Hello to all our new subscribers - thank you for joining us on this new adventure of ours. This week has been a busy one, but it's satisfying to see so much progress (and novelty bread) being made.
The greatest thing about gardening, in my opinion, is that it makes you feel good growing your food / flowers, herbs, etc etc no matter what it is, finding out what works on your patch, helping nature and wildlife, and of course building soil.
Oh my goodness what a beautiful little cottage two adorable cats with you! New Subscriber Here!! Hello from New York City is going to be one beautiful little home !!
Hello from Scotland!! We're still stunned to have a little cottage and some land to work with, we never imagined we'd be able to afford anything like this. Lots of work to do but we're looking forward to it all!
There were a whole lot of worms living in the gravel that I tried to save. The soil under the gravel is actually pretty good, is just been suffocated and compacted.
Hi Stina and Cameron Oh I do hope you took a cutting of that Lovely Blue bush from your other place it is so stunning, and the little cover looks ideal for keeping the rabbits from a good munch. The rolls looked ok and I did think they must taste nice as I could smell the fennel from here lol, well done for trying it . xxxxx Hugs Dede
The Ceanothus is beautiful, but Stina suspects it would not enjoy the wet west coast. It's far better suited to dry environments and to be honest it was struggling on the east coast where we were. I'd love to have it here, the bees LOVED it in the summer and the whole tree just buzzed for months at a time. The fennel bread tasted good, and smelt even better. If I did it again I'd make them into flat breads. - Cameron
Cameron, kiddo. Next time try half rye and half white flour. Also did you add salt? Did you add a little sugar? What yeast did you use? I love making bread--I have this great no knead method that is so easy.
I'll be honest, I'm pretty new to using rye flour so I have a whole lot to learn. I did use a little sugar to activate the yeast and the flour had a bit of salt in for the flavour. I think I really just need to get used to rye and mix it down with some normal strong flour. Every day is a school day lol - Cameron
If it was 100% rye flour that you were using, it was never going to rise much. Rye is delicious, but if you want it to be lighter, you'll want to use it in conjunction with mostly bread (wheat) flour. Looking forward to seeing how your garden comes along!
I have a terrible habit of just using whatever is in the cupboard. On this occasion it was either the rye or self raising flower. In hindsight I was cursed to have to deal with either too much rise or none at all lol. Either way they were eaten and even enjoyed. -Cameron
New subscriber here 👋🏻 looking forward to future videos, really enjoy your content. Your nervousness in the seconds before biting into your bread rolls made me smile so much 😆
To be honest my goal is just to remove as much gravel as possible. We used to have a small garden where gravel had become mixed into the soil in huge quantities and the last thing I want is to create that situation again. It was really hard to work with. - Stina
I found your site today, and am enjoying your videos. You remind me of our excitement when we moved back to my home area on my husand`s retirement. He made a veg garden at the end of our long back garden, looking out onto farm land, shire horses, sheep and bullocks. The latter brought flies with them! Originally we set off with raised beds, but found they took up a lot of room and moved them to just work all the heavy clay soil. Years of our own compost, horse manure, and chicken pellets turned the difficult area into beautiful soil. Best wishes from Susan in East Yorkshire.
Thank you! We have years of work to do to get to where we want to be. It sounds like you have a wonderful space that's taken years to achieve. All the best from Scotland.
