I was a big believer of self-sufficiency, but as time went on I came to realise why we live in villages and communities. We cannot be 100% self-sufficient in everything as there is just no time in every day to do everything. We should be focussing on co-dependancy, sharing skills and labour. So I understand your frustrations.
A very wise reflection. Often passionate dropouts will try at this, popular since the 1960s anti-societal fads. However farming can really suck at times, and more often for those not raised in the life. For the most part I don't find the off grid self sufficient homesteads are neither truly off grid nor are they self sufficient. Most do farming very badly, waste resources and underproduce for the acreage. Often trying to do too many things on an acre. Lack of focus and end game planning. Borrowing equipment and help from neighbors. Buying diesel for generators and cultivators is hardly off grid. Calling this just gardening and keeping a few animals is a better name for it, and a better purpose. What she's doing is fine in that context if she scaled back to what she could handle herself, and bought what she couldn't using proceeds from a job or artisan skill like pottery sales.
I agree, I see so many self sufficient videos, where is not even self sufficiency, because it starts with so many help from industry, and continues to benefit of a lot of tools. As a kid I saw what means to grow your own food, and be at the mercy of the elements. I know that self sufficiency means working daylight long and barely surviving. Sustainability is possible but only with modern technology, of course a green one, or as I said, with stark poverty. The modern standard level of life cannot be sustained with the labor of your hands..
Self-sufficiency organic farming is a modern day utopia! Ever since the dawn of time, the humanity was full aware that individuals aren't self-sufficient that's why they invented thrifting, marriage, clan, tribes, villages,cities... should I go on?
@@daniby9894 In certain conditions, theoretically, one could be self sufficient. I mean enough land in good climate for wild food to grow plentiful, but still it will mean poverty in todays standard. You have food but nothing else. And since there is not enough land like that, as you said, is an utopia. Somewhere in Autralia, or NZ somebody bought some land to form a community, some kind of free life, no ownership, no state, just common sense. Sure enough, soon there were some drug enthuziasts, to chase them and steal the land. So even by miracle there is enough natural growing food, and you like to live in stone age, you still need protection.
For city folk who have no real concept of how difficult farming is, it is an easy mistake to make. You need to start simple and build up slowly to a point you can manage and then learn how to become more efficient. It also helps to be part of a small community that all work together, this makes everything simpler and increases efficiency even more.
I love that you showed your struggles in all honesty. A lot of these channels make homesteading look so easy peasy, and this video was a great piece of reality.
Exactly. Vanessa is refreshingly honest; it is rare to see such an important RUclips influencer admit that they are struggling. Vanessa you are beautiful and strong and so inspiring - I wish nothing but the best for you, your animals and all your endeavors.
As long as humans have been involved in agriculture, they have been dealing with crop failures and lean times. Don’t quit. Every bad year is still a good year for learning.
second to that. if you can overcome this hard time and draw some conclusions, then you'll be more resilient in the future. this is part of the learning curve and survival attitude. or maybe do less for 1-2 years, ie only animals, and when they're no longer a burden, go to growing things and focus on that.
You're farming now. We lost our garden, my wife impaled her foot on a stick and was laid up for two months, we're both seniors (73 & 62). Nothing in this lifestyle is easy. Feel bad for awhile then get back to it.
@@AuroraAce. Getting better every day. I suggested getting the cute neighbor girl who dresses like she's allergic to clothes to come and help her. She started invoking Strange Deities in Unknown Tongues and it must have worked because she hung laundry and made supper. I also found out she can throw a 10 inch cast iron fry pan 27' 8"..
@@fortlangford2163 I hope you were hard at work all day and not watching the eldritch succubus rather than doing that and hoping your injured wife would not only make you dinner but put up with it 😉
@@namedrop721 This is a working homestead run by two geezers. If we weaken we lose this place - and it's her dream. I've been working pretty steady since 5 am and just put the last canner full of corn on so bedtime is a ways off.
Just listened to an interview with Maddy Harland a permaculture gardener, she solved the slug/snail problem by establishing ponds that attracted frogs that eat the snails. She also mentioned creating a habitat for birds (Thrush) who prey on snails.
I think if you focus on meat consumption self - sufficiency is possible. Gardening is the hard part, if you eat mostly chicken, cow, pig, goat, duck, and go hunting for deer during hunting season you can be self-sufficient much easier then trying to maintain a garden. You do need some land though to keep all the animals, a good bit of land if you want cows.
@@suverenia That's why I personally like aquaponic systems or vertical basement farming, sure it isn't "natural" anymore, but I for sure won't have to be afraid of unpredictable weather.
Yea.... A good balance of self reliance and interdependence. That's prob more accurate.... After all that's what a true community is..... Helping each other.
I recommend for your garden 2 things, compost tea with minerals (azomite) and to learn to make your own lactobacillus serum (very easy with rice water and molasses). It will make your garden healthy and resilient. You can only learn so fast, in levels with garden. Its ok to give up for a while, then get back up and try again! When you start to add the lactobacillus and compost tea you will add the right kind of microbes to fight all diseases and you will give the plant the ability to get all the nutrients out of your soil.
"Self-sufficiency" has many drawbacks as well as advantages. That's why, early on, humans formed communities, trading and sharing skills and resources, so that all could lead a better life and be more resilient to environmental challenges. "Resilience" might be a better goal.
I received encouragement from your comment. THANK YOU! This 63 year old woman needed it! It has been a difficult year for me also.. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is my new Motto!
@@katewizer2736 Thank you for letting me know that you found the comment helpful. I spent 16 years helping people prepare for disasters and it gave me a keen appreciation of our individual vulnerabilities and our collective strengths. Stay safe and be resilient.
@@svetlanabarrow6026 I'm sorry you are in that situation. It is a difficult one that I have personally experienced. What I learned is that, somewhere, there is a community that will welcome you. Unfortunately, it may not be one's family or current neighbors. Explore the internet for people who share your goals or values. You may find some live nearby or can help from afar. If you can relocate closer to them, that is ideal, but not always possible. Also, be patient with those who appear to shun you and try to develop an understanding of their ways. Some people are very private and avoid reaching out to others, but will respond positively when approached in a way that feels "right" to them.
I was halfway through writing a similar comment when I scrolled down and saw your post. You are right on point. Small communities of people allow differentiation of tasks, which means that the community becomes more efficient, and therefor more resilient. People can focus on what they do best, so the best pottery makers just make pottery, the best farmers tend the fields, and the best weavers make the clothing. The quality of everything improves and people tend to be more content because they are more effective at the things they do.
@@LostCaper In many countries, people were self sufficient up to fifty years ago, or less, and they lived well into old age, without 'modern' medical intervention. So, no, hard work, clean food, and fresh air do not kill you by 50.
It’s cray but I watch the Chinese do this shieght every year... They never complain, they’re always successful. If you want to learn farming, seek Chinese wisdom! They seem to have figured it out like 5000 years ago.
The gift of experience is like the gift of socks to an 8 year old. Sure, it's probably useful, but damn.... socks? really? "I'm 8, you know that, right?"
I live in the rocky mountains surrounded by the deserts of arizona and i REFUSE to give up. every plant you have showed us in this video is a blessing! Currently, the only things i can grow are grass and pumpkins, and i can't even keep the animals from destroying those. but it's never a waste of time to help nature grow. i hope you find your faerie spirit again soon. ♥
From my own personal experience of farming it's very very difficult to do on a small scale. Also with being self sufficient my grandfather (who was also a farmer) told me as a kid that you can't grow toothbrushes and toilet paper. The reason why he told me that was to explain why we needed a reliable alternative source of income to pay for essentials when farming was tough.
US Department of Agriculture statistics show that most "family" farms (even quite large farms that have been in the family for multiple generations) do not rely on agriculture for the sole source of income. Family members typically have outside or "town" jobs to stay afloat and provide a more reliable income. Also, the average age of farmers was close to 60, last time I looked because younger people were leaving for other kinds of work.
@@LMLewis Absolutely, that makes sense. My grandfather was a part time music teacher and session musician in between cattle farming, haymaking and tending to his large vegetable garden and chickens. He still struggled sometimes, bad seasons, unforeseen tractor repairs, fluctuating cattle prices etc. The difficulties and hard work are not for everyone. I'm not surprised young people are not that interested but it is a lifestyle above all else, it's not a career. Personally I run a marketing business and I'm a writer but that is all just to enable my lifestyle of running my own small ranch. I'm only 43 but I'm exhausted often, this last winter was particularly tough but I still love it.
@@suverenia Agreed. I've scaled back my vegetable production because it was getting too much next to the animals and with haymaking etc in the summer it was difficult but I've planted more fruit trees and planted more potatoes this year because they are less time consuming over the summer months but at least we can be self sufficient in those things.
Your garden looks gorgeous. I think you might be trying too hard, expecting too much. My vegetable garden "completely fails" almost every year and I waste a lot of time an money on it, but I still wouldn't be without it, and there is always something in it for me to eat every day even if it tastes a little bitter or isn't quite ripe or the yield is lower than I hoped. Chin up, you have a little piece of paradise there from what I can see.
@Jeff Timberlake Wow, Jeff! A kindred spirit. I see you took to this sort of thing like a duck to water. And I am glad to hear of your success. I have a similar story of "success" but closer to the ocean and a lot more "off grid" than you appear to be. You may interpret "Off Grid" as meaning sleeping in the rain and going without food for days on end and sometimes chewing on pieces of bark (figuratively speaking) for months on end. At the end of the day it is a philosophy. Some are cut out for it and some clearly are not. I just happen to be sipping on some home made Bourbon myself. Cheers!
@Jeff Timberlake Well, that IS a splendid tale of success! I plant trees where ever I go too. Mostly on other people's land since I don't own any myself. But, what the heck! we all breathe the same air. You are quite the prolific writer I can see also. Keep up the excellent work.
It's this solar cycle. Many areas of the world are getting too much rain. Or not enough rain. Or too cold. Or too hot. The jet streams go out of normal flow and erratic weather occurs. The other situation we are seeing is increasing volcanic and seismic activity. The Grand Solar Minimum look it up and see what has happened in the past and what is possible for the future. Life is going to be hard off and on with good years and bad and we have to adapt to do well. For instance to build a frame and put greenhouse plastic on it would keep plants dryer and warmer. You could also get some used windows people dispose of and use them. Adapt.
@Jeff Timberlake you should have some kind of livestock. They are part of the cycle you have started there and you can't always depend on the system to provide what they do for you. UNLESS you have local farmers you can depend on all the time. If so never mind.
@@danielturner9832 Yes, I am well aware of what the climate scientists don't want to talk about. But I still think we should do ourselves a favour and plant lots of trees, and lead simpler and more self-sufficient lives.
Your honest failure story attracted so many wise commenters. I learned enough from them to realize that what I'm doing now is wasting time. Thank you. Subscribed
When we had a similar problem with snails in the cucumbers, and diseased tomatoes, I fed both to the chickens. Then, it was not a total loss and the chickens enjoyed both. We got really deep yellow yolks in the eggs from this diet compared to the commercial chicken feed. When fall came I let the chickens roam through the garden space to scavenge the bugs and vegetables left behind after the harvest. Good luck. Your kids will learn from your experiences.
The wan'be weather gods have upended much stress upon humanity. But we have have much more strength than the shell of the slugs who rather to feast on our work than work for their own end. No offence to actual little critters.
Hang in there Vanessa. Sometimes it’s time to schedule a day off with no obligations but I know it’s tough with kids, dog, farm, cabin, RUclips channel, etc, but it’s important when getting burnout. I wish you all the best.
Vanessa does two videos - one in German and one in English. That must take so much work to do two takes for everything. Just moving around the cameras so much for one simple scene is so much work - like when she was showing herself feeding chickens the cameras had to be moved and setup a bunch of times. The thing is it is hard to take even one day off sometimes with garden because everything can get ahead of you - weeds too big to pull, veggies start getting too big, insects eat up the plants, etc.
@THE MOST TARGETED CITIZEN Although the time she spent putting in subtitles is probably more than just doing the English. Plus there is a lot of charm with her accent in English and the choice of words used. I like subtitles too but late at night reading them can put me to sleep!
