A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

[Chic Rustler]

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

ive never used saw dust but i bet it will work just fine. bte is alot less work. im all for it, but your gonna want to back off on the chemical a little for it to work well.
commericial fertilizer (salts) are harmful to soil microbes and so are pesticides. the microbial life is pretty important in breaking the top layer down to feed the soil, and actually the microbiology is more important to the plants than the mulch because its actually what feeds the plants. ill see if i can gind some videos to help...

 

[Chic Rustler]

 

[Chic Rustler]

 

[Chic Rustler]

 

[Chic Rustler]

this is the best one to get started

 

[farmerjan]

As far as the "back to Eden" "method".... try reading a couple of older books, publications.... Ruth Stout did all mulch type gardening... and the Nearings - Helen and Scott -..... all into regenerative gardening and simpler lifestyles. Yes, they are "Yankees".... but I have read things by both of them for years and years...
There is another old book called "10 Acres Enough"... by Edmund Morris.... Really good and very much applicable for these days and times even though it was written about 75 years ago or so.

 

[Chic Rustler]

i reckon the proof is in the pudding

As far as the "back to Eden" "method".... try reading a couple of older books, publications.... Ruth Stout did all mulch type gardening... and the Nearings - Helen and Scott -..... all into regenerative gardening and simpler lifestyles. Yes, they are "Yankees".... but I have read things by both of them for years and years...
There is another old book called "10 Acres Enough"... by Edmund Morris.... Really good and very much applicable for these days and times even though it was written about 75 years ago or so.

if you go the ruth stout method make sure the hay or straw wasnt sprayed with 2-4-D. thats a herbicide that kills broad leave weeds but it has a residual effect and can effectively poison your garden for aome time.

 

[Rammy]

i reckon the proof is in the pudding

if you go the ruth stout method make sure the hay or straw wasnt sprayed with 2-4-D. thats a herbicide that kills broad leave weeds but it has a residual effect and can effectively poison your garden for aome time.

Or Grazon. It will keep you from growing anything for a long time. If you buy hay thats been sprayed with it, it passes thru with the manure so you cant even use that on your garden.

 

[flowerbug]

As far as the "back to Eden" "method".... try reading a couple of older books, publications.... Ruth Stout did all mulch type gardening... and the Nearings - Helen and Scott -..... all into regenerative gardening and simpler lifestyles. Yes, they are "Yankees".... but I have read things by both of them for years and years...
There is another old book called "10 Acres Enough"... by Edmund Morris.... Really good and very much applicable for these days and times even though it was written about 75 years ago or so.

for no-till, aka natural, aka organic gardening i'm thinking two to four years ahead for gardens i rotate plant through. the soil is not perfect, i can't do cover-cropping how i'd like but it is still fertile and giving us good crops without using any herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. yes, there are bugs that damage plants at times, i just try to work around them as much as i can by finding resistant plants and also sometimes picking bugs off by hand if i really care that much. with as many plants as i put in i can't really do that all the time though. doing this for 15 years. worm counts going up in the gardens i've been able to do the most with, the rest are ambling along and doing ok, but they could be doing a lot better if i could cover crop.

never turn down free clean organic material.

 

[Chic Rustler]

todays harvest.