Have you made any similar gardening errors or perhaps some even more significant ones? I could have talked about nutrition, using supermarket garlic, or buying tools I never used but we'd be here all day... One thing that wasn't an error was recommending these gardening tools: ua-cam.com/video/e5dHE9RL6Kk/v-deo.html. I've got a lot of mileage out of all of them (except the starter kit fork which bent when I dug up my onion). If you're short on gift ideas then a steel hand tool is always welcomed.
Oh my goodness Alex, you hit many of my problems right on the head. This year was the worst. First time on 25 years I didn't buy or even plant a single thing. If it weren't for our little rose bushes and lilacs and some determined volunteer pansies the garden would have been a wash. I'm 48 and have retired neighbors on both sides. I hired lawn care last year and this year so at least the lawn looks good. I am watching your "work life" award video next. I hope it will help. Congrats on the Award! Until recently, I worked 60-70 weeks since April and I think I counted 5 times I spent more than 10 minutes in the back yard. I took a week off in May when I normally buy and plant, but I didn't and I ended up working the next 38 days in a row. Next year, I am planning to have a better grasp on my time at work and hope to get in the garden a LOT more. Some ideas for future videos would be several episodes to follow up on the things that failed and how you made them work like the programmed watering system. Can you turn them around (potatoes in a sack), etc... all things I'd be curious about. Just a thought. Have an excellent day!
Thank you, Chris. Honestly, there's nothing worse than being kept away or having something else take up your energy. Really hope you manage to find some kind of work-garden balance next year. Right now I've decided to only look for part time roles and I very much hope the four day week becomes trendy and/or normalised - it'd definitely help. Might look into doing more low effort gardening videos - another how-to no-dig potentially and maybe some direct/scatter sowing
Another great video Alex! and congrats on the win! I feel sorry for your gardening errors, but I will still remind you that you have fans in California and we will absolutely continue boast about our incredible tomato and pepper yields :P We more or less ignored them and they exploded, amazingly free of any pests or disease. We were stuffing our faces with Sun Sugar tomatoes, sweet as candy, and huge multi-hued Heirlooms that lit up the table. Tall meaty Banana Peppers were spoiling me too, so crunchy! We let a lot of large pots go to seed though - we figured we could not spend enough time with them, but they were connected to automated watering. In their neglect they produced some volunteer scallions, mini-potatoes, and a bagful of tasty, somewhat tough, and rather spherical cucumbers. Had no idea where they came from. We have TREES though, and I take care of them diligently. This year we got a gigantic load of super sweet Turkish Black Figs. So many we gave away several bags to neighbors and friends, and froze two bags which became an incredible jam. Our lemon tree has gotten through the clay layer and is producing, finally. Still a sad thing but next year should be doing better. The apricots were incredible, but limited. No sharing those! :P The Pink Lady Apple Tree is starting to turn the corner - I wasted a barrel full to compost but some were edible. Next year should be better. The Navel Orange tree is still miserable, producing dry, pithy rocks. We liked the plan we did, as it required very little work over the year, and still produced great. Next year, more Peppers! We might tone it back a bit on the tomatoes too. I like to tend the Trees, but the weeding and tending of the pots is out my pay grade :D
*Googles climate in California and how to get a US visa* I'm super jealous of all that food you're still getting. We just had our second frost here but it's going to be freezing overnight all week. Definitely come a little early. Agree tomatoes are a lot of work and they yield so much fruit that it's easy to overdo it while sweet/bell peppers are the exact opposite - I know you can but normally I just let the plants do their thing until the fruits are the right size. How long did it take to get that Pink Lady to bear fruit? I decided to start one from seed a few years ago but I forgot to up-pot it this year.
@@alexgrowsfood LoL if you do immigrate let me know I'll show you around San Francisco and we'll ride cable cars and do lunch near the Golden Gate Bridge :D That Pink Lady was transplanted from a nursery 3 years ago, still needs another year. Trees are a slow investment, but when they eventually the pay off, they're great! The Fig tree just needed one year, the apricots 2 years, and the lemon and orange trees still not fully hooked in after 3 years. So, about 5 years for the orange, I'm guessing...
Lol! You were clearly a very cool kid, Sean 😎 Unfortunately mine isn't vintage (I got it from M&S) but I did spend the last decade listening to Elvis & The Beatles *a lot* so I can get behind this decade being my 1970's. Good luck with the move - I realise it's early stages but very excited for you!
Have you made any similar gardening errors or perhaps some even more significant ones? I could have talked about nutrition, using supermarket garlic, or buying tools I never used but we'd be here all day... One thing that wasn't an error was recommending these gardening tools: ua-cam.com/video/e5dHE9RL6Kk/v-deo.html. I've got a lot of mileage out of all of them (except the starter kit fork which bent when I dug up my onion). If you're short on gift ideas then a steel hand tool is always welcomed.
