When, I first started watching My Self Reliance, my goal was Land. Then my 93 yr old Father said, "Why not start now. " Start small." I thought How? I live in a 55+ community and the people who owned the house before me wanted "no to low" maintenance...so everything is gravel, vapor barrier and plastic. So, I planted 2 small vegetable gardens in horse troughs that I painted light green with teal flowers and the saying, "All is Well with my Soul." Today, I planted tree, tomorrow another tree. Then guess what, One Day at a Time, I am going to remove the gravel, plastic and vapor barriers and let the Land breath. Who knows from here. Maybe if I learn to take care of a small property, God will give me a bigger property. Shawn, my life is changing because of your channel and my Father's encouragement...I am very grateful.
While I am only 24, me my wife and my 2 year old are endeavouring to create a vegetable garden this year, we’ve only got a small yard to work with though just like you, we will be praying that God will bless it and make it grow
Sneaka that’s all well and good until something happens and there isn’t any at the super market. Or there is wide spread shortages from something like you know, an international pandemic, that sends prices through the roof. And beyond that home grown produce tastes so much better than super market stuff
Are you kidding? “We’re not interested in you gardening?” Brother we’re here because we all wish we had it in us one way or another to be living your dream. Of course that includes all aspects of your lifestyle that aid in you making it up there in the great white north successfully. We’re cheering you on regardless, believe me... You’ve got this! ✌🏼🤟🏼🤞🏼
I’m guessing a couple of you can’t read that well, but I don’t judge. Punctuation, yea it’s that important. Larps and sods? What you both misread is called positive reinforcement. I consistently support this channel, not bash it down like you’ve tried to do to my comment. I dunno, maybe read more and try NOT to speak as much?! Take a second and reread my comment and try to understand my point. “Its all backing him and wishing the best!” How is that negative? I suggest you either lay off the wobbly pops, or at least reach out to someone who understood what I said for clarification... so far 229 👍🏼 and get it, leaving only you two with negative comments. Think it may just be you two that don’t get it? Catch up...
I confess I hit like before I viewed...saving thirty some minutes of escape to the wilderness before I sleep. I really do need a night with pleasant dreams to stay healthy. Thanks Shawn.
Before this pandemic, I wasn't planning to put in a garden this year because I was going to be too busy. My priorities changed and now I have put in a decent sized garden to offset my vegetable budget! Keep up the great work sir!
Shawn i watch you all the time .I did things that your are doing not at your level but pretty good .My wife and i did organic farming and organic gardening was a lot of work but very rewarding . please do me a favor don't let people that have not done it tell you how to do it. Kathy and are 76yrs old and still garden on a smaller scale. we live on 33 acres in the country and have that far away that they do not bother us.please do not give up . I feel your passion . Julien Lamarche
Your photography, editing, and music are so beautiful, I have to keep reminding myself that your life is not just a dream, it's very hard, steadfast work. Thanks, as always, for your honesty and humility. God bless you and your family. Wow, I didn't know porcupines climb trees! Ours here in Israel stay underground in their holes all day, then waddle around at night, foraging.
And wear plaid slippers (that’s an “in” joke for those who remember “Rehov Sumsum”). Seriously, who does the photography? You cannot reposition the camera every few seconds.
Definitely still interested. Finally glad to see the garden really take its shape. You have been putting so much hard work into everything and keeping us updated. Thank you.
I was raised in the mountains of East Tennessee, some of the hardest land to farm. I helped my dad and uncles “grubbing” new ground like you are doing. In case you’ve never heard the term, Wikipedia = Grubbing or clearing denotes the removal of trees, shrubs, stumps, and rubbish from a site. Unlike you, we did have a team of mules to pull the stumps. I have respect for anyone willing to subject themselves to this type of work, voluntarily.
In the local dialect in the region of Twente in The Netherlands we use the word ‘angruppn’’ to heighten the ground around potatoes to get a better harvest.
Ron, I moved from Philly to Washington County, TN. You're right about how hard it is to farm here, but I'm only doing raised bed gardens. Biggest problem I find: Johnson grass! Otherwise, the mountains are gorgeous!
Your channel should be required for high school students. It would grow good men and women. thank you
4 роки тому+5
Modern schools, like I endured all my life, and resent now, don't teach us how to be self sufficient, wise with money, moral, how to garden, build, animal husbandry, nothing that will help us be independent. Poor little boys, so full of energy and desire to do real things, are made to sit and do busy work, children are housed indoors all day, they are politicized and endure pseudo-science, and it's getting worse. Modern schools are no place for children! Now, that every kid is home, don't send them back! This is an opportunity to homeschool and use curriculum that will truly educated them. I homeschooled over 10 years. My son's goal is to be debt free, he builds, he takes job after job to learn what he needs to build his own home one day, he hustles w side jobs and never stopped working during this, whatever this really is, and never took a gov't handout, which always comes with strings because it is tax money, not gov't money. They say, "we are going to give you..." They are in debt, they have nothing to "give."
I also did a little garden and thought it will be just an afternoon of work and in the end it turned out to be a big project, but last week the first vegetables came out and it's such a big satisfaction seeing how everything grows. Thanks Shawn for always inspiring me with your work and your words!
I have been looking forward to seeing the workshop that you will create. But after seeing the hard work and long hours you have put into creating this forest garden I'm really looking forward to seeing you reap what you sow. Soon you'll be making me hungry again after watching the meals you create. P.S. Thanks for wrapping the show up with a "toss" for Cali! Keep up the good work.
I always thought that growing your own food is self reliance at its core. So don’t ever apologize for gardening on this channel. It’s so much more than fishing or canoeing. You are building a lasting home stead for your family and their kids. Not much usable land left. That is truly free and wild. Yet close enough to a town. You have that, a truly special place. If you change directions a million times, it doesn’t matter, just enjoy living free.
I love that you're adopting multiple ways in being 'Self Reliant'. For me being self reliant is about recognizing the responsibility we have to try to avoid problems before they happen and to learn to overcome challenges when they occur. You start with what you know, then as you go you experience trials and challenges. When you're in a trial period you figure out how to overcome it, sometimes that means asking for help or stopping for a moment to learn something new so you can use it effectively to fix it the first time and avoid it from reoccurring. Self Reliance is a journey, it's not just one Olympic event, it's all of them, at certain times you use different muscles to reach your end goal. That's my two cents anyway, hope that makes sense. Keep up the great work Shawn. It's totally worth it.
