In recent years I have learned that plants become acclimated to our climates so when we save our own seeds we are getting plants that have been customized to our own climates. Whenever possible I do my best to let my own plants mature and some of their fruit mature to have my own useable seeds. A bit of a learning curve there with each plant, but well worth the effort.
I do this too! Some things work incredibly well, but tomatoes in the full sun, whether saved seed or bought starts really struggle...I moved them to a spot that gets some shade in the afternoon.
Carrots... both my dogs ate my carrots.... one by one. Couldn't figure out what was happening until I saw soil on her mouth. He must have been getting the carrots that were already loosened. Now I grow 3x what I want so that we get "some". Geesh.
@@donnarodriguez4755 I watched mine go down the row of cantaloupes; bite each one then go to the next and repeat biting them until he found the one he wanted. Off it would go. Smart little fellas.
If you have a tomato plant that you like you can make cuttings of it and put it in water…let it root and you have a whole new plant! Unlimited new tomato plants!!
I have chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels. I’m so glad I listened to this. I think it’s not for more wooded areas. They already eat lot of my vegetation.
We are not wooded at all but have squirrels! They make a MESS digging out holes and leaving dirt all over my patio 😅 killed 2 of my strawberry plants that way. They do it in my garden as well, only no mess I have to clean.
Bunnies hate onion family. First year I save scallions during winter by cutting 2 inch root end. Put them in water glass or jar in kitchen window facing north. I just move them where needed. Most places they return in spring.
Yes, I can hear all the lovely birds in her area:) I wish i had a pond. I have homemade solar water fountains for the birds. The pond supports wildlife and helps with her garden ( less bug presure) conserving resources that way. For example, even with organic gardening she will need to use less natural bug spray or less need to spray off bugs with water etc.
My cats get very curious about my indoor greenstalk with my herbs, so I ended up planting cat grass and catnip in the lowest level to keep them occupied. My husband also converted it into a hydroponic system with minimal modification. My basil, dill, and oregano are doing wonderfully! I plan to add more when I have time. I love your tips and your generosity with your knowledge!
I'll be living in an apartment for a while, so I am definitely going to get some of these. You can make a small patio or balcony very productive this way. I'm learning how to work with the space I have instead of waiting for the space I want. 😁💖
Great tips Mrs. Mary ! The spinners are an absolute must for me. I bought 2 more with no spinners and my seeds that never get out of the sun dried up and died very quick. As soon as the base goes on sale I will for sure buy some
Water your plants deeply and infrequently (especially trees) to encourage deeper root growth to avoid drought problems. This will lessen your over-all water usage. This won't work, of course, in the vertical garden, but is perfect for "in the ground" plantings. Also, plants with oils such as your peppers and also lavender (among others) will increase in flavor and/or scent with infrequent watering as more oils are produced to protect the plant from drying out. I lived in the southern California desert for over 20 years and have now lived in Mexico for over 18, both suffer extreme drought and heat and I am an organic gardener. There was also water rationing where I lived in California. I also used soaker hoses covered with pine shavings used in the floors of horse stalls to prevent loss through evaporation. Then when I turned over the ground for the next garden, it added organic material to the soil, added moisturizing through absorbtion and slow release to the plants.
Love the sound of moving water. Relaxing but haven't fallen asleep! Curious about the shade but realized when you emphasized the need in your climate that even where I live the sun can become too harsh also. Above 90° little plant growth happens. Year round gardening sounds great but I absolutely enjoy the cold taking care of the bug population and all the creepy crawlers. Pond alligators nibbling at my toes? No, thanks! Very tempting as far as gardening.
Just a tip: Looks like you might want to add more potting soil to the pockets. They should have soil right to the tippity-top. I love my GreenStalk’s. This year I planted one with onions for the bulbs. They are doing great!!
Thankfully I don't have water restrictions as I am on well. I have very good results with greenstalk if I don't over plant, keep watering daily and use 50% shade covers during the hottest part of the summer. Thanks for sharing.
I pulled out my greenstalk markers too quickly after a late frost in March. I thought it was all dead, but things are growing back and I don’t remember what they are! Have to wait until they are bigger to determine if it is something I want this year. :-)
You introduced me to the Greenstalk systems and I thank you so much for that! I live in the desert southwest and have many of the same issues with growing things. I planted my Parisian carrots in my Leaf and they did very well! I did thin, which is also very against my nature. I am still harvesting them. Dill, sage and thyme did especially well. Thank you, Mary!
Hi Mary, I've found with my greenstalks that they ARE more fragile in terms of freezes than an in-ground garden. That's probably due to the fact that each pocket has such a finite amount of soil in it, it's just quicker to transfer the cold, and, here in Vermont, even freeze solid! My oregano in my in-ground herb beds will survive pretty much anything except a flood, but my greenstalks, I bring them into the greenhouse after the fall frost cut off. They have another month or 6 weeks there. I think you've done great with yours, in such a hot, hot climate! Yes, tomatoes do struggle in temps over about 88-90 degrees and above. The problem with them in the greenstalk (I've found) is that tomatoes need very consistent watering. Not necessarily every day, but they don't like to get super dry, and then get tons of water, because they WILL split. Go figure! That might not work out so well in a greenstalk, though I'm sure there's a method, and it looks from your cherry tomatoes as if you've found one.