Maybe weekly updates should be the menu for now..I don't know the ages of your children but if they're old enough a task chart should be in their immediate future... thank you for your honesty...take a break and rest a bit... it's hard but you will feel better if you just give yourself a break... love to you and your family
Cheer up. Don’t get too discouraged. Sounds like you have learned so much by your gardening. Our permaculture food forest is still our best treasure. Often it is overgrown with weeds but every time that I venture in to cut them back, I find something growing and producing that I can harvest. Regardless of the weather, there is always something amazing. So all that work was not for nothing. Nature doesn’t forget the good that we do. That makes me smile! 😀
I plant tomatoes in sandy loam in buckets with Creek gravel in the bottom of the bucket! I amend the ph with wood ash around the rim of the bucket! I grow determinate Roma tomatoes for canning sauces! 2 buckets. 2 buckets for heirloom indeterminate for all season fresh tomatoes and 1 bucket for cherry tomatoes for salads! I plant Thai hot peppers and hot banana peppers between the tomatoes buckets! This gives a light spicey flavor to the tomatoes and keeps bugs away! I thinly slice the peppers combined and use them for sautéing fish chicken pork Ecetera
Let the weeds grow. I figured out, the plants, crops and so on look healthier. Plants and trees have their purpose somehow. Avoid weeds or plants, who smother other plants.
@@rrmcbride555 so true it’s nonstop work . Trap and remove critters is the worse but when you find out they keep coming back. This year my cucumbers were deformed looks like parietal pollination and I have to amend the soil.
I understand your frustration. We had a deep freeze in May which killed our seedlings and then we restarted only to lose it all in June to 4 freezing nights. Hardly anything survived. Then rodents plagued us and have never stopped attacking what we are trying to salvage of our garden. Tree worms are trying to destroy our orchards. It is very sickening to fight this battle.
Low sunspot periods are famous for ruining crops and plagues are natural also as they feel threatened by the change in the Sun. Us in our thermal socks and coats made out of duvets don't notice the change until it's too late.
We had a frost in July on 1 single night that kill most of my garden! Our last frost day is suppose to be June 1st. Than we had a mass of grasshoppers which ate the rest. Weird summer. Weather wars.
Yeah weird year. Never seen slugs so huge and hungry in my life, my seedling were re-started 4times. Then two great hailstorms, and two months of constant rain. Then some sheep found I way in and ate what I had.
Although you are so honest about being unhappy with your year so far, I can say this has been such a cool insight to a lifestyle vastly different from my own. I feel proud of you just watching this! It is such a rewarding risk to take even in times of failure. Keep your head up! You should be proud. Also- what a lovely way to raise children.
I am not a farmer but I remember when I was young, we had a farm and I saw my parents rotated their crops each year on the soil location. Your location looks very wet and cold so grow vegetation that adapt to the environment is very important too.
I knew a guy who decided he wanted to live the self sufficient life out where I live in the Mojave Desert. He was able to drill a well and get water, raised animals and had the other things to make a go of it. He told me that after 2 years living like that he decided to finally give it all up. When I asked him why; he said that he got tired of working 7 days a week, 8 to 12 hours a day just to maintain the lifestyle. He said he was always having to fix something or some other chore everyday.
The reality is that "No man is an island", as John Donne wrote. Living as an isolated self sufficient is to say with Paul Simon, "I am a Rock". You are only one injury away from disaster, as in Robert Tressel's Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. The total drudgery of such a life wears you down, there is little energy left for creativity, art. A few quirky types can do it and many people can do it for time. There are reasons why population density was so low until air conditioning, big farming, transport systems and cities developed.
I am in the process right now... I don't have the choice to quit. I will have to live through the lean years& use the bounty from the good years to survive the shortfalls.
We had the same problem this year ni Georgia, USA. I have been gardening for 20 years here and first year where everything died from too much rain. There are good bumper crop years and bad years for individual plants. It’s always a surprise to see what crop will do awesome.
@@SebastianSikano O please, too much rain or one hail at the wrong time (when the plants are budding), and a sudden decrease of the temperature for a few days ruins just about anything anywhere in the world!
WOW! A truthful, honest video, sans some know-it-all come in and the problems magically disappear. I am in the process of learning about boundaries. This video has solidified my resolve to walk away. THANK YOU. Good luck with your future endeavours. Please don't let the snails encroach on your dreams.
yes. this helps preparing myself to what is comming. i'm just doing compost this year and plan on creating my veg garden next winter to grow next spring. i have been watching many videos about this topic but i am sure i will only learn with experience.
😲😲😲 Isn't farming about how to gain your living ? Grow fruit,vegetables and have a few animals? Selling the surplus to the Farmers' Market? Then how come someone runs out of money ? I'm confused.He should save,and help the unfortunate by loaning them money. Looks like someone who loves to gamble.
@@honeybadger8942 that's in a perfect world, but in reality, farming often times brings a lot of financial loses OR not enough financial gain. It's great if you can produce enough to feed yourself, but there are still clothes, transportation, and other living expenses that require additional income. My husband and I plan to buy a farm when he retires to produce our own food, but retirement money will give us ease of mind with what to pay for electricity, shoes and other necessities.
Real story: farmer invented a tool. Went to see the richest man in town and offered him the credit for the tool. The price? "I never want to farm another day in my life."
Almost everyone who achieved anything has felt exactly the way you are feeling. Be as kind and compassionate with yourself as you would a dear friend. You are in paradise and your dog is adorable. Our family wishes you courage, comfort and blessings.
She is growing the wrong things in the wrong climate. People have vision of a reality they seek. Nature has other visions. I would look into specialty mushrooms and lettuce in that area. Fruit trees and maybe asparagus. That sad watermelon has the same chace as a snowball in hell. She probably nurtured it for months. She will love her big beetle when she cuts it.
Snail poisson is usually only iron phosfate, which makes the snails lose their apatite. It is more or less harmless for all other animals. I dont like chemicals like this in the garden. But I would not survive without this. You can spread it wildly. I mix canned mais with powder of the Phosfate 1/1000 in weight. It cost almost nothing and works wonders. Better luck next year and keep it up!!
Failure is a part of it. I understand your frustration and my heart goes out to you and the garden. You’ll be okay sunshine, NEVER give up. Failure is a part of the journey to success!! Love your videos!!!
Please don’t quit Vanessa! You are an incredible inspiration to us! You do inspire me and my family! You are a blessing and a light that shines! Be strong Vanessa! You matter to us!
Hey :) Regarding your slug/snail problem, there is an effective answer to this. Go out at night with a torch, a bucket and a grabbing device, even just a nail secured to a stick for the slugs. Clear every un-welcome critter that you come across within a given patch. The bucket will contain hundreds of slugs/snails within an hour. Do the same the next night, you will have far fewer, and the next night, far fewer again... on to an adjacent patch. After each hunt, cover the bucket with a slate and put a rock on top to hold the slate down. Every morning following a hunt, give the chickens/ducks, they will love them, but keep an eye out for croup worm overload, they are all likely to have some degree of parasitic infection so if you feed the foul with a couple of kg of infected slugs/snails at a time, a high load of worms is likely to accumulate in the foul, so you might need to treat tgem for this. OK, so the genersl principle here is every slug/snail that you remove from your garden in one night, will not be tomorrow. After three successive nights, there will be hardly any left. What is more, if they are not there, they cannot bread/lay eggs, therefore, you have simultaneously rid future generations. Of course, slugs/snails will incroach from adjacent, highly infested areas, so be smart about how you plan your sweeps. After a couple of weeks, go back to where you started, and fan out again: these subsequant sweeps will take much less time, as there will be far fewer to catch. It does take some effort, it is not a plesant job, it is however likely to amaze you at how effective this approah is. It looks like you are doing a great job :) All power to you and all good things your way, Nick :)
I tried this for a couple of weeks in my garden and they kept coming. I used traps with beer but I think the principle is the same. I have a park adjacent to my garden and I think that the snails/slugs can smell my tasty plants for miles.
I like slugs.. They are cute and do great work in nature.. In my vegetable garden I pick up the snails a couple a times a week and put them in a bucket.. Then I walk to a piece of nature and release them.. I have a no-kill policy in my garden and treat every creature with love and respect. My harvest is abundant and this summer the snails ate only a couple of strawberry's its fine.. It just takes 3x10 minutes a week to reduce them. But consistantly do it so they don't lay to much eggs.. Especially in spring and autumn.
@@dennisjansen5205 Yes.... we have two choices: put up with them and all of the consternation they cause, or keep at it, at least periodically, and bring the numbers down towards tollerable level !! In situations such as yours, the boarder areas are where I would concentrate my efforts/treatments .... and so it goes uh !!??!! It seems thier purpose in life is to grind us down !! I bid you satisfying hunting :)
The last time my garden completely failed, I had a miniature nervous breakdown and didn't garden again for almost ten years. I know how you feel, it's very depressing watching all your hard work go to waste, but you still have to try and not take garden failure personally.
The same happened to me here in Hungary. Everything I planted died or got decimated by frost/pests/disease. I didn't quit though and you shouldn't either! One thing the garden teaches us is to be humble because if we try to control her wilderness, she tends to lash out. The things that did survive in my garden were actually a ton of edible and nutritionally dense weeds. I still consider that a win because it taught me how to trust nature no matter what and how to use what she gives me with gratitude because it was all so much healthier than what I was trying to grow anyway. Lambs quarters (wild spinach), horseradish, mustard, poke weed, jerusalem artichoke, poppies, arugula, hazelnuts, hops, english ivy (which I used to make laundry soap!). The only thing that survived that I had any helping hand with was my watermelon as well. Find the silver lining in everything.
Yes! I've started researching the weeds that are either nutritious or medicinal. I had wood sorrel everywhere and thought it was clover. Once I found out it was edible sorrel I just started pulling and eating it whenever I saw it. I think I'm more of a gatherer than a gardener. :D
@@rljohnsufl I too have discovered the "weeds" only to find that they are plants growing where you don't want them to grow, for the most part. When I researched and found out you could eat most of them or make home remedies to keep one healthy, my whole way of thinking and gardening changed. I let the plants growing where they chose for the most part and arranged around them of cultivated favorites when I can. It's amazing what nature provides if we know how to use the plant (weeds). I suggest getting a book or two for your area of wild crafting and harvesting, along with horticulture books that can change the way we think of gardening. I has saved me and I'm thrilled to have realized so much is growing right under our nose. Dandelions, violets, lamb's quarters, poke plants and their berries, ground ivy, honeysuckle, persimmons, spice bush, wild berries, etc. and much more. The magic of MotherEarth and all she has to offer, even the bugs of which as someone mentioned by goose or by ladybugs or preying mantis, bird baths etc.
Thats a great way to look at it! I bought a book recently about weeds we can eat and i thought HEH?! We humans are stupid😂 all these things we can use but we are killing it with pesticides
I would never call your wonderful experiment with self-sufficiency a failure! In life, many times we move on. Change our goals. Or would like to try something different. That's not a failure. It is a valuable experience! Good luck in all you decide to do!
My tomatoes , grown from seed are the same as yours. I am focussing on more petennials. Fruit bushes, artichokes and asparagus, rhubarb. Things that survive year after year.
There is blight which it looks like she has and then there is blossom rot - which is a calcium deficiency. If its rot just add bone meal or lime and crushed egg shells and they will recover.
We've tried vegetable gardens several times, only having one that really turned out nicely. Therefore, we switched to potted plants, like flowers and long vines, lots of beautiful blooms and greenery and much easier to maintain. Also, we read about the sad plight of monarch butterflies which migrate yearly from Canada and Northern US to the warmer climes of Mexico. We asked our local garden shop for some plants that would attract the butterflies and provide them with nourishment for their long trip south. (I live in central Texas.) This is the second year we've done this and have been successful both years. We had as many as 24 monarchs in our back yard at one time and we enjoyed watching them for several months. We thought they had all gone south but then came a few stragglers. We said goobye to the last ones on November 12 of this year, 2021. Looking forward to their return next year. Just thought I'd share an idea with you about how we changed directions in our gardening and were able to enjoy nature in a different way. Best wishes to you. John G
Very interesting. We let the Swamp Milkweed run riot in our yard too here in the Canadian Prairies. We have never has two dozen at a tine but sometimes five or six Monarchs are flitting about in the yard. Its a delight to raise them. Be well. Velox Versutus Vigilans
yeah it takes time... learn which varieties you like + which works in your area... so in the first few years try out 4-5 varieties of each type of veggie you would like to grow... write down which does well, what went good, what went wrong etc. etc. and snail issues can be solved... some species of ducks LOVES those snails.
This is true. My first year I had 5 black eyed peas and a jalapeño. This year I had 30 cucumbers 20 tomatoes. 5 onions. 20 or so peppers. I would have had much more but had to travel. I’ll have so much more next year!!
