Watch This BEFORE Buying Garden Soil for Vegetable Patch
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ต.ค. 2018
- Buying garden soil for your vegetable garden? Watch this video first to find the best garden soil to buy!
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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 :) - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
He starts off a video admitting a mistake he's made. This is a mark of humility that is rare these days. Love this channel!
The best gardeners are the ones that made mistakes.
We learn from our mistakes. It's better I think that we learn from others mistakes. Someone probably had to make the mistakes somewhere and learn from them. They say about people with great success stories that they largely took more risks and made more mistakes... but overcame them. So, don't be afraid to make mistakes, but do learn from from them and pass it on.
I cant believe how much you have taught me. I cant belive l have convinced my husbssnd to make a vegi garden all because of your video. My doctor recommended gardening to help with depression and lm telling you its the best therapy ever. Love your videos. Thankyou.
I get winter depression. It is the best thing ever to go out in the cold and feel alive while I prep for the warmer season. Cheers to feeling alive. 💝
Yes, gardening is the best therapy ever. I have had many issues in my lifetime and gardening has helped me through tough times, also gardening connects you with other people that love plants. Gardening is the best way to go, gives you food and heals the mind!
@@estherhiguera8950 enhanced if grow hemp :)
the messy scrapbooker : I became a hermit for 7 years and growing veggies and with Gods help saved me from depression. Not tablets not shrinks: Physical labour, refocused mindset
This was great, thanks, I have been researching "preparing soil organic vegetable garden" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Fonillian Uncomplex Future - (do a google search )?
It is a smashing exclusive product for discovering how to add breathtaking landscaping designs to your home without the hard work. Ive heard some awesome things about it and my colleague got cool success with it.
I watched this before finishing my raised beds....STILL got duped into poor soil. It was cheap at least and over a year of "treating" with a lot more organic matter has now started showing a lot more success by the end of last year. This year I've stepped up my game and my family gave me X-Mas gifts of manure and vegetable seeds. I Was beside myself with joy.
What great gifts!! Hope your garden did well❤
@@JennTN411 it is actually. I'm restoring it and I'm getting my first harvest of beans and kale in for the start of winter. I'm growing them under plastic so it stays warmer in the day.
This guy is like the Steve Irwin of gardening. Tremendous!
hahahaha i was just thinking that.
Hey at least you dont get it as bad as canada though. Some Americans still think we all live in igloos.
Big facts!!!!!
Chris D been to Newfoundland, LOVED IT. Also a fan of trailer park boys and letterkenney lol.
U should see Marty's garden channel then
This guy isn't afraid of a little hard work!! One of the best gardeners on TH-cam hands down!
i live in literally the opposite environment/climate as this man and yet i've been binge watching his videos for three days.
His videos are addictive 👍
You've offered a plethora of good advise in countless vids but most of all I want to THANK YOU for getting to the stinkin point quickly rather than blabbering on for 10min about what you're GONNA teach us in this video.
... like far too many do.
😉
Keep up the good work and I'll keep hitting the "like button".
I'm 22yrs old and i live in a city, i came from a small town and my mother kept a garden in the backyard every year. I never at the time stopped to consider how much i enjoyed fertilizing, watering, and tilling the soil until recently (due to my health seemingly getting worse over time, and connecting that with the realization that crops in the city markets are heavily poisoned, and lacking in nutrients) and watching your videos has made me want to buy land back where i was raised and start a garden, leaving the city life behind forever. Thank you for uploading so many crucial and helpful hints, you are an inspiration sir.
Good on you for showing your wins AND your losses Mike. Respect. Love your videos.
Yeah, no one likes a smart arse that is right 100% of the time, nothing wrong in showing you're human.
Ah yes, that is what a man looks like. All admitting his mistakes and shit.
It actually takes a bigger man to admit his mistakes than a cowardly egotist who never will. Big thumbs up mate!
@@antennawilde THAT'S for sure! I was married to an alcoholic, abusive narcissist for 15 years, and he never admitted he was wrong about anything! I didn't find Mr. Right, I found Mr. ALWAYS Right! Five years ago, he left me and moved in with his girlfriend. That was the best thing he ever did for me. I got to keep the ranch, and now I can do those things I always wanted to do, like plant a garden, and get a lot more goats. I'm planting my garden over the spot where I used to have a goat pen. It's had several years for the goat poop to break down into rich, black soil, and the stuff is teeming with earthworms! It's ridiculous how happy I feel about having that abundance of "black gold" that's already producing some tasty lettuce. I'm really looking forward to growing tomatoes. It's been years since I've eaten a good tomato!
I have so much to learn, and I'm really glad I found this channel. This fellow really knows his stuff!
just gotta say Mark, you inspire new and experienced gardeners and farmers alike, all around the world. good on ya, and thanks for all the wonderful positivity!
Thanks William that's kind of you to say mate :)
Hey ,guy's named Mark are usually smart.
You inspire me self sufficien me to clean my patio today! I had been meaning to do it for ever
I agree....dude is such a cool guy...I feel blessed to learn from him, I truly mean that
1:00
My sister used to have a 30cm deep garden with commercial soil in it.