Love your videos Shawn! I'm a gardener myself planting tomatoes, squash and lots of different kinds of sweet and hot peppers. My wife and I live in south Texas where the soil is almost nonexistent. We have built up our raised beds over the years and now have deep, rich soil to plant in. Everything we grow is organic with a large compost pile to keep it nutritious. I enjoyed watching you tend your garden and laughed at how fastidious you are getting even the smallest rocks out. I'm confidant that as the years go by your garden will get richer and more productive. By the way the small rocks seem to grow out of thin air and I still find myself fastidiously removing them every spring... Have a good harvest Shawn!
no matter what you’re doing my wife and I enjoy watching every single time. We are a married couple in Boston Massachusetts and we’ve been inspired by you to start our own backyard garden. Nothing at all like you but we are motivated to try to be more involved with our own food production. We know it’s on an extremely small scale for us but you are a motivator. Keep doing what you’re doing so many people enjoy and are inspired by you
I love your way of life and you made the best choise. Cali is cute 😍. The World is sick, that is so sad.I am happy watching you . God bless you and your family.
Well, from my perspective as a viewer, you have come a long ways. It is really looking like a garden. The transformation is tangible. I tip my hat to you. Nothing like determination, focus, effort and thought to make something happen. Once established it will be a breeze for you to maintain it. Congratulations.
I absolutely love your videos! Before I use to watch for knowledge and stress relief now, I watch your videos for pandemic relief and just pure inspiration! Thank you so much!
I live in Oregon on 78 acres of forested land. My sister and I have a large garden with 10ft high fencing for deer and in case we get any elk coming in. Twice now we have had cattle that are free range end up in our yard. The fence around the garden and the orchard saved us. We are on our 3rd year of straw bale gardening and the plants do really great. We get 2 seasons out of the bales and when they decompose it is great mulch full of earthworms. The problem here in Oregon is that the farmers have been growing hemp instead of hay and straw so straw bales are harder to find and almost as expensive as hay. We also have a greenhouse attached to the garage with a southern exposure. The heat source are 4 black steel drums filled with water. When sun heats them up they keep the temp at around 50 degrees F. That is with a temp outside of 25-35 F. I keep my geraniums, fuschias, begonias and succulents in there for the winter. We also keep baby chicks in there with heat lamp in galvanized trough until they are old enough for coop. Also keep Meyer lemon and blood orange citrus in there and when they bloom it smells wonderful. (I am looking into a geodesic greenhouse which gives a longer growing season and stands up to snow and wind). Shawn I enjoy your videos so much. When you are canoeing it makes me envious because I have been too busy to get my kayak out on the Rogue river just 6 miles from my house. This summer for sure! Cali is beautiful and such a lucky dog. I can't let my dogs run loose in the woods due to poison oak, rattlesnakes, and a mountain lion hanging around. Oh well.
I have not personally gardened with the mounds, but they make perfect sense. More planting area with the same space as a flat bed...I have seen them done, and do see them covered with leaves or straw for insulation value, and to help retain moisture, and protect the soil from the sun. Love what your doing!!!
I forget how relaxing watching your videos are, since this pandemic broke up and took all of our attention. Thanks for putting them on youtube, stay safe 🥰
Wow Shawn so beautiful of a Forest Garden ! I can’t tell you how much I love watching you! I know you probably won’t get to this post as you get so many but you have really put a smile in my heart! You and your family are so precious to many people! And then there is Cali!❤️! Thank you! ☀️❤️❤️
I am using your ideas for my garden beds. Fallen twigs, yard clippings, leaves and layering it all with compost and manure. My neighbors thought I was crazy asking for their bags of yard waste sitting at the road for the city to dispose of. Well two weeks later and I am planting onions and garlic into what would be considered 'black gold'. So many worms!! It's amazing! And I have been taking everything I can find, old fences, left over deck wood, old tires, anything I find on the property to make all the garden projects. THANK YOU for inspiring so many people!!
I haven’t watched your video yet but just wanted to tell you how we dealt with a huge deer population in upstate NY. We had a large square foot garden with 4x4’ boxes (about 15 of them) and put 4’ picket fencing around the whole garden (with a gate entrance) and put 8’ T type fencing posts up for our vertical trellises for vining and climbing veggies. We found out inadvertently that it kept the deer from even attempting to jump into the garden because (we believe) they had no place to land as the T posts were close together and scattered all throughout the garden. I guess it was visually discouraging to them. It worked great and we never had any loss of veggies due to deer. We also put poultry wire around the bottom of the pickets to keep out the rabbits. We subsequently moved to Tennessee and this also worked in the same kind of garden here! Hope it works for you if you try it. Pretty inexpensive, especially when compared with losing so much of your precious harvest to indiscriminate eaters!!
Put the plants around the area either flower garden or vegetable garden the resistant to the deers. It works. Sage, Lavender, and Daddofi and peonies or bearded Iris they grow all over the fence.
Amazing job! Amazing dog! You are a true trail blazer. I started using hugelkultur 3 years ago. Really saved the day when we had a drought. Planted berries and fruit trees. They are thriving! Started using Ruth Stout’s method last year. Real game changer! Blessings to you. Cali is the best dog ever! 😊😊😊 You’re really reflective of living a life worth living. Hard work, roots, peaceful with others, kindness and strength.
I see your path as crystal clear, it's needed to survive to grow your own food. Cheers from Sweden a tip you can live off solely and which gives huge harvest is beans, dried beans, water some dried herbs from the garden and a onion and whatever can always make a good soup in desperate times. Stock up on salt as it can be hard to produce from your location, unless you're close to the ocean.
We gardened like this in the woods at our off grid last season with such great results, we built four new beds in the fall all ready for planting this spring but I'm not sure if I'll be able to this year. This makes me want to be there so bad. Have you considered broadcasting some clover seed on your beds? It's an awesome ground cover, keeps weeds down, provides nitrogen, helps during the times of drought and their flowers attract pollinators. Love that you're using potash! 💖
@@spoonypoon7998 You can use this living mulch just about anywhere as ground cover and plant right through it. Once it grows tall, you can do what's called chop and drop by cutting it down with scissors and leaving it on your beds but it's not even necessary so long as your plants are taller than the clover. You just don't want it on crops like root vegetables because you'll get more foliage than root with too much nitrogen. If you want a clover that doesn't grow as tall, use a micro clover. I even discovered by accident when sowing a lawn with it, that it will even grow on top of wood chip mulch because I spilled some seed on my path.
