Arielle in my greenhouse in Scotland I have blocks of plastic bottles filled with water. The water heats up during the day and gives the heat out overnight, enough to help reduce the risk of the temp dipping below freezing overnight. Your plants are all looking fabulous
I do that same thing here in Vermont, Zone 4, around the time things are dropping down to freezing at night. This allows me to leave a bunch of plants out that I would have to bring in and out for a few weeks during that time.
I was happy to hear that you will include more videos on your garden this year. I have always look forward to episodes on gardening and preserving food.
This was a crazy day. My daughter had a seizure, fell out of bed, hurt her shoulder and neck. You have no idea how much I love your videos " all your videos". I grew up on a farm in central Michigan. I loved this video. It brought back wonderful memories. Thank you for your self reliant content.
When your corn starts it’s pollination cycle go through and shake the stalk to release the pollen over the corn and tassels. That’s what I do and I have large normal size cobs and corn.
Yes! Tap the tassels onto a newspaper or piece of cardboard. Then gently blow the pollen onto the forming hairs. This ensures direct pollination :) hope this helps!
Yay! I'm excited about more garden videos! Of course, I'm sure you know by now how much I appreciate your garden and your knowledge when it comes to gardening. You guys are also such an inspiration to me because you are able to do so well in Alaska which means I can do well here in southern Missouri. I'm also always impressed with the amount of food y'all put up. It's encouraging to me that I can do the same and I'm slowly working my way toward that goal.
I feel the same way - I have learned so much watching the two of you! My garden is doing pretty well, and I canned more chicken bone broth today, and a new item - homemade ghee! Thank you!
With the corn pollination, when the plants get to have the tassels on top and the silks at the ears, every time you go into the high tunnel, walk along and give each plant a nice light but firm shake. that is what we always did and it worked great.
Lol some of those hens look legit offended that you're checking on their babies. "Are you questioning my parenting skills?" But then I'm no chicken expert, so who knows? I love animals, their expressions are just so funny.
Your chickens are absolutely beautiful and look so healthy. Other than that one mean hen that always wants to give Eric a good pecking...😂... they seem pretty chill too.
The two little chicks looking at their mother when you changed her feed, were like, "Mom, you going to take that." We have a bird house on our breezeway and have never had a bird make a nest in it. Well this year they did and we have 3 little babies in it. I was so excited! I am truly an animal lover and I appreciate how well you both treat your animals.
I love watching your garden grow. I have had big gardens in the past and a greenhouse. Now that I am 72 I don’t have all that energy to keep it up but I still have an herb garden and grow flowers and a few tomatoes and cucumbers because homegrown is so superior. Years ago I got certified as a master gardener and converted every possible area of our large yard into a growing space. Now I need to simplify the yard and eliminate garden beds. Around here it is impossible to find knowledgeable help.
I admire your collective energy and cooperative spirit in getting your work done and enjoying your Alaskan life. I would have liked to do this when I was younger. I like to build and create new ways of doing life's wants and needs and solve problems. You are my vicarious adventure. Thanks for sharing. 80 in Phoenix. I like the experimentation with plants. Over the years I have done the same and it is fun and productive.
Re:Bees, we had a large tree split in half & it was full of bees. Had a beekeeper come get them, he found two queens in a cocoon & put them each with the surrounding bees into a box each. His friend came & found another queen and did likewise. The next day 1/2 of the bees left swarmed out of the tree. Then there was still a huge group of bees on the entrance & inside the tree apparently with one last queen that also swarmed out of the tree leaving scavengers for the remaining honey. Sad that we lost the tree & the bees but wow it produced a lot of bees. They swarmed last year as well too.
Hi Ariel - I also keep bees and yes, you can take some frames of brood - along with the nurse bees that are on them - and place them in another hive. Just make sure the queen isn’t on any of those frames! 😀 nurse bees won’t leave the brood and they’ve never flown from the hive yet. And any worker bees will fly back home! Good luck!
A lesson I learned a couple of years ago is to do a gardening journal. It helps to read and compare years as far as frost, kinds of vegetables and what to never do again. I just can't remember everything I've wanted to remember the next year. Thanks for the video.
Your package (#1 box) may be ready for another deep to be added. General rule is when a deep is 80% full, they start the swarming cycle. Fill the box with drawn comb frames. You can always tip the deep back to see if there are queen cells on the bottom of the frames. It's a quick way to check for swarm signals without disturbing each frame. Also, it's better to wear a veil than to smoke bees too much. It stresses them greatly. One puff into the entrance and two across the top should be enough. Thanks for taking us along to see beekeeping in the far North. 😉 If you get a chance to try an alternative this Summer when harvesting honey, look into Bee Quick spray and a fume board. They work great and quickly get you into and out of the hive.
I started my first garden after getting inspired by your videos this winter. I'm not expecting much hoping for a salad or two but I am happy to be learning a new skill. thanks a bunch!
Someone told me once, that you may not grow a lot in your first garden, but you will learn a lot and that is priceless. So true.. I did grow enough for a few salads in my first garden and I'm still learning. Good Luck and have fun guys!
You'll be surprised! I had my first garden 2 years ago (tiny 10x20 plot in a community garden) and I was amazed how much I grew. Tomatoes and peppers are crazy productive. Carrots are super easy, too.