I’m from Texas, and the gardening here where I’m at has sucked for the last 4 years. Our weather patterns aren’t favorable for gardeners right now. We haven’t been able to grow enough produce to even can, so I feel your pain, but being an old dumb country boy all I know how to do is pull my hat down and try to ride! Maybe next year🤷🏻♂️
This is my first time watching. I have such respect for you and others who attempt this 'hobby.' I watched another video a while back who alternated rows of plants that killed or at least stopped insects etc. Your experience I think gives you some idea on what these pests are like and how to defeat them next year. There is a way. If there weren't none of us would be around. Thank you for your honesty. Really good video.
I guess it’s more frustrating if we are heading into times where we feel we won’t be able to afford to not grow food for a year . Great channel and honest
Don’t give up ! Focus your energy on the stuff that works , discard what does not , learn from the mistakes . You can trade one type of commodity that you are good at producing for other stuff that you need from someone who has better conditions for that particular thing . Don’t try to do everything that’s impossible . Take care of your health , enjoy life . Everything will be ok 👍🏻
Oh Madam, I know exactly how you feel! People love "successful stories" and have no idea how much work is put into self-sufficiency. All I can do is pray for you and all else who attempt this. It is back-breaking and very disheartening.
I had a real bad problem with snails & slugs last year so I went out every night with a spray bottle of white vinegar & water & sprayed all I could find. It really helped & this year my plants are much bigger. No poison. Sorry about your loss because of the rain.
raised beds is a must these days also laying coffee grounds work but you need to aply it properly by creating a mondeed borderaround the plants you want to protect
I feel your pain and have had a bad year in the garden too. Really makes me appreciate professional farmers that feed the nation. As for the slugs: aluminum foil pan full of beer, attracts and drowns them. It is a mess with the slime etc. So pick up with a shovel and into the trash. God bless. There is always next year.
Newspaper or cardboard near plants too, they hide underneath and you can kill them every morning. You possibly have a lot of them because if so much rain and places for them to hide. We had 9 months of rain years ago, it was a disaster for growing food but the following year, the weather was better, if you do get a lot of rain in ur area, look for plants that are more happy with the weather. Please don't give up 😊
Here's another tip to rid your garden of snails or slugs: In a medium size shallow bowl, fill it with beer and place it in your garden. The beer attracts the snails or slugs and will gather into the beer filled bowl and drown. This works really well!
Don't give up . May you stay strong. I had covid bad lost control of my garden. Was out of work 3 months. We look forward to planting in spring if the Lord willing. I love you farm nice job with your animals.
Look at how much you have already accomplished! I do totally understand the soul crushing disappointment and feelings of hopelessness, but I feel like you have the grit to make it through.
I have been working on these problems myself for years. One thing I can say, don't grow those weak varieties again until you master the easier ones. Choosing the correct varieties for your particular area and situation will make everything so much easier for you. Don't grow for your taste. Adapt your taste for what grows. I tried to purchase local seed as much as I can. If I cannot purchase local seed then I try to buy it from regional sources. If I test a lot of tomatoes and all of them fail but one, I try that one again and then test other varieties previously untested. I don't emphasize tomatoes or potatoes or squashes because they are vulnerable, too vulnerable. I like to use things that farmers grow as cover crops because they are very hardy. Such as purple top turnips, winter peas, cow peas. I don't grow sweet corn anymore but focus on field corn, dent corn and popcorn. The only cucurbit I grow is butternut squash because of past and disease resistance. I will eventually add spaghetti squash as a test. The kind of sweet potato that I grow is Beauregard and has heart-shaped leaves and is a deep orange color and will last many months sitting in the house without any sign of rot, But it loves the heat and does well in dry weather, so I have no idea how it would perform in your situation. In fall and over winter and into spring I do grow a good number of brassicas, daikon radishes are pretty tough, I also grow other red and white varieties of radishes. Rutabagas are fairly tough for my situation and of course the king are the turnips. Kale is pretty tough also. I find that sugar beets seem to be tougher than red beets so I plant more of those although I can't resist planting some red beets I don't set my hopes high on those. I've tested different varieties of carrots and grow one that is popular at my farmers co-op store simply called imperator. I think you're frustration has its source actually in disappointment. You were hoping you would do better and that you understood God's creation better than you do. You have to understand everything is corrupted and constantly fighting against everything else. You have no choice but to work with what works. You are not strong enough to fight the whole world. Trees pull up minerals and nutrients from deeper in the soil than other plants and put those into the leaves which fall down to make themselves available for you as fertilizer. Compost those without any addition and open to the rain. They will eventually grow powerful nitrogen fixing bacteria because they are so low and nitrogen that no other bacteria will be able to pioneer that environment. This will give you a leaf compost which is very rich in nitrogen fixing bacteria which can activate any time they have carbohydrate or sugar to eat and the rain or do leaches the nitrogen down. The dry fall leaves and the compost will hold less moisture than composted wood chips. Cultivate the habit of observing carefully everything happening in your garden areas. Be more neutral and just observe. Don't consider that you are going to dominate and win. Just observe all of the movements and activities and changes. Eventually you can interact upon one or two things at a time and learn how to make modest improvements. Many crops such as beans, make edible leaves when they are cooked. Learn to eat them all. If the beans don't produce flowers or beans, grow a different bean next time and eat the leaves this time. Sometimes putting a stress on the bean plants by eating the leaves will stress them to produce seed. Learn all the edible leaves on all of the other fruiting crops or other edible parts of the plant. This way you can have options if the main crop fails. You don't have to learn how to do this for your entire life. You are just trying to prolong your normal pantry as much as possible. He is coming quickly. God bless us all.
I find that the attitude of confidence or even arrogance will inevitably lead to a better attitude of humility, prayer and repentance. My experience is that it is best to take advantage of such an opportunity. We should understand that this world is not ours and we did not make the rules. It is impossible to dominate every living thing in a one square foot space. Dealing with the large growing area is many times more complex. Even when you are much more experienced and have 10 years of high success, you can be completely devastated in the 11th year and have nothing. I've seen it happen. I've known and talked to people who this is happened to, experienced, seasoned, intelligent and determined people who sold tens of thousands of dollars of produce every year. I think instead of thinking and talking about self-sufficiency, and sustainability and so forth, we all should rather be humbled to talk about and think about survival. We know from history that human beings can survive using all of their ideas and resources and a blend of every option available to them at any point in time. We have zero evidence that human beings can become truly self-sufficient or even truly sustainable or even close approximations of these goals. These are simply ideas and ideals which have never been proven at all. We should not start with such difficult goals.
This reminds me of my mother's stories of growing up on a farm during the depression. After a year's hard work, her parents were able to buy her one dress and a pair of shoes. That's it. Another story was about a family running a dairy farm and, after skimming all of the cream out of the milk to sell, the whole family had rickets.
You are working with nature. She makes her own agenda that we have to respond to. You are a very strong person it appears and find your resilience. NEVER give up...xx
Don't give up. Many people wish they had the time and energy to do what you do. There will be hard times and good times. Like you said, " Focus on the positive things." You also help those who are just starting off with self-sufficiency have hope and see that things will not always be perfect but looking at things in a different light or trying a new approach to an issue can make all the difference.
I love the positive energy here- humans have such a beautiful side don't we? If we can just get rid of the tyranny we could thrive. They make the snails seem like a cake walk. ⚘
Your video is really good. Love your honesty and speaking from the heart. Some of the comments are excellent, 'you dont need to be self sufficient in everything' ..One thing at a time girl...you're doing great as far as i can see.
i have felt this way too!!! i lived in a major city for the first 32 years of my life, i went to my grandparents ranch as a little girl and DREAMED of living in the country so bad, my dad kept telling me i was wrong and i wouldnt like it in the country (where he grew up).... so when i was 32 i moved away, drastic.... it was a total culture shock. i had no idea how spoiled i was having a grocery store 5 min in any direction, banks everywhere, atms everywhere, post offices everywhere and all of their hours were long and open all day everyday but sunday. We also decided to stop using microwaves, ive been cooking everything on the stove or in the oven for three years solid now. Everything takes much longer and im always prepping veggies 30-40 min then cooking for 30-40 min. we do not have air conditioner either, that was another culture shock. i genuinely think so many people would die if the electric grid went down, people are SO dependent on air conditioners and electric heaters, electric lights,...etc, electricity cooks their food, electricity is how they travel, how they learn a new skill or research a solution to a problem. Barely anyone knows how to live without electricity now. i began to have to really plan out meals in a totally different way based on what was available or what i could grow, i wasnt ready when the harvest all came at once and everything IMMEDIATELY needed to be processed taking FULL attention from any thing else for days and weeks, canning and boiling, and freezing, and drying everything.... and that was after dealing with all the typical problems of trying to figure out how to get rid of pests like Blister Beetles that my chickens wouldnt eat, all the plants needing to be watered twice a day in the summer months (i live on Texas), the constant fire ants, weeds growing like crazy, STICKER BURR THORNS ON A DAILY BASIS INSIDE THE HOUSE AND I CANT EVEN WALK BAREFOOT OUTSIDE, then just recently an apple tree i grew from seed that was about 4 years old i was hoping it would fruit next year and it just died from fire blight. ive killed 4 olive trees trying to have one, bought so many fruit trees just to have them die for various reasons like root rot, freezing in the winter, or being devoured by grasshoppers,.... i think im successful probably 4 out of 10 times. The same problem with live stock, some get killed by predators, some wander off and get lost, some die of illness or mysterious causes... everything seems to need special specific treatments to whatever random unforeseeable ailment that comes across.... i often wonder, how would i get copper sulfate, baking soda, diatomaceous earth,....etc... where would i get these store bought remedies if the markets all shut down.... how could i keep anything at all alive?????? how could i manage to not just feed myself and my family but all the animals too when there is no longer the option to go to a store and buy something?! without having a community it really seems overwhelming and impossible. no man is an island. it very easily feels like way too much to take on. But i do seem to have a success rate on everything i try to do 4 out of 10 times. im just too stubborn to quit. i fail and just keep going. Im not any more successful than anyone else, i just refuse to quit...
Everything in moderation and everything with ups-and-downs. It's a lifestyle, and like all lifestyles worth pursuing there are ups and downs, all you can do is be reasonable with your expectations and keep living while trying to enjoy the experience and continue learning. Don't be too strict with yourself and enjoy life where you can. You've got a great ecosystem and just had a bad season.
One minute into this video - I have not seen any of your videos before - I see a person who is being HONEST and I'm eager to hear more, and even without hearing more I will subscribe. We can always learn from honest people.
Never give up on something you enjoy so much - This year has been horrible weather wise to so many parts of the world - When you get very frustrated then walk away for a short bit and when you feel better go back to doing what you enjoy - I think you will be glad you did.
Snails love beer (any beer) and beer kills the snails!! I set out at least 1" deep covers/bowls throughout the garden sink into soil just a little to stabilize and fill with beer. The very next morning the dishes will be full of dead snails and ready to empty and fil again. Good luck!
This was sooo awesome!!! I'm so glad you still made this video and I was able to find this information.. I'm currently in the process of starting my homestead! 🤗🙏🥰
Thank you for sharing your frustration, I can relate 💯 I experienced total disaster with my garden last year- between the slugs, ants and all of their bug friends - I ended up with ONE small tomato. That was months of work for me, also a one woman effort just like you. I did not plant anything this summer, instead I have made some changes to my garden enclosure and worked on the soil. About a month ago I was pulling weeds and noticed a have dozen familiar plants growing within the gravel and stone walkway I have between the garden beds and realized I had several herbs, and two tomato plants growing on the pathway! They have not been attacked by the bugs and it turns out that I’ll have a few dozen tomatoes and some herbs to put up for the winter. This experience brought me to the conclusion that even though I gave up for this season- seeds from my failure last year provided me with a few rogue plants if only to give me the desire to try again. Best wishes to you and your lovely animals. We can’t always change our circumstances but we can change our vantage point and find strength to keep trying! 😊🤗
I know the feeling. I've planted a lot of crops that failed or never even started. I keep going though. Giving up is the only way to make sure you'll fail.
When we have problems with slugs in New York, and would probably work on snails as well, we put out dishes of beer. The slugs climb right in and die by the droves. You might want to try wood ash too. It works on ants because it dries out their feet. Might keep out snails too if you ring the gardens with it. Good luck!
We dig a shallow hole and put a container with beer in it so that the top of the container is flush with the ground. This is handy because you can make it so that other animals can't get to the beer.
For years I've also used beer slops from a bar. With the container level with the ground four stones at each corner a piece of slate on top of the stones to stop rain diluting the beer slops, and a largish stone on top of the slate. Ducks and hedgehogs loooove slugs.
Don't live the hard life. Take advantage of what we have now.. Our ancestors lived the hard life. Just be thankful. As long as you enjoy 😉 whatever you do.
