I could not agree more with your statement about the upside down world. I've felt like I'm living in a Twilight Zone episode for years now, and it just keeps getting crazier. Your garden series is quite timely, for sure.
We live in an apartment with a 5'x10' balcony, so everything is in pots or in containers attached to the balcony rail. This year we're growing three variety of tomato, four of chilies, two of basil, four of lettuce, three of beans, two of onion, garlic, ginger root, spinach, radish, carrots, tomatillo, ground cherry, zucchini, and little watermelons...along with cilantro, cumin, oregano, thyme, tons of zinnia, iris, lavender, petunia, borage, and sweet potato. We also have a lemon tree and an avocado tree, both in containers. Interplanting and growing things upward is the way.
Thirty-three years ago I was tucking veggies amongst our ornamentals on a Marine Base where we couldn't have a garden! I also composted in "flower pots" along the back of our garage.
I just have to say becoming more self-sufficient has allowed me to grow as a person. I started from a place of oh my gosh I have to do this and now it's wow I get to do this! Learning how my food grows and what it looks like. Spending more time at home instead of shopping all weekend. Learning how to can which has made me feel closer to my grandma who I used to watch can everything. It has helped me get closer to my dad. We have had so many talks about anything from how he chooses his fruit trees to how my grandma used to operate at home. It really just made me feel like more of a person and less like I'm running the rat race. ❤
If you read the HOA doc, it usually says “No vegetable gardens” not no growing vegetables….but interplanting is ok. Most just don’t want all the lawn dug up for row veggie gardening. I’m sneaky. Though last year my scallop bush squashes were on full display at the very front and center. There were no complaints.
You can grow a lot of things that look ornamental and make it look like a full on vegetable garden. It's actually preferred anyways. You can apply permaculture principles and companion planting to have a fantastic garden.
Our HOA is the same way. Jan 2021 we discussed starting a raised bed garden in the backyard. In March, our neighborhood experienced a tornado. Our house received damage to our roof and one side of our privacy fence. We repurposed wood from our fence to make 3 raised beds. My husband was wary of using them until our fence was repaired so our neighbors wouldn’t totally be aware we had a garden. We since have become bolder and just this weekend added another raised bed. We also use grow bags setting in kiddie pools. I’m still learning how much more I can grow in raised beds, Brian, so thanks for this video.
We are only allowed 100 sq ft of raised beds in my HOA, so I’m mixing all sorts of edibles in with ornamentals in my flower beds around my property. Ground cherries with marigolds around my peach tree, strawberry patch with flowers around my apple trees, and I’m going to try mini watermelons with zinnias on the side of the house… a raspberry spot is also in the planning stage! Trying to see how I can pull off an asparagus patch… I’m gardening defiantly dang it! 🤣
I only grow about 7 things cuz of picky eaters at our house. I also have learned to can & freeze everything to last the winter. our garden is tomatoes, potatoes, peas, sweet corn, green beans, strawberries & raspberries. I do grow myself some kohlrabi & beets too. we are on a corner lot in town & have 6 raised beds & an enclosure for the sweet corn & berries. For meat, we have a relationship with a local locker & have gotten 1/2 cow from same farmer each year. Plus hunting. we get eggs from a friend (trade produce). only thing we don't have contact for is dairy. I also live in SD. A bit different than the coasts
Today here in Pa where i live i planted my potatoes onions strawberries onions garlic peas and ny dwarf blueberry bush and asparagus. We had been getting so much rain or had been too cold. My 9 year old granddon is finally taking an interest in gardening he was helping me out today. Thank you for this video.
Loved this one, Brian. Thank you. Loved your tips for "covert" veggies. Can't stand HOAs. My problem is gophers. I feel most of the state's population of the little varmints is under my feet. lol. Everything must be raised bed with hardware cloth or in containers. All barriers aside, with help from you and a local garden center, I'm pretty excited about this year. Even if I fail, I'm learning a lot so I can do better next year. (God willing!)
I am right there with you. The world has gone out of control. Thus the chickens (5) I just got. Not trusting the government or the stores to provide quality food anymore.
I was guilty of growing things that my family and I don't eat like arugula(Rocket) and lima beans. Even was considering growing things like bok Choy, egg plant and radishes, that they don't eat, because when I go to the garden centre, I get way too excited and have to remind and control myself 😅. Even when I first started gardening, I became way to obsessed with bell peppers and had way too many varieties.😄
I planted my potatoes, and planted my first dwarf apple tree. I have all of my raised beds and containers ready . Pretty productive weekend. Love your videos.
You can try a rain gutter grow system from Larry and Evonne Hall here on UA-cam. Or Gardening with Leon self watering containers, also here on UA-cam. I've used both methods and have had good results. Also, Robbie and Gary gardening easy channel for saving money on soil for containers. Those, David the Good, and this channel has really helped me to get my garden game to level up 😊
If you need planting space so you don't need to bend over much, I used a modular, sturdy, plastic shelf unit to put large planting vessels on and it works great for me! No more back breaking bending. My raised garden is on legs.
@@almostoily7541 90% of my garden is using the rain gutter grow system. Helps me not have to go out and water in my hot desert growing climate and my plants have consistent moisture and stress less.
@@almostoily7541 home Depot has large garden beds on legs that are big enough to grow most anything. Expensive but I have 2 on the side of my house that I budgeted for.
Just came to say THANK YOU for being Christlike in your responses to the mean people who commented on your last video on the other channel. They usually begin by,” I don’t mean to be mean” or “ I really like you but…”. No matter what they said, you were Christlike. Reminding them it’s not the gardening channel and saying no more at all. As a sold out follower of Christ, my heart was so happy when you told about getting connected to a group of followers there, becoming part of that community. Let me just say….you’re fine. I’ll tune in pretty much no matter what you’re teaching, but I especially like the gardening info and also the landscaping ideas (although I’m in Arkansas and most of those ideas would never fly here). I had somebody comment on a video on my channel,” I don’t mean to be mean but you talk to much and your videos are to long.” It was all I could do to refrain from responding ,” TOO. IT’S TOO! And just don’t watch it if it’s too long!” 🤦🏻♀️. People wear me out.😂. Carry on Brian and Emily! You are setting a fabulous Christlike example for Noah.
