I really can’t thank you enough for making these videos. I live in Florida and started gardening during Covid lockdown. I can grow year around here so I took advantage of that. After stumbling across your channel I realized I could create life out back instead of seeing so much of the opposite on the news. I built 7 4x8 raised beds and just went to town, practicing what you taught me. Now I’m fairly addicted to gardening and feed my family and neighbors. So thank you for teaching me how to grow life, and sustain existing life, feeding family and friends.
Watch Ben's tips for each ❤ Loose leaf salads - lettuce - cover to help germination - pot ❤ spinach -pot ❤ marigold (keep frost free) & alyssum - pot ❤ Jerusalem Artichokes - ground ❤ snap peas / mange tout - toilet rolls :) ❤ lemon grass - make lemon grass oil to attract a swarm of bees into an empty hive :) -pot
I live in zone 6. And I’ve sown my pea seeds outside on and off for several years. Usually in February I place my seeds along the fencing they will grow on and then cover up with bagged soil. We get rain and snow on top of them, but they come up when they are ready! And the peas always pop up before I expect them to!! Thank you for another great video, I always enjoy and learn something!
Oh I’d love to add my lemongrass recipe! It’s a South East Asian pepper sauce! Calls for 20-30 spicy Thai peppers or Birds Eye Chilli, 2 cloves of Garlic, 7 inch stalk of lemongrass (no leaves, but the more tender part of the stalk at 1/2 above roots) 1 lemon or lime juice, salt and fish sauce to taste, and as well as 1-2 cups of cilantro. Served with grilled protein or choice, and or paired great with soups and grilled/steamed veggies!
I don't think you big your garden planner up enough! I have been trying out many garden planners to get my veg plot planned out, i haven't really liked any of them all that much until I just found yours. Wow! It is absolutely perfect, it is so helpful in planning crop rotation and companion planting, you can do so much on it, it has a huge selection of plants and objects. I haven't utilised the team of experts yet but if the planner is anything to go by, I'm sure they will be massively helpful. I am only using my phone at present but as soon as I get my laptop working again, this will be the first thing I will be doing on it. Thanks!! Ps. This would be amazing as an app in the future.
@@johndowning2231so true, we never know anymore though. WI is experiencing way too warm of winters. Extremely warm December, one week only of subzero in Jan and now 10-15 degrees warmer than normal for at least the next two weeks-maybe 50*F next week 😮. Then February to April chance of snow and they say right now future snow would melt quickly. It’s getting tricky to garden here.
Hello Ben, thank you for your superb video, as always. I grow Lemon Grass also. Any leaf that is bent/creased, damaged in any way I dry and make a delicious tea all through the winter. Also, long leaves wrapped around pieces of chicken on the grill is really good too
Thank you for reminding me to grind my dried leaves! I like to freeze the thicker base stems for cooking. I have just sowed my lemon grass but i am also overwintering one of the plants. Also, doing an experiment, where i cut the bases just short of the crown outside to see if it comes back? You never know and finger crossed we get some more either way! Happy growing. drinking and cooking!
I make a nice herbal tea from lemongrass. Just cut the grass in small pieces and use like tea leaves. On hot summer days I form a ring from two or three leaves and add them to my drinking water in the morning. During the day there‘s always a refreshing drink.
Here in the UK i find it easiest to grow lemon grass from shop bought stalks they must have the 'plate' at the base which you can gently score to encourage root growth just place in a jar of water on a sunny window sill till well rooted then pot up i have even grown stalks from some i founfd lurking in the bottom of the freezer once defrosted of course to be honest i find this method so easy i treat it like an annual storing any extra at the end of summer for over the winter and a few to start again in spring.
You and Rosie are great garden "neighbors"! I'm in US zone 6 and my onions are up and on their way, and just planted kale, broad beans and sweet peas today. I love these videos, they give us someone to plant with : )
Zone 6 here in PA, garlic is growing, I planted onion seed out and am getting some salad greens started inside. I’ve got another month to wait or longer here.
Hi Ben, I have been looking for video's that teach what to look for when deciding which seedling is the strongest and which is the weakest. I've been watching your videos for a few years now and also other garden teachers saying to pot on the strongest out of the newly germinated seedlings, but no one has defined how they make that decision, Strong verses Weak. I find myself apprehensive when trying to choose on my own. New to gardening 3 Yr. would love to see you do a lesson on that.
Really it's just a question of choosing the biggest, healthiest-looking seedlings. Often most seedlings are absolutely fine to transplant, so it's really just a matter of transferring the number you need then, regrettably, getting rid of the rest!
@@GrowVeg Thank you for the quick response, Ben. Love watching your videos, you do a very thorough job that is obviously enjoyed by all the positive responses that I read through after watching your lessons! Thank You, bruster.👍🐓🐓🐓🐓side note I have to many of these girls for my small garden, but plenty of Fotter for the compost pile.
Flowers I'll be sowing this year: Vanilla Marigold, Cosmos, Nigella Persian Jewels, Echinacea and Sunflowers! Already have Primroses and Sweet William. Can't wait for Spring! 🎉
Ben what a brilliant cheerful video thank you so much it really cheered me up! I started some vegetable seeds yesterday and now I think I will start a few more today! It’s great to get back out in the garden and greenhouse even if as we say here it’s Baltic 🥶 ☘️ ☘️
The garden planner is one of THE BEST investments I make each year for my garden. So much information included and the spacing guides and timing table as you lay out your plan make it simple!
I am learning so much from you! I am ready to start my seeds indoors now. Even though I am a seasoned gardener, there is still so much more to learn about gardening. This year, I am paying more attention to what you do to plant your seeds. I planted way to many Roma tomato plants last year and had to find people to give them to. This year, I have realized, less is more. I am being more selective with what I plant and I am gleaning all the knowledge I can from your videos. I love the way you are simple and basic. That's what a lot of people need! just simple basic advice like you teach in your videos. Thank you and God bless you real good (as my Gramma used to say).