Oh, that's good to know! I was wondering how they'd survive our Vermont winters. All of my pots (plastic, pvc, rubber and concrete) have all cracked and broken. I was told the Greenstalk was built tougher, but doesn't appear so to me. I'll try wrapping them with tarps, since I don't have a greenhouse. Thanks for the info. 😊
@Sirius-ly empty pots definitely will Crack. We had a mild winter in PA last and my dirt filled greenstalk faired well, have not had it out in a long super freeze winter.
I bought 2 greenstalks last year. I have mine on the spinners. I manually grew herbs. My feverfew, catnip, marshmellow, strawberries, and Lavender came back again. I have a pond that the water comes from the mountain all year round. I have koi and catfish in mine.
I live in the mountains of NC and love my 3 GreenStalks. One of my towers (original) is full of herbs. We have freezing temps in winter and I don't do anything to my GreenStalks over winter and oregano, thyme, mints, parsley etc come back every year. Another tower is full of strawberries and I take it apart and blurry it with leaves over winter and they love that. I'm hit or miss on vegetables in my other one.
Great update, Mary! I got a kick out of hearing how sweet Indy gets his own enjoyment from the GreenStalk 😉. I must say, hearing your pond makes me think it’s a lovely place to sit and relax. Great to have a video from you, I hope you and the family are doing well!
Mary, I loved the pond! Thanks for sharing the ups and downs of gardening. I felt like you were in my yard with me. Here in Utah, we are encouraged to reduce water usage, too. My home is surrounded by rock, which increases the heat. I grow in containers. Thank you for validating my use of dappled shade. Things do grow better! Harvested herbs this morning!
Been using Green Stalk vertical gardens in Northeast Georgia for 3 years and I adore them! I have 2 Leafs and 2 of the larger pocket towers. Completely agree with you on the spinning bases with the wheels being essential. I move them around on my deck. My only semi failure has been because I over seeded a couple of levels of leaf lettuce.
I have a dozen GreenStalks and love them! I live in Sacramento, CA. We are already getting triple digit heat. This week I am putting up all my shade cloths on the frames I made a couple years ago. I have also placed Olla’s in my raised beds. With that being said, plants do not like this intense heat and benefit from shade to get relief from the heat.
@kellywalton I'm ne of Chico. I've never used shade cloth before but plan to learn real soon cuz last year I kept everything alive but it didn't really do anything during the hottest months. Didn't used to be like that. I've been in the same place for 34 yrs.
@@oldschool8292 tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers etc really do not like or do well in temps above 90. Shade cloth will give them some relief. Once plants get heat stress, it weakens the plant and makes them more vulnerable
I love the details and context offered in this video. I have found basil is the best thing to grow in mine so far, two weeks into my Greenstalk adventure here in NW Washington, just below BC, Canada in Zone 8A 👊🏻🌻👊🏻
You might want to re-think the mint. It will take over every pocket in the level, and others have said it will jump to other levels, as well. Love your videos.
I also live in Central Texas ( near San Antonio) and I know what you mean about the brutal summer suns affect on the garden. Full sun does not apply here.😩 And my husband and I love going to the Texas Hill Country Olive Company in Dripping Springs and having lunch there and buying some of their olive oil especially the flavored ones.
Thank you for the video on green stalks, love the relaxing water in the garden too :-) we put strawberries on the two bottom rows and our chickens use it for self service berries 😂
I am growing an olive tree in zone 5B that looks very much like yours only much smaller. I got it on Etsy last year as a 6” start. It’s now a couple of feet tall and very pretty. I put it out on my deck this spring as soon as the temps got somewhat warm, with no chance of frost. It will get quite hot through the summer then in t October I will bring it back in before frost hits. I have been doing the same with lemon trees I started from grocery store lemon seeds years ago. I was down to one after giving some away over the years, but it has not bloomed. I believe it is a Lisbon as it has thorns. It hasn’t bloomed in all of this time, but I just pruned it and repotted it into a very large pot so I am hopeful. Last year I added a little Meyer Lemon and Key Lime and late winter the Meyer got a lovely scented bloom cluster which is now growing into a lemon. I gave the branch a little shake when the flowers were fully open and that must have done the trick. Anyway thanks for sharing your Greenstalk experience. I am always interested in more ways to grow. I have a 55 gallon barrel I turned into a strawberry barrel years ago which I just replanted this spring, but it was a difficult project and I am not interested in doing it again. So Greenstalk is a great answer for me when I am ready to expand again. Thanks again for sharing.
I recently been reminded by another RUclipsr that the temperature and daylight hours signal the plants to behave a certain way. If you could mimic spring/autumn, the plants will think it's either entering said seasons, so they will either flower/fruit, or die back in preparation of winter. I got little critters eating my kale/pea plants. Might want to invest in a plant cover.
Hi Mary, You are soon coming to the time of year where water (condensation) will be dripping out of the AC drainage pipes on your home. Hopefully your pipes come out on the side of your house like mine, and not up on the roof. I have for the last couple years been capturing about a gallon a day in a bucket I place under the pipes that I have been able to use to water plants in my garden. Keep in mind, this is condensation, so it is just water...there are no minerals in it that plants need. But, it is great to provide a little additional water.
In our greenstalks, carrots were happiest as a fall crop. They were not happy as a spring crop. Seems best suited for cut and come again lettuces while the peas did kinda ok.
It’s great to see an update on the planter Mary! I’ve been curious about them and have wondered if they were just a “fad” that RUclips influencers were being paid to flog, instead of an actual “great invention”. I really appreciate your honest update of this product. It helps a lot!
