Alex Grows Food
Alex Grows Food
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When The Veg Garden Fails: How I'm Ensuring Abundance Next Year
This year has been tough for growing food. But what can we do to prevent problems in the veg garden and ensure an abundant harvest next year?
In this video I go through what low-effort and hardy plants worked well for me despite this year's difficulties and I'll explain how I'm going to re-think my veg patch to ensure that my garden will be more resilient to heat, cold and pests next year.
And we should talk about why it's important to create a garden that doesn't require a gargantuan effort in the spring and, instead, provides us with lots of home-grown food reliably each year.
And, as always, Happy Gardening!
(FYI, I got pretty sick while editing this so some of the recommendations are a little late. Sorry folks!)
More grow guides and information available on the 🌐 website: www.alexgrowsfood.com/
0:00 - Can We Still Save Our Gardens?
1:32 - Start Sowing Seeds For Next Year
2:22 - The Hardiest Winter Crops
3:27 - Grow Perennial Plants To Ensure Abundance
5:11 - Growing Salads and Companion Plants That Self-Seed
6:37 - Seeds To Sow Now For The Autumn Garden
7:30 - Reduce Pest Pressure By Changing How We Grow
8:25 - Stop Slugs From Eating Your Plants By...
#growyourownfood #vegetablegarden #allotment
Переглядів: 304