Thank you for your lovely comment, it's really appreciated. And yes, I agree, sometimes you just need to take a step back and go back to basics. I hope you have a very successful growing season!
We grow J artichokes in huge 4 plastic containers. Out of the way or where we can see/enjoy the tall late summer flowers. Usually embedded into 6 or so inches of woodchips should it be a hot droughty summer. Still have one left to harvest! 😋 Tip the container over onto a sheet, twist a fork into the root ball if bound, harvest, refill the container adding back the smoothest (easy to peel genetics) artichoke or three back into the container. Enjoy with family and close friends 😃 My yearnings for JAs is around the same time as the first pheasants.
We grew our own lemongrass last season from organic stalks we bought at an Asian market. They root remarkably quickly! We had such an amazing harvest & kept a few stalks over winter for this year. It’s a new must in our garden.
Lemon grass(Cymbopogon citratus) in Brazil is called capim-cidreira or capim-limão which is the translation from English. Its most common use is to make tee infusion. Very relaxing, digestive and tastes great!
I enjoy these videos and am planning our 2024 kitchen garden as I watch you and Rosie. Our big springer Barney can be a bit boisterous in the kitchen garden but he does have the rest of the garden and orchard to stretch his legs. I love how cuddly and affectionate he is just like your lovely wee Rosie. Thank you for these lovely videos. ❤❤
Howdy, Ben and adorable Rosie!👋 Ben, you definitely get us excited for the gardening year!👩🏾🌾 I don't think you mentioned lemongrass tea...that's one way I use it. I also love growing pots of the grass just for the beauty.🙂
Can't believe it's nearly Feb already! Our daffodils are already flowering before the snow drops and crocuses, here in London! We were given an Amaryllis - "Dancing Queen" for Christmas and it is absolutely gorgeous with it's white and reddish/pink "candy cane" streaks! We have it inside and was just on time as our normal red one's haven't flowered yet. So lovely to have flowers, whether inside or out this time of year! I have planted them outside after they have flowered and i cut the stem back and they can flower again in June/July. We sowed our sugar snap peas on the 17th and they are already sprouting. I used two mushroom containers a made holes in the top one. Went over board on the sowing with 45 as i will use some as a micro green and some i will pot up for outside. Marigolds are great for saving seeds. We got about an A5 envelopes worth last year. Yes they are a bit funny about germinating, so i like the idea of just sowing a bunch in a pot or mushroom tray, large milk bottle and picking them out as it saves space for other things that do need their own pot or you need to use the smaller cell trays for you other veg. Same goes for lemongrass with sowing. I plant ours in the front garden, along with ginger and horseradish. They get a lot of the morning sun there and seem to like it as the sun moves around during the year. You may hate me but i am also starting my tomatoes in the next few days! I am still overwintering a sucker from one last year and again the only one to survive is the heirloom one my step father in law gave us. He passed away in 2018 and did no dig from back in the day. The seeds we save are still true to form, even though this was something he worked on for years with hybrids to make this. I wonder if there is a place or something to get a DNA test? Isn't there some kind of seed vault? He always planted them out in April on the IOW and they are the most blight resistant out of the ones we have grown. I probably need to do some more research on them. Great content as always Ben!
It is still cold here in Alabama with about ten weeks remaining before the last frost. I have about tomato 100 seedlings started, about 50 pepper seeds with about 75 waiting to germinate. I also just sowed seeds for bunching onions, and Creole White Onions. As soon as I get more room, I'll do seed starts for Giant Red Mustard, Tokyo Bekana Mustard, Fordhook Swiss Chard, and assorted herbs, peppermint, Sweet Marjoram, Yarrow, Chicory, Catnip, Cilantro, Parsley, chives, basil, dill, and oregano. For pollinators, I will be sowing seeds for marigolds, Bachelor Buttons, cosmos, strawflower, and dwarf zinnias. In about three weeks, it will be seed sowing time for my raised beds, and I will be direct sowing seeds for carrots, shelling peas, snow peas, assorted leaf lettuces, Malaga Radish, German Giant Radish, and golden beetroot. I have a lot of turnips that I overwintered. I harvested from them last Monday, and will be harvesting again from them soon. I ordered seeds for Goji berries today, and will be adding them to my garden. Tomorrow is tree planting day for cherry trees, a Lapins, Stella, and Bing to go with my Au Rosa and Yellow Gold Plum. If I can find the room, I want to plant a Fuji and Honeycrisp apple tree too. That will complete my backyard orchard.
Seeing your little dog, Rosie, I am reminded of how much our fur-babies need us as much as we need them. She makes me miss my own baby, a grey & brown tabby female cat, who I lost a little over a month ago, aged 19 1/2 years. It is almost like losing a child, after having, also, lost my beloved husband almost 5 years ago. These babies are our children when we haven’t been blessed with our own….
Lemongrass is good for anti-inflammatory properties, as well. My husband and I love your videos! We live in Northern California, and I have got several dozen seedlings under grow lights well on their way. :-)
If you have trouble with harlequin beetles like I do you’ll have to pull out or spray your alyssum whenever you do your brassicas because they will eat them too or instead of. I hate to give them extra food.
Zone 5b, I can start doing some stuff at St Patrick's day, but most everything else really should wait until mother's day, unless the forecast looks awesome. Lol I'm very envious of these English winters... ♥️
Understand your feelings but this year I discovered all the small variations of greens you can start indoors with growing lights, it’s a great comfort to cut herbs micro tomatoes and lettuce, while waiting f better weather 😊
I was doing so awesome with my winter garden until this last cold snap. The first winter I decided to grow all winter and then we got hit with the coldest weather this region has ever seen. ;D I lost all my brassicas and beans and lettuces. :P My basil made it in the grow shed though so I'm still happy but nervous about planting out like that in winter again. Everything had been doing so awesome... -5deg fine... -9deg obliterated.