You should try growing mums. They tolerate cooler weather. But they do need quite a bit of water until their roots go deeper. The right variety will winter well and come back strong. Your bees will love them.
I love tatsoi (the first way you said it is correct,) and other Chinese green veg. Bok choi is also an excellent choice in a cold climate, esp if you start them inside, to get a bit more out of your growing season. Plus, they don’t need to be full-sized when you eat them and many people like having them small as ‘baby veg.’ Also try kailan (Chinese broccoli,) wong bok (Chinese cabbage,) and kang kong (Chinese water spinach,) if you manage to get your hands on some seeds! They are great in soups and stir fries and I’m sure your animals will also like the leftovers. My two dogs also love their small portions Asian greens, although they love trying anything they see us eating! I blend up their portions of veggies, to maximize the amount of nutrients they absorb.
I've been waiting for spring to truly pop at your place - so fun to see the baby chicks. One thing - it's not good to put any acid (ACV) in the metal waterers. It can/will destroy the coating and leach metals into the water. They are not designed to hold acidic liquids and people have poisoned their chickens this way. Hope that okay to say and thanks for another wonderful video!
This year I've planted a lot of stuff for the bees, a couple of blocks of "wildflowers", red and white clover and Buckwheat. The Buckwheat started blooming last week, the bees and butterflies have found it. When I say bees, it's not just honeybees but a lot of different kinds of wild bees and wasps too.
borage, multi colored yarrow, irises, valerian, delphinium, columbine, tiger lily, wild violets, and some babies breath and wild snapdragon are all perennial or self seeding in alaska and overwinter in the interior at -50. If you want to really up the flowers with less effort! My mom dug and transplanted her wild irises and they are going strong 18 years later.
All about your gardening activities. So much work here. It's the comprehensive description and variety that I appreciate. Many thanks to both of you guys for all that you share. And of course... right now I'm thinking about what to do with all the tomatoes/ cucumbers.... Your canning skills /demonstrations are an inspiration. Thank you !
Flowers! Yes! Calendula (accent on the lend) are pretty hardy and the bees will love them. Prolific seed producers, and the doubles are spectacular! Can’t wait to see your flower bed! Well done!
I always feel like I fail more than I succeed when gardening, my husband is really quick to say to me that I'm doing well, and I need to look at all the success rather than the fails!
I really love homestead channels in general, but I have to say respectfully you guys are the most realistically self sufficient imo when it comes to the bees, gardening, utilizing from the garden, hunting and provisions, etc.
Great image of bees 'festooning" - where they form a chain in the space between frames as you separate them. Your queen theory for (I think) hive two is unlikely (if i understood you correctly) as a superseded/new queen would have needed to have a mating flight in order to have produced a hatching egg and that would surely have been impossible during your wintered down phase (maybe you meant this may have happened before you wintered them down). Here in NZ I am just wintering down my bees and we have a winter opposite to yours in a few ways (timing, length and severity!). I always enjoy seeing what you are planting - I would love to grown more of my own food - I can't even get my celery to have thick juicy stalks. I can grow tomatoes and silverbeet though :) Oh, and Rhubarb! Your bees will be super happy to have so many flowers close by this season. 🐝 💜
I highly suggest calendula. 2 years in a row they germinated Tooo well and they seem to tolerate the cold Much better than zinnias. Also my Borage is huge and the bees Love them. I don’t eat many of the flowers but the leaves do taste like cucumbers. I am zone 3-4 in Edmonton and the warm spring had not yet arrived. SOON. 🙏
I’m going back over everything I missed these past several years. Just gotta say, you guys ROCK! Thank you for all you’ve shared. I’ve learned so much! And with all this S**t going on in the world, your channel brings me peace & hope. Thank you again. Keep on keeping on. 🤗👍🏻
Girl,that the first time I have ever seen anyone check their beehives without any protection at all. You must have nerves of steel. Your first two hives look amazing and good luck with the third one. Love your videos.
It was awesome watching you work with your bees, and then the chickens. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Yes I struggle with gardening too at times, but I just love it, gardening is like that, there is so much nature involved it is not just down to us.
Loved. Loved the chicken segment. ❤🐓🐔🐤❤Love that I always learn something when I watch. Learned lots about bees. The part where Ariel talked about not being able to overwinter perennials; you could try digging it up, put it in a pot and in the greenhouse sometime before frost. It would have to be the right plant, worth the work, etc. And I suggest always look at what other people grow well in your area. I live 0.5 miles from the pacific ocean, middle of Oregon, so I had to learn what grows and what doesn't. Have you heard of sea kale?
I always so love the bees have enjoyed from the start of them and watching all the growing to this point. Nothing more wonderful than Momma hens raising their babies :). And will never tire of the garden years from start to finish. hugs
Do your broody hens take their chicks into the general flock? I've always kept my separate for a few weeks, but it sure would be easier to integrate right away.
You can pull a frame of brood/bees from the stronger hives and move them into the weaker hive. We balance all the time. Just make sure you have a solid frame of bees AND brood. preferably capped. The sorrell is a more tropical plant, likes heat and humidity. typically grown in the southern US often as a decorative landscaper.
