Huw, I've been flat-out binge-watching all your videos for about 3 weeks. I'm almost 42 and I'm just starting to garden! I was floored when I found out you only recently left childhood, with all you've achieved and your level of expertise. I consider you some kind of superman or new strain of humanity. Lately it's been clear that the world has been bifurcating into a heaven and a hell, and you're the heaven part. Your parents deserve to be pinned with medals and perhaps gifted with several countries to govern wisely, in return for the mind-bending success they had in raising you. You prove that human potential is limitless. People like you will lead us into an unrecognizably changed (for the better) Earth. Usually I feel very little hope for the future, but not when I'm watching your videos. You are everything!!!
Tip to extract liquid from your garden fertilizer barrels. Bend the metal handle of a sieve upright. Push it into the liquid fertilizer and with a ladle gather the fertilizer. Transfer it to a bottle with a funnel. No debris No spills. Use discarded kitchen utensils for various jobs in the garden. Forks to release weeds. Knives to separate plant roots to grow more plants. Milk bottles for vertical planting. Using a mop stick and thread, the milk bottles. Then cut the front portion, the part I call 'the chest of the bottle', where your plants will be planted. Make two holes at the bottom front of the milk bottle. For further rows. Aline each milk bottle under the one above so that when watering the discarded water goes to the pot below. Have bottles with a sieve to collect the discarded water from each row. These bottles will last for at least 5 years in the garden under full sun. Then they need to be discarded. It gives utensils a longer life in a different part of the house. It works for me very well. Enjoy recycling.
If you have to buy mulch, straw from Tractor Supply/feed stores covers more area for cheaper than the dyed recycled pallets you get at the home improvement stores.
As I can only grow in containers and have no place to make compost, I save all my kitchen veggies scraps and 'blenderize' them. I either dig a shallow furrow or hole at the edges of the container, pour in the slurry, cover it up and my plants reap the benefits. I've been doing that for over 10 years in my current location, SW FL, and I can grow all year - even in these summer days of 90+ degrees. Wish I had a yard and soil suitable for gardening - yours is beautiful & bountiful
I have several raised beds that I plant winter rye in the fall, let it grow until spring, cut it down (chop and drop) cover with black plastic and let the sun bake it and it really helps the soil.
I just recently started hearing about using grass clippings for garden mulch as well as drying them for a source of carbon in compost. Had a garden bed with soil that was all dried up and just didn't look very good, getting horrible results from anything I had planted there this spring. I put a good layer of grass clippings down (wasn't too worried about adding too much nitrogen all at once since the plants weren't doing well anyway). Checked on it a week later and the soil was holding moisture, easy to dig into, many more worms and other little bugs. The clippings weren't reducing into stinky slime. And the few plants that were attempting to grow there were looking much better! Can't wait to continue with this experiment!
Grass clippings are more of a Nitrogen source though. Doesnt matter if you dry them or not - the C:N ratio will be the same wet or dry. It is a good idea to dry them before composting though, since they will be much less slimy that way. Great use though also to use it for mulch on poor soil. All soil will become full of life once covered with something that used to be alive :D
@@jakobbrun6535 Was going to put this but you beat me to it. 🙂 Drying grass for "browns" in compost does technically work and makes nice compost but be sure to only use it on leafy greens. I did this for bok choy last year and got the most intensely healthy, beautiful crop ever. They were gorgeous! Unfortunately I had a whole row of peas growing alongside them that grew enormous but never flowered or produced at all due to the high nitrogen. So you've got to be careful where you use it. 🙄
Huw thank you so much for introducing Jadam and KNF concepts to us. Just the one mention in one of your videos has opened up a whole new and exciting door for me. Have really enjoyed experimenting with the recipes and can't wait to see the results.
I have a love/hate relationship with comfrey, I have the type that spreads and you can not get rid of it because the tap root is so deep, I find that even a stalk of comfrey will grow a new plant. I make liquid fertilizer out of this plant as you do, but, the spreading of this plant on the property is the downside. If I had it to do over I would only grow comfrey in a container. The bees love it!
If Comfrey grows where I don't really want it, I sometimes use that as the local feeding station for the veg plants around-when any leaves come up, I rip them off and chop and drop!😁
What a gorgeous garden! I wish I had the time and space to build something half as awesome. I will add, that in a pinch bedding from a chicken coop and soil from their enclosure can be used as quite good compost.
My garden is tiny and I have no room for a compost. I have made 2 raised beds and have bought the soil, specifically for veggies. But it is not nearly as lovely as your soil of course. I am new to having a veggie patch and really don't know anything about it 😆 I hope to be able to adapt and use some of your ideas 🙏 Thank you Huw 😃
I have the same issue, so I went with vermicompost. I specifically went with the urban worm bag as it seemed the simplest method with the least overall work, and pretty happy with it. Doesn't make huge amounts like Huw can but enough to give a bit of a boost using up kitchen scraps and waste paper materials. This fall I also plan on collecting up leaves to do a batch of leaf mould in black plastic bags.
