Yes, yes, yes. I am not an uptight gardener; I thought, "I don't mind the look of a couple weeds, it's not so bad, etc." Even with raised beds, making a larger scale garden the weeds just multiple more than I even imagined. And more weeds brings more bugs. I underestimated the weeds and the toll it would take. It is my #1 regret and the hardest lesson I have learned. Mulch/cardboard did not cut it when I started producing on a larger scale. I will never start another bed without a real weed plan in place.

You know what I love about this, you don’t let perfection get in the way of good enough. It’s all about progress. And using what’s available. Slowly, slowly we improve. It’s a marathon.

You are so right. I gave up gardening about five years ago because of the damn weeds! I am 75 years old, and I’ve tried many methods of gardening, but I’m now using a modified Ruth stout method with cardboard and whatever mulch I can get such as hay, wood chips, leaves, And compost. Don’t let the weeds make you give up! You can be successful!

I lay down newspaper on my garden when it’s wet, it’s easy to tear and lay around your plants and keeps your garden moist and weed free

Yea man super important to work with what you got. I’ve got a few raised beds made out of things that were gonna get thrown away that I got for free that I filled with logs and dirt and now grow food in that feeds my family.

If you are a new gardener listen to every word this man says. He described my experience to a T. One year I mowed it all down because of weeks. Those dang weeds grew so fast and lush. If I didn't stay on top of them every week it became overwhelming pretty quick. The next year I put mulch on top of weed fabric and it made a big mess over the next two years. I wish I had prepared my garden like a viking 5 years ago - I would be so much further along. I'm not a fan of cardboard because it's a trip hazard with no easy way to hold it down.

Thank God its here! Amazing how fast I gathered enough weeds to make the Jadam Fert. I already used it to try starting one of my wifes plants. Even in the cooler temps it was bubbling after a few days. Biochars almost ready. You helped me prepare in time. Almost free. I have paid for Buckets, Fish, Brown Sugar, Unsulfured Molasses, Milk, Charcoal, Mason Jars, and My Business cards came today. Big Wes's Lawn Care is Ready to Fix Stuff Right. I can't wait to makeover a lawn. 🇨🇦👊🏻👨🏻‍🏭⚡💖🙏 🍁♻️🍁⚖😉👌🏻

I expand my garden each year. Thanks for all the knowledge to help us gardeners to keep getting better.

Yes! I didn't like the idea of using the landscaping fabric here. But I am using some now, along with a bunch of wood chips in all pathways.Such a huge difference!

This has always been my problem!!!

My plot is 40' x 250' I use pine needles mixed with leaves and then throw grass clippings on throughout the summer, works pretty good still some stragglers but nothing crazy

Another great video my friend! I've been mulching with pine straw and pine needles to combat weeds. It's worked well for several years and no drawbacks from my experience. Pine needles take a long time to break down and I have an abundance. Any weeds that manage to grow through and havent gone to seed are used for fertilizer.

I have to weed every day to feed the rabbits. I am looking into getting a larger garden plot so appreciate the info!

A BIG THANK YOU to you NATE! Yes even in my small garden, the weeds are trying to take over. Also chop and drop the weeds, and use the grass cuttings. We have what is called cattle grass. It's very difficult to get rid of, it is very invasive, and the ground is very hard, so I am using saw dust and wood shavings for in-between the beds. I am going to be spending my time this winter building up the soil with autumn 🍂🍁 leaves, and what ever I can find, and to use the many soil amendment video Ideas of yours of course. There is a dump in the complex, with tons of piled up grass cuttings, leaves, and tree branches. At the bottom it is broken down beautifully, and is a pitch black and lovely stuff. Hardwork, but if you want the fruits of your efforts, gardening is and can be challenging. But I am not about to give up. Learning by doing! In December it will be two years of starting a new garden from scratch. Last autumn, our grandson helped me gather bags of Maple 🍁 leaves, from a nearby park. My husband and grandson kindly built a wooden pallet compost box, from free pallets, given to us. So will be adding more autumn leaves 🍁 to fill it up again. There is an empty plot in the complex, and there is a tall Maple tree growing in our neighbors yard, bordering the wall high 🧱 in between the two properties. The wind blows leaves into the empty plot, so I have been raking up the fallen leaves, in bringing to our garden, using the lawn mower to chop leaves up. THANK YOU again Nate, Our "Garden like a Viking" man, for some more awesome and great ideas, as demonstrated in this video. ❤💚🍁🍂🌿👍🇿🇦

You are correct, without a doubt. It can get away from you in the blink of an eye!

