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For the invaders, specially if you plan on leaving for a while, use simple bamboos or sticks and cheap bird netting to protect your garden area. Make sure the netting is wide enough for pollinators to fly through but small enough to repel squirrels and such.
Bird netting is versatile. You can cut it in smaller pieces to cover smaller sections. It's easy to take off to work on the plants. You can sow through it. You can even stretch it on top of a pot like the skin on the top of a drum and let the plants grow through it, blocking access to the dirt.
Drill a hole in the bottom of a large plastic barrel or any large plastic container. Stick a spiggot in there. If you hook it up to a gutter of some kind, dont forger to make an overflow system. On the spiggot, hook up a 1/4 inch drip irrigation system. It may help with water flow to give the barrel some elevation. No need for pumps, just let gravity do the work. Also, when preparing your larger pots or containers, put medium pieces of wood on the bottom (small logs, thicker pieces of branches). They will help you save on dirt and will act as a sponge to retain more water. Also mulching. Mucho mulching. You can also try to densify your containers by putting them colser to each other so the plants can benefit from the shade provided by the other plants.
@@Le_Mef Wow! thanks so much for these awesome tips. We will have to try the plastic barrel method. And what do you usually use for mulch? I was going to use wood shavings this year.
@@yearofplentyvideo The plastic barrel only has limited effects if it's not connected to a rain gutter but it can still provide moisture while you're gone. You can even have a neighbor or a friend come over to turn it on and off by simply turning the spiggot. If they are nice enough, they may even fill the barrel if ever it is emptied.
Many ways to amend grow bags. I am lucky enough where I can make my own amendments, compost, leaf mold and homegrown vermicompost. Bagged potting mixes are hit and miss, from what I have seen you picked a good one. Many people use synthetic fertilizers in grow bags which is fine, plants cannot differentiate from organic or synthetic nutrients, the only problem using organic fertilizers in grow bags is you need the biology in the potting mix to break down the nutrients to make them plant available. This is how I go about it. Some of my grow bags are hooked up to a trellis system, so I can not dump them out. I dig 1/3rd to 1/2 of the potting mix out, lay it on a tarp and mix in aged hot compost, leaf mold, some native soil and a few cups of fresh vermicompost. As I return it to the grow bag I am incorporating the old with the new. When I start a new grow bag I put small logs, sticks and stuff from screened compost at the bottom to act as a sponge to hold some moisture in the bag. I make lactic acid bacteria serum (LAB), and water in the bag. LAB is a bacteria that competes with harmful bacteria and fungi, breaks down organic material via fermentation (does not create heat) and can even help aerate the soil, LAB is also terrific at keeping fungal problems from developing on cucumbers, gourds, melons and squash (foliar applications) Then I mulch, let everything sit for a week or so before I plant or sow seeds. When I plant into the bags I use a handful of vermicompost and water in the plants with a compost/vermicompost extract for a little extra boost of nutrient and biology. To help moderate the temperatures in the bags and to help retain some moisture, I wrap the south facing grow bags with mylar blankets, a real game changer last year during our drought conditions. The only fertilizers I use during the growing season are, top dressing with vermicompost, mulching with comfrey and foliar feeding of vermicompost/compost extract or tea. I use a lot of vermicompost in my garden, again to create that soil food web that feeds my plants. Even in an apartment you can raise worms very easily, a single bin is how I started, or a tower system. You got your bags off to a good start!!! Stay Well!!!!
@@brianseybert192 WOW! First of all. Thank you for taking the time to write this comment. I think this is the most detailed comment I have ever seen on RU-vid🙌 So much good info in here! I am going to take notes. Interesting fact about the organic fertilizer. I didn’t know that the biology was needed to make the nutrients plant available. And the LAB is a very interesting topic that I have explored a bit. My friend Antonin told me about it on our podcast. I always thought it was more of a reactive method. Meaning that if there is a fungal disease then you make the LAB and apply it. But sounds like you add it from the get go. Will have to try your method next season. Thanks again.
imteresting! I always thought perlite holds on to water and then slowly releases it. I went with the moss in the end, but I will have to do more research into the perlite now. Thanks for pointing this out
Aside from many things you can do with the cat. Perhaps you can get a cat litter box like a cardboard box and buy some cat litter and put down in there for him to use rather than going into your space. That cat probably doesn't have a proper litter so you providing one might be deterrent from going into your plant
but humans have lived with nature forever. You make a good point. The way we interact with nature matters. We are trying to show people how they can interact with it in a way that is a net benefit for all.
