Can you plant a garden in FILL DIRT? (Let's find out!)

It is possible to use fill dirt to garden in? Will we be able to heal this soil that's been TOTALLY abused--or is it beyond hope?

(hint: It's NOT beyond hope!). Learn how we are going to heal this soil and be able to plant into it in just a few short months for CHEAP!

Cost effective, earth forward soil rehab, here we come!

[wild_gardener]

I coach people in a grant program who are transitioning lawns or other spaces to pollinator friendly spaces. The most common question I get is how to transform soil. I’m definitely going to send this video to them. It’s very straightforward and simple

[LauraLea]

Wow, the big reveal at the end. So good. Thanks for all the great information :)

[sc-dwgt]

last year we put a veg garden on a new area of our property---a degraded, compacted solid adobe clay road (the very clay our house was once built from! zone 7a high desert). The power of cover crops cannot be overstated---the transformation was amazing! We used a variety of cover over winter---winter rye, field peas, clovers, vetch, oats, radishes, and so on---and, although all the areas did great, I must say that the areas planted with winter rye (the most difficult crop to terminate by far) now have the most incredible soil of all the beds, in only one year. Go cover!

[nicoletihista]

This was perfect timing! We have very rocky and not sure what else soil in the back that we are trying to get healthy. When I cut my zinnias back this fall, I'm going to leave the roots in the soil to feed and condition! I learn so much from you. Thank you for sharing!

[jameskniskern]

Excellent "how to" video.
Knowing when to use the big guns of a tiller and rebuilding soil life for your area.

[janaimaughan]

This is perfect! We are working on putting our native meadows and some more formal gardens in at our new home. It’s 1.5 acres so I definitely prefer to fix up our existing soil.

[gardenforgiggles]

Love your informational videos. I started winter peas about 2 weeks ago in my raised garden beds to keep them covered for the winter. They look great so far. Thank you for opening my eyes to good soil health!

[annakozlowski]

Can't wait to see how the soils turns out I have planted peas and oats in my veg bed.... the house looks Glorious ❤

[DianaLopez-ihhv]

Is it weird that I got so happy to see the crop cover results? This is amazing . Thank you so much for sharing.

[britt]

I have had clay soil that is hard like that before. I found waiting until after it rains makes it easier to work with. I bet using a hose on it too could work as well. Love how you’ve broken this all down and with a challenging area. I’m excited to see how the area transforms!

[James-olfr]

LOVE this project! Cant wait for updates!

Dr. Christine Jones says the fastest way to grow soil is probably using the 16+ diverse cover crop of annual plants, and cutting them before seeding, and going again and again! Probably no time for that this year, but just a note for anyone interested!

Also, if you dont have room to set up your own Johnson Su compost bio reactor, know you can purchase that compost online! I've bought some from an Oklahoma producer, but dont have my own land, so nothing of note so say about it, yet.

Many say that using molasses is not beneficial long term as it creates a quick boom-bust with bacterial life, but it has been used to stimulate the FUNGAL population, which follows after that bacterial population drop. I bet you experience long term benefit from this! 😊

[mariac__as]

This video was so helpful I even wrote down notes. Thank you so much for all of this info ❤

[LisadeKramer]

I need to do this in my backyard. Weeds and prairie dogs have made a mess of it. I have a nice patch of buffalo grass but all around needs to be redone. That may be next year's project. Two years ago my local seed company suggested planting rye as a cover crop in my front yard. That was a mistake. I finally got it irradicated out of there.

[MyFocusVaries]

I don't see people talking about parsley, but its taproot is really long. I think it would be helpful for breaking up soil.

[mandypittman]

I'm so excited for you and what you are going to do. I vote native flowers!!!

[bagpudding]

This is great information to learn! Thanks for all the content you share on your channel.
I was hoping for a bit of advice. I recently had a number of trees removed (too tall and putting the house at risk). It’s now a great spot for a fruit orchard! The stump grinding process has left a lot of wood chip along with years of leaf litter as a sort of mulch layer. I was thinking of doing a winter cover crop mix in a similar style to this video to give the soil a nice start before planting in trees (luxury of zone 8). Should I clear away the mulch layer and then seed, or just seed straight into it and let it all do their things?

[fraukeg.facchini]

That cover crop looks amazing! Thank you for another great recipe for soil improvement! How much molasses and which kind do you use for the alfalfa mixture?

[sharigordon]

This was really helpful. I live in Lakewood (Green MTN) and the bunnies have annihilated my southwest back lawn. They've eaten the grass down to dirt and ate digging holes and weeds galore. I'm wondering what to do with the area. Would the bunnies eat the cover crops? I'm at a loss what to do with the space. But this gives me good ideas!

[yardenrice]

This video is awesome!!! So informative.. thank you!! I needed this 🙌 HalleluYah

[kathymerner]

In my online search for alfalfa pellets, all I'm coming up with is horse feed. Is that what you are using? Sharing brands you use would be so helpful for us newbies. Unless there's a good reason for you not to do so. Thanks for all of the great content. I plan to install a couple of your mini cut flower gardens next year.