Vanessa, I have been gardening for almost 30 years now. I’ve had many, many great years and many, many bad years. Too much rain will ruin any garden depending on what you’ve planted. No matter what you do, that’s something you can’t control. Yes it’s a lot of work and then in the end with no results or any positive results, that is extremely discouraging for sure! Been there many times. Try to only control what you can control. Plant your tomatoes somewhere different next year so they don’t get the root rot. Also, put a heavy amount of grass or straw around the plants. Make it fairly thick. This will do two things. First it will help hold the proper amount of moisture for the plants secondly, it will actually repel some of the rain but still also capture some of it and as it trickles through the straw, it will more slowly irrigate the roots. One year I planted 25 different tomato varieties. All started from seeds. As you know, very time consuming. I ended up with 5 plants that made it. And they also got diseased, so I didn’t hardly get any tomatoes that I could eat let along process for the winter. I was pissed off very much. You may be able to curb some of the losses by feeding some of the foliage to the chickens. Good luck. Think hard before giving up though..
Some years are good, some bad. But the bad makes you appreciate good years even more. Don't give up forever, but do take a step back for your sanity. ❤️
Thanks for your honest sharing. I wish you don't give up, what you have created so far is already amazing. So many people could learn from your mis-adventures. Including you. Big hugs.
Please don’t give up. My vegetable plot is also a disaster this year ,the weeds however have done really well. I feel the same. But next year will be better making a few changes.
We all have times where we think that giving up is the best idea and sometimes it is, but this isn't one of those times. It's a temporary setback and you will rise above these challenges. I have faith in you. Please don't let these setbacks take away from all the great things you HAVE accomplished. We are here for you, Vanessa. You are very strong and we believe in you.
We're a social species, we are not meant to do this at all. We are better when we work together as we are supposed to do. In a society where we all contribute and thrive we are at our very, very best. That is our evolutionary path and there is NOTHING wrong with it. Self sufficient means you can survive in your natural habitat and your natural habitat is society as is. There is no apology necessary nor is there any regret to be had, you did what you needed to do and now you need to do something else. No one blames you for being an intelligent woman and being intelligent about this.
I’ve heard that raised beds are very good in areas that rain a lot because there is more drainage for the plants in a raised bed. I plan on moving to an area with significant rain throughout the year and thus raised beds it is! I’m moving from a very dry climate in Los Angeles to a temperate rainforest in TN. Everything I have learned from gardening in LA will need to be adjusted lol.
I've heard Geoff Lawton say the same thing about raised bed in wet conditions. The guy can garden alright. Good luck with the new climate. ( and the new attitude apparently?) Lol
Just found your channel! What I do here in the States is to grow only what I and my neighbors and friends can eat in terms of survival type foods. No more. The remainder of our crops consist of cover crop fodder for our animals and low to no maintenance crops like garlic and peppers which we sell. We have other jobs, I write, design other people’s homestead’s and create transformative strategies to increase resilience to disasters (so that my consulting business is viable now and in a post SHTF scenario and so that I can afford to spend the time that I need on prepping). My wife is a college professor and teaches sustainable design. That seems to work for us. I could not afford to prep either in terms of time or money without my consulting business. I do not have the time to care for crops or livestock that cannot care for themselves. Originally, we grew many crops and sold them. But it was too much work and fighting the weather, the weeds and the pests and trying to do it organically and with as little machinery as possible was simply too exhausting. We couldn’t continue without hiring a lot more help. Managing that help and the cost of hiring good help would again prove to be too costly and too much work. What we do now is best for us. That’s our story.
I really miss taking care of my animals and my vegetable garden .. it was my life in Sicily .. here in Germany I live in an apartment where I cannot keep animals and I hardly have 2 basil plants on the balcony😅
Dear friend… nature is in control… keep the Faith and do not get disappointed… God doesn’t forget. Keep it up. You are a woman of Faith and principles… blessings 🙏🏻
I started a small food forest a few years ago. I’ve been growing fruit and vegetables for several years. But, just as a hobby, not a business. I have learned growing your own food is a lot of work. I will never complain about the price of fruit and vegetables again. I always have to watch for insects and some years we have great weather, other years there are storms that cause damage. I respect and admire anyone willing to work at becoming self sufficient. Takes a lot of knowledge, strength and determination.
Oh no. It’s so hard, I was ready to give up early in the season because all of my seedlings died. It was very discouraging and nothing seemed to be working. I ended up buying plants from the store and having a few given to me and those ones have been great. My garden is just now starting to really bounce up from seeds I planted two months ago! It’s late in the season so I may not see any harvest before the frost, but keep at this! There is always hope somewhere if you’re patient enough.
I felt your pain last year when all of my efforts in the garden were being eaten by deer and rodents. This year I remedied the situation by having a greenhouse and a good strong fence as well as rodent traps. I don't have slugs/snails but have seen a lot of other gardeners use ducks in the garden for short periods each day to devour them..Ducks are amazingly quick at this activity...I do have ducks and they eliminate a lot of the insect pressure on my homestead...I feel your pain...I am sooo sorry and hope this will give you some hope...
Unless you want all the vegetables, you could just focus on what works and cut out what doesn't. For example pumpkin family of plants and climbing string-beans provide a lot of food for me and I have raspberries that give fruit for month. On the other hand, root vegetables don't like my clay soil, so I gave up on carrots. It was a bad year for tomatoes and even cherry tomatoes on a greenhouse have some blight on them, but even in a dry year, getting any tomatoes is a race against rot, so I'm inclined to give up on them.
@@JustMe-mn4gr Potatoes grew okay in large conical flower pots, so maybe carrots would too. I used good compost, not the clay soil from the ground, though.
Grow tomatoes together with hot peppers, let weeds grow to protect your tomatoes also. Tomatoes like eggshells for calcium. Crush them. Tomatoes like to use composed stinging nettles. Make nettle broth. See how that goes.
@@heide-raquelfuss5580 I had some peppers next to tomatoes and it didn't seem to help. Tomatoes need some space around them so that the airflow keeps them dry and tomatoes surrounded by grass and weeds don't seem to do better, but are harder to pick and maintain. I just throw eggshells into the compost pile and can't be bothered to crush them. I put some compost under the tomatoes when I plant them. On some years I did the "nettle liquid compost" and it stinks horribly. I didn't notice much difference in using it, but my neighbour says it helps. Only a polytunnel / greenhouse delays the rot, in my experience.
The rain beat you this year, buy what you could not grow and gear up for next year! Your children are much richer in life skills living on a farm then some pre planned city. I live in Texas and growing anything is tricky.
Amen to that! I thought I'd been liking around with veg growing long enough to nock out a full cupboard of jarred food this year. Neem and DE were not enough for the weird critters that descended upon my patch. Insects I'd never heard of & a couple from the next zone down. It's very depressing.
Nature makes the rules, we have to adapt, humans are really good at it. We'll be lucky if we have power in 5 years, only the strongest will survive. Vanessa has a 90% advantage over most people already.
We have had some problem with non native snails for quite some time, until this year first the magpies started eating them and then the jackdaw flock learned to do it by watching the magpies example. During mornings a flock would land in our yard and just feast on the snails and in a few days there was none to be seen. Eggs would survive so there would be more snails soon, but the jackdaws would also return. Every year I come to appreciate the surrounding nature and lands more and more. Farming is passion work, I wish good health for your flock and better harvest, good and bad times come in cycles.
Hi Vanessa, this is heart-breaking to see you so down, and I can only imagine the hard work you put in, and all for nothing! It's been a terrible year worldwide, either raging forest fires or floods, causing absolute devastation. It's like Mother Nature is angry! I don't see you as a quitter, and the positives far outweigh the negatives, and you have such an enviable lifestyle, and I don't pretend to know how you manage it all! We saw the happy Vanessa with her animals, which is the inspiration to carry on, and not let this defeat you! With 18 months of Covid, 'pissed off' applies to most of us, and things will get better. So keep inspiring us with your beautiful videos.🌹💗🌹
I agree with the last comment. Nature teaches us to be flexible and that what we want is not always what we need. Sit back, listen and learn. Beautiful German Shepard!!!
Never give up. Never back down. Ever. Be strong. You know you can do it ! When you are at the deepest point, you can only go higher. Fight woman, FIGHT !
Awe so sorry Vanessa, I can feel your frustrations with this Gardening and all the poorest results of the work you put so much work in and for all this to happen is so sad. I am loving the puppy so pretty and getting more brave each day. Prayers and many blessings Vanessa.
Frustration and sadness is overcome with jubilation and happiness... Some years are better than others when gardening and farming, you can't give up now. You have too much invested in your farm to get discouraged Vanessa, it's a very beautiful farm and will grow a bounty again. I can see you smiling in the future when it all comes together.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I was a big believer of self-sufficiency, but as time went on I came to realise why we live in villages and communities. We cannot be 100% self-sufficient in everything as there is just no time in every day to do everything. We should be focussing on co-dependancy, sharing skills and labour. So I understand your frustrations.
Unless you move around Hunter-gatherer style. That might work better.
@@serpentinewolf7085 But even then there would be a division of labour among them.
@@trevorleaman2525
Of course. I’m referring to the ability to self sustain. You’re not stuck to one area as much :)
I once read that the stages of growth to adulthood are: dependence (childhood), Independence (adolescence), and then inter-dependence (adulthood).
A very wise reflection.
Often passionate dropouts will try at this, popular since the 1960s anti-societal fads. However farming can really suck at times, and more often for those not raised in the life.
For the most part I don't find the off grid self sufficient homesteads are neither truly off grid nor are they self sufficient.
Most do farming very badly, waste resources and underproduce for the acreage. Often trying to do too many things on an acre. Lack of focus and end game planning.
Borrowing equipment and help from neighbors. Buying diesel for generators and cultivators is hardly off grid.
Calling this just gardening and keeping a few animals is a better name for it, and a better purpose.
What she's doing is fine in that context if she scaled back to what she could handle herself, and bought what she couldn't using proceeds from a job or artisan skill like pottery sales.
Self-sufficiency organic farming is much more challenging that your average viewer realizes. Thanks for keeping it real.
I agree,
I see so many self sufficient videos, where is not even self sufficiency, because it starts with so many help from industry, and continues to benefit of a lot of tools.
As a kid I saw what means to grow your own food, and be at the mercy of the elements. I know that self sufficiency means working daylight long and barely surviving.
Sustainability is possible but only with modern technology, of course a green one, or as I said, with stark poverty. The modern standard level of life cannot be sustained with the labor of your hands..
Self-sufficiency organic farming is a modern day utopia! Ever since the dawn of time, the humanity was full aware that individuals aren't self-sufficient that's why they invented thrifting, marriage, clan, tribes, villages,cities... should I go on?
@@daniby9894 In certain conditions, theoretically, one could be self sufficient. I mean enough land in good climate for wild food to grow plentiful, but still it will mean poverty in todays standard. You have food but nothing else. And since there is not enough land like that, as you said, is an utopia.
Somewhere in Autralia, or NZ somebody bought some land to form a community, some kind of free life, no ownership, no state, just common sense. Sure enough, soon there were some drug enthuziasts, to chase them and steal the land. So even by miracle there is enough natural growing food, and you like to live in stone age, you still need protection.
It's also a learning process
For city folk who have no real concept of how difficult farming is, it is an easy mistake to make. You need to start simple and build up slowly to a point you can manage and then learn how to become more efficient. It also helps to be part of a small community that all work together, this makes everything simpler and increases efficiency even more.
I love that you showed your struggles in all honesty. A lot of these channels make homesteading look so easy peasy, and this video was a great piece of reality.
Exactly. Vanessa is refreshingly honest; it is rare to see such an important RUclips influencer admit that they are struggling.
Vanessa you are beautiful and strong and so inspiring - I wish nothing but the best for you, your animals and all your endeavors.
As long as humans have been involved in agriculture, they have been dealing with crop failures and lean times. Don’t quit. Every bad year is still a good year for learning.
Quit when you die😂🤣
Growing things is hard.
second to that. if you can overcome this hard time and draw some conclusions, then you'll be more resilient in the future. this is part of the learning curve and survival attitude.
or maybe do less for 1-2 years, ie only animals, and when they're no longer a burden, go to growing things and focus on that.
Beautifully stated.
@@susrev88 how about when u r veri average?
You're farming now. We lost our garden, my wife impaled her foot on a stick and was laid up for two months, we're both seniors (73 & 62). Nothing in this lifestyle is easy. Feel bad for awhile then get back to it.
damn is your wife ok, can she still walk on that foot?