I have a backgarden where i now have 14m2 of growing space, i started with 6 and am slowly adding raised beds on the pavement, containers for berries and some old flower beds are refurbished for veggies as well. 3rd year of gardening coming up and cant wait to see what they next expansion is going to be. (Probably a new house with a garden i dont have to share with my parents XD)
I love your channel and I am so appreciative of your knowledge. Thank you. I am working to become more self sufficient and trying to teach my grandchildren how to garden.
Awesome tips and tricks and yes almost everyone in my world is sensing something “not good” coming. Thanks for helping us do the best we can in our space
I converted my front yard into a "foodforest" and grow food there but nothing is arranged like a traditional garden. That makes the yard more interesting and neighbors often comment about how pretty I it is. For example, I have Rainbow Swiss chard scattered around the yard in an ornamental fashion and people are sometimes surprised its food because it's so pretty. I also have uses cattle panel arches over my walkways, which not only allow me to grow more but it looks great.
I started the survival garden you featured a few weeks ago. The quinoa is growing beautifully. I’d never even thought about planting that before and we eat a lot of it. Thanks for the tip!
Always great info thanks Brian. We were given some wine barrels, so we cut them in half and put on some drain holes and made our raised garden with them. Growing Celery for the 1st time this year. Always love growing tomatoes, zucchini, all kinds of winter squashes and melons.
Really good video Something else to consider if you're not 100% self-s., have limited space, &/or are on a budget: 1. Cost of produce: Grow the more expensive stuff, buy the cheaper/bulk stuff. 2. Any money makers? Stuff you can sell to buy what you can't/don't grow can be profitable & even fun. I absolutely Need potatoes, but I'll be growing less bc they're cheap to buy & I can use the space otherwise.
My husband and I have different tastes so I do grow things I don’t like. Unfortunately I’ve had best luck growing okra. I figured if this will be our biggest crop I better learn to like it. Pickled or fried crisp with too much ketchup, I can choke it down. Maybe this year I’ll like it. I have raised beds, Greenstalks, grow bags, and an old dryer drum, but doing my first ground plot this year. I covered an 8x12 area with cardboard a year and a half ago to create a melon patch. Since then I started raising quail so I began dumping poop trays with pine shavings over the cardboard in November. Stopped in February. In March I started working the area with a fork to break up the soil underneath. It looks great. I think it will be ready for planting at the end of April. I have enough yard for a good size garden but I have too many big trees. Every time one dies and I get it removed for $1k 😢, I get a more planting space.
Yep. I feel like we are living in the 'upside down' too. But, in my 'rightside up' world, I grow only what we eat, however, I reserve an area in the garden, every season, for okra. I'm in Zone 5 (NH) and, yes, I grow okra, from seed, in the ground. Seems foolish, like a waste of space, but I adore waiting it out, for those few, tender, baby okra, that I get in early September and can just pluck a pod or two, off the plant, and enjoy a marvelous snack, while working in the rest of the garden.
We started vertical gardening our tomatoes 2 years ago because of you, what a game changer! Last year we also did green beams and sweet peas and we got so much produce in a small space. Thank you! 🙏
I haven't watched the whole video yet but I just have to say that I was so excited to start growing stuff from seeds. I started some seed flowers a few weeks ago and they have grown. Of course I live in MA and we had snow last week. I feel so helpless lol. I want to grow my own food but I feel it is so hard because of where I live. But I will continue trying.
Brian, Love growing lettuce & kale. I don't even mind when the kale bolts as the flowers are sweet & crunchy, plus my resident pollinators love them. 😊
To help others~I always grow over to can, dehydrate and give to those who don’t have the space or aren’t able to grow anything. Containers CAN be done! I’m blessed to be able to do both. We actually took down our pool to use as garden space to grow more. For the 1st time in my 56 years I have corn growing and I am so proud! I know “corn” yippie but I set goals and even if I get a few ears I AM A SUCCESS! Well that’s the way I look at it..🤷♀️ I wish all of you a blessed growing season🥰
I have stopped trying to plant everything and I'm only planting what I know we will use this year - Hot and Mild Peppers, Potatoes, Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes (too hot for big tomatoes here). Still trying to grow Brussel Sprouts - only got leaves this year so I made baked chips and froze the rest for spinach substitute in soup this winter. I've learned that if it doesn't work out use what you got.
Two things that I've grown and don't really care for are kohlrabi and eggplant. What's sad is they were both very prolific in my garden. Oh well, the neighbors pigs loved them. So glad that Spring finally seems to be here in So Cal. Who would of believed that we would have nighttime temps in the 30's in April? My favorite companion plant for tomatoes is the marigold. There are so many great varieties to choose from and they provide color all summer long.
Your sure right. I have been growing more each year. This year I'm going to try some sweet corn for first time. The wife still has peppers in freezer from last year along with tomato sauce.
If I have extra I just give it to my coworkers or neighbors. I grew broccoli rabe. It was just a horrible tasting leaf. It easily went to seed and now it is growing everywhere. I don't even like it. My favorite thing to grow (I am on the coast in San Diego) is butternut squash. It can be saved almost until the next season. It is now April and I still have some from last years crop. It a very versatile food.
All of a sudden tons of crazy & disturbing nonsense is in our face(s) with a spotlight!!! Self sufficiency is definitely the key to personal peace & security! The great thing is that gardening is fun, good for the soul, and you get great food for a very small investment financially! And once you figure it out, the time involved is very reasonable and can be customized to your lifestyle!!! Thanks from the bottom of my heart, Brian, for all the encouraging and empowering information that you share with us!
I grew up bell peppers for 3 years that no one would eat, haha… my neighbors and I now have a monthly crop share at the local park in our neighborhood-trying to start a co-op kind of thing where we actually let each other know ahead of time who’s growing what. I’m in Orange County, CA
I keep seeing the pieces of logs or wood chunks you use as borders. I have a bunch from the last tree trimming session at my house - more than I can use in my backyard fire pit. So I've decided to make a raised bed out of them. They won't last forever but they will take a long time to break down!
