Many, many moons ago when I first started gardening, I planted a fifty foot row of green beans. I was a bit unhappy with the beans because I didn't see any beans just plants. And then one day I was weeding at the end of the row and when I looked back at the row, there were sooo many beans under the leaves!! For some reason I thought the beans would be above the leaves!?! That lead to the biggest canning day ever!!! Live and learn, cause, gardening is an adventure!! Love your videos! You have a fantastic family!! Blessings!!!
Hey Ben and Meg. I’m in GA. By mistake I planted squash seedlings I found at discount at store around the 4th of July a few yrs ago and no squash bugs. After a couple yrs of doing this I feel the squash bug life cycle is in the month of June in the south. Try something new. Start some squash plants now and plant after the 4th. You will have squash until first freeze and no bugs 🥰
@@TheHollarHomestead Something tells me it would be good. You already have enough subs on this channel that a new channel would monetize almost overnight. You'd get enough subs immediately, the 4k hours of viewing time might take a month or two but it wouldn't take long. Every time we "walk into your kitchen" we almost get smellavision lol!
I find that blueberries like some shade in the summer. No matter the amount of water they get, they tend toward getting sunburned in the peak heat of the day if getting blasted by the sun. Once your orchard takes off and creates some shade, the blueberry plants will fair better during the summer.
Cheapest way imo would be dig a trench across the road and cover it with grating, even a small cattle gate like you drive over. Kind of like a French drain. Love the tractor !
I started taking old milk jugs and soda bottles, drilling small drip hole in the bottom and making some water drip systems for my blueberry bushes. Half buried under compost at base of bushes. Just refill every other day. Seems to be helping maintain good moisture.
I just love your videos. Meg, you made me laugh right out loud with your yard long bean necklace… “Who says homesteading isn’t glamorous?”🤣 And Ben, I think it’s funny the way you call your daughter “Sister”.😂 She’s so adorable! Ours are at the pre-teen & teenager stage now, but I remember…it doesn’t feel like that long ago.
HEY HOLLARS! Talk to the Billy at Perma Pastures, your NC neighbor. He did something to his drive that solved his problem. He even did a video on it. It may work for ya"ll.
Justin from metcalf farms helped Permapasture farms fix their drainage problem. If you can find that video. Backhoe is the best way to dig a ditch with tractor.
You could rent or buy a trencher. They are a bit pricey at around $3300, but a lot of places will rent them, including Home Depot. In my area it is $115 a day or $460 for a week. Lowe's carries them, too, but their website was being stupid. They come in different sizes, so if you are digging ditches make sure you get the size you need. They are a lot of work for the arms, but we put in a French drain with one years ago.
Instead of digging down, try adding a vehicle size pad, build it up and then take the edges down to a real wide V. Digging is going to require a trencher or an excavator attachment, especially in compacted ground. Love you guys.
Great example of how y'all don't mind showing what "worked" and didn't work on the homestead.....it's realistic! Your planting "tapoes" late in previous video made me decide to try some sprouts one and a few old seed ones we still have. What have we got to loose but a little time - though it has value of course - and lots to potentially gain! Your garden looks great!
I think the tool you are looking for is called a trencher. Also, installing a set of french drains on the lower side of the driveway aligned to each swale could get the water off the driveway and slow it down while entering the swale. Another way would be to dig a wide but shallow section across the driveway at an angle and put barrier cloth in the widened trench, then fill the trench with like 4 inches of stone aimed to drain into the swales. I love your channel!
A single bladed plow would be great for a small didn’t change but a backhoe attachment would be much better. I’ve found that as I grow older my backhoe is a deal changer for those tough jobs and planting trees…lol 2 or 3 scoops and I’m done
Justin Metcalf did some work on Billy’s driveway over a year ago. He used a concave V section cut from a discarded galvanized highway guardrails. You might want to look for that video.
Soapy water gets rid of the bugs. Also if you can grow nasturtium among your plants. The beetles hate them. Also White ice-cycle radishes. I did the nasturtium and I wish I took a pic how pretty it was. And it really helped a lot. My husband always grew radishes next to the pole beans and we never had bugs.
One advice about blueberry and any kind of plant. When you transplant it to another location remove all the flowers and fruit bodies. To maintain and develop them the plant has to expend a lot of energy that could be otherwise directed to mitigate the stress of the trasplant. If you add to the equation poor levels of rains it’s rough.
Hi Ben, I know you won't give up until you get the water to drain where you want it. Meg is awesome in the kitchen. You are both extremely motivating to get things done. Take care and God Bless. 🥰💪🥰🌱
Hey Ben, you can trench with the box scraper. You have to adjust the 3 point so one end of the scraper is lower. Stony ridge farms has a good video on it.
You might want to put some perforated drainage tile in the ditches across the road. Run it down each swale about 8-10 feet. You can make a half swale down at the orchard. Scoop out a level spot that going towards the trees about 8-10 feet long, then run some drainage tile towards the trees. Fan the tile out like fingers on an open hand 🖐. This will funnel the water in the direction you want it.
I love how the kitty hangs out with you in the garden and I really enjoy watching Meg cook.I wish I could do some canning but I have a tiny city kitchen and don't have the space.
Don't let small kitchen space stop you, one year I canned 8 dozen jars in a 5th wheel with about 2 feet of counter, it was fun to face the challenge, Leroy's wife
@@leroyjohnsonsr8481 I may take you up on that if all the gear doesn't cost too much .I have a farmers market nearby and maybe I could get a good deal on peaches or strawberries and a Ball canning book I got at a yard sale years ago.
