Another rainy day in west central Minnesota so I'm binge watching my most recently discovered channel again. Really enjoyed this video! Shortly after buying this place almost 20 years ago I planted an apple tree, and when it went into noticeable decline I planted two others, which I'll keep smaller so that together they produce about what the single tree did in it's prime (500 lb). I retired last year and have started gardening this year, but just one small strawberry bed & one small veg garden. I have one tart cherry, one gooseberry, one current, two grapes, six raspberry bushes - all in pots until I'm able to prep areas to put them in the ground, along with two elderberry that are planted. It was good to see what to take into consideration when SERIOUSLY growing to provide your own food. I just wish the town's government would allow backyard laying flocks & rabbits, but they don't allow either. I have about 2500 sq ft total growing area in my fenced back yard so I'm trying to do what I'm able during our 5-6 month growing season, and watching RUclips channels to learn what I can the rest of the year. Would love to hear an update - 16 months later - on how well your efforts worked and how all of you are doing. Thanks for sharing so much great information.
I am so glad I have had access to my allotment during the lockdown, both for my mind and providing some extra food to eat all year. Its nice to know we'll have at least something during potential food shortages!
I only have a small garden but during lock down I grew tomatoes, beans, herbs, spring onions, lettuce and some spuds in an old carrier bag, I found growing my own food really rewarding and I'm going to double my efforts this year. Your garden looks amazing.
We have changed our targets this year as well, increased breeding of our rabbits, muscovy and mallard derivative ducks, chickens will follow once we have sufficient stocks. Vegetable wise it is all back to basics and we have been out checking for new foraging sites, going to be interesting this year in more ways than one for us. Hope all goes well for you.
Thanks Trev, right back at you! Foraging here is....odd. Very limited vegetable material (some samphire, horseradish etc.) but limitless protein (shellfish, wildfowl, pigeon, rabbit etc.)
Lovely vid, thanks for sharing. We're an older couple on an acre in Ireland. We've been here a year now (blow ins from north Scotland) and the field had only ever been pasture and unused at all for the past two decades. Since we're on a disability budget we're doing everything by hand (totally agree re the long handled spade btw!) and it's slow going but we're getting there. So I love watching vids like yours because it gives us inspiration and ideas to aim for. To date we now have eight raised beds and a tiny polytunnel, plus a growing flock of various breeds of hens. I keep them separate to keep the breeds "pure". We have Brahmas for meat hens and Swedish Flower Hens for eggs (we already are overrun with eggs so we too share them with neighbours) plus a small flock of White Laced Wyandottes. Due to the lockdown (Ireland's been on continuous lockdown since last March and we're on the highest level now til this March, possibly May) I couldn't buy hens so what I did was buy a small incubator and hatching eggs and raised my own. I also used the incubator to hatch December chicks from the Swedes because of course none of them went broody. It's working out really well though, and now they're all indoors due to the weather. I've tried no dig beds but that takes a huge amount of compost (we haven't been here long enough yet to make a decent amount) and my digging days are long behind me, plus the soil is very heavy clay, so raised beds it is. Your place looks beautiful, can I ask please how large it is?
Hi! It sounds like you are foing great! Our place isn't large just the cottage, outbuildings (we are fortunate to have several brick ones) & field. Everything we are doing woukd fit in your acre.