I regularly have 'whatever these are meant to be' plants! Lovely video again Alex. And congrats again for your award - very well deserved.
Thank you Liz!!! (And glad it isn't just me losing the labels)
Oh my goodness Alex, you hit many of my problems right on the head. This year was the worst. First time on 25 years I didn't buy or even plant a single thing. If it weren't for our little rose bushes and lilacs and some determined volunteer pansies the garden would have been a wash. I'm 48 and have retired neighbors on both sides. I hired lawn care last year and this year so at least the lawn looks good. I am watching your "work life" award video next. I hope it will help. Congrats on the Award! Until recently, I worked 60-70 weeks since April and I think I counted 5 times I spent more than 10 minutes in the back yard. I took a week off in May when I normally buy and plant, but I didn't and I ended up working the next 38 days in a row. Next year, I am planning to have a better grasp on my time at work and hope to get in the garden a LOT more.
Some ideas for future videos would be several episodes to follow up on the things that failed and how you made them work like the programmed watering system. Can you turn them around (potatoes in a sack), etc... all things I'd be curious about. Just a thought. Have an excellent day!
Thank you, Chris. Honestly, there's nothing worse than being kept away or having something else take up your energy. Really hope you manage to find some kind of work-garden balance next year. Right now I've decided to only look for part time roles and I very much hope the four day week becomes trendy and/or normalised - it'd definitely help. Might look into doing more low effort gardening videos - another how-to no-dig potentially and maybe some direct/scatter sowing
Another great video Alex! and congrats on the win! I feel sorry for your gardening errors, but I will still remind you that you have fans in California and we will absolutely continue boast about our incredible tomato and pepper yields :P We more or less ignored them and they exploded, amazingly free of any pests or disease. We were stuffing our faces with Sun Sugar tomatoes, sweet as candy, and huge multi-hued Heirlooms that lit up the table. Tall meaty Banana Peppers were spoiling me too, so crunchy! We let a lot of large pots go to seed though - we figured we could not spend enough time with them, but they were connected to automated watering. In their neglect they produced some volunteer scallions, mini-potatoes, and a bagful of tasty, somewhat tough, and rather spherical cucumbers. Had no idea where they came from. We have TREES though, and I take care of them diligently. This year we got a gigantic load of super sweet Turkish Black Figs. So many we gave away several bags to neighbors and friends, and froze two bags which became an incredible jam. Our lemon tree has gotten through the clay layer and is producing, finally. Still a sad thing but next year should be doing better. The apricots were incredible, but limited. No sharing those! :P The Pink Lady Apple Tree is starting to turn the corner - I wasted a barrel full to compost but some were edible. Next year should be better. The Navel Orange tree is still miserable, producing dry, pithy rocks. We liked the plan we did, as it required very little work over the year, and still produced great. Next year, more Peppers! We might tone it back a bit on the tomatoes too. I like to tend the Trees, but the weeding and tending of the pots is out my pay grade :D
*Googles climate in California and how to get a US visa* I'm super jealous of all that food you're still getting. We just had our second frost here but it's going to be freezing overnight all week. Definitely come a little early. Agree tomatoes are a lot of work and they yield so much fruit that it's easy to overdo it while sweet/bell peppers are the exact opposite - I know you can but normally I just let the plants do their thing until the fruits are the right size. How long did it take to get that Pink Lady to bear fruit? I decided to start one from seed a few years ago but I forgot to up-pot it this year.
@@alexgrowsfood LoL if you do immigrate let me know I'll show you around San Francisco and we'll ride cable cars and do lunch near the Golden Gate Bridge :D
That Pink Lady was transplanted from a nursery 3 years ago, still needs another year. Trees are a slow investment, but when they eventually the pay off, they're great! The Fig tree just needed one year, the apricots 2 years, and the lemon and orange trees still not fully hooked in after 3 years. So, about 5 years for the orange, I'm guessing...
😊 FIRST time visitor here! Oh my, just so appreciate your HUMILITY! What a refreshing video--and human ❤
Thanks, Chris. Was a little worried this video was going to be too much of a downer.... Appreciate the comment! Great to have you here
Hi Nigel, great video update and the tip on the carrots too, will be interesting to see if it works. Thanks for sharing and take care
You're a pleasant man and worth my subscription.
I had exactly the same jumper as a kid in the 1970s.
Lol! You were clearly a very cool kid, Sean 😎 Unfortunately mine isn't vintage (I got it from M&S) but I did spend the last decade listening to Elvis & The Beatles *a lot* so I can get behind this decade being my 1970's. Good luck with the move - I realise it's early stages but very excited for you!
Off to M&S I trott. @@alexgrowsfood
👍