I'm dipping my toes in canning this year. Starting with pickled red onions then going to see if I can water bath can some tomato sauce. The cost of the pressure canner along with my tiny apartment kitchen is stopping me from going further. It's a start tho. As Jess Sowerds would say, I'm turning my waiting room into a classroom. Gotta start somewhere, right?
@@evaguthridge2160 if its water bath canning, use a big pot that let's you get water over the jars by 1", no fancy canner pot. AND🎯 check second hand stores, you won't believe what gets sent there!!
Love the new organic jewelry Meg. A pity about the blueberry loss but it is normal to lose some when you do transplants in the summer as watering doesn't always do the job you think it might. You will get the ditches sorted it will be a case of trying out and trying out again. Everything in my garden is looking like it is august already so there will be much hose waving and water gomorrow.
I really enjoy your videos, very interesting and entertaining. The only problem I have is at the beginning. Saying hello beautiful people makes us ugly folks feel left out.😀 Seriously, keep up the good work. I am proud to have you as fellow North Carolinians.
Hey Meg, a faster way to fill up a water bath canner is to use the tub faucet. Yes, you have to carry it faster but there's not as much finagling it at the kitchen sink.
Hi Ben, we are long time watchers of your precious family. I am a ole timer and know another ole timer that had road problems like you have. He used a trough made from treated boards. set them at 45 angle and it works great and has for years. the trough is made from 2x4 and tires go right over without a hitch. simple idea that works great. I am from the ozark hills of Arkansas.The other ole timer is original from North Carolina. Dad and I use to build terraces like you have we used a bush and bog disk and a turning plough. Times are interesting, keep up the good work we are in this together. What is love? when you want the best for the next fellow!
Because bush beans are typically determinate, some gardeners prefer to pull up the entire row of plants and take them to a shady spot to sit down and pick the beans and avoid all that crouching and bending over in the garden.
I don't understand that because we pick bush beans for more than a month. If we picked them all at once would not the first ones be way too mature and tough?
Hey Ben, we would angle our box blade and cut in ditches. You have two adjusting bars behind the tractor to do that. Just make one shorter and one longer….depending on how deep you want the ditch
I love this video! You will get the right angle of drain along your driveway soon. You certainly have the right big “machine” to do the digging for you, Ben! Meg is canning nice berries for pie, jam, or jelly! It looks great! Your garden is also doing great and with sweet baby’s help, all will be wonderful!
You guys are crushing it! I’m seriously taking notes on what you’re doing. We are currently in Winter here, in Australia. Your corn firstly, looks amazing and is exactly what we are planning on doing this coming season. Keep up the good work guys. I’m so proud of you. You’ve come such a long way. Xx PJ. 🇦🇺
I'm glad you have a box scraper with the tractor too. Nice work trying to cut a ditch and divert water to the swales and orchard. Meg, that looks like wonderful blackberry and peach jam! Yum. I wish you luck on diverting the water better on the driveway. Veggies look awesome! Thanks for this Hollars.
Hi, Ben and Meg! A man and his tractor. I love it. You and Meg certainly deserve a new tractor. Meg, you are so creative in your meal planning. God bless the Hollers.
Hi Guys… Red Tool House did a really good video about repairing one of his very rutted damaged driveways on a hill that was in bad shape due to water run off damage. The video was in late winter very early spring this year. You may need to dig down 2+ feet, put 2” to 3” base rock down then driveway gravel on top. Also increase the height of the driveway and put a good crown on it, make it more curvy rather than straight up the hill to stop H2O running and put in culvert pipe under the driveway where it is washing out that would redirect / direct the water where you want it to go. Possibly build a 1500+ gallon cistern from cinder block or find a giant water storage tank to bury underground for water run off collection and could use a transfer pump to water the orchard, berries and possibly the garden from it. A backhoe attachment for the tractor would work great. I have one and love it!
Your garden is looking awesome, I know you worked hard on that driveway, we had a place in the mountains and having issues with water running across the drive was always an issue, until we dug out and put a berm to send it in another direction. It finally worked. You’ll get there, having a tractor is such a tremendous plus. Meg , I never get tired of learning from you in the kitchen,
Permanent Pastures has a video doing somewhat what you intend. Jason (Justro) had done it on his property and helped PP do his using old guardrail. Check it out, you won't be sorry!
Definitely need a back hoe. Especially in hard clay soil. I’m here in Maine, on clay soil and the only way to move it is with a back hoe. Love your channel, first time commenting. You’re all doing a great job, enjoy watching your progress! Stay strong!
Ben have you looked into TERRA SORB. I am retired from Horticulture & have used it for some plants during drought. Zone 8B now on 9 .5 acres. Started using it many years ago when I lived in Zone 9. Great results. Have you thought about adding a piece of culvert pipe on drive like a french drain ? We had to get 1 through Tractor Supply . You are so lucky to have the tractor ! We did it by hand & at 60 not easy !
If your 3pt hitch has an adjustable linkage you can angle the box blade to cut your ditch. We have an adjustable blade that we angle down to dig a ditch or crown our drive. -Mike
Single gang subsoiler would loosen the dirt on the ditch line and make it to where you could use your front loader to remove the material. Fairly cheap implements as well. Would help uncompact your heavy clay else where in the garden or property as well. I use mine every spring to break the hard pan from tillage and tractor weight
I came here to say this. Another use for that subsoiler would be to run a few lines from the driveway through the orchard space. Would do a good job of getting water to move in that direction even without a swale. Subsoilers aka Yeoman's Plow, are a key tool for implementing keyline design.