When the neighbour saw that we wanted to use it he told us that the previous owners never had any luck and that we should just quit now.
We have a pile of refuse (chicken manure, woodchips, wood ashes and lawn clippings) that has been sitting and waiting for more than 10 years at my parent's place. We brought a few bags of it to my sister.
Once we mixed that compound in my sister's garden and removed the tarp that was underneath the garden bed to have it mixed with real soil, that sterile patch of dirt turned into the most efficient garden we ever had!
Holy crap where do your parents live?
You have an absolute gold mine there mate!
Mix that stuff together and sell it to the locals as primo organic
Wow who would have thought things would grow in 10 year compost!
Christ no wonder it was a dead bed, it wasn't even a foot deep. Though I'd be careful about adding too much chicken manure and wood ash because that'll turn the soil acidic. Though if your local soil is more on the alkaline side it might help balance things out.
Just use all your food waste (plant matter), grass and plant cuttings to make a large compost pile (No animal products in it) Just make a small 8ftx8ft area in the corner of the yard and dump it there, turn it ever few weeks and it'll cook right down into something wonderful to toss into your garden bed.
Just an Fyi if your in a really arid area you may need to add water occasionally when first starting out as it will dry out and that will kill all the bacteria, fungus and bugs doing all the work of breaking it down into some very fertile soil. You'll know it is doing right when it starts getting hot and you can feel the moisture when you turn it over. I use to dig a hole in my mother's compost pile in the middle of winter and sit there to warm up, you could see the steam rolling out of the hole.
You can bury meat in the ground though in your beds, fish is actually an old American Indian secret to help make the soil better. There are microbes in the ground that will break it down just fine.
@@SilvaDreams Dont blaspheme, please repent
RoyMach1n
Mark Australian home gardeners need knowledgeable green thumbs like you to help those of us who are trying to be more self sufficient. I have learned so much from your UTube tutoring and all from the comfort of my own coach. You are knowledgeable, down to earth and know how to make it enjoyable to watch....Now let’s get into it 👍❤️
You are a natural smooth speaker. Informative and interesting. Nice work man, you get my thumbs up
He absolutey nails it ay
I had exactly the same issue when I changed to a new local landscape supply co. I was previously buying loads of 50% topsoil and 50% mushroom compost, mulching it and then ageing it for a season. But one of the local supply co's changed management and impressed me with their spiel about their "veg mix" soil - a beautiful blend of premium soil, compost and aged manures. Thought I could plant into it straight away, so I was sold. It was moist when I first got it and seemed light and loose but it did feel a little "sandy/thin", so I thought I'd add a bit more compost and it'd be great. Within a day the top of the soil dried to dust. After watering it literally just turned to mud, creating a baked, cracked crust when dry. I just don't understand how these companies that "specialise" in soils and mulches etc. can think these mixes are acceptable. The only way I can fathom that they sell them with a straight face, is that none of the staff have actually used the soils to grow in themselves, which just blows my mind.
This is me now. I bought a ton of "veg mix" as well. It looked and felt great at first but after watering it, the top would become really hard. I put some in a pot and watered it, the whole thing ended up feeling like a solid mass.
Hence why I'm now learning about dirt vs soil.
Seems like they didn't include enough organic matter. Luckily didn't pay too much for it but now have way too much of it in my yard.
I would've packed it back up and dumped it into their office lmao
@@vnlilman The soil you bought might have contained enough organic matter, but not the right kind. For example, chicken and cow manure are both organic matter, but the texture and structure is completely different. Chicken manure is very fine and dusty, and becomes hard as a rock after watering, while cow manure is fibrous and fluffy. I would guess that the problem with the veg mix you bought was poor structure, not necessarily organic matter content. Adding coconut coir, peat moss or cow manure are ways to improve the structure and make it less like clay/mud.
Me too terrible
I have 7 raised beds to fill that will be here this week and I went to a local nursery that just did that spiel on me about 40% mushroom compost, 40% wood chips and 20% sand. They kept saying it was the best stuff at $70 a cubic yard. It looked like "sandy dirt" on the top. Underneath it felt nice but I just couldn't get past the super light color. I came on here looking for answers. I need to get my beds filled and I am at my whits end. I don't want to spend a fortune and screw up. I already spent $$ on all the beds coming.
Best garden show ever. You need a show on discovery or somthing. I'm all the way in New England but your teachings apply everywhere!
LOL Thank you, we have a good garden supplier and I bought some top soil for my garden as it was cheaper in bulk than buying the odd 25ltr bags. I also bought tan bark. and they we pack side by side.
My delivery arrived. and 3 days later on weekend I started filling some small garden bed, that really didnt need much, eg cannas, and other flowers,plants natives, so it was full of thin tree branches, leaves, grass, paper, scraps and cardboard with some holes in them and them the soil. then watered so water could filter through before i planted... I went inside to get a drink.
Came back outside and checked on my new garden pot. and I had a swimming pool, the water was not seeping through and I hate mud pies ,,, I took some photos as I was going to town...