I'm sure I have said this several times before but, I just Love that cottage! It is so beautiful (and reminds me of Disneyland every time I see it (plus the cottage garden is lovely around it.
I am from the Philippines, I planted kale and chard because I have read that kale is healthy while chard looks so fascinating to me. I never tasted them.yet
I currently have two absolutely STUNNING Swiss chard plants in my garden. I have never even tasted Swiss chard and really don’t know what to do with it. I bought the plants from the garden center because they were pretty. 🤷🏽♀️😂
Artichokes and asparagus are a couple of my favorite veggies. I’ve always grown what I like and for some reason I was going to grow a few things I wasn’t sure if I liked or not, if I have the space that is!! Great video!!
Thanks for both of your channels. I love watching them. Upside down world for sure. I'm planting my brassica starts today as the nighttime temps are above freezing.. until the weekend..yikes. I grew eggplant for a few years, the cool stripey ones and the Little Finger ones just because I could...I hate eggplant..lol. Thankfully my friends like them. Now I just grow for my family.
You are one of my favorite channels! Thank you for all you do! I really learn a lot from your videos! I live on 1/4 acre. I do raised beds in the back & plant chard, lettuces, herbs, & other greens in the front in my flower beds. I get lots of compliments on them too!!!
KK, the goldilox amount.... I have found that there is only one crop that even when I think that I've grown more than I can eat, I still haven't grown enough. While lettuce is a crop that I don't think I can have too much of, there is no doubt in my mind that I don't think it is possible to grow too many tomatoes. Honestly i feel that I can easily eat 2 or 3 pounds of tomatoes a day without blinking an eye, My wife can easily give away twice as much to our neighbors. I have to admit that some of my garden mistakes were celery, and green beans. I recall one year growing so much celery, that I had to pack it into shopping bags in order to donate it to the local soup kitchen. I kid you nor It grew like a weed, it was more of a pain in the ass to give away than it was to grow. I don;'t know why, but in my neighborhood no one likes green beans other than me. At one time I had enough Kentucky Wonder Poll bean seeds to feed a continent, Really!
I love growing potatoes... Especially in pots... I love growing Carrots, onions, lettuce, tomatos, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, silver beet, peas and beans...all good staples. Just picked an 8.9kilo pumpkin yesterday 😁 ...yay Plus ive been growing a lot of herbs and things to make salves ... cayenne peppers, comfrey, calendula, cone flowers... And aloe vera in pots....plus for fun ive successfully got a luffa to grow vertically...thats a first for me...tried last season and failed... im just waiting patiently now for the fruit to be ready to harvest 😁 so thats exciting... Awesome tips again Brian ... Thank you and much love from Australia 🦘💞
A herb garden is my #1 thing to grow, followed by tomatoes, which I no longer grow because of rats/squirrels, but I may try again with your tulle method. I love the “ufo” squash and eggplant. Zucchini sautéed in butter is a side dish I can eat all summer. Artichokes are another summer staple I want to grow more of as there is never enough. I use a lot of red peppers, but find they take so long to grow not sure if it’s worth my small space. I have a meyer lemon I can’t imagine not having. Put in a lime this year in a container for now. Want to espalier my whole back fence, but other than lemon, lime, and orange, not sure what to put where (apple, peach, fig).
Thanks so much for sharing these excellent tips. Your garden looks magnificent and reminds me of my late father’s garden. We rarely bought fruit or vegetables from the store….. every thing was home grown and most given to neighbours and friends. Happy days and thanks again
I like your little picket fence area where you planted your apple trees. The area that I live in is old, so people have large backyards but they don’t grow any produce. Maybe a fig, citrus or a pecan tree here and there but mostly crabgrass. So every day I hear lawnmowers. People mowing weeds not knowing how to control them or enhance the soil. They probably spray a lot of chemicals as well.
I love growing kale, but we just don't eat kale, and it's been a huge waste of time, energy and space in the past. But now, I make my own dog food, and one of the ingredients is kale! Fulfills my desires AND my dog's diet. I keep growing paste tomatoes, thinking I'm going to make jars and jars of spaghetti sauce or canned tomatoes. What I never think about is how many tomatoes (and therefore, tomato plants) it actually take to make 'jars and jars'. I manage to get maybe 2-3 jars out of my garden. Last year, my husband brought home 4 beefsteak tomato plants because he likes huge tomato slices on his hamburgers. They kept producing all season, so I had sliced tomatoes for him, and the extras were dehydrated in chunks and slices. Re-hydrating them works great in spaghetti sauce. I only have 4 raised beds, and rocky clay soil, so my root crop space is limited, but we love garlic, so I always have an entire 3'x8' bed dedicated to garlic. Another is dedicated to potatoes, and this year, I'm trying out onions and carrots, both of which we use lots and lots of.
You can plant your garlic between your tomato plants as a companion which will give you space to plant more things in the bed where you usually plant garlic.
Hello Brian! It's been a while since I've been in UA-cam. I was looking forward to catching up on your videos. I was in the process of typing my comment, asking you how you grow the summer squash vertically and all I had to do was wait until the end of the video. 😃 Thanks for another great video.
I think the biggest thing I ever did to become more self sufficient was to seriously take a look at what I cook week to week, how often I cook certain dishes, and determine from that how much a certain veg I need to grow. For example: We are currently a family of 4 and eat potatoes (in different forms) three times a week. That equivocates to about 3.5lbs of potatoes a week, or 14lbs a month. So, I know, that to meet that need I would need to grow around 170lbs for a year and be able to store them properly so they will last the entire time. But those numbers dont factor in other times wherein I would use more potatoes than normal (for, say, like family holidays when we feed on average 26 people). So, I have to take that into consideration as well. Right now, we do our best to hit a goal of 225lbs of potatoes every year. Sometimes we hit it, some times we dont. Which is why, I grow alternatives to replace said potatoes as a side for say meatloaf with something else. Usually another type of mashed starch like turnips, rutabaga, or Korean radish. All of which being a staple that grows really well (and pretty fast) both in spring and fall.
