G'day Everyone, to take advantage of the current buy 3 get 1 for free sale for Birdies Raised Garden Beds in the USA, [EDIT: This deal has now been IMPROVED to 25% off All Birdies Beds + up to 50% off select gardening essentials]. Go here: epicgardening.superfiliate.com/SSME2020 If you have any trouble with the link, use SSME2020 at checkout for a 5% discount. This discount is stackable with other discounts and deals over this sale period! Ends on 27th May at 11:59pm PST. For Aussies, you can still get 5% off here in Oz online at Birdies using code SSMEbird. Thanks for your ongoing support! Cheers :)

@michaelmewha8789

17 күн бұрын

Hi Mark I have commented on previous vidios befor and am commenting again in hope you might see it this time and respond. When I was 5 I had a fall playing and lost my index finger and the tip of my middle finger on a peice of exposed corrigated iron such as the ones in the corners of these planter boxes. Would it be possible to make a vidio to make people aware of this danger if there are small children around in the garden. I'm now 37 with a 2 year daughter of my own and it would mean the world for me if some awareness was made about this topic in the hope that it could possably stop someone else from doing the same thing. Would hate for my daughter or any other kids to go through life without fingers as I have. Cheers.

@chrisdarry-roseelrod4481

17 күн бұрын

Are your garden beds the 29 inch tall beds, or 32 inch?

@junewrogg6137

17 күн бұрын

Love using what you have on hand! The Pup stole the show LOL Java java java LOL Tubby time!

@redmax3372

17 күн бұрын

Love to have a birdies garden bed just can't afford one little on 3

@dukenukemall2461

17 күн бұрын

@selfsufficientme i love your videos mate your bloody awsome. Ive used old shuttles as my gardens and practising hugacultra gardening with them aswell. The 1k shuttle container is the best way to garden aswell ive had alot of success from them . Also there is a aussie composter to use its called the areobin 400 litre its the best composter

Don’t worry about comments. Most people are sitting in their bum, doing nothing. What you share is very valuable. I appreciate it.

@questioneverything9535

17 күн бұрын

I do too. Thanks Mark!

@imeldadiaz4164

17 күн бұрын

I agree! It's ridiculous how he has to cover himself by saying "kids, don't try this at home".😏

I think Bella was the star in this video! She was having a ball racing up and down!

@TheAstroflight

17 күн бұрын

I bet kooka was watching from a distance with a *humph!* Thinking "That's my spot".

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

They say, "never work with children or animals," but I wasn't even trying to! 😁👍

@bethb8276

17 күн бұрын

​@Selfsufficientme She was adorable with her zoomies! Bella was just adding a bit more fun to the show for you, she's a good girl! Always love your videos, you will always be my favorite gardener to learn from.

@melissanoonan3301

16 күн бұрын

I was about to post the same thing! She's a little darling. X

@lisaschreiber2893

16 күн бұрын

she is so cute!!

In Canada we had a comedy show called Red Green. His catch phrase was "if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." Mark channelled his inner Red Green in this video. Well done.

@TheSteve0583

17 күн бұрын

Yes! We get Red Green in Pennsylvania, USA. I believe it's rebroadcast on PBS? Keep your stick on the ice, I'm rooting for you!

@nickbodenschatz1018

17 күн бұрын

Big Red Green fans here in Jacksonville, FL...I do often get those vibes on this channel, just like at my house;)

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

Lol...👍😁👍

I’m a firm believer in if it works, it ain’t gotta be pretty. Your garden always looks amazing to me!

@gardentours

17 күн бұрын

😀👍

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

Thank you! All the best :)

@questioneverything9535

17 күн бұрын

"Don't let perfection be your enemy." Once I came to grips with this, I was off and running. 😊

@paulworthington8666

16 күн бұрын

Yep.-That's what God was thinking when he made me.

@livingintoday1073

15 күн бұрын

@angelawillis145, I completely agree. And this is how we learn. ❤

I think the most impressive part of this video was how you managed to narrate with a straight face while your garden assistant was being so adorable! How many takes did that take?! Bella is such a darling. Another great video; thank you for posting. Enjoy the cooler weather for me!

