Huw, it was so nice hearing your answers to the viewers' questions. You don't feel the need to be the expert in every area - like seed saving. Your humility is refreshing.
Thank you! It is impossible to be the expert in every area, and quite frankly I would get sucked further into 'the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know' camp😂 I can't overwhelm myself with too much lol
On one hand I agree, on the other, it's not as unusual among kids/young folks raised in more old fashioned ways ( the good ones), and have been involved in things like a family business, gardening, farming or homesteading/raising animals etc. , rural life or out in nature a lot, with the focus more ON nature than on, say, skiing or some other more intense or noisy sport or activity. Sorry, that was long ! I do applaud Huw, he's definitely even more mature than most ! But amongst my own family and in some of my friends's, not totally unusual either :).
I love your passion for good dirt. That is what got me into growing food in the first place. First I loved the worms. I now teach all the children that come through my day care how to take care of the worms and the soil etc.
I am in the Netherlands , and food forests are doing great here. Tastewise, i find that there are so many possibilities. There are plenty of tasty ones. But it's a personal thing, when it comes to taste.
@@driespeeters2349 i have never had a frikandellebroodje. Who knows, you might find it. You do have mushrooms tasting like lobster, another one like chicken, another close to a beefsteak. you have fruits tasting like dark caramel etc.
Hi Huw. I liked your Q&A format very much. Good variety of questions and clear answers from an experienced gardener. The sound was fine for me. I live in New York State and started gardening at around 12 years of age over 50 years ago. Gardening has not ceased to interest me yet. Thanks for your wonderful videos and your work to promote agriculture and to educate people.
Gotta disagree on food forests & perennials. Ideally, you have a good mix of your harvests out of the food forest & annuals. I have an incredible amount of food coming out of mine & I'm in the very north of Scotland & moving towards 20 years in. We've turned it from a non-productive field of rushes to mixed woodland interspersed with loads of fruit trees & pockets of perennial veg, soft fruit, herbs, mushrooms. Its created a unique microclimate that allows me to successfully grow fruit that most of my neighbours cannot & supports an incredible amount of wildlife as well.
Diversity is resilience. We can't feed the world with just perennials, but we also can't feed the world with just annuals. Huw talks about the importance of diversity in the garden and perennials are part of that. Animals are part of that. Annuals are part of that. Life supports life.
I agree with you, although I don't have one myself yet ( have had to move 3 times recently). I've watched James Prigioni's channel and his food forest grow, and how MUCH production he gets out of a relatively small yard. With a small/urban yard, this can obviously depend on whether or not your neighbor's trees shade you too much, where your underground utilities are, etc. etc. ( I hate it when people only talk about the size, as if everyone's 1/4 acre yard is equal... ). I do understand Huw's cautions, for people new to it or to it's components. Just like with beginning gardening, it's often best to start a little smaller than you want to ( at least for most, maybe not for the overly cautious types) or learn, get more hands-on experience by working for someone else a bit 1st. One more thing, on keeping things healthy, plants and trees alive... although knowing what IS your fault is good, like not enough air-circulation space left and issues with fungi and aphids as a result, it's also great to learn from Mark Sheppard's S.T.U.N. approach, as much as one can possibly afford to. For more on that (very enlightening ! ) go find Justin Rhodes interview with Mark Entitled in part with : S.T.U.N. . It's also found by going to his ( Justin's) Y.T. playlist " The Great American Farm Tour" , (quite a ways down it).
and for British Food Foresters look for books by Martin Crawford, Alex Carter, Anni Kelsey or "Cairn Of Dunn Croft Permaculture" or "Freedom Forest Permaculture" on YT - there are many more, just from the topm of my head in the middle of the night 🙄
I think part of the issue may be that food forest has no set definition. James has raised beds and grows annuals. Plenty of gardeners have fruit trees and bushes/vines and perennial vegetables without calling it a food forest. And too many trees (like a real forest) will make things too shady for things to grow as strongly.
@@rik80280 yes, it has no set definition but, the idea is that its not a garden of just beds & borders of say fruit trees or shrubs. Although it will be different depending on your space & climate. Mine is more like a series of interspersed guilds in young, mixed woodland to create microclimate & habitat for wildlife spread over many acres. But, no matter the size, the idea is that you utilise all the "layers" you would see in a woodland with areas of varying amounts of shade, dappled shade, sunny woodland edges & clearings etc.
I know of a few food forests much further North than Wales that are thriving sources of great abundance, but it needs to be seen as something done for the future, it isn't going to feed you a lot of food in the short term. I think it comes down to preferences and priorities a lot more than your answer makes out - e.g. I'd personally much rather be pruning trees than be down on my knees working on the ground with annuals. It would be nice to hear you do a discussion on the pros and cons of food forests with someone that has one in a temperature climate - I'm sure someone like Keith at Canadian Permaculture Legacy would be willing to do a collaborative video on it.
I'm also interested in not necessarily a food forest per se ( tho I'm also interested in one, too) but a permaculture orchard next to and, mixed hedgerows bordering & maybe in the garden ( if it's a big garden, &/or just some perennials/flowers, herbs, fruits like strawberries maybe, on ends of beds or rows, throughout). The beneficial hedgerows as seen on Curtis Stone (aka the Urban Farmer) interview vlog with Singing Frog's Farm, on theirs. Really, really inspiring stuff. Just being near a woods, meadow and grassy waterway on the neighbor's property, in my new garden this past summer in my landlord's VERY unhealthy, VERY compacted, dead, dry, sandy soil ( didn't know sand could get that rock-hard !!!) in his yard. I did use my broadfork some 1st, then covered with paper or cardboard, just barely enough compost, of just barely decent enough quality ( turned out to be too sandy too ) in rows and hills to plant into, and hay and woodchips for paths and mulches. It did quite well, considering it was also an unusually dry year and probably needed a bit more water, sooner than I provided it. Anyways, I had a LOT of frogs - tree and leopard- coming in right away, and snakes which apparently eat them ( saw one eat one :( ), and even a REAL ladybug later, on my beans !! So rare to see here in Wisconsin, USA in recent decades. Anyways, I also would rather have at least maximum amount of foods and medicinals growing in my yard/land, which are either perennials OR readily re-seed themselves successfully.
Your 12yo videos are absolutely darling! And look at you now! I only just found you today, so I'm binge watching, instead of taking down Christmas decorations. I'm hooked! You're just adorable and full of wonderful information. Totally subscribed to you and excited to keep on learning. I'm 55yo and just started gardening a few years ago.
Leeks and peas - yes!! And perennial greens - good King Henry, Perennial kale, dandelions and nettles!! My 11 year old grandson loves purslane ... and small fruits ❤
I love your channel, Huw-it’s been so helpful to me. Our climate here in New Jersey (USA) is so varied that I seek out RUclips advice from gardeners around the world. For anyone interested in the concept of the food forest, I highly recommend the RUclips channel of a fellow New Jersey gardener, James Prigioni. His garden is great, his videos are great, and his dog is GREAT!
I have a small fifteen year old "forest garden/food forest/ woodland edge garden" coincidentally also in Wales but much further North than Huws gardens (just outside the Snowdonia National park). It isn't perfect, presents many challenges (and opportunities), it changes and evolves constantly but produces an increasingly diverse range of food and other useful products every year. I believe it to be a useful "testbed" for research and discovery for temperature agroecology. I also have small areas outside the forest garden for more conventional annual food crops. Yes forest gardens are better known in a tropical environment, I've seen a very interesting example in Thailand (at Promlok) however they can also be very successful in temperate environments as many individuals and groups are discovering. However there is much left to discover and learn about such systems and "one size fits all" is not really appropriate.
My question for you would be if you ever thought about adding mushrooms to your garden. I have seen starter bags for oyster and shiitake mushrooms online. I just recently discovered your channel and I am really amazed at how good you are able to explain everything even to someone who has not done a whole lot of gardening before. I am a student, currently living in a shared flat without a balcony, but every so often I feel this yearning for my own garden and just decided to join an urban gardening club in my city where they transform vacant lots into public gardens.
I live in sub tropics, Florida, United States. I love your live video, and want more. I am a gardener, homesteader.. I love all your tips and tricks. I use sides on my raised beds, and I feel it best to keep animals out of the garden, alittle better, and with all my sandy natural soil, keep up the great work.
I’ve enjoyed watching you grow on your channel I’ve only watched for about 8 years which is when I started growing my own food , but I’ve always liked the way you encourage people to try something to see if it works rather than saying , “this is how to do it” The Q&A was interesting too, I’ve also struggled with growing beetroot and swedes so I’m going to try to sow earlier and see if I get better results. So thanks for taking the trouble to do that video.
This might be a bit off-topic, but for those who grow and can beets, but the family isn't really thrilled with eating them, try this. Drain and fry in butter in a cast iron skillet. I discovered this recently, and now I can barely wait to grow and can more of them. Absolutely delicious!
I've also done more of just storing them in the cold-room, to bake later, (or to can later, if they're starting to go bad b4 I've eaten enough). That sounds very tasty !
This was so fun! For spring's Q & A: If I've topped up beds with high-quality compost, how soon before I should start to think about feeding the soil? Right away? Or wait until some of those nutrients have been used up before adding more?
I started a food forest last year that's going really well, but I live in sub-tropical Georgia. The plants have doubled in size over the winter and last year I already had muscadine grapes, peaches, and berries out of it. I'm adding more native trees to it this year and I'll have to prune the blackberry bushes soon because they went totally wild like they do here... I can't imagine trying to do it when I lived in a colder climate. It would be probably 4 years or more before I had anything worth mentioning from it.
Canada Zone5 2nd year going well 1/4 acre section. Enjoying the process. The best time to plant a food forest...yesterday, last month, last year, 10 yrs ago😁
Way cool! Haven't heard the word, muscadine, in forever! I'll be moving south this year. Any advice on where to get some muscadine starts, seeds, clones or whatever? Or, did you just find them in the woods? I recall doing that as a child. LOVE their flavor! Also, have you ever heard of dewberries? And, do you think it's possible to grow poke salat as a crop vs going out and hunting for it??