I've also got a setup that I bolt to mine to run irrigation line shallow bury to different field blocks. I think there is a company that sells them but I built mine .
I like to trellis bush beans. They won't automatically climb so you have to manually weave them at the start. They also won't automatically wind on a pole (or some sort of wire mesh, strings, etc...) so you may need to weave the tops too. I like to sow on both sides of the wire, off-set by one plant each.
For drainage, consider a middle buster plow. Throws dirt on both side. Very simple implement. I’ve used mine for that very thing any times. They are usually under 200 new. Probably find a used one. Good luck. Really enjoy your channel! Stay strong guys!
I live up North and when we describe a beautiful fall day it is the lower 50's not the lower 80's. Check with William at Perma Pastures Farm, but my guess is that these are swales that have been filled in with silt runoff. That is likely why the drive ditch has filled in as well. It doesn't take much running water to move a lot of dirt and deposit it wherever it slows.
I grow both pole and bush beans and find that the bush always produce more. But having both is nice, because the pole beans produce later (at least in my experience) so it helps stagger the harvest.
Need a way to tilt your blade. You can dig a bit for your entire tractor to lean the way you need it or tilt the blade. Berms are an excellent way to divert road water with generally little or no maintenance if made properly (I maintained miles of dirt roads). Your speed bumps won't last anyway. They need to be much longer, almost like your swales. They are cheap, easy to drive on and best of all, no maintenance. CDF probably has a description, it is considered a best forestry practice.
Time to get one of those cheapo rectangular sprinklers that are easy to move about... The type we grew up running thru and jumping over. They do great on lawns for the cows paddock areas and also the long garden beds. Then you can let it run for 15-20 mins per area so you don't have to stand there watering. Kids can have fun moving it / them and getting wet and having sprinkler water wars with each other as they aim a running sprinkler at their siblings - almost as important a right of childhood as the 'chase-my-brother-with-a-stick-while-making-light-saber-noises' game. The sound of the sprinkler is embedded in my mind as a part of summer evenings.
Ripper hooked up the rear hitch will rip a swath where you want one. Go back and forth enough times and remove the soil, which will be loosened, and that should work. You can probably rent one.
Ben, use ur loader to cut the dithch. dig down side ways to start ditch, then drive tires into the cut. This makes ur machine cut the trench by lowering one side of the tractor. I've watched u from the start of ur blogs,,, Great job bro Rev. Paul Eustis Florida...
4k thumbs up in only four hours, that’s fantastic and well deserved. ❣️☮️❣️💟❣️✝️❣️ Buggy does anyone every call her Liliana? Ben, have you thought about talking to the tractor dealership about the project that needs to be done and their suggestions and plan of action
In the mountains a lot of roads were cut by loggers. Your driveway is not banked (sloped against the grade and cut back into the hill bank) if you can get it banked into the hill. Next the diversion (water break) will always be rough. You might cut breaks with a single ripper attachment. The water break should be an angle down hill at 1 o’clock if you think of direction as a clock. It will need to be at least a foot deep and wide to get the desired effect . Most water breaks are usually 3-5 ft for fast water. If you can get some steel grate you could cut green pvc in half longways and drill a couple holes for rebar to keep it in place then set the grates over the pvc. This will allow you to have a water break and a smooth driveway. Old cattle guard will do the same thing but feel like speed bumps. Hope this helps.
Love your videos. We've grown blueberries. They need acid soil to grow well. You can plant in just peat or pine bark fines (pine bark that's more ground up). Keep well watered. Fertilize with azalea fertilizer (an acid forming fertilizer). It's good to keep the blueberries together. If planted next to other fruit plants, other fruit plants usually dont like acid soil and then won't do well. Wood chips take nitrogen from the soil as it breaks down, so make sure to give the plants with wood chips plenty of nitrogen. I love watching how you've changed your homestead in such a short time. The garden is beautiful and your meals look delicious. Thanks for all the great ideas. Colleen in Central Florida.
We had that problem in our driveway in our first Home. And it was a Super long driveway. I remember my Husband spending hours out there putting a slight peak in it so it would run off. We eventually did some crushed concrete down it. It took a couple dump truck loads if I remember right. Good Luck with it & try to stay Cool.
My original driveway had a 4” pvc pipe as a mini culvert. High side has a sort of sloping ditch you can drive on , just slopes enough to keep the water from washing out the driveway. The grass grew over the pipe and now I can’t find it lol. Your driveway looks really steep. Any way to make it a big circle drive so it won’t be so steep? Or plant some flower beds along the driveway? Fantastic melon/squash bed!! I’m planting my backups like that and they’re looking good too! And I’m super impressed by your corn, mine fried. Now they’re chop and drop mulch lol. Too cute the girls having fun with the long beans👩🌾👶💕✌🏻
Does your state have a soil conservation agency? They will be able to help you. You may even receive a grant to help you with the cost. I hope this helps.
My comment below said when the highway digs up coverts they take them to the dump. Maybe they dropped off one three foot long maybe they dropped off one 12 ft long you'll never know until you go look.
When the squash bug plants it eggs under the plant, they develop and enter the vine. If you put aluminum around the part of the plant that comes out of the plant and up the vine it will prevent them from getting in that area. If the vine borer is in the vine you can take a box cutter where the hole is in the vine and use tweezers to pull the worm out. I cover that area with duct tape….hey, duct tape is good for everything. I got this idea from the Old Alabama gardener who had a channel and passed away in November of last year. His legacy lives on through his channel still teaching others. Love everything you guys are doing.
i watched a movie a long time ago (for richer or poorer) where Tim Allen ran away and pretended to be "the cousins" on an Amish farm. what i love best about that movie was watching the corn grow. i love corn and i grew it once here. and i thought it was beautiful plant even if it doesnt (here in UK ) grow nice corn. but i love your corn patch its a thing of great beauty. and the squash bed is wow!!!