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

Hahaha... I tried my best to work around Bella and keep as much "raw" in the video as possible. She can be quite persistent when wanting to get my attention 😃👍

Here in the southern Appalachians (USA) we have a saying: “it aint stupid if it works.” So job well done!

Hey Mark. I just wanted to thank you for your channel. I live not too far away from you in a care facility in Albany Creek. I used to be an avid gardener, but I’m now disabled. I have a tiny garden, but am able to grow some herbs and veggies and I have learned so much from you. Your humour, gentle nature and little Bella make your program a joy to watch. Thank you.

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

It's great to hear that you're still gardening! I'm very glad you found a way to "get into it" despite your disability 👍🙂

@wildlifegardenssydney7492

6 күн бұрын

Well done ……I am glad you are still doing it❤

Thanks Mark you are the real McCoy. With the celery, I found a great tip, you probably already know this but I thought I might add it for others. When you cut the celery tops off, save them in a bag in the fridge until you have a roast. After you are finished with the oven, cover a tray with baking paper and put the celery tops on it in the turned off oven, overnight. When it has completely dried use a food processor to powder. Store in a sealed jar. A tspn of the celery powder into a stew, is worth two fresh sticks. Very convenient and also a way of preserving the leftover celery sticks and usually wasted tops.

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

Top tip! I didn't know this way... Thanks for sharing 👍🙂

@wildlifegardenssydney7492

6 күн бұрын

🙌

I'm a firm believer that if it works, then use it. The plants are the star of the show. I actually like the black posts because they provide a great contrast to the color of the plants. Looking good!

I call it MacGyver Redneckery, lol. I've learned so much from you and other garden channels. You teach so well and brighten my day. Here in Eastern Kentucky, flash flooding took out my ground plantings. No worries, I'd started container & grow bags this year and they not only survived but helped me push the raised bed plan to my husband. As for the "ugly" fix, if you squint it isn't that bad, lol. I have the ugliest greenhouse, built with love, crooked as an old road, but works. It's about the results isn't it? Be well Mark, thank you for the great info.

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

Good on you, Donna! I'm sorry to hear about the flash flooding, but it's great that it didn't stop you from getting into it! Cheers :)

@Sparkysings2

17 күн бұрын

I’m in Lexington. I feel bad for you guys with all the flooding you get. Hard enough to garden with the land being so hilly but then flooding too. Anyway. Hi from Lexington!

Bella is an absolute GEM!! How can you not feel good when watching that kind of Joy?? What a huge gift to your family!! Great that your Son is able to get into theater school. My son also did that, and he is living his dreams. He is on the technical end, not on stage. I hope your son does fabulously in his endeavor!! And always, incredible information. Thank you for all you do!! The best to you and yours!

Came to learn from the gardening guru. You were completely put in the shade by the star of the show. 😂😂

I like your can-do attitude. A good man once said ““fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without”.

@rosemaryogilvie6842

16 күн бұрын

That saying should replace the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ waste mantra.

I really like seeing you share things that may get “out of control “ etc. because it is realistic and the fixes are great.

The puppy is the star of the show today! Haha!

Bella and her happy Zoomies, always fun❤

Bella is living her best day , she’s having so much fun ❤️

The dim joke made me laugh out loud 😂 you’ve got the dad jokes down pat

I look forward to your videos so much that I hit the like button before I even watch the video. Thanks and G’day from the USA!

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

Thanks for the confidence! Oh, and G'day also! Cheers :)

@garulusglandarius6126

17 күн бұрын

I always hit like before I’ve seen the video also and I’ve never been disappointed with Marks channels 👍

I love what you said at the beginning.. "You can always catch up in gardening." I've been feeling behind with getting everything planted, but I've been pushing through. I will remember your words as the season progresses🙏

Hello Bella, thanks for allowing Mark to feature on your channel! Love the content xx

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

😁👍

Don't listen to the naysayers. Your videos are very needed, especially as the times progress. Please keep going.😊

I tell me husband everything looks great when he helps me in the garden. I just want function, the pretty is in the eyes of the beholder. To me I could not garden without him. So everything is gorgeous tome .

