This I exactly what I needed to hear, especially about not getting discouraged. I've always wanted to garden, with fond memories of bread made with fresh zucchini from my mom's garden. I made two attempts indoors and got very discouraged, but now I own my own land and am determined to cultivate my garden, no matter how many mistakes or failures I have. I've done some research and made a plan so I am ready to start as soon as I get home from my vacation!
Keep going! Literally same story! Failed a simple herb garden 2 years in a row trying to grow indoors. This year I have more than I know what to do with! You can do it :)
It’s 100 plus here in Dallas, my plants are looking pretty frazzled and the tomato horn worms are getting to be the size of small children. Along comes your video of wonderful encouragement! I have tomato babies just beginning to sprout in my closet under grow lights . They will be set out in a few weeks for fall. Hope springs eternal!
Man what a SUPER vlog! I think one of if not your BEST and I'm a fan👍Your positive attitude and encouragement are awesome - not to mention the knowledge you have. You've helped me a LOT in the last 1.5 year as a new gardener. Thanks SO much 👍👏🎉👋
Truly a plethora of great information. My greatest love of gardening is always finding a silver lining in my mistakes or just bending to Mother Nature's will. I also highly recommend every gardener to keep a journal. As the years go by, it is easy to forget what variety you've tried, where, when and harvesting info. I also keep track of daily weather conditions.
Wish I’d seen this 20 years ago! I can tick off all those mistakes I’ve made over the years. RU-vid contributors such as yourself make it so much easier to find the right plants and methods. I encourage every new grower (and some grumpy old ones!) to visit channels like yours.
Love this video!! We got a late start this year as May was too cold to plant here. All my plants are a bit behind, but like u say in the video I will have an epic September harvest!!! ❤
First year here. I've shared some of my mistakes in your comments before. My latest mistakes: 1. Not realizing how massive my tomato plants would be! They are like trees. I had planted radishes and a marigold close by but they did not get sun due to the explosive growth of the tomato plants. 2. Thinking the compost and the bagged soil I used were enough nutrients. They weren't, and I had BER in every bin, every plant, until I did a soil test and corrected with fertilizer. Only then did I look at the compost and soil bags: The compost was merely 0.5-0.5-0.5 and the bagged soil was far, far less. 3. This one seems really stupid, but... not knowing when to harvest. Some of my plants (foods) are new to me, so I have had no idea when they are ready for harvesting. I wish RU-vid gardeners would go into detail about how to know when fruits are ready. Example: I don't like spice but I'm growing jalapenos by my son's request, for him. I was harvesting them and he said they had no heat and tasted like grass. Well, I was picking them WAY too early and had no idea. I have many more examples.
I am with you. My first year, and RU-vid had been my teacher. So far, so good, but I swear I have spent a billion dollars on potting soil. (I am using htow bags)
I'm in my third year and have made a ton of mistakes along the way, including today, undoubtedly. When it comes to knowing when to harvest something, that's usually mentioned on the seed packet. Anyway, happy gardening!
I grew some wild teasels for the first time on my allotment. The ones I’ve seen in the countryside were about 3 feet (1 metre) high. Mine are about 10 feet (3 metres) high 😂😂 The parsnips ‘growing’ in the behind them think the sun has been extinguished.
I remember my first time growing jalapeños. The ones they sell at the grocery store are misleading, because they're picked green so they last longer on the shelf. Japaleños actually turn red when ripe, just like bell peppers, as well as many hot chili pepper varieties. I no longer grow them though, because I'm a chili head and they're way too mild for me. Reapers give me the most bang for the buck, as the plants can be very productive.
@@FrozEnbyWolf150ive noticed grocery store Jalapeños have definitely gotten more and more mild over the years. I'm growing birds eye chili this year and peach habanero 😊
This is my first year gardening and I have made most of these mistakes. Fortunately, I watch a lot of RU-vid and channels like yours and Richard Huws have helped me to avoid messing up too badly. I will never give up, though. Just ate my first couple of cucumbers and they were divine. Totally worth all the work! Thanks for all the great content. Love this channel!