Subsoiler is a cheap implement to break up a ditch you want but then you'll need to dig it out with the loader perpendicular to it along with probably some hand working but way cheaper than a backhoe or excavator.. I'm working with a couple of perforated drain pipes buried french drain style. Seems to work but long term jury is still out.
Maybe arch the driveway(high point in center- like they do paved roads) and ditch the edges, then partly fill ditch bottom with large river stone, so the run-off rolls into the ditches? Are you allowed in NC to create and keep ponds? You could make guides to get the rain to run into the pond(s) at the low point of the property. I don't know the whole of your topography, so guessing.
Scraping above and adding below the swale is a bit like robing Peter to pay Paul. a mini excavator for 4 hours would shape your driveway. You will need a load of gravel below each section you want to divert the water of the road in order to make the changes a long lasting fix. It would also make a deadly video!
I have a similar problem with my driveway. I need a drainage along the side of the driveway. I haven't tried yet, but I have seen videos of people using the box blade to dig a trench. Rather than have it set level, you crank it over to one side.
Jason at @Cog Hill, has something on the back of her tractor that digs a trench. They use it a lot. They put water pipes in with it, They put Burns in with it. She has a video on it check it out. I have to say (she) , Because it's HER tractor, lol lol Blessings to you and your family
Isn’t better to dig a trench (30cm wide and 50cm deep) along the road to canalize the water that runs off on heavy rains? You can fill the ditch later with coarse gravel so you can drive over it without problems but at the same time water filters easy and go down the slope.
I've always put down black plastic down for my squash plants and put a tire around each plant. Just cut an X in the plastic and fold under. Then plant. Prepare the dirt below so that all the water from rain or sprinklers flows towards the base of the plants. Works great! No weeding & less beetles!
Hi Ben, you need a 3-point-hitch mounted adjustable blade to make ditches efficiently. Road graders use a center mounted blade to make ditches and slopes. Same concept.
Ours wasn’t with a drive way, but with the main gutters on our house. I dug a slopped trench. Laid down some heavy duty landscape fabric, filled with rock. Wrapped the fabric over. Essentially created drain tile. Or an underground tunnel. I directed the water to my asparagus bed about 20 feet away. So far working great. No washout or surface run off anymore. Water takes the path of least resistance and the rock underground slows down the water but also is long enough to allow for a very large amount of water as well. So something you could do is essentially create a collection point for the water to collect and drop out. I don’t know how that would work with your swells being level with your driveway. Other than changing your driveway so it is not placed where and in a way that water naturally wants to follow. Hope that makes sense…
I use an old double bottom plow and role what washes in once or twice a year then use the box blade to cut 45 degree angle to the edge of the road and drag the left over dirt to balance the road surface. I put the crown on with the blade adjusted one side a couple inches over the other.
Easy way to grade a road or create a ditch with a box is to adjust your 3 point link, the right hand side can be lengthened or shortened to level the box or pitch to one side
Also, on the squash plants, do you prune them? Danny at Deep South Homestead reminded me about it through a video the other day. Maybe it can help prolong the production! God bless!
Y'all need a pond. Got one or not? Y'all got my dream tractor. Except for the backhoe .... Pond construction could be a very expensive undertaking. How would the two of you figure out the logistics of cost versus benefits? That could take some figuring. My impression, the greatest asset I see you two using all the way through your adventure is your teamwork on every aspect of homesteading with a large family. Kudos!
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Many, many moons ago when I first started gardening, I planted a fifty foot row of green beans. I was a bit unhappy with the beans because I didn't see any beans just plants. And then one day I was weeding at the end of the row and when I looked back at the row, there were sooo many beans under the leaves!! For some reason I thought the beans would be above the leaves!?! That lead to the biggest canning day ever!!! Live and learn, cause, gardening is an adventure!! Love your videos! You have a fantastic family!! Blessings!!!
Hey Ben and Meg. I’m in GA. By mistake I planted squash seedlings I found at discount at store around the 4th of July a few yrs ago and no squash bugs. After a couple yrs of doing this I feel the squash bug life cycle is in the month of June in the south. Try something new. Start some squash plants now and plant after the 4th. You will have squash until first freeze and no bugs 🥰
that's interesting
Meg, like you need something else to do (lol) but there's another youtube channel you could do. Meg's kitchen!
Already thinking about it 😉
@@TheHollarHomestead hey Hollar just make big pit in property it can help to increase water table with help of rain..it's very effective 👍
@@TheHollarHomestead Something tells me it would be good. You already have enough subs on this channel that a new channel would monetize almost overnight. You'd get enough subs immediately, the 4k hours of viewing time might take a month or two but it wouldn't take long. Every time we "walk into your kitchen" we almost get smellavision lol!
@@TheHollarHomestead I love having the mix of activities in a video.
I love your cooking content and your “working kitchen”. Nothing fancy, just a functional space for good family cooking!
I find that blueberries like some shade in the summer. No matter the amount of water they get, they tend toward getting sunburned in the peak heat of the day if getting blasted by the sun. Once your orchard takes off and creates some shade, the blueberry plants will fair better during the summer.
Cheapest way imo would be dig a trench across the road and cover it with grating, even a small cattle gate like you drive over. Kind of like a French drain. Love the tractor !