@wildlifegardenssydney7492

6 күн бұрын

Awwwww❤❤

We live in a very mountainous area of north central Washington state USA. We have on one flat area of our part of our mountain. We chose to put a small orchard on the flat spot. We build retaining walls into the side of our mountain to create raised flat areas for our garden. One section near our house is my wife’s flower beds. The other raised beds are strictly for our gardens. Instead of having rain birds for our irrigation, we’ve installed drip systems on timers. Between our raised beds is No Mow grass. It requires to be mowed 2Xs per year that we use a weed eater for. I have the green thumb and since I’m retired I try to grow enough fruits and veggies to sustain us for 2 years, every year. The excess of what we can’t eat, I freeze dry. I’m trying to freeze dry enough fruit, vegetables and meat to sustain us for 7-10 years should crap hit the fan. My in- laws have a Large 7K acre ranch in Montana, USA where they have cattle, pigs and sheep. I don’t care for lamb, but my wife does. Montana has a short growing season for their veggies, so we barter with them. We trade freeze dried veggies for beef and pork. It’s a 12 hour drive from the ranch to our house. About the time we are harvesting our crops, they’re slaughtering their livestock. We’ll go there every other year and the years we don’t go there, they come here. During that time we exchange our veggies for meat. We usually buy several deboned rotisserie chickens from Costco for freeze drying chickens. Eggs are scrambled and freeze dried. We do buy frozen diced fruit like mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, etc. I purée them and freeze dry them into a powder so that whenever we want a smoothie, it’s available. We get our horse manure for free so we put it into our compost pile and turn it, add water, so that we produce our own soil for our garden and flower beds. For some reason we don’t have a lot of earthworms, so we buy 10K every year and put them in our gardens and compost pile. During the winter we tend to enjoy fires in the pit. I’ll then put the ash in 5 gallon containers and put it in our garden soil every spring after all of the snow has melted. I start planting our garden early and keep it in our shed that has windows and a small heater that kicks on when the temperature drops to 50 degrees F. I’ve learned that by starting my garden early in the shed, I can get 5 harvests from my Swiss Chard. If I wait until the snow has melted then I’ll only get 3-4 harvests.

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

Wow, it sounds like you've got your self-sufficiency all sorted out! Thanks for sharing! Cheers :)

4:33 muddy for mommy 😂 . Congratulations Luke good luck on your studies.

Hahahaha had to stop for a minute just to give Little Bella all the love ❤️❤❤ Is she not the most adorable thing ever!!!

I would love to see a compilation video where you talk about what plants like to live together in the same garden bed. A 'do and don't' of companion planting.

These are the kind of solutions I would implement in the garden but my wife would complain that it looks too ugly. But if made it look prettier, it would cost some money. Aesthetics don’t matter to me, if it works, it works!

Mark, you're one of the best gardening teachers on YT, thanks for sharing your expertise! Thanks for sharing your Bella too, she's totally adorable and funny as all get out.

Can we just get a whole video of the dog going crazy?🤣 She had a major case of the zoomies!

I watched your videos a couple years before I took the plunge with raised beds. I've always gardened but with my current location raised beds were the way to go. Now on our third year in I could not imagine my life without them and the joy they provide. Sure we made some mistakes along the way, but as time has gone on we learned and have improved our relationship with our garden. You might say that we "grew into" our garden. Thank you for doing what it is that you do. It improves people's lives! Maybe someday I'll get up the gumption to send you some pictures.

Using an ugher “spell check not working” bare foot is hysterical. I love your channel. A refreshing change from the perfectly manicured gardens with perfect raised beds. A fan from central ny!