@@libbyholt3863 there's a nursery called Ison's that sells Muscadine starts of all sorts. Some of the plants they shipped me were dead though so I would try one of the many local nurseries instead. Poke grows all over and I don't know anything about propagating it. I wouldn't personally because I don't want it reseeding all over my garden.
I stopped by to say Hi! How. Don’t have your rainfall or climate, so I usually move on. Miss ya and miss seeing your beautiful gardens. Bless you Central US
Here I am in Victoria, Australia mid afternoon on a 32deg C Summer's day watching this wonderful Winter Q&A, and enjoying every minute. On Permaculture and flat land - I've often thought that the persistent idea that it's only for steep land comes from plots that were difficult to farm (hilly, rocky, patchy) were cheap to come by and those who wanted to improve them using materials and nouse at hand were the people with the Permaculture mindset. Heaven knows there are/were loads of properties like that available here in Aus when Bill Mollison and David Holmgren began to devise the system. The Principals apply to any land anywhere, as you say and, as a system, is always developing and improving as we learn. Thanks for an informative and interesting video Huw, and an early Happy Birthday to you!
An earlier video of yours convinced me to try yellow beetroots and I cannot wait to see how they taste in the upcoming growing season. You make them sound so delicious.
i'm not a good gardener but the most reliable thing is my sorrel and lovage coming back strong every year. idk about lots of perennials but i love having such low-effort greens that come up even if i forget about them entirely.
Love this idea of Q&A! For spring's Q & A: When you make your planting plan, what do you do if something takes longer to mature than you originally expected and thus throws off your succession planting plan? I'd love some tips on how you remain flexible with unexpected things like that (and what do you do with the little seedlings that are ready to be transplanted, but can't because your first harvest isn't ready)
I agree regarding growing winter crops, it also reduces some of the gluts you have in the summer, because the land is growing winter crops. Also some winter crops are your second crop of the year so a good use of the land.
Great insight into your motivation and principals. I started up my garden last season and love your thoughts on your projects. There is a lot I can adapt.
There's food forests, and then there's forests built from food producing plants. The goal of the first is to maximize direct benefit for humans. The goal of the second is to build a garden that mimics the natural ecosystem.
Hey Huw. I discovered your channel few weeks ago. And watched sooooo many videos. I learned so much. In February I will have my second child. I live in Germany. In a small village near mountains and we have almost the same climates like you. Of course the summer is a bit warmer I think. My grandparents had a huge garden. They had all vegetables and fruits they know. No exotics like pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini . They lived in 2. world war, so beans cabbage potatoes carrots and make them last through winter were essential. They had some herbs and many flowers and fruit trees. It was always my dream to have such a garden. Go outside and eat strawberries right from the plant. We rent a house. Already have compost since many years. This year I want to start planting. And why the garden is not my own I have to respect the owners wishes not to destroy the grass. So I think I can make about 3 raised bed 1,20mx1,00m. I do plan to have a vertical planting area. After weeks of watching and searching. If RUclips speak about „small garden vegetables growing“it’s still that much space almost none of us have. It’s not small 😂 and there are no RUclipsr I could found except 1, that shows real small space to grow. Even the cooperations you filmed such beautiful gardens. But if the title says „small garden“ … it’s still huge for me. So videos and experimental planting would be great. Now I learned that I should rotate the crops/plants from year to year in the beds. Because of pests etc that can live in the soil. So with three or four beds I found it difficult to plan. And companion planing plus extra flowers to keep everything healthy and like nature does. If it’s not your topic that’s ok. But maybe you know someone and can make a video and interview about us gardeners with less than around 15m2. There is a Korean women live here in Germany. Here on RUclips. She moved now into a farm house. But look at her „garden“ and harvest on the balcony. It’s unbelievable. Her videos are so beautiful like art and amazing. „Her82m“ is the Channel. Maybe you already know her. And another question. Please could you implement the name of some plants and variations you plant. For us not native English speaker plus the accent plus differences to US English it’s sometimes hard to understand. Ok sorry for that long comment. I learned sooooo much from you. And the lovely guests on your channel. My main question. How to rotate planting with just few beds? Greetings from Germany. 😊
Greetings from Wisconsin, USA ( also, I'm descendants of mostly Germans, who came to US in late 1800s) ! I watch Charles Dowding's RUclips channel, and he is also a lot like Huw in how He grows (except doesn't use raised beds much, at least with wooden sides, too much slug habitat for his climate). Anyways, he says that crop rotation is mostly a myth which is not necessary after all. I know it seems to make sense, but he is a VERY experienced gardener, and learned that it's not. Even so, he continues to do trials/tests on his beliefs, to compare to other parts of his garden, and shows us the results, whatever they may be. He's a wonderful person and you'll enjoy his channel too ! He also has some truly small areas of his yard on which he's shown some "small garden" ideas for, this past year. For more help finding ideas for very small gardens, you may want to try searching using words such as " Micro" & " Balcony" " Tiny" etc. . Hope that helps a little ! Also, you may be able to find a neighbor who will rent or otherwise allow you to use their yard or piece of land, who doesn't mind you killing the grass. Maybe in exchange for sharing produce with them... . Or even just a corner of someone's garden who doesn't use all their space anymore, to use in addition to your space at home. By the way, here we have a variety of strawberry called " Ft. Laramie" (Ft meaning Fort) which is an every-bearing variety which also fruits on it's runners, so is recommended as good for in hanging baskets :) . It's also very winter-hardy (but I would put the baskets in a garage or basement to protect the roots from too much cold, over the winter, if keep in baskets/pots).
Hi Jana, I find the channel 'Gartengemüsekiosk' very useful, they started out quite small as well. If you have 4 raised beds, say, arranged as a square, then just rotate it clockwise each year. My own garden is average size and I transformed it recently from a lawn into a space occupied with a greeenhouse, 9 raised beds, lots of berry bushes, grape plants and a few small trees. I am running out of space as well, but I use a border wall with a height of 1 m as growing space using 1 m long 'Balkonkästen' in which I grow 5 strawberries each. Additionally I use the top of the storage area for the bins for the same purpose. But strawberries in pots prefer deep pots, not large shallow pots. I grow the Ostara's, which produce from May to November. At the edge of plastered walkways you can do the same alongside the edges. If you have wooden dividers or metal fences on your property, fix a bird netting onto it if necessary, use climbers like cucumbers, peas or beans to cover them vertically. For raised beds I use the one's you get from Beckmann KG, the one's in black and I always order 2 additional sections on top to make them 1 m high, no bending down required and good for my back. If you have a terrace or balcony, use large planting pots for additional growing space.
@@biggifront juhu. Vielen Dank. Den Channel kenne ich. Auch ihren online Shop. Vielen Dank für deine tollen tips. Den Garten würde ich gerne mal sehen. Schade das es dazu keine Videos gibt ☀️☺️ und sowas fehlt mir einfach auf RUclips. Zu wenige haben „echte“ kleine Gärten. Ein kleiner Garten ist nicht 700m2 und ein Balkon zum Gärtnern ist nicht eine 60m2 dachterasse. Ich versuche mir nur so viele Ideen wie möglich zu sammeln. Auch das vertikale zu entdecken. Von dem spicy moustache (hoffe hab das richtig geschrieben) hier auf RUclips habe ich auch schon einiges gelernt. Auf kleinen Raum, viel Anbau. Also Danke für die Tipps.
@@jana8363 Hi, Jana! Did you get any inheritance from your grandparents' land ? It would be great if you would have. In my country, land is very expensive, so most rely on inheritances.
A bit off topic, but wanted to say the books arrived down under. They are an incredible body of work and we are both thoroughly enjoying devouring the content as we build the new vege garden having finished the Kangaroo and Wallaby proof fencing. Thank you
I built my first raised beds using old roof tiles. I got them for free from Facebook Marketplace. I dug out a three inch trench, stood the tiles in then filled in around them. With hindsight I made them too big - I have to step into the beds to reach things in the middle, so this spring I am going to remove the tiles and pile the compost in a bit to make the beds smaller. Then I'll reuse the tiles to make my next set of beds as I expand my growing area.
For those like me, renters, I put together a 'worm farm's consisting of 2 totes, some coir, and the worms were right outside the door. 'Red Wigglers' are native here. West coast of Canada. It should not smell. I don't add any animal products (dairy, meat) or from the citrus or allium family (garlic, onions, leeks, lemons etc). Watch the moisture content, it should be moist but definitely not soggy. Like most composts the smaller the pieces the better. The worms will eat paper, cardboard as long as it doesn't have any plastic coating (shiny finishes). It's wonderful stuff for indoor plants and the garden.
Yes. MIGardener did a great video on setting up a simple system (in one's basement even) and he recommends using an old/cheap/extra blender to crush up the food scraps so they can eat it way sooner, it festers less.
Huw, your RUclips content and books are just amazing and has been such an inspiration over the past 2 years as I am a newer gardener. Q&A question for spring: I have a raised bed with fairly dead soil-it just struggles to grow anything! I'm wondering what you recommend to bring fertility back into the bed: do you recommend digging in some compost nice and deep throughout the bed, or should I go with more of a no-dig method and just put a thick layer on top? (for context, this bed faces south, with a fence directly behind it, and I live in high-altitude Colorado, so this bed gets a LOT of sun and heat, and keeping consistent moisture levels is a STRUGGLE)
This was lovely, thanks for this! I also enjoy keeping cold hardy veg over the winter. I think I should try to expand my selection too. And I just posted a video of my winter garden in Canada Thanks again! Great job 👍
I really enjoy you're gardening programmes Huw, I especially love your approach of being flexible and responsive to your garden. I did a lot of mulching and cover crops last year which really helped the plants through the drought. I tend to go with my own instinct, sometimes it's works beautifully and other times it's a flop but it's always learning which is just the best thing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us all, it's so valuable and appreciated
If you want to harvest peas and leeks at the same time, try the summer leek “Hilari” - I harvest that from July outdoors, but younger, smaller stalks as early as late May under cover!
Or freeze your peas. I had a delicious stir fry just last night with leeks and snow peas that I had frozen back in June. Or freeze some leeks to save for when the peas are fresh.