Nice to see that your bees are doing fine, about the thirt hive, you said that you saw a lot of eggs, so the queen is laying, give them another couple of weeks, they will be fine. Please do not warm up the sugar sirup you're making over 35°C because the solution will start to produce HMF which is poisonous for the bees. I always mix 1kg of sugar with 900ml of water which gives me an about 1 to 1 ratio and it fits in a 1,5 Liter Bottle, just a five minute shake is enough to mix it. Greetings from Germany.
Hurray for more gardening videos. I seem to learn more from mistakes than from success and from watching others. Gardening is a joy, brings peace and fulfillment, energy, hope and so many questions, observations, WORK, sweat, and glorious sleep at night. At 76 yo, I get so much energy from my garden. Seems through history, people have provided for themselves and yet over the last several hundred years that has changed and now, tons of people have no clue how to provide for themselves - it all comes from a store. That is another reason I love watching you guys - you're doing what I can only dream of and find so much joy in seeing you do it. Thanks!
Your baby chicks are Gorgeous. I hope you show how much they are growing periodically. I'm looking forward to more Gardening Videos too. 🌈🌈🌈🦋🦋🦋🌺🌺🌸🌸🐝🌻🌻🌻
A great video of bees, chickens, and gardening. I especially liked 😻 Pepper's cameo at 13:35 with that cute trill. She looks really happy. I was a bit surprised that she did not come to help in the high tunnel.
I have to confess I have a woman crush on you Ariel! Look at your plants!!! I dream of having a nursery like that! Your advice helps in my own gardening ventures. I’ve been gardening for decades and there are always successes and losses. Those zinnias are tough little guys! Mine went through a flood last August and within a week were rising from the muck and mud and bloomed their little hearts out until frost! Your snapdragons look better than mine! Can’t wait to see the progress as the season continues. It’s fascinating to watch how you two thrive in such a challenging environment. I’m spoiled down here n zone 7. Thank you guys so much for sharing your time with us all. I look forward to every episode! 🙌🏻🌱👍🏻
Have you considered planting native edible plants, fruits, etc. that are native to North America and Alaska more specifically? They would have a greater relationship with the soil and microorganisms! Plus they would over winter better! I know there’s tons of plants that you guys forage as well which is amazing! Definitely an option I feel is something to consider like even bringing berry bushes onto your property of native varieties! Not in any way wanting to tell y’all what to do just wanted to pose the idea! You guys are champions!
I look forward to your new episodes the same way I look forward to a new episode of my favourite tv show. Where I live in South Africa we have no snow ever, so it’s cool to see the contrasting lifestyle. Keep up the good work!
I so greatly appreciate your guys's Channel because my four year old loves to watch it with me. She really enjoys the animals this week she was very excited to see the little chickies. Thank you for sharing and happy growing season
Snap dragon , The wild version is called Jewel weed. The juice from the stem is the very best remedy for relief from insect bites or poison ivy. instant relief!!!
To achieve better pollination of your corn, when the tassels begin to shed pollen, place them in a small paper bag, shake vigorously, then remove the bag and place it over the ear and shake to get pollen on the silks.
Love the baby chickens there and BO big sigh for BO But those BABIES are the cutest for awhile for me to see that is how happy I am to see you with a New video on out !!! Pictures You do take are AWESOME love the sights that you show us !!!
Beginner gardener here. Your garden is very impressive, especially how much y’all grow in the zone you are in. I can’t wait to see all the flowers in the summer!
First year gardening this year, so far my mother and I have killed every single plant we’ve started from seed, thankfully we have some backup plans, but it’s always really nice to hear that we’re not the only ones struggling! Love watching all your gardening videos- they’re part of the reason I got inspired to start my own garden this year. Thank you for sharing and good luck with all of your flowers :-)
Its pronounced 'Tat Soy'. Anyone in Alaska who isn't growing it is missing out. The Sorrel is more of a second season crop. Mine didn't do much of anything last year but exploded this spring.
Yes, get a couple sheets of newspaper, make slits in it,small slots. Then you can take a super without queen and set atop newspaper. They'll eat through slowly getting used to each other's odor so there shouldn't be a massacre. 3 sheets might be better. Something else that can be done, is move a stronger Hove away, put the weaker jive in its place. When bees leave the stronger hive, they end up at the weaker hive as that's where they think they live. You can move the weaker hive and put where stronger hive is / was, while moving stronger hive behind it but changing opening opposite direction.
The lives of bees, the lives of chickens, and the lives of flowers.....and all the care to make all of them flourish. What more could you ask for in a Simple Living Alaska video! Highly enjoyable. Thanks!
Loved the chicken footage. Nothing as cute a baby chicks. Bees are interesting, something I don't know much about. Spring is the best season, you get to start gardening applying what you learned last year.
U are going to love those snapdragons when all in bloom! Probably my favorite flower. They give u a lot of BAM for your buck! Can’t wait to see them! Bees love the zinnias!
Your channel is simply wonderful and I love the genuineness that you have. I appreciate your lifestyle and the positive mindset you both have. Thank you for teaching!