Відео

Which Garden Mulch Saves The Most Water?
Переглядів 35 тис.4 місяці тому
Mulch can reduce garden water use by up to 80% but which mulch is best at saving the most water? In this video I test four mulches to see which traps the most moisture in the soil, which still allow water to be wasted to evaporation and to find the best mulch for you to use in your vegetable patch! And, as always, Happy Gardening! Follow or contact me via 📸 Instagram: alex.grows.f...
Can You ACTUALLY Stop Slugs Eating Your Plants?
Переглядів 7 тис.6 місяців тому
Can you keep slugs out of the garden and from eating your seedlings? I tested 7 natural & organic slug control methods to find out if you really can use them to get rid of slugs in your garden or if they are just a waste of money for the home-grower. Everyone talks about using copper tape, wool, egg shells, diatomaceious earth, coffee grounds and beer traps but are they just old wives tales? To...
How To Storm-Proof Your Plastic Greenhouse
Переглядів 10 тис.7 місяців тому
Turn your plastic greenhouse into a storm-resistant sanctuary for your veg plants. Cheap Amazon greenhouses are a great way of extending your growing season on a budget - I own two Amazon greenhouses worth about £80. But to get the most out of a cheap plastic greenhouse it's important to make some upgrades and reinforce it so it can withstand the weather. In this video I'll show you how to turn...
Seeds You Really Should Sow In March
Переглядів 1,4 тис.8 місяців тому
March is the busiest time of year for sowing vegetable seeds. With the last frost date getting close, it's time to start our plants so we can enjoy home grown food as soon as possible. To get-off the supermarket food asap, you should sow these veg seeds in March and in this video I'll show you how to sow a few of them too. Veg seeds started in March will benefit from extra light until the days ...
Get Near-Perfect Germination Using This Seed Starting Mix
Переглядів 2,5 тис.9 місяців тому
Starting seeds indoors doesn't need to feel like trial and error! Making the right peat-free potting mix can get you near perfect germination every time. The beginner's mistake is to buy an all-purpose compost but by picking a compost designed for seeds and adding two extra ingredients you can get high germination, eliminate surface mould issues, have both great water retention and drainage (I ...
You Really Can Sow These Veg Seeds In February (Don't Wait!)
Переглядів 1,6 тис.9 місяців тому
February means seed sowing season can really kick off. While a lot of people say it's worth waiting until later, I disagree, you can sow so many seeds in February and get an early taste of gardening and growing annual vegetables - even in this part of Winter. And sowing seeds now means that you'll get a super early harvest when Spring and Summer come around! In this video I'll give you a list o...
Are Cheap Grow Lights Bright Enough To Grow Tomato Seedlings?
Переглядів 22 тис.10 місяців тому
Are cheap grow lights any good for the home-grower looking to extend their season and starting their tomato seedlings indoors? If you live in a cold climate or if you just want to get an earlier harvest, then starting tomato seeds early is a necessary step. In this video, I investigate if cheap LED grow lights that you can buy on Amazon are powerful enough to stop tomato seedlings from going le...
Grow These Vegetable Seeds In 2024
Переглядів 94410 місяців тому
Growing your own food means you get to pick what varieties to grow. But a new year means a new garden plan and that means an endless choice of plants to grow from seed. So in this video I’ll share my all-time best vegetable varieties to grow. They have never let me down and I’ll be growing them again in 2024. The barrier to entry to this list is high (I'm very picky), so these are (almost) fool...
Gardening Mistakes To Avoid In 2024 | What 2023 Taught Me About Growing Food
Переглядів 3,8 тис.Рік тому
Growing your own food can be hard work and requires lots of patience. So finding out you made a mistake months later can be.... pretty discouraging. In this video I'll go through the mistakes I made in the vegetable garden this year, explain what I did wrong and give you my gardening tips and tell you how to avoid making the same garden mistakes next year. This was filmed over three weeks and t...
October Garden Jobs, Seeds You Should Sow & Q&A
Переглядів 407Рік тому
October brings a new season to our vegetable gardens & allotment plots. If you’ve been growing your own food then there are some key jobs that need doing to maximise production in the Spring and to make sure crops like pumpkins and squashes can be stored. In this video I’m going to give you a tour of my garden, share my top garden jobs for October including trimming hedges and removing blight r...
Propagating Strawberries: 3 Ways To (Legally) Grow Free Plants
Переглядів 4,8 тис.Рік тому
Propagating strawberry plants is a great way of growing extra plants and saving even more money on food. In this video, I seek out an expert crew who teach us how to root strawberry runners, save strawberry seeds and divide strawberry crowns / rhizomes. By the end of this video, you'll be able to use all of these methods to propagate strawberries at various times in the year. However, it isn't ...
September Garden Jobs, Seeds You Should Sow & Q&A
Переглядів 1,7 тис.Рік тому
September is a glorious month in the vegetable garden & on the allotment. And if you're growing your own food there are a lot of jobs left to do to maximise production now, through the winter and into next year. In this video I'm going to share my top garden jobs for September as well as a list of seeds that you should be sowing now. We'll be planting, pruning and starting plants to grow over w...
Can You Be Self-Sufficient While Working A Full-Time Job?
Переглядів 3,1 тис.Рік тому
Balancing the demands of your vegetable garden with those of your day job is a perennial problem. And the more and more food you want to grow, the more and more time you need to spend starting seeds, caring for plants and growing food. In this video, I'll show you how working a full-time job this year has impacted the garden compared to last year when I was self-sufficient in vegetables during ...
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In August | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden For Self-Sufficiency
Переглядів 900Рік тому
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In August | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden For Self-Sufficiency
Stop Pests Eating Your Vegetable Plants With Passive Organic Methods
Переглядів 2,9 тис.Рік тому
Stop Pests Eating Your Vegetable Plants With Passive Organic Methods
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In July | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden
Переглядів 287Рік тому
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In July | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden
Harvest & Cure Onions Like This & They'll Keep For Months!
Переглядів 801Рік тому
Harvest & Cure Onions Like This & They'll Keep For Months!
Grow Fruits Not Foliage: Pruning Tomato Plants To Maximise Yield and Health
Переглядів 1,7 тис.Рік тому
Grow Fruits Not Foliage: Pruning Tomato Plants To Maximise Yield and Health
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In June | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden For Self-Sufficiency
Переглядів 834Рік тому
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In June | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden For Self-Sufficiency
Can I Plant Out EVERYTHING Before I Go On Holiday?
Переглядів 544Рік тому
Can I Plant Out EVERYTHING Before I Go On Holiday?
How To Support & Plant Tomatoes To Maximise Growth
Переглядів 1,7 тис.Рік тому
How To Support & Plant Tomatoes To Maximise Growth
More Food, Healthier Plants, Less Work! Installing A Soaker Hose To Water Your Vegetable Garden
Переглядів 8 тис.Рік тому
More Food, Healthier Plants, Less Work! Installing A Soaker Hose To Water Your Vegetable Garden
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In May | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden
Переглядів 398Рік тому
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In May | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden
How To Grow Carrots In Containers: From Seed To Harvest
Переглядів 10 тис.Рік тому
How To Grow Carrots In Containers: From Seed To Harvest
8 Essential Tools For Every Veg Gardener
Переглядів 613Рік тому
8 Essential Tools For Every Veg Gardener
3 Signs That You Should Transplant Your Seedlings & How To Transplant Them
Переглядів 4,5 тис.Рік тому
3 Signs That You Should Transplant Your Seedlings & How To Transplant Them
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In April | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden
Переглядів 1,9 тис.Рік тому
Top 3 Seeds To Sow In April | Vegetables To Grow In Your Allotment Garden
Preparing The Veg Garden: Prevent Weeds, More Strawberries & Raspberries and Quick Garden Tour
Переглядів 526Рік тому
Preparing The Veg Garden: Prevent Weeds, More Strawberries & Raspberries and Quick Garden Tour
Are Plastic Greenhouses Any Good? How Long Do They Last & Are They Worth It?
Переглядів 34 тис.Рік тому
Are Plastic Greenhouses Any Good? How Long Do They Last & Are They Worth It?