I have used tree trimming logs for the sides of my raised beds. I'm in US Midwest, and have mostly clay. The logs have been a huge blessing for holding water for longer periods and bringing in fungi. We use all local tree trimmings for everything.
Cool ! I'm in the Midwest as well, and grew up on heavy clay soil. Which usually holds water all too well... no-till and using mulches, creating healthier soil structure and life, has helped a LOT :). For me, it helped to learn from Charles Dowding ( also very, very experienced gardener, great channel on YT, doing "no-dig" in recent decades, in SW England) that wood, like wooden sided raised beds, harbors slugs big time. So, I avoid using stuff like that, as I've had plenty of slugs and damage from them ! I also have yet to get ducks to eat them.
Hi Huw! This is Rob and Anna over in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. First off wanted to give a big thank you for all the work you do. We discovered your channel during the pandemic and our resulting vegetable gardening hobby on our apartment balcony helped us so much in getting through it all. When we got our first house about a year ago we deliberately picked one with an unusually large backyard for the neighborhood so we could have more space to have fun with :) Anyway, our question is this: Have you ever considered doing videos looking at other climates? Albuquerque is in a high-altitude desert in USDA Zone 7b, which adds some interesting wrinkles to gardening that we've been sorting through over the past couple years. As an example, during the summer an unmulched bed will likely die even with frequent watering because of how hot and dry the air can get. Composting also gets interesting in such conditions because you have to actively prevent it from desiccating, and things like Hugelkultur raised beds end up being very helpful for water retention.
I dont know if it counts as a food forest but Stefan Sobkowiak from Miracle Farm with his permaculture orchard is doing real good in a place where it can get under 35C. But I agree when you say people dont take in consideration there location and tend to imitate people from an whole other climate.
There are a few food forests growing in Canada that are very productive and diverse. The big thing seems knowing what will grow and expanding from there.
Free timber - here in Australia, PVC pipes get delivered to plumbing outlets using timber frames to keep the pile stable in transit. These frames get dumped, and the timber is roughly 30mm x 70mm x 1M long on the long sides. I stack the lengths and then join them using screws and metal stripping and then join the corners using angle brackets - total cost is about $15 per bed. If I need longer sides I just use a brick bond approach to get the finished length. I keep all the hardware on the inside so the beds look really neat and very solid. The timber's untreated but with the walls being 30mm thick, they'll still last 4-5 years - then I'll go get more free timber and reuse the hardware! Hope this makes sense - and I hope it helps someone. Cheers!
As far as compost is concerned, it has become important to me that my allotment is at least somewhat economically self sufficient. Buying compost each year is a significant cost, although what I actually spread on my beds is home made compost such as it is and also the spent compost. I still buy compost for seed starting and also for growing tomatoes and peppers. The high quality composts are too expensive as far as I am concerned, and the cheaper ones are ok for water retention but are lacking in nutrients. So what I plan to do is mix my own homemade compost that I believe is nutrient dense, with the bulk of a less expensive compost and see how that goes. I don't see any reason really for growing my tomatoes in pure compost because the tomatoes I grow outside in the soil perform just as well if not better than those which I grow in compost in the greenhouse. It is a difficult problem though and I think one that is really only solved by becoming proficient in making your own compost.
I have been mixing bought compost with my own 50:50 or less of the latter for many years with good results. I often find that my home-made compost (loads of worms in it) is incredibly rich but has less structure than I would like, it feels way too heavy for the little seedlings. The cheaper shop-bought often looks too woody, so the mixes worked well, my toms grew green and thick, albeit I try not to love (aka water) them too much to avoid all well known problems. Also, too nitrogen-rich soil for toms will result in loads of leaves and not much fruit - had that happening a couple of times. Good luck!
Ideas for composting on a rooftop garden : Obviously I don't have any trees, but I go out early in the mornings after a windy night and collect leaves in the park. Not sure if it's legal, I just stuff them into a large supermarket shopping bag. You can also try asking friends or relatives who have gardens.
If no one tries to stop you from collecting leaves, it's probably all right. I live in a neighborhood with trees and I asked my neighbors if I can rake their leaves for free to use my garden. No one has ever said no to that.
Add coffee grounds to the leaves, speeds up the process and you get higher nitrogen. I also add tea (loose) leaves, anything green like grass clippings, vegs. No meat or dairy though, makes it stink.
I learn so much from your video's and find them very inspiring, thank you for that! For spring Q&A, what are your thoughts on using horse manure? I have quite a heap of 1 yr. old manure with an incredible number of wurms in it. Could i use this on my beds before transplanting coming May (tomatoes, courgettes, cucumber)?
I think the point in the context of the question is that it’s difficult to turn a profit trying to grow food to sell. Which is true, and the reasons for this will be different depending where you are in the world. I’m in Australia and some of the major factors include a duopoly of purchasers who refuse to pay reasonable prices and consumers having gotten used to things being cheap, and valuing cheap over everything else. In other countries there are huge subsidies encouraging the production of specific crops for feeding animals rather than humans. I have friends who are market gardeners and they work incredibly hard for long hours all year and if you calculated out an hourly rate it would likely be below the minimum wage. I’d encourage everyone to reassess how they shop for food products and buy from local growers every time you can.
I study agriculture and I always say it is not possible to feed yourself by feeding others. Meaning in our current agricultural system being on a global market producing food in economically wealthier counties is only profitable on a large industrial scale or by doing the things you get state funds for. In Europe people do not realize that locally produced food is only as cheap as the same food produced in countries with cheaper production because the state pays local farmers the differences. If people would have to pay farmers a liveable price for their vegetables they would not believe the price!
@@driespeeters2349 hobby? I feed a family of four on our plot 80% of the time, it's my job, while a passion, it's a job. Hobby is painting, making model railways or collecting stamps. It isn't a hobby automatically just because we find pleasure in it. It's a labour a love.
What a great set of questions! I can say I am so inspired by your garden and thoughtfulness towards maintaining a permaculture that thrives for the environment. Your staff was so helpful when helping with an issue I had when receiving your books here in the U.S. Huge thanks!! I’ve recently joined your Patreon and I can’t wait to learn more. Here’s my question: How can fans in other parts of the world convert their gardening zones to what you’re doing at different times of the year across the globe. I’m in zone 6B in the United States with 1st/last frost date of 5/15 and 10/15 respectively. ALSO, is there a time you would ever recommend tilling and if so what would those exceptions be?
Firstly, thank you so much for the work you and your team do to educate us all! I've just come across the concept of wicking beds and am pondering if it's something I can do on my balcony (south facing on the second floor, lots of sun, lots of wind). What is your take on wicking beds? Seems like a good idea for a drier future?
For your spring Q&A How does a seed bed work? I am from Denmark, implementing permaculture and trying to work around the slug problem. Thanks to you I mainly use modules now but think it could be good with seed beds for leeks and brassicas. When and where are sowing possibilities - raised bed or polytunnel
Yeah, I sorta agree that most people romanticize about food forests. I do think perennials have a solid place in the garden, though. I couldn't imagine what it would be like without perennial herbs. Fruit trees are fun and require work, but it's not as bad as most people think. If you plan well, like picking appropriate rootstocks, disease resistance / flowering timing / season length considerations, it's easier than dealing with annuals that constantly need attention (at least in my area). If you're limited on space, you can absolutely grow fruit trees in moderate sized pots. I have citrus and a handful of specialty stonefruits in 15 gallon pots that I can get excellent quality fruit off of (fresh apricots / apriums are delightful). Pruning your trees and shrubs for good structure and health is very important. In any case, I'd say give one of those rugged perennials a try and see how much work it is for you. I love having my kale year after year, despite having some pest issues. Frankly all brassicas are aphid magnets here, but the issue has lessened over time. Chives are pretty easy as long as you don't let them drop seed everywhere and take over your garden. Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, mint (carefully), lemon balm, french tarragon, greek oregano, and bronze fennel (don't let it go to seed...it'll happily colonize) are standouts in my garden. I would highly caution anyone against trying to plant out too many perennials at once. That's where you'll get in well over your head, as some things can require a bit more work to get established. Plus failures can be pretty expensive if you've gone after trendy, novel plants (which can be painful to establish anyway). My "food forest" (aka the yard) has 23 fruit trees (semi dwarf at largest), a bunch of shrubs, a few grapes and other vines (passion fruit), a decent perennial herb garden and a nice patch of raspberries. I did put most of that in over the last 5 years and some of the individual years were a ton of work (including establishing 8 fruit trees the first year). All my trees are heavily mulched and on irrigation, which takes a large load off. The rest of my yard is basically all native plants, some of which are quite decorative. The native plants are super easy and I always get a neighbor or two asking what something is in the yard because of how much a show it's putting on. We have a couple 'resident' rabbits that we've learned how to live with (fence them out of the garden beds and protect the tree trunks/branches), and we'll get a decent amount of wildlife visiting throughout the year (birds, pollinators, lizards, coyotes, etc). It is a fun hobby for me and I don't put too much pressure on myself to get everything to work perfectly. If I've had fruit from half or more of my plants by year 7 or 8, I'm doing pretty well.
I do like a perennial as they are set it and forget it part of the allotment. I think it’s can be hard to do annuals and maintain them all. Perennials are like a passive income of veggies! I grow everything from seed and that is a LOT of work! That being said, I was so intimidated about them when I 1st got started!
Don't forget about annuals that readily reseed themselves though ! My mom discovered years ago, finally after many years of gardening ( she didn't grow up with it) that her lettuces gone to seed, would come up in spring - probably didn't see this until she went more no-till - and would be ahead of any she'd plant. She finally just let it do it's thing every year. Dill is usually reliable this way too, and I'm not sure what all else is, as I've had to keep moving and starting over or etc., some non-garden years ( had a few pots). Flowers such as poppies do too.
Hello, have a nice day. They are really great with the garden, you can learn a lot from them. Unfortunately, I and many of my friends do not understand everything, some little but nothing. I sometimes had to help out as an interpreter. Although I'm not exactly perfect in the English language either. Unfortunately there are no subtitles in German. Maybe something could be done so that even more people can watch and understand / implement their videos. Greetings from Austria.