Truer words were never spoken, I tell new and old gardeners alike that there are no failures just learning opportunities. Have a fantastic week Jeff, Ali 🥵🌞🇨🇦
Well said! I create huge amounts of compost every year with leaves raked in the fall, (or they turn to mud), mixed with grass cuttings and garden waste all summer, turned once, then put on the beds in the spring in a 'no dig' garden. The compost bins get hot enough bc of the grass cuttings to kill weed seeds and when cooling the worms move in. No pesticides, no extra nutrients required here in the Tipperary Mtns, mature provides all we need but for netting to protect brasicas from cabbage white caterpillars and others. . . they especially like purple sprouting broccoli. ☘ 💖🙏💫
@@TheRipeTomatoFarms *nature 😂 I'd want to after 22 years experimenting. Charles Dowding of 'No Dig' is an inspirarion, as are you. He calls compost making 'riches.' 😂👍💖
One thing that led to much success this year is vegetable variety and how much root crops and strawberries need. Alot and often. This is first year successful in growing potatoes carrots and Everbearing strawberries in zone 7. Big Bertha green bell peppers far superior in production than California Wonder for example. Already gotten 6 huge ones. I only have one plant. It’s all I need for 2 people.
Excellent summary full of wake-up calls--like the loss and death of soil due to not mulching and over watering. Thanks for another short video packed with garden wisdom! 🌄
Thanks for this. Last year's heat wave took a bite out of me. And we had an 80° January couple of days and a deep freeze that killed 70 garlic. I just finally felt like putting my tomatoes in the ground this week. The only rule here is there are no rules. And I am OK with that. 😊
I haven’t even gotten 6 seconds into your video I was just showing my husband the strawberries I transplanted that looked like those , it started off beautiful then eventually the strawberries grew and look like that BUT , as I just let them grow they ended up looking like regular strawberries, even tasted sweet, but the seeds were kind of more protruded than usual 🧐 this is a new variety I’ve never tried, the one with pink flowers! I’m excited to watch this video 😂💪😎👏🌞
Excellent video! I learned I am actually doing a few things correctly. 😊 I'm a new gardener. Love your positive attitude, " when given lemons.... make lemonade".
"Birds ate my strawberries" "Heatwave caused my radishes to bolt" Snap Snap again. Just harvested the garlic though - some were mahoosive. 105 in total! :) Sadly only enough to last 5-6 months at most.
Boy, can I relate. Last year we couldn't buy a drop of rain but being a container gardener it was easy to manage. This year late May and early June had cool night into the low 40's and thus delayed the process. It's been mostly cloudy and rainy for many weeks. My Early Italian garlic looks thin and lifeless. It actually has what looks like a bulb developing in the (above ground) stem. Uugghhhhhhh. I need to improve my composting method.
Im still trying to figure out how to treat my soil for the ground out back. Going to do two raise beds. I guess my mix isnt working. 😅 But i haven't given up yet.
My pepper plants in the new greenhouse, grown from seed, are lagging, too. I acidified the soil and used some fish fertilizer and they’re finally starting to grow. We paid a lot of the soil but I think we got rooked. That’s okay. I will be adding amendments, top dressing. The soil for the raised beds came with cucumber beetle larvae (I’d never had them in previous years) but the damage done before I got out the Sevin dust and treated the hatchlings with soap and water actually makes the plant stronger. Now, the cucumber plants are going nuts!
Thank you so much for this video and the encouragement. I have been feeling a bit defeated with my garden this season. Rabbits, chipmunks, way too much rain... Just when the plants are looking good, I turn around and they are mowed down. I have taken to putting up chicken wire fencing around each pot or grow bag... I can't have a normal fence with this HOA. It doesn't look that pretty but I hope it will help. OF course, can't control the rain so we do what we can. Thanks again!!!
Very similar season here too. Thank you Louise and thank you so much Jeff. I'm here in Michigan zone 5 b. Grateful to still be able to get out there! After 30 yrs but the last couple have been great with utube videos!!!!
Thanks for the helpful video. I totally agree about no chemicals. I keep a garden diary so I can look back and see what worked and what didn't work so I can do things better next year.
Still raining here in mid-coast Maine! But things seem to be growing. Haven't watered once since May. I have had to add a bit more dry fertilizer as the nutrients are getting washed out of my beds. And peppermint spray is keeping the cucumber beetles at bay. Great vid Jeff! 🌱✌
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful videos. This is my first year with a garden and I feel like you've taught me a lifetime of knowledge. Thank you soooo much!!! ☺️
Radishes. I had our library kids plant the Red Rat's Tail variety this spring. The radish is grown for its edible seed pods and I figured the kids would get a kick out growing something called rat's tail. We were impressed with the flowers as well as the seed pods. The more typical radishes- Cherry Belle, French Breakfast and Icicle -began to flower a week or so after the rat's tail set pods. As the flowers were attracting pollinators I left them go and discovered the smaller radish seed pods are just as flavorful and tender as the rat's tail!
