A Big Lesson We Learned About No-Till Gardening -- *FULL GARDEN TOUR*

Why won't these seeds germinate in our no-till garden? Join us for a garden tour as we try to explain why we need to modify our cover crop seeding techniques for the no-till plot. We'll also bottle our fermented hot sauce that's been "cooking" for a week.

SHOP WITH OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERS:

Use code "LAZYDOGFARM" for a 5% discount

Use code "LAZYDOGFARM" for a 10% discount

Use code "LAZYDOGFARM" for a 10% discount

Use code "LDF" for a 10% discount

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE GARDEN PRODUCTS:

FOLLOW US:

MAIL:
LAZY DOG FARM
PO BOX 237
FUNSTON, GA 31753

#backyardgrocerystore​​​​ #growyourownfood​​​​ #vegetablegarden​​​​ #sustainableliving​​​​ #homesteading​ #homegrown #organicgarden #neverstopgrowing #sustainableagriculture

[Ebonyraeful]

Jesse Frost over at No-Till Growers YouTube channel does a lot of cover cropping. He might have some good advice for your germination issues.

He also just did an amazing small series of videos on no-till. Highly recommend.

[thereseboogades]

That Hot Sauce prep in the kitchen was Fun! 😅 Based on my experience, you're right about the no-till issue with germination. It's dry. Of course, this is a reply to an older post. Love all your videos! ❤ Thank you from Virginia Beach, VA

[danjackson]

Glad i found your channel!!!! I quit that other mess after you disappeared. I’ll pass it along!!! Looking forward to drinkin the no-till koolaid again!!!😂😂😂

[donnamills]

Didn't read all comments FYI if you put saran wrap on top of the blender then put the lid on you won't lose all the product up in the lid. Thanks for all your wisdom you share.

[StevenLeBlanc]

It's nice to know I am not the only one who grew up with okrie instead of okra. It was a shock when I first saw the word spelled out.

[glowingupmom]

Brooklyn’s laugh 😂 when you tasted the hot sauce was the best!! I just love you guys 🌶

[vedaandchristyruiz]

Thanks for the shout out! I am glad it is productive for you.

[johnbrzenksforearm]

Pepper vinegar is good too. I always grow tobasco peppers and put them in a cider and white vinegar mixture and let it steep for a month. It's good on greens and beans.

[myrurallife_official]

Yea, covercrops surface sown in no till are tricky. You're right about that top layer being dry. Almost like a mulch. If you can get the seed about an inch down it would be ideal. I like to surface sow and then cultivate with the wheel hoe afterwards. And about an hr with the overhead irrigation to settle the soil around the seed for good contact. I seem to get great germination this way.

[sislertx]

Well your no till experience mimincs mine...i could not believe it when three sowing of sunflowers failed but my germination tests showed they were good seeds. Had the same thing with other flower seeds too but those sunflowers really shocked me. Getting ready to get three loads of expensive as hell compost to till in.

[jeannamaynard]

I'm so glad you are doing this and I hope you stick with it and keep comparing. It's an awesome research project. I love your channel I am learning so much.

[edwinmartin]

I do my "min" till by taking all tines off my Troy-Built Pony tiller except the inside cutting ones. So I get only a 12" tilled bed to plant a row with either transplants or the Hoss seeder. But I use glyphosate for burn down as i don't mind some free weeds and annual grasses for my cover crop between vegetable crops. I mow or string trim lots of residue and leave it on surface. I chop thicker corn stalks, okra, brassica stems, etc. with weed eater blade into 6-12" pieces and leave them as "cover". When there is still a good clean row visible from previous crop, I will transplant fully no-till with a hand trowel.

[wwsuwannee]

My no-till cover crops germinate great and take off. I do tamp them in with my foot or a board(or sow before termination of previous crop if there is enough biomass, that works too)and, over head water daily until they get going. My plots are different than your plot as they are not all solid compost. My raised beds however are all compost and I do notice the top inch or two drying out like you said. What I do with those is plant a little deeper than recommended and keep them moist. I also sow thicker than recommended amounts for covers. One thing I don't do is clean up the plots after a harvest or termination. I leave all the trash and residue right where it falls. It makes for a trashy looking plot, but is better for the the biology. I know...some folks can't stand that, but if the little dirt critters have nothing to work with, fertility suffers. Even something as simple as catching your grass and keeping it scattered on the plot is good...leaves too. I have often wondered about some sort of dibbled roller pull behind for the riding mower to help with the tamp dance, but ain't got round to it yet lol. A no-till plot will still need some fertilizer from time to time, just don't use chemicals. I also don't worry too much about weeds as long as they don't crowd my crops, I just keep them managed and from going to seed...don't care about looks...after all, bare soil is bad soil. Hope this might help and gg.

[lisatressler]

That hot sauce looks great! I'll have to give a try. A suggestion for your basil- I get much better flavor when I freeze instead of dry. I think it's something about the oil in the leaves. Just lay the basil leaves on a cookie sheet and freeze, then store in a freezer bag or container. They don't look as pretty when you thaw them out, but taste just like fresh. Or make pesto and freeze into cubes or a sheet.

[loganyoutube]

Leave your no till plot exactly the way it is and just run a garden seeder through on 15” row spacing and alternate rows with a legume and a N scavenger…you might have to use a string trimmer with the string cut short to get the seeder a path through the rows if it starts wrapping or is tough to push the seeder through(and by you I mean Brooklyn) …this method works really good with something like a winter pea and tillage radish over winter and then in the spring you plant a high N crop on 30” rows and you plant on the radish row where the soil will be rich and fluffy but since you have so much growing season left you would need to use warm season cover crops…planting with a seeder will give far better germination than broadcasting

[DonnaLorenzen]

I was laughing along with Brooklyn when you tried that sauce. That sweet potato patch is looking mighty fine.

[timfetner]

As a 4th generation graduate of NC State I’m glad to see those sweet potatoes are doing well at your homestead. Big fan of yours and really enjoy the videos. Keep up the awesome work!!

[tommathews]

"it's on the hotter side of hot" LOVE IT!

[markb]

The hot sauce segment was priceless, looked like it took your breath away for a second. That was a rewind moment 🥵. Great video!!! ✌

[richm]

A couple things about no-till. I didn't see the previous video but if you planted those pumpkins into tilled soil you don't really have a no-till plot yet. That takes most of a season to establish and continues to improve after that. No-till is about creating fungal networks and a beneficial living microbiome. You're not getting the benefits of no-till just for not tilling it at this planting. I like to cover my seeds with a layer of compost. I tamp it down if rain is expected so seeds don't float away in a downpour. Could the difference in seed depth also be a factor? Soybean seeds like to be about an inch down and safflower about a quarter-inch. I would typically sow the soybean seeds, cover with soil or compost and then sow the safflower. Once no-till is established it becomes light fluffy soil that's almost impossible to compact by walking on it.