I started taking old milk jugs and soda bottles, drilling small drip hole in the bottom and making some water drip systems for my blueberry bushes. Half buried under compost at base of bushes. Just refill every other day. Seems to be helping maintain good moisture.
I just love your videos.
Meg, you made me laugh right out loud with your yard long bean necklace… “Who says homesteading isn’t glamorous?”🤣
And Ben, I think it’s funny the way you call your daughter “Sister”.😂 She’s so adorable! Ours are at the pre-teen & teenager stage now, but I remember…it doesn’t feel like that long ago.
HEY HOLLARS! Talk to the Billy at Perma Pastures, your NC neighbor. He did something to his drive that solved his problem. He even did a video on it. It may work for ya"ll.
I was thinking the same thing. For anyone interested it is titled; "GENIUS Solution for Driveway Erosion" and was posted Oct 10, 2021.
Justin from metcalf farms helped Permapasture farms fix their drainage problem. If you can find that video. Backhoe is the best way to dig a ditch with tractor.
I do remember that episode also with Justro from Metcalf Mills helping out using old guard rails.
You could rent or buy a trencher. They are a bit pricey at around $3300, but a lot of places will rent them, including Home Depot. In my area it is $115 a day or $460 for a week. Lowe's carries them, too, but their website was being stupid. They come in different sizes, so if you are digging ditches make sure you get the size you need. They are a lot of work for the arms, but we put in a French drain with one years ago.
Instead of digging down, try adding a vehicle size pad, build it up and then take the edges down to a real wide V. Digging is going to require a trencher or an excavator attachment, especially in compacted ground. Love you guys.
Great example of how y'all don't mind showing what "worked" and didn't work on the homestead.....it's realistic! Your planting "tapoes" late in previous video made me decide to try some sprouts one and a few old seed ones we still have. What have we got to loose but a little time - though it has value of course - and lots to potentially gain! Your garden looks great!
Your garden has really gotten bigger over the past few years. I'm so happy your able to harvest more food for your family.
Ditto! Your garden looks amazing and the green is so dark and healthy. Beautiful!
I think the tool you are looking for is called a trencher. Also, installing a set of french drains on the lower side of the driveway aligned to each swale could get the water off the driveway and slow it down while entering the swale. Another way would be to dig a wide but shallow section across the driveway at an angle and put barrier cloth in the widened trench, then fill the trench with like 4 inches of stone aimed to drain into the swales. I love your channel!
A single bladed plow would be great for a small didn’t change but a backhoe attachment would be much better. I’ve found that as I grow older my backhoe is a deal changer for those tough jobs and planting trees…lol 2 or 3 scoops and I’m done
Nice to see your garden is doing good. 🙏ing for rain 🌧️ for you.
Justin Metcalf did some work on Billy’s driveway over a year ago. He used a concave V section cut from a discarded galvanized highway guardrails. You might want to look for that video.
It’s on Billy’s Channel
Soapy water gets rid of the bugs. Also if you can grow nasturtium among your plants. The beetles hate them. Also White ice-cycle radishes.
I did the nasturtium and I wish I took a pic how pretty it was. And it really helped a lot. My husband always grew radishes next to the pole beans and we never had bugs.
One advice about blueberry and any kind of plant. When you transplant it to another location remove all the flowers and fruit bodies. To maintain and develop them the plant has to expend a lot of energy that could be otherwise directed to mitigate the stress of the trasplant. If you add to the equation poor levels of rains it’s rough.
Hi Ben, I know you won't give up until you get the water to drain where you want it. Meg is awesome in the kitchen. You are both extremely motivating to get things done. Take care and God Bless. 🥰💪🥰🌱
Peach and blackberry jam…yum! I’m sure you will figure out a solution Ben! Blessings guys💖🙏
Hey Ben, you can trench with the box scraper. You have to adjust the 3 point so one end of the scraper is lower. Stony ridge farms has a good video on it.
You might want to put some perforated drainage tile in the ditches across the road. Run it down each swale about 8-10 feet. You can make a half swale down at the orchard. Scoop out a level spot that going towards the trees about 8-10 feet long, then run some drainage tile towards the trees. Fan the tile out like fingers on an open hand 🖐. This will funnel the water in the direction you want it.
I love how the kitty hangs out with you in the garden and I really enjoy watching Meg cook.I wish I could do some canning but I have a tiny city kitchen and don't have the space.
Don't let small kitchen space stop you, one year I canned 8 dozen jars in a 5th wheel with about 2 feet of counter, it was fun to face the challenge, Leroy's wife
@@leroyjohnsonsr8481 I may take you up on that if all the gear doesn't cost too much .I have a farmers market nearby and maybe I could get a good deal on peaches or strawberries and a Ball canning book I got at a yard sale years ago.
I'm dipping my toes in canning this year. Starting with pickled red onions then going to see if I can water bath can some tomato sauce. The cost of the pressure canner along with my tiny apartment kitchen is stopping me from going further. It's a start tho. As Jess Sowerds would say, I'm turning my waiting room into a classroom. Gotta start somewhere, right?
@@evaguthridge2160 if its water bath canning, use a big pot that let's you get water over the jars by 1", no fancy canner pot. AND🎯 check second hand stores, you won't believe what gets sent there!!
Love the new organic jewelry Meg. A pity about the blueberry loss but it is normal to lose some when you do transplants in the summer as watering doesn't always do the job you think it might. You will get the ditches sorted it will be a case of trying out and trying out again. Everything in my garden is looking like it is august already so there will be much hose waving and water gomorrow.