How awesome are all the things!!!😍😍😍 I have to be honest though I like watching you check the bees, however it gives me ANXIETY (and for you) because I'm allergic!!!😅😅😅 Still amazing to watch though!!!💯💯💯 I can't wait to see what y'all make with all the yummy greens and everything for that matter!!!👍👍👍 You make the best looking food!!! 😋 😋 😋 And those baby chicks!!!🤗🤗🤗 Much Love from FL 💖💞🌴💖💞🌴💖💞🌴
Your brave going in the bee area with no protective suit. I know you are confident and the bees feel that. Lots of baby chick's, they are so darn cute. I self pollinate my corn, as soon as silks show up, take a handful of the stamen pollination from the top and sprinkle on the silks, worked for me. Good luck
Still cannot get over the BEAUTIFUL colors in your chickens!! Thank you for showing so many of them. And the in depth look at your garden seedlings. GREAT JOB!!! 🙂
Какая Вы смелая женшина !Убей меня я не захочу мёда из за боязьн пчёль И парадокс какая ,белый снег кругом,а пчёлы леять как будто лето.Удачи Вам Вы удивительные люди.
Ariel, you should get yourself a book called "cool flowers" by Lisa Mason Ziegler. It is really helpful to know which flowers do good in cold climate the best.
I've been gardening for 40 years, and I still learn something new every year. Every single year is different, and some years just aren't as easy as others. One year we had three months without rain, I honestly thought that might be the end of my growing food, it was just heartbreaking. The thing is, there's always hope when you plant a seed, and that always keeps me coming back and trying again. Even though we are like 4 zones south of you, our last frost chance is still in May and those unpredictable temperatures are so frustrating.
I've been following you guys like forever. Why did I just notice your beautiful wedding ring Ariel?! You are so brave to take care of your bees without any protective gear! OMG! You have all my respect. They are so lucky to have you as a bee keeper (and Erik to assist you). You love them and it is soooo obvious. Take care! Please keep on feeding us with beautiful images. 😊
Thank you so much for this beautiful video. I've always admired gardeners. I appreciate all the love and care you have for your homestead. From Central Okla.
Nice babies! ☺ I love watching the chickens. Just an FYI- don't trust the weather this year. We have been hitting the 90's here in Central Florida, which is normalish. But, the last 2 mornings, we have woke up to the 50's. Thanks for the tour, this was fun.
Wow everything is coming along real nice, that high tunnel certainly is a big asset to have. I garden myself and can`t wait to see more gardening videos, I can a lot of tomatoes for sauces and last year I made salsa for the first time canning it, we loved it I am growing everything I need to make more salsa. I made 10 qts and we only have 2 left. I canned 40 qts of tomatoes, 10 qts of salsa and 8 qts of jalapenos and serranos mixed, we ate over 3/4 of it, it sure does save money with the crazy cost of produce today. I had no idea serranos were that hot, I had nine plants, I dried a ton of them and ground them up and made a qt jar of red pepper flakes, may your garden be very productive this year, all the best.
Something I found with sweet corn is that if you have a block of at least 20 plants, pollination is much improved. I plant a grid of 4 x 5 or 4 x 6, each plant a foot away from its neighbors.
My wife and I have watched your entire series. You’ve taught us more than you realize with these videos. Thanks!
These two are super organized, detail oriented and videos are awesome
I can’t say enough good about them and their abilities, which they pass on to us. ♥️🙏🏼♥️
Same
Arielle in my greenhouse in Scotland I have blocks of plastic bottles filled with water. The water heats up during the day and gives the heat out overnight, enough to help reduce the risk of the temp dipping below freezing overnight. Your plants are all looking fabulous
I do that same thing here in Vermont, Zone 4, around the time things are dropping down to freezing at night. This allows me to leave a bunch of plants out that I would have to bring in and out for a few weeks during that time.
I was happy to hear that you will include more videos on your garden this year. I have always look forward to episodes on gardening and preserving food.
Bo Sightings
1:15 - following mom and dad in the snow
1:31 - hanging out in the brush
4:50 - just chillin'
This was a crazy day. My daughter had a seizure, fell out of bed, hurt her shoulder and neck. You have no idea how much I love your videos " all your videos". I grew up on a farm in central Michigan. I loved this video. It brought back wonderful memories. Thank you for your self reliant content.
Oh no, we are sorry to hear that! Wishing her a fast recovery, take care ❤
It always makes me very happy when you upload a new video, and even more when it’s one like this one, with lots of homey stuff !
Does a hive ever get too full? What do they do then? Swarm?
When your corn starts it’s pollination cycle go through and shake the stalk to release the pollen over the corn and tassels. That’s what I do and I have large normal size cobs and corn.
Do you pull the sex organ off of your alpha males or just let them go for it?
Yes! Tap the tassels onto a newspaper or piece of cardboard. Then gently blow the pollen onto the forming hairs. This ensures direct pollination :) hope this helps!
Another easy way, cut a few tussles when you see the pollen start too fall, shake and rub them on all your corn silk it works good for me
Yay! I'm excited about more garden videos! Of course, I'm sure you know by now how much I appreciate your garden and your knowledge when it comes to gardening. You guys are also such an inspiration to me because you are able to do so well in Alaska which means I can do well here in southern Missouri. I'm also always impressed with the amount of food y'all put up. It's encouraging to me that I can do the same and I'm slowly working my way toward that goal.
