I am a South African vegetable gardening and Food Forest RU-vidr and My Sustainability Journey is a RU-vid channel dedicated to teaching, learning and creating awareness for environmental, behavioural and lifestyle change within urban areas to become more sustainable in the way we live.
The channel is created on the foundation of 4 main pillars, which include Food, Water, Energy & Community. There are many other aspects of sustainability that I will be covering, but these 4 pillars will form the basis of everything I do. I will also be touching on permaculture principles to be as self-sufficient as is possible within an urban environment and try reverse some of the damage we are causing to the environment and local ecosystems. .
I hope you enjoy following my sustainability journey and I can't wait to hear yours!
Oh yaaaay, I'm so glad I have a fellow raspberry fanatic 😁 they are the absolute BEST! I'm so happy to hear you found this video and explanation easy to understand and I hope you have really awesome harvests in the years to come 🌻
Even though I don’t plan on growing raspberries, I always enjoy your videos on pruning and feel like I always learn something new. Thanks for pointing out when leaves of garden plants are consumable. Many people aren’t aware that more than just one part of a plant can be used for food.
Ah, thank you for those kind words 💚 I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed this video, even more so that you don't grow raspberries, or have a desire to do so. It shows me that my information is still relevant, so thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Also, you raise a really good point and maybe that's something I need to cover because so many plants can be used in so many ways using almost the whole plant. Thanks for the great idea 🌻
I’ve got a raspberry that gave me 4 berries this season (I’m in the northern hemisphere). Looking forward to what I can do to get a better crop next year. And maybe to get actual fruit on my blackberries (which are 4 feet tall and zero flowers this past spring.) now we’re going from summer to fall and I want to prep for next year.
Are you growing your own Raspberries? What do you do to ensure a steady supply of incredibly tasty home-grown Raspberries? I would love to hear from you 🌻
Great informative video. Thanks so much. A couple of questions. 1 when you began harvesting you tossed the leaves aside, can we keep those leaves and eat them? Can we eat them raw? Oh, and can we eat the flowers once the seeds are removed? Thanks
Nice. I turned my compost I”pile yesterday. The temperature had been falling for several weeks. I turned it and it heated right back up. Can’t wait to see how it does in six months. (Late winter in the US.)
@@MySustainabilityJourney I have joined your youtube channel and going to grow our own food in our tiny garden. Will be waiting for the next video. Thank you
Oh wow, thank you so so much 💚 It's kind and inspiring words like yours that keep me motivated, creating content and sharing experiences. Thanks again 🌻
Oh wow, thank you Melanie, I am SO happy to hear this was such a helpful video for you and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment with your thoughts. I really do appreciate it 🌻
I was afraid to use starw on my veggies because I heard of the extensive herbicide use. However, I use store bought straw as a mushroom growing substrate. Do you think mushrooms absorb herbicides? Now Im afraid i will end up eating herbices laced mushrooms
Hmmm...I would be cautious of this because I recently saw that mushrooms are often used in areas where there is toxicity exposure to absorb it up and clean up the area. They then say you should not eat these because they have absorbed checmicals and toxins so I would be cautious. However, you can soak your straw in water overnight and water beans or peas with the water. If they start whilting or growing funny then there is contamination and if they are just fine then your batch of straw is clean. I hope this helps 🌻
Yeah, I am no herbicide and pesticide expert but I know some of the chemicals that are used stay in the ground and plants for years. It's really a challenge finding clean straw and as you could see, using it can quickly cause a lot of damage in your garden 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney Yeah, better to avoid the straw altogether. Even composted manure can have stuff like herbicides grazon that doesnt decompose even in the cows stomach. I am planning to grow enough Comfrey to use as mulch and green manure. Thank you for warning us.
It's only a pleasure and yes, I totally agree with you! Manures can also be just as dangerous. I tend to only use well aged manure or horse manure from horses on wild paddocks. Horse manure is incredible if you can find a clean source. Comfrey would be an epic addition to your garden and also consider clover crops like buckwheat, oats, rye, clover, vetch, etc 👍
Thank you for sharing this, I have a question that was not addressed in the video. Do you have to use a male flower from one plant on a female flower from a different plant or can they both be from the same plant?