I wish I had this problem as my garden is like a postage stamp compared to that amazing piece of land.

Saying hello from Townsville North Queensland Australia. I have come across your channel on utube and have been binge watching all your videos 😊 so awesome and thankyou

I am lucky to have a great neighbor who I get my hay from for overwintering my cattle, sheep and hogs. The latter generate a lot of waste hay that becomes a time release mulch. As das as the hay goes I get many years ago I adapted the Ruth Stout method of using hay as a mulch. A continuous mulch and follow her advise for how much to use: MORE she said. It’s amazing how much it will rot down in a year so refer back to rule number 1- MORE! Slowly but surely the hard pack clay below transforms to a very rich topsoil with all the fungi and other soil microbes at work. It will not keep everything at bay weed wise but 80% or better is a good guess. That really comes in play when you spreads like melons a squash spread way out. I am at an unfair advantage over most of your viewers in that I get large rounds bales (old mulch quality ) at 1200 to 1400 lbs at a good price. Disadvantage mainly is that you have to work harder to part the soil surface to plant and it significantly delays soil warm up.

How do you amend the soil after it’s been covered? Does the cover have to come off every year Amd reapplied?

My main garden is a 36×30 plot. Most of it is in raised beds. I mulched the walkways and in ground flower beds. I also re-edge the perimeter once a year to keep grass and other weeds from creeping into it. The edging works so well!

I feel, most people, see a nice garden, and have no idea how much work/planning goes into it.

Looks great - definitely good advice for a big plot. My small allotment plot was covered in cardboard, hay, and a layer of bark and weeds still came up through it but at least 90% were kept at bay so it was managable.

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 my very 1st garden plot, I tilled a 20'x50'. I thought since I could grow indoor "herb" that it would be a piece of cake. Only things that survived was some speckled bibb, and the weeds😂

Can you do a video on electric gardening? Also, how do you keep your soil healthy in cloth bags after a few years of use? I just found you this weekend and am so excited about learning to create healthy soil your very good teacher. You keep it simple for me to understand :) From Canada Zone 3

I think I was just saved from making a huge mistake. Thank you

Wisdom is what works !!

My favorite quotes for this one: The end of eternity, weeds have the home "field" advantage. I love the conveyor belts !

that is my biggest battle is weeds and time. Thank You!!!

If you haven’t already seen soil microbiologist Christine Jones from Australia you will appreciate her work & reseach. Many of her videos are on GreenCover

I am so jelli of those BIG gardens, I wish I had gardens that big to grow food in

Cardboard, occasional bricks, heavy pots on top of the cardboard. And hot water to kill the weeds. I boil two large pots very early in the morning (it gets hot inside after that), and pour where I need it the most. Down side of hot water, it kills good bugs and worms. I just do it occasionally.

I'm outside everyday I normally do a chop and drop or I'll collect for rabbit food . It's been good work out for me 😅. I'm about to put down my cover crops now to help keep out the weeds . I guess if you growing in such a big plot it be good to try it out . I'm thinking about redoing my strawberry plants like that wondering if they do better that way I hate pulling the weeds out in them .

How to stop weeds : 1. Don't till 2. Don't use chemical fertilizer 3. Don't use pesticides 4. Get soil fungal to bacteria to 50/50. I don't get any weeds in my garden. The only thing close to a weed that will grow in my garden is grass.

Thank you my friend. What a great video! I like it that you’re realistic about using what is available, but perhaps not optimal, to grow food. Because growing food is the main point! My gardening spirit broke 12 years ago. It took 9 years for it to heal. The weeds didn’t break me, but the amount of failure did. I’m planting more, learning more and accepting that I will have failures. That acceptance is making my successes that much sweeter.

Thanks for this. It explains why I’ve got weeds coming up in my weed blockers.

Congratulations on 70k subscribers 🎉

Yes no till with mulch or straw is working great!

Another good one. Thanks, Nate!

Weeds haven't broken my spirit, but bring me joy, blessings and FOOD. For free, and without any effort. Just a bit of chop and drop to keep them in check, and give your sown crops a bit of room.

Thank you! Simple and efficient. 😊

Good information. Thank you!

My grandmother was a master at keeping a weed free garden. She would go out after breakfast and spend 10-15 mins with a two pronged hoe and flip little weed seeds out of the ground, after lunch another 10 mins, after dinner another few mins. If you keep up with it, it's manageable. I choose a different method as I sometimes have to leave town for a week at a time.