Talked to supplier and found out the drive had bought me sand for grass... [ no comment on that one] and they were happy to deliver the top soil at no cost... and being lovely peopl, I got a little more of both top soil and finer tan bark and they wouldnt take the sand away... and it is sand....
So now I will be filling all my plastic bottles with the sand to make garden paths....
Gardening is fun.
I'm sorry you were ripped off Mark. I'd be pissed off at being mislead that way. Thanks so much for your advice!
Hey Mark.
Thanks for the video! I heard a while ago that instead of growing plants, we should be growing soil. Plants know how to grow.... If we put all our energy in growing good soil, that humus that is full of life we'd be successful for sure!
Just wanted to share our experience that I think it would have worked a treat in those raised beds when you want to have volume and life as quickly as possible.
As you've done in other opportunities, the base of such high raised beds could be lots of carbon material, like branches and leaves litter that will decompose through time, then the bulk of the volume filled with organic mushroom compost (which is very cheap, light and also organic matter), then the top part could be anything that will help kick start the microbes production, like a thin layer of compost, worm casting, comfrey leaves, coffee grounds or if you want to add pre-made products you can use products like "Life Force-Micro-Force" from NTS in Yandina which is used to brew microbes. Then of course a thicker layer of mulch on top. This worked great for us as Compost mulch was quite cheap compared to garden soil from landscape places and it was awesome providing organic matter to the soil in a short period of time. Lastly.... we also tried the 18 days composting system after seeing a video from Geoff Lawton and worked a treat. It produced rich, full of life compost in 3 weeks from mostly dried material (carbon) and thin layers of green manure. The best thing is that it didn't loose volume, so we started with 1m3 of volume and we got around the same in the end. :)
PH was boring to us too and thought it was too technical for home gardeners like us. But then we learned that soil balance is very important as plants cannot absorb nutrients when PH is either too acidic or too alkaline. A slightly acidic soil is best to grow nutrient dense food. in saying that, we usually don't worry trying to control PH as when soil is full of life it balances itself. a
We found that growing soil was a very interesting and rewarding activity... we enjoy it as much as growing food! :))
Thanks so much for this info!!
I'm starting this soil mix tomorrow to start my edible garden. Do you think I could add composted cow manure to mushroom compost for volumn?
I started months ago but recently found the "organic plating mix" I bought from he local nursery had red brick rubble in it so I became concerned it was contaminated soil as there is no ticks of "aus standard" in the bag. So I'll use that soil for natives or non edibles. Anywho, thanks again for extra info
I ran across Doug and Stacy’s homestead on youtube. They were filling their beds with OMRI certified organic soil. Being I didn’t have enough homemade soil to fill my new deep beds. I investigated this soil and found one dealer about 45 minutes away. So I ordered 3 yards. It is the BEST soil I have ever purchased. It is so full of organic matter. It was well worth it. The soil is definitaly the crown jewel of the garden! After all the real work of making beds, prepping etc. The dirt is the most important. i hooked up with a farmer too. And now can get all the manure I want as well. Keep on composting everyone! Love your vids! And love this area you are making here. I want one of those too. 🤣👍
You won’t believe this I am fill my first garden bed tomorrow. I watched this video just in time. Thank you ❤️🐾😷🇺🇸
Hahaha jokes on you i don't even have a Garden!!
i just love watching your Videos..
10k Subs without Original Content Challenge hahaha jokes on YOU neither do I!
@@bolton7961 jokes on u all I have a pot
Oh thank you - this explains SO MUCH! Now I know why buying Premium garden soil from the landscape suppliers has ALWAYS been so disappointing! I need more chickens!!
Oh matey, I too have a raised garden bed I filled with crap soil. 😢😭 I keep working on it! Nice to know I'm not the only one who made that ghastly little mistake! Thanks for your wisdom as always.
Mark, you’re a very hard working man and very likeable, you deserve all your successes. Respect from Britain 👍🇦🇺🇬🇧
ahhh,, looking at that gourd tunnel brought a huge smile to my face, & envy to my heart! Well that was about 8 months ago; must look amazing now!
Really felt for you with the soil situation. I learnt that the hard way as a relative new gardener, 25 years ago. Premium soil, my foot! It held absolutely nothing! So plants got nothing & died.
Then I taught the only way to improve clay soil was to dig in lots of gypsum. Thankfully I was too poor & could only get 1 measly bag of the stuff, because shortly thereafter I accidentally discovered grass clippings, manure & composting & how fantastic worms are (you don't have to buy them, they just come if you lay a table of goodies for them to dine on!!). I always learn something new. You're such a pleasant character, sorry about the PTSD. Gardening really is such healer, & a great gift from God.
So amazed to hear the truth. I’ve been organic gardening for 40 years. My best beds I started with hard packed clay and turned them into beautiful rich soil that I can stick my arm down in it easily up to my elbow. This without all the crazy work of turning and composting. I never use commercial fertilizers. I use organic matter, dropped in place, ashes, sand, and cooked dry bones that I break up. It takes about 3 years to get the best soil ever and it costs nothing. Best deal ever is seed free grass clippings. Just had someone today tell me I had to kill all the natural fungi in the soil....omg!