Hah, yes. Judging by some of the stories we've heard from neighbours in the village, we think it might have been, though they also seem a bit reluctant to tell us TOO much about what went on here. -Stina
I don't want to teach grandma to suck eggs - you have your own experience of growing broad beans that works for you. But, just in case you haven't, I would have planted the braodbeans a little deeper, only because they are quite leggy. I think I would have planted them deep enough to reach the first or even the second set of leaves. The plant would have created new roots below soil and it would have created a much more stable plant. Especially as the broadies would have to go through winter, before you harvest early broad beans in maybe as early as April but probably May or early June as you are much further north than I am. I would have also added a few short canes or sticks and wrapped some twine or cord around them to provide a support to stop the plants toppling over in the Spring. Also could you not recycle the gravel you dug up as paths around the raised beds? I understand that there may be reasons not to but I think it is worth investigating as an additional weed suppressor, especially if you want to use the no dig method with cardboard as a weed suppressor and the added gravel for paths. Also pro tip: you can plant first early varieties of peas in August and get a crop before the it gets too cold. Although maybe being in Scotland you may have to adjust his by a couple of weeks. Most people think that first earlies meant plant in spring and get a harvest in late spring or early summer but it works the other end of the season too. First early just means that they take a shorter period of time to mature and be ready for eating. I have also tried this with first early potatoes which take just 8 to 12 weeks to produce a crop. Try it at the end of the season to get a crop of potatoes. I was also told by my grandparents that if you harvest potatoes in the late summer or early autumn and they were green, then it was better to replant them and you could get a harvest of a fresh crop of potatoes for Christmas dinner. I have not tried this myself, but I have memories of grandparents bringing newly dug potatoes for Christmas dinner when I was a small child. Again I don't know if this would work for you, as the family has always lived in the South of England, but it would be interesting to see this in action in Scotland. Also, assuming you like garlic, plant the bulbs in autumn as they need the cold to create the cloves, planted in spring they might not get cold enough and won't create separate coves and will just have one large clove instead.
Thanks, I didn't know broad beans worked that way, although it's exactly what I'd do with tomatoes. I can try it with the next 3 that I've got coming on right now. Re. the gravel, in my experience it harbours weeds as much as it suppresses them, and it's really hard to manage and avoid stirring with the soil unless there's a plastic membrane underneath, which we definitely don't want. We might keep a small amount in some areas, but there's just SO much here. - Stina
Ay already know that rye flour needs more liquid than other flours + it's better not to work it as much, I let it rest after I've added the liquid & often end up adding more. Good luck with your mini homestead, loved the video. T.
Hello, I am a new subscriber, I was wondering if you might use a pad when gardening? I use one when sitting on the ground or kneeling and it saves my pants from getting so dirty and sure is more comfortable on my knees! Looking forward to your next adventure!
I'll try and convince Stina to the benefits of a kneeling pad of some sort, I wondered about getting her some trousers with pads on the knees already. - Cameron
I had a very eccentric friend who was all into natural and organic, and she put all their old clothes (cotton, not synthetic) into the garden to mulch down the weeds. It was hilarious walking around her garden and her saying 'Oh there is my husbands shirt, or pants. Another friend moved recently to a house and she is also digging up old clothes and things. Ha . Seems a shame not to plant into your mulch around the garden bed as well.
I can certainly understand this if it's all natural fibres, but a lot of what we were finding was straight out of the man made section sadly. Still feels like we're only just getting started.
Yes the bread wasn't going to win any beauty contests and Stina claims to still be chewing their piece, but it tasted fine. Really looking forward to more raised beds going in too! - Cameron
Hello to all our new subscribers - thank you for joining us on this new adventure of ours. This week has been a busy one, but it's satisfying to see so much progress (and novelty bread) being made.
The greatest thing about gardening, in my opinion, is that it makes you feel good growing your food / flowers, herbs, etc etc no matter what it is, finding out what works on your patch, helping nature and wildlife, and of course building soil.
We're excited to start getting some produce from the garden though we know it'll take a bit of time before we're really reaping the benefits :)
Oh my goodness what a beautiful little cottage two adorable cats with you! New Subscriber Here!!
Hello from New York City is going to be one beautiful little home !!
Hello from Scotland!! We're still stunned to have a little cottage and some land to work with, we never imagined we'd be able to afford anything like this. Lots of work to do but we're looking forward to it all!
🐝 Thanks for the great video 🌻 subscribed
"Tasty, but not easy to eat"... Sounds like the bread I make!! 👍
Can't have been so bad, we're still alive.
Well done, removing the gravel & plastic sheeting 👏at least the soil has a chance to recover vitalize , bring back the worms ect .
There were a whole lot of worms living in the gravel that I tried to save. The soil under the gravel is actually pretty good, is just been suffocated and compacted.
Good for you getting that plastic lifted. I can almost hear the ground letting a sigh of relief.
