Apply to become an Epic Collaborator: form.typeform.com/to/TXQZsKU4 - I'm so grateful to have Jacques on our team and count him as a dear friend as well as a fantastic gardener. Thank you all for embracing him into the Epic Gardening community - Kevin
Поздрави от другия край на света! :) Гледам си всякакви неща на балкона - праз лук, ягоди, подправки, включително и драконов плод. :D Стискайте палци и благодаря за видеата и уроците! :)
A MD/PhD student runs our school garden. Made a club so 2 of us water it daily on a rotation and ~5-10 of us maintain it on the weekends. We all bring the harvest home whenever we want :)
After I got two stem degrees I was in an accident and became partially disabled. I will never work in my chosen field, and life had some dark moments in store for me. I somehow made it through the other side and have found a renewed purpose again working with plants. I feel like I have a reason to get up in the morning, and a reason to learn things once again. By far the best free therapy I could ever envision. If I could, I would try to work with you in a hot second. Thanks for the 6-cells btw, easily the best trays I've ever tried. Will never purchase any others.
Gardening runs in my family. One of the things my older brother taught me was to grow flowers in the vegetable patch, he said "Just when tired, and hot, and you need to stretch your back you stand up and look across the garden and the flowers bring enough cheer to keep you going and he's right. I've planted flowers in the garden for years now but as I learned I now plant flowers that attract pollinators and beneficial insects, it's still beautiful.
Your never too old or too injured to start a garden. I just turned 70 and due to a pretty bad car accident couldn't do the usual garden but around 2020 took it up again. I am focusing on a food and medicinal garden now and it brings me joy to give food and well as natural medicine to people. Not easy when it turns 100 like today. I did up my own dirt and supplement it, keeps me strong. 😅
I finished my PhD in 2019, didn't land a tenure-track position, and now all I want to do is figure out how to make my church community garden my job. You made the right decision Jaques! 👏
I've been in grad school for six years, got my master's in Sustainability Management, started a PhD, and it's been a downhill grind for four years. I feel the need for passion again in something and definitely relate with growing things, being practical, being outside, and being engaged with the "work" or day to day activities. It sucks your soul out of your nostrils and leaves you burnt out if you can't constantly perform. I'm leaving my PhD, and I'm really happy to have finally decided to do so.
It's truly a grind and a soul crush, I could have finished but saw no path on the other side. Glad to hear you found your path out since it didn't work for you as well! - Jacques
If you’re not ready for a full-time gardening gig like Jacques 😉, you should look into jobs in energy efficiency. If you get a job implementing new projects, it’s a good balance of desk and field work.
Six years is enough time in grad school. If the school can't turn out a PhD in six years, then they are probably short of teaching assistants so they are keeping students around to teach. I left after getting my Masters and it was the best decision I ever made.
My mind is blown. Two years, Jacque?!?! It's inspiring to see what's possible when you commit to a vision and go full out for it. Thanks for sharing your story and keep producing great content, guys!
So cool how Jacques got started! I currently am living at my parents house and convinced my dad to let me start a garden. Last summer, all I had was pots to grow in and this year I convinced him to let me put in two garden beds! I bought a tall and a short Birdies beds and filled them with flowers, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and watermelon. This channel has inspired and helped me learn to garden. In my own future house, I want to turn the entire property into a garden.
I've been waiting on this story!! I love hearing how two of my favorite gardeners met and developed a working relationship. Gardening with you two helped me get through my PhD in 2020!
Started gardening during my PhD too. Made the other choice, and now my garden's pretty much dead and I'm completely stressed about my dissertation getting finished on time. Current verdict- Jacque chose wisely.👏🌱❤
My labmates and I genuinely talk about all quitting our PhDs and starting a bakery + farm + stationary store together. Our PI panics every time we start talking about it because the three of us are his ONLY PhD students and also the only grad students who get stuff done in lab. 😅
I can relate to what Jacques about consuming knowledge. When I discover something that clicks with me I cant learn enough. No phd here but I tell everyone I have a RUclips degree in gardening. Thank you Kevin and Jacques.
It's NEVER to late to pivot to your passion! At 65 yrs, I am gardening, singing more, reading (gardening books, romantic thrillers) more, and spending every minute possible wit kids and grandkids. Life is joyful and fulfilling!
Yeah, I wish I had your life. The life of a scientist and engineer is very rewarding, but it can really take the joys of life away. I wish I could garden for life!!!!!
Fantastic! Raccoons are very smart. We lost 10 of our 17 chickens to raccoons before we were able to remediate the access points. The lumber in front of the doors is NOT overkill!
Jacques, if you were in the lab all day in your Geology program, you were in the wrong program. I became a geologist because I found out I could get paid to hike. Twenty five years later I'm *still* getting paid to hike (although I'm in the classroom more now). You clearly made a good decision, though! I've learned a lot from you and Kevin and my veggie garden is the better for it. And you weren't the only one who read the textbood cover to cover.
I'm in grad school right now for something different from what I did in undergrad and I really feel you on walking away from academia, Jacques. At the end of undergrad I realized what I got my BA in was really more of an interest than a complete passion, and if I continued mostly the only jobs were in academia and I didn't feel like that was for me. Switched to teaching and I am loving it even though it's hard. Good on you for realizing it was time to step away. It can be very hard to do when you've invested so much.