Another good video especially for where to start. Another way to capitalize on small spaces is by using the Square Foot Gardening method. When I started my garden I used 5 gal grow bags and treated them as 1sf. I have now transitioned to raised beds and still use the SFG method to maximize my garden. Hope this helps others.
Hi Brian. Each year I grow one thing different in a small amount to see how it grows and if it tastes good. Then I grow all the other stuff I like to eat. If I grow too much I either can, freeze or give some to my son and daughter-in-law. I'm trying not to waste food anymore. You figure with time, effort and water(we have to pay for that) we don't want to waste. We have terraces next to curb and sidewalk. Have to leave mostly grass otherwise people or mail carrier sometimes step on them. I have flowers and herbs next to the house in front though. That works great. Can't wait till next show.🙂
Good advice. I’m getting older and use grow bags almost exclusively. I started raised bed gardening years ago after watching Square Foot Gardening and buying the book by Mel Bartholomew. Thanks again!
With all that is going on in the world with regard to the farmers being thrown off their land really worries me. I am concerned just as you are. We only have a relatively small garden and a tiny potting shed. However, we grow as much as we can every year. I still have climbing beans and tomatoes jn my freezer that will keep us going until the next harvest. I have some garlic still in the ground that look good and so far I have sown tomatoes, carrots, spring onions, kale, beans of course, cucumber, butternut squash plus some flowers. I also have a greengage and a cherry tree. Tastes so much better and NO artificial fertiliser or herbicide. Love it!
Thanks for the tips! You asked for our favorite thing to plant. It didn’t take me long to answer that question… Mine is definitely tomatoes. I know it might sound boring, but there’s just so many delicious varieties. This year I’m growing “Sungold” and “Money maker” tomatoes. Happy season everyone!
Great, helpful video. Lots of ideas to try. I think i have enough raised beds, just need to utilize the space better. Have a deer fence around the garden. Now using it for vertical growing and espaliering fruit trees.
I love this video. You keep on giving people ideas. For those that have HOAs, check your local and state laws. I just heard on another site that Colorado passed a law that prevents HOAs from preventing gardens. I am sure there are some conditions, but a big win for people who want or need to grow some/all of the food that they can.
I used to grow peas and green beans for fun, even though I hate them. But too many went to waste. I'm going to grow scarlet runner beans as an ornamental this year, but no other legumes.
I am self-sufficient , ir at least striving to be , for my husband and I, as we can and put up all our food, but meats. We get our meat from an organic meat producer/ friend. My backyard is only about 85 feet by 50. But about a 1/3 or it is vegetable garden, with some herbs and fruits mixed into flower beds. I want to make a video journal of it this year and put it here on yt. Not to be a youtuber, but to have for myself, and who ever needs ideas :! 🇨🇦
Thanks for the tips. I went and watched the "grow verticle" video. I am going to get some stakes and sprinkler conduit and give it a try. Lovin the Sunday video!
I grow pole beans, English cucumbers and chocolate cherry indeterminate tomatoes on trellises. I am trying to make my zucchini plants climb, but it's not easy. I am able to stagger the harvest by doing successive planting. In between the cucumbers and tomatoes, I grow lettuce and spinach. I also grow garlic, onions, peppers and kale. I grow potatoes in a few large pots and herbs in medium-sized pots. Along the fences, I grow blueberries, raspberries and red currants. and strawberries. I still keep a small lawn in our backyard, where I hang laundry to dry. I would never plant any type of tree in my backyard. I need all the sun I can get for my veggies, berries and laundry. My 12" raised bed frames are metal panels that are screwed together with stainless steel bolts. So, you could say that they are portable. I replaced our front lawn with a perennial flower garden. I still take care of the lawn on the boulevard, which is the property of the city, while it is the responsibility of the resident to take care of it.
I could not agree more with your statement about the upside down world. I've felt like I'm living in a Twilight Zone episode for years now, and it just keeps getting crazier. Your garden series is quite timely, for sure.
I agree with you
We live in an apartment with a 5'x10' balcony, so everything is in pots or in containers attached to the balcony rail. This year we're growing three variety of tomato, four of chilies, two of basil, four of lettuce, three of beans, two of onion, garlic, ginger root, spinach, radish, carrots, tomatillo, ground cherry, zucchini, and little watermelons...along with cilantro, cumin, oregano, thyme, tons of zinnia, iris, lavender, petunia, borage, and sweet potato. We also have a lemon tree and an avocado tree, both in containers. Interplanting and growing things upward is the way.
Thirty-three years ago I was tucking veggies amongst our ornamentals on a Marine Base where we couldn't have a garden! I also composted in "flower pots" along the back of our garage.
Very creative
Awesome! 😎
I just have to say becoming more self-sufficient has allowed me to grow as a person. I started from a place of oh my gosh I have to do this and now it's wow I get to do this! Learning how my food grows and what it looks like. Spending more time at home instead of shopping all weekend. Learning how to can which has made me feel closer to my grandma who I used to watch can everything. It has helped me get closer to my dad. We have had so many talks about anything from how he chooses his fruit trees to how my grandma used to operate at home. It really just made me feel like more of a person and less like I'm running the rat race. ❤
If you read the HOA doc, it usually says “No vegetable gardens” not no growing vegetables….but interplanting is ok. Most just don’t want all the lawn dug up for row veggie gardening. I’m sneaky. Though last year my scallop bush squashes were on full display at the very front and center. There were no complaints.
Lol. Good job. Be careful.
You can grow a lot of things that look ornamental and make it look like a full on vegetable garden. It's actually preferred anyways. You can apply permaculture principles and companion planting to have a fantastic garden.
@@amymyers7713 YES! HOA's can be murder.
Our HOA is the same way. Jan 2021 we discussed starting a raised bed garden in the backyard. In March, our neighborhood experienced a tornado. Our house received damage to our roof and one side of our privacy fence. We repurposed wood from our fence to make 3 raised beds. My husband was wary of using them until our fence was repaired so our neighbors wouldn’t totally be aware we had a garden. We since have become bolder and just this weekend added another raised bed. We also use grow bags setting in kiddie pools. I’m still learning how much more I can grow in raised beds, Brian, so thanks for this video.