@@AuroraAce. Getting better every day. I suggested getting the cute neighbor girl who dresses like she's allergic to clothes to come and help her. She started invoking Strange Deities in Unknown Tongues and it must have worked because she hung laundry and made supper. I also found out she can throw a 10 inch cast iron fry pan 27' 8"..
@@fortlangford2163 I hope you were hard at work all day and not watching the eldritch succubus rather than doing that and hoping your injured wife would not only make you dinner but put up with it 😉
@@namedrop721 This is a working homestead run by two geezers. If we weaken we lose this place - and it's her dream. I've been working pretty steady since 5 am and just put the last canner full of corn on so bedtime is a ways off.
@@fortlangford2163 😂😂😂
Just listened to an interview with Maddy Harland a permaculture gardener, she solved the slug/snail problem by establishing ponds that attracted frogs that eat the snails. She also mentioned creating a habitat for birds (Thrush) who prey on snails.
Wow, I really like that. Permaculture.
self sufficiency is a myth, community sufficiency is the only way. self sufficiency will spread you too thin on too many tasks
not a myth. it's doable but needs lot of experience and failures.
Society only works if we work together.
I think if you focus on meat consumption self - sufficiency is possible.
Gardening is the hard part, if you eat mostly chicken, cow, pig, goat, duck, and go hunting for deer during hunting season you can be self-sufficient much easier then trying to maintain a garden.
You do need some land though to keep all the animals, a good bit of land if you want cows.
@@JoshDragRace0688 Exactly that's what I was thinking. Time for her to hunt for some game.
Truth. No one is an island. Farming is a group activity, because there is too much work for one person to sustain.
The problem with self sufficiency, is the "self". You need a community, or 12 kids...
you don't have to be self-sufficient in everything. Just be self-sufficient in something.
@@suverenia That's why I personally like aquaponic systems or vertical basement farming, sure it isn't "natural" anymore, but I for sure won't have to be afraid of unpredictable weather.
Yea.... A good balance of self reliance and interdependence. That's prob more accurate.... After all that's what a true community is..... Helping each other.
Yeah and cooperating with other communities, communities can ballance each other.
Well, community is going to be a thing of the past quite soon.
I recommend for your garden 2 things, compost tea with minerals (azomite) and to learn to make your own lactobacillus serum (very easy with rice water and molasses). It will make your garden healthy and resilient. You can only learn so fast, in levels with garden. Its ok to give up for a while, then get back up and try again! When you start to add the lactobacillus and compost tea you will add the right kind of microbes to fight all diseases and you will give the plant the ability to get all the nutrients out of your soil.
Is there a particular garden site with these recipes? Thank you.....
And nettle compost. Soak nettles in water. Let it there 3 weeks or longer. This soaked water with nettles are great for a lot of crops, tomatoes...
"Self-sufficiency" has many drawbacks as well as advantages. That's why, early on, humans formed communities, trading and sharing skills and resources, so that all could lead a better life and be more resilient to environmental challenges. "Resilience" might be a better goal.
What if community shuns you?
I received encouragement from your comment. THANK YOU! This 63 year old woman needed it! It has been a difficult year for me also.. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is my new Motto!
@@katewizer2736 Thank you for letting me know that you found the comment helpful. I spent 16 years helping people prepare for disasters and it gave me a keen appreciation of our individual vulnerabilities and our collective strengths. Stay safe and be resilient.
@@svetlanabarrow6026 I'm sorry you are in that situation. It is a difficult one that I have personally experienced. What I learned is that, somewhere, there is a community that will welcome you. Unfortunately, it may not be one's family or current neighbors. Explore the internet for people who share your goals or values. You may find some live nearby or can help from afar. If you can relocate closer to them, that is ideal, but not always possible. Also, be patient with those who appear to shun you and try to develop an understanding of their ways. Some people are very private and avoid reaching out to others, but will respond positively when approached in a way that feels "right" to them.
I was halfway through writing a similar comment when I scrolled down and saw your post. You are right on point. Small communities of people allow differentiation of tasks, which means that the community becomes more efficient, and therefor more resilient. People can focus on what they do best, so the best pottery makers just make pottery, the best farmers tend the fields, and the best weavers make the clothing. The quality of everything improves and people tend to be more content because they are more effective at the things they do.
I think this is how a lot of us feel about our lives at the moment. Admire the honesty. Most importantly, the self honesty.
Ugh...so true
We are all being do challenged- it's psychological warfare and weather warfare.
@@jett888 My favorite kind.
You are SO right... Damn I Agree so much
You have achieved more than most ever will just by doing your shows and Living it for a while.
"You don't have a snail problem, you have a duck deficiency" Bill Mollison :)
Ya on OTHER channels I see them youtubers raising ducks to eat snails and slugs.
Best YT comment I never knew I needed.
Unless you've got eagles.
and hedgehogs, you also need to open up the area where the veg are growing so it dries out more, then the slugs and snails are also a meal for birds
And get some ferrets in there to kill the rabits
Self sufficiency was not an option for those before us. Makes you respect just how tough our ancestors were and how intelligent they were.
Yes no wonder a couple hundred years ago they only lived to 50 years old.
@@LostCaper Not all, many lived to be much older than that.
Of course it was! They just never attained it individually but in community!
@@LostCaper In many countries, people were self sufficient up to fifty years ago, or less, and they lived well into old age, without 'modern' medical intervention. So, no, hard work, clean food, and fresh air do not kill you by 50.
It’s cray but I watch the Chinese do this shieght every year... They never complain, they’re always successful. If you want to learn farming, seek Chinese wisdom! They seem to have figured it out like 5000 years ago.
You’re gaining experience . That’s a gift in itself. Just work with what you have . Keep going for it Vanessa. You’re doing something difficult.
So true. Sorry you feel this way...but just try to focus on gettting through the day...I totally understand your feelings.
The gift of experience is like the gift of socks to an 8 year old. Sure, it's probably useful, but damn.... socks? really? "I'm 8, you know that, right?"
@@nonplayercharacter6478 😂
Thats a really good take-away for life Paige - thank you " you are gaining experience - thafs a Gift" 🏆
I live in the rocky mountains surrounded by the deserts of arizona and i REFUSE to give up.
every plant you have showed us in this video is a blessing! Currently, the only things i can grow are grass and pumpkins, and i can't even keep the animals from destroying those.
but it's never a waste of time to help nature grow.
i hope you find your faerie spirit again soon. ♥
From my own personal experience of farming it's very very difficult to do on a small scale. Also with being self sufficient my grandfather (who was also a farmer) told me as a kid that you can't grow toothbrushes and toilet paper. The reason why he told me that was to explain why we needed a reliable alternative source of income to pay for essentials when farming was tough.
US Department of Agriculture statistics show that most "family" farms (even quite large farms that have been in the family for multiple generations) do not rely on agriculture for the sole source of income. Family members typically have outside or "town" jobs to stay afloat and provide a more reliable income. Also, the average age of farmers was close to 60, last time I looked because younger people were leaving for other kinds of work.
you don't have to be self-sufficient in everything. Just be self-sufficient in something.
@@LMLewis Absolutely, that makes sense. My grandfather was a part time music teacher and session musician in between cattle farming, haymaking and tending to his large vegetable garden and chickens. He still struggled sometimes, bad seasons, unforeseen tractor repairs, fluctuating cattle prices etc. The difficulties and hard work are not for everyone. I'm not surprised young people are not that interested but it is a lifestyle above all else, it's not a career. Personally I run a marketing business and I'm a writer but that is all just to enable my lifestyle of running my own small ranch. I'm only 43 but I'm exhausted often, this last winter was particularly tough but I still love it.
@@suverenia Agreed. I've scaled back my vegetable production because it was getting too much next to the animals and with haymaking etc in the summer it was difficult but I've planted more fruit trees and planted more potatoes this year because they are less time consuming over the summer months but at least we can be self sufficient in those things.
@@mattkinsella9856 I'm glad to hear that. I come from a long line of small farmers, although not in the previous generation.
Your garden looks gorgeous. I think you might be trying too hard, expecting too much. My vegetable garden "completely fails" almost every year and I waste a lot of time an money on it, but I still wouldn't be without it, and there is always something in it for me to eat every day even if it tastes a little bitter or isn't quite ripe or the yield is lower than I hoped. Chin up, you have a little piece of paradise there from what I can see.
@Jeff Timberlake Wow, Jeff! A kindred spirit. I see you took to this sort of thing like a duck to water. And I am glad to hear of your success. I have a similar story of "success" but closer to the ocean and a lot more "off grid" than you appear to be. You may interpret "Off Grid" as meaning sleeping in the rain and going without food for days on end and sometimes chewing on pieces of bark (figuratively speaking) for months on end.
At the end of the day it is a philosophy. Some are cut out for it and some clearly are not. I just happen to be sipping on some home made Bourbon myself. Cheers!
@Jeff Timberlake Well, that IS a splendid tale of success! I plant trees where ever I go too. Mostly on other people's land since I don't own any myself. But, what the heck! we all breathe the same air. You are quite the prolific writer I can see also. Keep up the excellent work.
It's this solar cycle. Many areas of the world are getting too much rain. Or not enough rain. Or too cold. Or too hot. The jet streams go out of normal flow and erratic weather occurs. The other situation we are seeing is increasing volcanic and seismic activity. The Grand Solar Minimum look it up and see what has happened in the past and what is possible for the future. Life is going to be hard off and on with good years and bad and we have to adapt to do well. For instance to build a frame and put greenhouse plastic on it would keep plants dryer and warmer. You could also get some used windows people dispose of and use them. Adapt.
@Jeff Timberlake you should have some kind of livestock. They are part of the cycle you have started there and you can't always depend on the system to provide what they do for you. UNLESS you have local farmers you can depend on all the time. If so never mind.
@@danielturner9832 Yes, I am well aware of what the climate scientists don't want to talk about. But I still think we should do ourselves a favour and plant lots of trees, and lead simpler and more self-sufficient lives.
Your honest failure story attracted so many wise commenters. I learned enough from them to realize that what I'm doing now is wasting time. Thank you.
Subscribed
She didn't fail. She was simply a victim of circumstance. Life happens to all of us.
she is succeeding until she quits. She will only fail once she gives up!
😝
@@Kimaracustoms Giving up is sometimes the best thing one can do
When we had a similar problem with snails in the cucumbers, and diseased tomatoes, I fed both to the chickens. Then, it was not a total loss and the chickens enjoyed both. We got really deep yellow yolks in the eggs from this diet compared to the commercial chicken feed. When fall came I let the chickens roam through the garden space to scavenge the bugs and vegetables left behind after the harvest. Good luck. Your kids will learn from your experiences.
The wan'be weather gods have upended much stress upon humanity. But we have have much more strength than the shell of the slugs who rather to feast on our work than work for their own end. No offence to actual little critters.
when life deal you lemons. make tea
Ducks and geese are supposed to love snails. Do the geese get to go in the garden at all?
I was gonna say that worms & slugs are delicacies to chickens.
Hang in there Vanessa. Sometimes it’s time to schedule a day off with no obligations but I know it’s tough with kids, dog, farm, cabin, RUclips channel, etc, but it’s important when getting burnout. I wish you all the best.
Vanessa does two videos - one in German and one in English. That must take so much work to do two takes for everything. Just moving around the cameras so much for one simple scene is so much work - like when she was showing herself feeding chickens the cameras had to be moved and setup a bunch of times. The thing is it is hard to take even one day off sometimes with garden because everything can get ahead of you - weeds too big to pull, veggies start getting too big, insects eat up the plants, etc.
I don't know how she does what she does get done, soooo much to do everyday.
@THE MOST TARGETED CITIZEN Although the time she spent putting in subtitles is probably more than just doing the English. Plus there is a lot of charm with her accent in English and the choice of words used. I like subtitles too but late at night reading them can put me to sleep!
Maybe weekly updates should be the menu for now..I don't know the ages of your children but if they're old enough a task chart should be in their immediate future... thank you for your honesty...take a break and rest a bit... it's hard but you will feel better if you just give yourself a break... love to you and your family
Cheer up. Don’t get too discouraged. Sounds like you have learned so much by your gardening. Our permaculture food forest is still our best treasure. Often it is overgrown with weeds but every time that I venture in to cut them back, I find something growing and producing that I can harvest. Regardless of the weather, there is always something amazing. So all that work was not for nothing. Nature doesn’t forget the good that we do. That makes me smile! 😀
I plant my tomatoes in buckets w/sand loam
I plant tomatoes in sandy loam in buckets with Creek gravel in the bottom of the bucket! I amend the ph with wood ash around the rim of the bucket! I grow determinate Roma tomatoes for canning sauces! 2 buckets. 2 buckets for heirloom indeterminate for all season fresh tomatoes and 1 bucket for cherry tomatoes for salads! I plant Thai hot peppers and hot banana peppers between the tomatoes buckets! This gives a light spicey flavor to the tomatoes and keeps bugs away! I thinly slice the peppers combined and use them for sautéing fish chicken pork Ecetera
Keep you chin up you will succeed! Plant dill in garden this will bring lady bugs that will control aphid destruction in the garden.