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @cowboys729
    @cowboys729 6 годин тому

    Thank you Alex, Growing them exactly as you stated. Happy Holidays!

  • @JulieKenway
    @JulieKenway 10 годин тому

    Great work and congratulations! I have a full time job too and at this time of the year have been known to use a headtorch to sow or pot up in the greenhouse after work. Better still, surprise the slugs 😄

  • @jamiemarsh7439
    @jamiemarsh7439 23 години тому

    Absolutely brilliant Alex

  • @monikamona5271
    @monikamona5271 4 дні тому

    Czy pod jablonia/wisnia/czeresnia/tuja cos urosnie? Bardzo stare drzewa

  • @drugreen123
    @drugreen123 7 днів тому

    They do sell replacement covers on Amazon.

  • @spark-to-a-flame8227
    @spark-to-a-flame8227 8 днів тому

    Thank you! Wonderful video 🌷

  • @daveliz5014
    @daveliz5014 11 днів тому

    Thanks. You just saved me a lot of faffing around. Shall try my coffee grounds during the dry for a while as I already have them.

  • @kalonjiedwardrichardson9234
    @kalonjiedwardrichardson9234 16 днів тому

    Best one yet. I brought in slugs accidentally from my compost. And they're going mad!

  • @boblflef
    @boblflef 18 днів тому

    I attached one of those magnetic fly screens that you normally put on your back door to the inside of the door using Velcro so I could have the door open in summer without too many bugs getting in. Along with cutting some holes for temp controlled fans and tying the external ropes to a car battery it just about survived 9 months but the plastic around the door zips its wrecked and basically non-repairable. Mine is a completely transparent one though not the green type with the mesh.

  • @saumyaparanavithana2269
    @saumyaparanavithana2269 27 днів тому

    Thanks for this video it helped me a lot to make my science project a success you are so underrated😢 you deserve alot more subscribers, but theres +1 sub 😅

  • @VickieTaylor-n4p
    @VickieTaylor-n4p Місяць тому

    We have built our own greenhouse! We use cow panels and 3ml plastic We having real good luck with it! This is our second one we build! We have heat for winter and grow lights, and water!

    • @barbaravander9853
      @barbaravander9853 18 годин тому

      Would like to know your plans...When I look into the cost, it is prohibitive and I would be better off buying a decent one (I am 70) and use primarily through the southern winters.

  • @happyface2373
    @happyface2373 Місяць тому

    To keep the cover and house from blowing away, I secured a blue tarp on the fence and then I brought it over the top of the greenhouse. Then I secured the blue tarp with twine and tied it to a very large flower pot that is probably 50 pounds with dirt and ferns in it nothing’s gonna fly away.

  • @KumaMami
    @KumaMami Місяць тому

    copper doesn’t work?????

  • @ladilynne
    @ladilynne Місяць тому

    For longer life of the plastic 303 Protection spray for plastic, vinyl, etc helps protect it from extreme temp changes, rain, snow & sun.