Same here. The greenhouse collapsed and broke while being cleaned during a snowstorm, and the brassicas are trapped inside. I was able to peek in and see the lettuce was still hanging on.
I was so bummed. The tops of the plants kinda made it but the soil got too cold and that's where all the damage was. I'm trying to get myself on a schedule where I am planting seeds every 2 weeks so that the losses aren't a big deal. I always have way more seeds than I know what to do with at least. ;P @@hoosierpioneer
Those sprayers also exist in carryable 5L forms. If you are a hardcore grower, you can have such stationary for a germination corner and smaller pumpable ones for smaller uses. The big one hardly gets empty.
Hi Ben, I’ve got my veg bed ready, it’s a potager with 12 sections and I’ve got my nasturtiums, marigolds and alyssum seeds too 😃 It has a cover similar to a poly tunnel and I can’t wait to get started but am being patient 🗓️🌱 as I want to get the best success 🥕I will be following all the advice on sowing dates and Charles Dowding has a great video on best dates to sow in the UK as well 🌱 x
I'm spludging about in my new muddy overgrown kitchen garden, cleaning out the dilapidated greenhouse, and listening to your videos for cheerful company. I'd forgotten how much I used to like Thai flavoured soup in a cup, but I'd love to make my own. I've got my lemon grass seeds, and looking at a packet of banana shallots, here goes. Thank you!
you got me into gardening and my first year was hit and miss, but great fun! The recent storms decimated everything I have, my greenhouse was destroyed completely, so this year, completely fresh start :( But I'm eager to get going with these tips
Always happy to see your videos Ben..your enthusiasm is infectious. Up to the 10th is a barren phase so not ideal for seed planting. Indeed on the 10th there is also a lunar Perigee cycle which I would also avoid 12 hours either side of as moisture levels peak and fungal risk is higher. Better to start planting above ground crops from the 11th and watch the lunar cycles to help stress free growth 😊
Thanks for this. Once the month is February is done we will be switching the title to 'late winter'. We do this with all our monthly videos - change them to season after their initial run - so that our friends in the Southern Hemisphere will find the videos useful when the time comes round. :-)
I find alyssum self sows around the veg garden, along with the calendulas and cosmos. Every now and then the birds bring me a present: aquilegia, creeping wood violets and borage.
Yes, lemongrass does make a great houseplant. I keep 1 in the kitchen by a large window for ease in making curries, and another in the living room just cos l really like it as an ornamental plant!
Marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, and some others are okay to plant in late summer or fall. They will grow in spring when it warms up. I also plant echinacea the same and mix them all up. Marigolds that I planted in the spring are just now coming up and have yet to bloom (end of August 2024). Marigolds planted last fall are huge and blooming nicely finally.
You should partner with Gaz Oakley. He will help you eat more veggies and you can help him level up his garden even more. Your videos are incredible! Watching from France and learning what to grow in my tiny little potager. I will share this with friends and family across the pond. Also, love to see you patting and enjoying your dog. Your enthusiasm makes me want to plant Marigolds today. Merci beaucoup !
Merci bien for your kind words! Gaz is a real inspiration. You can watch my tour of his garden here: ruclips.net/video/fbASDzpxSZQ/видео.htmlsi=hXJzX4WWMZvCPP3l
PS-- 2nd year on the garden planner software, and LOVING it. The reminder circles to avoid cropping the same family year over year are super valuable and help me rotate crops around my six raised beds.
I’ve been binge watching your videos today, and they are just absolutely perfect! I also live in Zone 8 in the US, so this video applies to my area-Thank you!
Your videos really make me smile. I’ve also watched this about 6 times to get all the gold nuggets. I’m so excited to get started. I can really feel spring coming!
Our marigolds grows abundantly amongst our veg raised beds- this year instead of just composting the trimmings, I told myself I’ll dehydrate a bunch to help with pest pressure in the winter time.
Lemongrass makes a lovely addition to many kinds of herbal teas-- a pinch of lemongrass in mint or hibiscus tea, for instance, adds some depth and a bright note to it. Three or four parts chamomile to one part lemongrass gives that soothing tea a lovely lift. Definitely dry some for use with tea. Cutting it into largish pieces will keep it from going through the infuser mesh / holes. Enjoy!
Just paused the video and added alyssum to my basket! Also taken a whistle stop to the gardeners world and learned to grow a bit before planting on if slugs are a problem.
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable stories about a garden full of abundance. It is knowledge that can be extended to rural vegetable gardens in my country. I noticed that your soil preparation that is full of nutrients for fruits and vegetables is very interesting.
I get so excited when February comes around and I can start ripping open those seed packets. My greenhouse is fairly close to my house and I can run an extension lead from the outside plug on the conservatory. So I make a hotbed for raising my seedlings. I made a box a few years ago to fit on my bench, I lined it with bubble wrap (but old compost bags will do) and the bottom with fish box lids, (polystyrene) which I got from my local fishmonger, to stop heat escaping out the bottom. I half fill it with spent, recycled potting compost (we have loads as my husband is a pot freak!) and water it. I then lay a warming cable on it (hence the electric) and them fill it up with more recycled potting mix, water again, let is settle and add more compost until it is full. It is about 4/5 inches deep. I then cover the top with old compost bags opened up, black side up and use this as my propagation area. These types of hot beds are often made using sand but I had such a lot of old compost I decided to try that and it works really well. I don't need to re-water the compost again as the top layer of old compost bags keeps the moisture in. I have raised hundreds of seedlings this way over the last 2/3 years. On cold nights I cover the seedlings with fleece to keep them warm. I generally don't need to switch it on until towards the end of Feb using the house to germinate very early plants, like Ben, indoors.
Sharing all my flowers seeds is a tradition with me. I have so many I spread them thru the year. Starting tomatoes this week. And now I want to start some lettuce as well. My green house is my spare room with a grow light lol ! Whatever we can do right ??? Thanks for all your knowledge shared. Have a blessed day all
Fantastic video Ben. Beware if you decide to plant jerusalem artichoke in a bed rotation system that it can be really hard to get rid of and keep on coming back and back. I planted some a few years ago and still get them coming up where I don't want them!