It's tough as I definitely loved geology but the path I took in academia was leading me down a one way road of staying in academia. After being in it for that long I knew I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life. Glad to hear you found your path as well! - Jacques
@@epicgardening I did the same thing...... I quite a PhD Prog w 3 courses to go. Actually was well on my way with the Dissertation, cause I love writing. LOL
My daughter and I love these videos. She was very excited to see the tomatos. She only lasted 8 mins before falling asleep.😴 works everytime. Thanks guys.
It's wild seeing those beginning clips with you two together. I remember watching every single one of those. To see how much the gardens have changed is pretty cool. To see how far the Epic Homestead also is just pretty darn cool
As someone who made the dumb decision to actually get a biochemistry PhD, I’m now in the process of trying to figure out how to get out of the lab and into a garden for a living. I’ve been thinking of a second PhD-in horticulture. Jacques, I think you are my spirit animal. 😂😭😭
RUclips and channels like yours, have gotten me addicted to gardening, i started when i was around 14, from a random recommendation to your channel and ive kept at it since, never stop!
Kevin and Jacques, both of you are so informative and provide gardening know-how. My dad was a master gardener of vegetables. Since I retired from teaching high school choral music, I have been expanding my garden knowledge for the last 10 years, continuing my dad's methods and learning so much from you guys. Definitely my favorite and most entertaining gardening channel!😅 from Southeast Missouri (totally different climate than Southern Cal).
I had an earwig infestation in my vegetable garden and I asked Jacques for some tips and how to get rid of it,I did it and it worked ❤❤,thank you Jack 😊!!!
Wow thank you - I changed from a Pharmacist that was burnt out after 2020 and turned to gardening - I love how we ADHD hyper focus on everything - I did the same thing haha
@@epicgardening hahahaha I just had to force myself to clean up my mess from pruning before some storms. I quote you all day everyday in the garden “ sweet sweet air flow “ hahaha I’m such a dork and get super exited about air flow and spacing.
Love you, Jacques!! Your backyard space is amazing and what you’ve done with it is gorgeous. It’s inspiring to know you’re only a few years in on your gardening experience.
You guys are so laid back and chill but ironically very much on-point with so many horticultural topics. The vibe between you two is a pleasure to witness for sure. A respectable #bromance is what I call it.🤠🤓
I loved your plea for people to share their gardening skills with others. We started our first real garden in 1978 in CT. Each year, we learn something new. Living on cement just south of LA is a challenge, but we manage to grow enough to can/freeze, dehydrate and freeze dry our extras. We try and teach our neighbors and kids how to grow your own.
Was waiting for this video for over a month, you have changed so many lives including mine Jaque, you guys have been helping me through Depression 😢, I started watching the channel a yr a go not knowing anything about Gardening, Fast-forward 1yr I have 69 dragon-fruit Types, and 3 Birdies beds, and. A Beautiful flower garden for my wife.
This is very motivational! 2 years! Impressive. I started my channel last year and it is starting to show some promise. Continued success for the entire Epic Gardening family.
You guys inspire me so much! Jacques I love your aquarius spirit and approach to garden. I totally vibe with it. Thanks for all you do and the honesty in your approach. It helps me feel more confident as a non-traditional gardener!
Kevin...u are awesome. I love the way u promote Jacque. You aren't promoting just yourself. Obviously, you were fine on your own. But you were smart enough to know u cannot do it all on your own. You two together are such a kick. So entertaining. I laugh so much watching u two. Thank you. I wish i lived in your neighborhood. Bye & hugs from Sequim WA... formerly from Temecula
Love this story! Makes me feel better knowing I gave up on what my degree should have done for me, but has yet to even do a fraction of, because clearly you can still live a very fulfilled life. I can't find employment (I've been underemployed since graduating), so I've been gardening a lot.
Just quit my job a few weeks ago, I finally decided that I don't want to work for a boss, I needed Peace & Happiness...☮️ Now im looking at starting my own homestead in South Africa.🇿🇦 Thanks to the whole Epic gardening team for inspiring me to follow my dreams. Yall are always extremely informative aswell as creative and entertaining.😂 Stay Epic, and Keep Smiling. 🌻🤗😋
You guys are GREAT!! I'm on my first year of gardening. I have stuff growing like MAD!! I just jumped in and haven't stopped. I hope to have what the phd guy has one day. 🌻🌿🥀
I started my garden around the same time as Jacques and now have experienced gardeners coming to me for advice. I also literally spend most of my free time absorbing as much knowledge as I can. You can make up a lot of ground if you have time and energy to dedicate to learning a craft or skill. That being said, I still have so much to learn. I only have about 70 sqft of garden space in my front yard and hope to have nearly double that next year as I am taking back a part of my parking lot to expand the garden as I am working with very limited space. People on my block thought I was insane the first year, now I get compliments weekly as there are about 15-20 variety of flowers where grass used to be. I mean, they probably still think I am crazy but at least I'm the crazy man with the nice garden and flower patch
Epic Gardening was the first gardening channels i stumbled across after i killed my first set of storebought starts 4 years ago. From those original 5 blue Lowes buckets to the 50+ containers holding 72 plants i started entirely from seed this year ive used so much of what ive learned off Epic brand channels to make myself a better gardener. I was never a PHD student but i am an engineering school dropout and a self professed research nerd. I want to know how and why things work. Gardrning is sort of like a big science fair project to me. Im 53 and living proof its never too late to start, and that trying something new can be unbelievably rewarding. Gardening has awakened me from my mid life doldrums. Without being too melodramatic, its changed my life. Thanks Kevin and Jacques for giving your knowlege so freely.