That's why I own my house and no nosy HOA telling what I can do.
We are only allowed 100 sq ft of raised beds in my HOA, so I’m mixing all sorts of edibles in with ornamentals in my flower beds around my property. Ground cherries with marigolds around my peach tree, strawberry patch with flowers around my apple trees, and I’m going to try mini watermelons with zinnias on the side of the house… a raspberry spot is also in the planning stage! Trying to see how I can pull off an asparagus patch… I’m gardening defiantly dang it! 🤣
Good for you! How about Herbs in window boxes? (assuming you're allowed to have window boxes)
I only grow about 7 things cuz of picky eaters at our house. I also have learned to can & freeze everything to last the winter. our garden is tomatoes, potatoes, peas, sweet corn, green beans, strawberries & raspberries. I do grow myself some kohlrabi & beets too. we are on a corner lot in town & have 6 raised beds & an enclosure for the sweet corn & berries.
For meat, we have a relationship with a local locker & have gotten 1/2 cow from same farmer each year. Plus hunting. we get eggs from a friend (trade produce). only thing we don't have contact for is dairy. I also live in SD. A bit different than the coasts
You have an amazing setup! You have mastered the needs of your family in your area. That is every gardeners end goal right there. Well done!
Appreciate you calling out the craziness and the need to be more self sufficient
Thank you for making this video. Just started it but had to say thank you❤ I have 4 little boys so this is very important for us.
You are so welcome!
Today here in Pa where i live i planted my potatoes onions strawberries onions garlic peas and ny dwarf blueberry bush and asparagus. We had been getting so much rain or had been too cold. My 9 year old granddon is finally taking an interest in gardening he was helping me out today. Thank you for this video.
That's awesome
Loved this one, Brian. Thank you. Loved your tips for "covert" veggies. Can't stand HOAs. My problem is gophers. I feel most of the state's population of the little varmints is under my feet. lol. Everything must be raised bed with hardware cloth or in containers. All barriers aside, with help from you and a local garden center, I'm pretty excited about this year. Even if I fail, I'm learning a lot so I can do better next year. (God willing!)
Even though I have over 5 months of snow or frozen ground I really got a lot out of this video, will have to watch it again. Thank you.
That's a lot of months
I am right there with you. The world has gone out of control. Thus the chickens (5) I just got. Not trusting the government or the stores to provide quality food anymore.
Chickens are pack animals! Make sure you get her a friend or she might stress out and not lay eggs ❤
@@jessicajordan680 I got the maximum for the zone I am in, 5. My new adventure in life. Looking forward to raising them.
I was guilty of growing things that my family and I don't eat like arugula(Rocket) and lima beans. Even was considering growing things like bok Choy, egg plant and radishes, that they don't eat, because when I go to the garden centre, I get way too excited and have to remind and control myself 😅. Even when I first started gardening, I became way to obsessed with bell peppers and had way too many varieties.😄
You have so beautiful and wide space but I have small space still doing a lots of tomatoes 🍅 peppers 🌶️ every year.
Thank you for sharing ❤❤
That's awesome
I planted my potatoes, and planted my first dwarf apple tree. I have all of my raised beds and containers ready . Pretty productive weekend.
Love your videos.
Wonderful
I need a raised garden on legs.
I love growing zucchini, onions and tomatoes!!
You can try a rain gutter grow system from Larry and Evonne Hall here on UA-cam.
Or Gardening with Leon self watering containers, also here on UA-cam.
I've used both methods and have had good results.
Also, Robbie and Gary gardening easy channel for saving money on soil for containers.
Those, David the Good, and this channel has really helped me to get my garden game to level up 😊
If you need planting space so you don't need to bend over much, I used a modular, sturdy, plastic shelf unit to put large planting vessels on and it works great for me! No more back breaking bending. My raised garden is on legs.
@@vickieboley9452 That sounds like a pretty awesome idea! Thank you!
@@almostoily7541 90% of my garden is using the rain gutter grow system. Helps me not have to go out and water in my hot desert growing climate and my plants have consistent moisture and stress less.
@@almostoily7541 home Depot has large garden beds on legs that are big enough to grow most anything. Expensive but I have 2 on the side of my house that I budgeted for.
Just came to say THANK YOU for being Christlike in your responses to the mean people who commented on your last video on the other channel. They usually begin by,” I don’t mean to be mean” or “ I really like you but…”. No matter what they said, you were Christlike. Reminding them it’s not the gardening channel and saying no more at all. As a sold out follower of Christ, my heart was so happy when you told about getting connected to a group of followers there, becoming part of that community. Let me just say….you’re fine. I’ll tune in pretty much no matter what you’re teaching, but I especially like the gardening info and also the landscaping ideas (although I’m in Arkansas and most of those ideas would never fly here). I had somebody comment on a video on my channel,” I don’t mean to be mean but you talk to much and your videos are to long.” It was all I could do to refrain from responding ,” TOO. IT’S TOO! And just don’t watch it if it’s too long!” 🤦🏻♀️. People wear me out.😂. Carry on Brian and Emily! You are setting a fabulous Christlike example for Noah.
Warn those who are running down the wide road of destruction... Let the Holy Spirit do the rest...
REVELATION 20:11-15
@@geedee2420..😂😂😂😂
This is such a nice and encouraging response!
Thank you for being an encourager.
The world needs more of you 🥰
I'm in Arkansas TOO! ! North Central, up by the Buffalo River! And I just subbed your channel!
@@cyhomer ... Second Peter 3:3
Great tips Brian as usual! 🪻💚🙃
I have a backgarden where i now have 14m2 of growing space, i started with 6 and am slowly adding raised beds on the pavement, containers for berries and some old flower beds are refurbished for veggies as well. 3rd year of gardening coming up and cant wait to see what they next expansion is going to be. (Probably a new house with a garden i dont have to share with my parents XD)
I love your channel and I am so appreciative of your knowledge. Thank you. I am working to become more self sufficient and trying to teach my grandchildren how to garden.