Hey John, thanks for popping me that question. I did cover how you can use them but maybe not as specific as this so this is a good question! It all comes down to one thing. Seed saving. If you want to save seed that are true to the variety then you cannot cross pollinate a d use the male of one with the female of another. If you are not saving the seed then you can use one male flower to pollinate a few different female flowers if you need to, but yes, you can 100% mix and match 🌻
I'm sorry if I wasn't specific enough, what I meant was do you need to use flowers from two plants of the same species, or can you use a male flower from one plant to pollinate the female flower of the same plant?
Thank you for getting back to me and for clarifying. Yes, you can most certainly take the make from one plant/variety to pollinate the female of another 🌻
I really enjoyed this video it is a new take and a different outlook. I have attempted to grow my own vegetables after a wonderful time in a rented house years ago where the previous tenants had a vegetable patch. It was amazing as things just grew. Where I am now its a little more difficult. Water restrictions and drought have made my attempts unsucessful. I bit the bullet in December and bought 3 trays of vegetable seedlings and its been inspiring. I got peppers, broccoli and brinjal and baby marrow seeds. In addition I planted both tomatoes and spinach. That was the inspiration to continue. Oh my it was the best to have fresh from garden to table and not having to buy these vegetables. My late dad always said grow something you can eat especially trees. Your video just confirms that growing to eat and share is the way to go. Thank you .
Thank you so much for creating a channel for South African gardeners. I have watched your pruning videos and I am using all your advice. I just have one question. I planted an Apricot tree at the end of summer in a large pot. I pruned it back in winter and now it is flowering. Because it is a young tree I am concerned that the tree can not handle so many fruits. Should I pick off most, or even all, of the flowers to give my tree a better chance to grow strong before producing fruit and for how many seasons should I do this? Thank you. Annelie
@@KneeLok-Since-1983 oh wow, thank you for such incredibly kind words, I appreciate them deeply 💚 On your question, how old is your tree roughly? I am assuming about 3 years? If so you can most certainly get a taster this year! What I would suggest is let the tree flower and get ready for its natural cycle. You risk doing more damage to the fruiting spur, that will still provide fruit from that spot for a few years, is greater if you remove flowers than little fruit. Plus you feeding the pollinators 😉 Once you start to see little fruit I would leave no more than 5 apricots so you get to enjoy it. Make sure you only have 1 fruit on a branch as the branches may still need to get thicker. Here are the 3 most important tips. Firstly, you should feed your tree a balanced fertiliser, or manure compost now, mid summer and then in autumn. Then, you need to put an organza bag over the fruit and tie the tassels around the branch to support the fruit in the wind. This will protect your fruit from birds, fruit flies and false coding moth. Finally, if there is wind where you are, tie your tree down with a 3 point anchor. As the tree gets heavier with a few fruits and it being relatively newly planted you want to support it as much as possible. I hope this helps 🌻
@@Hapotecario oh wow, what incredibly kind words, thank you so much 🙏 I absolutely love sharing my knowledge and experience and the fact that it is being well received makes me oh so happy. Tha is again 🙏
@@MySustainabilityJourney Warm greetings. I am just being fair and helping a bit with the algorithm. I was not expecting your reply. So I take this opportunity. I don't want to abuse your kindness but can you give me your advice? I planted a different assortment of citrus trees in the beginning of this year, about 15, and they are a little bigger than your example. I'm from Portugal, so I am in the northern hemisphere and I guess I still have a couple of months of growth and the trees still have a lot of new leaves being formed and growing. In conclusion, they have a lot of growth. When should I prune the trees? Should I start pruning them now and doing it in phases a bit each month. Or do it all before next spring, for example around March. What would you recommend? Thank you.