Jacques is the best! Love his channel. He is such a great teacher and just a nice guy with a great sense of humor. Glad you both do videos together as well---those are my favorite videos. Fun times.
After I went to college I became a life long learner. I dive 100% into everything I want to know. Including gardening. I'm with you. I spend hours on RUclips these days learning.
Love this story! And the chicken orchard is an amazing idea! I'll have to copy that in the future! I love these little tricks! Way to think out of the box
Long shot Jacques, but would you be happy sharing some of the research you were doing whilst you were a PhD student? Even on a 1:1 basis if not publicly. I paused to read your academic poster on icthyoliths but my eyesight was really not on my side today! I too chose to move away from academia, but I find so much joy in engaging with science and research in my free time. Sending love from my balcony in the UK!
Right there with Jacque, addictive knowledge consumption. I started with growing pumpkins and sunflowers for my daughter one year ago and now I help my local community garden and read at least 10 books and countless hours on RUclips with a variety of channels collecting every little piece of info I could find
Jacque - As a geologist, you would be great at utilizing non-organic parts of the homestead. For instance, making your own bricks from your own soil. Its an area of homesteading which needs leaders, Thanks for the video.
You two are the perfect complement to each other and I love how both of your styles and gardening perspectives have gradually influenced each other’s design. Awesome to learn from you both and even better when you collaborate!
Personally, I would LOVE to see you involve someone who specializes in native plant gardening! Ps.I have gotten so much inspiration from your channel. Thanks guys!
Dear Jacques, I finished the Phd but was never on the publish or perish track ...seemed odd for a therapist...am nearing retirement now n my greatest love, other than family, n my greatest peace n creativity has been my garden. In my next chapter I hope to be brave enough to tell people about the health n spiritual/psychological benefits of gardening...I am shy but teaching how to help others heal felt necessary. Jess from roots n refuge encourages to share what you know even if you don't think you know enough...poor folks live in my suburb south of Boston. How to garden very cheaply n for meditation would be my goal for teaching
Would love more of an update of the chicken orchard! Bought 6 of the tree surrounds since seeing that original video. Figs are growing out nicely here in the Central Valley!
hi kevin & jacques 🤗 ive enjoyed watching jacques over the years on both of your channels. im also a phd student. gardening in my genes 😁. while both are hard work, most days gardening is much more enjoyable and rewarding. im still hanging in there with school, and trying to balance both, but i can see myself turning "jacques" in an instant. tfs
Thank you so very much for this video! I will also pop over to Jacques' channel and follow him. I am headed into retirement and a little homestead. I have never really done more than a little flower pot here and there. I am beyond excited to have found some soul family.
I love hearing your story of how you two became garden buddies! I've been following along for years and it's always fun to hear the story as a "refresh". Love the content, love the team. I too am an epic gardener.
With no little irony, he sounds like me. I was a doctoral student and just burned out. I had gardened several years before and started reading any and everything I could get my hands on. My go to is the Southern Living, but it is only one of many.
Kevin, I remember being so delighted when I discovered you, pre Homestead days! Once Jacques came on board I became a true devotee. Something about his low key encouragement & reuse & recycling of materials that inspires creativity.
Now Im wondering if Jacques occasionaly watches Myron Cook because he brings Geology outside like no one Ive ever seen. Hearing he was a PhD student not only explains why I love his videos so much but exactly why he has such a gorgeous garden after only two years!? He approached it with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and as someone who can relate to wanting to absorb as much as they can and put it in to practice asap; thank you both for putting this stuff out here for everyone. Ill still have to adapt and learn about my particular climate, but yall and others have helped me feel confident enough to get at it. And in part grasp the impermanence of gardening in some respects. Edit: and around 10:30 ish they touch on exactly what I was trying to say!
Doing the hard work of double digging is what gives those great results seen with the corn. I grew paint corn that was supposed to grow 6 feet tall, but it grew to about ten feet or more. Cobs were 12 inches long. Hard work pays off in the garden, especially with hard-pan baked desert soil and the sweltering heat of Western Colorado! I double dig my cannabis gardens every year so I get the best results.
I have doubled dug most of my mother's yard in OC, and because her soil was so poor, I felt it really needed it. It is a LOT of work and time. I have had only a few plant failures (it's not an edible garden) so I feel it was worth the effort.
Love my Epic 6-cell trays. I start almost everything for our 50’x50’ no-dig garden in them. They are even good when I have my little 3 and 5-year-old garden helpers around.
Love you guys friendship and content so much 🥹 I was rewatching some old Walking Dead seasons this past winter and some major recurring themes throughout the show were renewable food resources and self sustainability and it really planted the idea in my head that I wanted to start growing my own food. When I started looking into this more I found you guys on RUclips and you really helped/inspired me to put this into practice and just go for it. So I started my first container garden this year (I rent my house and unfortunately I’m not allowed to mess with any of the land because it’s all landscaped) and I really love that even though you guys both have houses with decent amount of land to work with, you still have plenty of good tips and tricks for those of us that are confined to container gardening. Just wanted to say thanks and show my appreciation ❤🍅🥦🫑🌶️🥒🍓🧄🥔🧅🫐🥬🥕🍇🫛🫚
Seems like all the seeds I save do SO much better the next year! I saved kale from a plant that went to seed after coming back the second year and those are the easiest seeds to germinate.