@@donnajakubos4249 I have some health limitations, that's why I wanted to do it in the fall after the harvest so I could take my sweet time. We did hugelkulter/permaculture raised beds with logs, bark, tree roots, pine needles, moss. We were there last week to clear a felled tree from the lane and to my surprise, the moss I stuck between the logs is still alive and the strawberries I planted in the cracks too!
Wonderful video. Last video I suggested fencing from the tree branches you had only because I didn't think you would go for deer fencing. So glad you did. I believe at this time in our lives our gardens are going to be extremely important in the coming months as well as putting away harvest for the winter. I'm glad you got the deer fencing. You are having freezing temps, we just passed that and are heading into the 90's which will be followed soon by triple digits. If the plants can't develope an adequate root system before then and I can't provide partial shade to them I will loose my garden so I'm up early to start work. I am disabled due to severe back injury and surgery. My son usually helps me with the garden but due to the virus that cannot happen this year so it is a challenge. Keep your family safe and best of luck on your garden.
Thanks for going the xtra mile with all the various camera angels Shawn. And the extra footage of flora and fauna, especially the soothing shots of living water.
I really love watching you put this garden together! You have taught me quite a bit about building a bed. We started several areas of the yard and a small raised garden. We are now setting up micro-greens and indoor system with an old shelf and grow lights to get fresh food year around. Like you are experimenting, this is our year of...we can grow X but we stink at growing Y. I hope to get out my canning equipment and have at least a few jars of pickled radish, salsa and the like. With Covid-19, we are now always looking how we can, even in the suburbs, be more food independent.
I am thankful I discovered Emerson and Thoreau in my early 20s. I re-read Walden and the Essay on Self Reliance as an old man and they still rang with wisdom.
The most relaxing video I´ve seen in a long time, thanks Shawn! Been prospecting to buy some acres of land just by watching your channel. But I´ve also realized that alot of work will come with it. I think it will be worth it. Thanks for sharing your videos and your thoughts on building self-reliance. Thumbs up from Sweden!
I love that you incorporated in the garden and sustaining yourself and your family! I think they go hand-in-hand with what you were already doing. Love watching both of your channels.
Hallo, i am from germany, my english is so bad, sorry. Do you know helen and scott nearing? I love their books. They practiced self-sufficiency in Vermont and later in Maine in the middle of the last century. They harvested in winter vegetabels.
I’ve been inspired by you and some other makers here on UA-cam, so I’m going to build some planters in the next week or two for herbs and possibly some vegetables. While I love living in the city, I grew up camping and hunting in the mountains here in Utah and helping my mom and dad tend to our backyard vegetable garden. Fresh herbs and food taste so much better and help me feel much more connected to my past and this beautiful planet we live on. And it’s also just a way to be healthier and reduce my grocery cost. Keep up the great work, I don’t plan to stop watching any time soon.
I love the direction you are going in, I have a big garden and will probly watch you even more now! I can appreciate the unique challenges you face with gardening where you are, I have no doubt all this hard work will pay off in droves. And I think a greenhouse would be absolutely invaluable to you!
Glad you mentioned "The Swiss Family Robinson." I read it when I was a kid and again as a teenager. I'm sure it's on a shelf around her somewhere. I'll read it again.
That's quite interesting to be honest. I have an idea of what that is by the name. Does permafrost become a factor in the storage conditions? How deep would permafrost reach 🤔 (From Ireland 😂 we don't consider things like this)
IIRC he addressed that last year. I thought he said something about not being any good at making root cellars despite attempts and that he was goign to instead build out an ice house from the cabin. There's many ways to skin a cat.
Admire what you're doing Shawn. One of the hardest working men I have ever seen. We reap what we sew and I think you should have a bountiful harvest! Best of luck to you and your family. God Bless.
I started watching because his dog's name was Callie. My daughter's dog is named Callie, she's a golden doodle, 3 years old. Great smart dog. I still want to know how many times a day you throw that dog toy.
Amazing channel , not sure why YT didn’t recommend sooner. My gal and I have 3 teenage boys that will be off to start their own lives in the next 5-7 years and we are in our 40’s. This channel is exactly what we need in our lives for inspiring us !! THANK YOU !
Callie is living the life every Golden dreams of, she's a lucky girl. I find everything you are doing there interesting Shawn. It seems solar would play a big roll in your plans there. I wonder if you will design and position the shop roof for that purpose.
Not an attack on anybody personally...People say that because they like hearing themselves say it. Makes ya feel like you aspire to natural, healthy things, improves self-esteem etc. Truth is almost nobody alive actually wants this life. My proof? Nobody does it. If you wanted it you'd be doing it. Buying land like this is damn near free. Anybody who wants it can do it. It's not like we're watching some rich guy show us his shoe collection in a mansion.
Shawn: It's a lot of effort for a good cause, life-sustaining, and family. You're doing a great job with both. It's a good feeling to be none dependent on using up resources that are already been abused for 100 years or more. God Bless.
have you ever thought about making a water tower next to the garden. you could use one of your wooden barrel on a stand, and make a ram pump to fill it from the river. ram pumps are surprisingly powerful water movers. and uses no electricity. but i am sure you already know this. love the videos and your work. you and the misses stay safe out there.
You know, when you paint it's mostly prep and then a little bit of painting. Same with gardening, a lot of prep to start the garden, but then easier each year. You will be glad for the time you spent doing this. Your building up your immune system as well, playing in the dirt.
You have worked incredibly hard on this garden project and deserve the great fruits of your labor. Ignore any haters that complain how you use your own land. I would have loved to live your way back when I was younger. Great respect for you and your wife. Enjoy!
Wow that is a lot of progress in a very short time. Great job. Glad to see you changing tack on this. it is good to do everything from your own resources but that will come over time. Getting started with bad soil can be done over years but if you need food, a different approach is called for. Wishing you and yours the best.
With a blessed life like yours, I don't think anything would go wrong with it. So far your hardwork on building everything from scratch has been remarkable and exceptional. But it actually took years to do that and I've been watching that like some of the old subscribers. I feel proud to say that, I dunno why lol. Maybe because lots of people are now looking out for a living like yours, but we can say that it wasn't ready made, and you just didn't accidently found this land. you made everything happen with patience, dedication, tough and hard decisions and single handed hardwork using non-electric tools mostly. I just hope people actually dedicate their life into this if they really think this is what they want. Sure, the nature and the weather makes you think, oh I want that. But this ain't a quitters lifestyle and you'll have to go on and on till the end. You'll actually have to give up city life and that's a huge sacrifice which could end up in a bad way as well. I know I can't give up, hence I'm just a subscriber and a big fan. Shawn inspires me to focus on my own goals in life, given that is now on a halt for the time being. But I won't try to imitate something I know I won't be able to handle that. It's a dream alright, to dwell and enjoy on a picturesque and serene nature, but it takes knowledge, experience and responsibility to take it forward. And ofcourse the Weather which can go from 100 to 0 overnite. Good luck.