Oh yes, I am happy to share my experience. I was not paid by GreenStalk to make these videos and I bought the GreenStalks myself. I never make sponsored videos because I want my viewers to get my completely unbiased evaluation of the various products I use. And if I don't like something - I say it. But as for the GreenStalks, I am very pleased with them. Love, Mary
I have my greenstalk on the east side of my north facing back yard. So far the eastern exposure has worked well to keep my dwarf tomatoes and jalapeno peppers from baking in the sun when it gets warm.
Mary, thank you so much for sharing where you live! I live in San Antonio and have watched numerous videos from others that don't share where they live so it's difficult to know if what they're growing in the Green Stalk is going to survive our Texas heat. I appreciate you so much! I have an indoor garden that I grow many varieties of lettuce and arugula for salads year round, however, I keep trying to grow tomatoes outside in my keyhole garden but am unhappy with the amount of water used for very little fruit. This year, I'm trying grow bags so I can move them as you mentioned when the heat is just too much for them. I'll keep watching to learn from you so when I can purchase a Green Stalk, I'll hopefully be successful.
Thank you - this video is very helpful! I am on the east coast (Charleston SC) and we get about 14 hours of sunlight daylight right now. The heat is also hitting hard and June through August kill most plants. Way too much sun and heat for most plants. I have raised beds and we also grow farm style (we tilled up a few acres but only plant one acre). The Greenstalks are doing amazing things since I moved them to a shady area. We now have 18 five-tier stalks and I’m contemplating purchasing a few more. They are wonderful, and since I am also in my 60’s, they have made my gardening so much easier! Thanks again for the terrific video.
Thank you!! I bought 2 GreenStalks after seeing your first video. I was hoping you’d do a followup. This is my first season growing (zone 5) and so far I love them! ❤❤❤
Acquainted with those planters from an Arizona located radio personality few years ago and thought not for me. Accustomed to large field plantings that was a reasonable response. Now I live in town and rethinking. Thanks for venturing on your own and exploring. It will help! Careful about nitrogen fertilizer...great growth but no fruiting. Fish? How do you keep the water cooled? Thanks for the links!
Thanks for the summary. Sounds like a good product. As I live, in Canada, close to what I think the USDA classes 3b or 4a, the chives in round overwinter well. I am interested in your tomato experiment (I cannot grow many) as I am told pruning makes for foliage growth, not fruit. Good to learn from others.
I just learned last season that for smaller indeterminate tomatoes I can pinch off a lot of the leaves and get more tomatoes. Haven’t tried it yet on determinate tomatoes. Good luck!
My perennial herbs that were in the leaf didn't survive as well as the ones in the original greenstalk. I think the deeper pockets allowed more soil and protection from the frost!
I have thought about an herb garden in a Greenstalk but have hesitated because I’m unfamiliar with it and it’s an investment. Thanks for the info. It seems very doable.
Same here! I wish I could post a pic of my two I just bought with pre- Mother’s Day sale. They’re flourishing! I bought a third and planted lettuces and spinach seeds.
Always wait for one of their many sales, and then attach offers like Mary's for her discount off Greenstalk items too....that helps make it very affordable.
My daughter bought me a green stalk tower for Mother’s Day…. I also ordered a Leaf tower. I’m in southern Wisconsin and I am having great success so far. I didn’t do any seeds…. I did starts of lots of leaf lettuce, herbs, mints and sprinkled some flowers in multiple sections for color….. they are doing amazingly well The second tower I have several cherry tomatoes type plants…. And I did one yellow crooked squash plant…. They are all doing well…. I am just nervous about them or allowing them like you said to get to bushy…. So this first year is an experiment for me too. In Wisconsin we tend not to be able to plant anything until middle of May….through September I agree the spinning base and wheels to move around are critical in my book…. When we’ve had real storm conditions and wind & hail I’ve been able to roll into garage or just close to house for some protection. I already want more towers for flowers 🌺 Thank you for your videos they have helped me so much ❤
Great video! I planted some sorrel in my Mom's concrete blocks. She has them lining a Lily of the Valley and Lily bed. It's in the shade most of the day, it dries out, it gets eaten by every critter you can imagine...and SORREL just keeps coming back:) It's a tough little plant!
I have red sorrel growing like a weed in my front yard herb garden. I live in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles, which gets pretty hot in the summer. We do grow year round.
I love your pond and that fountain❤ If it wasn't so hot, I'd take a nap there! I feel like our weather here in west central Ohio is different than it used to be. We had a couple of very hot, dry weeks recently, that really distressed some of my little seedlings. In fact, I had 3-4 dill and 4 or 5 fennel that simple burned up. I have been mulching as fast as I can to help hold in moisture and keep roots cool, but I have been playing catch up because before all that, it kept raining, and I couldn't get out in the garden! Anyway, I wanted to recommend a channel for anyone who has hot weather like yours. I hope it's okay, Mary. The channel is Desert Gardens Homestead, his name is Josh, and he is in zone 9a in Tucson, AZ. He grows lots of things and does propagating, he has goats and chickens and turkeys. It's pretty amazing! I love Kaye; I'm pretty sure I was directed by you to her channel last year sometime. Stay cool, Mary, and God bless!
There is a great gardening channel on RUclips. The Millennial Gardener. He shares your philosophy about tomatoes needing shade in the hot sun. I was really looking forward to your update on the Greenstalks. I bought my first 3 this year. Thank you and God Bless you and your family Mary!