I hit Like before I even watch Marks videos, I know they’re going to be great.
Same here! Never disappointed yet.
He is the Professor of Garden. Where you want to watch his video again and again and more and lectures we learn and we enjoy at the same time. Ton of useful information with fun.
Hi Mark, I've been watching your videos for a while now and very, very much have been enjoying them. I've longed to tend to a garden of my own and you've given me the information and confidence to start this year. Thank you for sharing your invaluable knowledge and taking out your time to make such excellent quality videos. Wishing you all the best from out here in Canada. Happy harvesting!!
Hi Marc and thank you for supporting my content! All the best for the coming growing season :)
Dude, that was the best rundown of what makes good garden soil I have , seriously, heard. Great job
1
Oh Marc. This helped me so much. This is EXACTLY where i am at right now. I just spent 31 bucks (plus 5 for shipping) for a test. And id ordered a "Garden Mix" frmo the number 1 recommended local contractor. And i spent the first half of the year thinking someone was poisoning my garden. Thats exactly what my plants looked like in your plot 3:15 Unfortunately, the people i live with refuse to allow me to go get the compost from the city compost center. (i dont know what to do at this point)
This made me feel alot better. I think this my hair literally fell out about this.
Mark, For me "landscaping" is a bad word! I'm Tom's American wife, and I was raised in New Jersey "The Garden State" LOL! But I did learn from an early age from my father how to build soil and make compost. I think that Ruth Stout with her rubbish bags in the sun is the fastest way to make a decent compost. I also pit compost straight in the bed. My signature has always been: I feed the worms. The worms feed the soil. The soil feeds the plants. And the plants feed me! Cheers, Pam
I think you touched on a topic most gardeners haven't a clue over. We've all seen videos of making compost and most of us do on a small scale( I have a couple of small hay pastures that I mow and pile up the hay as compost or mulch). The problem is having enough to fill beds with if you have lots of garden raised beds. Over the last half dozen years I've ordered truck loads of composted pine bark. It makes an excellent mulch and any left piled up for a year or two turns into great looking soil. But I wanted something better so I ordered a mix of compost and chicken manure. It arrived looking fantastic. Loose and black. Unfortunately not fit to raise plants in. I would assume the manure hadn't finished composting down and it was too hot for plants yet. It kind of defeats the purpose of buying it if you still have to compost it down for another year. Guess I'm just lazy but I'll put it down to my being a senior. I had a friend years back who would pull a trailer down to a local quail and pheasant farm. He'd bring back a load of manure, feathers, eggs, you name it in the mix. Pile it up by his garden and then cover it with a tarp and let it rot down for a year, Then he'd shovel it into the garden and get another trailer load. He had the most productive garden I've ever seen and he kept it up until he passed away at 85. It's about time for me to order more compost but I haven't a clue what I need to get this time but whatever I do it's generally close to a hundred percent wood compost. My soil is old pine forest and useless for growing anything except weeds. I've had it tested (which everyone should do before starting any garden projects) and it was very acid and devoid of all nutrients. Even my elderberries eventually declined in the native soil. So now I've moved to almost entirely raised beds and other containers and have a lot better results. The only thing that flourished in amended native soil is elephant garlic. I have a couple of beds of it that are at least twelve years old and filled with plants. I suggest growing it to anyone with poor soil and low rainfall.
He puts so much love into his soil I love it!
Probably one of your most important videos. Soil is the foundation. Having a living soil will make anyone seem like a Master Gardener. I locally bought 6yds of compost soil, a mix of bioblend, organa grow and mushroom compost. Super dark, rich and fluffy. I just add some perilite and vermiculite to make it look like the small bags of top blend and most expensive bagged soil.
I build it up with all the life I can get in it through fungi, microbes and fermented compost teas.
Plants go nuts for it.
Question though. Why do you have 3+ feet if bed soil? My experience has been the top 18 to 24" is all most plants need. I realize you want the height, but shallower beds built high up, or fill the bottom space with sticks, leaves and other matter to fill in in and later become soil.
Jim Hall he probably made them tall because he might have back issues!
🥰 I can't get enough of you. Thanks again Mark 👍
Your too cute! Thank you so much for your video.. I've learned a lot from you. I can't wait till next spring to try out everything in my notes.😀
I dont even garden but now feel inspired to give a crack to raised gardens. Great work mate. Such a real dude.
I can't believe how useful this video was for me. I was about to purchase 7 yards of an expensive compost mix from a landscape supply. Now I can go and look at their products and have some idea what I am looking at. You might have saved me hundreds of dollars. Thank you for your work and contributions producing very high-quality instructional videos on TH-cam.
