I always say “If the worms are happy, the plants will be happy.” Obviously you can make it as complex as you’d like but happy worms is a great starting point.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

So I've thought about this comment a lot the past few days and I've come to really like it. I *do* like to optimize and complicate (...obviously) but the thing about worms is they're *easy*. Even poor soil with no life will see a giant influx of worms with nothing more than some plants, regular watering, and a layer of mulch. Compost option, but helpful. That's literally all it takes! Thanks for the thoughtful inputs as always =)

Just wanted to say thank you for making such informative content without feeling the need to scream and/or act incredibly hyped up and loud lol. It's fantastic to find more "chill" content like yours!

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Dustin! I try to mix it up a bit but these mellower videos are more relaxing for me to make as well 😁

I love watching my seedlings grow in their trays. You can literally see them grow more every single day. It's exciting!

Off topic but watching this video again for the second (" or third :) time as I usually do (helps it sink in) to take notes, think about, think out loud in the comment section and ask questions that you've managed to give great advice that I either implement or points me in the right direction. I am always able to adapt your insight for what I am trying to do and it opens up a brainstorm for me. I run my garden kind of like a business. Started my first business at the age of six, selling lemonade (and anything that would sell and snacks on the corner. Eight small business, had some great ones and learned some lessons from the "failures." Thirty-five years later I am now finally working on a business that is a hobby and even if it "fails" it still feeds my soil. Business to Garden. 1. Stick to what works in your area. 2. Save on costs only when it's practical, and boy do I save. 3. Love what you're doing (or it won't last) experiment and think outside the box when it's practical with your setup. With experience you will cut your costs in half....... Your successes and failures inside the garden are just as full of knowledge and wisdom as your success stories. I've watched thousands of hours of growing videos but you're the first channel that adds so much different detail that often sparks my curiosity to dive deeper. Thanks for that. :) Have a great week in the garden.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Hey Ron! Google flagged this as spam, sorry I missed it. Does that mean you're starting a garden/farm business? If so, congrats - that's wonderful =) I've often wondered about selling some aspect of what we do / make in the garden but for now I think I'm content just growing and eating.

@RonSRY

Жыл бұрын

@@NextdoorHomestead I'm still in the planning stages. One of three things have crossed my mind. Compost biz. Logistics nightmare because it's heavy. Building new garden beds. Doing that here and there already. It has it's complications because they're often new gardeners and don't often take crucial advice well. Loosing the soil. Improving the soil properly. Sunlight. Etc. Some complications there. Market garden. Might be my best bet. Living in Thailand we could grow popular western/different vegetables not available in out area or Thailand. I'm visiting a local market garden at the end of the month. We've been chatting online for the past 6 months. No hurry honestly. I could potentially do all three on different scales. :) I love doing all three (except turning compost :P)

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

@@RonSRY Garden beds is such an interesting topic to me. I used to garden primarily in raised beds and enjoyed it (was a rented place) but they're so darn expensive to buy / make here now. A company offered to send me one of theirs for the channel and I might give it a try. I know a lot of gardeners really prefer them and I like that it's a more accessible height for anyone with mobility concerns.

I recently came across your channel and have really enjoyed your content! I garden in Northern CA zone 9b and your info is helpful. I am spacing things closer in my gardens this year and incorporating flowers in too. I look forward to more videos! Thanks!

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

I am so glad to hear that Lorri! We're doing more and more flowers this year too =) I think I might do a quick video on my favorite easy flowers actually. Cheers!

I agree that the most important "thing" is good, healthy and nutritious soil. I spent the last few years with less/no digging and putting good, fast rotting stuff on top. When I grab my hands in, I now can feel the good quality of my soil. I'm in Germany. The spring here was very cold. All plants are behind the usual schedule. Summer plants like tomatoes, peppers, melons are sitting in their trays and still have to wait at least two more weeks. Then our last frost date should be gone by.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Your soil sounds lovely! Thank your for sharing 😁 Late starts can be frustrating - I really hope your garden flourishes with the warmer weather!

