What does no-till soil look like after 7 years of intensive farming?

Dan Oostenbrink of Local Harvest, a 26 acre Market Garden in Chilliwack, BC, shows what one of his no-till garden beds looks like after 7 years of intensive farming, and contrasts it with the clay he originally started with.

Who tilled it better? Machines or Microbes?

[dastamericus]

I took over a gardening plot, from a traditional gardener. He swore no til made no sense. But I am one year in, and it's beautiful how much life i am seeing in my section. He actually thought I'd bought ladybugs. I hadn't. I'm doing no till and winter sowing. So I kept raising food though the summer. It decreased the amount of weeds, and now I'm working on his side from last year.

[etiennelouw]

I am a pensioner in Cape Town, South Africa and started a veggie garden in 2021. I had to dig out Kikuya and Cape royal grass to start my garden. I put down cardboard to cover my sandy soil (no money for mulch) and cut holes in the cardboard and inserted "grow tubes" (soda bottles cut into tubes) and planted my veggies in the grow tubes using lawn clippings as mulch in the tubes as well. I only watered inside the grow tubes. I had a satisfactory harvest so far. I planted some carrots this year and to my surprise I had small mushrooms come up next to them, I am very pleased that the soil is coming back to life after a long period as a lawn. I might never have to dig again.

[nicolasbertin]

I've been doing no till for more than 3 years now, and I've seen a lot of people do it. I'd say the biggest mistake people make is using compost only. You cannot do no till effectively with just compost, especially mature compost. No till works if you feed worms and mushrooms. And they need carbon based mulches to thrive, NOT mature compost. Mature compost is already degraded, they're not good food for worms. So if you put JUST that on your soil, which is what someone like Charles Dowding does, it takes a LOT longer. There usually isn't any mature compost that has 0 twigs or unbroken stuff in it, so there's always a little food still. Which is why Dowding method still works, and why so many in the UK do it (coz slugs for some reason hate crawling on compost, and UK is full of slugs). Unfortunately compost drains water like crazy (unlike what many people falsely claim). So overall, just with compost, you'd need like 20 cm of it for years and years for it to work, which is incredibly expensive in some areas. And you also need a wet climate, again like the UK. Wood chips from landscape gardeners on the other hand is usually free (especially in France or the US) and it feeds worms very well. And it retains moisture in summer when you most need it, unlike compost. In 2 to 3 years, your garden becomes incredibly productive with woodchips. You still need a bit of mature compost though, especially to seed small seeds like carrots in clay soil (which is what I have), but the MAIN mulch you have should be wood chips. The issue in videos out there is that people confuse compost with broken down wood chips. People should not call half broken down wood chips compost. Because if you buy compost in a nursery or a landfill, it's usually very mature compost (at least where I live). The same mistake of language is made in french. So what you have seems to be that, half broken down wood chips. Had you put down real mature compost instead on your soil, I can guarantee you you would NEVER fix a compacted clay soil, because I've tried. The key is to have all those fresh twigs in there. A good mixture of bigger and smaller twigs, and if you got already broken down stuff in there, it's good for nitrogen hungry crops. I use the fresh stuff coz we have landscape gardeners giving us their stuff.

As a supplement for nitrogen hungry crops, I use spent barley from a local brewery, it is far better than horsemanure : it's moist, full of nitrogen and phosphore, and breaks down faster than fresh horsemanure. It's incredible stuff.

[FiveLoavesTwoFish]

Thank you for explaining this so well. Many no-till youtubers say that the method benefits the soil structure deep within, but you showed us evidence of this. It really does work. Fantastic video and gorgeous radishes!

[HSstriker]

I've been trying a bit, finding what works for me. Using anything i can get my hands on for mulch. Every time a take a step in the garden i see bugs running everywhere, i've seen a rise in birds, bird of prey and even owls. This system isnt only good for us and the soil but also for every living creature around it.