@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks for responding. That's great to hear, I loved watching all the things you are both doing and wondering "Do I have enough space to do similiar". I'm amazed at how much you manage to fit into your land and really impressed. I'll definitely keep watching and looking forward to your videos. :)
@@prepperinireland2240 Always great to chat with fellow Smallholders 🙂. We do have a video on how much can be done in various spaces if its of interest? ruclips.net/video/xmbeNFhpXwg/видео.html
We selectively breed our own birds & we do breed for size amongst other characteristics. Fiona is filming a piece on our breeding programme right now 🙂
Thanks so much Cheryl! Cinnamon started hatching her clutch today but we've no idea how many gave hatched yet! Hopefully she might bring them out tomorrow to meet the world 😉
Glad you two are safe and that you have taken mum under your wing. Can keep a firm eye on her that way. Lovely post as usual and I like the idea of sowing potatoes in plastic bags. I was already considering using some old wine making buckets to grow some in - I have several as I don't have a lot of space in the garden. Might well do this in any event and then grow brassicas, peas, beans, tomatoes etc. better something than nothing. Salad stuff defo though cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets and some strawberries also. It is my birthday shortly and am going to ask OH for a couple of small growing houses especially for the tomatoes. Will see how things go. Love the Buff Orpingtons. They are a breed i would go for if I ever get access to more land. We rent at the moment and I desperately want my bees and chickens, but just not possible with current llandlor. Just take care though all three of you. Tricia xx
You too Tricia! Love the Orpingtons if breeding is what you want. You can't beat them as a utility strain. They are fairly rubbish egg layers though, ten weeks off to brood, six weeks to moult (although they do lay all Winter after that). I suggest getting a few Legbars to keep egg production up. Look after yourselves!
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes, thank you, we are all well. We are looking to escape the rat race and get out into the country, and grow some of our own food, and hopefully this year we'll find somewhere. In the meantime, over the last few months I have made some raised beds for our garden, for several reasons (to practice gardening, to get used to working in the cold/rain, to get over my fears of insects and worms 🤦🏾♂️, to experiment on different techniques and plants, and obviously to hopefully grow some things that we can eat). I've seen some of your videos about what to consider when looking for a homestead, and they were brilliant, thank you. Take care
Great Video! We were planning to put more flowers in this year- but those planting plans have gone out of the window for edible instead! I have splashed out on buying in some bulk compost- as our mega sandy soil seems to eat organic matter, and we are tight on space for additional compost bins Already got first pickings of salad, and looking to get as much as I can out of limited space!
We've been spending time thinking hard too. I decided to look at what we buy a lot of and then try to grow that. This year's effort is going to be tomatoes... Tomato puree. Canned tomatoes. Etc. We've planted a huge amount of potato onions. They are truly fabulous to grow. If you get a chance to try them do give it a go. Or I can send you some from our harvest at the end of the year.
English Country Life -agreed, hugely frustrated, glad to be where we are but devastated we can’t go home, itching to finish the house and to sell so we can run away from the mainland and start on the Croft - but everything’s stalled and the markets goosed,for now I am working from home and not enjoying it. It’s a weird limbo for everyone just now- always here if you need a rant 😘
@@EnglishCountryLife doing ok. Had a scare last week when hubber got very chesty. Was tested but negative. Really bad hayfever/asthma....🙄 Had an outrageous tummy bug, despite handwashing, social distancing etc. which was a bit scary in that if it's that easy...yikes! Other than that all good. Girls looking forward to getting back to school, but scares the living daylights out of me. Masks and sanitizer before keys and schoolbags.
@@EnglishCountryLife girls go back next Monday. Masks, or at least nose & mouth coverings compulsory on busses to & from school. Not sure how it'll be actually in school. Not terribly happy about it, tbh, but life has to go on. 🤞the infection rate, which has gone right down around here, stays down.
Hi! It's made a huge difference to be honest. We feel so fortunate to have outside space, healthy fresh food & interesting things to keep us busy. We feel so sorry for people crammed in a tiny flat with no garden.
Great video and your commentary had me thinking. Here in Eastern Ontario, Canada we still had snowfall yesterday but we have a lot of seedlings almost ready to move under cover for an early start to our large kitchen garden. Good thing we put in a large seed order in January as most seed merchants are now out of stock for those late to the thought of gardening. My only suggestion for this video is to ask those birds in the background to tone it down? 🙄Silliness aside, I am a bit envious of your more moderate climate in the spring. Love to listen to your channel which I discovered several months ago. Except for the more extremes in climate, we seem to have lots of parallels in terms of approach and size of garden. Stay safe!
Actually the birds can be a real problem if using a shotgun mic' ! Whilst I enjoy our mild climate at times, I wish we had proper snow more often! Hugh
Great video and such good timing - I've made copious notes and will see if I can get some Dutch brown beans to try. Your standardised cages are a good idea - would love an update when you move them and could this be a regular video of how things progress if you've got time between all the extra gardening, please?