I'm itching to do all the rest, but I've already ran out of space to put it all.
Hi Stina and Cameron Oh I do hope you took a cutting of that Lovely Blue bush from your other place it is so stunning, and the little cover looks ideal for keeping the rabbits from a good munch. The rolls looked ok and I did think they must taste nice as I could smell the fennel from here lol, well done for trying it . xxxxx Hugs Dede
The Ceanothus is beautiful, but Stina suspects it would not enjoy the wet west coast. It's far better suited to dry environments and to be honest it was struggling on the east coast where we were. I'd love to have it here, the bees LOVED it in the summer and the whole tree just buzzed for months at a time. The fennel bread tasted good, and smelt even better. If I did it again I'd make them into flat breads. - Cameron
Cameron, kiddo. Next time try half rye and half white flour. Also did you add salt? Did you add a little sugar? What yeast did you use? I love making bread--I have this great no knead method that is so easy.
I'll be honest, I'm pretty new to using rye flour so I have a whole lot to learn. I did use a little sugar to activate the yeast and the flour had a bit of salt in for the flavour. I think I really just need to get used to rye and mix it down with some normal strong flour. Every day is a school day lol - Cameron
I love your sprouter, I’ve never seen one before! I live in the US, I’ve a lot of searching to do! ♥️. I’m so happy for you guys!
Hi! We've had this one for years, Stina got it as a gift. Found one that looks exactly the same here amzn.to/3NPwE5U
If it was 100% rye flour that you were using, it was never going to rise much. Rye is delicious, but if you want it to be lighter, you'll want to use it in conjunction with mostly bread (wheat) flour. Looking forward to seeing how your garden comes along!
I have a terrible habit of just using whatever is in the cupboard. On this occasion it was either the rye or self raising flower. In hindsight I was cursed to have to deal with either too much rise or none at all lol. Either way they were eaten and even enjoyed. -Cameron
I am really enjoying your knowledge of plants. The chicken wire cloche is brilliant💥
Thanks so much. I do tend to obsess over the plants, and there's always so much more to learn. - Stina
New subscriber here 👋🏻 looking forward to future videos, really enjoy your content. Your nervousness in the seconds before biting into your bread rolls made me smile so much 😆
Welcome! Well it must have been ok in the end as we've survived. To be honest, the taste was great, just a wee bit dense lol
You can use toilet paper rolls with news paper 😊
You could use the gravel and earth in the bottom of raised beds for drainage
To be honest my goal is just to remove as much gravel as possible. We used to have a small garden where gravel had become mixed into the soil in huge quantities and the last thing I want is to create that situation again. It was really hard to work with. - Stina
@BrambleCottageMiniHomestead sorry for sticking my oar in and assuming you didn't know what to do with it, good luck to you both ❤️
No no, it's a reasonable suggestion, and we don't really know where to put it all. We'll find a way to get rid of it ❤️
Really working hard at setting up the garden.
So much still to do but loving getting it all done.
I found your site today, and am enjoying your videos. You remind me of our excitement when we moved back to my home area on my husand`s retirement. He made a veg garden at the end of our long back garden, looking out onto farm land, shire horses, sheep and bullocks. The latter brought flies with them! Originally we set off with raised beds, but found they took up a lot of room and moved them to just work all the heavy clay soil. Years of our own compost, horse manure, and chicken pellets turned the difficult area into beautiful soil. Best wishes from Susan in East Yorkshire.
Thank you! We have years of work to do to get to where we want to be. It sounds like you have a wonderful space that's taken years to achieve. All the best from Scotland.
"Socks in the compost and pajamas in the shrubbery" HA!HA! Sounds like you bought a party house!