Let the weeds grow. I figured out, the plants, crops and so on look healthier.
Plants and trees have their purpose somehow. Avoid weeds or plants, who smother other plants.
The life of a grower and farmer is win/lose. Some years are good, some not good. Hang in there.
@@rrmcbride555 so true it’s nonstop work . Trap and remove critters is the worse but when you find out they keep coming back. This year my cucumbers were deformed looks like parietal pollination and I have to amend the soil.
@@rrmcbride555 shotguns work too
I understand your frustration. We had a deep freeze in May which killed our seedlings and then we restarted only to lose it all in June to 4 freezing nights. Hardly anything survived. Then rodents plagued us and have never stopped attacking what we are trying to salvage of our garden. Tree worms are trying to destroy our orchards. It is very sickening to fight this battle.
Low sunspot periods are famous for ruining crops and plagues are natural also as they feel threatened by the change in the Sun. Us in our thermal socks and coats made out of duvets don't notice the change until it's too late.
We had a frost in July on 1 single night that kill most of my garden! Our last frost day is suppose to be June 1st. Than we had a mass of grasshoppers which ate the rest. Weird summer. Weather wars.
@@lindanwfirefighter4973 I did see a picture of the current wiggly Gulf stream that they blamed on the climate but it's all because of the Sun.
This was my whole childhood.
Yeah weird year. Never seen slugs so huge and hungry in my life, my seedling were re-started 4times. Then two great hailstorms, and two months of constant rain. Then some sheep found I way in and ate what I had.
Although you are so honest about being unhappy with your year so far, I can say this has been such a cool insight to a lifestyle vastly different from my own. I feel proud of you just watching this! It is such a rewarding risk to take even in times of failure. Keep your head up! You should be proud. Also- what a lovely way to raise children.
I am not a farmer but I remember when I was young, we had a farm and I saw my parents rotated their crops each year on the soil location. Your location looks very wet and cold so grow vegetation that adapt to the environment is very important too.
Very good advise Ann!
And space them out more to allow for wind/airflow, and trench to allow water to run off.
I knew a guy who decided he wanted to live the self sufficient life out where I live in the Mojave Desert. He was able to drill a well and get water, raised animals and had the other things to make a go of it. He told me that after 2 years living like that he decided to finally give it all up. When I asked him why; he said that he got tired of working 7 days a week, 8 to 12 hours a day just to maintain the lifestyle. He said he was always having to fix something or some other chore everyday.
I bet he wouldn't trade the experience but I understand. Cheers!
It works best if done by a family, not by oneself
The reality is that "No man is an island", as John Donne wrote. Living as an isolated self sufficient is to say with Paul Simon, "I am a Rock". You are only one injury away from disaster, as in Robert Tressel's Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. The total drudgery of such a life wears you down, there is little energy left for creativity, art. A few quirky types can do it and many people can do it for time. There are reasons why population density was so low until air conditioning, big farming, transport systems and cities developed.
@@cuebj yep, it is the whole system that designed against it. They want slaves not an independent unafraid person!
I am in the process right now... I don't have the choice to quit. I will have to live through the lean years& use the bounty from the good years to survive the shortfalls.
We had the same problem this year ni Georgia, USA. I have been gardening for 20 years here and first year where everything died from too much rain. There are good bumper crop years and bad years for individual plants. It’s always a surprise to see what crop will do awesome.
if you have a lot of water, grow rice
@@SebastianSikano O please, too much rain or one hail at the wrong time (when the plants are budding), and a sudden decrease of the temperature for a few days ruins just about anything anywhere in the world!
I love gardening bird's and wildlife . Dobspato England Newcastle upon Tyne.
WOW! A truthful, honest video, sans some know-it-all come in and the problems magically disappear. I am in the process of learning about boundaries. This video has solidified my resolve to walk away. THANK YOU. Good luck with your future endeavours. Please don't let the snails encroach on your dreams.
yes. this helps preparing myself to what is comming. i'm just doing compost this year and plan on creating my veg garden next winter to grow next spring. i have been watching many videos about this topic but i am sure i will only learn with experience.
You know the old joke: a farmer is asked what he would do if he won the lottery and he says "farm until I run out of money."
So true! I would do the same!
😲😲😲 Isn't farming about how to gain your living ? Grow fruit,vegetables and have a few animals? Selling the surplus to the Farmers' Market? Then how come someone runs out of money ? I'm confused.He should save,and help the unfortunate by loaning them money.
Looks like someone who loves to gamble.
@@honeybadger8942 that's in a perfect world, but in reality, farming often times brings a lot of financial loses OR not enough financial gain. It's great if you can produce enough to feed yourself, but there are still clothes, transportation, and other living expenses that require additional income. My husband and I plan to buy a farm when he retires to produce our own food, but retirement money will give us ease of mind with what to pay for electricity, shoes and other necessities.
Real story: farmer invented a tool. Went to see the richest man in town and offered him the credit for the tool. The price? "I never want to farm another day in my life."
You mean that was a joke? ROFL!
I find your dedication admirable, as well as your honesty, especially when your motivation is challenged.
Please do not give up . The Sky rains on us all. I would say Vanessa- "Shake the dirt off your boots, and keep going". God Bless.
you want to make girl unhappy.
my advice to you is to quit internet and start working on sthg useful.
@@juri2001 what does sthg mean?
@@juri2001 Also, I never asked you for advice so...
@@tomtomdishman4029 you no mucho english
@@tomtomdishman4029 something useful
Almost everyone who achieved anything has felt exactly the way you are feeling. Be as kind and compassionate with yourself as you would a dear friend. You are in paradise and your dog is adorable. Our family wishes you courage, comfort and blessings.
She is growing the wrong things in the wrong climate. People have vision of a reality they seek. Nature has other visions.
I would look into specialty mushrooms and lettuce in that area. Fruit trees and maybe asparagus. That sad watermelon has the same chace as a snowball in hell. She probably nurtured it for months. She will love her big beetle when she cuts it.
@@mmercier0921 why beetle though, if you don't mind me asking? How does that happen? 😱
@@mmercier0921 Nature is here to obey. Human's whim, nature's command.
Snail poisson is usually only iron phosfate, which makes the snails lose their apatite. It is more or less harmless for all other animals. I dont like chemicals like this in the garden. But I would not survive without this. You can spread it wildly. I mix canned mais with powder of the Phosfate 1/1000 in weight. It cost almost nothing and works wonders. Better luck next year and keep it up!!
Failure is a part of it. I understand your frustration and my heart goes out to you and the garden. You’ll be okay sunshine, NEVER give up. Failure is a part of the journey to success!! Love your videos!!!
Please don’t quit Vanessa! You are an incredible inspiration to us! You do inspire me and my family! You are a blessing and a light that shines! Be strong Vanessa! You matter to us!
Hey :) Regarding your slug/snail problem, there is an effective answer to this. Go out at night with a torch, a bucket and a grabbing device, even just a nail secured to a stick for the slugs. Clear every un-welcome critter that you come across within a given patch. The bucket will contain hundreds of slugs/snails within an hour. Do the same the next night, you will have far fewer, and the next night, far fewer again... on to an adjacent patch. After each hunt, cover the bucket with a slate and put a rock on top to hold the slate down. Every morning following a hunt, give the chickens/ducks, they will love them, but keep an eye out for croup worm overload, they are all likely to have some degree of parasitic infection so if you feed the foul with a couple of kg of infected slugs/snails at a time, a high load of worms is likely to accumulate in the foul, so you might need to treat tgem for this. OK, so the genersl principle here is every slug/snail that you remove from your garden in one night, will not be tomorrow. After three successive nights, there will be hardly any left. What is more, if they are not there, they cannot bread/lay eggs, therefore, you have simultaneously rid future generations. Of course, slugs/snails will incroach from adjacent, highly infested areas, so be smart about how you plan your sweeps. After a couple of weeks, go back to where you started, and fan out again: these subsequant sweeps will take much less time, as there will be far fewer to catch. It does take some effort, it is not a plesant job, it is however likely to amaze you at how effective this approah is. It looks like you are doing a great job :) All power to you and all good things your way, Nick :)
you can do a quick snail murder season with slug killing nematodes. Organic, and might be a little bit on the expensive side but its very effective.
I tried this for a couple of weeks in my garden and they kept coming. I used traps with beer but I think the principle is the same. I have a park adjacent to my garden and I think that the snails/slugs can smell my tasty plants for miles.
I like slugs.. They are cute and do great work in nature.. In my vegetable garden I pick up the snails a couple a times a week and put them in a bucket.. Then I walk to a piece of nature and release them.. I have a no-kill policy in my garden and treat every creature with love and respect. My harvest is abundant and this summer the snails ate only a couple of strawberry's its fine.. It just takes 3x10 minutes a week to reduce them. But consistantly do it so they don't lay to much eggs.. Especially in spring and autumn.
@@dennisjansen5205 Yes.... we have two choices: put up with them and all of the consternation they cause, or keep at it, at least periodically, and bring the numbers down towards tollerable level !! In situations such as yours, the boarder areas are where I would concentrate my efforts/treatments .... and so it goes uh !!??!! It seems thier purpose in life is to grind us down !! I bid you satisfying hunting :)
@@szabomarton8064 I have not tried those... do you know if they stick to slugs/snails, or do they attact earth worms also ??
Good to know the setbacks with gardening, being self sufficient, for us new to the experience. Dont get discouraged.
The last time my garden completely failed, I had a miniature nervous breakdown and didn't garden again for almost ten years. I know how you feel, it's very depressing watching all your hard work go to waste, but you still have to try and not take garden failure personally.
The same happened to me here in Hungary. Everything I planted died or got decimated by frost/pests/disease. I didn't quit though and you shouldn't either! One thing the garden teaches us is to be humble because if we try to control her wilderness, she tends to lash out. The things that did survive in my garden were actually a ton of edible and nutritionally dense weeds. I still consider that a win because it taught me how to trust nature no matter what and how to use what she gives me with gratitude because it was all so much healthier than what I was trying to grow anyway. Lambs quarters (wild spinach), horseradish, mustard, poke weed, jerusalem artichoke, poppies, arugula, hazelnuts, hops, english ivy (which I used to make laundry soap!). The only thing that survived that I had any helping hand with was my watermelon as well. Find the silver lining in everything.
Yes! I've started researching the weeds that are either nutritious or medicinal. I had wood sorrel everywhere and thought it was clover. Once I found out it was edible sorrel I just started pulling and eating it whenever I saw it. I think I'm more of a gatherer than a gardener. :D
@@rljohnsufl
I too have discovered the "weeds" only to find that they are plants growing where you don't want them to grow, for the most part. When I researched and found out you could eat most of them or make home remedies to keep one healthy, my whole way of thinking and gardening changed. I let the plants growing where they chose for the most part and arranged around them of cultivated favorites when I can. It's amazing what nature provides if we know how to use the plant (weeds).
I suggest getting a book or two for your area of wild crafting and harvesting, along with horticulture books that can change the way we think of gardening. I has saved me and I'm thrilled to have realized so much is growing right under our nose. Dandelions, violets, lamb's quarters, poke plants and their berries, ground ivy, honeysuckle, persimmons, spice bush, wild berries, etc. and much more. The magic of MotherEarth and all she has to offer, even the bugs of which as someone mentioned by goose or by ladybugs or preying mantis, bird baths etc.
Thats a great way to look at it!
I bought a book recently about weeds we can eat and i thought HEH?! We humans are stupid😂 all these things we can use but we are killing it with pesticides
I would never call your wonderful experiment with self-sufficiency a failure!
In life, many times we move on. Change our goals. Or would like to try something different. That's not a failure. It is a valuable experience! Good luck in all you decide to do!
My tomatoes , grown from seed are the same as yours. I am focussing on more petennials. Fruit bushes, artichokes and asparagus, rhubarb. Things that survive year after year.
There is blight which it looks like she has and then there is blossom rot - which is a calcium deficiency. If its rot just add bone meal or lime and crushed egg shells and they will recover.
