A new way of preparing our beds in the mid season.
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It looked like Toby seeded one or two of the rows twice. Was that to make sure you have good germination similar to when you put two seeds in a pot in case one doesn't germinate, the other one hopefully will?
One video I would like to see is you discussing the entire process from start to finish on how you get your products into a grocery store. Including all the little details.
I would like to ask, how you make your compost and what ingredients you put into it?
types of compost to use? are there different types you use for different veggies?
What would you do differently if you were turning over a bed of a deep root vegetable like kale, mizuna or something like that? Would do grind it up with the rototiller or just bury it and hope it doesn't pop up?
Hi Curtis. What do you recommend as an alternative to the tilther since it's simply not available anymore? I have heavy clay as well and I follow the same basic bed prep – forking, composting, raking – but getting that fine, light planting surface for good seeding is still a challenge (without getting down and crumbling it with my hands – ain't doing that for a 50-foot bed x 10).
have you thought about adding gypsum to the soil to loosen it up?
im trying to look threw your old videos on were you recommend buy your bulk seeds?
this year i only built my first 16ft by 30inch wide garden bed which worked great but i want to try a 50ft next year and buying seeds by the small packets doesnt seem to convention so far… ill keep scanning back through the videos but if you can recommend a website and a ball park of how much i would need for a 50ft bed that would be great.
Thanks man Cheers
During the offseason, do you cover the beds with anything, e.g. cover crop or mulch, to protect the soil, or do you always have harvest crops in the ground?
Thank you for taking time to answer our questions.
Why don't you just go to a coffee shop get their coffee grounds mix them with some wood ash and bam you have a fert. I'd use piss but I don't think your customers would like that. Compost is kind of expensive when fert is free. Your soil is shit despite you using compost all the time. Do you till your cover crop in? I heard this undoes lots of the carbon it put in the ground.
Do you make your own compost?
You need shitloads of wormcompost for that clay "soil"
Could you do more videos on how to start up an urban farm like your's. What tools and post harvest/infrustructure would you recomend.
Hi Curtis! Love how simple it is in your operation to prep beds. Still, i think you could try out a no dig bed or 2, just as a test. I would really like to see an update on your automatic watering system for seedlings. I'm trying to make one also and not working 100%
Ever skip the forking, just to see what happens?
Have you ever been to Yuma, Arizona or Salinas, California. Both cities produce 95% of the lettuce in the US. Salinas in the Summer and Yuma in the Winter. I live in Yuma and work with the farmers here. I'm amazed how well you know your stuff. The farmers here do this very same thing, except torching the field. They do "blanch the field". Since the summers are hot here, they use the son and flood the field to blanch and kill bad bacteria and push salts deep into the fields. When you come down to Queen Creek and if you haven't been to Yuma before, you should come down. Lettuce should be doing well and green fields as far as the eye can see. You would like the large sprinklers they use to germinate their crops. If you would like, I could have you meet a farmer here and you guys can compare your crops. They use wide beds like you to grow leafy greens. Thanks for your work to produce your Youtube videos. Very informative and very accurate. Its been enjoyable to watch you do this in an urban setting and with limited space and make it profitable.
hey Curtis, i'm tiring of using my Earthway for even the bigger seeds (beets, spinach) – the germination is just too scattered. would you recommend the larger-sized Jang plates for these? i already have a Jang and would prefer to just completely switch over to that. thanks for your help man
This fork looks too small for the big Tobby ^^ You should try a wide Grelinette like Jean-Martin Fortier, I think you can save 50% time on digging because the Grelinette is the same width that yours beds and avoid back pain at the same time.
Keen to gain a deeper understanding on seeding techniques you may have to share with us? e.g. how you run your Jang Seeder on you beds for a particular/specific crop.
How often and when do you do any soil testing. Thnx Jim
Curtis – One of my issues is with produce that doesn't sell at the markets. After a few days – I don't know what to do with it. Do you compost it? Do you give it away? Do you can/dehydrate/ferment any of these? Thanks in advance
How do you feel about Amazon's strategy with whole foods? They are making a lot of organic foods available at a much lower cost than before. Do you think this is a problem for many local urban farmers?
Love your vids! Advid do best as I can back yard gardener want to be farmer – LOL. Why about those leafy grans in summer with some shde protection. im in South texas San Antonio Fall/winter is almost a better time to garden but do you think true shde would help with the leafty stuff?
Curtis, I have seen your other videos that have this issue of clay/inorganic materials causing you grief and I have found adding some green manure along with the compost each time gives more organic matter each time.
Call me nuts but I mix my established beds with 50-75% compost and then the rest horse manure and it resolves the issue you have with depleating bed height and crusty tops.
Interested in compost manure preparation
Would like a tour of your home garden. What does a Market Gardner grow for himself and his family ?
You are a saint. Do people think you've never heard of no dig? Do they live in your climate with your soil? Do these people not have google? I guess it's heartening how many people watch and care about what you're doing, but I'd be slapping my forehead! Have been a small home gardener for years, but learn a lot watching your videos. Thanks.
I used to spread compost with a wheel barrow and rake. Now I use a drop spreader. However, we add our compost after the bed is seeded, covering the seed with the right planting depth with compost. This has allowed us to eliminate the need for flame weeding and speed up the bed prep process. We no longer have to let beds set for weeks waiting for weeds to germinate. By the time weeds come up the planted crop has come up and choked out any potential weeds. Love your channel and the tips. Keep up the good work!
Very nice.Why you don t flame after forking?
What do you do on the beds that have fabric? Do you pull it up or prep the holes only?