Here's a question for your spring Q & A... I cannot be the only person with a collection of old seeds... Some from 1995. I've seen some suggestions for revitalizing/encouraging them to sprout... What do you suggest??? Scratching the seed shell? Soaking? Any suggestions for best germination of OLD seeds?
To add to the question about overwintering raised beds in wet climats - it is quite a pain where I live, because they get so packed with snow, autumn rains, that they always are last to thaw. We get everything thawing, but beds have like 10cm ICE.. 😬
My question for the next Q&A: about some materials I read they might be bad to throw in with the compost. What are your views on composting egg shells, potato peels, citrus (peels), banana peels, onion and garlic (peels)?
Dotty Dot may not be a real name, but my grandmother really was named Rosie Rose! (The nurse filling out the birth certificate form made an error, and it was never corrected.)
I’ve got a bunch of recycled heat treated wooden crates from my tractor supply company as raised beds. I know they aren’t going to last forever but they were free, I just had to get them home. Talk to them first. Most have free pallets and things.
I have a question: How do you mow the gras between the beds? I have woodchips between them so I do not have to mow. And I really love your channel and the books I bought from you. Love from the Netherlands
Question for spring edition: Hi Huw! I have got little garden for about 2 years now. Until now I have been growing only herbs, fruit trees and fruit bushes. This year I would like to start with annual vegetables. Could you suggest some veggies that are easy and relatively drought resistant? My garden is very DIY, without water, electricity and everything, so I have to come up with plants that will do fine with the abit of rain water I am able to collect there into one IBC tank. Thank you! Greeting from the Czech republic x
Hi Huw, I have a question that I hope you can help me with in your next Q&A please!: Is there a good way of getting stakes into the ground for really tall beans and peas? (I rarely manage to get mine in or they are really wobbly and I saw someone in the area has had loads of success (every year grrrr) growing beans up a really tall stake. ( Only other option is to breed a self staking 2m pea and bean variety 😜 ) Thanks, Catherine Goodrich 🌱
As sowing time is approaching, I'd like to improve consistency in germination. I built a miniature version of Curtis stones original passive solar greenhouse which is amazing but as temperatures vary a great deal depending on cloud cover it can be difficult to get consistent results. Do you ever use a tiny greenhouse heater at the bottom of your shelved mini greenhouses you use for germinating? I think this may help.
Enjoyed the Q & A. One thing I noticed was the audio could have been a little clearer. Have to say, as a person who can garden all year long I kinda envy the people who have a break for winter. I need some down time. ☺
Agreed. The good thing about living in the subtropics is that you can garden year round, the bad thing about living in the subtropics is that you have to! I have lived in the northern hemisphere and miss the down time for planning and dreaming that winter provides.
@@taken516 I understand. Guess it's a case of grass is greener. In my area we just worry all winter about either having a rogue hard freeze that wipes everything out or the temps go high enough long enough the winter veg bolt or just don't grow. Had a hard freeze at Christmas and now we need to get through January and February until we can sigh with relief at the being of March. Every place has its issues. Happy gardening. 🙂
I agree in part with the question of food forests. They most certainly will 'not' feed the world - unless every family had one of their own. I've argued this point with other food foresters, as they don't seem to realise that such projects won't allow for the mechanisation of harvesting. So most, if not all, the produce will have to be handpicked: labour intensive and therefore expensive. I do have the beginnings of my own (2 acre) food forest, because I am an unemployed housewife, a former professional gardener, weather resilient, and I can put in about 4 hours a day to plant, weed, take cuttings, sow seeds, harvest and continue to build soil on my severely depleted bit of land. Because food forests are all about diversity, I have something like 70 types of fruit plant - and that's the thing. Where 'fruit' is concerned, food forests are absolutely brilliant. For protein - they're pretty great too - I have about 100 hazelnut trees and a young walnut. For vegetables...ahhhh, now that's when you get a bit so-so with this kind of set-up in a Scottish climate. Normal vegetables are a bit lacklustre in my part of the world as it is. Reduced light, damp weather, humid air - therefore: reduced yields, smaller veggies, lots of slugs, lots of snails, lots of fungal diseases. Stick a load of trees into the mix and veggie growing becomes even more challenging.
What to look for when choosing containers for potato growing? Remember one of your videos talking about how growing in containers and dispersing those throughout the garden, you can use all the tiny free places and reduce possibilities of pest colony. So I am very keen to try that out this year! Any other plans we can grow in containers like that? :)
Hiya Huw! Weirdly dottie dot is sort of my real name :D It started as an alias (problems with a stalker) but I had to use it so much (very dedicated stalker) that most people now know me as that in real life. I always get introduced as dot or dottie and it feels a bit odd using my actual name for documents etc now. I referred to my partner as Mr Dot a few times and now that's stuck too :D Thank you so much for answering my question so thoroughly, lots of great ideas there. Another very informative video, thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and experience. dottie
My veggie garden is fenced to keep out critters (I’m looking at you rabbits). I’d like to create areas around my garden to encourage native animals, birds and insects. I’m interested in hedgerows. I know it depends on location, climate, etc, but are there some general suggestions on where to start? Thank you for sharing your experiences in the garden. I love your Regenerative Films series. Such beautiful farms and gardens and you really let the gardeners express themselves.
Native plants make great wind breaks. In my area I had to dig around a bit to find information on wind break design on the internet. There can be a bit of local parameters that influence the design. Plant spacing, species, what things to include in what row, orientation to the wind direction. The cool thing is you can usually design them in a way that they're fairly low effort once installed. I did a basic 3 row design with native shrubs and grasses on the outside, mid sized evergreens on the next row and then fruit trees on the side closest to our house. It's still growing in, but it seems to help lessen/soften our really windy spring. Plants in the general area are easier to establish. With all the native plants the wildlife seems to love it. The rabbits regularly hang out under the shrubs this time of year and the flowering plants bring in all kinds of pollinators 😁
Not meaning to intrude, hopefully Huw gets to u ! Am wondering tho, have you then already watched the video about the hedgerows at Singing Frog's Farm (near Sebastopol, CA, USA) ? I'm in Wisconsin, and can't wait to get a place of our own and do this ! My plan, on a very low budget especially, is to just start with anything I like ( isn't thorny, with FEW exceptions) or want and doesn't grow too tall ( or I can pollard it) which is hardy to our zone and which I can get cheap or free, like from cuttings from wild bushes and trees such as choke cherry and mountain Ash with those clusters of bright orange berries (which are edible)& I've seen in wild (up by Lake Superior anyways, and I used to see em as ornamentals yards) and from neighbors, friends, such as lilacs, roses, divisions of flowers, herbs, berries, cuttings off fruit trees and any of all that I can afford to buy - basically going through the pages of unusual or hardy fruits in Jung's catalog or from permaculture nurseries online, like Edible Acres ! Lotsa mulberries hopefully as they draw birds away from other fruits, and make for nutritious chicken food. I can get lotta elderberry and hazelnuts from a friend's farm's property. I don't plan on anything too scientific, just to mix em all up, allowing for things which need more sun to have more of it, etc. or in a lower spot for water-loving or needing things. As for the beneficials, I figure that they'll be off to a great start whatever I do along these lines, and I can focus on more refinement for their sakes, once I get the bulk of it off and growing. I've observed wildlife, like frogs etc., be very readily interested in my gardens and showing up a lot, without any effort on my part other than having a no-till garden with some mulch, and having some trees/brushy edges not far away on my or my neighbor's property. Even with sprayed cornfields on 3 sides, at one home, we had an amazing abundance of frogs and such. I've just not into being too technical, myself, whenever I can get away with not, so, we'll see !
I have a gardening question, Last year was the worst gardening year I've ever had: all of my crops in all of my extensive raised beds were damaged by pests and fungus and powdery mildews and all those nasty diseases. Is it safe to grow again in these raised beds this year? If not, what do I do?
Huw, it was so nice hearing your answers to the viewers' questions. You don't feel the need to be the expert in every area - like seed saving. Your humility is refreshing.
Thank you! It is impossible to be the expert in every area, and quite frankly I would get sucked further into 'the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know' camp😂 I can't overwhelm myself with too much lol
0nly 24? You have a maturity and gentleness beyond your years. Thank you for all the you do. Your videos are so informative and peaceful to watch.
On one hand I agree, on the other, it's not as unusual among kids/young folks raised in more old fashioned ways ( the good ones), and have been involved in things like a family business, gardening, farming or homesteading/raising animals etc. , rural life or out in nature a lot, with the focus more ON nature than on, say, skiing or some other more intense or noisy sport or activity.
Sorry, that was long ! I do applaud Huw, he's definitely even more mature than most ! But amongst my own family and in some of my friends's, not totally unusual either :).
My garden is an old baker’s garden… loads of apples, cherries and plums. Between them, veg grows rather nicely, and we have a lot of birds…
12 years from a 12 year old.. hats off to you.. fabulous achievement! have always enyoed your work - keep it going and well done again huw
Your 12
Jk
I love your passion for good dirt. That is what got me into growing food in the first place. First I loved the worms. I now teach all the children that come through my day care how to take care of the worms and the soil etc.
This is brilliant!
I am in the Netherlands , and food forests are doing great here. Tastewise, i find that there are so many possibilities. There are plenty of tasty ones. But it's a personal thing, when it comes to taste.
Do you grow frikandellebroodjes trees? I find those very tasty
@@driespeeters2349 i have never had a frikandellebroodje. Who knows, you might find it. You do have mushrooms tasting like lobster, another one like chicken, another close to a beefsteak. you have fruits tasting like dark caramel etc.
Hi Huw. I liked your Q&A format very much. Good variety of questions and clear answers from an experienced gardener. The sound was fine for me. I live in New York State and started gardening at around 12 years of age over 50 years ago. Gardening has not ceased to interest me yet. Thanks for your wonderful videos and your work to promote agriculture and to educate people.
Gotta disagree on food forests & perennials. Ideally, you have a good mix of your harvests out of the food forest & annuals. I have an incredible amount of food coming out of mine & I'm in the very north of Scotland & moving towards 20 years in. We've turned it from a non-productive field of rushes to mixed woodland interspersed with loads of fruit trees & pockets of perennial veg, soft fruit, herbs, mushrooms. Its created a unique microclimate that allows me to successfully grow fruit that most of my neighbours cannot & supports an incredible amount of wildlife as well.