Hi..... Meg and Ben, thank you for showing your video homestead chickens farmer garden 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 👕🐔🐓🐣🐥🐄🐖🌱🌺🌹🌻🌼🌸🌷🏡🎥👍👍👍
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. We enjoy the videos!
Your garden is amazing . Wow what are you putting on it all? GODBLESS you all
I really enjoy your videos, very interesting and entertaining. The only problem I have is at the beginning. Saying hello beautiful people makes us ugly folks feel left out.😀 Seriously, keep up the good work. I am proud to have you as fellow North Carolinians.
I believe all gardeners are beautiful in God's eyes.
Lol. You're probably not as ugly as you say. Great days to ya
Hey Meg, a faster way to fill up a water bath canner is to use the tub faucet. Yes, you have to carry it faster but there's not as much finagling it at the kitchen sink.
Hi Ben, we are long time watchers of your precious family. I am a ole timer and know another ole timer that had road problems like you have. He used a trough made from treated boards. set them at 45 angle and it works great and has for years. the trough is made from 2x4 and tires go right over without a hitch. simple idea that works great. I am from the ozark hills of Arkansas.The other ole timer is original from North Carolina. Dad and I use to build terraces like you have we used a bush and bog disk and a turning plough. Times are interesting, keep up the good work we are in this together. What is love? when you want the best for the next fellow!
Happy to see the growth in the garden ❤👌👍
Because bush beans are typically determinate, some gardeners prefer to pull up the entire row of plants and take them to a shady spot to sit down and pick the beans and avoid all that crouching and bending over in the garden.
I don't understand that because we pick bush beans for more than a month. If we picked them all at once would not the first ones be way too mature and tough?
Hello there Hollar family! Love from Sweden as always ❤️
Hey Ben, we would angle our box blade and cut in ditches. You have two adjusting bars behind the tractor to do that. Just make one shorter and one longer….depending on how deep you want the ditch
Congratulations on the garden looks great
I love this video! You will get the right angle of drain along your driveway soon. You certainly have the right big “machine” to do the digging for you, Ben! Meg is canning nice berries for pie, jam, or jelly! It looks great! Your garden is also doing great and with sweet baby’s help, all will be wonderful!
You guys are crushing it!
I’m seriously taking notes on what you’re doing. We are currently in Winter here, in Australia.
Your corn firstly, looks amazing and is exactly what we are planning on doing this coming season.
Keep up the good work guys.
I’m so proud of you. You’ve come such a long way. Xx
PJ. 🇦🇺
I'm glad you have a box scraper with the tractor too. Nice work trying to cut a ditch and divert water to the swales and orchard. Meg, that looks like wonderful blackberry and peach jam! Yum. I wish you luck on diverting the water better on the driveway. Veggies look awesome! Thanks for this Hollars.
Hi, Ben and Meg! A man and his tractor. I love it. You and Meg certainly deserve a new tractor. Meg, you are so creative in your meal planning. God bless the Hollers.
Hi Guys… Red Tool House did a really good video about repairing one of his very rutted damaged driveways on a hill that was in bad shape due to water run off damage. The video was in late winter very early spring this year.
You may need to dig down 2+ feet, put 2” to 3” base rock down then driveway gravel on top. Also increase the height of the driveway and put a good crown on it, make it more curvy rather than straight up the hill to stop H2O running and put in culvert pipe under the driveway where it is washing out that would redirect / direct the water where you want it to go. Possibly build a 1500+ gallon cistern from cinder block or find a giant water storage tank to bury underground for water run off collection and could use a transfer pump to water the orchard, berries and possibly the garden from it.
A backhoe attachment for the tractor would work great. I have one and love it!
Forget knee high by the Fourth of July! Your corn is fabulous!!!
Your garden is looking awesome, I know you worked hard on that driveway, we had a place in the mountains and having issues with water running across the drive was always an issue, until we dug out and put a berm to send it in another direction. It finally worked. You’ll get there, having a tractor is such a tremendous plus. Meg , I never get tired of learning from you in the kitchen,
Permanent Pastures has a video doing somewhat what you intend. Jason (Justro) had done it on his property and helped PP do his using old guardrail. Check it out, you won't be sorry!
Definitely need a back hoe. Especially in hard clay soil. I’m here in Maine, on clay soil and the only way to move it is with a back hoe. Love your channel, first time commenting. You’re all doing a great job, enjoy watching your progress! Stay strong!
Ben have you looked into TERRA SORB. I am retired from Horticulture & have used it for some plants during drought. Zone 8B now on 9 .5 acres. Started using it many years ago when I lived in Zone 9. Great results. Have you thought about adding a piece of culvert pipe on drive like a french drain ? We had to get 1 through Tractor Supply . You are so lucky to have the tractor ! We did it by hand & at 60 not easy !
Pretty sure you’ll work out the road, ditches and run offs. Lovely to see the garden booming - I can nearly taste the corn from here 🇦🇺
I love green beans!😍❤️ I have Logan Giant pole beans and Blue Lake bush beans this year. Love those long beans. Wish I had planted those too 😂
If your 3pt hitch has an adjustable linkage you can angle the box blade to cut your ditch. We have an adjustable blade that we angle down to dig a ditch or crown our drive. -Mike
With those same adjustments, you can adjust the angle so it pulls the dirt to one side when it's on a flat plane.
A straight blade works well on a tilt to shape ditches.
Single gang subsoiler would loosen the dirt on the ditch line and make it to where you could use your front loader to remove the material. Fairly cheap implements as well. Would help uncompact your heavy clay else where in the garden or property as well. I use mine every spring to break the hard pan from tillage and tractor weight
I came here to say this. Another use for that subsoiler would be to run a few lines from the driveway through the orchard space. Would do a good job of getting water to move in that direction even without a swale. Subsoilers aka Yeoman's Plow, are a key tool for implementing keyline design.