SE Wisconsin maybe similar to U.K. climate. You are in UK ? I have had lemongrass . Now second video of you with artichokes, will do .... And the marigold integration is astounding ! Thanks
I really enjoy watching your videos they really teach me a lot I am really getting the itch to get Into my own garden but unfortunately I still have a couple of months to go before I can do that I am going to start some seeds here before to long there Is a lot of flowers on my list to sow In doors along with some bunching onions and herbs well take care and happy gardening
You can sow them a bit earlier if you have the warmth of a greenhouse, for example. And these sowing can be made into containers. Sowing outside then begins from early spring, with perhaps a row cover/fleece over the first sowing for the first two weeks to help them along.
My favorite youtube channel for gardening by far. Always a delight to see the monthly picks, cant wait for march. I'm gonna try and find as much of these seeds as possible, to sow this year! Looking forward to a beautiful garden. Oh and yes Lemongrass, try boiling some in a black tea! Its super tasty!! Could you please do a video on weeds? When I plant some fruits, vegies or flowers, weeds pop up and sometimes its hard to tell them apart!! Thank you! God Bless :)
Thanks so much for your kind words and suggestion for using lemongrass. You might find this video on weeding useful: ruclips.net/video/tZ1nGKY5sLg/видео.htmlsi=xpWGRNjv4DB29eYQ
Hi! I love watching your videos, so thanks for sharing. I’m in the US and have heard we can use lemongrass as a perimeter around patios and such, to help deter mosquitoes. It also makes a very nice tea!
I really can’t thank you enough for making these videos. I live in Florida and started gardening during Covid lockdown. I can grow year around here so I took advantage of that. After stumbling across your channel I realized I could create life out back instead of seeing so much of the opposite on the news. I built 7 4x8 raised beds and just went to town, practicing what you taught me. Now I’m fairly addicted to gardening and feed my family and neighbors. So thank you for teaching me how to grow life, and sustain existing life, feeding family and friends.
This is a real joy to read. I'm so pleased you're hooked on gardening - it's a healthy habit to have and makes the world a slightly better place! :-)
You have such a cute dog!!!! So adorable!
Really enjoying these 'What to sow' vids, Ben, looking forward to a whole year of these, growing alongside with you 🪴👍🏻
men who love nature and gardening are something special.....their love for God's creation is so inspiring
I had a Mexican marigold last year that turned into an absolute bush! It was 5 feet across and about 2 feet tall covered in blooms 🌼🌺🌸
Wow!!! Sounds amazing 🌺
Watch Ben's tips for each
❤ Loose leaf salads - lettuce - cover to help germination - pot
❤ spinach -pot
❤ marigold (keep frost free) & alyssum - pot
❤ Jerusalem Artichokes - ground
❤ snap peas / mange tout - toilet rolls :)
❤ lemon grass - make lemon grass oil to attract a swarm of bees into an empty hive :) -pot
thank you Carolyn this is really helpful.
Oh wow I didn’t know they attracted bees to a new hive, that’s awesome!
I live in zone 6. And I’ve sown my pea seeds outside on and off for several years. Usually in February I place my seeds along the fencing they will grow on and then cover up with bagged soil. We get rain and snow on top of them, but they come up when they are ready! And the peas always pop up before I expect them to!! Thank you for another great video, I always enjoy and learn something!
I am also in Zone 6!! Thanks for the post...I will be doing the same thing with my peas and see how it goes!
Oh I’d love to add my lemongrass recipe! It’s a South East Asian pepper sauce! Calls for 20-30 spicy Thai peppers or Birds Eye Chilli, 2 cloves of Garlic, 7 inch stalk of lemongrass (no leaves, but the more tender part of the stalk at 1/2 above roots) 1 lemon or lime juice, salt and fish sauce to taste, and as well as 1-2 cups of cilantro. Served with grilled protein or choice, and or paired great with soups and grilled/steamed veggies!
Sounds totally yummy!
Gosh Ben must be in zone 8…. I’ll come back and watch this again in April 😂
😂right. It appears those near large bodies of water have more even temps.
@@dustyflats3832 As someone living near a large body of water, I can confirm you are right
Your enthousiasm is contagious, I'd like to jump into the garden now.
I don't think you big your garden planner up enough! I have been trying out many garden planners to get my veg plot planned out, i haven't really liked any of them all that much until I just found yours. Wow! It is absolutely perfect, it is so helpful in planning crop rotation and companion planting, you can do so much on it, it has a huge selection of plants and objects. I haven't utilised the team of experts yet but if the planner is anything to go by, I'm sure they will be massively helpful. I am only using my phone at present but as soon as I get my laptop working again, this will be the first thing I will be doing on it. Thanks!!
Ps. This would be amazing as an app in the future.
Thanks so much for your kind words Mark, that's hugely appreciated. :-)
@@GrowVeg thankyou so much for your fantastic, informative videos and for your garden planner!
I’m going to look the garden planner up 💚 I don’t have lots of growing space but it still might be useful for me
@@charlotterydz6343 I'm sure it will be. It has been really useful for me.
It's sunny here in New England USA today too! I'm chomping at the bit for spring gardening!!! Love your channel. Thank you!
Yes, but we have 6-10 coming in tomorrow. Being originally from Wisconsin, I am waiting for 18” of “partly cloudy”! 😅
@@johndowning2231so true, we never know anymore though. WI is experiencing way too warm of winters. Extremely warm December, one week only of subzero in Jan and now 10-15 degrees warmer than normal for at least the next two weeks-maybe 50*F next week 😮. Then February to April chance of snow and they say right now future snow would melt quickly. It’s getting tricky to garden here.
You aren't in New England.
@@SK-lt1so 😂 what?