Diversity is resilience. We can't feed the world with just perennials, but we also can't feed the world with just annuals. Huw talks about the importance of diversity in the garden and perennials are part of that. Animals are part of that. Annuals are part of that. Life supports life.
I agree with you, although I don't have one myself yet ( have had to move 3 times recently). I've watched James Prigioni's channel and his food forest grow, and how MUCH production he gets out of a relatively small yard. With a small/urban yard, this can obviously depend on whether or not your neighbor's trees shade you too much, where your underground utilities are, etc. etc. ( I hate it when people only talk about the size, as if everyone's 1/4 acre yard is equal... ). I do understand Huw's cautions, for people new to it or to it's components. Just like with beginning gardening, it's often best to start a little smaller than you want to ( at least for most, maybe not for the overly cautious types) or learn, get more hands-on experience by working for someone else a bit 1st.
One more thing, on keeping things healthy, plants and trees alive... although knowing what IS your fault is good, like not enough air-circulation space left and issues with fungi and aphids as a result, it's also great to learn from Mark Sheppard's S.T.U.N. approach, as much as one can possibly afford to. For more on that (very enlightening ! ) go find Justin Rhodes interview with Mark Entitled in part with : S.T.U.N. . It's also found by going to his ( Justin's) Y.T. playlist " The Great American Farm Tour" , (quite a ways down it).
and for British Food Foresters look for books by Martin Crawford, Alex Carter, Anni Kelsey or "Cairn Of Dunn Croft Permaculture" or "Freedom Forest Permaculture" on YT - there are many more, just from the topm of my head in the middle of the night 🙄
I think part of the issue may be that food forest has no set definition. James has raised beds and grows annuals. Plenty of gardeners have fruit trees and bushes/vines and perennial vegetables without calling it a food forest. And too many trees (like a real forest) will make things too shady for things to grow as strongly.
@@rik80280 yes, it has no set definition but, the idea is that its not a garden of just beds & borders of say fruit trees or shrubs. Although it will be different depending on your space & climate. Mine is more like a series of interspersed guilds in young, mixed woodland to create microclimate & habitat for wildlife spread over many acres. But, no matter the size, the idea is that you utilise all the "layers" you would see in a woodland with areas of varying amounts of shade, dappled shade, sunny woodland edges & clearings etc.
I know of a few food forests much further North than Wales that are thriving sources of great abundance, but it needs to be seen as something done for the future, it isn't going to feed you a lot of food in the short term. I think it comes down to preferences and priorities a lot more than your answer makes out - e.g. I'd personally much rather be pruning trees than be down on my knees working on the ground with annuals.
It would be nice to hear you do a discussion on the pros and cons of food forests with someone that has one in a temperature climate - I'm sure someone like Keith at Canadian Permaculture Legacy would be willing to do a collaborative video on it.
I'm also interested in not necessarily a food forest per se ( tho I'm also interested in one, too) but a permaculture orchard next to and, mixed hedgerows bordering & maybe in the garden ( if it's a big garden, &/or just some perennials/flowers, herbs, fruits like strawberries maybe, on ends of beds or rows, throughout). The beneficial hedgerows as seen on Curtis Stone (aka the Urban Farmer) interview vlog with Singing Frog's Farm, on theirs. Really, really inspiring stuff. Just being near a woods, meadow and grassy waterway on the neighbor's property, in my new garden this past summer in my landlord's VERY unhealthy, VERY compacted, dead, dry, sandy soil ( didn't know sand could get that rock-hard !!!) in his yard. I did use my broadfork some 1st, then covered with paper or cardboard, just barely enough compost, of just barely decent enough quality ( turned out to be too sandy too ) in rows and hills to plant into, and hay and woodchips for paths and mulches. It did quite well, considering it was also an unusually dry year and probably needed a bit more water, sooner than I provided it. Anyways, I had a LOT of frogs - tree and leopard- coming in right away, and snakes which apparently eat them ( saw one eat one :( ), and even a REAL ladybug later, on my beans !! So rare to see here in Wisconsin, USA in recent decades. Anyways, I also would rather have at least maximum amount of foods and medicinals growing in my yard/land, which are either perennials OR readily re-seed themselves successfully.
"Perennials are hard" 🤣
Thank you as always Huw for being such an entertaining vlogger!
Thank you, Huw. I’ve watched your videos over the past 12 years and you have been a blessing. God bless. From the Lewis family in Canada
Thank you so much! What a lovely comment! Thanks for your support over the years :)
Your 12yo videos are absolutely darling! And look at you now! I only just found you today, so I'm binge watching, instead of taking down Christmas decorations. I'm hooked! You're just adorable and full of wonderful information. Totally subscribed to you and excited to keep on learning. I'm 55yo and just started gardening a few years ago.
Oh wow that's all so awesome thank you so much and welcome to my channel☺️🌿
Leeks and peas - yes!! And perennial greens - good King Henry, Perennial kale, dandelions and nettles!! My 11 year old grandson loves purslane ... and small fruits ❤
I love your channel, Huw-it’s been so helpful to me. Our climate here in New Jersey (USA) is so varied that I seek out RUclips advice from gardeners around the world.
For anyone interested in the concept of the food forest, I highly recommend the RUclips channel of a fellow New Jersey gardener, James Prigioni. His garden is great, his videos are great, and his dog is GREAT!
I love James's video utubes and his cute dog
Me too ♡ He's so motivating and experienced
Yes ! We love James and Tuck !
I have a small fifteen year old "forest garden/food forest/ woodland edge garden" coincidentally also in Wales but much further North than Huws gardens (just outside the Snowdonia National park).
It isn't perfect, presents many challenges (and opportunities), it changes and evolves constantly but produces an increasingly diverse range of food and other useful products every year. I believe it to be a useful "testbed" for research and discovery for temperature agroecology.
I also have small areas outside the forest garden for more conventional annual food crops.
Yes forest gardens are better known in a tropical environment, I've seen a very interesting example in Thailand (at Promlok) however they can also be very successful in temperate environments as many individuals and groups are discovering. However there is much left to discover and learn about such systems and "one size fits all" is not really appropriate.
My question for you would be if you ever thought about adding mushrooms to your garden. I have seen starter bags for oyster and shiitake mushrooms online.
I just recently discovered your channel and I am really amazed at how good you are able to explain everything even to someone who has not done a whole lot of gardening before. I am a student, currently living in a shared flat without a balcony, but every so often I feel this yearning for my own garden and just decided to join an urban gardening club in my city where they transform vacant lots into public gardens.
I live in sub tropics, Florida, United States. I love your live video, and want more. I am a gardener, homesteader.. I love all your tips and tricks. I use sides on my raised beds, and I feel it best to keep animals out of the garden, alittle better, and with all my sandy natural soil, keep up the great work.
I’ve enjoyed watching you grow on your channel I’ve only watched for about 8 years which is when I started growing my own food , but I’ve always liked the way you encourage people to try something to see if it works rather than saying , “this is how to do it” The Q&A was interesting too, I’ve also struggled with growing beetroot and swedes so I’m going to try to sow earlier and see if I get better results. So thanks for taking the trouble to do that video.
This might be a bit off-topic, but for those who grow and can beets, but the family isn't really thrilled with eating them, try this. Drain and fry in butter in a cast iron skillet. I discovered this recently, and now I can barely wait to grow and can more of them. Absolutely delicious!
I've also done more of just storing them in the cold-room, to bake later, (or to can later, if they're starting to go bad b4 I've eaten enough). That sounds very tasty !
This was so fun!
For spring's Q & A: If I've topped up beds with high-quality compost, how soon before I should start to think about feeding the soil? Right away? Or wait until some of those nutrients have been used up before adding more?
I started a food forest last year that's going really well, but I live in sub-tropical Georgia. The plants have doubled in size over the winter and last year I already had muscadine grapes, peaches, and berries out of it. I'm adding more native trees to it this year and I'll have to prune the blackberry bushes soon because they went totally wild like they do here... I can't imagine trying to do it when I lived in a colder climate. It would be probably 4 years or more before I had anything worth mentioning from it.
Canada Zone5 2nd year going well 1/4 acre section. Enjoying the process. The best time to plant a food forest...yesterday, last month, last year, 10 yrs ago😁
@@emptynestgardens9057 mine is a triangle perhaps 40 feet across at the widest point. I'll be making it a bit bigger this year but not much.
years fly by though
Way cool! Haven't heard the word, muscadine, in forever! I'll be moving south this year. Any advice on where to get some muscadine starts, seeds, clones or whatever? Or, did you just find them in the woods? I recall doing that as a child. LOVE their flavor! Also, have you ever heard of dewberries? And, do you think it's possible to grow poke salat as a crop vs going out and hunting for it??
@@libbyholt3863 there's a nursery called Ison's that sells Muscadine starts of all sorts. Some of the plants they shipped me were dead though so I would try one of the many local nurseries instead. Poke grows all over and I don't know anything about propagating it. I wouldn't personally because I don't want it reseeding all over my garden.
I stopped by to say Hi! How. Don’t have your rainfall or climate, so I usually move on. Miss ya and miss seeing your beautiful gardens. Bless you Central US
Here I am in Victoria, Australia mid afternoon on a 32deg C Summer's day watching this wonderful Winter Q&A, and enjoying every minute.
On Permaculture and flat land - I've often thought that the persistent idea that it's only for steep land comes from plots that were difficult to farm (hilly, rocky, patchy) were cheap to come by and those who wanted to improve them using materials and nouse at hand were the people with the Permaculture mindset.
Heaven knows there are/were loads of properties like that available here in Aus when Bill Mollison and David Holmgren began to devise the system.
The Principals apply to any land anywhere, as you say and, as a system, is always developing and improving as we learn.
Thanks for an informative and interesting video Huw, and an early Happy Birthday to you!
An earlier video of yours convinced me to try yellow beetroots and I cannot wait to see how they taste in the upcoming growing season. You make them sound so delicious.
i'm not a good gardener but the most reliable thing is my sorrel and lovage coming back strong every year. idk about lots of perennials but i love having such low-effort greens that come up even if i forget about them entirely.