Major changes, challenges for all, even for stalwarts such as you two (and mum!). Great that you've knuckled down and focussed on what you CAN control (you know I'm a fan of the Zone of Control) and via this video, you're also stepping into a grand zone of influence to help others to think on how they can make changes and be okay. Give us a shout out if you need anything!
Hi Jon, not too bad thanks. I'll feel better when I've got all the veg well established and the chickens have hatched ( first clutch hatching right now). How are you?
Another wonderful video, thank you. I’m going to steal your potato growing bag idea. We started on bees last year and have just started with chickens. We are plagued with an amazing amount of slugs which constantly decimate both our plant and flowers but also the vegetables I tried to grow last season too, any advice? Stay safe 😊
Slugs can be an issue. We prefer to avoid slug pellets as they tend to also kill those creatures that prey on slugs! We are fortunate to have both song thrushes and mistle thrushes who love eating snails & slugs. Have you thought about a few ducks? they live eating slugs!
Both chickens and ducks will eat slugs like they're going out of fashion, but ducks are better on actively growing areas and chickens are good for reducing pest pressure once you've harvested an area (otherwise they'll destroy your veg)
Hi Tony, entirely with fruit, most vegetables and at least half our meat. We don't produce bulk carbohydrates ( potatoes, rice), we don't raise pork and some spices we buy
I would love to know how you choose your seed varieties to begin with. How do you know which seeds will give the best taste and yield for your Smallholding? Are there seeds best suited to a small town garden which will grow on heavy clay soil? I want to grow using pots, and hanging baskets which I already have, so thank you for the idea of using old plastic bags. I am a new subscriber, so please excuse my questions if you have covered these topics before. Thank you.
I've not found a shortcut beyond trial and error sadly. A lot depends upon whether you plan to produce your own seed. If you do, its best to avoid F1 (first generation) hybrids as their seed probably will not breed true. I tend to use varieties that we have settled on over the years, but as a general rule I find realseeds.co.uk/ a good place to start for heritage and open pollinated seeds
@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you very much for the link, I haven't got enough space for self sufficiency, but who knows until I give it a try! I just want to get some fresh organic vegetables and fruit for myself to eat better. Love your videos Thank you x
Another rainy day in west central Minnesota so I'm binge watching my most recently discovered channel again. Really enjoyed this video! Shortly after buying this place almost 20 years ago I planted an apple tree, and when it went into noticeable decline I planted two others, which I'll keep smaller so that together they produce about what the single tree did in it's prime (500 lb). I retired last year and have started gardening this year, but just one small strawberry bed & one small veg garden. I have one tart cherry, one gooseberry, one current, two grapes, six raspberry bushes - all in pots until I'm able to prep areas to put them in the ground, along with two elderberry that are planted. It was good to see what to take into consideration when SERIOUSLY growing to provide your own food. I just wish the town's government would allow backyard laying flocks & rabbits, but they don't allow either. I have about 2500 sq ft total growing area in my fenced back yard so I'm trying to do what I'm able during our 5-6 month growing season, and watching RUclips channels to learn what I can the rest of the year. Would love to hear an update - 16 months later - on how well your efforts worked and how all of you are doing. Thanks for sharing so much great information.
Hi Karen, thanks for the lovely comments! We should definitely do an update as we are always tweaking & refining our plans 🙂
I am so glad I have had access to my allotment during the lockdown, both for my mind and providing some extra food to eat all year. Its nice to know we'll have at least something during potential food shortages!
Absolutely James. With wood fuelled heating & cooking & food from the garden it does provide a nice feeling of security
I only have a small garden but during lock down I grew tomatoes, beans, herbs, spring onions, lettuce and some spuds in an old carrier bag, I found growing my own food really rewarding and I'm going to double my efforts this year. Your garden looks amazing.
Thank you so much! So glad to hear you enjoyed growing your own!
your red bricked house looks stunning!
Thank you!
Great video 👍🏼 loved watching it thank you.
Stay safe and well 💖
Thank you Amanda! You too!
Another brilliant video guys, and it's lovely to see more areas of the ranch! Your compost area is awe-inspiring!!!