When I was younger I used to watch the Woodright Shop on PBS and the things I seen him do. You're doing a lot of the samethings. Besides living off the grid and being self sustained. You're keeping parts of the past still alive in how you and your family live. I would love to live the way you do. But due my health I wouldn't be able to do it. But I enjoy watching your videos here on UA-cam.
Shawn, I've started cutting out "weed trees" from around my house again, pulling things I don't want out in my first 40 piles of wood chips that have composted enough to start my orchard, and using all that to fill my first couple of super-high (dinner table height) cedar boxes. It's a lot of work but the good news, the Groundhog has not come out and challenged me (lately). My back is sore, my arms ache, my puppy is exhausted from trying to catch rodents who elude him in the woodchip piles, but life is good. A huge hawk is helping patrol the orchard area, and I'm hoping the Bald eagle who sits right behind the house will consider Groundhog for dinner.
Wow! You’ve gotten so much done. I am so impressed with the amount of work and just how beautiful it will all turn out. Just love that you use everything around your environment.Bless you and your family for the amazing example you are setting. There is another way to live. :)
Awesome to see you getting into Permaculture! With what is going on in the world right now, this way of looking after ourselves and working with nature instead of against is exactly what we need to thrive! As a carpenter and nature lover I’ve been loving your videos for years, but watching you in your garden just adds to the smile on my face, Thank you for the positivity you are creating! ✌🏽
At our cabin we use clear fishing line to protect our garden from deer, bear and rabbits. We even string it above our head to keep the birds out. The animals get spooked when they run into the fishing line that they can not see. It has worked for several years. It takes many rolls of fishing line but will last several years. In the spring we will replace the small areas where limbs and debris sag the line.
Cali has the best life, she is so happy, what a water baby. This channel is my place to go for peace, serenity and natural beauty, like a breath of fresh air! I admire what you have created and continue to build, it really is amazing what your capable of, you truly are an exceptional human being not just in talent but as a person.
Remember to try and order up heirloom varieties of vegetable seeds so that you can eventually save a few plants each year to be your seed producers for the next year. Hybridization has developed better yields and flavor and disease resistance but at a price. You have to buy your seeds from the source. You can save the seeds from heirloom tomatoes and squash and beans and store seed potatoes and the plant that germinates from those seeds is not at risk, (like saving the seeds of a hybrid, ) of reverting back to the characteristics of one or more of the hybridized parent plants.
I so hope you and your wife are finding great joy in what you have there as a team together. It looks beautiful. The garden will be such a great asset for you. This virus we are dealing with has been making many people wish that had a place during this crazy like you have. It's a great plan. Blessings to you and your family.
When, I first started watching My Self Reliance, my goal was Land. Then my 93 yr old Father said, "Why not start now. " Start small." I thought How? I live in a 55+ community and the people who owned the house before me wanted "no to low" maintenance...so everything is gravel, vapor barrier and plastic. So, I planted 2 small vegetable gardens in horse troughs that I painted light green with teal flowers and the saying, "All is Well with my Soul." Today, I planted tree, tomorrow another tree. Then guess what, One Day at a Time, I am going to remove the gravel, plastic and vapor barriers and let the Land breath. Who knows from here. Maybe if I learn to take care of a small property, God will give me a bigger property. Shawn, my life is changing because of your channel and my Father's encouragement...I am very grateful.
While I am only 24, me my wife and my 2 year old are endeavouring to create a vegetable garden this year, we’ve only got a small yard to work with though just like you, we will be praying that God will bless it and make it grow
@@Iamthathillbilly way to go! It will be well worth the effort. God bless and regards from South Africa
Wow one corner at a time! Awesome 👍😎
I just get my vegetables at super market only takes few minutes
Sneaka that’s all well and good until something happens and there isn’t any at the super market. Or there is wide spread shortages from something like you know, an international pandemic, that sends prices through the roof. And beyond that home grown produce tastes so much better than super market stuff
Are you kidding? “We’re not interested in you gardening?” Brother we’re here because we all wish we had it in us one way or another to be living your dream. Of course that includes all aspects of your lifestyle that aid in you making it up there in the great white north successfully. We’re cheering you on regardless, believe me...
You’ve got this! ✌🏼🤟🏼🤞🏼
Alabama here. big fan of yours!
I’m guessing a couple of you can’t read that well, but I don’t judge. Punctuation, yea it’s that important. Larps and sods? What you both misread is called positive reinforcement. I consistently support this channel, not bash it down like you’ve tried to do to my comment. I dunno, maybe read more and try NOT to speak as much?! Take a second and reread my comment and try to understand my point. “Its all backing him and wishing the best!” How is that negative? I suggest you either lay off the wobbly pops, or at least reach out to someone who understood what I said for clarification... so far 229 👍🏼 and get it, leaving only you two with negative comments. Think it may just be you two that don’t get it? Catch up...
@@JDLarge I believe Kimura was backing your point and calling out oo oo telling him to get a life
@@calico311 Yep. 00 00 needs anger management classes.
He said he change his priority,that is love of nature .
I confess I hit like before I viewed...saving thirty some minutes of escape to the wilderness before I sleep. I really do need a night with pleasant dreams to stay healthy. Thanks Shawn.
Oh that is soooo damn funny as I do exactly the same thing on Shawn's videos................
When everything that's going on in life becomes too stressful for me, I put on one of Shawn's video's, better than a Calgon bath, lol Thank you Shawn.
Before this pandemic, I wasn't planning to put in a garden this year because I was going to be too busy. My priorities changed and now I have put in a decent sized garden to offset my vegetable budget! Keep up the great work sir!
Shawn i watch you all the time .I did things that your are doing not at your level but pretty good .My wife and i did organic
farming and organic gardening was a lot of work but very rewarding . please do me a favor don't let people that have not
done it tell you how to do it. Kathy and are 76yrs old and still garden on a smaller scale. we live on 33 acres in the country
and have that far away that they do not bother us.please do not give up . I feel your passion .