I feel the same way - I have learned so much watching the two of you! My garden is doing pretty well, and I canned more chicken bone broth today, and a new item - homemade ghee! Thank you!
How would they know? Lmao they dont know who you are.
Hey! Also from Missouri. South central to be exact.
@@kimallen9738 - Southwest here! 👋
With the corn pollination, when the plants get to have the tassels on top and the silks at the ears, every time you go into the high tunnel, walk along and give each plant a nice light but firm shake. that is what we always did and it worked great.
Don’t mind me. Just taking notes since this is the first year I’m growing corn lol
Lol some of those hens look legit offended that you're checking on their babies. "Are you questioning my parenting skills?" But then I'm no chicken expert, so who knows? I love animals, their expressions are just so funny.
You should become a chicken expert! you have already demonstrated a lot of potential here 🐣🐓
Your chickens are absolutely beautiful and look so healthy. Other than that one mean hen that always wants to give Eric a good pecking...😂... they seem pretty chill too.
Just put a cup over her head when you want to check under her or harvest her egg laying.
The two little chicks looking at their mother when you changed her feed, were like, "Mom, you going to take that." We have a bird house on our breezeway and have never had a bird make a nest in it. Well this year they did and we have 3 little babies in it. I was so excited! I am truly an animal lover and I appreciate how well you both treat your animals.
is the breezeway too cold for nesting?
@@sgrvtl7183 Not now, the babies are doing fine.
I love watching your garden grow. I have had big gardens in the past and a greenhouse. Now that I am 72 I don’t have all that energy to keep it up but I still have an herb garden and grow flowers and a few tomatoes and cucumbers because homegrown is so superior. Years ago I got certified as a master gardener and converted every possible area of our large yard into a growing space. Now I need to simplify the yard and eliminate garden beds. Around here it is impossible to find knowledgeable help.
I admire your collective energy and cooperative spirit in getting your work done and enjoying your Alaskan life. I would have liked to do this when I was younger. I like to build and create new ways of doing life's wants and needs and solve problems. You are my vicarious adventure. Thanks for sharing. 80 in Phoenix. I like the experimentation with plants. Over the years I have done the same and it is fun and productive.
We like black chickens because it keeps the hawks away. Hawks and crows don't get along and it seems to help us.
Re:Bees, we had a large tree split in half & it was full of bees. Had a beekeeper come get them, he found two queens in a cocoon & put them each with the surrounding bees into a box each. His friend came & found another queen and did likewise. The next day 1/2 of the bees left swarmed out of the tree. Then there was still a huge group of bees on the entrance & inside the tree apparently with one last queen that also swarmed out of the tree leaving scavengers for the remaining honey. Sad that we lost the tree & the bees but wow it produced a lot of bees. They swarmed last year as well too.
I love seeing all the pollen on the bee's legs.
Me too!
Hi Ariel - I also keep bees and yes, you can take some frames of brood - along with the nurse bees that are on them - and place them in another hive. Just make sure the queen isn’t on any of those frames! 😀 nurse bees won’t leave the brood and they’ve never flown from the hive yet. And any worker bees will fly back home! Good luck!
Thank you so much 😀
Your videos are a breath of fresh air with all the horror going on in the world! Thank you so much!
A lesson I learned a couple of years ago is to do a gardening journal. It helps to read and compare years as far as frost, kinds of vegetables and what to never do again. I just can't remember everything I've wanted to remember the next year. Thanks for the video.
Your package (#1 box) may be ready for another deep to be added. General rule is when a deep is 80% full, they start the swarming cycle. Fill the box with drawn comb frames. You can always tip the deep back to see if there are queen cells on the bottom of the frames. It's a quick way to check for swarm signals without disturbing each frame. Also, it's better to wear a veil than to smoke bees too much. It stresses them greatly. One puff into the entrance and two across the top should be enough. Thanks for taking us along to see beekeeping in the far North. 😉 If you get a chance to try an alternative this Summer when harvesting honey, look into Bee Quick spray and a fume board. They work great and quickly get you into and out of the hive.
I started my first garden after getting inspired by your videos this winter. I'm not expecting much hoping for a salad or two but I am happy to be learning a new skill. thanks a bunch!
Same here! First year gardener :-). These videos are my garden goals
Someone told me once, that you may not grow a lot in your first garden, but you will learn a lot and that is priceless. So true.. I did grow enough for a few salads in my first garden and I'm still learning. Good Luck and have fun guys!
You'll be surprised! I had my first garden 2 years ago (tiny 10x20 plot in a community garden) and I was amazed how much I grew. Tomatoes and peppers are crazy productive. Carrots are super easy, too.
You should try growing mums. They tolerate cooler weather. But they do need quite a bit of water until their roots go deeper. The right variety will winter well and come back strong. Your bees will love them.