  • @jaslin108
    @jaslin108 Місяць тому

    Thanks for the video. I’m in Australia we have a problem with fruit flies destroying tomatoes. In summer I made an exclusion cover out of fly screen mesh. After reading the tip about covering cabbages etc I will use it to exclude cabbage moth. Excellent.

  • @user-bi8ko7kc6h
    @user-bi8ko7kc6h Місяць тому

    I bought an oversized garden furniture cover to wrap it. Half of it wrapped underneath the green house and peg every corners to the ground. The weight of the frame and stuff I put on the floor on top the cover inside the greenhouse also helps. Move the pegs in the morning so the plants can have some sunlight but it depends on the direction of the sun. I can’t remove one of the houses during windy days anyway because I use it as a shelter for the stray cats.

  • @TheSpencerHolloway
    @TheSpencerHolloway Місяць тому

    Hi Alex, have you tried Ollas?

  • @robertyonts1123
    @robertyonts1123 2 місяці тому

    What's your recommendations in a hurricane prone area?

    • @robertyonts1123
      @robertyonts1123 2 місяці тому

      I've got a steel frame metal joint bolts concrete filled buried cinder blocks anchoring it all down with ropes/cables over top of it all. Frame survived last hurricane a lil bent up, extra strength plastic covering rated 60mph+... didn't hold up to the 90mph+ gusts. Am in process of repairs.

    • @user-bi8ko7kc6h
      @user-bi8ko7kc6h Місяць тому

      Not gonna lie… hurricanes and plastic poles greenhouse don’t work tgt😅. Even those with steel frames not always survive.

  • @MercifulFamilyFarms
    @MercifulFamilyFarms 2 місяці тому

    Great test. Informative helpful and interesting throughout!!

  • @EhrensChannel
    @EhrensChannel 2 місяці тому

    These are great tips! I'm new to greenhouse gardening, so this is helpful. :)

  • @farvista
    @farvista 2 місяці тому

    I've bought this exact one twice in 10 years. Is it perfect? Not at all? Is it cheap? Very. Will it protect your plants in winter? Yes, to an extent. I put mine up in November, and take it down in May. Mine spends the winter under a covered patio, against a wall, on a south-facing porch. There, the wind can't get to it much, and in north Texas, our winter storms come from the north, so it's an extremely sheltered spot. I've had hibiscus plants survive inside of it. My husband and I weight it down with very heavy flat cement tiles, and we add additional cross-ties on the frame. We throw a blanket over the top when the snow and ice hits us. During the absolutely shattering winter of 2020, all of the plants on the outside-facing wall of the greenhouse froze, since we had no electricity for a few days. My family spent time camping out around the living room fireplace wearing all of our warm clothes and blankets, and I was surprised to find that the greenhouse plants that were against the house wall survived. (I couldn't believe it.) Downside: Aside from the flimsiness, when you take this apart in spring, you'll pour rusty water out of some of the rods. Eventually, they'll rust through completely. When you go to assemble it, it's helpful to use a rubber mallet to get everything together in good, squared-up form. When you go to dis-assemble it, it can be really, really tough to get the rods out of the connectors. The plastic connectors can crack or break completely. The little tie-downs and pathetic coat-hanger hooks they give you are utterly useless, so you'll need to make other arrangements. The zipper can break pretty easily, so I've always made sure my cover is really well-aligned, and to use the zip very carefully. Do I feel that I get my money's worth? Well, they have been costing me about $70 or $80, they've each lasted about 5 years (admittedly, in a VERY sheltered spot), so yeah, I reckon I do. That said, I'm looking to do better this year.

  • @MicroglialCell
    @MicroglialCell 2 місяці тому

    Is there any way I can ATTRACT slugs?

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

      Beer should work for that if you're so inclined. It's kind of a double-edged sword. Just keep the liquid shallow so they don't drown or give them a shelf to escape to after they've had their fill.

  • @jerrywilson7490
    @jerrywilson7490 2 місяці тому

    Thank you so much. I’m 65 and have always used sprinklers, but just bought my first 2 - 75ft soakers to reach a new bed containing new small bushes and small trees. The bed is about 130ft long, starting at about 1 ft and slowly enlarging to about 4ft wide. Should be easy. This bed is just out of range of my sprinkler for my small grass area and surrounding trees. You made me feel much better about the project. Thanks, and good luck with your other side of the garden. ~ Jerry

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

      Very welcome. Soakers aren't the cheapest investment but I think they pay for themselves in the long run, especially with a good grass mulch on top. Just be sure to use cheap non-permeable hose before you get to the bed. And I did finally connect mine on a loop and it is really really good over that length - I ended up lowering the input to about 4L/minute to reduce pressure in the hose.