Thanks Jane. I prefer it to big pallet based systems as each "dalek" is a manageable size for me. Hugh
We have changed our targets this year as well, increased breeding of our rabbits, muscovy and mallard derivative ducks, chickens will follow once we have sufficient stocks. Vegetable wise it is all back to basics and we have been out checking for new foraging sites, going to be interesting this year in more ways than one for us. Hope all goes well for you.
Thanks Trev, right back at you! Foraging here is....odd. Very limited vegetable material (some samphire, horseradish etc.) but limitless protein (shellfish, wildfowl, pigeon, rabbit etc.)
Nice walk through your smallholding Hugh :)
Thank you!
Lovely vid, thanks for sharing. We're an older couple on an acre in Ireland. We've been here a year now (blow ins from north Scotland) and the field had only ever been pasture and unused at all for the past two decades. Since we're on a disability budget we're doing everything by hand (totally agree re the long handled spade btw!) and it's slow going but we're getting there. So I love watching vids like yours because it gives us inspiration and ideas to aim for. To date we now have eight raised beds and a tiny polytunnel, plus a growing flock of various breeds of hens. I keep them separate to keep the breeds "pure". We have Brahmas for meat hens and Swedish Flower Hens for eggs (we already are overrun with eggs so we too share them with neighbours) plus a small flock of White Laced Wyandottes. Due to the lockdown (Ireland's been on continuous lockdown since last March and we're on the highest level now til this March, possibly May) I couldn't buy hens so what I did was buy a small incubator and hatching eggs and raised my own. I also used the incubator to hatch December chicks from the Swedes because of course none of them went broody. It's working out really well though, and now they're all indoors due to the weather. I've tried no dig beds but that takes a huge amount of compost (we haven't been here long enough yet to make a decent amount) and my digging days are long behind me, plus the soil is very heavy clay, so raised beds it is.
Your place looks beautiful, can I ask please how large it is?
Hi! It sounds like you are foing great!
Our place isn't large just the cottage, outbuildings (we are fortunate to have several brick ones) & field. Everything we are doing woukd fit in your acre.
@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks for responding. That's great to hear, I loved watching all the things you are both doing and wondering "Do I have enough space to do similiar". I'm amazed at how much you manage to fit into your land and really impressed. I'll definitely keep watching and looking forward to your videos. :)
@@prepperinireland2240 Always great to chat with fellow Smallholders 🙂. We do have a video on how much can be done in various spaces if its of interest?
ruclips.net/video/xmbeNFhpXwg/видео.html
@@EnglishCountryLife Oh that's great, very kind of you. I'll definitely check it out. Many thanks! x
How are your buff orpingtons so large?
We selectively breed our own birds & we do breed for size amongst other characteristics. Fiona is filming a piece on our breeding programme right now 🙂
I enjoyed this so much..i hope this growing and hatching season is wonderful for you! Beautiful orpingtons and property.
Thanks so much Cheryl! Cinnamon started hatching her clutch today but we've no idea how many gave hatched yet! Hopefully she might bring them out tomorrow to meet the world 😉
Glad you two are safe and that you have taken mum under your wing. Can keep a firm eye on her that way. Lovely post as usual and I like the idea of sowing potatoes in plastic bags. I was already considering using some old wine making buckets to grow some in - I have several as I don't have a lot of space in the garden. Might well do this in any event and then grow brassicas, peas, beans, tomatoes etc. better something than nothing. Salad stuff defo though cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets and some strawberries also. It is my birthday shortly and am going to ask OH for a couple of small growing houses especially for the tomatoes. Will see how things go. Love the Buff Orpingtons. They are a breed i would go for if I ever get access to more land. We rent at the moment and I desperately want my bees and chickens, but just not possible with current llandlor. Just take care though all three of you. Tricia xx
You too Tricia! Love the Orpingtons if breeding is what you want. You can't beat them as a utility strain. They are fairly rubbish egg layers though, ten weeks off to brood, six weeks to moult (although they do lay all Winter after that). I suggest getting a few Legbars to keep egg production up.
Look after yourselves!
Amazingly helpful content, thank you both so much. Hope all went well last year, and hope you're in a good position this year.
