What do you think? What would you do differently knowing what you know now? Any lessons you care to share? Leave em in a comment! I want to learn from you too...
I would have started with no-dig gardening from the beginning. My friend encouraged me to till the ground and plant a cover crop. Cover crop was a great tip, but I think I would have rather laid cardboard over the whole thing. It would have saved us the resources of renting a power tiller and saved us the physical labor. And I wish I would have solarized before planting anything. I had all the pests in our first garden bed.
I would add just starting really small so you can learn lessons along the way on a small scale. My first "garden" was just a few pots, then the next year I added one 4x8 raised bed, then a few more, etc. I think that saved me a lot of money and frustration by learning about garden problems on a small scale and then implementing solutions once I was gardening on a larger scale. :)
Great advice. I started with a few plants in grow bags and two rabbits. Now we have 28 rabbits, 7 quail and about to get fish. I have been working on garden beds the last few months.
Yes! I was just thinking about this before I came to your comment & it occurred to me that the most logical things to start growing are the things I always buy, and eat on a regular basis.☺️
Nice! I started worm bins 2 years before I planted my first vegetable. Off to a good start! If I water at night I wake up to a fright. My region is slug central because I live in a rainforest. Watering in the morning is the only way I can do it.
I agree night watering is great if you're using soaker hoses, but here in Coastal San Diego, my leaves need to dry before nightfall to reduce fungus spread. (Summer 2021 has been a constant battle against powdery mildew. Finally gave up in early Sep and ripped everything out.)
This was so helpful. I am getting back on my homesteading feet. I gave up on it and just haven't done as well mentally or emotionally since letting go. I've decided that even if I have to go slow I want to fight for this. Thanks so much for the advice.
Hi, thank you for sharing your five tips. Just wanted to let people know here that grow bags are almost exclusively made of synthetic fibers that break down into microplastics... not something I want in my food, body, or our shared environment. Another comment about vermiculture. I had done vermiculture before in bins with success when I was in an apartment, but now that I have a yard I decided to try to put them in my compost pile and to my surprise they are thriving! I live in Southern California so I'm careful that the pile doesn't dry out more than the first few inches, they gets lots of food waste, and I only use a fork to turn it so as to minimize disturbance to the worms. I'm so happy to combine my composting with the vermiculture, thank you again :-)
I have grow bags in my amazon cart now! I’m an urban homesteader beginner. Would love a soil care video. I think my boys would love to start a worm farm.
Good tips! :) Seems like poop sure his an important ingredient to have. My dad usually orders manure from a local farmer but now we have chickens and they help loads. Working on a worm farm again as dad had a good one going but then he neglected the worms and they died. Gave great compost soil for the garden beds though. Mum and I found some things were better to grow in pots than in garden beds. Especially strawberries. Had more success growing them in pots. But we also like to find random things that you could grow plants in, like styrofoam boxes which stores have their vegetables delivered in or old tires and even reuse the plastic pots that seedlings come in from your local nursery.
That’s great that you’re starting the worm farm up again. That will come if handy along with all those cute chickens. And I love the creativity. I’m a big believer that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! ♥️
Great tips!! If I may offer a couple of additional 'tips'. Having just started this 'garden journey' this spring, I've found 'patience' and 'flexibility in expectations' r of value!!
I love grow bags I have been using them for many years they are amazing. I highly recommend them. I want to build some raised beds like you built. I love them. I would like some for lettuce, kale, and strawberries onions etc. I will tag you when I do, right now supplies are hard to acquire. We have been trying for a few months now😢 I am praying and staying positive! Blessings! Wendy❤️🐞🐝
Aw thank you. Yes those things are great I’m raised beds. Good job staying positive. Tough times but God will see us through. I believe revival is here and stirring and His promises still stand!
@@heyitsagoodlife I am leaning on the Lord and hanging on to his promises. Praying for world peace! Many blessings Natalie as soon as I get a new phone I will have to visit!
One of my tips would be to check with city ordinances before you purchase animals. I started with chickens at my rental in the city, then purchased a home in a small town about 15 minutes away SOOO excited to finally have land (about an acre lot) to really dig in and get my homestead going. Only to find out after the fact that the town didn't allow chickens...I had made the mistake of assuming they would. I mean, if I was able to in the city, why not a small town that's barely a town, right? So I had to get rid of my girls. No chickens, goats, cows, or "farm animals". I don't know if that includes rabbits, but I'm going to try my hand at it next year and see.
Gooood tips Natalie!! 👍👍 When we started gardening, we bought all our supplies, seeds and plants at a big box store. They didnt do so well. 🙁 The variety is limited at these stores and the plant quality is poor. We learned real quick wht a huge difference it makes when you buy quality seeds from a reputable store like Baker Creek (www.rareseeds.com). You can choose from a more specific, disease resistant list of seeds. We started a calendar, diary kinda journal thingy lol. We are keeping track of things like when we started seeds, what kinda soil we used, what and how much we amended soil with, did that specific plant like it, did it rain, when we fertilized and exactly how much. We hope it helps us through the years. Also, we bought blacklight flashlights to help find the hornworms on our tomato plants. It really works!! Those lil shits can eat a tomato plant overnight! It makes them sooo much easier to find cuz they glow in the dark!
I'm late to the poop party and also wished I had started first up with this but it is next on my list of projects and learnings.... will definitely check out your poop / worm series. Thanks!
