on that if planting the trees myself) ? A few very interesting, related tid bits came up on the channel "regenerative media" ( new to me, and maybe very new ??) In a vlog titled :" Natural Farming Pioneer... " , in a discussion between Huw Richards & a dude named Joshua Sparkes ( I watch Huw, never heard of other guy but he seems a font of knowledge). Again, some very interesting tidbits incl. stuff about trees & incl. some which may relate somewhat to this topic.

[@danphillips4590]

Use organic weed killer on fence line, from Arbico Organics, keeps my fence line clean, cost $$

[@ChilcoteForestryServices]

No. If its dark and you cant see the sights the compound is useless. But you can still shoot instinctive

[@johncarter1150]

Please do a podcast segment on controlling fire ants. The ants often eat and destroy late Summer and Fall seeded plots. Northeast Central Georgia.

[@ursamajor1936]

Have you tried sprinkling boric acid on the hills?

[@wendyeames5758]

Could cobbled or tied goats clear the fence line? Here in Austin, even the city hires goats to clear along trails.

[@ckhenson]

The cover crop mix I use in the mid-summer has seeds of various sizes. How do you use a mix like that in your sower?

[@lindasinnwell5594]

In my yard (1/3 acre of foothill rocks in CA) I had a redwood tree, creating a tightly woven nest of roots in my raised bed. I could justify cutting it down because it was too close to my home and could threaten my foundation, resolving my problem. I proceeded with no-till practices over the top and, over the course of a couple years, all of those roots have decomposed into lovely soil. Whew!

[@RubberDuckStyle]

Try vinegar and salt mixed with water for the fence problem. If you have plants you want that are close to the fence don't use. If you have a walk way between the fence and plants you will be good

[@ursamajor1936]

Yes, that works. I use that mix on my gravel drive to keep it weed free.

[@krystynam4076]

I grew comfrey along one side, rhubarb along another and thinking about the other two.

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Definitely comfrey & rhubarb planned in my 1320' fence row. The pint jar of rhubarb seeds (& all the roots / cuttings for both) for transplant shortly will come in handy come spring.

[@davidakerlund6296]

I know longer have a fence at all but rotationally grazing my birds against did 90% of the work between chicken, duck, turkey they ate most of it { turkeys are the superior lawn mower along with geese}

[@ecoworks88]

Haskaps!

[@zachwilliams805]

Re: fence line weed management. Below is a no-till growers episode where they used comfrey on the borders of their plots to manage perennial weeds. This is something I attempted this year. Unfortunately my comfrey did not do well due to my own mismanagement. I still really like the idea though. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJvMg4SBn62Ega8si=pt2Hoa17iyJVe2l5

[@Nellyontheland]

Fence lines using a mesh or link fence, use animals along the lines. Goats will demolish those weeds. Just explain to the goats to not look at your crops at all, and I find that the goats can be let loose to eat along the fence. ... 😂

[@FA_FOmotors]

I wouldnt call this show a habitat exactly. Its much more similar to an addiction!

[@janking2762]

Growing trees near a garden is a really bad idea, just asking for trouble. You will spend a lot of time and money with minimal results. If you like an unending, unprofitable, time consuming project, then go for it.

[@AlsFoodForest]

fresh arborist wood chips kills all vegetation. best to weed-wack first and lay the chips 6"+ on top.

[@opperhoofdgeilebizon]

Just a tip:that 'farmermichelle' thing? Nah. A simple 'info at' might work though.