For the cat, I have three suggestions. 1. Set up a litter box filled with pine pellets. They're compostable as long as you're not using them for plants you eat and it will give the cat a place to go. 2. Set up a motion controlled sprinkler so the cat gets a sprinkle unrelatd to you if they come near your bags. 3. Set up an Ssscat, a motion controlled air can that emits a loud blast of cold air if the cat comes where you don't want them.
I add potato peels- baked till crispy as I mostly grow potatoes in them (Uk), as that’s the nutrients they need in the right proportions. Plus top mulch with chopped straw or shredded leaves.
awesome tips! I didn’t know about the potato peels. Thanks for sharing! Yes mulch is a great idea. Forgot to mention that in the video I think. We are going to use some if we feel like the growbags still dry out quickly after adding the peat moss. Thanks for your comment and ideas🙏
I’d love for you to do a video or podcast on the identification factors of wild onions and death campus. Specifically I’m curious about locations ideal to find both, flower color, bulb color, leaf shape, season to harvest, season to identify. So basically everything there is to know about them😂 Please and thank you!
we still have to do more research into that. I am unsure if there are specific health benefits like other wild plants and mushrooms can provide. I did read a study about them being loaded with phytonutrients. We are planning on doing a deep dive into Salsify for a podcast episode here on the channel. So keep an eye out for that🙌 You should check out our podcast episode and video on spruce. They are both on the channel.
You might consider doing things you think are ordinary. I wanted to see how you did the slow cooked meat and then transformed it into meals. People might be interested in how to process wild meat. Many have no experience. All your sour dough experience and production is of interest to me, especially the pastries. The whole idea of meat only as a diet could be explored. It is hard for me to imagine no veggies.
Yes we will definitely trying to do a video about all the fun things we do. Including the slow cook meat prep! That will come soon. The goal is to build homesteading skills while we are living in an apartment. Mostly to show others that eventhough you might not be able to do the animal raising part of homesteading in an apartment you can still learn lots of traditional food skills and live off the land by utilizing public lands sustainably.
Very soothing and enjoyable. I wanted to try everything. Ordered the tongs and hope I really like them. I have only one really old pair and all the rest I purchased I threw away. I am hoping you will send the recipes. So I don’t have to watch it again to glean the information. I am going to try the pasta.
I would love to visit the two of you for a few days to learn some of your recipes. That's my style of vacationing! Are there any camp sights or B&Bs near you?
haha that’s flattering but I dont think we are ready for that yet! We are definitely hoping to host courses in the future though. Also the plan for now is to do several vlog videos every week on this channel so you can follow along from the comfort of your home🙌 First one is going to drop soon. Lindey makes some amazing homemade pasta in it. Stay tuned🫶
that’s true! Dont have much experience with pine. Check out my full 30 min video on how to make Spruce Gum. I think you would like it. More good info to come🙌
No I didn't have good luck because water just runs right through them. You MUST Water from below. You have to put them in some type of tub or something else that will hold water. My yield was very low because they were always dry, too dry. So please water from below for a superior yield.
I have heard that too! We didnt have that experience but I know people in warmer climates who have. Yea you can build a wood structure lined with a tarp to create a tub. From there they can basically self water themselves. Adding some natural substances that retain water into the soil is also a way to reduce drying out. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Why would anyone bother with trees when cabbage has been around for thousands of years and is exceptionally rich in Vitamin C? To have cabbage in winter time, just ferment it like germans or mongolians and you can have tasty vitamin all year long.
i love fermented cabbage, but in some areas you cant easily get it. And this would have been a source of vitamin c in the winter when there are no veggies
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