@andrewparry6106

17 күн бұрын

Auger

One thing you can do when building raised bed is put your posts on the outside to start with, helps to slow down the rot. Plus the force of the soil is being into the posts and not pulling at the screws in a post :)

Actually, the black posts dress it up very nice.❤

Southern ingenuity is what we call your ability to adapt, adjust, overcome, and conquer your structural garden challenge. You did good 😊👍

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

Thanks Jamie! 😁👍

First, thanks Mark! PS, use roof capping to seal the corners!!

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

NIce tip! I'll keep that in mind for the other corners... Cheers :)

Long live Post Picasso. Thank you for going through that trouble for scientific reasons!

Mark, you cute dog is going to love jumping on your beds and digging your crop for sure!!

Fixed it like a true farmer.

I like your sense of humour. You're a pretty funny guy. Having someone regularly on staff to help with the garden would be pretty cool. I know Kevin from epic gardening and a few others do it to allow them to have that great garden. I think you're making certainly the best Australian gardening content on KZread and at least in my mind the best gardening content worldwide on KZread . Someone to help with the garden tasks also would give you a lot of opportunity to provide that excellent content that you do! Love the show and I just see your content gets better and better!

@Selfsufficientme

17 күн бұрын

Thanks for the kind feedback Toby! Cheers :)

@dialecticcoma

17 күн бұрын

Kevin has all the money from his affiliate deals and hedge fund investment though lol

As my Dad used to say. Good enough for government work. 😁. So funny the pup getting into the bed. 🎉

7:57 Post of Pisa

Hi Mark, I DIM also. I love your videos. I am very handicapped this year. 75 years old, pinched nerves in the middle to lower spine, along with Rheumatoid Arthritis all on top of Multiple Sclerosis taking its tole on my old body. If it weren't for my love of gardening and watching it grow, as well as I love fresh garden vegetables (not as bland tasting as store bought vegetables. On top of all that I have enough food supplied in my house to last a good 10 years. People don't get it as to why you grow your own food (as much as possible). Well it helps to keep thousands of dollars in our bank account each year. I can cook a great meal anytime for less than $5.00 anytime. A great meal here in the USA bought out of the store (every ingredient) would cost anywhere from $50.00 to $100.00. A lot of people aren't aware that by raising your food and making a meal from scratch: You must learn how to fix them to where they are tasty. The KZread internet has tons of great recipes. One I love is shrimp fried rice, which you can use chicken, and pork also instead of shrimp. Your friend Jessie from Arkansas USA. PS. Gardening is what is keeping me on my feet and not totally unable to walk.

That pooch is a major scene stealer! ♥

I'm surprised at you Mark! Not having a green house, not growing your own seedlings & not being a member of the Diggers club!!!! Especially with the size of land you have!!! I live in keperra, Brisbane & have a 680 square block. 6 chooks, 6 worm farms a 3 bay 1 meter x 1 meter compost system & small greenhouse, & 3 large garden plots with onions growing 10 plastic storage containers on the carport roof. I use the no dig method & save my seeds every year.

Bella is just adorably happy! She should make more garden appearances. 🐶❤🐕

I appreciate you Mark! I’m a food grower - sheep and we did crop grain on our previous property. There have been chemicals that we decided to not use because of the level of toxicity. One of the main factors of Autism is high levels of chemicals in the body. My two older children suffered from ADHD and again the finger was pointed at the chemical allowances. There were far more toxic chemicals and sprays that farmers around us chose to use. This study is for the USA not for Australia but it doesn’t mean the chemical usage isn’t the same for veggie growers. I think where possible, grow your own, eat in season and support local as much as you can. You know then by doing research what is used on locally grown produce.

We have Bella's big sister, her parents are from Australia, here in Hawaii. Our poodle loves to smell the flowers! I certainly enjoyed her antics. I love the fixes you're kind enough to show us. The information is extremely valuable and helpful in making decisions about gardening supplies.

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

Bella says hello... Grrrr grrrr... 😁👍

No more coffee for you Belle... You just need your garden and your dog to start the morning right I reacon Mark😂❤

What a little scene stealer Bella is, and I bet mum was super happy to be cleaning the gorgeous little angel.