We've tried vegetable gardens several times, only having one that really turned out nicely. Therefore, we switched to potted plants, like flowers and long vines, lots of beautiful blooms and greenery and much easier to maintain. Also, we read about the sad plight of monarch butterflies which migrate yearly from Canada and Northern US to the warmer climes of Mexico. We asked our local garden shop for some plants that would attract the butterflies and provide them with nourishment for their long trip south. (I live in central Texas.) This is the second year we've done this and have been successful both years. We had as many as 24 monarchs in our back yard at one time and we enjoyed watching them for several months. We thought they had all gone south but then came a few stragglers. We said goobye to the last ones on November 12 of this year, 2021. Looking forward to their return next year. Just thought I'd share an idea with you about how we changed directions in our gardening and were able to enjoy nature in a different way. Best wishes to you. John G
Love this idea!! What did you end up getting?
Very interesting. We let the Swamp Milkweed run riot in our yard too here in the Canadian Prairies. We have never has two dozen at a tine but sometimes five or six Monarchs are flitting about in the yard. Its a delight to raise them. Be well.
Velox Versutus Vigilans
There was a man on another site that said it took him three years of planting and learning before his growing skills improved.
yeah it takes time... learn which varieties you like + which works in your area... so in the first few years try out 4-5 varieties of each type of veggie you would like to grow... write down which does well, what went good, what went wrong etc. etc. and snail issues can be solved... some species of ducks LOVES those snails.
This is true. My first year I had 5 black eyed peas and a jalapeño. This year I had 30 cucumbers 20 tomatoes. 5 onions. 20 or so peppers. I would have had much more but had to travel. I’ll have so much more next year!!
I’m from Texas, and the gardening here where I’m at has sucked for the last 4 years. Our weather patterns aren’t favorable for gardeners right now. We haven’t been able to grow enough produce to even can, so I feel your pain, but being an old dumb country boy all I know how to do is pull my hat down and try to ride! Maybe next year🤷🏻♂️
This is my first time watching. I have such respect for you and others who attempt this 'hobby.' I watched another video a while back who alternated rows of plants that killed or at least stopped insects etc. Your experience I think gives you some idea on what these pests are like and how to defeat them next year. There is a way. If there weren't none of us would be around. Thank you for your honesty. Really good video.
When life dependence on technology comes to a halt we all will have to do it with no options of giving up. Keep going, you're just getting started ; )
I guess it’s more frustrating if we are heading into times where we feel we won’t be able to afford to not grow food for a year . Great channel and honest
Don’t give up !
Focus your energy on the stuff that works , discard what does not , learn from the mistakes .
You can trade one type of commodity that you are good at producing for other stuff that you need from someone who has better conditions for that particular thing . Don’t try to do everything that’s impossible .
Take care of your health , enjoy life . Everything will be ok 👍🏻
Oh Madam, I know exactly how you feel! People love "successful stories" and have no idea how much work is put into self-sufficiency. All I can do is pray for you and all else who attempt this. It is back-breaking and very disheartening.
I had a real bad problem with snails & slugs last year so I went out every night with a spray bottle of white vinegar & water & sprayed all I could find. It really helped & this year my plants are much bigger. No poison. Sorry about your loss because of the rain.
I’ve heard ducks love snails
raised beds is a must these days
also laying coffee grounds work but you need to aply it properly by creating a mondeed borderaround the plants you want to protect
I feel your pain and have had a bad year in the garden too. Really makes me appreciate professional farmers that feed the nation. As for the slugs: aluminum foil pan full of beer, attracts and drowns them. It is a mess with the slime etc. So pick up with a shovel and into the trash. God bless. There is always next year.
I’ve heard chickens and ducks love the fermented alcohol slugs.
Nah those slugs to back into the garden for nutrients
Newspaper or cardboard near plants too, they hide underneath and you can kill them every morning. You possibly have a lot of them because if so much rain and places for them to hide. We had 9 months of rain years ago, it was a disaster for growing food but the following year, the weather was better, if you do get a lot of rain in ur area, look for plants that are more happy with the weather. Please don't give up 😊
Here's another tip to rid your garden of snails or slugs: In a medium size shallow bowl, fill it with beer and place it in your garden. The beer attracts the snails or slugs and will gather into the beer filled bowl and drown. This works really well!
What a waste of beer, rather drink the beer and forget about farming.
Unfortunately I can't use that option because my dog will drink the beer!
Or just buy me a beer and I'll stop by and keep you company.
Brew your own beer and use the 'chub' left in the bottom of the fermentation. It's free beer for slug pubs.
@@solsouth In Japan there's a nasty "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike beer" beverage that legally avoids being qualified as beer (by using
Don't give up . May you stay strong. I had covid bad lost control of my garden. Was out of work 3 months. We look forward to planting in spring if the Lord willing. I love you farm nice job with your animals.
Vanessa, please don't give up!!! you are one of the strongest people I know!!!! Yes, some times things are hard. Please be safe be well STAY STRONG!!!
Look at how much you have already accomplished! I do totally understand the soul crushing disappointment and feelings of hopelessness, but I feel like you have the grit to make it through.
I have been working on these problems myself for years. One thing I can say, don't grow those weak varieties again until you master the easier ones. Choosing the correct varieties for your particular area and situation will make everything so much easier for you. Don't grow for your taste. Adapt your taste for what grows.
I tried to purchase local seed as much as I can. If I cannot purchase local seed then I try to buy it from regional sources. If I test a lot of tomatoes and all of them fail but one, I try that one again and then test other varieties previously untested. I don't emphasize tomatoes or potatoes or squashes because they are vulnerable, too vulnerable.
I like to use things that farmers grow as cover crops because they are very hardy. Such as purple top turnips, winter peas, cow peas. I don't grow sweet corn anymore but focus on field corn, dent corn and popcorn. The only cucurbit I grow is butternut squash because of past and disease resistance. I will eventually add spaghetti squash as a test. The kind of sweet potato that I grow is Beauregard and has heart-shaped leaves and is a deep orange color and will last many months sitting in the house without any sign of rot, But it loves the heat and does well in dry weather, so I have no idea how it would perform in your situation.
In fall and over winter and into spring I do grow a good number of brassicas, daikon radishes are pretty tough, I also grow other red and white varieties of radishes. Rutabagas are fairly tough for my situation and of course the king are the turnips. Kale is pretty tough also. I find that sugar beets seem to be tougher than red beets so I plant more of those although I can't resist planting some red beets I don't set my hopes high on those. I've tested different varieties of carrots and grow one that is popular at my farmers co-op store simply called imperator.
I think you're frustration has its source actually in disappointment. You were hoping you would do better and that you understood God's creation better than you do. You have to understand everything is corrupted and constantly fighting against everything else. You have no choice but to work with what works. You are not strong enough to fight the whole world.
Trees pull up minerals and nutrients from deeper in the soil than other plants and put those into the leaves which fall down to make themselves available for you as fertilizer. Compost those without any addition and open to the rain. They will eventually grow powerful nitrogen fixing bacteria because they are so low and nitrogen that no other bacteria will be able to pioneer that environment. This will give you a leaf compost which is very rich in nitrogen fixing bacteria which can activate any time they have carbohydrate or sugar to eat and the rain or do leaches the nitrogen down. The dry fall leaves and the compost will hold less moisture than composted wood chips.
Cultivate the habit of observing carefully everything happening in your garden areas. Be more neutral and just observe. Don't consider that you are going to dominate and win. Just observe all of the movements and activities and changes. Eventually you can interact upon one or two things at a time and learn how to make modest improvements.
Many crops such as beans, make edible leaves when they are cooked. Learn to eat them all. If the beans don't produce flowers or beans, grow a different bean next time and eat the leaves this time. Sometimes putting a stress on the bean plants by eating the leaves will stress them to produce seed. Learn all the edible leaves on all of the other fruiting crops or other edible parts of the plant. This way you can have options if the main crop fails.
You don't have to learn how to do this for your entire life. You are just trying to prolong your normal pantry as much as possible.
He is coming quickly.
God bless us all.
I find that the attitude of confidence or even arrogance will inevitably lead to a better attitude of humility, prayer and repentance. My experience is that it is best to take advantage of such an opportunity.
We should understand that this world is not ours and we did not make the rules. It is impossible to dominate every living thing in a one square foot space. Dealing with the large growing area is many times more complex.
Even when you are much more experienced and have 10 years of high success, you can be completely devastated in the 11th year and have nothing. I've seen it happen. I've known and talked to people who this is happened to, experienced, seasoned, intelligent and determined people who sold tens of thousands of dollars of produce every year.
I think instead of thinking and talking about self-sufficiency, and sustainability and so forth, we all should rather be humbled to talk about and think about survival.
We know from history that human beings can survive using all of their ideas and resources and a blend of every option available to them at any point in time. We have zero evidence that human beings can become truly self-sufficient or even truly sustainable or even close approximations of these goals. These are simply ideas and ideals which have never been proven at all. We should not start with such difficult goals.
This reminds me of my mother's stories of growing up on a farm during the depression. After a year's hard work, her parents were able to buy her one dress and a pair of shoes. That's it. Another story was about a family running a dairy farm and, after skimming all of the cream out of the milk to sell, the whole family had rickets.
You are working with nature. She makes her own agenda that we have to respond to. You are a very strong person it appears and find your resilience. NEVER give up...xx
Don't give up. Many people wish they had the time and energy to do what you do. There will be hard times and good times. Like you said, " Focus on the positive things." You also help those who are just starting off with self-sufficiency have hope and see that things will not always be perfect but looking at things in a different light or trying a new approach to an issue can make all the difference.
Gardening is always a challenge from year to year as we are at the mercy of Mother Nature.
I love the positive energy here- humans have such a beautiful side don't we?
If we can just get rid of the tyranny we could thrive.
They make the snails seem like a cake walk. ⚘
Your video is really good. Love your honesty and speaking from the heart. Some of the comments are excellent, 'you dont need to be self sufficient in everything' ..One thing at a time girl...you're doing great as far as i can see.
i have felt this way too!!! i lived in a major city for the first 32 years of my life, i went to my grandparents ranch as a little girl and DREAMED of living in the country so bad, my dad kept telling me i was wrong and i wouldnt like it in the country (where he grew up).... so when i was 32 i moved away, drastic.... it was a total culture shock. i had no idea how spoiled i was having a grocery store 5 min in any direction, banks everywhere, atms everywhere, post offices everywhere and all of their hours were long and open all day everyday but sunday. We also decided to stop using microwaves, ive been cooking everything on the stove or in the oven for three years solid now. Everything takes much longer and im always prepping veggies 30-40 min then cooking for 30-40 min. we do not have air conditioner either, that was another culture shock. i genuinely think so many people would die if the electric grid went down, people are SO dependent on air conditioners and electric heaters, electric lights,...etc, electricity cooks their food, electricity is how they travel, how they learn a new skill or research a solution to a problem. Barely anyone knows how to live without electricity now.
i began to have to really plan out meals in a totally different way based on what was available or what i could grow, i wasnt ready when the harvest all came at once and everything IMMEDIATELY needed to be processed taking FULL attention from any thing else for days and weeks, canning and boiling, and freezing, and drying everything.... and that was after dealing with all the typical problems of trying to figure out how to get rid of pests like Blister Beetles that my chickens wouldnt eat, all the plants needing to be watered twice a day in the summer months (i live on Texas), the constant fire ants, weeds growing like crazy, STICKER BURR THORNS ON A DAILY BASIS INSIDE THE HOUSE AND I CANT EVEN WALK BAREFOOT OUTSIDE, then just recently an apple tree i grew from seed that was about 4 years old i was hoping it would fruit next year and it just died from fire blight. ive killed 4 olive trees trying to have one, bought so many fruit trees just to have them die for various reasons like root rot, freezing in the winter, or being devoured by grasshoppers,.... i think im successful probably 4 out of 10 times. The same problem with live stock, some get killed by predators, some wander off and get lost, some die of illness or mysterious causes... everything seems to need special specific treatments to whatever random unforeseeable ailment that comes across.... i often wonder, how would i get copper sulfate, baking soda, diatomaceous earth,....etc... where would i get these store bought remedies if the markets all shut down.... how could i keep anything at all alive?????? how could i manage to not just feed myself and my family but all the animals too when there is no longer the option to go to a store and buy something?! without having a community it really seems overwhelming and impossible. no man is an island.
it very easily feels like way too much to take on. But i do seem to have a success rate on everything i try to do 4 out of 10 times. im just too stubborn to quit. i fail and just keep going. Im not any more successful than anyone else, i just refuse to quit...