Hah, yes. Judging by some of the stories we've heard from neighbours in the village, we think it might have been, though they also seem a bit reluctant to tell us TOO much about what went on here. -Stina
RUclips suggested your channel to me. I enjoyed watching your videos and you have a new subscriber. Greetings Heidi 👩🌾💕
Hi Heidi and welcome 😁
I don't want to teach grandma to suck eggs - you have your own experience of growing broad beans that works for you. But, just in case you haven't, I would have planted the braodbeans a little deeper, only because they are quite leggy. I think I would have planted them deep enough to reach the first or even the second set of leaves. The plant would have created new roots below soil and it would have created a much more stable plant. Especially as the broadies would have to go through winter, before you harvest early broad beans in maybe as early as April but probably May or early June as you are much further north than I am. I would have also added a few short canes or sticks and wrapped some twine or cord around them to provide a support to stop the plants toppling over in the Spring. Also could you not recycle the gravel you dug up as paths around the raised beds? I understand that there may be reasons not to but I think it is worth investigating as an additional weed suppressor, especially if you want to use the no dig method with cardboard as a weed suppressor and the added gravel for paths. Also pro tip: you can plant first early varieties of peas in August and get a crop before the it gets too cold. Although maybe being in Scotland you may have to adjust his by a couple of weeks. Most people think that first earlies meant plant in spring and get a harvest in late spring or early summer but it works the other end of the season too. First early just means that they take a shorter period of time to mature and be ready for eating. I have also tried this with first early potatoes which take just 8 to 12 weeks to produce a crop. Try it at the end of the season to get a crop of potatoes. I was also told by my grandparents that if you harvest potatoes in the late summer or early autumn and they were green, then it was better to replant them and you could get a harvest of a fresh crop of potatoes for Christmas dinner. I have not tried this myself, but I have memories of grandparents bringing newly dug potatoes for Christmas dinner when I was a small child. Again I don't know if this would work for you, as the family has always lived in the South of England, but it would be interesting to see this in action in Scotland. Also, assuming you like garlic, plant the bulbs in autumn as they need the cold to create the cloves, planted in spring they might not get cold enough and won't create separate coves and will just have one large clove instead.
Thanks, I didn't know broad beans worked that way, although it's exactly what I'd do with tomatoes. I can try it with the next 3 that I've got coming on right now. Re. the gravel, in my experience it harbours weeds as much as it suppresses them, and it's really hard to manage and avoid stirring with the soil unless there's a plastic membrane underneath, which we definitely don't want. We might keep a small amount in some areas, but there's just SO much here. - Stina
"Grandma to suck eggs" LOL My husband says "Don't teach grandpa to chew cheese"
I love your video’s and plan on continuing the journey with you! I can almost smell that bread!
The bread smelt wonderful of fennel and yeast, it's just a shame they didn't rise even a little. Still they were enjoyable 😋
had to subscribe lovin the vlogs.
Thank you :)
Ay already know that rye flour needs more liquid than other flours + it's better not to work it as much, I let it rest after I've added the liquid & often end up adding more. Good luck with your mini homestead, loved the video. T.
I'll try some experiments and see what I can manage not to ruin lol
Can I suggest you throw your old soil onto your compost piles , we do that with all our old pots
Yep, we're trying to save every bit of soil we can, we're probably going to need it. - Cameron
Hello, I am a new subscriber, I was wondering if you might use a pad when gardening? I use one when sitting on the ground or kneeling and it saves my pants from getting so dirty and sure is more comfortable on my knees! Looking forward to your next adventure!
I'll try and convince Stina to the benefits of a kneeling pad of some sort, I wondered about getting her some trousers with pads on the knees already. - Cameron
I had a very eccentric friend who was all into natural and organic, and she put all their old clothes (cotton, not synthetic) into the garden to mulch down the weeds. It was hilarious walking around her garden and her saying 'Oh there is my husbands shirt, or pants. Another friend moved recently to a house and she is also digging up old clothes and things. Ha . Seems a shame not to plant into your mulch around the garden bed as well.
I can certainly understand this if it's all natural fibres, but a lot of what we were finding was straight out of the man made section sadly. Still feels like we're only just getting started.
Planter box is upside down, you’ll learn. Good luck.
Yep, you got it, Stina did take a moment to mention it to me lol. - Cameron
Sorry but the bread looked awful but the garden is coming together❤
Yes the bread wasn't going to win any beauty contests and Stina claims to still be chewing their piece, but it tasted fine. Really looking forward to more raised beds going in too! - Cameron