Awesome tips and tricks and yes almost everyone in my world is sensing something “not good” coming. Thanks for helping us do the best we can in our space
I agree
I converted my front yard into a "foodforest" and grow food there but nothing is arranged like a traditional garden. That makes the yard more interesting and neighbors often comment about how pretty I it is. For example, I have Rainbow Swiss chard scattered around the yard in an ornamental fashion and people are sometimes surprised its food because it's so pretty. I also have uses cattle panel arches over my walkways, which not only allow me to grow more but it looks great.
I started the survival garden you featured a few weeks ago. The quinoa is growing beautifully. I’d never even thought about planting that before and we eat a lot of it. Thanks for the tip!
Always great info thanks Brian. We were given some wine barrels, so we cut them in half and put on some drain holes and made our raised garden with them. Growing Celery for the 1st time this year. Always love growing tomatoes, zucchini, all kinds of winter squashes and melons.
I grew celery last year. I was surprised when it grew so tall. And the taste was strong in comparison to store stuff.
Brussel sprouts I don’t eat them but grew them. Thankfully my. Daughter actually loved them.
I really need to try them
This inspires me to grow greens under my vertical pumpkins.
Nice
Really good video
Something else to consider if you're not 100% self-s., have limited space, &/or are on a budget:
1. Cost of produce: Grow the more expensive stuff, buy the cheaper/bulk stuff.
2. Any money makers? Stuff you can sell to buy what you can't/don't grow can be profitable & even fun.
I absolutely Need potatoes, but I'll be growing less bc they're cheap to buy & I can use the space otherwise.
I agree
@@gardeningwithstacey Thanks! I'm watching your 1st video right now :)
My husband and I have different tastes so I do grow things I don’t like. Unfortunately I’ve had best luck growing okra. I figured if this will be our biggest crop I better learn to like it. Pickled or fried crisp with too much ketchup, I can choke it down. Maybe this year I’ll like it.
I have raised beds, Greenstalks, grow bags, and an old dryer drum, but doing my first ground plot this year. I covered an 8x12 area with cardboard a year and a half ago to create a melon patch. Since then I started raising quail so I began dumping poop trays with pine shavings over the cardboard in November. Stopped in February. In March I started working the area with a fork to break up the soil underneath. It looks great. I think it will be ready for planting at the end of April.
I have enough yard for a good size garden but I have too many big trees. Every time one dies and I get it removed for $1k 😢, I get a more planting space.
Try a very young okra raw. They are crunchy, very mild and not slimy at all.
Make gumbo!
Yep. I feel like we are living in the 'upside down' too. But, in my 'rightside up' world, I grow only what we eat, however, I reserve an area in the garden, every season, for okra. I'm in Zone 5 (NH) and, yes, I grow okra, from seed, in the ground. Seems foolish, like a waste of space, but I adore waiting it out, for those few, tender, baby okra, that I get in early September and can just pluck a pod or two, off the plant, and enjoy a marvelous snack, while working in the rest of the garden.
The best feeling to eat what you grow
Future is now! These ideas are mind-blowing. Now for implementation 🎉
We started vertical gardening our tomatoes 2 years ago because of you, what a game changer! Last year we also did green beams and sweet peas and we got so much produce in a small space. Thank you! 🙏
Great tips!!! ❤
Thank you for the list. God bless!
Cute small garden 👩🏾🌾🥰
I haven't watched the whole video yet but I just have to say that I was so excited to start growing stuff from seeds. I started some seed flowers a few weeks ago and they have grown. Of course I live in MA and we had snow last week. I feel so helpless lol. I want to grow my own food but I feel it is so hard because of where I live. But I will continue trying.
I really like how you use your space wisely and help others see that anyone can grow in any space.
I agree
Beautiful house
Excellent advice, Thank you!
Amazing space you have there.
Fairytale setting. Isn't it just darling.
Brian,
Love growing lettuce & kale. I don't even mind when the kale bolts as the flowers are sweet & crunchy, plus my resident pollinators love them. 😊
To help others~I always grow over to can, dehydrate and give to those who don’t have the space or aren’t able to grow anything. Containers CAN be done! I’m blessed to be able to do both. We actually took down our pool to use as garden space to grow more. For the 1st time in my 56 years I have corn growing and I am so proud! I know “corn” yippie but I set goals and even if I get a few ears I AM A SUCCESS! Well that’s the way I look at it..🤷♀️ I wish all of you a blessed growing season🥰
I have stopped trying to plant everything and I'm only planting what I know we will use this year - Hot and Mild Peppers, Potatoes, Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes (too hot for big tomatoes here). Still trying to grow Brussel Sprouts - only got leaves this year so I made baked chips and froze the rest for spinach substitute in soup this winter. I've learned that if it doesn't work out use what you got.
Two things that I've grown and don't really care for are kohlrabi and eggplant. What's sad is they were both very prolific in my garden. Oh well, the neighbors pigs loved them. So glad that Spring finally seems to be here in So Cal. Who would of believed that we would have nighttime temps in the 30's in April? My favorite companion plant for tomatoes is the marigold. There are so many great varieties to choose from and they provide color all summer long.
Your sure right. I have been growing more each year. This year I'm going to try some sweet corn for first time. The wife still has peppers in freezer from last year along with tomato sauce.
If I have extra I just give it to my coworkers or neighbors. I grew broccoli rabe. It was just a horrible tasting leaf. It easily went to seed and now it is growing everywhere. I don't even like it. My favorite thing to grow (I am on the coast in San Diego) is butternut squash. It can be saved almost until the next season. It is now April and I still have some from last years crop. It a very versatile food.
Thats awesome
Eggplant! I can't stand it but it grows so well here that I can't stop growing it. I give it away 😂
Asparagus and Jerusalem artichoke. I grow Asparagus for the purple foliage and the Jerusalem was for the flowers.