WHen tomatoes burst or split it is because they need water (dry out in the sun faster) and when you water it absorbs so fast that they burst/split from absorbing too much water at once.
Splitting tomatoes is a watering problem, not a sun problem. But yes, growing tomatoes in full sun even where I live is not ideal. And then the watering problems start because, well, the soil drys out and then...easily and quickly too much water... I also put my tomatoes in part sun areas, otherwise it is really a waste of time and space.
Sorrel loves it (and the feeling is mutual) here in my FL zone 10a greenstalk. Do you know if you can make tea with it? Thanks for sharing all that you do!
Mary different types of tomatoes bear at different times. Cherry tomatoes are early bearers. so if you want to experiment you need to put the same type of tomatoes in each place not different types in each places. some tomatoes take only 55 days and so need 80 or more. ❤🙏 you need to research which are heat tolerant and which are not. also which are early and with are not. you want to compare like to like. Even though your sun tomatoes seem to be being later they may just be those that naturally take longer.
Mary, my daughter in law in Vermont was growing in vertical planters a couple summers ago, mamma bear and her cubs would come up on their deck and mama bear would eat her lettuces and greens.😁😂🤣
Hi Mary! In previous videos, you have mentioned a course about creating a RUclips channel, but I can't for the life of me find it or remember the name. 🤦♀️ Could you link it, please?
I have 4 greenstalks on my apartment terrace. My dog helps himself to red cabbage leaves, arugula, and broccoli raab. It makes me laugh when I see him walking around my Greenstalks trying to decide what leaf he should forage for next. 😆 He mostly sticks to the bottom tier.
No, same house just outside my kitchen door on our patio. But oh how I would love to move. I am hoping that before I turn 70 we can be in a one story house! Love, Mary
That planter will not grow large plants period. A tomato will not do well in planter less than 2-3gal minimum. It just will won’t. It’s good for small herbs, lettuce, strawberries, etc.
Respectfully, I would not want to place my precious organic seeds in a plastic receptacle. I made this comment so that others may consider this as well.
I hear you. For everyone’s reference I copied this from the website: Made from high-quality, food-grade, UV-resistant, BPA, BPS & PVC-free plastic; 5-year warranty on color and functionality of planter; Until someone comes up with a better material for small space gardening I’ll go with GreenStalk. I can’t imagine what the knock off planters are made from.
Interesting video but that waterfall is so loud. Couldn't you turn it off while you record then switch it back on after. Maybe costing you some subscribers
For those of us who are losing their hearing as we age the fountain is at best a distraction at worst it makes a very interesting discussion not watchable. Next time please just turn it off.
In recent years I have learned that plants become acclimated to our climates so when we save our own seeds we are getting plants that have been customized to our own climates. Whenever possible I do my best to let my own plants mature and some of their fruit mature to have my own useable seeds. A bit of a learning curve there with each plant, but well worth the effort.
I do this too! Some things work incredibly well, but tomatoes in the full sun, whether saved seed or bought starts really struggle...I moved them to a spot that gets some shade in the afternoon.
@@Sue-ec6un even in my zone the sun can be too hot in summer. I utilize some afternoon shade for most of my veggies.
WOW!! Great tip!!
Just make sure that you have heirloom plants.
@@joyceyarb6860 yes, truth, hybrids do not always breed true
I love the sound of the water in the background! ❤
Lol, I could not understand why my beautiful tomatoes disappeared until I watched my dog walk by and picked the biggest green tomato and eat it.😂
Mine did that yesterday (cherry tomato) right in front of me! 😂 He was so cheerful about it, too! 😂 _I_ wanted that tomato! 😂
Carrots... both my dogs ate my carrots.... one by one. Couldn't figure out what was happening until I saw soil on her mouth. He must have been getting the carrots that were already loosened. Now I grow 3x what I want so that we get "some". Geesh.
@@donnarodriguez4755 I watched mine go down the row of cantaloupes; bite each one then go to the next and repeat biting them until he found the one he wanted. Off it would go. Smart little fellas.
I have to watch my pup also. He loves hot peppers.
@@Sherry8172 Hey, if the old folk takes are correct he should not have worms.😂
Difficult to hear you over the water fall noise. But I always love your videos.
It is, but she talks loud enough for me.
@@kleineroteHex that’s good for you. Just making a friendly suggestion . It was distracting, but Mary is always worth listening to.
I've learned to water at night instead of the day during the intense heat.
I've heard a lot of people say not to do that but I've always done it so they get a good watering before the intense heat of the day🤷♀️
I do that too but I’m careful not to soak leaves of my plants.
If you have a tomato plant that you like you can make cuttings of it and put it in water…let it root and you have a whole new plant! Unlimited new tomato plants!!
I have chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels. I’m so glad I listened to this.
I think it’s not for more wooded areas.
They already eat lot of my vegetation.
We are not wooded at all but have squirrels! They make a MESS digging out holes and leaving dirt all over my patio 😅 killed 2 of my strawberry plants that way. They do it in my garden as well, only no mess I have to clean.
Bunnies hate onion family. First year I save scallions during winter by cutting 2 inch root end. Put them in water glass or jar in kitchen window facing north. I just move them where needed. Most places they return in spring.
Plants working harder to survive might be healthier for us. I learned something. Great!
Thanks for a great video; very relaxing hearing the waterfall! ⛲️❤️
Love your pond! Don't you dare feel bad about it. I keep fountains for the birds year round.