@@dustyflats3832Last Friday we had 70°, so you think 🤔 YOUR 50° is out of character?!! 🙄
Hello Ben, thank you for your superb video, as always. I grow Lemon Grass also. Any leaf that is bent/creased, damaged in any way I dry and make a delicious tea all through the winter. Also, long leaves wrapped around pieces of chicken on the grill is really good too
Thank you for reminding me to grind my dried leaves! I like to freeze the thicker base stems for cooking. I have just sowed my lemon grass but i am also overwintering one of the plants. Also, doing an experiment, where i cut the bases just short of the crown outside to see if it comes back? You never know and finger crossed we get some more either way! Happy growing. drinking and cooking!
Sounds yummy! :-)
I make a nice herbal tea from lemongrass. Just cut the grass in small pieces and use like tea leaves. On hot summer days I form a ring from two or three leaves and add them to my drinking water in the morning. During the day there‘s always a refreshing drink.
What a superb way to use lemongrass - I'll have to try this. :-)
Here in the UK i find it easiest to grow lemon grass from shop bought stalks they must have the 'plate' at the base which you can gently score to encourage root growth just place in a jar of water on a sunny window sill till well rooted then pot up i have even grown stalks from some i founfd lurking in the bottom of the freezer once defrosted of course to be honest i find this method so easy i treat it like an annual storing any extra at the end of summer for over the winter and a few to start again in spring.
I love using lemongrass instead of lemons themselves in a lemongrass cake, I also use almond flour for it and it's delish! love your tips as always
Nice. I need to try that. Thanks. 🙏🏽💛
Sounds yum!
Would love the recipe for that !
@@pingupenguin2474 find a lemon cake that uses almond flour and just add lemon grass I pulp it up in a little bullet blender :)
here in jamaica .we also use lemon grass for tea ,it is also known as fever grass because it is used to counteract fever amongst other things
Please give Rosie a pet on the head for me💕💕
Thanks for another great video. God bless you and yours ❣️
And you and yours. :-)
You and Rosie are great garden "neighbors"! I'm in US zone 6 and my onions are up and on their way, and just planted kale, broad beans and sweet peas today. I love these videos, they give us someone to plant with : )
Zone 6 here in PA, garlic is growing, I planted onion seed out and am getting some salad greens started inside. I’ve got another month to wait or longer here.
Hi Ben, I have been looking for video's that teach what to look for when deciding which seedling is the strongest and which is the weakest. I've been watching your videos for a few years now and also other garden teachers saying to pot on the strongest out of the newly germinated seedlings, but no one has defined how they make that decision, Strong verses Weak. I find myself apprehensive when trying to choose on my own. New to gardening 3 Yr. would love to see you do a lesson on that.
Really it's just a question of choosing the biggest, healthiest-looking seedlings. Often most seedlings are absolutely fine to transplant, so it's really just a matter of transferring the number you need then, regrettably, getting rid of the rest!
@@GrowVeg Thank you for the quick response, Ben. Love watching your videos, you do a very thorough job that is obviously enjoyed by all the positive responses that I read through after watching your lessons! Thank You, bruster.👍🐓🐓🐓🐓side note I have to many of these girls for my small garden, but plenty of Fotter for the compost pile.
Awww Rosie ❤ such a sweet pup 🥰
Thank you. :-)
Flowers I'll be sowing this year: Vanilla Marigold, Cosmos, Nigella Persian Jewels, Echinacea and Sunflowers! Already have Primroses and Sweet William. Can't wait for Spring! 🎉
Some great sowing there! :-)
Ben what a brilliant cheerful video thank you so much it really cheered me up! I started some vegetable seeds yesterday and now I think I will start a few more today! It’s great to get back out in the garden and greenhouse even if as we say here it’s Baltic 🥶 ☘️ ☘️
It is so good to be back out there isn't it Fiona. Happy gardening! :-)
This video has twisted my arm into sowing a few more bits early too!!!! 😃💚
The garden planner is one of THE BEST investments I make each year for my garden. So much information included and the spacing guides and timing table as you lay out your plan make it simple!
How do I get garden planter
Planner
Lemongrass is always available if you just freeze some stalks at the end of the growing season. Works great for cooking!!
I am learning so much from you! I am ready to start my seeds indoors now. Even though I am a seasoned gardener, there is still so much more to learn about gardening. This year, I am paying more attention to what you do to plant your seeds. I planted way to many Roma tomato plants last year and had to find people to give them to. This year, I have realized, less is more. I am being more selective with what I plant and I am gleaning all the knowledge I can from your videos. I love the way you are simple and basic. That's what a lot of people need! just simple basic advice like you teach in your videos. Thank you and God bless you real good (as my Gramma used to say).
Thank you for your lovely comment, it's really appreciated. And yes, I agree, sometimes you just need to take a step back and go back to basics. I hope you have a very successful growing season!
We grow J artichokes in huge 4 plastic containers. Out of the way or where we can see/enjoy the tall late summer flowers. Usually embedded into 6 or so inches of woodchips should it be a hot droughty summer.
Still have one left to harvest! 😋
Tip the container over onto a sheet, twist a fork into the root ball if bound, harvest, refill the container adding back the smoothest (easy to peel genetics) artichoke or three back into the container.
Enjoy with family and close friends 😃
My yearnings for JAs is around the same time as the first pheasants.
Sounds like a great technique. :-)
We grew our own lemongrass last season from organic stalks we bought at an Asian market. They root remarkably quickly! We had such an amazing harvest & kept a few stalks over winter for this year. It’s a new must in our garden.
Lemon grass(Cymbopogon citratus) in Brazil is called capim-cidreira or capim-limão which is the translation from English. Its most common use is to make tee infusion. Very relaxing, digestive and tastes great!