I live on a 1/9 acre lot but grow abundantly in every single area and I’ve found growing vertically when possible to be a huge Beni fit. ❤ thanks for sharing your gardening tips too!
Water in morning to survive, evening to thrive. I used to work in the Garden Center in Walmart, and my manager stressed watering in both. Since the plants were just in pots, they'd dry out through the day. So, they got an hour of sprinklers before the store closed at 10, and they got an hour of sprinklers before the store opened at 8. Anything that was still dry after 8 was hand-watered. In the spring, if there was frost, those plants 100% got watered all over before the sun came up. We had very healthy plants. Walmart Canada doesn't allow for that anymore, and the plants are always dying, it seems...
Unfortunately over here in South Africa, there is nothing you can trust, buy potting soil only to first have to compost it, can't buy untreated wood even when the supplier says it's untreated it won't be, mulch, that will kill your plants and soil. Sad when making money becomes more important than honesty. When my small trees get bigger I will have mulch, but until then the plant will have to shade the soil. Even the gardening places sell rubbish, it's an uphill battle over here, but I am slowly winning.
Pretty lady it is good to see you again. This year I broke down and bought some decent ground cover, it sure saves these 75 year old knees a lot of work. God Bless you honey.
@@heyitsagoodlife As long as I can move going to have a garden. My garden is behind my garage, it is 28 feet by 16 . I got 30 tomato plants. Peppers, swiss chard, onions, cucumbers, potatoes and beets. Dill zinnias, bachelor buttons. And I can appreciate a pretty lady. Sending Love and hugs.
I live near central Dublin, very few homes have trees in their gardens. We are the exception, we have a few apple trees and a giant beech tree. The problem with big trees is that they sucks moisture and nutrients out of the nearby soil which makes it harder to grow veg in the vicinity. After we trimmed the trees back a bit, things improved. We should have done that sooner.
Very inspiring, thanks for the tips. Found a few garden boxes on sale at a website so buying and building now. Got my plants, so planting as soon as the planters are ready!
This video popped up in my recommendations and to be honest my expectations were very low. Normally "top 5" type videos end up wasting time. This video had great information. Well done!
Grow bags mean something so different in the UK 🤣 Your grow bags are actually so nice. Over here a 'grow bags' are basically flat bags of compost where you cut the top off to make a small.growing space. People in the uk often use them to grow tomatoes.
What a great video and right on time for me! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I have a container garden from last year I’m starting again, but put a few things in the ground last fall. I really want to take your advice on grow bags now. And I definitely need to get my GA clay soil prepared (which it is not). I am a new subbie as of today! 😊
Hey there and welcome! For growing in ground with clay soil, I really recommend the deep mulch method. Just lay cardboard down on the clay soil or grass. Water it down. Add 4-5” finished compost & plant! The cardboard will kill weeds or grass below and eventually breakdown overtime offering nutrients as well. Good luck & glad you’re here!
I have an urban homestead!! But I've only been gardening for 4 years now!! I'm still learning and its still touch and go!! I go with what works and what doesn't!! This year it will be different cause I now know what I'm doing!! Sort of!! LOL!!
Thank you Natalie! I follow you on Instagram and facebook, always like your pics and videos! What I would do differently is learn about proper spacing earlier rather than later. 😅
Hi. Welcome! I use red wigglers from Uncle Jim’s worm farm or from our local feed store! www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZPSSGY/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_glt_fabc_ZHGH3YE0YW7F657J0Z3B?linkCode=ml2&tag=natalieargo-20
Happy 4th of July, America's Independence Day of celebrating our freedom.🎆🎇✨🎆🎇✨ I hope you, your beatiful baby and husband have a safe and wonderful weekend.
I enjoyed the video, thank you for the information. I am a bit confused about the watering. I have seen others say it's best to water in the morning so leaves, if they get wet, have time to dry, avoiding diseases. Plus, the mosquitoes don't chew you up. Anyone have more insight on best watering time?
Great points. The approach you mention is an approach to watering that may be more appropriate to a more humid climate. Where we are, it’s very dry and the risk of disease when leaves get wet at night is minimal. Also. We don’t have hardly any mosquitos here in SoCal. Part of why the hike up prices I’m sure 😂
@@heyitsagoodlife I'm jealous you dont have mosquitoes. I am in Chicago. It's pretty hot and humid these days. Thanks for your reply and the good points to keep in mind.. Appreciated. I started gardening for the first time last year and am still trying to figure things out.
Oh I know. We are spoiled rotten out here. One day I hope to visit Chicago. My dad was born in Aurora! And of course. I hope it helps. Good for you for starting! You will find your groove. Just have to keep learning and experimenting. Good luck!
Hi! I live in Norway and a totally different climatzone. is there common rules for all zones would you say or do one have to ajust to zones in perticular?
There are lots of options. Namely bringing them somewhere cooler in the hot months. I have some ideas here in my worm farm playlist and a whole plethora of options for you in my course!
That is a great question. This is what is says on their website: “Three feedstocks are used to produce our products: Composted organics, brush and tree wood and construction wood.” From what I understand, they take foods craps and green waste from around the county, combine that with wood scraps, and churn out mulch.
Hi! Thanks for the info. I have a question: I live in an attached unit and have a small concrete patio where I will start growing in grow bags. There are rats/mice in the area that walk the patios and fences at night. What can be done to protect my growing food from them? Tyia!
Ooo that’s rough!! We’ve dealt with that too. There are options like pheromone sprays that you can use but truthfully the only thing that’s helped here are cats and rat traps :/