Many thanks for the video. Made the same mistake here too. I also used "premium" soil from a landscape supply source when we set up quite a large area of raised beds. It has taken multiple applications of top dressing with bagged quality garden soil, compost, manure and sugar cane mulch to finally have good soil, lots of earthworms and quality veges, at last. Fortunately we have access to manures galore as we live in the mountains in a rural area behind the bottom end of the Sunshine Coast. Love the tunnel idea and look forward to videos of it covered over with growth. I have found by trial and error that the locally produced Rocky Point products give real value for money long term in bagged additives. Well the earthworms give it the thumbs up! Observation is often the best learning experience. I figure its their home and they judge the best. Keep up the postings, I have learned a lot from them and you have saved me from quite a few mistakes. Thanks
What an informative and fullfilling video it is. Thank you Mark.
Totally agree Mark, being a natural gardener myself and did the shovel bit like you...being only 68, I know,doesn't matter how Young you are🦧, we are always learning...I have placed a couple of upright compost bins next to my fruit tree's, about 3metres away, as a way of naturally enriching the soil next to my dwarf orange tree's, they are pumping...Thanks for your informative and clear videos Mate,...Keep Living Your Dream...🌈🌄🦜
Thanks for turning the camera upside-down so we could see things right-side-up in America! Very thoughtful!
The most honest, informative video you have put out to date. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Great video, Mark. I bet this happened to a lot of people and the best bit is you showing how you fix it. In some areas in my garden, I use the no dig method and I just add a blend of compost, soil and fertiliser on the top of a crappy soil ground and plant. I then keep building on my soil by adding more compost as I go. I am cheap LOL. I do buy the Tomato soil. btw, I love the sugarcane mulch. Pity they are so expensive.
One of the things I love about your channel is that the info you give is timeless and always pertinent. Good onya mate!
5:31 My soil problem exactly, bought from landscape supply in bulk. Way too much sand! Almost turned into concrete after repeated soaking/drying.
This guy is awesome! I love your videos. I watch them as often as I can. Love the great tips!! Thank you.
Great knowledge and advice it takes years to gain this experience thanks for passing it on ya bloody legend. I’m just getting into the horticulture industry and your vids have been priceless. Cheers mate
Good morning my brother this is the prayer Warrior I wished I had watch this video before I went and bought soil thank you so much for your knowledge and I will be praying for your great success in your business and on TH-cam this TH-cam thing is new to me I'm old-school just learning how to use this phone just remember you got someone praying for you Jesus name😇
Wow! I watched the whole video waiting for him to lay out what components I need to start a raised bed vegetable garden, so I could go to the garden supply with a list, buy it, come home and mix it up and fill up the bed. He never actually did that, so now I've wasted 13 minutes. Awesome!
Thank you for the advice Mark! Just starting the veggie patch from scratch myself. Collecting cardboard from work, and grabbing seeds from store bought veg at the moment.
Getting real eager to start soon! Wish me luck! 👩🏻🌾
If you are using seeds from store bought veg , your going to need luck .
Absolutely awesome video,,I make an Artisan compost on the mid north coast NSW Australia,,and there is so much crap out there, i decided to start making and selling it to the locals...everyone is tired I believe of not being able to get quality composts these days.
Thanks for taking the time to help the growers out there..top stuff...and super helpful.
Happy Gardening
Marty Ware
WE built a raised bed garden last year and we made this same mistake. We bought the high quality garden soil from a landscape company. We did add some cow manure to it . It took all summer to produce a crop. We live in Oregon and we have good soil here but we live on a river so we have lots of river rock in our soil so its hard to dig up good rich soil without rock. This year we have to fix the soil. Thanks for all your tips. I love your garden and all your videos. Winter is killing me and I just can’t wait to get my hands in the soil again. Gardening feeds the soul!
Kudos to you for admitting you got screwed, why & how it happened , and how to avoid it in future. I wish you had said a lot more about avoiding getting shafted at the soil wholesaler (or retailer). I went to a guy that cleared land. He sold the wood & topsoil and trucked rest to the dump. He screwed me by showing me good soil, then when I came back w/ trailer, he switched it out for crap that had obviously had builder site refuse( it’s of concrete, mortar sand, gravel, sticks, etc. I got that quest feeling when he was loading it. It didn’t look too bad until I got it home and filled my beds. The beds never recovered, no matter how much organic, leaf mold, etc I added. It would form a. Impermeable layer on top that wouldn’t let water in but quickly let water out, even w/ mulch! I moved 2 years later or I would have had to shovel it ALL out,about 1 ft of it, and throw away to start over! So: moral to the story: CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK WHAT YOU PAID FOR VS WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY LOADING ONTO YOUR TRUCK. DONT TAKE ANYBODY’S WORD FOR ANY LISTEN TO THAT GUT FEELING (always!!!)
This resonates with me so much, great timing. I made the same mistake buying ‘organic compost’ in bulk. Didn’t feel right. Was exactly like that. Gonna wack it on the compost heap and mix it into living compost . Learnt loads from this
Good point Mark, I think layering is the key, my native clay works fine with compost layered on top!
I luv that you are willing to admit your mistakes and then tell us how you fixed it!
I've been watching your videos from my inner city apartment. Oh, how I want to get a big plot of land and get into gardening. I would be so happy there.