Julien Lamarche
Your photography, editing, and music are so beautiful, I have to keep reminding myself that your life is not just a dream, it's very hard, steadfast work. Thanks, as always, for your honesty and humility. God bless you and your family. Wow, I didn't know porcupines climb trees! Ours here in Israel stay underground in their holes all day, then waddle around at night, foraging.
And wear plaid slippers (that’s an “in” joke for those who remember “Rehov Sumsum”). Seriously, who does the photography? You cannot
reposition the camera every few seconds.
Man..never apologize. You're living the dream and sometimes that requires adjustments.
I am 61 years old and I cant travel anymore, your videos are so relaxing AND you give me garden ideas! So thanks, keep em coming!
The true fans of this channel enjoy all the tasks you do, thanks for caring. Great work on the garden!!! 😁
Increible!!! 👀👍🏼🍾🌟👌🖐🏼2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣🧉🙋♂️
I really hope your garden is blooming this year, you truly deserve it! Thank you for sharing your life with us, Shawn!
Im in love with the river
The water is so refreshing!
I would be okay living there! It’s the CALMNESS that draws me in.
Definitely still interested. Finally glad to see the garden really take its shape. You have been putting so much hard work into everything and keeping us updated. Thank you.
I LOVE the peaceful nature scenes at the end of this video! God bless the work of your hands.
I so love watching Cali run about saying "Yep. I own this!" she is such a proud and happy pup.
She seemed to be doing laps with her toy all around while Shawn was busy digging.
Y g
This is the real life!! Thank you for this great video!! With love from greece!!🇬🇷👍👍👍
I was raised in the mountains of East Tennessee, some of the hardest land to farm. I helped my dad and uncles “grubbing” new ground like you are doing. In case you’ve never heard the term, Wikipedia = Grubbing or clearing denotes the removal of trees, shrubs, stumps, and rubbish from a site. Unlike you, we did have a team of mules to pull the stumps. I have respect for anyone willing to subject themselves to this type of work, voluntarily.
In the local dialect in the region of Twente in The Netherlands we use the word ‘angruppn’’ to heighten the ground around potatoes to get a better harvest.
Whatever it's called in every language it really means HARD WORK🤣🤣🤣
I’ve just bought an old grubbing mattock for digging and clearing roots as I go. Can highly recommend ( now you’re nearly finished)!
Ron, I moved from Philly to Washington County, TN. You're right about how hard it is to farm here, but I'm only doing raised bed gardens. Biggest problem I find: Johnson grass! Otherwise, the mountains are gorgeous!
I respect what you're doing and the life you've chosen. I wish I had decided to live like that years ago. God keep you and yours.
Your channel should be required for high school students. It would grow good men and women. thank you
Modern schools, like I endured all my life, and resent now, don't teach us how to be self sufficient, wise with money, moral, how to garden, build, animal husbandry, nothing that will help us be independent. Poor little boys, so full of energy and desire to do real things, are made to sit and do busy work, children are housed indoors all day, they are politicized and endure pseudo-science, and it's getting worse. Modern schools are no place for children! Now, that every kid is home, don't send them back! This is an opportunity to homeschool and use curriculum that will truly educated them. I homeschooled over 10 years. My son's goal is to be debt free, he builds, he takes job after job to learn what he needs to build his own home one day, he hustles w side jobs and never stopped working during this, whatever this really is, and never took a gov't handout, which always comes with strings because it is tax money, not gov't money. They say, "we are going to give you..." They are in debt, they have nothing to "give."
Pouring Rain! Beautiful and Peaceful where you live, and Cali always active, she's so sweet!
You appear to have single-handedly made a forest clearing and created a farmstead. Quite remarkable.
I also did a little garden and thought it will be just an afternoon of work and in the end it turned out to be a big project, but last week the first vegetables came out and it's such a big satisfaction seeing how everything grows. Thanks Shawn for always inspiring me with your work and your words!
Yes, it’s so much more satisfying to pick your own fresh veggies! I’m already planning my 2021 garden 😎
Wow, Nik Rijavec... Nice seeing you here. I follow you also.
@Bart Ayon No, we don't give a shite!
Interesting video with an added spectacular ending of sights & sounds.
Truly a feast of beauty & serenity, thank you, 💞👵
You have good life. As I sit in my wheelchair. And make so happy you are out city life. Be safe and a great planting
I have been looking forward to seeing the workshop that you will create. But after seeing the hard work and long hours you have put into creating this forest garden I'm really looking forward to seeing you reap what you sow.
Soon you'll be making me hungry again after watching the meals you create.
P.S. Thanks for wrapping the show up with a "toss" for Cali! Keep up the good work.
I always thought that growing your own food is self reliance at its core. So don’t ever apologize for gardening on this channel. It’s so much more than fishing or canoeing. You are building a lasting home stead for your family and their kids. Not much usable land left. That is truly free and wild. Yet close enough to a town. You have that, a truly special place. If you change directions a million times, it doesn’t matter, just enjoy living free.
I love that you're adopting multiple ways in being 'Self Reliant'. For me being self reliant is about recognizing the responsibility we have to try to avoid problems before they happen and to learn to overcome challenges when they occur. You start with what you know, then as you go you experience trials and challenges. When you're in a trial period you figure out how to overcome it, sometimes that means asking for help or stopping for a moment to learn something new so you can use it effectively to fix it the first time and avoid it from reoccurring. Self Reliance is a journey, it's not just one Olympic event, it's all of them, at certain times you use different muscles to reach your end goal. That's my two cents anyway, hope that makes sense. Keep up the great work Shawn. It's totally worth it.
Exactly
I love this comment, you're absolutely correct!
i like your comment too......
Love your videos Shawn! I'm a gardener myself planting tomatoes, squash and lots of different kinds of sweet and hot peppers. My wife and I live in south Texas where the soil is almost nonexistent. We have built up our raised beds over the years and now have deep, rich soil to plant in. Everything we grow is organic with a large compost pile to keep it nutritious. I enjoyed watching you tend your garden and laughed at how fastidious you are getting even the smallest rocks out. I'm confidant that as the years go by your garden will get richer and more productive. By the way the small rocks seem to grow out of thin air and I still find myself fastidiously removing them every spring... Have a good harvest Shawn!
no matter what you’re doing my wife and I enjoy watching every single time. We are a married couple in Boston Massachusetts and we’ve been inspired by you to start our own backyard garden. Nothing at all like you but we are motivated to try to be more involved with our own food production. We know it’s on an extremely small scale for us but you are a motivator. Keep doing what you’re doing so many people enjoy and are inspired by you
I love your way of life and you made the best choise. Cali is cute 😍. The World is sick, that is so sad.I am happy watching you . God bless you and your family.