I've got some mint like that. I thought it died off one year, only to come back stronger than ever. 😄
@@johnharvey5412 Mint is pretty hard to kill in my experience!
Love this idea of Q&A! For spring's Q & A:
When you make your planting plan, what do you do if something takes longer to mature than you originally expected and thus throws off your succession planting plan? I'd love some tips on how you remain flexible with unexpected things like that (and what do you do with the little seedlings that are ready to be transplanted, but can't because your first harvest isn't ready)
I agree regarding growing winter crops, it also reduces some of the gluts you have in the summer, because the land is growing winter crops. Also some winter crops are your second crop of the year so a good use of the land.
Such a lovely chat! Lots of valuable information. More please!
Great insight into your motivation and principals. I started up my garden last season and love your thoughts on your projects. There is a lot I can adapt.
Loved this!! Last year was my first year of owning an allotment and your channel/ knowledge helped me a lot so thank you!
Wonderful! I am so pleased!
There's food forests, and then there's forests built from food producing plants.
The goal of the first is to maximize direct benefit for humans. The goal of the second is to build a garden that mimics the natural ecosystem.
Hey Huw. I discovered your channel few weeks ago. And watched sooooo many videos. I learned so much. In February I will have my second child. I live in Germany. In a small village near mountains and we have almost the same climates like you. Of course the summer is a bit warmer I think. My grandparents had a huge garden. They had all vegetables and fruits they know. No exotics like pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini . They lived in 2. world war, so beans cabbage potatoes carrots and make them last through winter were essential. They had some herbs and many flowers and fruit trees. It was always my dream to have such a garden. Go outside and eat strawberries right from the plant.
We rent a house. Already have compost since many years. This year I want to start planting. And why the garden is not my own I have to respect the owners wishes not to destroy the grass. So I think I can make about 3 raised bed 1,20mx1,00m. I do plan to have a vertical planting area.
After weeks of watching and searching. If RUclips speak about „small garden vegetables growing“it’s still that much space almost none of us have. It’s not small 😂 and there are no RUclipsr I could found except 1, that shows real small space to grow. Even the cooperations you filmed such beautiful gardens. But if the title says „small garden“ … it’s still huge for me. So videos and experimental planting would be great. Now I learned that I should rotate the crops/plants from year to year in the beds. Because of pests etc that can live in the soil. So with three or four beds I found it difficult to plan. And companion planing plus extra flowers to keep everything healthy and like nature does.
If it’s not your topic that’s ok. But maybe you know someone and can make a video and interview about us gardeners with less than around 15m2.
There is a Korean women live here in Germany. Here on RUclips. She moved now into a farm house. But look at her „garden“ and harvest on the balcony. It’s unbelievable. Her videos are so beautiful like art and amazing. „Her82m“ is the Channel. Maybe you already know her.
And another question. Please could you implement the name of some plants and variations you plant. For us not native English speaker plus the accent plus differences to US English it’s sometimes hard to understand.
Ok sorry for that long comment. I learned sooooo much from you. And the lovely guests on your channel.
My main question. How to rotate planting with just few beds?
Greetings from Germany. 😊
Greetings from Wisconsin, USA ( also, I'm descendants of mostly Germans, who came to US in late 1800s) ! I watch Charles Dowding's RUclips channel, and he is also a lot like Huw in how He grows (except doesn't use raised beds much, at least with wooden sides, too much slug habitat for his climate). Anyways, he says that crop rotation is mostly a myth which is not necessary after all. I know it seems to make sense, but he is a VERY experienced gardener, and learned that it's not. Even so, he continues to do trials/tests on his beliefs, to compare to other parts of his garden, and shows us the results, whatever they may be. He's a wonderful person and you'll enjoy his channel too ! He also has some truly small areas of his yard on which he's shown some "small garden" ideas for, this past year. For more help finding ideas for very small gardens, you may want to try searching using words such as " Micro" & " Balcony" " Tiny" etc. . Hope that helps a little ! Also, you may be able to find a neighbor who will rent or otherwise allow you to use their yard or piece of land, who doesn't mind you killing the grass. Maybe in exchange for sharing produce with them... . Or even just a corner of someone's garden who doesn't use all their space anymore, to use in addition to your space at home. By the way, here we have a variety of strawberry called " Ft. Laramie" (Ft meaning Fort) which is an every-bearing variety which also fruits on it's runners, so is recommended as good for in hanging baskets :) . It's also very winter-hardy (but I would put the baskets in a garage or basement to protect the roots from too much cold, over the winter, if keep in baskets/pots).
Hi Jana, I find the channel 'Gartengemüsekiosk' very useful, they started out quite small as well.
If you have 4 raised beds, say, arranged as a square, then just rotate it clockwise each year.
My own garden is average size and I transformed it recently from a lawn into a space occupied with a greeenhouse, 9 raised beds, lots of berry bushes, grape plants and a few small trees. I am running out of space as well, but I use a border wall with a height of 1 m as growing space using 1 m long 'Balkonkästen' in which I grow 5 strawberries each. Additionally I use the top of the storage area for the bins for the same purpose. But strawberries in pots prefer deep pots, not large shallow pots. I grow the Ostara's, which produce from May to November.
At the edge of plastered walkways you can do the same alongside the edges. If you have wooden dividers or metal fences on your property, fix a bird netting onto it if necessary, use climbers like cucumbers, peas or beans to cover them vertically.
For raised beds I use the one's you get from Beckmann KG, the one's in black and I always order 2 additional sections on top to make them 1 m high, no bending down required and good for my back. If you have a terrace or balcony, use large planting pots for additional growing space.
@@biggifront juhu. Vielen Dank. Den Channel kenne ich. Auch ihren online Shop. Vielen Dank für deine tollen tips. Den Garten würde ich gerne mal sehen. Schade das es dazu keine Videos gibt ☀️☺️ und sowas fehlt mir einfach auf RUclips. Zu wenige haben „echte“ kleine Gärten. Ein kleiner Garten ist nicht 700m2 und ein Balkon zum Gärtnern ist nicht eine 60m2 dachterasse.
Ich versuche mir nur so viele Ideen wie möglich zu sammeln. Auch das vertikale zu entdecken. Von dem spicy moustache (hoffe hab das richtig geschrieben) hier auf RUclips habe ich auch schon einiges gelernt. Auf kleinen Raum, viel Anbau.
Also Danke für die Tipps.
@@jana8363 Hi, Jana! Did you get any inheritance from your grandparents' land ? It would be great if you would have. In my country, land is very expensive, so most rely on inheritances.
Best quote: "I don't have time to get caught up in the politics of gardening..." THANK YOU.
My pleasure hahaha!!!
Its summer in Australia, we are in the peak of the season!
You deserve a hero reward for bringing the 28 and 40 back to the U.S. 🎉
Hahah I am glad you're happy they are available!
A bit off topic, but wanted to say the books arrived down under. They are an incredible body of work and we are both thoroughly enjoying devouring the content as we build the new vege garden having finished the Kangaroo and Wallaby proof fencing. Thank you
Thank you so much! That's great to hear, so pleased they arrived safely and are being enjoyed :)
And deer proof?
I enjoy your expertise and insight Mr. Richards, so thank you for that 🙏🏻
You are very welcome :)
I built my first raised beds using old roof tiles. I got them for free from Facebook Marketplace. I dug out a three inch trench, stood the tiles in then filled in around them. With hindsight I made them too big - I have to step into the beds to reach things in the middle, so this spring I am going to remove the tiles and pile the compost in a bit to make the beds smaller. Then I'll reuse the tiles to make my next set of beds as I expand my growing area.
For those like me, renters, I put together a 'worm farm's consisting of 2 totes, some coir, and the worms were right outside the door. 'Red Wigglers' are native here. West coast of Canada.
It should not smell. I don't add any animal products (dairy, meat) or from the citrus or allium family (garlic, onions, leeks, lemons etc).
Watch the moisture content, it should be moist but definitely not soggy.
Like most composts the smaller the pieces the better. The worms will eat paper, cardboard as long as it doesn't have any plastic coating (shiny finishes). It's wonderful stuff for indoor plants and the garden.
Yes. MIGardener did a great video on setting up a simple system (in one's basement even) and he recommends using an old/cheap/extra blender to crush up the food scraps so they can eat it way sooner, it festers less.
Huw, your RUclips content and books are just amazing and has been such an inspiration over the past 2 years as I am a newer gardener. Q&A question for spring: I have a raised bed with fairly dead soil-it just struggles to grow anything! I'm wondering what you recommend to bring fertility back into the bed: do you recommend digging in some compost nice and deep throughout the bed, or should I go with more of a no-dig method and just put a thick layer on top?
(for context, this bed faces south, with a fence directly behind it, and I live in high-altitude Colorado, so this bed gets a LOT of sun and heat, and keeping consistent moisture levels is a STRUGGLE)
Love a good Q&A Huw… nice addition! 👍
I can recommend ContainerWise, Huw’s H10 and Charles Dowding range too.
Good morning Mr Richards. Welcome from central Poland, again 😊. Best wishes and good luck on 2023 year.
Thank you! Same to you :)
This was lovely, thanks for this! I also enjoy keeping cold hardy veg over the winter. I think I should try to expand my selection too. And I just posted a video of my winter garden in Canada
Thanks again! Great job 👍
I really enjoy you're gardening programmes Huw, I especially love your approach of being flexible and responsive to your garden. I did a lot of mulching and cover crops last year which really helped the plants through the drought. I tend to go with my own instinct, sometimes it's works beautifully and other times it's a flop but it's always learning which is just the best thing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us all, it's so valuable and appreciated
If you want to harvest peas and leeks at the same time, try the summer leek “Hilari” - I harvest that from July outdoors, but younger, smaller stalks as early as late May under cover!
Or freeze your peas. I had a delicious stir fry just last night with leeks and snow peas that I had frozen back in June. Or freeze some leeks to save for when the peas are fresh.
I have used tree trimming logs for the sides of my raised beds. I'm in US Midwest, and have mostly clay. The logs have been a huge blessing for holding water for longer periods and bringing in fungi. We use all local tree trimmings for everything.