Lovely stuff! :-)
I enjoy these videos and am planning our 2024 kitchen garden as I watch you and Rosie. Our big springer Barney can be a bit boisterous in the kitchen garden but he does have the rest of the garden and orchard to stretch his legs. I love how cuddly and affectionate he is just like your lovely wee Rosie. Thank you for these lovely videos. ❤❤
Dogs are great garden companions aren't they! :-)
Love your videos plus the pup! Anxious to get my hands dirty in my garden!
Fab Ben,sowing seeds and seeing them germinate and grow on to crop then eat is so wonderful to experience for us gardeners
Absolutely! :-)
Howdy, Ben and adorable Rosie!👋
Ben, you definitely get us excited for the gardening year!👩🏾🌾
I don't think you mentioned lemongrass tea...that's one way I use it.
I also love growing pots of the grass just for the beauty.🙂
Thanks for the kind words. I'm definitely going to be trying lemongrass tea this summer. :-)
Can't believe it's nearly Feb already! Our daffodils are already flowering before the snow drops and crocuses, here in London!
We were given an Amaryllis - "Dancing Queen" for Christmas and it is absolutely gorgeous with it's white and reddish/pink "candy cane" streaks! We have it inside and was just on time as our normal red one's haven't flowered yet. So lovely to have flowers, whether inside or out this time of year! I have planted them outside after they have flowered and i cut the stem back and they can flower again in June/July.
We sowed our sugar snap peas on the 17th and they are already sprouting. I used two mushroom containers a made holes in the top one. Went over board on the sowing with 45 as i will use some as a micro green and some i will pot up for outside.
Marigolds are great for saving seeds. We got about an A5 envelopes worth last year. Yes they are a bit funny about germinating, so i like the idea of just sowing a bunch in a pot or mushroom tray, large milk bottle and picking them out as it saves space for other things that do need their own pot or you need to use the smaller cell trays for you other veg.
Same goes for lemongrass with sowing. I plant ours in the front garden, along with ginger and horseradish. They get a lot of the morning sun there and seem to like it as the sun moves around during the year.
You may hate me but i am also starting my tomatoes in the next few days! I am still overwintering a sucker from one last year and again the only one to survive is the heirloom one my step father in law gave us. He passed away in 2018 and did no dig from back in the day. The seeds we save are still true to form, even though this was something he worked on for years with hybrids to make this. I wonder if there is a place or something to get a DNA test? Isn't there some kind of seed vault? He always planted them out in April on the IOW and they are the most blight resistant out of the ones we have grown. I probably need to do some more research on them.
Great content as always Ben!
Same here in Bristol... Daffodils are already in flower, while my snowdrops and crocuses only started growing a week or two ago.
That sounds like an amazing tomato!
It is still cold here in Alabama with about ten weeks remaining before the last frost. I have about tomato 100 seedlings started, about 50 pepper seeds with about 75 waiting to germinate. I also just sowed seeds for bunching onions, and Creole White Onions. As soon as I get more room, I'll do seed starts for Giant Red Mustard, Tokyo Bekana Mustard, Fordhook Swiss Chard, and assorted herbs, peppermint, Sweet Marjoram, Yarrow, Chicory, Catnip, Cilantro, Parsley, chives, basil, dill, and oregano. For pollinators, I will be sowing seeds for marigolds, Bachelor Buttons, cosmos, strawflower, and dwarf zinnias. In about three weeks, it will be seed sowing time for my raised beds, and I will be direct sowing seeds for carrots, shelling peas, snow peas, assorted leaf lettuces, Malaga Radish, German Giant Radish, and golden beetroot. I have a lot of turnips that I overwintered. I harvested from them last Monday, and will be harvesting again from them soon. I ordered seeds for Goji berries today, and will be adding them to my garden. Tomorrow is tree planting day for cherry trees, a Lapins, Stella, and Bing to go with my Au Rosa and Yellow Gold Plum. If I can find the room, I want to plant a Fuji and Honeycrisp apple tree too. That will complete my backyard orchard.
So much going on already - fantastic! :-)
Seeing your little dog, Rosie, I am reminded of how much our fur-babies need us as much as we need them. She makes me miss my own baby, a grey & brown tabby female cat, who I lost a little over a month ago, aged 19 1/2 years. It is almost like losing a child, after having, also, lost my beloved husband almost 5 years ago. These babies are our children when we haven’t been blessed with our own….
I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. As you say, it's like losing a very precious child. They really do bless us with their companionship.
Lemongrass is good for anti-inflammatory properties, as well. My husband and I love your videos! We live in Northern California, and I have got several dozen seedlings under grow lights well on their way. :-)
That's really fab to here. Got to love the lemongrass!
If you have trouble with harlequin beetles like I do you’ll have to pull out or spray your alyssum whenever you do your brassicas because they will eat them too or instead of. I hate to give them extra food.
Love to see your garden. Regard from Indonesia. We use lemongrass for cooking vegetables, making sambal, boil it with tea, or cook it with rice.
Thanks so much for watching. Lemongrass has so many fantastic uses. :-)
Thank you for mentioning metrics along side inches measuring!!
If you’re in the USA the 1/2 gallon pump sprayers should be under $10 at Walmart or dollar general. I love mine.
Thanks!
Unfortunately, I still need to wait 3 months until the snow on my yard starts melting. Sometimes I resent living so far in the North...
Same here 🇨🇦
@@harley6222I hear you. 🇫🇮
True🇫🇮
Zone 5b, I can start doing some stuff at St Patrick's day, but most everything else really should wait until mother's day, unless the forecast looks awesome. Lol I'm very envious of these English winters... ♥️
Understand your feelings but this year I discovered all the small variations of greens you can start indoors with growing lights, it’s a great comfort to cut herbs micro tomatoes and lettuce, while waiting f better weather 😊
I was doing so awesome with my winter garden until this last cold snap. The first winter I decided to grow all winter and then we got hit with the coldest weather this region has ever seen. ;D I lost all my brassicas and beans and lettuces. :P My basil made it in the grow shed though so I'm still happy but nervous about planting out like that in winter again. Everything had been doing so awesome... -5deg fine... -9deg obliterated.