Well, from my perspective as a viewer, you have come a long ways. It is really looking like a garden. The transformation is tangible. I tip my hat to you. Nothing like determination, focus, effort and thought to make something happen. Once established it will be a breeze for you to maintain it. Congratulations.
Love how you've gone back to your old style of simple editing, focused on the work, with quiet patience.
Your filming skills are excellent, it's like a movie 😀
I absolutely love your videos! Before I use to watch for knowledge and stress relief now, I watch your videos for pandemic relief and just pure inspiration! Thank you so much!
Soon the fruits of your labors will be on your cabin table. I love what you've done with the place! 😀
I live in Oregon on 78 acres of forested land. My sister and I have a large garden with 10ft high fencing for deer and in case we get any elk coming in. Twice now we have had cattle that are free range end up in our yard. The fence around the garden and the orchard saved us. We are on our 3rd year of straw bale gardening and the plants do really great. We get 2 seasons out of the bales and when they decompose it is great mulch full of earthworms. The problem here in Oregon is that the farmers have been growing hemp instead of hay and straw so straw bales are harder to find and almost as expensive as hay. We also have a greenhouse attached to the garage with a southern exposure. The heat source are 4 black steel drums filled with water. When
sun heats them up they keep the temp at around 50 degrees F. That is with a temp outside of 25-35 F. I keep my geraniums, fuschias, begonias and succulents in there for the winter. We also keep baby chicks in there with heat lamp in galvanized trough
until they are old enough for coop. Also keep Meyer lemon and blood orange citrus in there and when they bloom it smells wonderful. (I am looking into a geodesic greenhouse which gives a longer growing season and stands up to snow and wind).
Shawn I enjoy your videos so much. When you are canoeing it makes me envious because I have been too busy to get my kayak out on the Rogue river just 6 miles from my house. This summer for sure! Cali is beautiful and such a lucky dog. I can't let my
dogs run loose in the woods due to poison oak, rattlesnakes, and a mountain lion hanging around. Oh well.
I have not personally gardened with the mounds, but they make perfect sense. More planting area with the same space as a flat bed...I have seen them done, and do see them covered with leaves or straw for insulation value, and to help retain moisture, and protect the soil from the sun. Love what your doing!!!
I forget how relaxing watching your videos are, since this pandemic broke up and took all of our attention. Thanks for putting them on youtube, stay safe 🥰
Wow Shawn so beautiful of a Forest Garden ! I can’t tell you how much I love watching you! I know you probably won’t get to this post as you get so many but you have really put a smile in my heart! You and your family are so precious to many people! And then there is Cali!❤️!
Thank you! ☀️❤️❤️
I am using your ideas for my garden beds. Fallen twigs, yard clippings, leaves and layering it all with compost and manure. My neighbors thought I was crazy asking for their bags of yard waste sitting at the road for the city to dispose of. Well two weeks later and I am planting onions and garlic into what would be considered 'black gold'. So many worms!! It's amazing! And I have been taking everything I can find, old fences, left over deck wood, old tires, anything I find on the property to make all the garden projects. THANK YOU for inspiring so many people!!
33 minutes of serenity. Thank you sir.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us they go a long way for me.
I haven’t watched your video yet but just wanted to tell you how we dealt with a huge deer population in upstate NY. We had a large square foot garden with 4x4’ boxes (about 15 of them) and put 4’ picket fencing around the whole garden (with a gate entrance) and put 8’ T type fencing posts up for our vertical trellises for vining and climbing veggies. We found out inadvertently that it kept the deer from even attempting to jump into the garden because (we believe) they had no place to land as the T posts were close together and scattered all throughout the garden. I guess it was visually discouraging to them. It worked great and we never had any loss of veggies due to deer. We also put poultry wire around the bottom of the pickets to keep out the rabbits. We subsequently moved to Tennessee and this also worked in the same kind of garden here! Hope it works for you if you try it. Pretty inexpensive, especially when compared with losing so much of your precious harvest to indiscriminate eaters!!
Link to pictures of your garden for those of us (me!) who can't visualize what you are communicating? Thanks.
Put the plants around the area either flower garden or vegetable garden the resistant to the deers. It works. Sage, Lavender, and Daddofi and peonies or bearded Iris they grow all over the fence.
Amazing job! Amazing dog! You are a true trail blazer. I started using hugelkultur 3 years ago. Really saved the day when we had a drought. Planted berries and fruit trees. They are thriving! Started using Ruth Stout’s method last year. Real game changer! Blessings to you. Cali is the best dog ever! 😊😊😊
You’re really reflective of living a life worth living. Hard work, roots, peaceful with others, kindness and strength.
Your work ethic is pretty impressive, Shawn. 👍🙂
I subscribed to the channel to learn but I continue watching because of the dog. The pup is too cute. 🐕
I see your path as crystal clear, it's needed to survive to grow your own food. Cheers from Sweden a tip you can live off solely and which gives huge harvest is beans, dried beans, water some dried herbs from the garden and a onion and whatever can always make a good soup in desperate times. Stock up on salt as it can be hard to produce from your location, unless you're close to the ocean.
Looking forward to seeing your exciting garden grow this summer !
We gardened like this in the woods at our off grid last season with such great results, we built four new beds in the fall all ready for planting this spring but I'm not sure if I'll be able to this year. This makes me want to be there so bad. Have you considered broadcasting some clover seed on your beds? It's an awesome ground cover, keeps weeds down, provides nitrogen, helps during the times of drought and their flowers attract pollinators. Love that you're using potash! 💖
Can you use that clover seed in flower gardens to keep weeds down?
We've put three gardens in this year in our seventies, so quite an undertaking. Good to be adaptable no matter what age we are 😏
You sound very knowledgeable.
@@spoonypoon7998 You can use this living mulch just about anywhere as ground cover and plant right through it. Once it grows tall, you can do what's called chop and drop by cutting it down with scissors and leaving it on your beds but it's not even necessary so long as your plants are taller than the clover.
You just don't want it on crops like root vegetables because you'll get more foliage than root with too much nitrogen. If you want a clover that doesn't grow as tall, use a micro clover.
I even discovered by accident when sowing a lawn with it, that it will even grow on top of wood chip mulch because I spilled some seed on my path.