[ArDeeMee]

The soil in our garden is quite rich in clay, and this year I‘m starting to work on it. I really don‘t care for tilling (I need my back for other things…), so I‘m trying the layering method you‘re talking about. Though I must say that I‘m quite surprised at the amount of earthworms here. The ground seems so hard, yet it is full of worms! Ideal conditions for improving it.

[TwistedTornsTirade]

I'm a year in with no till and its so shocking at how easy this is, and how easy it is to screw it up lol just like life everything is possible and thank you for taking the time for you to spread knowledge! At the age of 54 I just survived a mini stroke and no one to blame but me, myself and I =/ I've been introduced to plant based life, and with me doing no till the bells went off in my head. My girlfriend and are only 2 days in with the plant based life and so far we are really surprised at how tasty this is. GOD is great and time for us to spread the word and help my friends take back their lives!

[doncook]

I’m now 22 years at my home. The clay was awful and smelled nothing like soil in spring of 2000. Add my own compost and use my hay fork to let each year’s compost fall deeper and deeper into my soil. A joy to plant and transplant into now.

[manasmagdum]

I have watched many videos on No Till, this is by far the best I have ever watched!! Excellent work, keep it up. You are saving the environment for us!! You deserve way more subs. Please keep posting more videos!!

[anilshemade]

Great work.I am inspired by this!..I have never seen soil in this condition ever.I wish everyone follows your practices.Keep it up.Thank you for sharing.

[curtdunlap]

That's not clay! I have some stuff that is near pottery grade! I've been looking into this no-till method and will be trying it out for the first time this year. Videos like yours help me through the skepticism. Thanks!

[clivesconundrumgarden]

Excellent video, we live in Victoria and started gardening a couple years ago. We built 2 no dig, lasagna beds last fall and are planting now!!
Cheers Jason and Colleen 🌱🌱🌱

[Ms.Byrd]

I dug out a 'Flower' garden when I first brought my house and for at least 3 seasons, I dug the CLAY OUT and replaced it with (initially) Miracle Grow Garden Mix, after those initial years I simply added more 'garden mix' each season and turned it into the TOP SOIL each year. I only used 'Quick' acting fertilizer and now I don't have to pull any CLAY out of that bed and WHATEVER I plant in it grows! There's more than ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT! If you have to TILL your CLAY soil and mix in COMPOST and other NUTRIENTS for a few seasons BEFORE you can switch to a NO TILL system (if that is what you prefer!).... DO YOU BOO!

[bobjob]

It looks so effortless !!! This soil is perfect!!

[tomf.]

Dan, I used to play at Heritage park with my boys during Arenacross season. Now I have stopped the motocross and look at soil differently. My wife gifted your course to me for my birthday and I look forward to learning more from a local practitioner of no till practices. Cool to see the flocculation you have got in your clay soils through your work over 7 years compared to the compacted, anaerobic base you started with.

[sunitathakur]

Thank you for sharing this very informative video about no till farming 🙏🙏🙏

[Giggiyygoo]

I have an area in my backyard that was covered in 6 inches of decorative stone for 20 years. The soil was hard as concrete, couldn't even get a shovel an inch in. Started a small no dig bed there and within a year I can dig down a foot with my bare hands.

[ryan]

I started a no till last year in my clay filled backyard with great results. I imagine this year will be even better!

[simardeepkaursandhu]

God has given me a beautiful gift by this video

[thephilosophicalfarmer]

Good video. Gabe Brown was mentioned by someone off camera and the amazing soil he creates. The person said he doesnt grow crops in his soil. That is not correct. Gabe does grow cash crops. He sows shows them right in to the cover crops that act as a living mulch. Mostly lagumes and nitrogen fixers etc. He builds amazing soil much faster this way...2 to 3 years. The capstone is a animals. Gabe rotational grazes those plots too, which is what nature does. The cover crops provide the diversity that nature prefers. Thats how you grow soil faster.