When Jacques decides he wants to do something he sure doesn't mess around. He already had my respect, but I assumed he had been at it for so much longer than that and my respect just tripled; that is a hell of a spread for a 3rd year garden/gardener
Just ordered The Sustainable Vegetable Garden by J Jeavons from my library! They didn't have How To Grow More Vegetables but this one will be a good start. Thanks for putting the picture on the screen!
Love watching and learning from you both. I do mainly container gardening and started trying a couple things 3 yrs ago. I've branched out and this year am trying several new things due to jacque and his enthusiasm. But also a big part is learning what can be made with the vegetables as we were raised on canned corn and cream corn and occasionally canned peas. Not a fan of the latter but now love my sweet peas. I'm in my 50s and am just discovering new things due to gardeners like you. Thanks for all the great content!
Thank you for introducing me to Jacques! I love watching his channel and learning from another member of the team! I'm by no means a professional gardener but if you're ever interested as to what works really well in Zone 6A here in the greater Boston area, and some of the interesting things we grow here in MA, I'd love to dish! I'm into permaculture after my Alma Mater Umass in Amherst build a very large permaculture garden in front of one of their dining halls to supplement the student farms as a source for fresh produce for Umass Dining. Another interesting place here in Massachusetts is the Farm School which is a small homestead in Athol MA where intermediate/middle school age students have the opportunity to learn farming, gardening, and animal husbandry. They had an adult "learn to farm" program that is currently on hiatus since 2020, but I think they're supposed to bring it back at some point. Awesome backstory!
I feel the Grad School Burnout for sure! I fished my Masters and, luckily, was still able to get a teaching position. Teaching is so much fun! Also, excited to move into my first house next month and really looking forward to having a yard with sun! I have grown in containers off and on with varying degrees of success - never had a very sunny spot! I feel like I am pulling a Jacque and binging as much info as I can right now in preparation to tackle my new garden! I come from a traditional Florida Agriculture family, but I am interested in looking at several different none traditional methods for different parts of the yard - part permaculture and part no dig/organic. Thank you all for all the info!
Epic Garden es un genio en la jardineria los dos juntos ni se diga (gracias por poner sus videos en español para mi en lo personal es de gran veneficio ya que puedo enviárselos a mi familia en México 👍),,...!!!
Kevin & Jacques - two of my favourite and regularly watched gardeners. I have been watching Kevin for 3 yrs now (under my actual name) and I have started my own channel on July 1,2023 to document my journey in creating my Produce Garden (Ontario, Canada) Love how you present your knowledge with humour.
I'm a PhD student in geology. Before I started grad school I was really into sustainable landscaping and native gardening. Its still a hobby despite living in an apartment. I noticed there is actually no native plant nurseries within an hour radius and i have seriously considered starting a business now that Ive bought some land.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Apply to become an Epic Collaborator: form.typeform.com/to/TXQZsKU4 - I'm so grateful to have Jacques on our team and count him as a dear friend as well as a fantastic gardener. Thank you all for embracing him into the Epic Gardening community - Kevin
Поздрави от другия край на света! :) Гледам си всякакви неща на балкона - праз лук, ягоди, подправки, включително и драконов плод. :D Стискайте палци и благодаря за видеата и уроците! :)
He's the brother from another mother 😂
Jacques was a sweet transplant into our EPIC GARDENING ecosystem 🌱🌎❤️
🙋🏾♀️ I would LOVE to work with Epic Gardening!! 🌱🤓❤️
Hey Epic team, I looked for a link in the description on how to work together but I think I missed it, just wanted to make sure I didn't overlook it.
As someone who has considered quitting my PhD to garden I FEEL THIS SO MUCH
Do not quit.
Same here.
I finished PhD and saving money for herbal gardening. It’s a great for mental peace and happiness.
Same here
A MD/PhD student runs our school garden. Made a club so 2 of us water it daily on a rotation and ~5-10 of us maintain it on the weekends. We all bring the harvest home whenever we want :)
After I got two stem degrees I was in an accident and became partially disabled. I will never work in my chosen field, and life had some dark moments in store for me. I somehow made it through the other side and have found a renewed purpose again working with plants. I feel like I have a reason to get up in the morning, and a reason to learn things once again. By far the best free therapy I could ever envision. If I could, I would try to work with you in a hot second. Thanks for the 6-cells btw, easily the best trays I've ever tried. Will never purchase any others.
Jacques left his PhD program & chose THE BEST school ever - nature‼️ Bravo 🌱🤩
Gardening runs in my family. One of the things my older brother taught me was to grow flowers in the vegetable patch, he said "Just when tired, and hot, and you need to stretch your back you stand up and look across the garden and the flowers bring enough cheer to keep you going and he's right. I've planted flowers in the garden for years now but as I learned I now plant flowers that attract pollinators and beneficial insects, it's still beautiful.