I love tatsoi (the first way you said it is correct,) and other Chinese green veg. Bok choi is also an excellent choice in a cold climate, esp if you start them inside, to get a bit more out of your growing season. Plus, they don’t need to be full-sized when you eat them and many people like having them small as ‘baby veg.’ Also try kailan (Chinese broccoli,) wong bok (Chinese cabbage,) and kang kong (Chinese water spinach,) if you manage to get your hands on some seeds! They are great in soups and stir fries and I’m sure your animals will also like the leftovers. My two dogs also love their small portions Asian greens, although they love trying anything they see us eating! I blend up their portions of veggies, to maximize the amount of nutrients they absorb.
It is worthwhile to keep trying with the zinnias. The pollinators love them and they will keep growing and flowering to the very last.
Your chickens and chicks ARE gorgeous!💖
I've been waiting for spring to truly pop at your place - so fun to see the baby chicks. One thing - it's not good to put any acid (ACV) in the metal waterers. It can/will destroy the coating and leach metals into the water. They are not designed to hold acidic liquids and people have poisoned their chickens this way. Hope that okay to say and thanks for another wonderful video!
Thanks for showing all your animals including those little chicks and good ole Pepper.
This year I've planted a lot of stuff for the bees, a couple of blocks of "wildflowers", red and white clover and Buckwheat. The Buckwheat started blooming last week, the bees and butterflies have found it. When I say bees, it's not just honeybees but a lot of different kinds of wild bees and wasps too.
borage, multi colored yarrow, irises, valerian, delphinium, columbine, tiger lily, wild violets, and some babies breath and wild snapdragon are all perennial or self seeding in alaska and overwinter in the interior at -50. If you want to really up the flowers with less effort! My mom dug and transplanted her wild irises and they are going strong 18 years later.
You should try planting Sedums! In Minnesota they grow back every year no matter how cold the winters get, and the beas love them! :)
All about your gardening activities. So much work here. It's the comprehensive description and variety that I appreciate. Many thanks to both of you guys for all that you share. And of course... right now I'm thinking about what to do with all the tomatoes/ cucumbers.... Your canning skills /demonstrations are an inspiration. Thank you !
Flowers! Yes! Calendula (accent on the lend) are pretty hardy and the bees will love them. Prolific seed producers, and the doubles are spectacular!
Can’t wait to see your flower bed! Well done!
I always feel like I fail more than I succeed when gardening, my husband is really quick to say to me that I'm doing well, and I need to look at all the success rather than the fails!
The bees era beautiful . Love your garden . I learned many thing and every your new content that you taught me more . Thank you so much
I really love homestead channels in general, but I have to say respectfully you guys are the most realistically self sufficient imo when it comes to the bees, gardening, utilizing from the garden, hunting and provisions, etc.
I just love going along with you guys. Your photography is beautiful. Thank you for sharing. ❤️🌸
Great image of bees 'festooning" - where they form a chain in the space between frames as you separate them.
Your queen theory for (I think) hive two is unlikely (if i understood you correctly) as a superseded/new queen would have needed to have a mating flight in order to have produced a hatching egg and that would surely have been impossible during your wintered down phase (maybe you meant this may have happened before you wintered them down).
Here in NZ I am just wintering down my bees and we have a winter opposite to yours in a few ways (timing, length and severity!).
I always enjoy seeing what you are planting - I would love to grown more of my own food - I can't even get my celery to have thick juicy stalks. I can grow tomatoes and silverbeet though :) Oh, and Rhubarb! Your bees will be super happy to have so many flowers close by this season.
🐝 💜
I love to listen to the mother hens talk to their babies.
I highly suggest calendula. 2 years in a row they germinated Tooo well and they seem to tolerate the cold Much better than zinnias. Also my Borage is huge and the bees Love them. I don’t eat many of the flowers but the leaves do taste like cucumbers. I am zone 3-4 in Edmonton and the warm spring had not yet arrived. SOON. 🙏
I’m going back over everything I missed these past several years. Just gotta say, you guys ROCK! Thank you for all you’ve shared. I’ve learned so much! And with all this S**t going on in the world, your channel brings me peace & hope. Thank you again. Keep on keeping on. 🤗👍🏻
Girl,that the first time I have ever seen anyone check their beehives without any protection at all. You must have nerves of steel. Your first two hives look amazing and good luck with the third one. Love your videos.
It was awesome watching you work with your bees, and then the chickens. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Yes I struggle with gardening too at times, but I just love it, gardening is like that, there is so much nature involved it is not just down to us.
Loved. Loved the chicken segment. ❤🐓🐔🐤❤Love that I always learn something when I watch. Learned lots about bees. The part where Ariel talked about not being able to overwinter perennials; you could try digging it up, put it in a pot and in the greenhouse sometime before frost. It would have to be the right plant, worth the work, etc. And I suggest always look at what other people grow well in your area. I live 0.5 miles from the pacific ocean, middle of Oregon, so I had to learn what grows and what doesn't. Have you heard of sea kale?
Nothing like a screeching kettle to tell you that you've got your headphone volume set too loud
I always so love the bees have enjoyed from the start of them and watching all the growing to this point. Nothing more wonderful than Momma hens raising their babies :). And will never tire of the garden years from start to finish. hugs
Do your broody hens take their chicks into the general flock? I've always kept my separate for a few weeks, but it sure would be easier to integrate right away.