@@donnajakubos4249 I have some health limitations, that's why I wanted to do it in the fall after the harvest so I could take my sweet time. We did hugelkulter/permaculture raised beds with logs, bark, tree roots, pine needles, moss. We were there last week to clear a felled tree from the lane and to my surprise, the moss I stuck between the logs is still alive and the strawberries I planted in the cracks too!
Wonderful video. Last video I suggested fencing from the tree branches you had only because I didn't think you would go for deer fencing. So glad you did. I believe at this time in our lives our gardens are going to be extremely important in the coming months as well as putting away harvest for the winter. I'm glad you got the deer fencing. You are having freezing temps, we just passed that and are heading into the 90's which will be followed soon by triple digits. If the plants can't develope an adequate root system before then and I can't provide partial shade to them I will loose my garden so I'm up early to start work. I am disabled due to severe back injury and surgery. My son usually helps me with the garden but due to the virus that cannot happen this year so it is a challenge. Keep your family safe and best of luck on your garden.
I was too happy to see that fence being installed. This new direction is going to be truly enjoying for us the viewers.
Thanks for going the xtra mile with all the various camera angels Shawn. And the extra footage of flora and fauna, especially the soothing shots of living water.
I really love watching you put this garden together! You have taught me quite a bit about building a bed. We started several areas of the yard and a small raised garden. We are now setting up micro-greens and indoor system with an old shelf and grow lights to get fresh food year around. Like you are experimenting, this is our year of...we can grow X but we stink at growing Y. I hope to get out my canning equipment and have at least a few jars of pickled radish, salsa and the like. With Covid-19, we are now always looking how we can, even in the suburbs, be more food independent.
God I envy you Shawn living the dream while you're young enough to appreciate it. Blessings to you and your family, peace and long life!
Cant wait to see how the garden looks over the next few years
Thanks for the great video, love all the great sounds, especially the rain in the woodland garden Shawn 👍🇬🇧
I am thankful I discovered Emerson and Thoreau in my early 20s. I re-read Walden and the Essay on Self Reliance as an old man and they still rang with wisdom.
I love what your doing. Its amazing and good learning experiance! Keep it up!
The most relaxing video I´ve seen in a long time, thanks Shawn! Been prospecting to buy some acres of land just by watching your channel. But I´ve also realized that alot of work will come with it. I think it will be worth it. Thanks for sharing your videos and your thoughts on building self-reliance. Thumbs up from Sweden!
I love that you incorporated in the garden and sustaining yourself and your family! I think they go hand-in-hand with what you were already doing. Love watching both of your channels.
Hallo, i am from germany, my english is so bad, sorry.
Do you know helen and scott nearing? I love their books. They practiced self-sufficiency in Vermont and later in Maine in the middle of the last century. They harvested in winter vegetabels.
Yes, I have a few of their books on my shelf
Ulrike Feller, your English is very good, thanks for learning! It is good to hear from the land of our ancestors, among many!
Ulrike Feller
Everyone should own at least one book by the Nearings, as well as the Encyclopedia of Country Living....
I love everything about you
You are the apple of my eye😀
Thank you for sharing
I’ve been inspired by you and some other makers here on UA-cam, so I’m going to build some planters in the next week or two for herbs and possibly some vegetables. While I love living in the city, I grew up camping and hunting in the mountains here in Utah and helping my mom and dad tend to our backyard vegetable garden. Fresh herbs and food taste so much better and help me feel much more connected to my past and this beautiful planet we live on. And it’s also just a way to be healthier and reduce my grocery cost. Keep up the great work, I don’t plan to stop watching any time soon.
Thanks for sharing Shawn! Really appreciate your time and effort in explaining your process!
I love the direction you are going in, I have a big garden and will probly watch you even more now!
I can appreciate the unique challenges you face with gardening where you are, I have no doubt all this hard work will pay off in droves. And I think a greenhouse would be absolutely invaluable to you!
Loved the gardening vid, cant wait to see the plants grow.
Glad you mentioned "The Swiss Family Robinson." I read it when I was a kid and again as a teenager. I'm sure it's on a shelf around her somewhere. I'll read it again.
Hey shawn, you might want to build a root cellar for your vegetables to store for winter. Great video
I'd watch that video! 😃
Great idea!
That's quite interesting to be honest.
I have an idea of what that is by the name.
Does permafrost become a factor in the storage conditions?
How deep would permafrost reach 🤔
(From Ireland 😂 we don't consider things like this)
IIRC he addressed that last year. I thought he said something about not being any good at making root cellars despite attempts and that he was goign to instead build out an ice house from the cabin.
There's many ways to skin a cat.
@@ja3482 "There's many ways to skin a cat." Meow! The poor kitty!
Admire what you're doing Shawn. One of the hardest working men I have ever seen. We reap what we sew and I think you should have a bountiful harvest!
Best of luck to you and your family. God Bless.
My garden has been set up like that for about 5 years . It works never have to water. Everything grows good.
i like everything u do but i hv to confess, i cant get enough of that dog
Yeah, Retrievers are always on "perma-happy!" Awesome dogs!
I started watching because his dog's name was Callie. My daughter's dog is named Callie, she's a golden doodle, 3 years old. Great smart dog. I still want to know how many times a day you throw that dog toy.
Me too, I am big Cali fan.
Amazing channel , not sure why YT didn’t recommend sooner. My gal and I have 3 teenage boys that will be off to start their own lives in the next 5-7 years and we are in our 40’s. This channel is exactly what we need in our lives for inspiring us !! THANK YOU !
Callie is living the life every Golden dreams of, she's a lucky girl. I find everything you are doing there interesting Shawn. It seems solar would play a big roll in your plans there. I wonder if you will design and position the shop roof for that purpose.
The waterfalls are so beautiful! I'm looking forward to seeing your Gardens grow! And would like to continue to see you guys cooking! 😊💕👍
I want this life
Everybody wants, but scared make first step at the same time))
Heard he only lives just outside a big provincial park
@@wilE6764 You do realize he needs to be relatively close to civilization to be able to post videos to youtube, right?
Not an attack on anybody personally...People say that because they like hearing themselves say it. Makes ya feel like you aspire to natural, healthy things, improves self-esteem etc. Truth is almost nobody alive actually wants this life. My proof? Nobody does it. If you wanted it you'd be doing it. Buying land like this is damn near free. Anybody who wants it can do it. It's not like we're watching some rich guy show us his shoe collection in a mansion.
Go for it, Devin.
I appreciate the extra footage at the end, great video as always!