Great episode and tips on building and buying Soil Mark. Tunnel will look fantastic
Thanks Tony - I'm pretty excited about the tunnel just hope I can get these climbing plants to do their thing! Cheers :)
I was going to do a raised garden bed for my carrots, onions and garlic. This is a great video for novice gardeners.
I find when I get to planting seeds. I’ll make a mixtures of composted manure, potting soil and sand. I have been doing this for 15 yrs and have had great results
Holy. Moley. I just realized in my very new gardening (lack of) knowledge, I had filled almost all of my fabric pots, mounds, and top dressed bushel baskets (that were layers of unused wood litter pellets and straw underneath) with no regular dirt, all mulch 😳 Now I understand WHY I had such great success! Very few (herbs) were a hand mix of compost, perlite, and organic fish fertilizer. They still did well.
This is a huge realization for little-brained me!😆
I'm on the other side of the world but your videos help me. Thank you for all the hard work in bring them to us.
Thanks for this great video! Soil health is fascinating and so important.
Greg L fundamental important
I am SMILING!!!!!! Thank you for sharing the learning you have acquired through life lessons in the garden.
Love your videos. Not only are they informational but they are lots of fun too!
I have a story. I piled my goat bedding in a pile and let it rot. My soil is Rocky sand yuk. After 1 year of sitting there when I dug us to use it the soil went from Grey mud rock to dark black soil. So fust pile it and let it rot all winter. Plant in spring removing the mulch
Loved your editing, get to see a lot of your garden :) and it's great that you can take what you experience and turn it into learning for us, and as a noob, I never knew that "premium" soil could actually be that bad, and good that the fix seems pretty easy, and avoiding it even easier now!
Hi Mark those beds are deep and well above your natural water table. A hugelkultur approach would have enabled you to get rid a lot of your fallen trees you have whilst also enabling your beds to naturally wick up moisture through capillary action. Not to mention saving you on fill. The natural collapse of the decomposing wood allows you to top up the surface with compost as you produce it. Oh and all of that naturally occurring mycelium you may have missed out on.
I admire your honesty, that sales lady must have been very attractive. :)
Don't forget the old jam jar check before buying bulk material. Take a jam jar half fill it with medium and top up with water. A good shake and leave to settle over night. The layers of silt, sand, soil and organic material will be be there in all of its glory for you to digest along with breakfast.
I watch all of you posts mate and enjoy your presentation so I'm laughing with you not at you.
Mark has a video of him using hugelkultur in his raised garden beds.. Not sure when, though.
Yes he uses hugel culture.
th-cam.com/video/3O2qCQU7Cac/w-d-xo.html
@Torphotographic:
Mark is a huge fan of Hugelkultur and has a video showing why he loves the benefits of it in his garden.
I think his vlog about Hugelkultur was sometime in July, 2017.
Thank you for your advice, though. It will be helpful for newer gardeners who may not know about this type of gardening to produce better crops.
Thank you! I'd forgotten all about the Mason jar test. I'm going to try that tomorrow. If the rain lets up.
My first, and at the time, last experiment with creating mulch was me just throwing all of our unused, expired veggies/fruit into my yard. Living in the desert it was odd for me to see worms. But what was really sad (because I had to stop them) was the amount of squirrels and other animals that loved what I was doing. I will say it did create a lovely type of soil, but I was only thinking about nature in general and not using this for growing as it did not cross my mind at the time. Thank you for sharing your experience. I have learned over time that not everyone knows what they are talking about as far as soil or plants. Learning to trust our gut/spirit is a lesson in the making. Blessings to you, and thank you as we are obviously from two very different climates. Even so, I do learn a lot from you.
Great advice. Soil is indeed the corner stone of gardening!! I too have learned thru years of experience the disappointment in the garden from bulk landscaping soils.
In my zone that offers only 3-4 months of growing opportunity, it’s even more crucial to get it right!!
In a previous home, we had access to free compost and mulch through a city run composting yard. It lit a growing frenzy under the plants. Sadly, not every town offers such a service. So it’s back to the DIY compost pile and self mulching.
Thanks Mark for once again sharing all your experiences both positive and and challenging to help us improve our own gardens.👍🏻
The end made me chuckle, cute hehe. You have a pleasant voice, I enjoyed watching and listening the whole video, which is unusual for me and also informative. As for the "lady at the counter", not much of a "lady" now was she.. vultures, they are everywhere!
Hi Mark when I did my raised beds I had a friend in soil business and he advised me to mix 50/50 compost and soil, your in good company
Yep, sounds like a good mix Christopher! Cheers :)
I've been doing that because it's what my Dad did, and his garden was awesome. I wonder if he ever figured out what pest it was that always got to his sweet peas just when they were ready to harvest? Sorry Daddy, I was the pest who ate your peas, they were so delicious I couldn't help myself!
