Building a great garden starts with great soil. If you have boring soil, you will have a boring garden. The more life-giving nutrients that you put in your garden, the more productivity you will get back.
We primarily use the back to eden and lasagna method for gardening adding layer upon layer of natural materials over the top of each other. Here are some of the materials we use: shredded leaves, grass clippings, wheat straw, wood chips, rice hulls, compost, equine and rabbit manures.
We also add a few other amendments to give our garden maximum production. Azomite, Epsom Salts, Bat Guano, Rock Phosphate.
If you liked this video and want to see more off grid homesteading content, please subscribe to our youtube channel and share our videos with friends on social media! We love it when you share our videos! Also be sure to visit our blog for amazing homesteading articles that involve solar, growing gardens, raising livestock, and general off grid topics.
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER OFF GRID VIDEOS!
Are you a Homestead Outlaw?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmH-uEEiiXM
Homestead Medicine- Snakes/Spiders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CEDwT0Udw
What To Look For When Building A Homestead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1psc6TcBec
What Makes a Good Homesteader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-MF_xe5I5I
Off Grid Pitcher Pump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiBIWr5iBBY
OFF GRID BLOG POSTS!
Why We Carry On The Homestead: https://anamericanhomestead.com/3-reasons-why-we-carry-on-the-homestead/
Tips For Washing Clothes By Hand: https://anamericanhomestead.com/laundry-day-18-of-my-best-tips-for-washing-clothes-by-hand/
Why Off Grid Homes Should Not Have Carpet: https://anamericanhomestead.com/why-removing-carpet-should-be-on-every-preppers-to-do-list/
How To Cook On A Woodstove: https://anamericanhomestead.com/how-to-cook-on-a-woodstove-on-top-and-inside/
Do you not use your chicken/turkey droppings (after composting of course) in your garden?It is a great nitrogen source and if you keep pine shavings or sawdust in the coop you already have a great carbon/nitrogen mix. Keeps my compost cooking all year round. Even better is rabbit manure, no compost time use it fresh. I got my backyard chickens for a fertilizer source even more than egg source. Oh and the shells added to the soil (compost) are great too! Also compost the droppings attracted black solider flies to the pile which is a great free source of protein for the chickens, we call em’ chicken crack!
Curious about your no-till/mulching gardening method. It seems as though this method would force you to plant everything by hand, which would not be applicable for a larger garden. It also appears that you would have to remove the mulch to do any furrowing/hilling for planting potatoes or any deeply rooted plants. Do you remove the mulch to plant seeds, or just plant in the mulch? Also, how do you ensure the soil amendments penetrate through the mulch layers and actually reach the roots of the plants? We’ve seen many YouTubers using this method, but haven’t heard of anyone doing it on a market garden scale. Just curious about how it works.
Hey Zac, I haven’t researched this very much but one of the complaints of bat guano was the negative effects the collection of the product is and can have on bat populations. Apparently the ecosystems bats create in caves rely on the guano. Again, I wouldn’t want to say this from a position of authority as I haven’t done enough research on it but it seems you like to do your own research so it might be something to look into. Also, why pay for that expensive fertilizer when you have high nitrogen chicken and turkey guano. 🙂
Plant sunflowers.
When you harvest,
Don’t pull the plants.
Cut them at soil level.
Allowing the roots to decompose, once done,
You will have the most softest aerated soil ever!
It’s a very simple way of putting nutrients back in the ground.
Thank you for the common sense advice. I actually started doing this because it made perfect sense to….naturally. You get out what you put in….we reap what we sow!
Never used azomite, what dad had me do was to get the posthole digger and go as deep as possible. Added the clay to the compost pile and added the compost to the garden at the beginning of the next season. Always had great crops.
Great video. I have been asking other youtube members why my tomatoes and strawberries have no flavor. So far no one has answered this question. So I’m asking you. Do you have any idea why my fruits have no flavor?