I’m diggin those conveyer belts 👍🏻

Good show, cheers Nate

You’re the best Nate

I like the way it turned out.❤😊

Thanks for your wish of success

Thank you, very much.

I love this. Work with what you have available even if it isn’t perfect bc manageable is so much more important than perfect!!

Great ideas! And great way to use what you have available to you! Thank you for help with weeds....my garden was all weeds when I moved in a few years ago and have been fighting them since.

Been there, Done that my Brother, and you speak the truth.

Thank you...

Awesome 😎

I’ve been cultivating with a wheel hoe, planting cover crops for about three years. Ou garden is about 5000 sf. The seed bank has been reduced dramatically. This year I’m using landscape fabric to try and reduce the work load. Thanks for reinforcing my thoughts and sharing your thoughts.

It was like you were watching me expand my garden a few days ago. I just used a friend’s bcs and I tilled up a big old garden plot I’ve been tarping for months. Anyhow I was thinking about weed management and planing a strategy when this video showed up in my feed. Thanks bro🙏

lots of water then lots f cardboard. Bike shops have large-sized boxes of mainly clean cardboard but avoid shiny pictures, they never break down. I have clumps of heterostarches bamboo I cut down with a stihl chisel blade and run through a mulcher to cover the cardboard. I also have a raised septic evaporation pad I'm replanting with lemongrass that can be harvested as mulch cover. If I'm resting an area I can buy a few cheap spoilt hay bales that get spread a little and sit there till they're totally rotted and full of worms.

Thank you. That conveyor belt can withstand some heavy winds. I need hundreds of garden staples for my plastics and still wind is tearing them up

totally going to try and do this. i have alot of garden beds and a day job need to control those weeds for sure thx

Having enough room between the rows to run a front tine rototiller between the plants helps greatly especially if you do it once a week and turn under the weeds that comes up

GreetNs🙌🏽 Nate U R pure awesomeness. I did my 5 applications of potato slurry prior 2 plantN N my garden. Prior 2 applyN the slurry, I addD cow manure and tilled the earth. I startD plantN N the ground this Monday, and have been seeing a great amount of worms. I know that the manure and the potatoe slurry has made a significant difference N this Texas hard rock clay dirt. I break N2 a happy dance every time I see 👀 the wormies moveN around💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾, lol I know that I speak 4 prolly every1 that watches U when I say that U R so loveD, respectD, and appreciateD. Thank U 4 all U do 4 humanity. Peace/blessNs my friend💚✊🏾

My concern has been creating anaerobic conditions in the soil under the landscape fabric or whatever.

Just found your channel and subscribed. Began gardening in earnest when Covid took my business. Started out using typical crap at the big box stores, and have now gone the other way with no external input. Got a decent microscope, make my own hot compost, leaf mold, several worm bins, make my own fertilizers and just recently discovered the benefits of LAB. Last year I established perennial cover crops in 3 of my beds, to keep living roots in the soil over the winter. Not only did I have little weed pressure, but it saved those beds from jumping worms. Normally, I mulch heavily with shredded leaves and compost, as I do with my Ruth Stout potato/onion bed. Well my Ruth Stout bed was taken over by jumping worms last year, harvested a weak potato/sweet potato crop. Have to change the way I garden in that bed. I have a small channel you might find interesting. Have several videos on jumping worms, their identification, prevention and hopefully a control. Just click on the orange B and it will take you to my channel. Stay Well!!!

I love weeds, especially lamb's quarters, purslane and chickweed, perfect covers/shade providers and keeps moisture in soil and also they are all yummie :)

Great information this is a problem I have with my 30x40 garden. I'm looking for a way to work in conjunction with the weeds by planting native flowers that will benefit my garden if possible. Any information if you have any will be appreciated.

I guess for large gardens these days that'd be the easiest way to go. When I grew up (back in the 70's) a neighbor up the street had maybe 2/3 acre in which they used a kerosene torch to burn away the weeds between rows. It sure seemed effective to me. I'm not planning on anything that large though.

I went from 20 square meters and pulling weeds with my hand to renting 500 square meters im also using quite the landscaping fabric but after seeing this methode i might also use it on my beds itself with holes for transplants. For now im using it in my pathways with wood on top for nice looking pathways :)

My mother in law had a beautiful large garden 2 years ago...a lot of work/time...the deer ended up eating much of her crops..broke her spirit...she hasnt done it since.

That's why I like my raised beds that are on 36" tall legs. No stooping to pick weeds.