I've also got a setup that I bolt to mine to run irrigation line shallow bury to different field blocks. I think there is a company that sells them but I built mine .
I like to trellis bush beans. They won't automatically climb so you have to manually weave them at the start. They also won't automatically wind on a pole (or some sort of wire mesh, strings, etc...) so you may need to weave the tops too. I like to sow on both sides of the wire, off-set by one plant each.
Beautiful Productive Garden! Yay!
For drainage, consider a middle buster plow. Throws dirt on both side. Very simple implement. I’ve used mine for that very thing any times. They are usually under 200 new. Probably find a used one. Good luck. Really enjoy your channel! Stay strong guys!
I live up North and when we describe a beautiful fall day it is the lower 50's not the lower 80's. Check with William at Perma Pastures Farm, but my guess is that these are swales that have been filled in with silt runoff. That is likely why the drive ditch has filled in as well. It doesn't take much running water to move a lot of dirt and deposit it wherever it slows.
I grow both pole and bush beans and find that the bush always produce more. But having both is nice, because the pole beans produce later (at least in my experience) so it helps stagger the harvest.
Need a way to tilt your blade. You can dig a bit for your entire tractor to lean the way you need it or tilt the blade.
Berms are an excellent way to divert road water with generally little or no maintenance if made properly (I maintained miles of dirt roads). Your speed bumps won't last anyway. They need to be much longer, almost like your swales. They are cheap, easy to drive on and best of all, no maintenance. CDF probably has a description, it is considered a best forestry practice.
Bush beans grew so well in window boxes, too. 🤗
Time to get one of those cheapo rectangular sprinklers that are easy to move about... The type we grew up running thru and jumping over. They do great on lawns for the cows paddock areas and also the long garden beds. Then you can let it run for 15-20 mins per area so you don't have to stand there watering. Kids can have fun moving it / them and getting wet and having sprinkler water wars with each other as they aim a running sprinkler at their siblings - almost as important a right of childhood as the 'chase-my-brother-with-a-stick-while-making-light-saber-noises' game. The sound of the sprinkler is embedded in my mind as a part of summer evenings.
Ripper hooked up the rear hitch will rip a swath where you want one. Go back and forth enough times and remove the soil, which will be loosened, and that should work. You can probably rent one.
Ben, use ur loader to cut the dithch. dig down side ways to start ditch, then drive tires into the cut. This makes ur machine cut the trench by lowering one side of the tractor. I've watched u from the start of ur blogs,,, Great job bro Rev. Paul Eustis Florida...
Thanks for sharing! Everything is looking great!
Thanks for sharing! You’ll figure it out! Great looking peach jam, Meg! Wonderful family🤗❤️🇨🇦
Looking great!
I love a blueberry peach jam... But that looks good too
4k thumbs up in only four hours, that’s fantastic and well deserved.
❣️☮️❣️💟❣️✝️❣️
Buggy does anyone every call her Liliana?
Ben, have you thought about talking to the tractor dealership about the project that needs to be done and their suggestions and plan of action
I so look forward to your videos...thanks you for all your hard work, both of you!!
In the mountains a lot of roads were cut by loggers. Your driveway is not banked (sloped against the grade and cut back into the hill bank) if you can get it banked into the hill. Next the diversion (water break) will always be rough. You might cut breaks with a single ripper attachment. The water break should be an angle down hill at 1 o’clock if you think of direction as a clock. It will need to be at least a foot deep and wide to get the desired effect . Most water breaks are usually 3-5 ft for fast water. If you can get some steel grate you could cut green pvc in half longways and drill a couple holes for rebar to keep it in place then set the grates over the pvc. This will allow you to have a water break and a smooth driveway. Old cattle guard will do the same thing but feel like speed bumps. Hope this helps.
Hi Ben love your videos and tractor I was watching u at the compost, if u could get a chipper for the tractor I think it would be perfect, 👍🇮🇪😀
Love your videos. We've grown blueberries. They need acid soil to grow well. You can plant in just peat or pine bark fines (pine bark that's more ground up). Keep well watered. Fertilize with azalea fertilizer (an acid forming fertilizer). It's good to keep the blueberries together. If planted next to other fruit plants, other fruit plants usually dont like acid soil and then won't do well. Wood chips take nitrogen from the soil as it breaks down, so make sure to give the plants with wood chips plenty of nitrogen. I love watching how you've changed your homestead in such a short time. The garden is beautiful and your meals look delicious. Thanks for all the great ideas. Colleen in Central Florida.
Hello Colleen 👋 how are you doing today?
My husband said to offset the level of the three point hitch to create a crown so that the water will run off. Hope that helps.
We had that problem in our driveway in our first Home. And it was a Super long driveway. I remember my Husband spending hours out there putting a slight peak in it so it would run off. We eventually did some crushed concrete down it. It took a couple dump truck loads if I remember right. Good Luck with it & try to stay Cool.
Love this channel. Next you need a backhoe attachment and you will be capable of doing any projects on your homestead you want. Great job keep it up.
a backhoe attachment is so handy. Your corn looks great, here in zone 3 our corn is about 4" tall.