Yes, I can hear all the lovely birds in her area:) I wish i had a pond. I have homemade solar water fountains for the birds. The pond supports wildlife and helps with her garden ( less bug presure) conserving resources that way. For example, even with organic gardening she will need to use less natural bug spray or less need to spray off bugs with water etc.
My cats get very curious about my indoor greenstalk with my herbs, so I ended up planting cat grass and catnip in the lowest level to keep them occupied. My husband also converted it into a hydroponic system with minimal modification. My basil, dill, and oregano are doing wonderfully! I plan to add more when I have time. I love your tips and your generosity with your knowledge!
I never thought about converting it 🤯
I'll be living in an apartment for a while, so I am definitely going to get some of these. You can make a small patio or balcony very productive this way. I'm learning how to work with the space I have instead of waiting for the space I want. 😁💖
We have to make do. I feel the same.
Great tips Mrs. Mary ! The spinners are an absolute must for me. I bought 2 more with no spinners and my seeds that never get out of the sun dried up and died very quick. As soon as the base goes on sale I will for sure buy some
Sign up for their emails...you get notified of sales before word gets out on the video channels.
Congrats on 1M subbies, yay. God Bless
Thank you!
Water your plants deeply and infrequently (especially trees) to encourage deeper root growth to avoid drought problems. This will lessen your over-all water usage. This won't work, of course, in the vertical garden, but is perfect for "in the ground" plantings. Also, plants with oils such as your peppers and also lavender (among others) will increase in flavor and/or scent with infrequent watering as more oils are produced to protect the plant from drying out. I lived in the southern California desert for over 20 years and have now lived in Mexico for over 18, both suffer extreme drought and heat and I am an organic gardener. There was also water rationing where I lived in California. I also used soaker hoses covered with pine shavings used in the floors of horse stalls to prevent loss through evaporation. Then when I turned over the ground for the next garden, it added organic material to the soil, added moisturizing through absorbtion and slow release to the plants.
Love the sound of moving water. Relaxing but haven't fallen asleep! Curious about the shade but realized when you emphasized the need in your climate that even where I live the sun can become too harsh also. Above 90° little plant growth happens. Year round gardening sounds great but I absolutely enjoy the cold taking care of the bug population and all the creepy crawlers. Pond alligators nibbling at my toes? No, thanks! Very tempting as far as gardening.
Just a tip: Looks like you might want to add more potting soil to the pockets. They should have soil right to the tippity-top. I love my GreenStalk’s. This year I planted one with onions for the bulbs. They are doing great!!
Thanks for the tip!
Thankfully I don't have water restrictions as I am on well. I have very good results with greenstalk if I don't over plant, keep watering daily and use 50% shade covers during the hottest part of the summer. Thanks for sharing.
I pulled out my greenstalk markers too quickly after a late frost in March. I thought it was all dead, but things are growing back and I don’t remember what they are! Have to wait until they are bigger to determine if it is something I want this year. :-)
You introduced me to the Greenstalk systems and I thank you so much for that! I live in the desert southwest and have many of the same issues with growing things. I planted my Parisian carrots in my Leaf and they did very well! I did thin, which is also very against my nature. I am still harvesting them. Dill, sage and thyme did especially well. Thank you, Mary!
I'm so glad!
Hi Mary, I've found with my greenstalks that they ARE more fragile in terms of freezes than an in-ground garden. That's probably due to the fact that each pocket has such a finite amount of soil in it, it's just quicker to transfer the cold, and, here in Vermont, even freeze solid! My oregano in my in-ground herb beds will survive pretty much anything except a flood, but my greenstalks, I bring them into the greenhouse after the fall frost cut off. They have another month or 6 weeks there. I think you've done great with yours, in such a hot, hot climate!
Yes, tomatoes do struggle in temps over about 88-90 degrees and above. The problem with them in the greenstalk (I've found) is that tomatoes need very consistent watering. Not necessarily every day, but they don't like to get super dry, and then get tons of water, because they WILL split. Go figure! That might not work out so well in a greenstalk, though I'm sure there's a method, and it looks from your cherry tomatoes as if you've found one.
Correct, cocktail tomatoes or small hot peppers work, just have to give them extra stakes. My chives survived the winter, but we had a mild one.
Oh, that's good to know! I was wondering how they'd survive our Vermont winters. All of my pots (plastic, pvc, rubber and concrete) have all cracked and broken. I was told the Greenstalk was built tougher, but doesn't appear so to me. I'll try wrapping them with tarps, since I don't have a greenhouse. Thanks for the info. 😊
@Sirius-ly empty pots definitely will Crack. We had a mild winter in PA last and my dirt filled greenstalk faired well, have not had it out in a long super freeze winter.
I bought 2 greenstalks last year. I have mine on the spinners. I manually grew herbs. My feverfew, catnip, marshmellow, strawberries, and Lavender came back again.
I have a pond that the water comes from the mountain all year round. I have koi and catfish in mine.
That sounds so nice.
I live in the mountains of NC and love my 3 GreenStalks. One of my towers (original) is full of herbs. We have freezing temps in winter and I don't do anything to my GreenStalks over winter and oregano, thyme, mints, parsley etc come back every year. Another tower is full of strawberries and I take it apart and blurry it with leaves over winter and they love that. I'm hit or miss on vegetables in my other one.
Thanks for the tips! Just received one for strawberries.
I still have not figured it out, working on it, since I payed all that money.... definitely need to buy the spinner base!