You can pull a frame of brood/bees from the stronger hives and move them into the weaker hive. We balance all the time. Just make sure you have a solid frame of bees AND brood. preferably capped. The sorrell is a more tropical plant, likes heat and humidity. typically grown in the southern US often as a decorative landscaper.
I am so with you Ariel with the flowers! At 41 I am doing way more flowers than 15 years ago. Love all that you both share ❤️
Nice to see that your bees are doing fine, about the thirt hive, you said that you saw a lot of eggs, so the queen is laying, give them another couple of weeks, they will be fine.
Please do not warm up the sugar sirup you're making over 35°C because the solution will start to produce HMF which is poisonous for the bees. I always mix 1kg of sugar with 900ml of water which gives me an about 1 to 1 ratio and it fits in a 1,5 Liter Bottle, just a five minute shake is enough to mix it.
Greetings from Germany.
I will try this 🙂 thank you!
Hurray for more gardening videos. I seem to learn more from mistakes than from success and from watching others. Gardening is a joy, brings peace and fulfillment, energy, hope and so many questions, observations, WORK, sweat, and glorious sleep at night. At 76 yo, I get so much energy from my garden. Seems through history, people have provided for themselves and yet over the last several hundred years that has changed and now, tons of people have no clue how to provide for themselves - it all comes from a store. That is another reason I love watching you guys - you're doing what I can only dream of and find so much joy in seeing you do it. Thanks!
Your baby chicks are Gorgeous. I hope you show how much they are growing periodically. I'm looking forward to more Gardening Videos too. 🌈🌈🌈🦋🦋🦋🌺🌺🌸🌸🐝🌻🌻🌻
A great video of bees, chickens, and gardening. I especially liked 😻 Pepper's cameo at 13:35 with that cute trill. She looks really happy. I was a bit surprised that she did not come to help in the high tunnel.
I have to confess I have a woman crush on you Ariel! Look at your plants!!! I dream of having a nursery like that! Your advice helps in my own gardening ventures. I’ve been gardening for decades and there are always successes and losses. Those zinnias are tough little guys! Mine went through a flood last August and within a week were rising from the muck and mud and bloomed their little hearts out until frost! Your snapdragons look better than mine! Can’t wait to see the progress as the season continues. It’s fascinating to watch how you two thrive in such a challenging environment. I’m spoiled down here n zone 7. Thank you guys so much for sharing your time with us all. I look forward to every episode! 🙌🏻🌱👍🏻
It's a trip that you can have bees out in the snow like that. Very cool.
Have you considered planting native edible plants, fruits, etc. that are native to North America and Alaska more specifically? They would have a greater relationship with the soil and microorganisms! Plus they would over winter better! I know there’s tons of plants that you guys forage as well which is amazing! Definitely an option I feel is something to consider like even bringing berry bushes onto your property of native varieties! Not in any way wanting to tell y’all what to do just wanted to pose the idea! You guys are champions!
Wishing you a successful & bountiful growing season. Yes, bees are gorgeous! Love your vlogs.
I look forward to your new episodes the same way I look forward to a new episode of my favourite tv show. Where I live in South Africa we have no snow ever, so it’s cool to see the contrasting lifestyle. Keep up the good work!
Glad we will have more garden videos this year! Thanks for that guys we appreciate it!
I so greatly appreciate your guys's Channel because my four year old loves to watch it with me. She really enjoys the animals this week she was very excited to see the little chickies. Thank you for sharing and happy growing season
So awesome. I love watching y’all and the life you are building together. Thanks for sharing all this with us. You and Eric are genuine and authentic.
Snap dragon , The wild version is called Jewel weed. The juice from the stem is the very best remedy for relief from insect bites or poison ivy. instant relief!!!
To achieve better pollination of your corn, when the tassels begin to shed pollen, place them in a small paper bag, shake vigorously, then remove the bag and place it over the ear and shake to get pollen on the silks.
34:43 Ha! The Corn looks AMaizing!
Love the baby chickens there and BO big sigh for BO But those BABIES are the cutest for awhile for me to see that is how happy I am to see you with a New video on out !!! Pictures You do take are AWESOME love the sights that you show us !!!
Cute meter overload with the new chicks.
Beginner gardener here. Your garden is very impressive, especially how much y’all grow in the zone you are in. I can’t wait to see all the flowers in the summer!
Look at those lil chickens! I can't breathe, they're so cute.
First year gardening this year, so far my mother and I have killed every single plant we’ve started from seed, thankfully we have some backup plans, but it’s always really nice to hear that we’re not the only ones struggling! Love watching all your gardening videos- they’re part of the reason I got inspired to start my own garden this year. Thank you for sharing and good luck with all of your flowers :-)
Its pronounced 'Tat Soy'. Anyone in Alaska who isn't growing it is missing out. The Sorrel is more of a second season crop. Mine didn't do much of anything last year but exploded this spring.
Yes, get a couple sheets of newspaper, make slits in it,small slots. Then you can take a super without queen and set atop newspaper. They'll eat through slowly getting used to each other's odor so there shouldn't be a massacre. 3 sheets might be better.
Something else that can be done, is move a stronger Hove away, put the weaker jive in its place. When bees leave the stronger hive, they end up at the weaker hive as that's where they think they live. You can move the weaker hive and put where stronger hive is / was, while moving stronger hive behind it but changing opening opposite direction.