Your never too old or too injured to start a garden. I just turned 70 and due to a pretty bad car accident couldn't do the usual garden but around 2020 took it up again. I am focusing on a food and medicinal garden now and it brings me joy to give food and well as natural medicine to people. Not easy when it turns 100 like today. I did up my own dirt and supplement it, keeps me strong. 😅
I finished my PhD in 2019, didn't land a tenure-track position, and now all I want to do is figure out how to make my church community garden my job. You made the right decision Jaques! 👏
I've been in grad school for six years, got my master's in Sustainability Management, started a PhD, and it's been a downhill grind for four years. I feel the need for passion again in something and definitely relate with growing things, being practical, being outside, and being engaged with the "work" or day to day activities. It sucks your soul out of your nostrils and leaves you burnt out if you can't constantly perform. I'm leaving my PhD, and I'm really happy to have finally decided to do so.
It's truly a grind and a soul crush, I could have finished but saw no path on the other side. Glad to hear you found your path out since it didn't work for you as well! - Jacques
If you’re not ready for a full-time gardening gig like Jacques 😉, you should look into jobs in energy efficiency. If you get a job implementing new projects, it’s a good balance of desk and field work.
No!!! Finish what u start!!!
Six years is enough time in grad school. If the school can't turn out a PhD in six years, then they are probably short of teaching assistants so they are keeping students around to teach. I left after getting my Masters and it was the best decision I ever made.
people really do need to wake up and smell the roses.
My mind is blown. Two years, Jacque?!?! It's inspiring to see what's possible when you commit to a vision and go full out for it. Thanks for sharing your story and keep producing great content, guys!
I wish! Haha! I’m so inspired
I appreciate it! Luckily the San Diego seasons gave me the whole year to learn! - Jacques
The chicken orchard is a genius idea!!!
Also, he is an old French man just trapped in a younger man's body
So cool how Jacques got started! I currently am living at my parents house and convinced my dad to let me start a garden. Last summer, all I had was pots to grow in and this year I convinced him to let me put in two garden beds! I bought a tall and a short Birdies beds and filled them with flowers, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and watermelon. This channel has inspired and helped me learn to garden. In my own future house, I want to turn the entire property into a garden.
I've been waiting on this story!! I love hearing how two of my favorite gardeners met and developed a working relationship. Gardening with you two helped me get through my PhD in 2020!
Working relationship?
Congrats on finishing 🎉 - Jacques
@@88jameson88 yes. Working, and good friendship. This was addressed in a Q n A video. They both have partners. Female in nature
Started gardening during my PhD too. Made the other choice, and now my garden's pretty much dead and I'm completely stressed about my dissertation getting finished on time. Current verdict- Jacque chose wisely.👏🌱❤
My labmates and I genuinely talk about all quitting our PhDs and starting a bakery + farm + stationary store together. Our PI panics every time we start talking about it because the three of us are his ONLY PhD students and also the only grad students who get stuff done in lab. 😅
@@ellenkuang8853 let me know if you all ever do 😉
I can relate to what Jacques about consuming knowledge. When I discover something that clicks with me I cant learn enough. No phd here but I tell everyone I have a RUclips degree in gardening.
Thank you Kevin and Jacques.
Those RUclips degrees are real, so much great knowledge on here!
Fr. One of the things that my PhD taught me was how to research. Even if the content is different, I know I can always do the work and learn.
It's NEVER to late to pivot to your passion!
At 65 yrs, I am gardening, singing more, reading (gardening books, romantic thrillers) more, and spending every minute possible wit kids and grandkids.
Life is joyful and fulfilling!
Yeah, I wish I had your life. The life of a scientist and engineer is very rewarding, but it can really take the joys of life away. I wish I could garden for life!!!!!
I always say things in life all happen for a reason! He's an asset to your garden, and you've gained a great friend in the process 🙌🏼
This definitely felt like a fortuitous event and we have definitely become great friends along the way! - Jacques
Fantastic! Raccoons are very smart. We lost 10 of our 17 chickens to raccoons before we were able to remediate the access points. The lumber in front of the doors is NOT overkill!
Jacques, if you were in the lab all day in your Geology program, you were in the wrong program. I became a geologist because I found out I could get paid to hike. Twenty five years later I'm *still* getting paid to hike (although I'm in the classroom more now). You clearly made a good decision, though! I've learned a lot from you and Kevin and my veggie garden is the better for it. And you weren't the only one who read the textbood cover to cover.
I'm in grad school right now for something different from what I did in undergrad and I really feel you on walking away from academia, Jacques. At the end of undergrad I realized what I got my BA in was really more of an interest than a complete passion, and if I continued mostly the only jobs were in academia and I didn't feel like that was for me. Switched to teaching and I am loving it even though it's hard. Good on you for realizing it was time to step away. It can be very hard to do when you've invested so much.
It's tough as I definitely loved geology but the path I took in academia was leading me down a one way road of staying in academia. After being in it for that long I knew I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life. Glad to hear you found your path as well! - Jacques
@@epicgardening I did the same thing...... I quite a PhD Prog w 3 courses to go. Actually was well on my way with the Dissertation, cause I love writing. LOL
My daughter and I love these videos. She was very excited to see the tomatos. She only lasted 8 mins before falling asleep.😴 works everytime. Thanks guys.
It's wild seeing those beginning clips with you two together. I remember watching every single one of those. To see how much the gardens have changed is pretty cool. To see how far the Epic Homestead also is just pretty darn cool
I loved seeing it all together in this video as well, 2 years go fast! - Jacques
As someone who made the dumb decision to actually get a biochemistry PhD, I’m now in the process of trying to figure out how to get out of the lab and into a garden for a living. I’ve been thinking of a second PhD-in horticulture. Jacques, I think you are my spirit animal. 😂😭😭
Your love of teaching and skill shows, Jacques!
