How to Make Leaf Mold Biology

[evangelistangelbowman]

Anyone else spontaneously click the like button when Nigel started squelching the potatoes up?

[catherinec]

I first learned about this in the book Jadam Organic Farming. It is an almost free method of putting active microbes and life back in your soil. It can help even the worlds poorest gardeners in their gardens. I used this last year when we built new tall raised beds and am working on another batch today. This stuff puts the life back in the soil. I was amazed when I learned about this approach. Thank you so much for showing me again and reminding me to start this again this year.

[danvankouwenberg]

I use paint strainers instead of socks. They're easy to rinse out. I also use city water if I don't have rain water and let it sit a couple days.

Unlike KNF, JADAM does have a good manual, but it is more geared towards commercial agriculture. Nigel's book condenses KNF, JADAM and other natural farming recipes and has great reference tables for gardening. It's all you need to start.

[cqammaz]

I hope my public library has your book so I can take it with me on vacation. Thanks for sharing.

[brinkrunning]

Absolute genius. Thank you for sharing with the world. ❤

[garywillow]

Great video. Well explained. I also am loving learning, brewing and foraging for micro-biology. Do gather local mycelium by burrying organic rice in a stocking and leaving for a Month. When you dig it out it is absolutly covered i side and out with mycelium. Great for fungal teas.

[naomi]

Thank you, going to get caught up on your lessons.

[copperridgegrow]

I’ve been using JDAM all summer. Got off the bottled, chemical nutrients. I’ll work with nature instead of against. My weed has really performed well using this method. Smells danker, is stickier, stinkier, plants are more robust and healthy and the potency is higher. You have to unlearn chemical gardening lol

[rura]

Thank you thank you thank you!!! 🙏🙏🙏🌞🌞🌞🙂🙂🙂

[pial]

Got my book and had been going through to get a good start on my vegetable garden.

[ednace]

I have really enjoyed your videos! Please keep them coming if you can :) Your book is on my buy list. I used the Nettle FPJ recipe you shared on Huw Richard's channel, but used dandilions. Very cool. I do have a question that has puzzled me about some KNF stuff, and forgive me if this is basic. If the organisms in leaf mold (for example) are aerobic, how do they live and propagate inside a water solution? I see the foam and obviously something is happening, but I don't understand it, which makes me hesitant to use it. If your book covers this, just tell me to get the book ;) Thanks for the good content

[priayief]

Many years ago when I was "into" making a particular type of rather stinky compost tea, my wife asked me why I was making that smelly stuff.

I patiently explained to her about the microbiology in living soils. She made polite, listening noises and when I was finished, she commented that she kind of understood my explanation but, she then asked, how do you know it really works?

That was a good question. So, I decided to convert two of my several 4' square beds to a trial. I plant identical varieties of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and carrots in both beds. At the start of the growing season, I applied home-made compost to both beds. In one bed I periodically applied my compost tea but not in the other bed.

At the end of the season, I couldn't determine any significant difference in my harvest.

That was a good lesson for me. I learned that there is a big difference between the theory and the practice of gardening. Since that time, I've done many different kinds of trials for testing things like seed germination mediums, types of potting soils, rock dust, biochar, etc.

With that in mind, I'm wondering if any field trials have been conducted to see if this method of creating leaf mold is worth the effort for gardeners that have reasonably healthy soil?

[lindakurtz]

Sounds like gatorade for plants! do y'all ever do zoom classes? Headed to website. Quick question- Ive been experimenting with biochar. Do you have any suggestions for a more complete way to innoculate the biochar?

[megacoffeenurserybed]

If you say mixing should be a ratio 1:20, what are trying to mean sir?

[bismarkbizmark]

Is this stuff ok to use on potatoes? It seems that it cultures potato-philic organisms, which might blight growing tubers.

[commentz-]

Thank you sir.
Where do we get the book??
Thank you.

[IS-]

THANKS FOR SHARING.
Boiled or baked potato?

[darlabaliko]

How soon after making leaf mold biology does it need to be used? Can it be stored in the fridge and used later?

[ryansevern]

Hey Nigel, i'm curious to know if you tried molasses to replace the potato as a food & mineral source for this preparation?
thanks, from Australia

[DarkAnlel]

Can I use this to speed up the process to make more leaf mold or should I just use imo2 with a new bag of freshly fallen leaves in the fall?