Paul Gautschi system works, I did it for years and never had to water, use fertilizer, or pesticides. When the plants were first planted, I'd cut a thin strip of aluminum foil and curl it around the plant's base. This was to assure that cabbage worms didn't climb the plant and eat the young leaves. After abandoning the tilling method, I never has problems with cabbage worms again. But. I still used the aluminum foil for a safe guard. Once the plants got big, I never had any problems with any insects. It's absolutely amazing how plants have similar survival issues as feral animals in the wild do with predators. Predators always prey on the young, the sick, and the old. This is true with plants as well. Wood chips provide the plant all the minerals it needs to be healthy. Nitrogen, Potassium, and phosphorus (NKP) used in commercial fertilizers doesn't really make a plant healthy. Plants require far more minerals to be robust and healthy. Decomposing wood chips provide these minerals and creates a flourishing biome of other species that aid in the plant's robustness and health. I noticed the worms in the lower wood chip layers were very plentiful.
Remineralizing the soil is extremely important. Before putting wood chips down on the soil, another starting aid is to buy glacial dust and add it to the tilled soil. Once this is done, cover the ground with wood chips to insulate and protect the soil. It keeps the soil moist and cool while the surface of the wood chips is bone dry and unsuitable for weeds to take root. If a weed did take hold, I used my foot to kick up the wood chips and the root of the weed would be exposed to the hot sun. The surface of the wood chips in the sun was very warm to the touch. My experience with managing the weeds is that they were very few and far between. Managing them compered to tilled soil was a night-and-day difference. Each season, sprinkle more wood chips over the older ones. The bottom layer will decompose and enrich the soil with a diverse number of minerals, including trace minerals.
I know a couple who does that. Also, knowing what department of agriculture grants are available helped this couple get a hoop hot house and food truck to use as an industrial kitchen. So, worth looking into more.
I saw this about 4 or 5 years ago and it completely changed everything for me.
I felt this weird massive pull towards gardening, like I used to tell people God was calling me to it. But I wasn't that great at it and only grew a tiny garden of greens and herbs up to then. Then I stumbled on this documentary late one night while laying in bed. I had no money at the time to spend on gardening, so I went to the parish compost facility and got a free load of municipal composted wood chips and came home and threw it strait on my grass and planted directly in it. Not the best way to do it but it worked. The first two months were difficult as the grass was dying and stripping nitrogen from my plants, but after 2 months the whole thing took off like nothing i've ever seen!
I'm still gardening in that original spot. I've added on lots of towers and raised beds around my yard but that first bed is still there and only gets better and better every year. I top it off with bunny poop and now I have chickens to follow his chicken bedding strategy too.
Paul Gautschi system works, I did it for years and never had to water, use fertilizer, or pesticides. When the plants were first planted, I'd cut a thin strip of aluminum foil and curl it around the plant's base. This was to assure that cabbage worms didn't climb the plant and eat the young leaves. After abandoning the tilling method, I never has problems with cabbage worms again. But. I still used the aluminum foil for a safe guard. Once the plants got big, I never had any problems with any insects. It's absolutely amazing how plants have similar survival issues as feral animals in the wild do with predators. Predators always prey on the young, the sick, and the old. This is true with plants as well. Wood chips provide the plant all the minerals it needs to be healthy. Nitrogen, Potassium, and phosphorus (NKP) used in commercial fertilizers doesn't really make a plant healthy. Plants require far more minerals to be robust and healthy. Decomposing wood chips provide these minerals and creates a flourishing biome of other species that aid in the plant's robustness and health. I noticed the worms in the lower wood chip layers were very plentiful.
Remineralizing the soil is extremely important. Before putting wood chips down on the soil, another starting aid is to buy glacial dust and add it to the tilled soil. Once this is done, cover the ground with wood chips to insulate and protect the soil. It keeps the soil moist and cool while the surface of the wood chips is bone dry and unsuitable for weeds to take root. If a weed did take hold, I used my foot to kick up the wood chips and the root of the weed would be exposed to the hot sun. The surface of the wood chips in the sun was very warm to the touch. My experience with managing the weeds is that they were very few and far between. Managing them compered to tilled soil was a night-and-day difference. Each season, sprinkle more wood chips over the older ones. The bottom layer will decompose and enrich the soil with a diverse number of minerals, including trace minerals.
EVERYONE needs to watch this.
Agreed. This could save millions if enough know the simple techniques.
Check out permaculture .
I know a couple who does that. Also, knowing what department of agriculture grants are available helped this couple get a hoop hot house and food truck to use as an industrial kitchen. So, worth looking into more.
I saw this about 4 or 5 years ago and it completely changed everything for me. I felt this weird massive pull towards gardening, like I used to tell people God was calling me to it. But I wasn't that great at it and only grew a tiny garden of greens and herbs up to then. Then I stumbled on this documentary late one night while laying in bed. I had no money at the time to spend on gardening, so I went to the parish compost facility and got a free load of municipal composted wood chips and came home and threw it strait on my grass and planted directly in it. Not the best way to do it but it worked. The first two months were difficult as the grass was dying and stripping nitrogen from my plants, but after 2 months the whole thing took off like nothing i've ever seen!
I'm still gardening in that original spot. I've added on lots of towers and raised beds around my yard but that first bed is still there and only gets better and better every year. I top it off with bunny poop and now I have chickens to follow his chicken bedding strategy too.
Starting a raised row garden this year. Same basic idea, no till.
Same here. Working towards off grid, but got a long way to go.
Wow and unbelievable!
Eye opening….. and I thought I knew a lot about gardening - thank you for posting this video.
Interesting documentary. Some of what is said seems to relate to the coming storm.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing will help in my newly planted garden definitely.