Moving the workshop close to the cabin is a wise move. I always thought having it so far away was a mistake.
You know I really love the gusto you do everything with . It is to be admired .🤠
Shawn: It's a lot of effort for a good cause, life-sustaining, and family. You're doing a great job with both. It's a good feeling to be none dependent on using up resources that are already been abused for 100 years or more. God Bless.
have you ever thought about making a water tower next to the garden. you could use one of your wooden barrel on a stand, and make a ram pump to fill it from the river. ram pumps are surprisingly powerful water movers. and uses no electricity. but i am sure you already know this. love the videos and your work. you and the misses stay safe out there.
chris hobbs I too wonder why he doesn’t use a ram pump, but he’s commented before that conditions are not suitable for one.
Some of the rushing water that he shows us may not be on his property, but on crown land. He could send the queen a letter and ask to use it. :)
You know, when you paint it's mostly prep and then a little bit of painting.
Same with gardening, a lot of prep to start the garden, but then easier each year. You will be glad for the time you spent doing this. Your building up your immune system as well, playing in the dirt.
You have worked incredibly hard on this garden project and deserve the great fruits of your labor. Ignore any haters that complain how you use your own land. I would have loved to live your way back when I was younger. Great respect for you and your wife. Enjoy!
Wow that is a lot of progress in a very short time. Great job. Glad to see you changing tack on this. it is good to do everything from your own resources but that will come over time. Getting started with bad soil can be done over years but if you need food, a different approach is called for. Wishing you and yours the best.
That looked like incredibly hard work. Kudos to you Shawn.
With a blessed life like yours, I don't think anything would go wrong with it. So far your hardwork on building everything from scratch has been remarkable and exceptional. But it actually took years to do that and I've been watching that like some of the old subscribers. I feel proud to say that, I dunno why lol. Maybe because lots of people are now looking out for a living like yours, but we can say that it wasn't ready made, and you just didn't accidently found this land. you made everything happen with patience, dedication, tough and hard decisions and single handed hardwork using non-electric tools mostly.
I just hope people actually dedicate their life into this if they really think this is what they want. Sure, the nature and the weather makes you think, oh I want that. But this ain't a quitters lifestyle and you'll have to go on and on till the end. You'll actually have to give up city life and that's a huge sacrifice which could end up in a bad way as well. I know I can't give up, hence I'm just a subscriber and a big fan. Shawn inspires me to focus on my own goals in life, given that is now on a halt for the time being. But I won't try to imitate something I know I won't be able to handle that. It's a dream alright, to dwell and enjoy on a picturesque and serene nature, but it takes knowledge, experience and responsibility to take it forward. And ofcourse the Weather which can go from 100 to 0 overnite. Good luck.
🥺
J'aime se qu'il fait dommage que je comprends pas se qu'il dit
Well said.
When I was younger I used to watch the Woodright Shop on PBS and the things I seen him do. You're doing a lot of the samethings. Besides living off the grid and being self sustained. You're keeping parts of the past still alive in how you and your family live. I would love to live the way you do. But due my health I wouldn't be able to do it. But I enjoy watching your videos here on UA-cam.
Shawn, I've started cutting out "weed trees" from around my house again, pulling things I don't want out in my first 40 piles of wood chips that have composted enough to start my orchard, and using all that to fill my first couple of super-high (dinner table height) cedar boxes. It's a lot of work but the good news, the Groundhog has not come out and challenged me (lately). My back is sore, my arms ache, my puppy is exhausted from trying to catch rodents who elude him in the woodchip piles, but life is good. A huge hawk is helping patrol the orchard area, and I'm hoping the Bald eagle who sits right behind the house will consider Groundhog for dinner.
You may need my help ?
Wow! You’ve gotten so much done. I am so impressed with the amount of work and just how beautiful it will all turn out. Just love that you use everything around your environment.Bless you and your family for the amazing example you are setting. There is another way to live. :)
Awesome to see you getting into Permaculture! With what is going on in the world right now, this way of looking after ourselves and working with nature instead of against is exactly what we need to thrive! As a carpenter and nature lover I’ve been loving your videos for years, but watching you in your garden just adds to the smile on my face, Thank you for the positivity you are creating! ✌🏽
Permaculture is necessary - I'm glad to see it on this channel.
Chop & Drop!
At our cabin we use clear fishing line to protect our garden from deer, bear and rabbits. We even string it above our head to keep the birds out. The animals get spooked when they run into the fishing line that they can not see. It has worked for several years. It takes many rolls of fishing line but will last several years. In the spring we will replace the small areas where limbs and debris sag the line.
After all that back breaking hard work, I hope your garden flourishes! If ALL those onions come up, you’re going to have a million onions!
Carla Hubbard, hopefully a years worth!
Do u know how to keep them? I hung mine in the basement last yr and they rotted. Was it too warm?
Cali has the best life, she is so happy, what a water baby. This channel is my place to go for peace, serenity and natural beauty, like a breath of fresh air! I admire what you have created and continue to build, it really is amazing what your capable of, you truly are an exceptional human being not just in talent but as a person.
I recommend you look into Jerusalem artichoke. They do well in poor soil and are very prolific. A great alternative to potatoes
Not enough calories I think, potatoes and beans are must have for long term and they keep good.
I haven’t been able to find any
@@MySelfReliance I also had a hard time finding them. I would be happy to send you some
@@cslife6666 yes I agree. But they produce with no work
and a enormous “gas” producer......
Everything you do is informative and interesting. Looking forward to your garden becoming productive!
Sea buckthorn contains so many nutrients, vitamins...and is also called "A Farmacy in a plant"
Can't wait to see the longhouse finished
I will never complain again about doing work in my 20x20 garden in my backyard.
I recall that back in the 60's - 70's when I lived in Muskoka we used to swim by June 1, sometimes earlier. The weather has cooled over the decades.
Remember to try and order up heirloom varieties of vegetable seeds so that you can eventually save a few plants each year to be your seed producers for the next year. Hybridization has developed better yields and flavor and disease resistance but at a price. You have to buy your seeds from the source. You can save the seeds from heirloom tomatoes and squash and beans and store seed potatoes and the plant that germinates from those seeds is not at risk, (like saving the seeds of a hybrid, ) of reverting back to the characteristics of one or more of the hybridized parent plants.
I so hope you and your wife are finding great joy in what you have there as a team together. It looks beautiful. The garden will be such a great asset for you. This virus we are dealing with has been making many people wish that had a place during this crazy like you have. It's a great plan. Blessings to you and your family.