  • @marksminis
    @marksminis 2 місяці тому

    Great video Alex! Really sad about the dog attack and the loss of a beautiful chicken 🐔 😢 Across the pond, we enjoy ever lasting chard and arugula. Tomatoes doing okay but the yield is down due to poor pollination. Bees are scarce; we are far from any beehives. Bees have been suffering from climate change and pesticides 😢 The fig tree though, is a monster and dumping bags and bags of super sweet huge black Turkish figs!

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

      Thanks Mark. Sounds like a lot of climactic/habitat issues for plants and insects all over. Good to see your perennials working

  • @theopeterbroers819
    @theopeterbroers819 2 місяці тому

    What I recomend: brushes to clean the dirt from tools and shoes. Knife for harvesting, also decapitating slugs.

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

      I use a hoe for that but I endorse this message. A brush is a great shout

  • @TheGeek365
    @TheGeek365 2 місяці тому

    Good to see you back Alex. Sorry to hear about the dog attack, hopefully you are feeling much better now.

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

      Thank you! Still a lot of faff with the police but I think so. Just needed to make this video as a sort of reset. Next one hopefully in a couple of weeks if the weather plays ball

  • @AlexBraunton
    @AlexBraunton 2 місяці тому

    Excellent video Alex. You've inspired me to try and grown my own fruit and vegetables, so thank you. I'm sorry for your loss and the awful dog attack. I hope you're doing better now. Take care mate

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

      Thanks Alex! Great to see you again. Comments like these really validate the channel. Hope to make videos more regularly, I just needed a little reset with this one.

  • @alexgrowsfood
    @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

    If you want a list of seeds to sow and things to do in the garden now, watch this video here: ua-cam.com/video/kwS1XiITMA4/v-deo.html. Today's video was filmed early in August but I got really really ill from that trip to the supermarket to buy that bag of rocket so this one is a little late... Some of the seed recommendations might be less useful but my cough is too bad to re-film it. Sorry!

  • @TheMrWoodsman
    @TheMrWoodsman 3 місяці тому

    Missing your videos Alex!

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Thank you! Nothing spurs me on more than comments like this, honestly... Very close to finishing one that *should* be out on Friday. Gap to the one after shouldn't be as long next time

  • @jaspercaelan4998
    @jaspercaelan4998 3 місяці тому

    Good improvements to the greenhouse, I think they are really required if you're going to use one of these. The main issues for me were airflow and keeping the thing from blowing away. You also have to be aware of temperature fluctuations, it can actually get colder inside a greenhouse at night than outside and this can happen even in a more expensive glass greenhouse or polytunnel.

  • @RFranks
    @RFranks 3 місяці тому

    Good experiment! I put bark chippings at the base of my tomato plants this year and also noticed the ground seemed stayed moist longer than with just compost. I wonder how the different mulches affect the temperature of the soil too, I've heard bark chippings can make the ground slower to warm up earlier in the season which may be an issue for some plants.

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 2 місяці тому

      I could believe it acts as an insulator, especially compared to compost, but I couldn't say what the net effect of that was. Probably depends a lot on the location and climate

  • @AlexanderOrion
    @AlexanderOrion 3 місяці тому

    How does this behave in winter? I live in central europe where temp gets around -20 degrees celsisus? Is it possible to mantain at least 6 degress celsisus inside? Thank you

