Hey everybody, if you're interested in trying the Back to Eden gardening method, I have two things you really want to think about before you start. This will definitely help you decide if it's right for you. Thanks for watching.
Hey guys, I hope this gives you something to think about if you're interested in the Back to Eden gardening method. If I have enough material, I might try it out in a small part of my garden, but not all of it. Let me know what you think. Thanks for watching.
I think you make some very good points here, Jon..you definitely have to consider how much material it takes to cover your entire garden. I consider my style “deep mulch” gardening..and it’s all covered. I spend a lot of time gathering mulch..grass, pine straw, manure, leaves, wood chips, etc. While it is a lot of work, my soil is incredible now. I use the down time of winter to gather the mulch. One of my favorite methods is to make a grow mound with really rich stuff, and surround it with mulch-great for sprawling plants like cucumbers or pumpkins. There are many ways to garden..and I think each gardener should enjoy the process of learning the methods that work best for them.
Bill, great comment. I honestly believe deep mulching works, but only if you have enough organic matter. Everyone should try different ways to see what they like best. Above all else, gardening should be fun and rewarding. It's great to hear from you again.
I agree with your analysis. I personally live in a city so my garden is quite small compared to yours but still, I would need to get my hand on a lot or organic material and it would be costly. Quick question though - have you ever thought of trying it on a small parcel (5x5-ish)? It could fit within a « test and compare » for a given crop. Just a thought but I agree it’s easy for me to state this - I won’t be doing the work! One last thing… I still have 2 feet of snow here so I still ave some time to figure it out 😊 god bless Jon, love your work!
It is hard for some people to get that much organic matter. I didn't say it in the video, but I would definitely love to try a small area of the garden with a deep mulch method. If I do, I'll be sure to share it. Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it. Thanks for sharing.
The woodchip element is over-hyped. It's fine & perhaps superior for long-term perennial plant production. Sub-par for annual veg. Even Gautschi grows the bulk of his annual veg in bacterially dominated, sifted chickenyard compost. Few people bother to note that fact. Fresh Ramial woodchips (with lignin) can be good for annual veg beds. The stuff most arborists dump is so-so. A lot of tub grinder stuff can be bad to horrific.
I thought the documentary was fascinating, but I don't have access to the amount of organic that he has. I always try to keep an open mind to new ways, but I don't want to get tied down to gardening just one way. Thanks for the comment. I can tell you're really into gardening.
I had never heard of it either until a viewer recommended it. You don't have to have animals to do it, but that's what I have. If you watch the Back to Eden documentary, it makes sense what he's doing. Good to hear from you again. Thanks for the comment.
You are not quite there, you could have an excellent back to eden garden, but you miss the target a bit, a back to eden garden is like an organic garden. Any organic type garden takes work, but with that work comes the best and nutritionally sound produce you can get. Its not a, plow your hard-packed garden every spring, 'drop seed, then spray with petroleum based fertilizer several times, then fight insect pests and weeds until fall. Back to Eden is the opposite. I dont understand the dislike for putting the compost and work into your garden, I think you are falling short on the technique and blaming the method
Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying, I don't disagree with anything he's saying. My issue isn't that it doesn't work, but it limits someone from doing other things in their gardens. I also think some people ( myself included ) will have a hard time getting enough materials, and if you don't use enough, it won't work. I can tell you are very passionate about this and I can appreciate that. Thank you very much for the comment.