2:20 Would love to see the tools video on what you would recommend for your context. Check out the arsenal. :) How they help or changed the game for you? Maybe equipment/tools you would like to try in the future and why it might be practical. For example, a broadfork. I had never used one until a year ago assisting a client to build her first large decorative garden. Fantastic labor saving tool for hard soils and larger garden areas. Best investment ever if you're dealing with clay type soils and you want to save labor, time and your back.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

My friend let me borrow his broadfork and I LOVE THEM. Just so amazing. I only stopped using it because it punctures our irrigation piping in the converted lawn-to-garden like butter. I would like to do a tools video, but almost as a joke! I think folks would be surprised at how much work we get done with a very, very simple lineup of tools. Garden hoe, garden rake, shovel, wheelbarrow, garden fork, hedge trimmer, and garden shovel are 90% of it =)

@RonSRY

Жыл бұрын

@@NextdoorHomestead same for me. The only high tech thing I have is a mulcher and I finally invested in that last month. I was mulching my neighbors yard waste by hand or just piling it up in the compost. Total time saver and I got a barely used one second hand for $150 dollars. It itself off just as a time saver the first two days I used it.

@RonSRY

Жыл бұрын

@@NextdoorHomestead I may invest in a broadfork though if I want to expand much more. :D

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

@@RonSRY I've threatened to buy a mulcher myself ;) But so far the chickens seem to do a reasonable job of breaking down the smaller waste we have! And they're pretty fun to watch doing it...

0:00 Pen and paper ready. :D

The spacing recommendation is for individual plants to grow their full size, but that does not mean the space between can't be filled with other plants. Carrots Love Tomatoes is a pretty good quick reference guide for what plants you would fill those gaps.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Intercropping is totally a valid addition to this conversation! But I do stand by the belief that many guides suggest inefficient spacing, especially for the urban / suburban veggie gardener 😁

Love what you guys are doing. We have a tiny urbanspace . Using my compost from last year's growing, I've got borage and tomatoes popping up everywhere! But it's great because they provide the more delicate cooler veggies with some much-needed shade. Thanks for what you do ❤ Your blueberry vid gives me much hope for a better year next year. I'll start making the ammendments as soon as it cools down here on the west coast of Canada. Hoping this will reinvigorate my existing plants and we don't have to buy new ones.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Oh wow, that's awesome! Love hearing from other urban growers trying to get the most from their space. We've been having some brutally hot weather too - best of luck with your blueberries!

So many great ideas. 5 is an understatement. ❤❤❤

Couldn't agree more on starting seeds inside! I attempted a little more direct seeding last year to see if it would work in our relatively new garden (and new-to-us microclimate)....yeah, that did NOT work lol. Expecting much better results this next season starting almost everything indoors, plus we've had a little time to actually work on soil health in our new beds. Can't wait for this next year's garden!

😂 lol mad science I can agree and relate. My back room looked exactly like that seedlings everywhere.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

It's funny - they drive me nuts by the end of the process but I'm DYING to do it all again halfway through winter =)

Ever since I started a lasagna garden , I have been able to grow things were I could not before . I have plenty of leaves and chicken manure. it just works better for me and my mid sized garden. took me long enough to know that building soil is important.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

It took me long enough too... =) Leaf mould and chicken manure are a ridiculously good combo. It's so nice having our chickens now to help keep the soil healthy =)

great information about gardening.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for saying so! And thanks for watching 😁

3:30 Plant spacing. I've been growing things closer together almost every year. It was a game changer. Seeing those market gardens or grocery row gardens (learned from David the Good) and my production has doubled in half the space. Build your soil and the space you save is astronomical. Half my time in the garden is making compost or making and laying down mulch (I lay down about 6 inches all over my garden pathways about 3 times a year. Materials are donated by local people and resort garden trimmings. That old mulch, or now compost gets raked into my next bed and saves me weeding. It's a lot of compost but I am dealing with a large plot of land (mostly sand) to garden for one person. 100 x 20 meters (more available but unmanageable) 20 percent fruit trees, 20 percent jungle, 20 percent market garden and 20 percent permaculture food forest. . 15 percent pathways (chop and drop mulch/compost). 5 percent compost piles go on top of my new beds. I find things grow crazy even in the first year when I do this. I've been gardening this jungle now turned garden for 4 years. The work never stops but it keeps me healthy, inside and out.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

100 x 20 meters is amazing Ron! I think folks don't always understand how much work a high-production row garden covering that much space is (even considering that yours is a mix of less intensive styles). Anyhow, congratulations on turning that much space into a garden that works for you. It sounds lovely to me. And I'm jealous of your mulching operation (we've done less wood chips to try and get a better hold on weed pressures for the time being).

@RonSRY

Жыл бұрын

@@NextdoorHomestead weeds are a full-time job here. I tried controlling it in the whole garden but it was a losing battle. Now, I've concentrated on the right side and slowly moving my way left. Pulling. Mulching. A little at a time. I sometimes get big ideas and then I remember I am just one man. :P

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

@@RonSRY Ain't that the truth. I really thought we'd "controlled" the weed pressure in our main garden but I was sorely mistaken. At least it does get a bit more manageable over time.