A good tip is to always paint and coat wood that you intend to use. You have to be careful with what you use, but even just buffing in a coat of bees wax can give an extra 50% to the longevity of the wood you use. Bonus points if you use a treatment, paint and wax. It also helps to start with pressure treated wood as this can instantly give you a guaranteed 5-10 years on top of what ever coats you put on after the fact. If you don't want to spend the money, you can also strategically use pond liner on the side of the wood that will be exposed to the soil to help prevent damp and moisture. Pond liner is cheap and is designed to be waterproof, in contact with soil, to not leech chemicals into water and long lasting.

Lol classic opening mate... sent all the haters to the compost heap before they even knew they were scraps.... ;)

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

Lol... 😁👍

Kids don't use sharp heavy cutting machines without work Boots on. I have been noticing a great reason for raised garden beds, I'm struggling with rabbits, and Bandicoots in my gardens.

Bella looks like she's having a great time!

I agree that you are one of the top garden video makers on YT or any where. Some folks will always find negative things to say. I say we should all follow Bella's example and enjoy life, and enjoy the simple things like running up and down!

You’re the gardening equivalent of Vice Grip Garage, comedy legends! ❤

If you put the posts across from each other in the walkway, you can put wood supports across the top (over the walkway) to help support each other.

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

Nice idea! Thanks 👍🙂

Bella is definitely having a lot of fun 🐕💛😂👍

Like a lot of gardeners I like you think about what I can use in my garden that is recycled from other uses. Large paint buckets ,poly pipe,Rio,old chimney pots ,milk bottles, pallets and old wooden sleepers have all been recycled to make my garden unique. Well done mark I love you videos and to hell with the negative naysayers 😂😂😂

Who in the world would say bad things about you bud that mess up you teach people alot of stuff and I really hope you keep it up

A happy doggy really brightens ones day! I think your practical solution doesn´t look bad at all - and in any case, the plants will hide the structure :)

Bella👏👏👏 She is a hoot and loves being with her daddy. I do enjoy learning so much. Really interest in the rock dust.

that dog running made my heart fill with joy..Love your vids here in Indiana

You can't beat gravity!

Takes real courage to share the journey of addressing shortcomings after identifying them. I would suggest that the manufacturer of off-the-shelf raised gardens had to overcome similar experiences to develop high quality finished product.

Back when I was able to garden, I built raised beds out of cedar post in log cabin style. I used metal fence post on the inside and outside for renenforcement

So sorry for you.... Bella was the Star of the Video! What a funny dog ❤ keep up the good work! Love your Videos. Love from germany

Great job. Over the years ìve had a garden. Love the fresh clean food. And the rresults are marvellous.

Been watching your vid's for quite a while now, you inspired me to use the higher raised beds which is a godsend as I suffer from athritis. My project for building this year ,to use next year, is generally what you have going on here, I am in Scotland with a south facing garden. I intend to use two raised beds with doors on either side and a poly tunnel style of roof, as it's south facing I am going to make it so i can actually roll back the roof as it will get too hot in there. Fighting slugs and snails is my biggest problem here, something I am finding is that the raised beds seem good at detering them as does rubber. I have strawberries in tyres and they have never been bothered by them.

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

That sounds like a GREAT project! Lots of uses and extended growing period with that style of raised bed 👍🙂

Thats real homestead gardening! Liked having a longer video today too

Negative comments? 🤔 I’m thinking “what’s to hate on?!” I love your videos! You have taught me a lot and I appreciate them. Bella running around is a wonderful addition to your videos. ❤

I love that you show all the challenges and truths about gardening in SE Queensland... Cheers from down the road in Jimboomba!

Here in Hawaii we just work in the rain, often naked. Better than working in the heat.

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

😲👍😁

Haven't been around the garden too much of late, so I've not seen Bella before - What a great pup! Full of life & curiosity - think she'll be a fab partner in the garden, Mark, I think it's supposed to be drying up soon - but we could do with some of that rain in NW Tassie, been awful dry... Glad you have some help - could do with some of that.