Great update, Mary! I got a kick out of hearing how sweet Indy gets his own enjoyment from the GreenStalk 😉. I must say, hearing your pond makes me think it’s a lovely place to sit and relax. Great to have a video from you, I hope you and the family are doing well!
A greenstalk 34:32 water reserve lid may help with evaporation...
Yes indeed. I have them on all my GreenStalks.
Mary, I loved the pond! Thanks for sharing the ups and downs of gardening. I felt like you were in my yard with me. Here in Utah, we are encouraged to reduce water usage, too. My home is surrounded by rock, which increases the heat. I grow in containers. Thank you for validating my use of dappled shade. Things do grow better! Harvested herbs this morning!
Been using Green Stalk vertical gardens in Northeast Georgia for 3 years and I adore them! I have 2 Leafs and 2 of the larger pocket towers. Completely agree with you on the spinning bases with the wheels being essential. I move them around on my deck. My only semi failure has been because I over seeded a couple of levels of leaf lettuce.
I have a dozen GreenStalks and love them! I live in Sacramento, CA. We are already getting triple digit heat. This week I am putting up all my shade cloths on the frames I made a couple years ago. I have also placed Olla’s in my raised beds. With that being said, plants do not like this intense heat and benefit from shade to get relief from the heat.
@kellywalton I'm ne of Chico. I've never used shade cloth before but plan to learn real soon cuz last year I kept everything alive but it didn't really do anything during the hottest months. Didn't used to be like that. I've been in the same place for 34 yrs.
@@oldschool8292 tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers etc really do not like or do well in temps above 90. Shade cloth will give them some relief. Once plants get heat stress, it weakens the plant and makes them more vulnerable
I love the details and context offered in this video. I have found basil is the best thing to grow in mine so far, two weeks into my Greenstalk adventure here in NW Washington, just below BC, Canada in Zone 8A 👊🏻🌻👊🏻
You might want to re-think the mint. It will take over every pocket in the level, and others have said it will jump to other levels, as well. Love your videos.
Great tip!!
I also live in Central Texas ( near San Antonio) and I know what you mean about the brutal summer suns affect on the garden. Full sun does not apply here.😩 And my husband and I love going to the Texas Hill Country Olive Company in Dripping Springs and having lunch there and buying some of their olive oil especially the flavored ones.
Oh Susan!! Us too!! We don't live far from there. Maybe we will meet up there one day for a get-together!! Love, Mary
Thank you for the video on green stalks, love the relaxing water in the garden too :-) we put strawberries on the two bottom rows and our chickens use it for self service berries 😂
I am growing an olive tree in zone 5B that looks very much like yours only much smaller. I got it on Etsy last year as a 6” start. It’s now a couple of feet tall and very pretty. I put it out on my deck this spring as soon as the temps got somewhat warm, with no chance of frost. It will get quite hot through the summer then in t October I will bring it back in before frost hits. I have been doing the same with lemon trees I started from grocery store lemon seeds years ago. I was down to one after giving some away over the years, but it has not bloomed. I believe it is a Lisbon as it has thorns. It hasn’t bloomed in all of this time, but I just pruned it and repotted it into a very large pot so I am hopeful. Last year I added a little Meyer Lemon and Key Lime and late winter the Meyer got a lovely scented bloom cluster which is now growing into a lemon. I gave the branch a little shake when the flowers were fully open and that must have done the trick.
Anyway thanks for sharing your Greenstalk experience. I am always interested in more ways to grow. I have a 55 gallon barrel I turned into a strawberry barrel years ago which I just replanted this spring, but it was a difficult project and I am not interested in doing it again. So Greenstalk is a great answer for me when I am ready to expand again. Thanks again for sharing.
I recently been reminded by another RUclipsr that the temperature and daylight hours signal the plants to behave a certain way. If you could mimic spring/autumn, the plants will think it's either entering said seasons, so they will either flower/fruit, or die back in preparation of winter.
I got little critters eating my kale/pea plants. Might want to invest in a plant cover.
Love my Green Stalk.
Hi Mary,
You are soon coming to the time of year where water (condensation) will be dripping out of the AC drainage pipes on your home.
Hopefully your pipes come out on the side of your house like mine, and not up on the roof.
I have for the last couple years been capturing about a gallon a day in a bucket I place under the pipes that I have been able to use to water plants in my garden.
Keep in mind, this is condensation, so it is just water...there are no minerals in it that plants need. But, it is great to provide a little additional water.
Yes indeed…I have my AC drainage pipe drip into my garden. 🤗
That’s a great idea. Pretty humid here.
Thanks for sharing. Daniel's 16th birthday was last weekend. He had fun making paper people with his cousin Ritchie.
Hi Jean, WOW!! 16 already!! How time flies!! Love, Mary
Thanks for sharing your successes, challenges and tips for growing in the Greenstalk Vertical Planter with us, Mary. Have a blessed weekend.
In our greenstalks, carrots were happiest as a fall crop. They were not happy as a spring crop. Seems best suited for cut and come again lettuces while the peas did kinda ok.
It’s great to see an update on the planter Mary! I’ve been curious about them and have wondered if they were just a “fad” that RUclips influencers were being paid to flog, instead of an actual “great invention”. I really appreciate your honest update of this product. It helps a lot!
Oh yes, I am happy to share my experience. I was not paid by GreenStalk to make these videos and I bought the GreenStalks myself. I never make sponsored videos because I want my viewers to get my completely unbiased evaluation of the various products I use. And if I don't like something - I say it. But as for the GreenStalks, I am very pleased with them. Love, Mary
I have my greenstalk on the east side of my north facing back yard. So far the eastern exposure has worked well to keep my dwarf tomatoes and jalapeno peppers from baking in the sun when it gets warm.