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Hi there! I really don't think that's going to be likely. Here, with a lot of taping the cover to the poles and even with a lot of thermal mass inside (bricks, water, compost, etc), I probably wouldn't leave much out below -2C (assuming a ground frost at +2C or lower air temperature), especially in the winter where the heat storing hours are low and the heat loss hours are high. My DIY improvements in my more recent video get me about 3C improvement overnight and the basic unimproved greenhouse probably gets about 1C over the forecast air temperature (I've not directly measured the outside temperature). It might be possible to add a wall of bricks to the inside of the cover and position the greenhouse sideways facing south (long side facing the sun) so the heat build up and less airflow gets you more protection but I've not tried it and I'd still be hesitant to trust it. The Romans used to do something similar to grow lemons in the UK in the open air. But I think the coldest we've ever had here was -10C in Jan 2023 and without any added protection (and a few holes in the fabric) it was about the same in the plastic greenhouse. But I imagine even a poly-carbonate or glass greenhouse might struggle at -20C without a passive heat strategy or even active heating - maybe a water heater connected to an outside mains electric source and dunked in a water butt? Not sure how safe that is or how expensive but some kind of heat source might be a good idea in those greenhouses where the airflow is less of an issue.

    • @AlexanderOrion
      @AlexanderOrion 3 місяці тому

      @@alexgrowsfood Wow, thank you for your elaborate answer. My question was stupid from the start, I then researched green houses and understood the phenomenon and different types. And yeah in Romania at least where I live we have -20 and even more for prolongued periods. Thank you for the info. Cheers!

  • @wormfriend5625
    @wormfriend5625 3 місяці тому

    That was such a interesting and informative video. I will be using the grass on my allotment where we have no access to water and I really struggle to get water there. Thanks Alex brilliant experiment.

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Great stuff. Honestly, it holds water for ages. It doesn't rain much in Cambridge (lowest rainfall in the UK) but grass is like magic. Was surprised at how flat that graph was but it clearly works even in shallow soils

  • @laszloposzmik5829
    @laszloposzmik5829 3 місяці тому

    Thank you for the informative video! It is like a scientific experiment. Let's try in the next year in my garden,

  • @jacquelineclauson4891
    @jacquelineclauson4891 3 місяці тому

    Great experiment, good to know.

  • @P.I.E.
    @P.I.E. 4 місяці тому

    The problem I have with using any kind of mulch is that I like for my seeds to sprout naturally. I prefer no mulch in my containers. It allows me to re seed and also to notice any issues with the soil.

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Yeah, this can be a bother. In principle the grass can break down so by next season the seeds should find their way to the bottom but it's probably going to be less reliable than directly coming into contact. Might be worth an initial mulch early in the season and not topping-up and leaving it to decay/thin out by the autumn. I've not tried it but could be worth experimenting on a small area

    • @P.I.E.
      @P.I.E. 3 місяці тому

      @@alexgrowsfood all I have is containers (for now). Plus, I tend to over-seed. It works for me. I would also be interested in a larger scale experiment.

  • @thehuntfortruth
    @thehuntfortruth 4 місяці тому

    This is actually a really good video

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Ah thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it

  • @GARDENER42
    @GARDENER42 4 місяці тому

    I use grass clippings to mulch my 30litre potato containers. best free water retention material there is. Was surprised at how ineffective home made compost was.

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Amazing. Yeah it's remarkable. I guess compost is so soil-like that it basically behaves the same and the water transfer at the interface is basically unobstructed - unlike grass/hemp. I did suggest that the compost lost more because it might have had more water initially but it also had less clay content so the water can move much faster, including to the surface. If hemp was free/legal to grow (without an expensive licence) I'd do it but, failing that, looks like grass is terrific and it grows itself.

  • @frankw9836
    @frankw9836 4 місяці тому

    i was thinking about buying one of this BUT after watching this, i would say NO . I am in Northern Ireland and it would last one day

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Yeah, they need reinforcing that's for sure. I did do a follow up video about storm-proofing them but eventually you'll get perforations that cause bigger issues

    • @frankw9836
      @frankw9836 3 місяці тому

      @@alexgrowsfood I did all the reinforcement I could but nothing can withstand the horrible weather in northern Ireland

  • @xperimental1974
    @xperimental1974 4 місяці тому

    is that because hemp mulch has less big pores compared to barks/chips? so water is not easily loose through small pores?

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      I think so. My guess is either water can't transfer vertically as fast because it has to transfer between linear grains (mostly within the material) or the air can't get to it so humidity around the grains are high and evaporation stays low. I think that's why grass did a little worse than hemp but much better than bark. The main counter arguments are colour: hemp is white so potentially a lower temperature at the surface and evaporation slows and also the bark had decayed slightly so had some soil-like / compost-like material in it and because those particles are so small you get a different dynamics (I think the water moves externally to the material - like a suspension or via surface tension on a microscale and can move pretty well in all directions). It's been a while and I've not looked into the microscale mechanics in that much depth but that would be my guess.