Cool ! I'm in the Midwest as well, and grew up on heavy clay soil. Which usually holds water all too well... no-till and using mulches, creating healthier soil structure and life, has helped a LOT :). For me, it helped to learn from Charles Dowding ( also very, very experienced gardener, great channel on YT, doing "no-dig" in recent decades, in SW England) that wood, like wooden sided raised beds, harbors slugs big time. So, I avoid using stuff like that, as I've had plenty of slugs and damage from them ! I also have yet to get ducks to eat them.
Love this guy! Love the videos! well done all who go into creating them!
Hi Huw! This is Rob and Anna over in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. First off wanted to give a big thank you for all the work you do. We discovered your channel during the pandemic and our resulting vegetable gardening hobby on our apartment balcony helped us so much in getting through it all. When we got our first house about a year ago we deliberately picked one with an unusually large backyard for the neighborhood so we could have more space to have fun with :)
Anyway, our question is this: Have you ever considered doing videos looking at other climates? Albuquerque is in a high-altitude desert in USDA Zone 7b, which adds some interesting wrinkles to gardening that we've been sorting through over the past couple years.
As an example, during the summer an unmulched bed will likely die even with frequent watering because of how hot and dry the air can get. Composting also gets interesting in such conditions because you have to actively prevent it from desiccating, and things like Hugelkultur raised beds end up being very helpful for water retention.
Thanks a lot for this and a gold medal to you for all the sharing😊
Thank you for answering my question.
I dont know if it counts as a food forest but Stefan Sobkowiak from Miracle Farm with his permaculture orchard is doing real good in a place where it can get under 35C.
But I agree when you say people dont take in consideration there location and tend to imitate people from an whole other climate.
There are a few food forests growing in Canada that are very productive and diverse. The big thing seems knowing what will grow and expanding from there.
Free timber - here in Australia, PVC pipes get delivered to plumbing outlets using timber frames to keep the pile stable in transit. These frames get dumped, and the timber is roughly 30mm x 70mm x 1M long on the long sides. I stack the lengths and then join them using screws and metal stripping and then join the corners using angle brackets - total cost is about $15 per bed. If I need longer sides I just use a brick bond approach to get the finished length. I keep all the hardware on the inside so the beds look really neat and very solid. The timber's untreated but with the walls being 30mm thick, they'll still last 4-5 years - then I'll go get more free timber and reuse the hardware! Hope this makes sense - and I hope it helps someone. Cheers!
As far as compost is concerned, it has become important to me that my allotment is at least somewhat economically self sufficient. Buying compost each year is a significant cost, although what I actually spread on my beds is home made compost such as it is and also the spent compost. I still buy compost for seed starting and also for growing tomatoes and peppers. The high quality composts are too expensive as far as I am concerned, and the cheaper ones are ok for water retention but are lacking in nutrients. So what I plan to do is mix my own homemade compost that I believe is nutrient dense, with the bulk of a less expensive compost and see how that goes. I don't see any reason really for growing my tomatoes in pure compost because the tomatoes I grow outside in the soil perform just as well if not better than those which I grow in compost in the greenhouse. It is a difficult problem though and I think one that is really only solved by becoming proficient in making your own compost.
I have been mixing bought compost with my own 50:50 or less of the latter for many years with good results. I often find that my home-made compost (loads of worms in it) is incredibly rich but has less structure than I would like, it feels way too heavy for the little seedlings. The cheaper shop-bought often looks too woody, so the mixes worked well, my toms grew green and thick, albeit I try not to love (aka water) them too much to avoid all well known problems. Also, too nitrogen-rich soil for toms will result in loads of leaves and not much fruit - had that happening a couple of times.
Good luck!
Ideas for composting on a rooftop garden : Obviously I don't have any trees, but I go out early in the mornings after a windy night and collect leaves in the park. Not sure if it's legal, I just stuff them into a large supermarket shopping bag. You can also try asking friends or relatives who have gardens.
If no one tries to stop you from collecting leaves, it's probably all right. I live in a neighborhood with trees and I asked my neighbors if I can rake their leaves for free to use my garden. No one has ever said no to that.
Add coffee grounds to the leaves, speeds up the process and you get higher nitrogen. I also add tea (loose) leaves, anything green like grass clippings, vegs. No meat or dairy though, makes it stink.
@@ninemoonplanet Do you let the coffee grounds dry first? If yes, how?
Thank you, l really love how ur garden looks when green and colorful. Question for spring: do u sow poppies and what method do u use? Thank u
Hey man, I love your work and it has been fun watching you grow over the years.
Thank you ...helpful as always 😊
I learn so much from your video's and find them very inspiring, thank you for that! For spring Q&A, what are your thoughts on using horse manure? I have quite a heap of 1 yr. old manure with an incredible number of wurms in it. Could i use this on my beds before transplanting coming May (tomatoes, courgettes, cucumber)?
Question for spring edition: Are all brassica flower shoots edible, or are there some exceptions?
They're all edible and chickens love them too.
Still mind blowing to me that growing food is so financially challenging.
Doesn't have to be, unless you want it big, fast, and in vast amounts.
But it's a hobby, and hobbies cost money.
I think the point in the context of the question is that it’s difficult to turn a profit trying to grow food to sell. Which is true, and the reasons for this will be different depending where you are in the world. I’m in Australia and some of the major factors include a duopoly of purchasers who refuse to pay reasonable prices and consumers having gotten used to things being cheap, and valuing cheap over everything else. In other countries there are huge subsidies encouraging the production of specific crops for feeding animals rather than humans.
I have friends who are market gardeners and they work incredibly hard for long hours all year and if you calculated out an hourly rate it would likely be below the minimum wage. I’d encourage everyone to reassess how they shop for food products and buy from local growers every time you can.
I study agriculture and I always say it is not possible to feed yourself by feeding others. Meaning in our current agricultural system being on a global market producing food in economically wealthier counties is only profitable on a large industrial scale or by doing the things you get state funds for. In Europe people do not realize that locally produced food is only as cheap as the same food produced in countries with cheaper production because the state pays local farmers the differences. If people would have to pay farmers a liveable price for their vegetables they would not believe the price!
How is it financially challenging if you allocate some of your food budget to it?
@@driespeeters2349 hobby? I feed a family of four on our plot 80% of the time, it's my job, while a passion, it's a job. Hobby is painting, making model railways or collecting stamps. It isn't a hobby automatically just because we find pleasure in it. It's a labour a love.
What a great set of questions! I can say I am so inspired by your garden and thoughtfulness towards maintaining a permaculture that thrives for the environment. Your staff was so helpful when helping with an issue I had when receiving your books here in the U.S. Huge thanks!! I’ve recently joined your Patreon and I can’t wait to learn more. Here’s my question:
How can fans in other parts of the world convert their gardening zones to what you’re doing at different times of the year across the globe. I’m in zone 6B in the United States with 1st/last frost date of 5/15 and 10/15 respectively. ALSO, is there a time you would ever recommend tilling and if so what would those exceptions be?
Firstly, thank you so much for the work you and your team do to educate us all!
I've just come across the concept of wicking beds and am pondering if it's something I can do on my balcony (south facing on the second floor, lots of sun, lots of wind).
What is your take on wicking beds? Seems like a good idea for a drier future?
Loved this Q&a format! Thank you for doing this, I learned a lot
Really like this Q & A format. Thank you
Oh I am glad you enjoyed it! Next one will be in March ;)
For your spring Q&A How does a seed bed work? I am from Denmark, implementing permaculture and trying to work around the slug problem. Thanks to you I mainly use modules now but think it could be good with seed beds for leeks and brassicas.
When and where are sowing possibilities - raised bed or polytunnel
Yeah, I sorta agree that most people romanticize about food forests. I do think perennials have a solid place in the garden, though. I couldn't imagine what it would be like without perennial herbs. Fruit trees are fun and require work, but it's not as bad as most people think. If you plan well, like picking appropriate rootstocks, disease resistance / flowering timing / season length considerations, it's easier than dealing with annuals that constantly need attention (at least in my area). If you're limited on space, you can absolutely grow fruit trees in moderate sized pots. I have citrus and a handful of specialty stonefruits in 15 gallon pots that I can get excellent quality fruit off of (fresh apricots / apriums are delightful). Pruning your trees and shrubs for good structure and health is very important.
In any case, I'd say give one of those rugged perennials a try and see how much work it is for you. I love having my kale year after year, despite having some pest issues. Frankly all brassicas are aphid magnets here, but the issue has lessened over time. Chives are pretty easy as long as you don't let them drop seed everywhere and take over your garden. Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, mint (carefully), lemon balm, french tarragon, greek oregano, and bronze fennel (don't let it go to seed...it'll happily colonize) are standouts in my garden.
I would highly caution anyone against trying to plant out too many perennials at once. That's where you'll get in well over your head, as some things can require a bit more work to get established. Plus failures can be pretty expensive if you've gone after trendy, novel plants (which can be painful to establish anyway). My "food forest" (aka the yard) has 23 fruit trees (semi dwarf at largest), a bunch of shrubs, a few grapes and other vines (passion fruit), a decent perennial herb garden and a nice patch of raspberries. I did put most of that in over the last 5 years and some of the individual years were a ton of work (including establishing 8 fruit trees the first year). All my trees are heavily mulched and on irrigation, which takes a large load off. The rest of my yard is basically all native plants, some of which are quite decorative. The native plants are super easy and I always get a neighbor or two asking what something is in the yard because of how much a show it's putting on. We have a couple 'resident' rabbits that we've learned how to live with (fence them out of the garden beds and protect the tree trunks/branches), and we'll get a decent amount of wildlife visiting throughout the year (birds, pollinators, lizards, coyotes, etc). It is a fun hobby for me and I don't put too much pressure on myself to get everything to work perfectly. If I've had fruit from half or more of my plants by year 7 or 8, I'm doing pretty well.
I do like a perennial as they are set it and forget it part of the allotment. I think it’s can be hard to do annuals and maintain them all. Perennials are like a passive income of veggies! I grow everything from seed and that is a LOT of work! That being said, I was so intimidated about them when I 1st got started!