Thank you Hope. We are both well. Hope all is okay with you?
@@EnglishCountryLife
Yes, thank you, we are all well.
We are looking to escape the rat race and get out into the country, and grow some of our own food, and hopefully this year we'll find somewhere.
In the meantime, over the last few months I have made some raised beds for our garden, for several reasons (to practice gardening, to get used to working in the cold/rain, to get over my fears of insects and worms 🤦🏾♂️, to experiment on different techniques and plants, and obviously to hopefully grow some things that we can eat).
I've seen some of your videos about what to consider when looking for a homestead, and they were brilliant, thank you.
Take care
Great Video!
We were planning to put more flowers in this year- but those planting plans have gone out of the window for edible instead!
I have splashed out on buying in some bulk compost- as our mega sandy soil seems to eat organic matter, and we are tight on space for additional compost bins
Already got first pickings of salad, and looking to get as much as I can out of limited space!
Excellent! You can't add too much organic matter!
We've been spending time thinking hard too. I decided to look at what we buy a lot of and then try to grow that. This year's effort is going to be tomatoes... Tomato puree. Canned tomatoes. Etc. We've planted a huge amount of potato onions. They are truly fabulous to grow. If you get a chance to try them do give it a go. Or I can send you some from our harvest at the end of the year.
I've grown all sorts of onions up to Egyptian walking onions but never heard of potato onions! Off to Google I go. Hugh
@@EnglishCountryLife they store well for just about one year. Brilliant to pickle. Fabulous taste on a sandwich. Gourmet.
How big do they get? They looked fairly small in the pictures.
@@EnglishCountryLife they can be as wide as a good sized egg so yes smaller but lots of good points to them. Flavour and keeping quality.
@@scarletpeate Brilliant, thanks!
Brilliant. Loved the advice about the chickens. Many thanks.
Thanks Richard! Cinnamon's chicks started to hatch today so fingers crossed for a good hatch!
English Country Life that’s great. We’re waiting on some Shetland goose eggs to hatch🤞 some in the incubator and some under mommy goose 😀
@@richardwilliamson3624 I confess that I like eating goose eggs ☺️
Brilliant folks, thanks again for sharing, x
Cheers Grace. Its scary times & I for one am finding it tough. Hugh
English Country Life -agreed, hugely frustrated, glad to be where we are but devastated we can’t go home, itching to finish the house and to sell so we can run away from the mainland and start on the Croft - but everything’s stalled and the markets goosed,for now I am working from home and not enjoying it. It’s a weird limbo for everyone just now- always here if you need a rant 😘
Thanks lass. Back atcha!
Thanks Hugh and Fiona
Cheers chap, hope all is well with you?
Another excellent video! Thanks you lovely two. Big hugs to mum. Stay safe and well and keep 'em coming. Xxxx
Thanks Jacquie. I must admit that we are all feeling the pressure right now. Hope all is well at your end? Hugh
@@EnglishCountryLife doing ok. Had a scare last week when hubber got very chesty. Was tested but negative. Really bad hayfever/asthma....🙄 Had an outrageous tummy bug, despite handwashing, social distancing etc. which was a bit scary in that if it's that easy...yikes! Other than that all good. Girls looking forward to getting back to school, but scares the living daylights out of me. Masks and sanitizer before keys and schoolbags.
Blimey when are the girls going back to school 😲?
Do take care of yourself. Allergies & tummy bug is nasty. Glad you were tested
@@EnglishCountryLife girls go back next Monday. Masks, or at least nose & mouth coverings compulsory on busses to & from school. Not sure how it'll be actually in school. Not terribly happy about it, tbh, but life has to go on. 🤞the infection rate, which has gone right down around here, stays down.
You're well sorted there. There'll be brighter days ahead for sure.......Best wishes
Thank you! Hugh
Heard you all were having some problems over there. Having a little self-sufficiency has got to give you some piece of mind.
Hi! It's made a huge difference to be honest. We feel so fortunate to have outside space, healthy fresh food & interesting things to keep us busy. We feel so sorry for people crammed in a tiny flat with no garden.
Another wonderful video. Stay Safe.
You too chap. Look after yourself. Hugh
Great video, and I like the way you grow those potatos!