Thanks so much for your reply and I'm glad you have more questions. I'm always happy to help! So I would not prune monthly, but rather seasonally. As you are entering autumn you can look at pruning now, or pruning in the winter. You can then look at pruning again in early spring once any risk of frost has passed, otherwise new growth could die. I hope this helps but please let me know if you have more questions 🌻
Sage advice once again, Craig. I’d like to encourage those starting out on this journey to only shop once per week. Buy a little extra of the basic staples to enable switching to shopping fortnightly. The less often you spend time in supermarkets, the less you’ll be tempted to buy the “sales” and unnecessary, unhealthy chips and sweets etc. As your garden grows and you begin harvesting and preserving, you may find that you’ll only need to make a trip to the stores every four weeks. You’ll find you spend less per month and save on petrol and valuable time. ☀🪴🍽
Hello sir! We're a group of researchers about the use of Bt strains and utilize it as a biocontrol agent for Fall Armyworms. There has been an existing study about its specific protein targeting the said worm, however, our Country is tropical and has been experiencing heat index of more than 40°C. I want to know if there's any possible way of the application when the temperature is way too high? If the application is to be done in the evening what will happen if the strain also degrades the later morning? Thank you for your response sir.
@@angelmendres hello there and thanks for leaving me a question and the detail. Personally I have not had any issues with using BT in the heat. That being said, most of the caterpillars that BT targets are on brassicas that naturally grow better in winter and the colder months. I generally only need to apply 1, maybe 2, applications of BT throughout the season as it is a living soil bacteria that lives and spreads on the leaves. I would say that if the heat is too much that your plant it going to be too stressed and bring in even more bugs. I would look at getting a shade covering of sorts to protect your plants during the worst of the heat 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney I understand! Thank you, I'd also like to share that I am a Student-Researcher. This bacteria is one way of controlling the worm, and reading a lot of journals stating it is ineffective once the temperature is high, it'll immediately become degraded and would stay still in the soil, therefore, becoming ineffective (as what I've read) for the Armyworms that feed the leaves, and almost everything down to the corn. I'd like to know if it won't damage anything if I apply it (in vitro) once in three-two days. Or would it be promising to just apply it for once? And, that's why covering the field won't necessarily be effective in our heat condition as we're not looking up for a garden, but rather farms of different places. Thank you so much for the reply, and your ideas. Highly appreciated!
i do enjoy your channel. but, you can't say what you said about meat and get away with it. meat is the most nutrient dense food you can get. there's not a legume on this planet that comes even close. veggies are awesome but without having a serving of meat with them, you'll have all the nutrient deficiency problems you can think off. yes, i grow so much food (fruit and veg) that i supply all my family and friends which does save them and myself a lot of money that gets spent on good meat. i live in NZ so i have the luxury of the best meat in the world
You raise a really good point and I completely agree with you 🌻 However, I was referring to the cost to benefit ratio and here meat is incredibly expensive. You can buy 1kg of legumes for about 300g of meat. When money is tight and families are large then meat becomes borderline unaffordable. What people then tend to do is go for very cheap meat options that are (mostly without them knowing) injected with water and brine to bulk them up. What you explained is a really good example of using money smartly. Something that most economists and financial specialists don't grasp. By eliminating, or significantly reducing, your veggie spend you can shift that spend towards the highest quality meat. This is another brilliant example of how we should be given information, so thank you for sharing 🙏
I will also add that we love our meat, but have had to cut down to having meat only twice a week because of the cost. Once we are in our homestead (Tamakoa Homestead) we will be raising all our own meat in the form of sheep and chickens with milk from goats and eggs adding to our protein bucket to supplement grains, veggies and fruit 🌻
I live in the US. I don’t have any problem with meat consumption, however, where I live I think that most of the people I know eat waaaay more meat than is necessary for a balanced diet. I eat meat probably two or three times a week and am extremely fit and healthy. In addition, the way animals are raised here is often cruel and wasteful of resources.