  • @Wings91
    @Wings91 4 місяці тому

    They were good tips. Thank you.

  • @Entropicembrace
    @Entropicembrace 4 місяці тому

    Interesting findings! I always felt it odd that it seemed when after applying bare compost to pots it would drain out faster, glad to see there’s further evidence to that!

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      Yeah it's weird but I guess it's basically soil and has very little clay content so the water can move quite fast through it too. Possible you'd get an improvement in sandy soil in pots if the compost was very stodgy but not in my clay-heavy patch.

  • @RFranks
    @RFranks 4 місяці тому

    Very useful experiments! I'll definitely give perlite a try. I had some success surrounding plants with comfrey leaves, the slugs and snails seemed to prefer eating them over the plants.

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 3 місяці тому

      That sounds smart. I saw someone use rotting fruit - pears maybe - nearby as a decoy, but I've not tested it. They don't seem to be interested in apples

  • @helentc
    @helentc 4 місяці тому

    Great video! Can you clarify what the hemp is? Is it seed or the hull? Thank yoU!

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 4 місяці тому

      I'm not absolutely certain but, to me, it looks like they've chopped up or shredded the dried stems. They are very flat, very small rectangular pieces. I've been using AubiChick which is meant to be organically grown and used for chicks and chickens rather than the larger pieces they make for horses. They state they use the 'core of the plant'

  • @taniapachecomicrogreens
    @taniapachecomicrogreens 4 місяці тому

    Hello, dear grower, I also grow microgreens, but with substrate, (Carolina Soil, earthworm humus, vermiculite and perlite, etc., together with coconut fiber, I mix everything, I don't use coconut fiber alone, because in my country (Brazil), people who use them, use them in hydroponics, and add nutrients to the water. Do you add macro and micro nutrients to the water because it is an inert substrate, I don't know how it works, I would be grateful if you could help me? .

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 4 місяці тому

      Interesting question. I've never tried hydroponics, but I'd be surprised if you'd _need_ to add nutrients. For these ones I harvested them while they were really really young so you can rely on the energy stored in the seed. I grew them in the surface of pure coir. I think if the plant takes more than a week or two to go from germination to finished or you want more nature leaves, I'd consider a nitrogen source. But for these and for things like bean-sprouts, a sterile environment and moisture is all that's required. I'd expect similar behaviour in water (but happy to be corrected if someone else sees this or if you want to try it and report back)

  • @manasikashyap
    @manasikashyap 4 місяці тому

    I’ll have to try these out for my fruit trees! Thank you!

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 4 місяці тому

      No worries, just be sure to give them a lot more water - either a long drawn-out watering over hours (potentially) or maybe doubling up the soaker hose. It depends on the watering requirements of the tree and your soil type & structure. If it helps, I get through about 5L of water a minute over a 75m length

  • @lynneclark5879
    @lynneclark5879 4 місяці тому

    I use a mixture of grass clippings and leaves which I shred with my weed whacker in a large bucket, works great

  • @Cody_Ramer
    @Cody_Ramer 4 місяці тому

    Would love to use soakers but they are stupidly expensive, so will have to wait a while..

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 4 місяці тому

      Yeah they are quite the investment. I slowly bought mine over time (and one was given to me - by luck, not by the company) or anything) but I think they'll last long enough to be worth it and I suspect more cost effective than a drip system if you have dense plantings. Not cheaper than manual or a sprinkler though (sadly).

  • @spakchitown
    @spakchitown 4 місяці тому

    Very entertaining! 😂

  • @lilianashore2086
    @lilianashore2086 4 місяці тому

    that took me by surprise! I wasn't expecting grass clippings to do such good job

    • @alexgrowsfood
      @alexgrowsfood 4 місяці тому

      It's an amazing result. I unpacked the experiment not long ago and, while it has rained a bit since, there was so much moisture still in there. Still felt like wet clay on the top and stuck to my hand. Hemp was great too but it isn't free.