RUclips and channels like yours, have gotten me addicted to gardening, i started when i was around 14, from a random recommendation to your channel and ive kept at it since, never stop!
Kevin and Jacques, both of you are so informative and provide gardening know-how. My dad was a master gardener of vegetables. Since I retired from teaching high school choral music, I have been expanding my garden knowledge for the last 10 years, continuing my dad's methods and learning so much from you guys. Definitely my favorite and most entertaining gardening channel!😅 from Southeast Missouri (totally different climate than Southern Cal).
The garden always comes calling again!
Pretty inspiring for a guy like me whose trying to transition into market gardening thanks for that 👍
Jacque is so sweet and speaks directly to my heart and soul 🤗💛
I had an earwig infestation in my vegetable garden and I asked Jacques for some tips and how to get rid of it,I did it and it worked ❤❤,thank you Jack 😊!!!
Did he do a video on it? Is there anything you could share? Earwigs are my biggest pest in the garden! They eat my salvia and dahlias!
Great job guys ❤ your garden . Long live your passion of epic garden and homestead.
Wow thank you - I changed from a Pharmacist that was burnt out after 2020 and turned to gardening - I love how we ADHD hyper focus on everything - I did the same thing haha
Sometimes that ADHD comes in handy, just not when I need to clean up after myself 😂 - Jacques
@@epicgardening hahahaha I just had to force myself to clean up my mess from pruning before some storms. I quote you all day everyday in the garden “ sweet sweet air flow “ hahaha I’m such a dork and get super exited about air flow and spacing.
Love you, Jacques!! Your backyard space is amazing and what you’ve done with it is gorgeous. It’s inspiring to know you’re only a few years in on your gardening experience.
Jacques’s instruction has dramatically improved my seedling success.
You guys are so laid back and chill but ironically very much on-point with so many horticultural topics. The vibe between you two is a pleasure to witness for sure. A respectable #bromance is what I call it.🤠🤓
I loved your plea for people to share their gardening skills with others. We started our first real garden in 1978 in CT. Each year, we learn something new. Living on cement just south of LA is a challenge, but we manage to grow enough to can/freeze, dehydrate and freeze dry our extras. We try and teach our neighbors and kids how to grow your own.
That's so cool! Almost 30 years?! You probably know so much.
Was waiting for this video for over a month, you have changed so many lives including mine Jaque, you guys have been helping me through Depression 😢, I started watching the channel a yr a go not knowing anything about Gardening, Fast-forward 1yr I have 69 dragon-fruit Types, and 3 Birdies beds, and. A Beautiful flower garden for my wife.
So happy Jacques joined your Team. Enjoy his informative videos. 👌
This is very motivational! 2 years! Impressive. I started my channel last year and it is starting to show some promise. Continued success for the entire Epic Gardening family.
I LOVE JACQUES
You guys inspire me so much! Jacques I love your aquarius spirit and approach to garden. I totally vibe with it. Thanks for all you do and the honesty in your approach. It helps me feel more confident as a non-traditional gardener!
Kevin...u are awesome. I love the way u promote Jacque. You aren't promoting just yourself. Obviously, you were fine on your own. But you were smart enough to know u cannot do it all on your own. You two together are such a kick. So entertaining. I laugh so much watching u two. Thank you. I wish i lived in your neighborhood. Bye & hugs from Sequim WA... formerly from Temecula
Love this story! Makes me feel better knowing I gave up on what my degree should have done for me, but has yet to even do a fraction of, because clearly you can still live a very fulfilled life. I can't find employment (I've been underemployed since graduating), so I've been gardening a lot.
Just quit my job a few weeks ago, I finally decided that I don't want to work for a boss, I needed Peace & Happiness...☮️
Now im looking at starting my own homestead in South Africa.🇿🇦
Thanks to the whole Epic gardening team for inspiring me to follow my dreams. Yall are always extremely informative aswell as creative and entertaining.😂
Stay Epic, and Keep Smiling. 🌻🤗😋
Loved this episode of the back story! I’m really glad you made the decision to jump into Epic. The both of you are a great team.
You guys are GREAT!! I'm on my first year of gardening. I have stuff growing like MAD!! I just jumped in and haven't stopped. I hope to have what the phd guy has one day. 🌻🌿🥀
Really enjoy you two together growing and spreading all that you know!
I feel lucky to be able to! - Jacques
Jacques is my spirit animal. Just started my garden last month. I’m HOOKED
This depresses me as a healthcare student by force. Dude is living my dream life. Thanks for the book rec!
I started my garden around the same time as Jacques and now have experienced gardeners coming to me for advice. I also literally spend most of my free time absorbing as much knowledge as I can. You can make up a lot of ground if you have time and energy to dedicate to learning a craft or skill. That being said, I still have so much to learn.
I only have about 70 sqft of garden space in my front yard and hope to have nearly double that next year as I am taking back a part of my parking lot to expand the garden as I am working with very limited space.