You have such good vibes 🤙🏼 I’m a new gardener and am so glad I found your channel! Thanks for all the info!

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

I love this comment, thank you 😄 Good vibes is something we talk about wanting for our channel when we dream up new content!

I agree with you on trying different suppliers. But alot of them do not consider your particular "zone" so to speak. They ship according to their growing time. Not yours.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Totally! You have to make their systems work for you to some degree. Unless your lucky enough to have some local seed companies with regionally-developed seed lines =)

@sonnyamoran7383

Жыл бұрын

True, but if you save your seeds, the next crop will be better adapted to your particular area. The second set of seeds will be even better.

2:05 Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Someone with this behavior pattern sometimes impulsively buys ___________ and related gear, amassing more ________ gear than they can realistically use. This syndrome or behavior has caught up with me once or twice . Financially it can be about buying seeds, parts and tools when I first got started. I've been fortunate enough to work on different gardens. Going to others to help them build their first, or expand. They usually already have tools, seeds I've never tried, or even buy something based on my recommendations. I've been blessed to be able use to experiment with different things I've researched for free (I'm usually paid). Mentally it can be about over researching. By that I mean spending double or more of the amount of time exploring different ideas and implementing very few or none of them. GAS also reminds me of over analyzing, or Analysis paralysis. AP (or paralysis by analysis) describes an individual or group process where overanalyzing or overthinking a situation can cause forward motion or decision-making to become "paralyzed", meaning that no solution or course of action is decided upon within a natural time frame. I've been guilty of that several times. Stay up till 3 in the morning researching something and you end up not being able to do much in the garden that day. My mind often moves faster than my hands. lol Everything in moderation.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

=) What I have found is gardening is one area I'm strangely not not impacted by AP! I'm a researcher by nature but seem more willing to do things "wrong" in the garden than in other hobbies.

@RonSRY

Жыл бұрын

@@NextdoorHomestead I went minimalist about 5 years ago. Sold a majority of my things and moved to the countryside. Seeds I tend to overbuy sometimes. Ohh, seed buying time. lol. I've only got a shovel, hoe, 2 rakes, a machete and some homemade tools myself. :)

this reminds me when i planted seeds in plain dirt cringe i can laugh now great video mate

@NextdoorHomestead

11 ай бұрын

Thank you =) I often cringe at my mistakes, but hey, they're never going to stop so might as well have fun with it!

Excellent tips!

Love this :)

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

THANK YOU! Appreciate it =)

one word: compost 8:00 Actually I am making a point to return to heirloom almost exclusively next year. I will not give money to Johnny Seeds, they push so much F1 and charge so much for them. And some of the desirable tomato F1 variety are going for $7-9 for 10-15 seeds. I helped several people start a garden in the past and I wouldn't have been able to do it affordably without MIgardener affordable price. I don't even care if people grow hydroponically or Mittleider method, it's still more sustainable than buying form the grocery given the fuel and storage cost.

9:00 Ignore the HYPE. How true. Things become cool or new in cycles on KZread. It's great to experiment but...... do it practically. While I do have a food forest it is only there because it would otherwise just be jungle. Its full of care free edibles. Bananas, sweet potatoes and whatever will thrive on neglect. Back to Eden is a great concept but it is optimal for crazy amounts of land and particular soils in my opinion. I use those methods only in my permaculture food forest. It's been hard to implement in my market garden. I was so no dig until I realized it wouldn't work nearly as well in my soil. Two beds side by side. One I double dug for 2 years and the other was no dig. Bother mulched and fertilized the same. The double dig do best two years in a row. There is no problem with no dig or back to Eden or ? but I think context matters most. "Absolutes" put us in a prison when gardening. :) Trendy isn't always bad but often over hyped. What's trendy now? :P

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Very well said Ron. It's tough because it's a conversation that requires nuance - the best approach in one area won't even be the best approach in the following season in that same area much less a garden across the world! But talking about that in a 12 minute video can be really dull =) I suppose my hope is that we can reduce the amount of parroting that goes on when new gardeners ask how to approach prepping their garden and start with questions about what they'd like to get out of their space first!

Some people always follow the herd

Love your videos and your enthusiasm. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject and I agree with most of them. A suggestion on presentation - please sit on your hands! From this viewer`s viewpoint there is so much flapping it is really distracting! Keep up the otherwise very entertaining channel.

@NextdoorHomestead

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the words of support Angie! I'll rewatch and take note of your suggestion. Cheers!

soil not dirt