The lives of bees, the lives of chickens, and the lives of flowers.....and all the care to make all of them flourish. What more could you ask for in a Simple Living Alaska video! Highly enjoyable. Thanks!
Loved the chicken footage. Nothing as cute a baby chicks. Bees are interesting, something I don't know much about.
Spring is the best season, you get to start gardening applying what you learned last year.
U are going to love those snapdragons when all in bloom! Probably my favorite flower. They give u a lot of BAM for your buck! Can’t wait to see them! Bees love the zinnias!
Your channel is simply wonderful and I love the genuineness that you have. I appreciate your lifestyle and the positive mindset you both have. Thank you for teaching!
How awesome are all the things!!!😍😍😍 I have to be honest though I like watching you check the bees, however it gives me ANXIETY (and for you) because I'm allergic!!!😅😅😅 Still amazing to watch though!!!💯💯💯 I can't wait to see what y'all make with all the yummy greens and everything for that matter!!!👍👍👍 You make the best looking food!!! 😋 😋 😋 And those baby chicks!!!🤗🤗🤗 Much Love from FL 💖💞🌴💖💞🌴💖💞🌴
Your brave going in the bee area with no protective suit. I know you are confident and the bees feel that. Lots of baby chick's, they are so darn cute. I self pollinate my corn, as soon as silks show up, take a handful of the stamen pollination from the top and sprinkle on the silks, worked for me. Good luck
Baby Chickees look amazing! And the bees! Thank you for the amazing treat! Can’t wait for more gardening videos!!
Love to see chickens and especially moms with babies.
Them chicks are absolutely adorable. Very healthy looking hens too.
Still cannot get over the BEAUTIFUL colors in your chickens!! Thank you for showing so many of them. And the in depth look at your garden seedlings. GREAT JOB!!! 🙂
Какая Вы смелая женшина !Убей меня я не захочу мёда из за боязьн пчёль И парадокс какая ,белый снег кругом,а пчёлы леять как будто лето.Удачи Вам Вы удивительные люди.
Bo knows, Bandit's ready! Pepper's like: Fried chicken please. That new hive is going very nicely. Nice to see some new chicks this season.
You know a lot more about gardening than you admit. Great job on the plants. I look forward to the garden videos.
Ariel, you should get yourself a book called "cool flowers" by Lisa Mason Ziegler. It is really helpful to know which flowers do good in cold climate the best.
Thank you for that recommendation 😊
4:36 Nice ring.
20:48 😯 lol
I've been gardening for 40 years, and I still learn something new every year. Every single year is different, and some years just aren't as easy as others. One year we had three months without rain, I honestly thought that might be the end of my growing food, it was just heartbreaking. The thing is, there's always hope when you plant a seed, and that always keeps me coming back and trying again. Even though we are like 4 zones south of you, our last frost chance is still in May and those unpredictable temperatures are so frustrating.
Bo has to be the most adorable dog, don't get me wrong, Bandit is a cutie and full of energy. Oh the baby chicks are so cute too!!
I've been following you guys like forever. Why did I just notice your beautiful wedding ring Ariel?! You are so brave to take care of your bees without any protective gear! OMG! You have all my respect. They are so lucky to have you as a bee keeper (and Erik to assist you). You love them and it is soooo obvious. Take care! Please keep on feeding us with beautiful images. 😊
You might try growing some Lupine flowers.They flower in the second year and are good to zone 3. :)
Glad your bees made it through the winter. Very informative.
Thank you so much for this beautiful video. I've always admired gardeners. I appreciate all the love and care you have for your homestead. From Central Okla.
Did you know that hot peppers is very good for male chickens because it stimulates them to breed the hens and produce more eggs.
Nice babies! ☺ I love watching the chickens. Just an FYI- don't trust the weather this year. We have been hitting the 90's here in Central Florida, which is normalish. But, the last 2 mornings, we have woke up to the 50's. Thanks for the tour, this was fun.
You can hand pollinate corn. Wet the silks, pull one of the tassels and rub the shaggy pollen all over the silks.
Ariel you explain things so well. Thank you. I enjoy watching the videos you two make.
Wow everything is coming along real nice, that high tunnel certainly is a big asset to have. I garden myself and can`t wait to see more gardening videos, I can a lot of tomatoes for sauces and last year I made salsa for the first time canning it, we loved it I am growing everything I need to make more salsa. I made 10 qts and we only have 2 left. I canned 40 qts of tomatoes, 10 qts of salsa and 8 qts of jalapenos and serranos mixed, we ate over 3/4 of it, it sure does save money with the crazy cost of produce today. I had no idea serranos were that hot, I had nine plants, I dried a ton of them and ground them up and made a qt jar of red pepper flakes, may your garden be very productive this year, all the best.
There are so many edible flowers, so...they might be beautiful but some of them can still count as vegetables!
From what I have been told and experienced sunny days are better than cloudy to open a hive, they are less defensive
Something I found with sweet corn is that if you have a block of at least 20 plants, pollination is much improved. I plant a grid of 4 x 5 or 4 x 6, each plant a foot away from its neighbors.