Agree on the grass clippings. A 10 to 20 centimetre layer has been broken down and put to good use in about a month. The brassicas are growing like crazy!
Hey mate, are you sure Jadam is actually doing anything? I tried it a while ago and honestly didn’t find any noticeable difference in plant yield or health… maybe you can do an experiment comparison … cheers
Just out of curiosity, I haven't found a video of Huw talking about vermicomposting. I'm surprised as it is a compost-centric (lol) garden. Any reason why?
Big fan of grass clippings, in 2021 with the 40°c heat, the moisture retention kept most of my plants alive, then this year i dug it all in along with the shredded paper i put on top of the clippings. I know... no dig, but let's be sensible about it, soil health is more than a few centimetres deep. Judging by the amount of worms, they agree with me
I never have enough compost, even though I keep increasing the amount I make. One of the ways I am dealing with the need for compost is by increasing the amount of Comfrey i grow. Comfrey produces an amazing amount of leaves which can be used for mulch, and the Comfrey leaf mulch quickly becomes great compost right in the garden bed.
Since watching your videos, I also do drop and chop and grass clipping but have to be careful to do it thinly as I have a slug problem. Also made a fertiliser with grass clippings. I also use comfrey a lot.
I'm still in the early learning stage of gardening and your videos and book are of great help. I have yet to produce my first compost and have just started making "weed" teas to help until I have compost. I am also trying the "chop and drop" around my plants. As our lawn is just local grasses and weeds and contains way too much Bermuda grass, placing my "grass" around my garden plants is not something I will use, but love the option should I move to an area where I might be able to do so. I just bought and put in some comfrey and have purchased nettle seed to sow this fall. Thank you for all you do and keep on growing!
What a wonderfully arranged garden, beautiful !!! I am glad you spread information about JLF and JMS, great stuff, well presented and well spoken....Greetings from Barbados !!!
Terrific advice because, of course, there is never enough compost. I collect the leaves my neighbors foolishly throw away and love the effects of leaf mold in my garden. Imitating the way nature creates compost works for me. My plants love it. It's especially important now as we've just had 10 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures in Central Texas and no rain.
I have just started getting into gardening over the past year…and live in Phoenix. ☺️ Triple-digit days are a thing. Would LOVE to hear some of your hot-weather tips for a beginner just getting into the swing of things.
How did I not get a notification? 4 days passed 😪. Will complain to RU-vid Although I do have Huws book so it's kept me busy. I feel I've joined a club. I now choose my friends by asking ...do you know Huw Richards and do you have his books. If the answer is YES ...we become friends. I wouldn't call it an obsession ......yet! Will send the grandchildren Huws book for their birthday.
I grow carrots only in raised beds because my clay soil is too heavy for them, so Huw's ideas on meeting the plants with the available soil is reassuring.
Regarding chop move and drop and Huw's other videos on nettle/comfrey/grass fertiliser. Does anyone know if its ok to use any weed. I'm inheriting a unkempt allotment and its has a lot of bindweed, can you chop that or do some types of weed re-establish themselves?
Thank you huw I'm going to try the chop and drop idea . I've watched alot of your videos and they have really helped me on my allotment journey. THANK YOU.
Hello Huw , like your content , what I do I chop leafs up to small bits take that and mix it 50 compost 50 chopped up dry leafes it works wonder in the veggie garden and I only have to water once a week the water retention is absolutely amazing
Love your channel, Huw. It always makes me want to go back to my own garden as soon as possible. I’m fascinated about the jadam fertilizers. Do you know of any trials being done, to compare growth of plants with and without the help of these home-made fertilizers (or perhaps you’ve done some comparison trials yourself)?
Huw, yes I'd be interested in knowing which plants grow well with each other or can be interplanted. I have 2 small beds of about 2 by one metres so crop rotation doesn't really work.
We have some weeds that grow here that grow vigorously. They have a lot of green material and I wonder if we cut them prior to them setting any seed that they would be another source of green material in our compost or even used as chop and drop? Is there any negative reason not to do this?
Chop and drop and spreading grass clippings is what we do as well. You have a great variety of liquid fertilizer 👍 We use bottles as built in worm towers in our containers and nettle, comfrey and worm tea at the moment as liquid fertilizer but we're open to experiment with other varieties. Thanks for sharing 👍
EAT THE WEEDS. Dandelion flowers, leaves and roots are VERY nutritious, they make spinach look like junk food. There are also medicinal uses for Dandelion and other "weeds".
I buy a few bales of straw every year. Leave them out exposed to the elements for a year and then use it as mulch where I don’t have enough compost to cover all the beds. It really helps control weeds and keep moisture in the soil to reduce the amount I have to water.