11 years of growing. 1st time hail damage. Every plant,every tree. Leaves shredded. Stems and trunks sliced open. Bruised fruit. Fruit deformed. Most are making a comeback.
Do you have a segment on composting? I tried two different large tumblers. Heavy rains including the tumblers getting very wet inside. I failed miserably & local nurseries were no help. My compost tumbler became full of maggots. I had no idea if that was horrible or a good thing? I live on a metro 1 acre with numerous large oaks so millions of leaves I’d love to use to create a quality compost. Luv your updates-keep ‘em coming!
Again! I Do Thank You!!! I Am So New At This And I Do So Want To Grow Great Food. You Are Really Making It So Easy To Follow. I Wish You So Much Success, Forever :)
It's my first year, and I accidentally composted a potato and created a huge potato plant in my composter, which isn't ideal! My raddish also bolted, going to try to find a more shaded spot next year
Need help, I live in Kingston, ON, and we have been getting a lot of heavy downpours of rain over the last few weeks. My Tomatoes are in containers, and some leaves are turning yellow. Do you know what I can do? I also lined the containers with recycled shopping bags (cloth type). You have helped me a lot, I am sure that next year I will have improved results.
Such great tips! ❓❓Just wondering Jeff are grass clippings a good mulch❓❓I have no access to straw and I don’t think bagged mulch is great. ❓still waiting for an answer on how to get onion seeds from my onions❓❓
How can I get the seeds I planted to stay where I planted them? For example, if I plant some seeds in a straight line, some of them are several cm away when they sprout and don't look like a row anymore.
Can you give more details on the straw mulch you use please? Seems here in eastern US it's hard to find something that compares to what you use. Trying to find some similar for my potted and grow bagged peppers.
How can you tell when compost is ready? Does compost replace mulch? I bought a bag of straw, but it has a lot of seeds in it. Should I still use it? What brand do you recommend?
My biggest watering issue is with my tomatoes. I can't seem to find the balance between watering enough to keep plants healthy and thriving and not splitting open my tomatoes from too much moisture. Any suggestions?
A quick question. Water storage. Are IBC containers that have had "nutrient fertilisers" in them okay to clean and then use for water storage for the garden?
I have let my giant snow peas go so that I can collect that seed. The pods are really puffy now with large seeds in them. Do I have to leave them there to completely dry out before they are viable?
I have something digging up my beds. The holes are about 3" wide and go the depth of the bed, 24 inches. We've tried rebuilding the bed but it didnt work. Its back again. Any suggestions?
1. It might be too late this season for you, but you could put some kind of netting or grate on the top of your soil that doesn't choke your plant stems and they can grow up through. This won't allow anything to dig. 2. Sprinkle grated Irish Spring soap on top of your soil. It won't hurt the plants and rodents hate the smell. My plants are in huge containers and I have 1/4 bar of Irish Spring soap in panty hose dangling over the sides. Nothing is digging mine up. 3. Use dollar store shiny pinwheels. These scare birds and squirrels. 4. A large rubber snake nearby will scare birds and rodents. You have to move it every other day or so or they will get wise to it. 5. The same as the snake, get a fake owl and set it nearby. Move it around like the snake. 6. You can get a bird feeder and/or squirrel feeder and put it across the yard to keep critters interested in things "over there" instead of your garden. 7. I haven't tried this, but I've read that getting a bird bath with water, across the yard from your garden, helps because when birds go after your fruits it is really just to get to the water in them. If a bird bath is accessible, they will not get into your plants.
Yes I bet it’s gophers. For my above ground gardens I staple hardware cloth on the bottom of everybox. You might also have to get kill traps for the rodents.
Watering is always a battle for me. With the weather, i always debate. If there is rain in the forecast, do i water now or wait for rain? Then when the weather forecast is wrong but there is still rain in the forecast and it has been over a week since i watered because i was waiting for the rain… ugh! It becomes cyclical and my plants suffer. I either under water hoping for rain or my plants start to drown because i watered and then it rained. I really dont know what to do 😵💫