I have such good luck with these two plants
All of a sudden tons of crazy & disturbing nonsense is in our face(s) with a spotlight!!! Self sufficiency is definitely the key to personal peace & security! The great thing is that gardening is fun, good for the soul, and you get great food for a very small investment financially! And once you figure it out, the time involved is very reasonable and can be customized to your lifestyle!!! Thanks from the bottom of my heart, Brian, for all the encouraging and empowering information that you share with us!
Thanks for all the inspiration!
I grew up bell peppers for 3 years that no one would eat, haha… my neighbors and I now have a monthly crop share at the local park in our neighborhood-trying to start a co-op kind of thing where we actually let each other know ahead of time who’s growing what. I’m in Orange County, CA
Sounds great
I keep seeing the pieces of logs or wood chunks you use as borders. I have a bunch from the last tree trimming session at my house - more than I can use in my backyard fire pit. So I've decided to make a raised bed out of them. They won't last forever but they will take a long time to break down!
I'm sure I have said this several times before but, I just Love that cottage! It is so beautiful (and reminds me of Disneyland every time I see it (plus the cottage garden is lovely around it.
I agree
I'm definitely interested in trying to grow my zucchini vertically this year. Thanks Brian, your knowledge is greatly appreciated.
I am from the Philippines, I planted kale and chard because I have read that kale is healthy while chard looks so fascinating to me. I never tasted them.yet
I currently have two absolutely STUNNING Swiss chard plants in my garden. I have never even tasted Swiss chard and really don’t know what to do with it. I bought the plants from the garden center because they were pretty. 🤷🏽♀️😂
Artichokes and asparagus are a couple of my favorite veggies. I’ve always grown what I like and for some reason I was going to grow a few things I wasn’t sure if I liked or not, if I have the space that is!! Great video!!
Thanks for both of your channels. I love watching them. Upside down world for sure. I'm planting my brassica starts today as the nighttime temps are above freezing.. until the weekend..yikes. I grew eggplant for a few years, the cool stripey ones and the Little Finger ones just because I could...I hate eggplant..lol. Thankfully my friends like them. Now I just grow for my family.
Wonderful
You are one of my favorite channels! Thank you for all you do! I really learn a lot from your videos! I live on 1/4 acre. I do raised beds in the back & plant chard, lettuces, herbs, & other greens in the front in my flower beds. I get lots of compliments on them too!!!
Great ideas Brian!
KK, the goldilox amount.... I have found that there is only one crop that even when I think that I've grown more than I can eat, I still haven't grown enough. While lettuce is a crop that I don't think I can have too much of, there is no doubt in my mind that I don't think it is possible to grow too many tomatoes. Honestly i feel that I can easily eat 2 or 3 pounds of tomatoes a day without blinking an eye, My wife can easily give away twice as much to our neighbors. I have to admit that some of my garden mistakes were celery, and green beans. I recall one year growing so much celery, that I had to pack it into shopping bags in order to donate it to the local soup kitchen. I kid you nor It grew like a weed, it was more of a pain in the ass to give away than it was to grow. I don;'t know why, but in my neighborhood no one likes green beans other than me. At one time I had enough Kentucky Wonder Poll bean seeds to feed a continent, Really!
Very nice sharing❤❤❤❤
I love growing potatoes... Especially in pots... I love growing Carrots, onions, lettuce, tomatos, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, silver beet, peas and beans...all good staples.
Just picked an 8.9kilo pumpkin yesterday 😁 ...yay
Plus ive been growing a lot of herbs and things to make salves ... cayenne peppers, comfrey, calendula, cone flowers... And aloe vera in pots....plus for fun ive successfully got a luffa to grow vertically...thats a first for me...tried last season and failed... im just waiting patiently now for the fruit to be ready to harvest 😁 so thats exciting...
Awesome tips again Brian ...
Thank you and much love from Australia 🦘💞
A herb garden is my #1 thing to grow, followed by tomatoes, which I no longer grow because of rats/squirrels, but I may try again with your tulle method. I love the “ufo” squash and eggplant. Zucchini sautéed in butter is a side dish I can eat all summer. Artichokes are another summer staple I want to grow more of as there is never enough. I use a lot of red peppers, but find they take so long to grow not sure if it’s worth my small space. I have a meyer lemon I can’t imagine not having. Put in a lime this year in a container for now. Want to espalier my whole back fence, but other than lemon, lime, and orange, not sure what to put where (apple, peach, fig).
This is super helpful! That guide for choosing smaller plants for the same vegetables will be very handy. Appreciate you!
Also, yes…. We live in an upside down world right now. We are trying gardening this season and praying for success!
Great ideas thanks you give me enthusim
Thanks so much for sharing these excellent tips. Your garden looks magnificent and reminds me of my late father’s garden. We rarely bought fruit or vegetables from the store….. every thing was home grown and most given to neighbours and friends.
Happy days and thanks again
Awesome!
I like your little picket fence area where you planted your apple trees. The area that I live in is old, so people have large backyards but they don’t grow any produce. Maybe a fig, citrus or a pecan tree here and there but mostly crabgrass. So every day I hear lawnmowers. People mowing weeds not knowing how to control them or enhance the soil. They probably spray a lot of chemicals as well.
I grew okra to try it, then again because the flowers are gorgeous! I had 5,000 sf garden at that time, so didn’t matter.
I love growing kale, but we just don't eat kale, and it's been a huge waste of time, energy and space in the past. But now, I make my own dog food, and one of the ingredients is kale! Fulfills my desires AND my dog's diet.
I keep growing paste tomatoes, thinking I'm going to make jars and jars of spaghetti sauce or canned tomatoes. What I never think about is how many tomatoes (and therefore, tomato plants) it actually take to make 'jars and jars'. I manage to get maybe 2-3 jars out of my garden. Last year, my husband brought home 4 beefsteak tomato plants because he likes huge tomato slices on his hamburgers. They kept producing all season, so I had sliced tomatoes for him, and the extras were dehydrated in chunks and slices. Re-hydrating them works great in spaghetti sauce.
I only have 4 raised beds, and rocky clay soil, so my root crop space is limited, but we love garlic, so I always have an entire 3'x8' bed dedicated to garlic. Another is dedicated to potatoes, and this year, I'm trying out onions and carrots, both of which we use lots and lots of.