@@helenannetts6194 we have found 'old' hay and straw being sold locally by stables and small holdings when the new crop is brought in. They say the nutrient level (for animal feed) drops so they sell it on. I love it! Already a year old, and such good stuff for mulch. Im trying the Ruth Stout method on some of my potatoes, and "traditional" no dig on the rest.
Was that 7? I don't have any beneficial plants, weeds, or grass to use as compost. If so I would already be spreading it. Please, I need the link to this beneficial water addictive, Jadam?
The grass cuttings you used were very brown so no problems there, you might warn not to use green fresh cuttings over an inch or two unless well dug in a few times ot mixed well with brown like sawdust, old leaves etc bc of the danger of anerobic bacteria and have them turn into grey clay like slime. I find comfrey & nettle fermented for a few weeks into tea is a garden delight, smelly and a fly attractant as it is all plants here seem to thrive on it. lol 💖🙏🌻
Just make sure to spread it evenly through the plants or you could get an aphid problem. You can also let it sit and ferment and then water it down for liquid fertilizer. It supposed to work even better that way! :)
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Hi Huw, How do you write your 5th trick? I'm not sure how to spell it... Thanks!
Dandelions are a wonderful food. The leaves and flowers are great in salads, and the roots roasted and ground with a coffee grinder are a well known coffee substitute. It is all wonderful for cleaning your liver. :)
Man, I'm jealous of how many beds, and how tidy your garden is. I've done so much to beat down Bermuda grass in my yard, but that stuff is just as bad as kudzu.
I have just saw your channel, watching few minutes of your video and subscribe right away then click the bell 🔔 😁 looking forward to see and watch more of your videos whenever I get a chance. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 💜 Have a great day!🖖
What are other "recipes" for plant manure teas? I don't have any leaf mold as we don't have many trees and the ones we do have have tiny leaves that disintegrate on the yard. You mention comfrey and nettles -- don't have that either. I've heard cleavers can be used. Do you have any experience with that?
Great content, very informative! Could I run into freshly clipped greens, weather on top or below plant becoming “hot” due to it breaking down since it hasn’t already done so? 🤔 Thanks!
I'm not sure if you've made a video like this before, but if not could you make one about making the various teas and when/for what you specifically use each one. For example, I've seen your dock tea in quite a few videos but wouldn't know when you would use that compared to comfrey or nettle tea.
Hey Huw, I’m curious with the technique of burying the plant scraps below the root system of a seedling- is it a concern that it could become too “hot” as it breaks down and that could be detrimental to the roots? Or is it such a small amount of greens that it won’t generate a lot of heat?
When I plant beans I inoculate the seeds with Rhizobium leguminosarum (sold as "Bean Inoculant") so that the plants store nitrogen in the roots. Then, when the beans are done I cut off the plants at soil level and let the roots decompose in the soil to enrich it.
In a no dig or similar system, the roots are often left after cutting off plants. As they decompose they also leave air spaces and channels for the next crop.
@@lat1419 That makes a lot of sense. The potatoes we planted on our clay-heavy parking pad (now back garden) helped a lot with aerating the soil, preparing it for the incoming garden bed that it became. Although the potatoes were dug for harvest, the roots helped and the stems were left in place to decompose.
@@HuwRichards thank you! I am about to start a brand new garden, maybe get a fall crop in, and get my compost bins going to overwinter. I have really enjoyed your channel. So much great information and excitement for the garden!
Fab video thank you, Can I please ask a question? Last year I made fermented nettle fertiliser from your video on that I was wondering if it would be worth doing the same thing with comfrey? Thanks
I so enjoy your videos. My garden is new and I am trying to build soil. I started with mushroom compost and top soil and it don't seem very fertil. So any ideas would help
The not-what-you-want-to-hear truth is that it takes a long time to build good soil. The best thing to plant in a brand new garden bed of imported soil is a mixed-variety cover crop even though after all that work you just want to start growing food. If you can't resist, grow peas or beans first. Keep the bed mulched and apply liquid seaweed regularly. Make sure you have transplanted worms into the new soil. It can help to add rock minerals to make sure that all the necessary micro-elements are present. If you have access to leaf mould add that, even if it's just a small amount - think of it as a starter culture for the micro-organisms you want thriving in your soil. Aged manures are good too. Mushroom compost is good, but not an equal substitute for the multi-input compost we make ourselves. Remember to check your pH. As long as your good work is not being undermined by a nearby tree stealing the nutrients you will get there eventually with time. Happy gardening.
Takes a while for plants to grow! Most of these videos features elements of project LEACS, like this video is about C for compost and ways to affordably deal with low compost. Videos from my other site will start to pop up:)
Hi Huw, watching you all the way from Western Australia. Just wondering, your fertiliser barrels I see have lids on. I thought you had to let the mixture breathe? I would prefer to have a lid on them, but just wanted to check with you. Thank you.
I visited a garden where the beds were mulched with grass clippings. The beds were covered with flies! Why would this be, and is this a very temporary problem?