When using manures, try to stick with manure from herbivorous animals only. Also, seabird guano and bat guano are both great for gardens, but when applying any guano or manure, wear gloves, wear a dust mask, and always wash afterwards thoroughly. Not all bat guano is the same. Fruit bat and insect eating bat guano s contain different levels of nutrients. Some are higher in nitrogen, some higher in phosphorous. Read labels before applying. Tip: most barn rafters have piles of free bat guano. Dry first, store in a mylar bag or sealed bucket. A light with bugs swarming around it will also attract a lot of bats. And always remember, many awful diseases can be contracted from bat guano s. To avoid dust, mix in water and apply as a tea.
Do you not use your chicken/turkey droppings (after composting of course) in your garden?It is a great nitrogen source and if you keep pine shavings or sawdust in the coop you already have a great carbon/nitrogen mix. Keeps my compost cooking all year round. Even better is rabbit manure, no compost time use it fresh. I got my backyard chickens for a fertilizer source even more than egg source. Oh and the shells added to the soil (compost) are great too! Also compost the droppings attracted black solider flies to the pile which is a great free source of protein for the chickens, we call em’ chicken crack!
How about Diatomacaus Earth powder? Probably wrong spelling.
What is the bat box for? Is there a particular reason to encourage bats to inhabit your area? I notice a lot of them flying around my house at dusk.
Curious about your no-till/mulching gardening method. It seems as though this method would force you to plant everything by hand, which would not be applicable for a larger garden. It also appears that you would have to remove the mulch to do any furrowing/hilling for planting potatoes or any deeply rooted plants. Do you remove the mulch to plant seeds, or just plant in the mulch? Also, how do you ensure the soil amendments penetrate through the mulch layers and actually reach the roots of the plants? We’ve seen many YouTubers using this method, but haven’t heard of anyone doing it on a market garden scale. Just curious about how it works.
Very informative video! Thanks for the intel.
No till, that’s what we have started here at our place and we love it! Shalom
Hey Zac, I haven’t researched this very much but one of the complaints of bat guano was the negative effects the collection of the product is and can have on bat populations. Apparently the ecosystems bats create in caves rely on the guano. Again, I wouldn’t want to say this from a position of authority as I haven’t done enough research on it but it seems you like to do your own research so it might be something to look into. Also, why pay for that expensive fertilizer when you have high nitrogen chicken and turkey guano. 🙂
Were you hungry when you made this video lol. Great work thanks for the tips!
Great information thanks.
I like to use worm casting to my garden
Thankyou so much I love soil
Plant sunflowers.
When you harvest,
Don’t pull the plants.
Cut them at soil level.
Allowing the roots to decompose, once done,
You will have the most softest aerated soil ever!
It’s a very simple way of putting nutrients back in the ground.
Thank you for the common sense advice. I actually started doing this because it made perfect sense to….naturally. You get out what you put in….we reap what we sow!
Never used azomite, what dad had me do was to get the posthole digger and go as deep as possible. Added the clay to the compost pile and added the compost to the garden at the beginning of the next season. Always had great crops.
Great video. I have been asking other youtube members why my tomatoes and strawberries have no flavor. So far no one has answered this question. So I’m asking you. Do you have any idea why my fruits have no flavor?
Actually adding worms speeds up the process 🙂
When using manures, try to stick with manure from herbivorous animals only. Also, seabird guano and bat guano are both great for gardens, but when applying any guano or manure, wear gloves, wear a dust mask, and always wash afterwards thoroughly. Not all bat guano is the same. Fruit bat and insect eating bat guano s contain different levels of nutrients. Some are higher in nitrogen, some higher in phosphorous. Read labels before applying. Tip: most barn rafters have piles of free bat guano. Dry first, store in a mylar bag or sealed bucket. A light with bugs swarming around it will also attract a lot of bats. And always remember, many awful diseases can be contracted from bat guano s. To avoid dust, mix in water and apply as a tea.
Great tips, thank you.
Too much on the analogy, love ya. Get to the point lol