Same thing here, but I haven't opened the cold frame to fully inspect the damage. My strategy is to leave it alone and see what comes back in March🤔
Same here. The greenhouse collapsed and broke while being cleaned during a snowstorm, and the brassicas are trapped inside. I was able to peek in and see the lettuce was still hanging on.
I was so bummed. The tops of the plants kinda made it but the soil got too cold and that's where all the damage was. I'm trying to get myself on a schedule where I am planting seeds every 2 weeks so that the losses aren't a big deal. I always have way more seeds than I know what to do with at least. ;P @@hoosierpioneer
Those sprayers also exist in carryable 5L forms. If you are a hardcore grower, you can have such stationary for a germination corner and smaller pumpable ones for smaller uses. The big one hardly gets empty.
🐝 Thanks for the great video 🌻 You making me hungryyyyyy
It was the spinach that got my mouth watering 💚I can’t imagine just how good home grown fresh spinach would be…added to my seed list 📝
I love watching and learning. The information, videos, and links are "spot on" helping me with my backyard garden.
I am happy to come across your channel. I planted Alyssum last year and they were beautiful. I planted them in mid spring. I will try them in pot now.
Hi Ben, I’ve got my veg bed ready, it’s a potager with 12 sections and I’ve got my nasturtiums, marigolds and alyssum seeds too 😃 It has a cover similar to a poly tunnel and I can’t wait to get started but am being patient 🗓️🌱 as I want to get the best success 🥕I will be following all the advice on sowing dates and Charles Dowding has a great video on best dates to sow in the UK as well 🌱 x
Lots to look forward to. I'm sure you'll have a very successful season. :-)
Another one i like to grow all year is mizuna. It grows fast, and will be fine in a bright window or under grow lights through winter.
Great suggestion. :-)
Thank you for inspiring me in my gardening project.
Only now I'm harvesting my sunchokes and it was such a treat 🌱🌝
I'm spludging about in my new muddy overgrown kitchen garden, cleaning out the dilapidated greenhouse, and listening to your videos for cheerful company. I'd forgotten how much I used to like Thai flavoured soup in a cup, but I'd love to make my own. I've got my lemon grass seeds, and looking at a packet of banana shallots, here goes. Thank you!
Best of luck with it - happy gardening! :-)
you got me into gardening and my first year was hit and miss, but great fun! The recent storms decimated everything I have, my greenhouse was destroyed completely, so this year, completely fresh start :( But I'm eager to get going with these tips
I hope you get the year off to a great start despite the setbacks. Keep growing! :-)
Sorry Ben, just seen you January video on heat mats and growing aubergines which is what I wanted it for. Thanks. Nuka.
My cat loves eating lemongrass 😊
Got me excited for feb now can’t wait to start planting
Always happy to see your videos Ben..your enthusiasm is infectious. Up to the 10th is a barren phase so not ideal for seed planting. Indeed on the 10th there is also a lunar Perigee cycle which I would also avoid 12 hours either side of as moisture levels peak and fungal risk is higher. Better to start planting above ground crops from the 11th and watch the lunar cycles to help stress free growth 😊
Great advice, thank you. :-)
Thank you for all these videos I appreciate it so much
You're most welcome - cheers for watching!
As always, a wealth of helpful tips and info for keen amateur allotment gardeners such as myself!! Thank you!
Great inspiration! Planted out sugar snaps yesterday here in southern USA, newly zone 8A from 7b.
Great job! :-)
Great video Ben, always love your enthusiasm and dedication to the cause....please keep up the excellent work!
Wow beautiful winter plants
Maybe a good idea to mention season as well as month so we in the southern hemisphere can work it out. Our summer is December- February.
Thanks for this. Once the month is February is done we will be switching the title to 'late winter'. We do this with all our monthly videos - change them to season after their initial run - so that our friends in the Southern Hemisphere will find the videos useful when the time comes round. :-)
I love lemongrass! The leaves make a wonderful, soothing tea, especially at bedtime. Puts me right to sleep!
Lemongrass is one of my faves. I love making tea with it. Lemongrass and lime leaf makes a great tea. Also lemongrass with mint and lavender thyme.
Some great combinations! :-)
I find alyssum self sows around the veg garden, along with the calendulas and cosmos. Every now and then the birds bring me a present: aquilegia, creeping wood violets and borage.
Yes, lemongrass does make a great houseplant. I keep 1 in the kitchen by a large window for ease in making curries, and another in the living room just cos l really like it as an ornamental plant!
OK, Ben. I am going to try the marigolds, again. This time, I'm going to use my heat mat! Thanks.
Hope it works this time. :-)
What zone do you garden in? Love your videos by the way, very informative.
I'm in zone 8. :-)
Marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, and some others are okay to plant in late summer or fall. They will grow in spring when it warms up. I also plant echinacea the same and mix them all up.
Marigolds that I planted in the spring are just now coming up and have yet to bloom (end of August 2024). Marigolds planted last fall are huge and blooming nicely finally.
❤ to Rosie!
You should partner with Gaz Oakley. He will help you eat more veggies and you can help him level up his garden even more. Your videos are incredible! Watching from France and learning what to grow in my tiny little potager. I will share this with friends and family across the pond. Also, love to see you patting and enjoying your dog. Your enthusiasm makes me want to plant Marigolds today. Merci beaucoup !
Merci bien for your kind words! Gaz is a real inspiration. You can watch my tour of his garden here: ruclips.net/video/fbASDzpxSZQ/видео.htmlsi=hXJzX4WWMZvCPP3l
PS-- 2nd year on the garden planner software, and LOVING it. The reminder circles to avoid cropping the same family year over year are super valuable and help me rotate crops around my six raised beds.
That's really lovely to hear, thank you for sharing this. :-)
I just started prepping my beds to move my plants outside! I am so ready for spring!
I’ve been binge watching your videos today, and they are just absolutely perfect! I also live in Zone 8 in the US, so this video applies to my area-Thank you!
