A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

[Chic Rustler]

Nice harvest(s) this in your back to Eden garden? If so, can you maybe please share some of your experiences with the method?

pretty easy. i tilled the first year and laid down a foot of woodchips. then more as they break down. always spreading manure on it too and trench composting. when i plant i rake out a bed then hoe in some rabbit manure and plant. everything grows well it seems

 

[CrealCritter]

pretty easy. i tilled the first year and laid down a foot of woodchips. then more as they break down. always spreading manure on it too and trench composting. when i plant i rake out a bed then hoe in some rabbit manure and plant. everything grows well it seems

I recall reading you were having ant and weed problems with you first started. Better now after a few seasons?

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Chic Rustler]

I recall reading you were having ant and weed problems with you first started. Better now after a few seasons?

Jesus is Lord and Christ

ants love woodchips. they havent effected the produce tho. i kill em out every now and then

 

[CrealCritter]

ants love woodchips. they havent effected the produce tho. i kill em out every now and then

One other question if you don't mind. When you added wood chips initially, what size where the chips, various sizes, sawdust?

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Chic Rustler]

One other question if you don't mind. When you added wood chips initially, what size where the chips, various sizes, sawdust?

Jesus is Lord and Christ

just whatever i could get from the tree services. some loads were really coarse, like had 6 inch sticks in it. some was finer, like 1 inch chunks and less. sometimes i put layers of leaves or animal bedding too or straw. anything to cover the soil

 

[CrealCritter]

just whatever i could get from the tree services. some loads were really coarse, like had 6 inch sticks in it. some was finer, like 1 inch chunks and less. sometimes i put layers of leaves or animal bedding too or straw. anything to cover the soil

Looks like your soil is starting to be really productive, I'm really glad for you. I also further believe, the back to Eden method is only going to get better for you.

My wife sent me a youtube video of a interview with the guy who started the back to Eden method. I watched the video and so much made a lot of since to me. I only know one method, that's plowing, disc'ing, tilling, sowing, cultivating, weeding and mulching. Although I can get it to work, it's just that, work, and a lot of it at that, I think most can relate. After watching the video, I'm seriously considering starting the back to Eden method for our garden, even though we have nice topsoil to work with already.

I have a lot of hay in the garden for mulch and It was very interesting to me when I raked back the hay enough to till a row, just how rich the soil was under the hay. it was moist, teaming with worms and smelled like manure. I almost didn't want to till it, because it was so nice but of course I did. I was going lime and till the hay mulch cover under, at the end of the season. But now I'm thinking about leaving it as is and adding about 4 inches of sawdust over top the hay, instead of tilling it under. I'm curious what you think of my approach?

Its a big change and a lot to consider for a old guy to go from what has worked for decades to re-learn how to garden. Thanks for taking time to answer my questions, you've been a big help already.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

Think of it this way, it's composting in place. But. You still have the initial need to remove that "grass layer"... That's why you and I had to disc/till! Holy cow -- my 20 yr pasture area had roots to china! Yes great soil....just growing something I no longer wanted in a chosen spot. . After years of planting it... I'm seeing improvement each yr.

 

[baymule]

I finally had my small garden in Livingston up to no till. That meant not turning with a shovel anymore. LOL The garden in Lindale still grew bodacious ragweed and lambs quarters and required extensive work preventing and pulling them up. By late July I generally gave up and let the ragweed and lambs quarters take over, much to the delight of the sheep, when I let them in the garden in late fall to eat all the weeds. LOL

The new place is off the beaten path, on a gravel dead end road, I don't see any loads of wood chips in my future. I want to build raised beds anyway, so I'll get inventive. Tomatoes, peas and corn will still have to be in the ground.

 

[CrealCritter]

I finally had my small garden in Livingston up to no till. That meant not turning with a shovel anymore. LOL The garden in Lindale still grew bodacious ragweed and lambs quarters and required extensive work preventing and pulling them up. By late July I generally gave up and let the ragweed and lambs quarters take over, much to the delight of the sheep, when I let them in the garden in late fall to eat all the weeds. LOL

The new place is off the beaten path, on a gravel dead end road, I don't see any loads of wood chips in my future. I want to build raised beds anyway, so I'll get inventive. Tomatoes, peas and corn will still have to be in the ground.

My understanding and I could be way wrong here? but is to sow or transplant shallow in the cover and don't break up the cover at all (no tilling or even using a broadfork) to get down to the soil under the cover. Let the roots find the soil under the cover if they so choose to do so.

One thing that CR said, cover the soil with whatever he had, makes a lot of sense to me. And is basically what was said in the video I watched but he was a lot more selective. An added benifit the cover helps with water retention. I the video he also likened the cover to what you would find on a forest floor.

I believe the common mistake when starting out with the back to Eden method is starting with too large of wood chips, which take many seasons to decompose. In the video it was said that he screens the wood chips through a hardware cloth. The screened material is what goes on top of the soil to cover it. I would think, screened material would decomposes faster than say a 6 inch stick would. I could be all wrong here also I'm just in the study mode and haven't put any of this into practice, yet.

But I just noticed what a thick layer of hay cover did for the soil when I raked it back to till a row. Then my wife shows me this video I can just imagine what small screened wood chips, sawdust or other small diameter organic matter would do.

I'm still debating... Do I till the hay under at the end of the season or leave it and add over top of it, to start a back to Eden method of gardening.

I appreciate yins feedback

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[farmerjan]

Leave it and keep adding. Pull back where you want to plant. Then add more right up to the plants. The soil will stay cooler in the spring though... not warm up as fast for warm season plants...
The other thing you can do that I have done many different times... is raise the pigs in the garden in the fall... let them turn it under, dig it up... they will do a number on the grass roots etc... but you will need to till and smooth it in the spring. Grew the best cantaloupes ever after a winter of the pigs in the garden.... can't have the asparagus or other "permanent" plants in the same fenced in area though.
I have never been a fan of all the plowing and tilling every year. Yes, I had to get it done here this year since it had been lawn for over 10...maybe 20 years... and it will take a few to get rid of the grass... and I may have to have it "worked up" for another year or more.... but it is going to get covered with mulch as soon as I can get it done...
I hate tilling the garden.... sure looks pretty... right after... but I always cringe, especially in the summer, to see the soil "uncovered"....