Joel Salatin expresses a similar view point in his writings. High quality is the goal, and don't let marketing ruin the quality.

I follow the same practices. No herbicides, pesticides, amendments or commercially produced compost. Only sourcing local organic material from my property. I utilize fish carcasses ( I love to fish) leaf mold and charged biochar that I make. My produce stands out in flavor and appearance to others following commercial or big Ag practices, Organically or not. I've found mint, steeped and sprayed has kept most harmful pests and deer far from my crops

@@gabec2494How long do you steep for? Donypu have a formula, or ratio of water to mint or? Any info is greatly appreciated, and thank you for sharing!!

Many blessings to you, your farm, and to your very fortunate customers!!

@spaceantelope1 I use 2 bunches of mint per 5 gallon bucket filled with rain water. Cover and let sit for about 1 week if weather is warm. In a pinch, mint extract (1oz) per 5 gallons can be used. I apply every 2 weeks and spray everything, from mulched pathways to leaves, fruits and even corn tassels.

I'm so impressed you're reading the Soil Handbook at 17! You are going to have a fantastic life!

Rain garden for one of the soggy areas maybe? Deep-rooted perennial grasses and flowers that like swampy areas can absorb a heck of a lot of water while supporting beneficial insects

Interesting comments! It seems you and I have much in common out in the garden. I too, have very rocky soil with clay. I also grow mushrooms on purpose. And I made a lasagna bed with Wine Cap. However, I do not have any hay. What I do have is a massive amount of woodchips. So I used those. Lastly, I also have Asian Jumping Worms. However, I'm NOT finding them beneficial in any matter at all. Just the opposite! I had ZERO harvest of Wine Caps. Maybe this was due to only having woodchips & not having hay? Altho, the expert Wine Cap growers say otherwise. So? I don't know. What I DO know is that the jumping worms are so aggressive they are prohibiting me from having ANY crops. So I ask you - How is it the j.worms are not eating your crops, especially the in-ground crops?? How is your soil holding on to nutrients where those j.worms are? WHY would you WANT the Wine Cap mycelium gone??? It's probably THE MOST beneficial thing you've got in your soil, especially if you have j.worms! I just don't get the beneficial part... Have you tried any ways of getting rid of them? I've recently been trying drenching with ground mustard seed. This experiment is still early days for me. But I can say that no worms, or earwigs either, like to stick around where the ground mustard has been. Granted, this will also scare away hood earthworms. But guess what? THEY'RE ALREADY GONE! The j.worms have already eliminated them, so me scaring the good worms away is not an issue. I can also say that my bed of Lions Mane mushrooms DO like the kick the mustard drench provides! The only drawback about using the mustard seed drench is that it does take A LOT of ground mustard seed, as well as labor, to drench my entire yard. I haven't done that yet. But it is an idea I'm kicking around. The next problem is the j.worm eggs that will be hatching next Spring. Not to mention the Spring after that, and the Spring after that, and the Spring after that, etc. Bcuz, research has found that each adult worm lays a percentage of eggs which are predetermined to WAIT YEARS to hatch. Some will hatch next year. Some the year after. And on, and on, and on. The longest length of time is still unknown bcuz they've only started the research on THAT little problem 4 years ago. So far, there have been dormant eggs hatching every one of those 4 years. So, even if I somehow managed to remove every "live worm" on my property this year, I'm SURE to have a fresh new batch every single year until the unforeseeable future. Happy worm days... AND they crawl up into my pots too!! So I can't leave any potted plants on the ground. It's just such a BIG problem!!! Needless to say... I really HATE j.worms!!!! I'm not sure how you could think they are beneficial in any way... Please, if you don't mind, please explain your viewpoint on HOW they are beneficial. Bcuz I just don't get it. Here's my take on them: I'm in Central Texas, I'm not even sure the adults die over the winter bcuz it doesn't really stay cold enough. Which just means they're eating & egg laying machines that are so very prolific nothing else can survive. AND they don't give anything good back to the soil. They only take. There's even an old growth Oak tree having trouble staying alive with them over here. I'm now contemplating investing in shares of a mustard seed growing farm... I want them GONE.

He has, take a look.

@Ni-dk7ni That sounds great until you try these heavy clay soils. Hard pan compaction, not to mention rocks, 8-12 inches down. I've got a hell of a drainage issue, and did not have success with a full 'no till' in my older beds. Even after three years.

I second everything Steve said!

Thank you! 🙌

Living in ontario, I would love to see some Canadian growers.

Thank you! 🙌

My dream is to build a new greenhouse where I dedicate a section entirely to vermicompost production but that may be a couple years. SO stay tuned?

@@notillgrowers great to here Jessie.