You can plant your garlic between your tomato plants as a companion which will give you space to plant more things in the bed where you usually plant garlic.
Hello Brian! It's been a while since I've been in UA-cam. I was looking forward to catching up on your videos. I was in the process of typing my comment, asking you how you grow the summer squash vertically and all I had to do was wait until the end of the video. 😃 Thanks for another great video.
I think the biggest thing I ever did to become more self sufficient was to seriously take a look at what I cook week to week, how often I cook certain dishes, and determine from that how much a certain veg I need to grow.
For example: We are currently a family of 4 and eat potatoes (in different forms) three times a week. That equivocates to about 3.5lbs of potatoes a week, or 14lbs a month. So, I know, that to meet that need I would need to grow around 170lbs for a year and be able to store them properly so they will last the entire time. But those numbers dont factor in other times wherein I would use more potatoes than normal (for, say, like family holidays when we feed on average 26 people). So, I have to take that into consideration as well. Right now, we do our best to hit a goal of 225lbs of potatoes every year.
Sometimes we hit it, some times we dont. Which is why, I grow alternatives to replace said potatoes as a side for say meatloaf with something else. Usually another type of mashed starch like turnips, rutabaga, or Korean radish. All of which being a staple that grows really well (and pretty fast) both in spring and fall.
Another good video especially for where to start. Another way to capitalize on small spaces is by using the Square Foot Gardening method. When I started my garden I used 5 gal grow bags and treated them as 1sf. I have now transitioned to raised beds and still use the SFG method to maximize my garden. Hope this helps others.
Interesting.... 👍
Thank you for your advice 🙏
Great video, thanks for sharing
Hi Brian. Each year I grow one thing different in a small amount to see how it grows and if it tastes good. Then I grow all the other stuff I like to eat. If I grow too much I either can, freeze or give some to my son and daughter-in-law. I'm trying not to waste food anymore. You figure with time, effort and water(we have to pay for that) we don't want to waste. We have terraces next to curb and sidewalk. Have to leave mostly grass otherwise people or mail carrier sometimes step on them. I have flowers and herbs next to the house in front though. That works great. Can't wait till next show.🙂
Thank you for the tips,sir.
😊 Thank you!
We just moved some Hasta’s out of our front flower bed and put in an herb garden right before I watched this video! Lol
Awesome
Love this info!
Good advice. I’m getting older and use grow bags almost exclusively. I started raised bed gardening years ago after watching Square Foot Gardening and buying the book by Mel Bartholomew. Thanks again!
Great video. Definitely sending this video to my sister in California. Thank you!!! Blessings. ❤️🌺
With all that is going on in the world with regard to the farmers being thrown off their land really worries me. I am concerned just as you are. We only have a relatively small garden and a tiny potting shed. However, we grow as much as we can every year. I still have climbing beans and tomatoes jn my freezer that will keep us going until the next harvest. I have some garlic still in the ground that look good and so far I have sown tomatoes, carrots, spring onions, kale, beans of course, cucumber, butternut squash plus some flowers. I also have a greengage and a cherry tree. Tastes so much better and NO artificial fertiliser or herbicide. Love it!
Awesome!
Thanks for the tips!
You asked for our favorite thing to plant. It didn’t take me long to answer that question… Mine is definitely tomatoes. I know it might sound boring, but there’s just so many delicious varieties. This year I’m growing “Sungold” and “Money maker” tomatoes.
Happy season everyone!
Great, helpful video. Lots of ideas to try. I think i have enough raised beds, just need to utilize the space better. Have a deer fence around the garden. Now using it for vertical growing and espaliering fruit trees.
Thanks!
I love this video. You keep on giving people ideas. For those that have HOAs, check your local and state laws. I just heard on another site that Colorado passed a law that prevents HOAs from preventing gardens. I am sure there are some conditions, but a big win for people who want or need to grow some/all of the food that they can.
Love growing cantaloupe and I do them vertically. They grow really well here in Warren County, NC
Nice
Awesome videos and info, thanks for sharing. 🪴🪴🙏🙏🪴🪴
Excellent video
I agree planning lot more stuff this year
I used to grow peas and green beans for fun, even though I hate them. But too many went to waste. I'm going to grow scarlet runner beans as an ornamental this year, but no other legumes.
Nice
Happy Sunday thank you sir watching from Jamaica
Great video Brian! Thank you , blessings!
I am self-sufficient , ir at least striving to be , for my husband and I, as we can and put up all our food, but meats. We get our meat from an organic meat producer/ friend. My backyard is only about 85 feet by 50. But about a 1/3 or it is vegetable garden, with some herbs and fruits mixed into flower beds. I want to make a video journal of it this year and put it here on yt. Not to be a youtuber, but to have for myself, and who ever needs ideas :! 🇨🇦
I don’t even like beets …wish I did because they’re so healthy, but alas, I don’t, and I worked hard to grow them too🙃. Great video; thank you!
Thanks for the tips. I went and watched the "grow verticle" video. I am going to get some stakes and sprinkler conduit and give it a try. Lovin the Sunday video!
I grow pole beans, English cucumbers and chocolate cherry indeterminate tomatoes on trellises. I am trying to make my zucchini plants climb, but it's not easy. I am able to stagger the harvest by doing successive planting. In between the cucumbers and tomatoes, I grow lettuce and spinach. I also grow garlic, onions, peppers and kale. I grow potatoes in a few large pots and herbs in medium-sized pots. Along the fences, I grow blueberries, raspberries and red currants. and strawberries. I still keep a small lawn in our backyard, where I hang laundry to dry. I would never plant any type of tree in my backyard. I need all the sun I can get for my veggies, berries and laundry. My 12" raised bed frames are metal panels that are screwed together with stainless steel bolts. So, you could say that they are portable. I replaced our front lawn with a perennial flower garden. I still take care of the lawn on the boulevard, which is the property of the city, while it is the responsibility of the resident to take care of it.
Great Ideas
🐝Thanks for the great video🌻