People on my block thought I was insane the first year, now I get compliments weekly as there are about 15-20 variety of flowers where grass used to be. I mean, they probably still think I am crazy but at least I'm the crazy man with the nice garden and flower patch
Epic Gardening was the first gardening channels i stumbled across after i killed my first set of storebought starts 4 years ago. From those original 5 blue Lowes buckets to the 50+ containers holding 72 plants i started entirely from seed this year ive used so much of what ive learned off Epic brand channels to make myself a better gardener.
I was never a PHD student but i am an engineering school dropout and a self professed research nerd. I want to know how and why things work. Gardrning is sort of like a big science fair project to me.
Im 53 and living proof its never too late to start, and that trying something new can be unbelievably rewarding. Gardening has awakened me from my mid life doldrums. Without being too melodramatic, its changed my life.
Thanks Kevin and Jacques for giving your knowlege so freely.
Jacques out here living the dream of every PhD student lol. good on you getting out and doing better for yourself dude 👏
Studied Ag decades ago and now I grow food in my suburban front yard. Thanks for all the info and the humor along the way.
Jacques is the best! Love his channel. He is such a great teacher and just a nice guy with a great sense of humor. Glad you both do videos together as well---those are my favorite videos. Fun times.
After I went to college I became a life long learner. I dive 100% into everything I want to know. Including gardening. I'm with you. I spend hours on RUclips these days learning.
Love this story! And the chicken orchard is an amazing idea! I'll have to copy that in the future! I love these little tricks! Way to think out of the box
Long shot Jacques, but would you be happy sharing some of the research you were doing whilst you were a PhD student? Even on a 1:1 basis if not publicly. I paused to read your academic poster on icthyoliths but my eyesight was really not on my side today! I too chose to move away from academia, but I find so much joy in engaging with science and research in my free time. Sending love from my balcony in the UK!
The chemistry between you two is one of my favorite parts of your channel!
Right there with Jacque, addictive knowledge consumption. I started with growing pumpkins and sunflowers for my daughter one year ago and now I help my local community garden and read at least 10 books and countless hours on RUclips with a variety of channels collecting every little piece of info I could find
What was your best gardening read?
Why is Jacques the most adorable and amazing human ever?! Adore him! 💚🤌🏼
Jacque - As a geologist, you would be great at utilizing non-organic parts of the homestead. For instance, making your own bricks from your own soil. Its an area of homesteading which needs leaders, Thanks for the video.
Thanks guys, love the back story and can see the outstanding results! Cheers from Australia. 👍
Learning from others yet thinking outside the box. Very good!
You two are the perfect complement to each other and I love how both of your styles and gardening perspectives have gradually influenced each other’s design. Awesome to learn from you both and even better when you collaborate!
Personally, I would LOVE to see you involve someone who specializes in native plant gardening!
Ps.I have gotten so much inspiration from your channel. Thanks guys!
Dear Jacques, I finished the Phd but was never on the publish or perish track ...seemed odd for a therapist...am nearing retirement now n my greatest love, other than family, n my greatest peace n creativity has been my garden. In my next chapter I hope to be brave enough to tell people about the health n spiritual/psychological benefits of gardening...I am shy but teaching how to help others heal felt necessary. Jess from roots n refuge encourages to share what you know even if you don't think you know enough...poor folks live in my suburb south of Boston. How to garden very cheaply n for meditation would be my goal for teaching
It was so great to hear how you two met and also to hear about Jacques background. Thank you.
You've gotta do what makes you happy. Just pre-ordered the book on Epic Gardening!
I dont have *ANY* land to farm but i follow both of you! Inspiration for me that Jacques can become such a great farmer just after 2 years.
Would love more of an update of the chicken orchard! Bought 6 of the tree surrounds since seeing that original video. Figs are growing out nicely here in the Central Valley!
So proud of you two and your growing team! Lots of laughs and education. Keep on diggin!
Jack I relate with you so much! Love from Greece! 🇬🇷
hi kevin & jacques 🤗
ive enjoyed watching jacques over the years on both of your channels.
im also a phd student. gardening in my genes 😁. while both are hard work, most days gardening is much more enjoyable and rewarding. im still hanging in there with school, and trying to balance both, but i can see myself turning "jacques" in an instant. tfs
Thank you so very much for this video! I will also pop over to Jacques' channel and follow him. I am headed into retirement and a little homestead. I have never really done more than a little flower pot here and there. I am beyond excited to have found some soul family.
I knew I had a connection with Jacques. I too am a geologist. Love what you are doing here !!
I love hearing your story of how you two became garden buddies! I've been following along for years and it's always fun to hear the story as a "refresh". Love the content, love the team. I too am an epic gardener.
With no little irony, he sounds like me. I was a doctoral student and just burned out. I had gardened several years before and started reading any and everything I could get my hands on. My go to is the Southern Living, but it is only one of many.
Kevin, I remember being so delighted when I discovered you, pre Homestead days! Once Jacques came on board I became a true devotee. Something about his low key encouragement & reuse & recycling of materials that inspires creativity.
Now Im wondering if Jacques occasionaly watches Myron Cook because he brings Geology outside like no one Ive ever seen. Hearing he was a PhD student not only explains why I love his videos so much but exactly why he has such a gorgeous garden after only two years!? He approached it with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and as someone who can relate to wanting to absorb as much as they can and put it in to practice asap; thank you both for putting this stuff out here for everyone. Ill still have to adapt and learn about my particular climate, but yall and others have helped me feel confident enough to get at it. And in part grasp the impermanence of gardening in some respects.