Explained very clear and thorough without the added bullcrap that every other novice gardener rants on about in there vids, good job, straight to the point and very informative for the average joe getting started in growing 👍
This is one of your best videos. There really is no sense of planting a garden with the idea you will have abountiful harvest if you don't have the proper soil. Sure you can throw seeds in the ground and water them, but how much fruit will you actually get out of it. Good soil=good yield! It's that simple. Thank You for covering this subject. More people need to learn what backyard farming truly consist of
Hi Mark, I recommend that you dig some coco peat into the purchased soil, this will fix the structure of it and make it like the organic soil you demonstrate in the video. Just something I figured out recently when confronted with a similar issue.
Ugh...now I have to make a gourd tunnel too
Your enthusiasm is legendary we have 6 weeks before I can really “get into it” 👏
Well the wethers great the sun is shining and I been getting into it and guess what happened ?... it bloody started snowing while relaxing in the garden in shorts, T-shirt and sunglasses I’m in Northern Ireland btw this ever happen to you mark? 😂😂
Don’t answer that^ 🤣
Thank you Mark, I'm a year into my garden now and just discovering the importance of soil.
A brilliant example
Ouch, Mark! All Ican say is that you make me feel better. I live in the U.K. and as a new gardener and disabled to boot, I kicked myself when I bought a real 'cheapskate' soil ( A lot of it too) from a large supermarket chain and found it was riddled with tiny white grubs that then settled down to munch on my seeds and young plants. I only started getting worried when nothing seemed to be either growing at all, or were quite sickly looking.....found my 'little guests' when I investigated......never again!!
So, when a gardening 'guru' like you gets 'had' I release the breath I have been holding in from anger, at myself for being so bleeding stupid!!. 🤪 Thanks for sharing, not a lot of people would admit to such a mistake. It is quite refreashing, and yes I'm now subscribed, although I can only look on in envy as you show off your various heat loving fruit trees and veg. Hope you gave the garden centre hell, or were you like me and slithered off to lick your wounds? 😂😂😂😂😂😂. Stella
For those in the USA, you can find composting locations on the EPA’s website. These locations may sell their compost to you and you’ll know exactly what’s in it by the class number of the facility (class 1, 2, 3, or 4). Give it a try!
THANK U!!
Thank you for this!!
It'll be ok. We all have to start somewhere. You always have the best looking gorgeous garden ever! Very informative. Thank you for sharing!
Great info on 'make your own" garden soil and the many components of a healthy soil! As usual, tons of useful info and good humor! Thanks Mark!
what i do in BRITAIN IS -------- wait untill recycling day when everyone puts their bags outside --- go out BEFORE the refuse collecters arrive and pick up all green waste ( in see through bags in britain ) ---.
throw them in the back of the van/ car--- I HAVE at least every wednesday about 20/30 bags .
only been doing this for 3 months yet have collected AT LEAST 5 TON of green waste.
i am using it this year to develop a new vegatable garden in the new property , lets see what will grow in it next summer !!
OK--- start of the growing season in my part of wales .
i ve put 2 ton of bought garden soil on top of the GARDEN RECYCLED WASTE at end of january , raked the bed and left it untill march and only took out probably 30/ 40 weeds , tilled/dug it over to mix it as best i could in april -- weeded probably another 30/40 weeds .
planted my flowers in mid april / start of may and they are BLOOMING !! LOL.
ps- still got the odd few dandelions etc poking up - but thats gardening i think ?
haha nice 1 😉 👏
That is bloody criminally insane amount of waste JUST from foodscraps....
paul davies continue to keep us updated. Have you got seeds germinating from the food waste? I’ve heard tomatoes grow well from sewer treatment centres.
@@ss33988 not just food scraps my friend --- most was leaves , lawn clippins and just old weeds that other s had thrown out , green waste we call it here but i do actually take peoples FOOD WASTE as well as going to my local fishmonger and getting his fish heads and tails which all get dug in .
I just shoveled 4 tons of goat crap and dumped it in my garden to compost over the winter. We have another 4 tons. I am renting a skidsteer from now on. Its just too much.
We are going to have broccoli the size of basketballs next year. We are going to pick up stilts to harvest the corn.
Just pooping in...oops i mean popping in to remind you to get excited! Winter is over and Spring is here!! =D
You should think about making a compost pile, don't rely on manure. It's good to add towards the mid season of your crops to boost the crop yield but it doesn't help the soil in the long run.
Also I hope you are rotating crops, learn which ones tend to pull certain nutrients from the soil to get the best growth from your plants otherwise you are just depleting the soil and will need more and more fertilizers just to make it usable.
I raise goats, and I'm using the poop that has had several years to break down to start my garden. It's where I used to have a goat pen, and I'm using a spade to mix it into the sandy soil underneath. The goat poop has turned into rich black soil and is full of earthworms. It's just now past the last freeze, and I'm stoked!
I have alkaline soil so all that goat manure is really helpful. I have so much to learn and I'm really glad I found this channel ❤️
Thanks Mark for a simple and straight forward direction about buying and improving garden soil. It has been a mystery to me for years.