As soon as your baby girl comes into the picture a massive smile takes over my face
My original driveway had a 4” pvc pipe as a mini culvert. High side has a sort of sloping ditch you can drive on , just slopes enough to keep the water from washing out the driveway. The grass grew over the pipe and now I can’t find it lol. Your driveway looks really steep. Any way to make it a big circle drive so it won’t be so steep? Or plant some flower beds along the driveway? Fantastic melon/squash bed!! I’m planting my backups like that and they’re looking good too! And I’m super impressed by your corn, mine fried. Now they’re chop and drop mulch lol. Too cute the girls having fun with the long beans👩🌾👶💕✌🏻
Does your state have a soil conservation agency? They will be able to help you. You may even receive a grant to help you with the cost. I hope this helps.
Excellent idea
My comment below said when the highway digs up coverts they take them to the dump. Maybe they dropped off one three foot long maybe they dropped off one 12 ft long you'll never know until you go look.
When the squash bug plants it eggs under the plant, they develop and enter the vine. If you put aluminum around the part of the plant that comes out of the plant and up the vine it will prevent them from getting in that area. If the vine borer is in the vine you can take a box cutter where the hole is in the vine and use tweezers to pull the worm out. I cover that area with duct tape….hey, duct tape is good for everything. I got this idea from the Old Alabama gardener who had a channel and passed away in November of last year. His legacy lives on through his channel still teaching others. Love everything you guys are doing.
Ahh I was so hoping we’d get to hear the tink of canning success!!!
I see what you are doing! You are making speed bumps to slow the kids down!
i watched a movie a long time ago (for richer or poorer) where Tim Allen ran away and pretended to be "the cousins" on an Amish farm. what i love best about that movie was watching the corn grow. i love corn and i grew it once here. and i thought it was beautiful plant even if it doesnt (here in UK ) grow nice corn. but i love your corn patch its a thing of great beauty. and the squash bed is wow!!!
Subsoiler is a cheap implement to break up a ditch you want but then you'll need to dig it out with the loader perpendicular to it along with probably some hand working but way cheaper than a backhoe or excavator.. I'm working with a couple of perforated drain pipes buried french drain style. Seems to work but long term jury is still out.
Maybe arch the driveway(high point in center- like they do paved roads) and ditch the edges, then partly fill ditch bottom with large river stone, so the run-off rolls into the ditches? Are you allowed in NC to create and keep ponds? You could make guides to get the rain to run into the pond(s) at the low point of the property. I don't know the whole of your topography, so guessing.
Scraping above and adding below the swale is a bit like robing Peter to pay Paul. a mini excavator for 4 hours would shape your driveway. You will need a load of gravel below each section you want to divert the water of the road in order to make the changes a long lasting fix. It would also make a deadly video!
I have a similar problem with my driveway. I need a drainage along the side of the driveway. I haven't tried yet, but I have seen videos of people using the box blade to dig a trench. Rather than have it set level, you crank it over to one side.
Hi love your channel. Ben needs a 3 pt blade with a two way adjustment. Then make a ditch.
Jason at @Cog Hill, has something on the back of her tractor that digs a trench.
They use it a lot.
They put water pipes in with it, They put Burns in with it. She has a video on it check it out.
I have to say (she) , Because it's HER tractor, lol lol
Blessings to you and your family
Hey Ben. How about a single tine bottom plow? We have one for our John Deere tractor. We dug a ditch for electric to the shop with it.😊
Isn’t better to dig a trench (30cm wide and 50cm deep) along the road to canalize the water that runs off on heavy rains? You can fill the ditch later with coarse gravel so you can drive over it without problems but at the same time water filters easy and go down the slope.
Nice video of you making your "Outlaw Josey" swales!
not a ditch, but our driveway has a distinct hump in the middle, and at the sides is lower than the grass. All done with a box blade
I've always put down black plastic down for my squash plants and put a tire around each plant. Just cut an X in the plastic and fold under. Then plant.
Prepare the dirt below so that all the water from rain or sprinklers flows towards the base of the plants. Works great! No weeding & less beetles!
Hi Ben, you need a 3-point-hitch mounted adjustable blade to make ditches efficiently. Road graders use a center mounted blade to make ditches and slopes. Same concept.
Ours wasn’t with a drive way, but with the main gutters on our house. I dug a slopped trench. Laid down some heavy duty landscape fabric, filled with rock. Wrapped the fabric over. Essentially created drain tile. Or an underground tunnel. I directed the water to my asparagus bed about 20 feet away. So far working great. No washout or surface run off anymore. Water takes the path of least resistance and the rock underground slows down the water but also is long enough to allow for a very large amount of water as well.
So something you could do is essentially create a collection point for the water to collect and drop out. I don’t know how that would work with your swells being level with your driveway. Other than changing your driveway so it is not placed where and in a way that water naturally wants to follow. Hope that makes sense…
Trial and error, learn as we go. Your killing it..
I use an old double bottom plow and role what washes in once or twice a year then use the box blade to cut 45 degree angle to the edge of the road and drag the left over dirt to balance the road surface. I put the crown on with the blade adjusted one side a couple inches over the other.
Easy way to grade a road or create a ditch with a box is to adjust your 3 point link, the right hand side can be lengthened or shortened to level the box or pitch to one side
You all are doing so good. Keep it up. We love seeing all the projects
Also, on the squash plants, do you prune them? Danny at Deep South Homestead reminded me about it through a video the other day. Maybe it can help prolong the production! God bless!
Y'all need a pond. Got one or not?
Y'all got my dream tractor.
Except for the backhoe ....
Pond construction could be a very expensive undertaking. How would the two of you figure out the logistics of cost versus benefits? That could take some figuring. My impression, the greatest asset I see you two using all the way through your adventure is your teamwork on every aspect of homesteading with a large family. Kudos!
Everything is growing so beautiful
Garden looks great.