Have to try that.
Greetings from Belgium!
Thanks Erwin, its a great way to grow potatoes in odd corners which would not be useful otherwise! Hugh
Great video and your commentary had me thinking. Here in Eastern Ontario, Canada we still had snowfall yesterday but we have a lot of seedlings almost ready to move under cover for an early start to our large kitchen garden. Good thing we put in a large seed order in January as most seed merchants are now out of stock for those late to the thought of gardening. My only suggestion for this video is to ask those birds in the background to tone it down? 🙄Silliness aside, I am a bit envious of your more moderate climate in the spring. Love to listen to your channel which I discovered several months ago. Except for the more extremes in climate, we seem to have lots of parallels in terms of approach and size of garden. Stay safe!
Actually the birds can be a real problem if using a shotgun mic' !
Whilst I enjoy our mild climate at times, I wish we had proper snow more often!
Hugh
Great video and such good timing - I've made copious notes and will see if I can get some Dutch brown beans to try. Your standardised cages are a good idea - would love an update when you move them and could this be a regular video of how things progress if you've got time between all the extra gardening, please?
Absolutely Elaine no problem. Would you like me to film a "time lapse" of setting up the cage? Hugh
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes please that would be great.
Major changes, challenges for all, even for stalwarts such as you two (and mum!). Great that you've knuckled down and focussed on what you CAN control (you know I'm a fan of the Zone of Control) and via this video, you're also stepping into a grand zone of influence to help others to think on how they can make changes and be okay. Give us a shout out if you need anything!
We'll be fine Cynthia, but thanks lass. Is it okay where you are?
English Country Life We are in a very safe place and space. What a start to our early retirement!
@@KnackFarmer-theanswerismeat Better there than a city!
Cheers guys, great stuff, hope you are both well :0)
Hi Jon, not too bad thanks. I'll feel better when I've got all the veg well established and the chickens have hatched ( first clutch hatching right now). How are you?
@@EnglishCountryLife Well you seem to be well on track.. All ok here thanks, the ewes are lambing and I am busy with the maintenance and feeding :0)
Another wonderful video, thank you. I’m going to steal your potato growing bag idea. We started on bees last year and have just started with chickens. We are plagued with an amazing amount of slugs which constantly decimate both our plant and flowers but also the vegetables I tried to grow last season too, any advice? Stay safe 😊
Slugs can be an issue. We prefer to avoid slug pellets as they tend to also kill those creatures that prey on slugs! We are fortunate to have both song thrushes and mistle thrushes who love eating snails & slugs. Have you thought about a few ducks? they live eating slugs!
Both chickens and ducks will eat slugs like they're going out of fashion, but ducks are better on actively growing areas and chickens are good for reducing pest pressure once you've harvested an area (otherwise they'll destroy your veg)
Dried strawberries, that's interesting. I just eat mine and when they are gone they are gone.
We get 5 to 10 kilos a day at peak. Its honestly ridiculous. Brilliant to have them in the Winter though. Apples get dull.
How self sufficient are you with food?
Hi Tony, entirely with fruit, most vegetables and at least half our meat. We don't produce bulk carbohydrates ( potatoes, rice), we don't raise pork and some spices we buy
I would love to know how you choose your seed varieties to begin with. How do you know which seeds will give the best taste and yield for your Smallholding? Are there seeds best suited to a small town garden which will grow on heavy clay soil? I want to grow using pots, and hanging baskets which I already have, so thank you for the idea of using old plastic bags. I am a new subscriber, so please excuse my questions if you have covered these topics before. Thank you.
I've not found a shortcut beyond trial and error sadly. A lot depends upon whether you plan to produce your own seed. If you do, its best to avoid F1 (first generation) hybrids as their seed probably will not breed true. I tend to use varieties that we have settled on over the years, but as a general rule I find realseeds.co.uk/ a good place to start for heritage and open pollinated seeds
@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you very much for the link, I haven't got enough space for self sufficiency, but who knows until I give it a try! I just want to get some fresh organic vegetables and fruit for myself to eat better. Love your videos Thank you x
@@LittleCarol Any time Carol. Hugh