Don't forget about annuals that readily reseed themselves though ! My mom discovered years ago, finally after many years of gardening ( she didn't grow up with it) that her lettuces gone to seed, would come up in spring - probably didn't see this until she went more no-till - and would be ahead of any she'd plant. She finally just let it do it's thing every year. Dill is usually reliable this way too, and I'm not sure what all else is, as I've had to keep moving and starting over or etc., some non-garden years ( had a few pots). Flowers such as poppies do too.
Really useful information, thanks! Would you mind saying what containers you are using for seed packet storage in the video?
Hello, have a nice day. They are really great with the garden, you can learn a lot from them. Unfortunately, I and many of my friends do not understand everything, some little but nothing. I sometimes had to help out as an interpreter. Although I'm not exactly perfect in the English language either. Unfortunately there are no subtitles in German. Maybe something could be done so that even more people can watch and understand / implement their videos. Greetings from Austria.
Which are the FIRST seeds you sow(ed) in 2023 (and at which date?) Keep the channel UP, inspiring and informative!! Happy new year, cheers, Igor.
Here's a question for your spring Q & A... I cannot be the only person with a collection of old seeds... Some from 1995. I've seen some suggestions for revitalizing/encouraging them to sprout... What do you suggest??? Scratching the seed shell? Soaking? Any suggestions for best germination of OLD seeds?
I agree with you on seed saving! leave it to the experts unless things get tight
Our last frost date isn't until early May. Can you share more about growing under cover, especially in raised beds, using small hoops or cold frames.
Last year was the Coldest summer of the rest of our lives ;)
Did you try electroculture in your garden and if not why not? Would love to see more videos about that topic
❤Q&A’s! For Spring Vlog…. What are your favorite 2 cucumber varieties and why?
To add to the question about overwintering raised beds in wet climats - it is quite a pain where I live, because they get so packed with snow, autumn rains, that they always are last to thaw. We get everything thawing, but beds have like 10cm ICE.. 😬
Shout out for the wormery video from 12 years ago! 😁
My question for the next Q&A: about some materials I read they might be bad to throw in with the compost. What are your views on composting egg shells, potato peels, citrus (peels), banana peels, onion and garlic (peels)?
Dotty Dot may not be a real name, but my grandmother really was named Rosie Rose! (The nurse filling out the birth certificate form made an error, and it was never corrected.)
Love it! :)
I’ve got a bunch of recycled heat treated wooden crates from my tractor supply company as raised beds. I know they aren’t going to last forever but they were free, I just had to get them home. Talk to them first. Most have free pallets and things.
Very helpful. Thanks!😄
Glad it was helpful! :)
Get with a mill that have cedar cut offs with the live edge on the one side. This is very economical.
This was great! Really enjoyed it. Thank you, Huw!
My pleasure! :)
For the beetroot may I suggest soaking the seeds for an hour before you sow them
I have a question: How do you mow the gras between the beds? I have woodchips between them so I do not have to mow. And I really love your channel and the books I bought from you. Love from the Netherlands
Question for spring edition: Hi Huw! I have got little garden for about 2 years now. Until now I have been growing only herbs, fruit trees and fruit bushes. This year I would like to start with annual vegetables. Could you suggest some veggies that are easy and relatively drought resistant? My garden is very DIY, without water, electricity and everything, so I have to come up with plants that will do fine with the abit of rain water I am able to collect there into one IBC tank. Thank you! Greeting from the Czech republic x
Hi Huw, I have a question that I hope you can help me with in your next Q&A please!:
Is there a good way of getting stakes into the ground for really tall beans and peas? (I rarely manage to get mine in or they are really wobbly and I saw someone in the area has had loads of success (every year grrrr) growing beans up a really tall stake. ( Only other option is to breed a self staking 2m pea and bean variety 😜 )
Thanks, Catherine Goodrich 🌱
Question for the next session - will you pretty please sell your module trays in Australia :)
Q and A great idea!
As sowing time is approaching, I'd like to improve consistency in germination. I built a miniature version of Curtis stones original passive solar greenhouse which is amazing but as temperatures vary a great deal depending on cloud cover it can be difficult to get consistent results. Do you ever use a tiny greenhouse heater at the bottom of your shelved mini greenhouses you use for germinating? I think this may help.
Enjoyed the Q & A. One thing I noticed was the audio could have been a little clearer. Have to say, as a person who can garden all year long I kinda envy the people who have a break for winter. I need some down time. ☺
Agreed. The good thing about living in the subtropics is that you can garden year round, the bad thing about living in the subtropics is that you have to! I have lived in the northern hemisphere and miss the down time for planning and dreaming that winter provides.
Zone 6 here and totally jealous of people being able to garden year round. So many months still before we can plant again. 😢
@@taken516 I understand. Guess it's a case of grass is greener. In my area we just worry all winter about either having a rogue hard freeze that wipes everything out or the temps go high enough long enough the winter veg bolt or just don't grow. Had a hard freeze at Christmas and now we need to get through January and February until we can sigh with relief at the being of March. Every place has its issues. Happy gardening. 🙂
Great video! You're one of the RUclips content creators who have inspired me to start my own channel. Hope I'm 1/10 as successful as you!
That's great to hear! Best of luck with it :)
I agree in part with the question of food forests.
They most certainly will 'not' feed the world - unless every family had one of their own.
I've argued this point with other food foresters, as they don't seem to realise that such projects won't allow for the mechanisation of harvesting. So most, if not all, the produce will have to be handpicked: labour intensive and therefore expensive.
I do have the beginnings of my own (2 acre) food forest, because I am an unemployed housewife, a former professional gardener, weather resilient, and I can put in about 4 hours a day to plant, weed, take cuttings, sow seeds, harvest and continue to build soil on my severely depleted bit of land.
Because food forests are all about diversity, I have something like 70 types of fruit plant - and that's the thing.
Where 'fruit' is concerned, food forests are absolutely brilliant.
For protein - they're pretty great too - I have about 100 hazelnut trees and a young walnut.
For vegetables...ahhhh, now that's when you get a bit so-so with this kind of set-up in a Scottish climate.
Normal vegetables are a bit lacklustre in my part of the world as it is. Reduced light, damp weather, humid air - therefore: reduced yields, smaller veggies, lots of slugs, lots of snails, lots of fungal diseases.
Stick a load of trees into the mix and veggie growing becomes even more challenging.
Do you ship to Canada? I'm interested in your propagation trays. ☺️
What to look for when choosing containers for potato growing? Remember one of your videos talking about how growing in containers and dispersing those throughout the garden, you can use all the tiny free places and reduce possibilities of pest colony. So I am very keen to try that out this year! Any other plans we can grow in containers like that? :)
I think he used grow bags, cloth ones.
Hiya Huw! Weirdly dottie dot is sort of my real name :D It started as an alias (problems with a stalker) but I had to use it so much (very dedicated stalker) that most people now know me as that in real life. I always get introduced as dot or dottie and it feels a bit odd using my actual name for documents etc now. I referred to my partner as Mr Dot a few times and now that's stuck too :D
Thank you so much for answering my question so thoroughly, lots of great ideas there. Another very informative video, thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and experience. dottie
My veggie garden is fenced to keep out critters (I’m looking at you rabbits). I’d like to create areas around my garden to encourage native animals, birds and insects. I’m interested in hedgerows. I know it depends on location, climate, etc, but are there some general suggestions on where to start?
Thank you for sharing your experiences in the garden. I love your Regenerative Films series. Such beautiful farms and gardens and you really let the gardeners express themselves.
Native plants make great wind breaks. In my area I had to dig around a bit to find information on wind break design on the internet. There can be a bit of local parameters that influence the design. Plant spacing, species, what things to include in what row, orientation to the wind direction. The cool thing is you can usually design them in a way that they're fairly low effort once installed. I did a basic 3 row design with native shrubs and grasses on the outside, mid sized evergreens on the next row and then fruit trees on the side closest to our house. It's still growing in, but it seems to help lessen/soften our really windy spring. Plants in the general area are easier to establish. With all the native plants the wildlife seems to love it. The rabbits regularly hang out under the shrubs this time of year and the flowering plants bring in all kinds of pollinators 😁
Not meaning to intrude, hopefully Huw gets to u ! Am wondering tho, have you then already watched the video about the hedgerows at Singing Frog's Farm (near Sebastopol, CA, USA) ? I'm in Wisconsin, and can't wait to get a place of our own and do this ! My plan, on a very low budget especially, is to just start with anything I like ( isn't thorny, with FEW exceptions) or want and doesn't grow too tall ( or I can pollard it) which is hardy to our zone and which I can get cheap or free, like from cuttings from wild bushes and trees such as choke cherry and mountain Ash with those clusters of bright orange berries (which are edible)& I've seen in wild (up by Lake Superior anyways, and I used to see em as ornamentals yards) and from neighbors, friends, such as lilacs, roses, divisions of flowers, herbs, berries, cuttings off fruit trees and any of all that I can afford to buy - basically going through the pages of unusual or hardy fruits in Jung's catalog or from permaculture nurseries online, like Edible Acres ! Lotsa mulberries hopefully as they draw birds away from other fruits, and make for nutritious chicken food. I can get lotta elderberry and hazelnuts from a friend's farm's property. I don't plan on anything too scientific, just to mix em all up, allowing for things which need more sun to have more of it, etc. or in a lower spot for water-loving or needing things. As for the beneficials, I figure that they'll be off to a great start whatever I do along these lines, and I can focus on more refinement for their sakes, once I get the bulk of it off and growing. I've observed wildlife, like frogs etc., be very readily interested in my gardens and showing up a lot, without any effort on my part other than having a no-till garden with some mulch, and having some trees/brushy edges not far away on my or my neighbor's property. Even with sprayed cornfields on 3 sides, at one home, we had an amazing abundance of frogs and such. I've just not into being too technical, myself, whenever I can get away with not, so, we'll see !
I have a gardening question, Last year was the worst gardening year I've ever had: all of my crops in all of my extensive raised beds were damaged by pests and fungus and powdery mildews and all those nasty diseases. Is it safe to grow again in these raised beds this year? If not, what do I do?