Edit: and around 10:30 ish they touch on exactly what I was trying to say!
Doing the hard work of double digging is what gives those great results seen with the corn. I grew paint corn that was supposed to grow 6 feet tall, but it grew to about ten feet or more. Cobs were 12 inches long. Hard work pays off in the garden, especially with hard-pan baked desert soil and the sweltering heat of Western Colorado! I double dig my cannabis gardens every year so I get the best results.
I have doubled dug most of my mother's yard in OC, and because her soil was so poor, I felt it really needed it. It is a LOT of work and time. I have had only a few plant failures (it's not an edible garden) so I feel it was worth the effort.
Love my Epic 6-cell trays. I start almost everything for our 50’x50’ no-dig garden in them. They are even good when I have my little 3 and 5-year-old garden helpers around.
This is when the student becomes a master. Congrats to both of you and making a huge impact on our lives too.
Love you guys friendship and content so much 🥹 I was rewatching some old Walking Dead seasons this past winter and some major recurring themes throughout the show were renewable food resources and self sustainability and it really planted the idea in my head that I wanted to start growing my own food. When I started looking into this more I found you guys on RUclips and you really helped/inspired me to put this into practice and just go for it. So I started my first container garden this year (I rent my house and unfortunately I’m not allowed to mess with any of the land because it’s all landscaped) and I really love that even though you guys both have houses with decent amount of land to work with, you still have plenty of good tips and tricks for those of us that are confined to container gardening. Just wanted to say thanks and show my appreciation ❤🍅🥦🫑🌶️🥒🍓🧄🥔🧅🫐🥬🥕🍇🫛🫚
I think Jacques has a hollistic symbiotic thinking i love it 💕 I feel like im Jacques from 2 yrs ago as im beginning to garden seriously! 😻
i love my adhd rabbit hole knowledge consumption, its wild & fun but i no way have the physical strength to do the 2 dig method 😅
Seems like all the seeds I save do SO much better the next year! I saved kale from a plant that went to seed after coming back the second year and those are the easiest seeds to germinate.
When Jacques decides he wants to do something he sure doesn't mess around. He already had my respect, but I assumed he had been at it for so much longer than that and my respect just tripled; that is a hell of a spread for a 3rd year garden/gardener
Wow, I would have never thought you two had just met, your chemistry is incredible! You were meant to garden together.
Just ordered The Sustainable Vegetable Garden by J Jeavons from my library! They didn't have How To Grow More Vegetables but this one will be a good start. Thanks for putting the picture on the screen!
Love watching and learning from you both. I do mainly container gardening and started trying a couple things 3 yrs ago. I've branched out and this year am trying several new things due to jacque and his enthusiasm. But also a big part is learning what can be made with the vegetables as we were raised on canned corn and cream corn and occasionally canned peas. Not a fan of the latter but now love my sweet peas. I'm in my 50s and am just discovering new things due to gardeners like you. Thanks for all the great content!
Jacques may your garden and success continue to grow
Thank you for introducing me to Jacques! I love watching his channel and learning from another member of the team! I'm by no means a professional gardener but if you're ever interested as to what works really well in Zone 6A here in the greater Boston area, and some of the interesting things we grow here in MA, I'd love to dish! I'm into permaculture after my Alma Mater Umass in Amherst build a very large permaculture garden in front of one of their dining halls to supplement the student farms as a source for fresh produce for Umass Dining. Another interesting place here in Massachusetts is the Farm School which is a small homestead in Athol MA where intermediate/middle school age students have the opportunity to learn farming, gardening, and animal husbandry. They had an adult "learn to farm" program that is currently on hiatus since 2020, but I think they're supposed to bring it back at some point. Awesome backstory!
This garden is incredible. The flowers, the density and lushness of all the veggies. Goals!!!!!
This makes me so hopeful that I can develop my property with hard work and the knowledge that you both share. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
I feel the Grad School Burnout for sure! I fished my Masters and, luckily, was still able to get a teaching position. Teaching is so much fun! Also, excited to move into my first house next month and really looking forward to having a yard with sun! I have grown in containers off and on with varying degrees of success - never had a very sunny spot! I feel like I am pulling a Jacque and binging as much info as I can right now in preparation to tackle my new garden! I come from a traditional Florida Agriculture family, but I am interested in looking at several different none traditional methods for different parts of the yard - part permaculture and part no dig/organic. Thank you all for all the info!
Am I the only person amazed that Jacques doesn't have 1M subscribers? His channel is gold.
Thank you Kevin and Jacques for this episode!
I wish I can quit my job right now and start an Epic Garden like yours and Jacques'. It's my dream!
Epic Garden es un genio en la jardineria los dos juntos ni se diga (gracias por poner sus videos en español para mi en lo personal es de gran veneficio ya que puedo enviárselos a mi familia en México 👍),,...!!!
Kevin & Jacques - two of my favourite and regularly watched gardeners. I have been watching Kevin for 3 yrs now (under my actual name) and I have started my own channel on July 1,2023 to document my journey in creating my Produce Garden (Ontario, Canada)
Love how you present your knowledge with humour.
I'm a PhD student in geology. Before I started grad school I was really into sustainable landscaping and native gardening. Its still a hobby despite living in an apartment. I noticed there is actually no native plant nurseries within an hour radius and i have seriously considered starting a business now that Ive bought some land.