Electricity is our Achilles heel...take that away and our world would collapse quickly
@@46tmb why would you take that away? lets be happy we have it :)
WOW! 🥰👏
Everything in moderation and everything with ups-and-downs. It's a lifestyle, and like all lifestyles worth pursuing there are ups and downs, all you can do is be reasonable with your expectations and keep living while trying to enjoy the experience and continue learning. Don't be too strict with yourself and enjoy life where you can. You've got a great ecosystem and just had a bad season.
One minute into this video - I have not seen any of your videos before - I see a person who is being HONEST and I'm eager to hear more, and even without hearing more I will subscribe. We can always learn from honest people.
Never give up on something you enjoy so much - This year has been horrible weather wise to so many parts of the world - When you get very frustrated then walk away for a short bit and when you feel better go back to doing what you enjoy - I think you will be glad you did.
you are great at giving advices nobody asked for
Snails love beer (any beer) and beer kills the snails!! I set out at least 1" deep covers/bowls throughout the garden sink into soil just a little to stabilize and fill with beer. The very next morning the dishes will be full of dead snails and ready to empty and fil again. Good luck!
Absolutely correct, and fool proof. An old and very good remedy.
This was sooo awesome!!! I'm so glad you still made this video and I was able to find this information.. I'm currently in the process of starting my homestead! 🤗🙏🥰
Thank you for sharing your frustration, I can relate 💯
I experienced total disaster with my garden last year- between the slugs, ants and all of their bug friends - I ended up with ONE small tomato. That was months of work for me, also a one woman effort just like you. I did not plant anything this summer, instead I have made some changes to my garden enclosure and worked on the soil. About a month ago I was pulling weeds and noticed a have dozen familiar plants growing within the gravel and stone walkway I have between the garden beds and realized I had several herbs, and two tomato plants growing on the pathway! They have not been attacked by the bugs and it turns out that I’ll have a few dozen tomatoes and some herbs to put up for the winter. This experience brought me to the conclusion that even though I gave up for this season- seeds from my failure last year provided me with a few rogue plants if only to give me the desire to try again.
Best wishes to you and your lovely animals. We can’t always change our circumstances but we can change our vantage point and find strength to keep trying! 😊🤗
I know the feeling. I've planted a lot of crops that failed or never even started. I keep going though. Giving up is the only way to make sure you'll fail.
This is the first video I watched from you, but thanks for an honest, down to earth video. We need more of those on YT.
When we have problems with slugs in New York, and would probably work on snails as well, we put out dishes of beer. The slugs climb right in and die by the droves. You might want to try wood ash too. It works on ants because it dries out their feet. Might keep out snails too if you ring the gardens with it. Good luck!
True
We dig a shallow hole and put a container with beer in it so that the top of the container is flush with the ground. This is handy because you can make it so that other animals can't get to the beer.
For years I've also used beer slops from a bar. With the container level with the ground four stones at each corner a piece of slate on top of the stones to stop rain diluting the beer slops, and a largish stone on top of the slate. Ducks and hedgehogs loooove slugs.
So the beer attracts them and they die from alcohol poisoning?
Sluggo
Vanessa
You have achieved more then most people do in a lifetime
Keep going
Don't live the hard life. Take advantage of what we have now.. Our ancestors lived the hard life. Just be thankful. As long as you enjoy 😉 whatever you do.
Vanessa, I have been gardening for almost 30 years now. I’ve had many, many great years and many, many bad years. Too much rain will ruin any garden depending on what you’ve planted. No matter what you do, that’s something you can’t control. Yes it’s a lot of work and then in the end with no results or any positive results, that is extremely discouraging for sure! Been there many times. Try to only control what you can control. Plant your tomatoes somewhere different next year so they don’t get the root rot. Also, put a heavy amount of grass or straw around the plants. Make it fairly thick. This will do two things. First it will help hold the proper amount of moisture for the plants secondly, it will actually repel some of the rain but still also capture some of it and as it trickles through the straw, it will more slowly irrigate the roots. One year I planted 25 different tomato varieties. All started from seeds. As you know, very time consuming. I ended up with 5 plants that made it. And they also got diseased, so I didn’t hardly get any tomatoes that I could eat let along process for the winter. I was pissed off very much. You may be able to curb some of the losses by feeding some of the foliage to the chickens. Good luck. Think hard before giving up though..
Some years are good, some bad. But the bad makes you appreciate good years even more.
Don't give up forever, but do take a step back for your sanity. ❤️
Thanks for your honest sharing.
I wish you don't give up, what you have created so far is already amazing. So many people could learn from your mis-adventures. Including you.
Big hugs.
Please don’t give up. My vegetable plot is also a disaster this year ,the weeds however have done really well. I feel the same. But next year will be better making a few changes.
We all have times where we think that giving up is the best idea and sometimes it is, but this isn't one of those times. It's a temporary setback and you will rise above these challenges. I have faith in you. Please don't let these setbacks take away from all the great things you HAVE accomplished. We are here for you, Vanessa. You are very strong and we believe in you.
We're a social species, we are not meant to do this at all. We are better when we work together as we are supposed to do. In a society where we all contribute and thrive we are at our very, very best. That is our evolutionary path and there is NOTHING wrong with it.
Self sufficient means you can survive in your natural habitat and your natural habitat is society as is.
There is no apology necessary nor is there any regret to be had, you did what you needed to do and now you need to do something else. No one blames you for being an intelligent woman and being intelligent about this.
It’s why we need big families.
I wish I had one.
Awwww
I’ve heard that raised beds are very good in areas that rain a lot because there is more drainage for the plants in a raised bed. I plan on moving to an area with significant rain throughout the year and thus raised beds it is!
I’m moving from a very dry climate in Los Angeles to a temperate rainforest in TN. Everything I have learned from gardening in LA will need to be adjusted lol.
I've heard Geoff Lawton say the same thing about raised bed in wet conditions. The guy can garden alright. Good luck with the new climate. ( and the new attitude apparently?) Lol
you can do water trenches to, and if you do those right you can run the water into dry areas like an irrigation system
Just found your channel! What I do here in the States is to grow only what I and my neighbors and friends can eat in terms of survival type foods. No more. The remainder of our crops consist of cover crop fodder for our animals and low to no maintenance crops like garlic and peppers which we sell. We have other jobs, I write, design other people’s homestead’s and create transformative strategies to increase resilience to disasters (so that my consulting business is viable now and in a post SHTF scenario and so that I can afford to spend the time that I need on prepping). My wife is a college professor and teaches sustainable design. That seems to work for us. I could not afford to prep either in terms of time or money without my consulting business. I do not have the time to care for crops or livestock that cannot care for themselves. Originally, we grew many crops and sold them. But it was too much work and fighting the weather, the weeds and the pests and trying to do it organically and with as little machinery as possible was simply too exhausting. We couldn’t continue without hiring a lot more help. Managing that help and the cost of hiring good help would again prove to be too costly and too much work. What we do now is best for us. That’s our story.
I really miss taking care of my animals and my vegetable garden .. it was my life in Sicily .. here in Germany I live in an apartment where I cannot keep animals and I hardly have 2 basil plants on the balcony😅
vertical gardening is your friend, although it is a pita to water constantly cause of the small trowels
Ciao Giuseppe. From a German, have you thought of a Schrebergarten?
Dear friend… nature is in control… keep the Faith and do not get disappointed… God doesn’t forget. Keep it up. You are a woman of Faith and principles… blessings 🙏🏻
Yes this is true God said build a house in the forest if you want his companion ....you have so much to loose im happy for you be strong 💪
Is she a Christian Carlos ??
I started a small food forest a few years ago. I’ve been growing fruit and vegetables for several years. But, just as a hobby, not a business. I have learned growing your own food is a lot of work. I will never complain about the price of fruit and vegetables again. I always have to watch for insects and some years we have great weather, other years there are storms that cause damage. I respect and admire anyone willing to work at becoming self sufficient. Takes a lot of knowledge, strength and determination.
Oh no. It’s so hard, I was ready to give up early in the season because all of my seedlings died. It was very discouraging and nothing seemed to be working. I ended up buying plants from the store and having a few given to me and those ones have been great. My garden is just now starting to really bounce up from seeds I planted two months ago! It’s late in the season so I may not see any harvest before the frost, but keep at this! There is always hope somewhere if you’re patient enough.
I felt your pain last year when all of my efforts in the garden were being eaten by deer and rodents. This year I remedied the situation by having a greenhouse and a good strong fence as well as rodent traps. I don't have slugs/snails but have seen a lot of other gardeners use ducks in the garden for short periods each day to devour them..Ducks are amazingly quick at this activity...I do have ducks and they eliminate a lot of the insect pressure on my homestead...I feel your pain...I am sooo sorry and hope this will give you some hope...
Unless you want all the vegetables, you could just focus on what works and cut out what doesn't. For example pumpkin family of plants and climbing string-beans provide a lot of food for me and I have raspberries that give fruit for month. On the other hand, root vegetables don't like my clay soil, so I gave up on carrots.
It was a bad year for tomatoes and even cherry tomatoes on a greenhouse have some blight on them, but even in a dry year, getting any tomatoes is a race against rot, so I'm inclined to give up on them.
Why not grow the carrots in containers? I did and am still harvesting them - sweet, odd shaped and delicious.
@@JustMe-mn4gr Potatoes grew okay in large conical flower pots, so maybe carrots would too. I used good compost, not the clay soil from the ground, though.
Grow tomatoes together with hot peppers, let weeds grow to protect your tomatoes also.
Tomatoes like eggshells for calcium. Crush them.
Tomatoes like to use composed stinging nettles.
Make nettle broth.
See how that goes.
@@heide-raquelfuss5580 I had some peppers next to tomatoes and it didn't seem to help.
Tomatoes need some space around them so that the airflow keeps them dry and tomatoes surrounded by grass and weeds don't seem to do better, but are harder to pick and maintain.
I just throw eggshells into the compost pile and can't be bothered to crush them. I put some compost under the tomatoes when I plant them.
On some years I did the "nettle liquid compost" and it stinks horribly. I didn't notice much difference in using it, but my neighbour says it helps.
Only a polytunnel / greenhouse delays the rot, in my experience.
The rain beat you this year, buy what you could not grow and gear up for next year! Your children are much richer in life skills living on a farm then some pre planned city. I live in Texas and growing anything is tricky.
I live in Texas too. And I had a lot of discouragement growing too.
Amen to that!
I thought I'd been liking around with veg growing long enough to nock out a full cupboard of jarred food this year.
Neem and DE were not enough for the weird critters that descended upon my patch. Insects I'd never heard of & a couple from the next zone down. It's very depressing.
Never give up! The struggle is part of the journey.
Nature makes the rules, we have to adapt, humans are really good at it.
We'll be lucky if we have power in 5 years, only the strongest will survive. Vanessa has a 90% advantage over most people already.
We have had some problem with non native snails for quite some time, until this year first the magpies started eating them and then the jackdaw flock learned to do it by watching the magpies example. During mornings a flock would land in our yard and just feast on the snails and in a few days there was none to be seen. Eggs would survive so there would be more snails soon, but the jackdaws would also return. Every year I come to appreciate the surrounding nature and lands more and more. Farming is passion work, I wish good health for your flock and better harvest, good and bad times come in cycles.
Hi Vanessa, this is heart-breaking to see you so down, and I can only imagine the hard work you put in, and all for nothing! It's been a terrible year worldwide, either raging forest fires or floods, causing absolute devastation. It's like Mother Nature is angry! I don't see you as a quitter, and the positives far outweigh the negatives, and you have such an enviable lifestyle, and I don't pretend to know how you manage it all! We saw the happy Vanessa with her animals, which is the inspiration to carry on, and not let this defeat you! With 18 months of Covid, 'pissed off' applies to most of us, and things will get better. So keep inspiring us with your beautiful videos.🌹💗🌹
It's a lot of work. Having a big family and support community goes a long way. Doing by yourself is not easy.
I agree with the last comment.
Nature teaches us to be flexible and that what we want is not always what we need.
Sit back, listen and learn.
Beautiful German Shepard!!!
Never give up. Never back down. Ever. Be strong. You know you can do it !
When you are at the deepest point, you can only go higher.
Fight woman, FIGHT !
Things are going to get worse, not the time to give up.
Awe so sorry Vanessa, I can feel your frustrations with this Gardening and all the poorest results of the work you put so much work in and for all this to happen is so sad. I am loving the puppy so pretty and getting more brave each day. Prayers and many blessings Vanessa.
Started watching your videos yesterday I think and just want to say thank you. Absolutely brilliant.
Frustration and sadness is overcome with jubilation and happiness... Some years are better than others when gardening and farming, you can't give up now. You have too much invested in your farm to get discouraged Vanessa, it's a very beautiful farm and will grow a bounty again. I can see you smiling in the future when it all comes together.