Brilliant, great video as always.. Love watching your garden from here in the Rainy UK. Fixing that bed gives you more planting opportunities and who doesn't like that! 🙏🙏🌱🌱

I use stones for raised beds... they never break, after your video I went out to sow more 😂

I love your videos and I love seeing Bella in them. She adds an extra layer of cuteness and charm.

Little Bella having the zoomies was hilarious! Always loved your videos and gardening advice ❤

Mark, I applaud your spirit and willingness to try but your putting a lot of good effort into a losing battle. Time to rip them out and replace them with some Birdies tall beds.

Pretty is as pretty does. If it works it’s perfect. I love that you think outside the box. We don’t have to do it all the same 👍 I would love to know how you preserve your celery. Your dog is absolutely adorable. Thanks for sharing. 👍

Ha Ha, soo hard to listen after only looking at Bella, not as chilled as your beautiful passed doggy xo

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

Yeah, Bella and Scooter are very different personalities but both are/were adorable 🙂👍

@kezwall4506

10 күн бұрын

@@Selfsufficientme Yes, they bring their love, little darlings xo

The greatest advantage you have is the ability to auger holes deeply into the soil. Here in Idaho with the caliche soil, a deep hole is 12 to 14 inches deep.

Love watching Bella having fun. Another quality video providing value to us all

I can't tell if the subject of the video and your partnership were just a coincidence, but if it wasn't, you handled that sponsorship damn well. Not some sort of cheap insert for a quick cash grab but a genuine, meaningful partnership that is valuable to you, the audience, and your partner. Well done, mate. You are not dim, you are quite sharp.

@Selfsufficientme

11 күн бұрын

Thanks for that feedback. Yes, the partnership with Kevin and Epic Gardening is genuine - I'm certainly not in it to make a ton of money! Rather, I hope I can make an honest bridge between learning, teaching, problem solving, and credible business that cares about their products and customers. IMHO that's what "influencers" should be doing. Cheers 👍

Look into concrete garden beds. Someone invented a concrete mould that lets you stack concrete sleepers held together with rebar. It’ll last forever. No more rotting wood. As an SEQ resident myself, I know that even treated wood will be destroyed in a couple years if it’s in the ground.

@variyasalo2581

13 күн бұрын

The Romans used volcanic ash or pumice (don't remember which!) In their concrete which is why we still see their aqueducts and coliseum standing. Just a thought.

Nice to see resourcefulness and practicality. Gardening is all about making the best out of what you've got.

That dog hahaha so cute

I missed everything you said in this video Mark......because I was watching Bella.

Your simplicity is a work of art. Picasso would be proud. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

you are doing the God's work brother. so happy for your son. life in city has poisoned us. back to the roots!

Awww Bella was having so much fun! I love the idea of tomatoes grown like a "canopy", I am going to give it a try myself.

Another cracking video. Keep it up Mark. One vet to another, I look forward to them every time

I always feel so motivated and smarter after watching your videos. Great job shoring up those big tin beds, and having grown your channel so tremendously that your son is able to benefit from it as well as being a huge help to you, double win, there! Bella is a wonderful addition to the family, and her vertical jumps are quite admirable. ♥

Bella had a major case of zoomies there!😊

❤ this, it feels like it's been a while since we got to see you plant a bed out !

Do you wish you had that much energy as your lovely dog .

I wish our Winters or as cold as your Winters. I'd be growing so much stuff if I lived in the subtropics.

My goodness, first off I have to say I was shocked to hear that your youngest is off to college! I’ve been watching your channel for quite a while. You and Mrs have grown up your children just like your garden, beautifully! We are also DIY’ers and this spring we’ve had to repair some as well. I love your tunnel! I am very interested in soil health. One of my raised beds will not grow greens. Lettuce just sits and turns bitter. Arg! Thanks for another great video! Cheers❤

I love seeing your Bella just being such a zoomie baby!! How cool that we are both growing Utah Tall or Tall Utah celery!