Going to build my raised beds in januari, and add grass clippings, tree leafs, small branch clippings, soil from the chicken coop, the dirty bedding of our rabbits, compost from the big compost pile (to activate the composting in the beds) and left overs from the kitchen. I used the same ingredients for my big compost pile, and any veggies that I had planted in it - as a test - grew beautifully and very healthy. Heck, even clippings from my yellow raspberry bushes started to suddenly pop up, grow and produce fruit, this while a few months before (winter) I had randomly shucked them in there to become compost too. LOL
Cheers.
I had the same experience with landscaping company "garden blend" that you had to run through a strainer to find a stick.
A lot of new soil in bags often has a lot of wood chips in it, and of course that's bad for a few years until they break down well. That's the problem with bagged soil here.
And of course look at all the plastic involved in bagging it up.
A little is fine. Too much wood chips will rob N from your plants. It is not fucking misinformation. Fuck you.
WOOD not bark. Wood that has not broken down. The cheap bagged stuff often has huge pieces of wood because they are thinning it to make more $$$!!! Wood used as a mulch is fine. Too much wood mixed into the first few inches of soil will be problematic if fresh.
@@bzz5601 Lol who pissed in your cereal?
Relax mate, its all a learning process
@@bzz5601 why the poor language?
Who do you think is going to believe what you say when you swear like a school child.
@@dlighted8861 exactly! I stopped reading his comment as he has nothing of substance to say. Report him for bullying and his nasty comment will go away.
Now, about bagged potting soil... Has anyone else gotten a bag that had human hair mixed in the dirt? I bought some one time that had LOTS of human hair in it and I was so creeped out! I was afraid I was going to find a human head in there! 😱
Yes I love this information. In 2015 when I was new to gardening, bought soil at the nursery and nothing would grow and if it did it always looked sad and struggling. With videos from you and others, I learned what my soil was lacking 😉
Hey man, I have recently come across you videos (lots of them!!!) and they are amazing! I only have a small "back yard", about 4x6m :( but I have a few small fruit trees and small raised gardens around 2 of the sides. Your videos have been so good to watch and learn from. Thanks you so much, and please keep up the great work!
I'm not exactly sure how I ended up on your channel, but i'm thrilled it happened.
Oh noooo! Mark! When I first saw that soil, I thought, "It's too fine". God Bless You for sharing this experience with us. I feel for you, mate... All that work... Been there, done that. (Still waiting for some gardening supply company here in U.S. to catch onto making those big raised beds.)
Hey why don't you get together with someone & import them from here :)
@@denisebrady6858 Shipping charges outrageously expensive.
I have some news about the raised beds (Birdies) - I have been advised that a special shipment of Birdies raised beds is being finalised and is expected to arrive in the USA March next year (2019) so watch this space as I will be letting everyone know via a video once confirmed. Cheers :)
@@Selfsufficientme OMG! That's wonderful news! Thank you, Mark!
I live in Alabama. At Lowe’s and Home Depot something called fire rings that might work. Also gardeners supply has some metal raised beds. That might work
Brilliant video. We just built the kids garden beds for Christmas, and I remembered saving this video - great tips and their garden soil is all the better for it!
You're a legend! Love your videos - educational, helpful and entertaining! much love from SA 🇿🇦🌱💚
Living on the Darling Downs, you wouldn't believe how many times I've tried different landscaping supplies to hear the same old "mate, this is the stuff. A premium medium, especially designed for growing vegetables", the same as you. It is always wet and looks good but when you get it home, turns to crap leaving me disappointed every time. Always hydrophobic, very sandy and clumps like a rock.
The best way I have found to get quality soil is to mix your own soil (I use black, clay soil as it is full of nutrients), mixed with gypsum which will break the clay down, mixed with my own compost and finally a few blocks of peat coir - this stuff is gold.
mitchebe coir peat is wonderful stuff. We're using it 50:50 with Australian Standard potting mix for raising tubestock - the potting mix claims to include a wetting agent, but it's never enough. Coir peat really loves its water.
Peat coir is my go to! Last year we started renting a newly built property and the soil was dead, compacted from boots and heavy machinery. They laid a 5cm covering of soil so it looked good, but underneath was heavily impacted clay. One year on and the garden is absolutely thriving: gorgeous soil and super productive. All thanks to coir, gypsum and a lot of enjoyable elbow grease! :D
So good "soil " has nutrients, scaffolding and transport mechanisms ( living bacteria, fungi )
This is the first video that I see that gave me understanding and explained clearly terms. You did an awesome job in making it easy to understand by city slickers like me. Thank you .
Hello Mark, I have found the best garden material for raised garden beds is a product called Botany humus, sold commercially, being entirely compost. It is perfect for raised garden beds that tend to heat up and easily lose moister, being up off the ground. As to where it comes from, I believe, it is green waste collected from people's homes and other sources that are hot composted. The last time I got a load I grew the best carrots ever. The only draw back is that it breaks down very quickly, and garden beds need topping up. Also, I never dig the soil, subscribing to the no dig method of gardening, ensuring the integrity of the soil and its microbes.
yup. I've heard since I was a little kid that the best compost is the stuff you make yourself. (when you figure out the knack that is)
the knack is a sore back
It's what you put in and what you leave out. The "recipe" if you will.