Mary, thank you so much for sharing where you live! I live in San Antonio and have watched numerous videos from others that don't share where they live so it's difficult to know if what they're growing in the Green Stalk is going to survive our Texas heat. I appreciate you so much! I have an indoor garden that I grow many varieties of lettuce and arugula for salads year round, however, I keep trying to grow tomatoes outside in my keyhole garden but am unhappy with the amount of water used for very little fruit. This year, I'm trying grow bags so I can move them as you mentioned when the heat is just too much for them. I'll keep watching to learn from you so when I can purchase a Green Stalk, I'll hopefully be successful.
Howdy neighbor!! ❤️🤠❤️
Yes! I've always pruned, cut-back
any & all 'suckers.'
Especially tomatoes.
Those removed suckers make awesome plants all their own! Increase the harvest if you have the room!
Hello Mary, I have 2 green stalks and I found putting wood shavings on each pocket it helped saved on evaporation.
Great tip!
Thank you - this video is very helpful! I am on the east coast (Charleston SC) and we get about 14 hours of sunlight daylight right now. The heat is also hitting hard and June through August kill most plants. Way too much sun and heat for most plants. I have raised beds and we also grow farm style (we tilled up a few acres but only plant one acre). The Greenstalks are doing amazing things since I moved them to a shady area. We now have 18 five-tier stalks and I’m contemplating purchasing a few more. They are wonderful, and since I am also in my 60’s, they have made my gardening so much easier! Thanks again for the terrific video.
Hi Angie, WOW!! This is fantastic to hear!! Love, Mary
Thank you!! I bought 2 GreenStalks after seeing your first video. I was hoping you’d do a followup. This is my first season growing (zone 5) and so far I love them! ❤❤❤
I've had 2 towers for the last few summers now. Absolutely luv them.
Acquainted with those planters from an Arizona located radio personality few years ago and thought not for me. Accustomed to large field plantings that was a reasonable response. Now I live in town and rethinking. Thanks for venturing on your own and exploring. It will help! Careful about nitrogen fertilizer...great growth but no fruiting. Fish? How do you keep the water cooled? Thanks for the links!
I usually keep my platers in the shade. :-)
Thanks for the summary. Sounds like a good product. As I live, in Canada, close to what I think the USDA classes 3b or 4a, the chives in round overwinter well. I am interested in your tomato experiment (I cannot grow many) as I am told pruning makes for foliage growth, not fruit. Good to learn from others.
I just learned last season that for smaller indeterminate tomatoes I can pinch off a lot of the leaves and get more tomatoes. Haven’t tried it yet on determinate tomatoes. Good luck!
Could listen to you all day!
Thank you Mary God bless with your family
My perennial herbs that were in the leaf didn't survive as well as the ones in the original greenstalk. I think the deeper pockets allowed more soil and protection from the frost!
Good to know!
I have thought about an herb garden in a Greenstalk but have hesitated because I’m unfamiliar with it and it’s an investment. Thanks for the info. It seems very doable.
Same here! I wish I could post a pic of my two I just bought with pre- Mother’s Day sale. They’re flourishing! I bought a third and planted lettuces and spinach seeds.
Always wait for one of their many sales, and then attach offers like Mary's for her discount off Greenstalk items too....that helps make it very affordable.
My daughter bought me a green stalk tower for Mother’s Day…. I also ordered a Leaf tower.
I’m in southern Wisconsin and I am having great success so far. I didn’t do any seeds…. I did starts of lots of leaf lettuce, herbs, mints and sprinkled some flowers in multiple sections for color….. they are doing amazingly well
The second tower I have several cherry tomatoes type plants…. And I did one yellow crooked squash plant…. They are all doing well…. I am just nervous about them or allowing them like you said to get to bushy…. So this first year is an experiment for me too.
In Wisconsin we tend not to be able to plant anything until middle of May….through September
I agree the spinning base and wheels to move around are critical in my book…. When we’ve had real storm conditions and wind & hail I’ve been able to roll into garage or just close to house for some protection.
I already want more towers for flowers 🌺
Thank you for your videos they have helped me so much ❤
The seed company called Tomatofest has a great selection of dwarf tomatoes that do excellent in the vertical planters
You are amazing dear Marie!Thanks for tips!Hugs from Canada!
Great video! I planted some sorrel in my Mom's concrete blocks. She has them lining a Lily of the Valley and Lily bed. It's in the shade most of the day, it dries out, it gets eaten by every critter you can imagine...and SORREL just keeps coming back:) It's a tough little plant!
Can use bathing water and dish water for plants and trees long as you use natural soaps. Wonderful video, loved the sounds of the running water
I have red sorrel growing like a weed in my front yard herb garden. I live in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles, which gets pretty hot in the summer. We do grow year round.
I end up covering my tomatoes and peppers with shade cloth ( I don't have a Greenstalk) during the summer. I live in the SW.