@@yvonnejackson1696 thank you so much for sharing your experience and what works for you. I totally agree with everything in moderation. We also only eat meat 2, max 3 times a week. More than that and it becomes incredibly expensive. We then have a high variety of meals to get a really wide range of nutrients 🌻
Ah, that's amazing to hear and I'm so glad you got value from this video. I hope you, as a power duo, get some really good harvest and that you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour 🌻
I started growing my own food last year after I lost my job and relocated back home. I honestly don't have space to grow but I'm making use of the little space I have, my brother's backyard and some grow bags and planters 😅 times are tough right now but I'm so happy I was able to feed me, my mom and my brother and his 2 kids with the limited space I have. I've been trying to find some pallets to build raised beds and maybe find ways to grow vertically. I can't for the life of me find them anywhere. There are so many companies in the area that have these pallets stacked outside but they refuse to sell 😢 Oh! I've started making compost in a 20L bucket and it's coming along nicely 💃🏽 I would also love to learn how to make/build/create a 'root cellar' where I can store all my harvests (the Free State is very hot 😂) I'll get there, slowly but surely 😉 I'm glad I came across your channel, I haven't found that many content creators from SA 🇿🇦
Are you growing your own food at home? Are you finding that you are managing to save money by growing your own food? I would love to hear your food growing journey 🌻
a monologue on YT, no matter how heart-felt, will do nothing. Instead, start a neighborhood group!! Include Elders, youth, & all. Co-operatives have always worked. Imagining the VAST digital universe to do it for you, is a useless myth, reaping a harvest of Likes instead of willing helping hands. The latter is ALL that matters. Yes, its NOT easy. We all already-know what this fine fellow is stating, but its making the REAL Human Connections that matters! There's Genius and Masters waiting to be invited. Do it! I've done LOTS (73*, an old N. Italiano), and here's a trick...start a DRUM CIRCLE, to bring people together. Yes, a church or civic group will partly-substitute, but a bit too-exclusionary. Get divergent & unique individuals together, and...who knows how, when TOGETHER, things will progress & become possible! I guarantee it WILL achieve far-more than YT-vids :-) * once co-operated a 21-acre hydroponic farm, partially using seawater (imagine). I've designed/built Florida ECOhomes, a catamaran,...for 42-years. DO-ing the actual work is far more worthwhile and transformative, than staring at a screen, for its the hands that teach the mind what's possible. Ditch "social media" and rely ONLY on your own community, as its been for centuries!! buona fortuna, from SW FL, USA. sub'd/liked, because I want to help this fellow's purpose on YT, only. whatever that is? 🙂
@@roseinhishands4976 ah, I'm so glad you hear you found this chat valuable 🌻 yeah, I hear you. Money is really tight and lot of money doesn't get you very far. I'm hoping that by growing more of our food we can get more control over this. Is there anything specific you would like more information to get started? Are there topics you would like me to cover in a getting started video? I'm happy to make one for you to help you and others get on the path to saving money by growing your own food at home 🌻🌻🌻
most people in my neighborhood don't know how to grow anything. Don't know how to cook anything and are so lazy that they have all of their shitty fast food delivered to their doorstep on a daily basis. Driving to a fast food restaurant and sitting in the drive thru is just too hard, too much work.
Yeah, I must say, it's incredibly sad seeing how this has become the norm in so many places around the world. My only hope is that enough people learn to grow their own food to make a difference to their own health and mental wellbeing by becoming more financially independent 🌻
Yes in our neighborhood, it's the same story. Just grass growing all around the properties. In many places there is just maybe one lemon tree growing. In the complex we live in there are two Mulberry trees in the empty places growing. I have feasted on the yummy fruits. Otherwise just grass grows everywhere. Our nextdoor neighbours grow spinach etc. I share with them your videos and everyone on my WhatsApp list. Our daughter has now started to prepare raised beds and fills them with layers of coffee grounds, kitchen scraps, grass cuttings etc. It is hard work to start a garden from scratch, especially when you don't know the environment. What you can grow or can't grow. It can be very disheartening when you have flooding, heavy hail storms. And have to start all over again. But we have had successful crops too. Winter is the hardest time of the year. I have heard it called "The hungry gap" by Huw Richards in Wales. Thank You for sharing that insight. It starts with ourselves. Got to start somewhere, and what better place but with herbs. The soil is the most important start, boy am I learning that. It is a huge learning curve, and each year is so different to the last. It really makes sense in what you said. 🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿👍
Good video- thanks for making it. I like the “chop and drop” method of recycling the trimmings but my wife usually rakes my trimmings all up and carries them to the compost- at least I don’t have to do it and virtually zero yard debris leaves our lot.