Hi from the UK :) with this kind of set up, I am wondering how the soil is replenished with nutrients, carbon and all the wonderful things you talk about in all your other videos? In my organic growing experience, if I don't enrich the soil after a heavy feeding crop, the following crop yield is noticeably smaller. Also, I can imagine the soil will start to compact overtime especially when all the organic matter is depleted. Something tells me that this method is for people who JUST want a solution to the weeds. My advice to anyone with a big plot of land is to start off small and only do what is manageable while keeping the rest of it mowed down like a lawn. This will enable to you compost (natures natural weed barrier) allowing you to have ample resources should you decide to expand your set up. There are a lot of resources online to help you overcome weed pressure in a natural way, the no till method being one. I guess the question is do you have the time/patience/will power to work with nature?

That is intense .. wouldn’t that black surface make the soil underneath too hot for the plants in our Tennessee 100 degree days ?

weird question: I was gone a month and the weeds blew up. Ironically it saved my garden by holding water around the plants, and providing shade. And a lot of the "weeds" we're medicinal. What up with that, brother? Later: I WILL LEARN TO TRUST YOU one of these days! You've answered all my questions by the end of the video. Thanks, bro

Awsome

Every single video I add to my tool belt, even tho I’m currently backyard. Ur cardboard comment got me thinking tho…why aren’t cardboard recycling concerns creating a low cost (sold by rolls in various lengths) recycled landscape cardboard weed killer?

I would suggest everybody to make sure to cover the soil. If you can prevent sunlight to the soil then you won't have a weed problem.. of course that takes work too. But mulching has so many benefits. I see so many people tilling their soil. I will never in my lifetime ever till my soil again. Everytime I see someone tilling thier soil i cringe lol

Cardboard mulch is the only reason I still enjoy gardening. Weeding is my absolute least favourite thing to do and now i almost never have to do it

That’s really cool thinking with that conveyor belt pathway. That’s definitely going to do the trick. Also: what exactly do you mean by food security garden? Is this between hobby garden but not enough of a surplus to sell?

Rock on

There's a site, repurposed materials, that frequently has used conveyor belts.. some 50 bucks, some in the thousands and lots in between - occasionally with free shipping. my biggest weed problem is rhizome grass.. it goes everywhere.. the flowery weeds I don't mind nearly as much.

I love your video's and thanks for sharing your vast growing knowledge. But please consider triming that pinky nail, sorry it just reminds me of the 80's coke spoon fade. Keep up the good work..

Perfect timing. How did you determine the aisle width? What would a minimum width be and how will these plots get watered?

Off topic for this video, but have watched just about all of your videos, love you. Looked at one on foliar spraying, left a question but probably too long ago for you to see it. So may I ask it here - Can I please ask about foliar spraying tomatoes?

🙏🙏🙏♥️🙂👍Good tips

I would call that the 3 bears method.

Oh boy, this video was timely! Question: If I plant a cover crop (clover) in the winter, does it reduce the weeds coming up in the spring? (Spring is just now starting up here by Yosemite, because we still have snowbanks from the 12' we got this winter.)

My first thought is put it in the ground. Comment to follow...........

This might deter feral cats 🐈 from making deposits in the garden ! Thanks

The Steve Irwin of Gardening!

I tried using straw as a mulch thia year to stop the weeds. So it did, but now everytime it rains i got a million tiny slugs to destroy. I been using vinegar spray. Yes it burns the lettuces so i spray the trunk of the plants. The potatoes are fine. Any other ideas would let me know how you desl with it

What if we found food crops which grew like weeds? Sure they won't taste great but it might be less work.

Hi Nate, I would like to follow your technique as I transition to more "commercial" scale growing. I wonder, how do you then apply compost ? You take off the landscape and put it back everytime ? I know this is how they do it in Jadam way. Keep up the great work !

???QUESTION... Is LABS all that necessary if making JMS to use on soil and applying to compost pile building? thanks

I’m surprised that you didn’t put down a research section of clear mil sheet to cook the soil and kill all seeds

🙏

???QUESTION...What ounce weight of woven poly weed barrier was put down, 3.2 or 5.3oz? thanks

Hopefully putting in an acre this spring, maybe, larger.

Gotta do what ya gotta do. Use what ya got, but above all....GROW LIKE HELL!

What are your thoughts on deep mulch? (dry grass) in my garden

Conveyor belts! Who'da thunk it?

How do you fertilize when most of the soil is covered?

I can get sawdust almost free. Usually oak. If I put it on top, and don't till it in, is that OK?