I love your pond and that fountain❤ If it wasn't so hot, I'd take a nap there! I feel like our weather here in west central Ohio is different than it used to be. We had a couple of very hot, dry weeks recently, that really distressed some of my little seedlings. In fact, I had 3-4 dill and 4 or 5 fennel that simple burned up. I have been mulching as fast as I can to help hold in moisture and keep roots cool, but I have been playing catch up because before all that, it kept raining, and I couldn't get out in the garden! Anyway, I wanted to recommend a channel for anyone who has hot weather like yours. I hope it's okay, Mary. The channel is Desert Gardens Homestead, his name is Josh, and he is in zone 9a in Tucson, AZ. He grows lots of things and does propagating, he has goats and chickens and turkeys. It's pretty amazing! I love Kaye; I'm pretty sure I was directed by you to her channel last year sometime. Stay cool, Mary, and God bless!
Thank you SO much for the recommendation! Love, Mary
There is a great gardening channel on RUclips. The Millennial Gardener. He shares your philosophy about tomatoes needing shade in the hot sun.
I was really looking forward to your update on the Greenstalks. I bought my first 3 this year.
Thank you and God Bless you and your family Mary!
Rain water catchment could be a part of your water usage.Even in a five Gallon bucket.
Good morning, Mary!
Good morning!
WHen tomatoes burst or split it is because they need water (dry out in the sun faster) and when you water it absorbs so fast that they burst/split from absorbing too much water at once.
Great tip!
I am having trouble concentrating because I love the fabric of your beautiful apron, and am seriously coveting the straw hat.
Splitting tomatoes is a watering problem, not a sun problem. But yes, growing tomatoes in full sun even where I live is not ideal. And then the watering problems start because, well, the soil drys out and then...easily and quickly too much water...
I also put my tomatoes in part sun areas, otherwise it is really a waste of time and space.
Great tips!
This video is great, but be prepared for captions and to increase the volume to hear past the water
Awesome✨️and Informative⚘️♥️As Always🙏Thank✨️ You,Mary.I Learn so much from You,Its a Blessing. 💯✨️♥️
Very interesting, thanks for sharing ❣️
Hi
Considering a Greenstalk. Were you able to post an update for this planting? How did it go? Thx-
off topic… but I really love your water feature! Do you have a video on how you built it?
Great video
Sorrel loves it (and the feeling is mutual) here in my FL zone 10a greenstalk. Do you know if you can make tea with it? Thanks for sharing all that you do!
Mary different types of tomatoes bear at different times. Cherry tomatoes are early bearers. so if you want to experiment you need to put the same type of tomatoes in each place not different types in each places. some tomatoes take only 55 days and so need 80 or more. ❤🙏 you need to research which are heat tolerant and which are not. also which are early and with are not. you want to compare like to like. Even though your sun tomatoes seem to be being later they may just be those that naturally take longer.
Great tip!
I just love Mary!
I can't seem to find the link that you shared for the discount, thanks for your video!
Just wondering if you have a way to recycle water for your garden?
Great question! I have to learn more about that!
Mary, my daughter in law in Vermont was growing in vertical planters a couple summers ago, mamma bear and her cubs would come up on their deck and mama bear would eat her lettuces and greens.😁😂🤣
How many tomatoes do you get in the shade? Is it worth it, amount-wise?
Not sure yet. I'll have to wait till the end of the season and see how I do. I will be sure to report back. Love, Mary
Hi, again. I’m not seeing the links to the other RUclips gardeners you’d mentioned.
Check now. And here they are:
Rob: www.youtube.com/@EssayonsFG
Kaye: www.youtube.com/@Latebloomershow
Love, Mary
Hi Mary! In previous videos, you have mentioned a course about creating a RUclips channel, but I can't for the life of me find it or remember the name. 🤦♀️ Could you link it, please?
I was expecting you to say that your furry friend was treating the Greenstalk like a fire hydrant! 🤣
LOL!!
Do you have rain barrels Mary?
I have 4 greenstalks on my apartment terrace. My dog helps himself to red cabbage leaves, arugula, and broccoli raab. It makes me laugh when I see him walking around my Greenstalks trying to decide what leaf he should forage for next. 😆 He mostly sticks to the bottom tier.
Facebook has a Greenstalk page & everyone is so helpful. People share so much invaluable info
I don't see the link to Kay in Tennessee
It is Kaye Kittrell Late Bloomer - RUclips
Oh dear!! Forgive me!! It’s here: youtube.com/@latebloomershow?si=76Gw3USpQFBGN5hW
❤love your olive 🫒 tree
I imagine you tried shade cloth covering?😎
Mary , I love your video, Did you move to new house?
No, same house just outside my kitchen door on our patio. But oh how I would love to move. I am hoping that before I turn 70 we can be in a one story house! Love, Mary
I just wish the pockets were wider
That planter will not grow large plants period. A tomato will not do well in planter less than 2-3gal minimum. It just will won’t. It’s good for small herbs, lettuce, strawberries, etc.
Respectfully, I would not want to place my precious organic seeds in a plastic receptacle. I made this comment so that others may consider this as well.
I hear you. For everyone’s reference I copied this from the website:
Made from high-quality, food-grade, UV-resistant, BPA, BPS & PVC-free plastic; 5-year warranty on color and functionality of planter;
Until someone comes up with a better material for small space gardening I’ll go with GreenStalk. I can’t imagine what the knock off planters are made from.
I just purchased one specifically for my strawberries so my dog stops getting all of them LOL
Interesting video but that waterfall is so loud. Couldn't you turn it off while you record then switch it back on after. Maybe costing you some subscribers
I wanted my husband to watch this but no way he’ll get past the water noise.
ASMR
For those of us who are losing their hearing as we age the fountain is at best a distraction at worst it makes a very interesting discussion not watchable. Next time please just turn it off.
That water falling is very distracting.