Ah, thank you so much for sharing you love for this video - I really appreciate it! Yes, I must say chopping and dropping does make a big difference as it makes for a really nutritious mulch that gives the soil good cover and protection from the elements. Personally I don't like to compost these branches as the larger sticks take a really long time to break down. If you are not using it as a chop and drop mulch then you can strip all the leaves off and pot those into the compost and put the sticks/small branches out in the sun to dry to use as kindling for your next fire 🌻
I love raspberries, and had several plants growing in the ground. Sadly they all died - possibly from the area being flooded for a while during winter. I will now try them in pots. I have two large pots - 50cm dia and 35cm deep. Would it be too crowded to put two plants in each? I found the video very useful in that I hadn't realised that we have the different times of bearing available here in RSA. And most importantly, that they would then need to be pruned differently. Many thanks!
Thanks for commenting and for your great question 💚 Yes, your raspberries would be much happier in pots and if you drive past a commercial raspberry farm then you will see they are all grown in pots or plastic bags. I would keep a single plant per pot as even a single plant can quickly take up a lot of space in a season or 2. It just means more raspberry pots for you then 😁
That's a great question! You will find that your garlic will start dying back from the top down with the leaves yellowing. Once half the garlic plant has died back then it will be ready to harvest, which is usually around late Spring/early Summer. Hope this helps 🌻
Good question and luckily it's nice and easy. You just mix the powder with the required amount of water and that's it. You use different amounts of powder depending on the pest you are trying to keep away 🌻
And thank you for your support 💚 Yes, I must say, growing garlic in pots can be quite tricky as garlic is very sensitive to soil temperature and in pots the soil temperature fluctuates quite a lot, which means you can quite easily not get any bulbs. I hope this helps 🌻
If you prune too low and the bud doesn't take, You can graft back on a good healthy cutting from that year or the following year ! 😅 Thanks for the video !
@@JackelineBon good question! Personally I wouldn't as they are way bigger, meaning they will break plants easier and may not be as selective for ground bugs. You can most certainly try though and please let me know if you do 🌻
I grew burgundy amaranth last year and when they came up this spring I put them into containers individually and in clumps. I heard it attracts bad bugs so it can be the sacrificial plant -- I planted them everywhere in my garden beds some I planted pot and all, the others were planted in the soil which did better but not significantly which surprised me. Anyways, I will need to be collecting the seeds before they naturalize everywhere. The chipmunks come and sample them so it's like they show me when they're ready. Thank you for this wonderfully informative video!!!
Ah, thank you for such a positive and wonderful comment 💚 I absolutely love how you are working with nature and using the chipmunks as a sign when your Amaranth is ready to harvest. What a great idea! I must say that Amaranth is not picky about soil conditions and like you, I have found that there is little to no noticeable difference in growth. I also agree with you that they do attract some bad bugs and I found that they are very good at attracting shield bugs. This is great because you just them into soapy water to get rid of them and because they all congregate its a really quick way to reduce pest pressure in the garden. I would love to hear how your havest went 🌻
@@MySustainabilityJourney I'm learning how to harvest seeds to be able to not rely on seed stores. The abundance of seeds is almost more than exponential with some plants. This will be the first year I've weighed my harvest. This is my 5th garden season here ... I went from a town lot 50'X140' (on the east side of the Rockies), with the house 3/4 of that and 3 driveways, to 6.17 acres on the west side of the Rockies. I refurbished 2 raised beds 5'X15' otherwise I built the gardens from 'scratch'. It's called the Rockies for a reason -- everywhere is rocks!
Hey, thanks for dropping me a comment. Are there any specific herbs you would like to cover here in our local climate? I will happily cover that for you 🌻