So pleased you've found the channel. Thanks for watching! :-)
My mom would use Lemon grass, by binding them together & stuck it inside a chicken or fish while grilling them, goes really well with the meat.
Your videos really make me smile. I’ve also watched this about 6 times to get all the gold nuggets. I’m so excited to get started. I can really feel spring coming!
It's not far off now! :-)
Our marigolds grows abundantly amongst our veg raised beds- this year instead of just composting the trimmings, I told myself I’ll dehydrate a bunch to help with pest pressure in the winter time.
Smart move! :-)
Congratulations on your recent award
Alway enjoy watching your videos
Thanks so much Mike, really appreciate it. :-)
Lemongrass makes a lovely addition to many kinds of herbal teas-- a pinch of lemongrass in mint or hibiscus tea, for instance, adds some depth and a bright note to it. Three or four parts chamomile to one part lemongrass gives that soothing tea a lovely lift. Definitely dry some for use with tea. Cutting it into largish pieces will keep it from going through the infuser mesh / holes. Enjoy!
Great suggestion, thank you so much!
Great advice but Rossy is the star I love seeing her, my Lily helps me with the garden, she even turns compost for me, in typical terrier style! X
Just paused the video and added alyssum to my basket! Also taken a whistle stop to the gardeners world and learned to grow a bit before planting on if slugs are a problem.
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable stories about a garden full of abundance. It is knowledge that can be extended to rural vegetable gardens in my country. I noticed that your soil preparation that is full of nutrients for fruits and vegetables is very interesting.
Nice video! I want to get started in my garden🌼
I believe you can dry lemongrass to use for tea, it is so delicious!
Yes indeed, I'm going to be trying that this season.
Lemongrass tea is lovely 🥰. I never seem to get peas of any variety to grow, or carrots! D love to grow lots sugar snaps wah
I get so excited when February comes around and I can start ripping open those seed packets. My greenhouse is fairly close to my house and I can run an extension lead from the outside plug on the conservatory. So I make a hotbed for raising my seedlings. I made a box a few years ago to fit on my bench, I lined it with bubble wrap (but old compost bags will do) and the bottom with fish box lids, (polystyrene) which I got from my local fishmonger, to stop heat escaping out the bottom. I half fill it with spent, recycled potting compost (we have loads as my husband is a pot freak!) and water it. I then lay a warming cable on it (hence the electric) and them fill it up with more recycled potting mix, water again, let is settle and add more compost until it is full. It is about 4/5 inches deep. I then cover the top with old compost bags opened up, black side up and use this as my propagation area. These types of hot beds are often made using sand but I had such a lot of old compost I decided to try that and it works really well. I don't need to re-water the compost again as the top layer of old compost bags keeps the moisture in. I have raised hundreds of seedlings this way over the last 2/3 years. On cold nights I cover the seedlings with fleece to keep them warm. I generally don't need to switch it on until towards the end of Feb using the house to germinate very early plants, like Ben, indoors.
Sounds like you've got a really ace system there Sharon. :-)
Sharing all my flowers seeds is a tradition with me. I have so many I spread them thru the year. Starting tomatoes this week. And now I want to start some lettuce as well. My green house is my spare room with a grow light lol ! Whatever we can do right ???
Thanks for all your knowledge shared. Have a blessed day all
How kind of you to share your flower seeds Tonie. :-)
Fantastic video Ben. Beware if you decide to plant jerusalem artichoke in a bed rotation system that it can be really hard to get rid of and keep on coming back and back. I planted some a few years ago and still get them coming up where I don't want them!
Thanks for the heads up! :-)
Thank you for the lemon grass reminder. Love southeast asian food.
SE Wisconsin maybe similar to U.K. climate. You are in UK ? I have had lemongrass . Now second video of you with artichokes, will do .... And the marigold integration is astounding ! Thanks
Thanks for watching Robert. Yes, I'm based in the UK. I imagine your winters might be a bit fresher than ours.
I really enjoy watching your videos they really teach me a lot I am really getting the itch to get Into my own garden but unfortunately I still have a couple of months to go before I can do that I am going to start some seeds here before to long there Is a lot of flowers on my list to sow In doors along with some bunching onions and herbs well take care and happy gardening
Lots to look forward to Jackie. :-)
I use lemongrass to make homemade hand sanitizer, it smells so amazing!!
What a fab use for it!
Thanks for this helpful video 😊
Hi, I thought you have to wait for carrots and plant them outside. Thank you for your lovely videos. Too much to learn
You can sow them a bit earlier if you have the warmth of a greenhouse, for example. And these sowing can be made into containers. Sowing outside then begins from early spring, with perhaps a row cover/fleece over the first sowing for the first two weeks to help them along.
clone dome works well for germinating as well, rather than covering with a plastic bag
My favorite youtube channel for gardening by far. Always a delight to see the monthly picks, cant wait for march.
I'm gonna try and find as much of these seeds as possible, to sow this year! Looking forward to a beautiful garden.
Oh and yes Lemongrass, try boiling some in a black tea! Its super tasty!!
Could you please do a video on weeds? When I plant some fruits, vegies or flowers, weeds pop up and sometimes its hard to tell them apart!!
Thank you! God Bless :)
Thanks so much for your kind words and suggestion for using lemongrass. You might find this video on weeding useful: ruclips.net/video/tZ1nGKY5sLg/видео.htmlsi=xpWGRNjv4DB29eYQ
@@GrowVeg Cheers :) I'll take a look, thank you!
Thank you! I’ll get them growing asap!
Hi! I love watching your videos, so thanks for sharing. I’m in the US and have heard we can use lemongrass as a perimeter around patios and such, to help deter mosquitoes. It also makes a very nice tea!
Great extra uses there, thanks for sharing them. :-)
i sown some lettuce seeds this march . they were from 2020. plenty germination.
Enthusiasm is wonderful 😊