Hey Kevin, A business partner and I are making gardening a business in Kentucky. We consult people on the best way to be successful with their space and we maintain the crops as a monthly service fee. We are starting with building raised beds for people, but we want to branch off to building food regenerative forests and modifying the land with swales, constructing greenhouses, and many other services to help people become more self-sustainable. We even have a solar panel guy and a few contractors to do some more interesting stuff in the future. Thank you for all of your help! You have been an inspiration that reassures me we are headed down the right path and a resourceful well of knowledge. You are a gentleman and a scholar.😃
I want to thank you. I'm a firefighter in Québec Canada. I have a injury during a training. My brain is damaged. I can't work anymore. BUT. I CAN GARDEN. Your channel bring me ideas. You bring me hope. Gardening brings me peace. Thank you for your work.
Kevin, what makes your channels so wonderful to me, is that you let us see you as a normal person...you make mistakes, you change your mind, you forget to harvest, you run out of time and energy to get things done. And your excitement with teaching us is so encouraging! I absolutely love your pond, mural, chicken coop, fencing, paving projects!!! And you are having so much fun!! Thank you!!!!
I just succeeded in growing the world’s smallest garlic it’s about the size of a nickel with many individual cloves 😂 hopefully a better harvest next year!
My 4 garlic bulbs, which I grew last year (inspired by Kevin) in a pot with soil from a previous attempt at lettuce, using leftover cloves, left alone and neglected, were also small, though much bigger than yours. But they delicious- best garlic I ever had!
You can make even tinier garlic if you harvest the scapes, set them in a vase of water to allow flowers to open. Leave them to dry out and they go to seed. Plant the seeds and voila! Garlic chives
Never thought of gardening till I stumbled across your channel. First year in my own house now and I've converted 250 square feet of the yard into garden, and gardening is my dog and mine's favorite thing to do!! Thanks for inspiring me!
I thought Kevin had another business selling the extra food at a Farmer's Market. Lovely to know that low income people and families in need will get all that surplus wholesome and organic vege.
Very cool to donate excess to the food bank! All my favorite channels aren't just about learning, it's the positive vibes and energy you all radiate. BTW, grew a Navajo melon once, incredible flavor.
Love San Diego seed company and I love that you’re promoting them! Im not surprised you get recognized in public, you’re the best kind of celebrity. Your channel is wholesome, educational and entertaining. I’m sorry people have tried to hunt you down, even at your own home… that’s so weird and creepy. I hope that never happens again.
oh man I hope this isnt happening! I've watched this beautiful bibical botanist since he moved in, would be such a shame for people to be weird and do that shit. I'd protect him with my life
Very creepy. Since the third of an acre homestead is almost completely full up it could be a great idea to have a larger homestead back up plan. Northern Oregon and Washington get as cold as BC in winter. Ten or twenty acres could grow a lot more garlic without having to refrigerate it. A person could be comfortable in summer and migrate back to the original homestead if cold winters are any problem ...they aren't for apples or garlic. The dragon fruit and most citrus need those San Diego type warm winters.
Oh, you are SO right about the satisfaction you get when you try & grow something successfully for the first time! I’ve tried growing onions for several years, in three different locations, with little success. BUT this year, I planted my onions in a raised bed with a cold frame - and it worked! I’ve started harvesting and curing onions I’m proud of.
Love the AMA format, no matter if it's gardening or business or whatever. Also appreciate your clarity on GMO vs non-GMO farming - we as retail consumers cannot purchase GMO seeds, but HOW anyone grows crops is of much greater importance. Also throwing a vote out there for Johnny's Selected Seeds - everything I've gotten from them has had phenomenal germination rates and overall health. :)
I'm so happy someone asked about the California water restrictions! I was worried about how you and other fellow gardeners would be affected, but it's nice to hear things are doing good. I figured especially since you have the grey water system and other means to collect water. Living in the deserts of AZ, I too worry about the restrictions coming here, but there are plenty of drought resistant plants to work with! Thank you for the vids per usual!
"Where you spend your dollars is a vote for the type of world you want to exist" PREACH this is so important for people to be aware of. That's exactly why I started buying seeds from Botanical Interests !! I love you guys and hope to contribute to anything yall are up to.
I love how you guys are always sharing and donating your harvest! No one should go hungry and no food wasted. I’m growing peppers, tomatoes and zucchini right now.
Huw Richards, another excellent gardening channel, has been covering a bunch of techniques from jadam. He's also launching an experimental farm to test a whole bunch of gardening techniques.
though I live in Oregon now, I was born in Sacramento and Grew up in a few different cities in Contra Costa County.. I miss being able to have citrus and almond trees in my yard and growing nice big tomatoes..Now I grow smaller tomatoes..a couple years back now, my best friend thought I was crazy, but I had 20 individual tomato plants.. fun times. :)
I salute you, Kevin, for donating food to the foodbank. Many people in my state are homeless and hungry, and the local farmers have been awesome here have donated great amounts of food to the food banks. It is so wonderful for we who WORK at the foodbank love being able to offer fresh, local produce to the folks we are serving. Thank you!
As far as sunlight goes, also figure out where south is relative to your property. Sounds super obvious, but I'm directionally challenged, so this helped me quite a bit. Then you can get a sense of the "solar aspect" of your property and see how buildings or large trees impact it.
One worry about Oregon. Oregon Bill IP13 would criminalize raising food animals in the state. Even if this doesn't pass, it means there are those who want such restrictions and will likely continue to fight for what they want to impose.
Bravo fo donating to the local food bank! BTW, I moved from southern Oregon (Klamath Falls) to Central Oregon. Water is short in the southern part of the state and a lot of native rights are being fought in the south. I'm now in the high desert (zones 3-4) and growing in challenging to say the least.
Appreciate the honesty and giving back to your community through food banks. I personally recommend your channel and the rusted garden to everyone here in the midwest. Its great to take knowledge from both zones and incorporate it and experiment it with what we do here
Yay!! I’ve been so very curious about what you do with all that produce (I’m married with 4 kids, do a tiny garden, and I’m still giving produce away), and I’m so glad you donate it! Way to be a part of the “free service” trend on RU-vid!
Very cool, thx! For the gmo seeds, some of the controversy is around them being pushed in some producer countries as non reproducible seeds, ensuring the farmers dependence on the maker
Loved this. Friday, I planted up my 2 6 in 1 birdies in Michigan ❤️. One is filled with tomatoes, for canning. The other one, watermelon, sugar daddy, pole beans with trellis, arugla, nante carrots, and 3 Roma tomatoes, that needed a home. I didn't want orphaned Roma's 😊🌱🌱🌱🌱
And I have containers with potatoes, bunching onions, blueberries, raspberries, carrots, lettuce and more beans. And my greenstalk with herbs, strawberries, and lettuce and spinach. I garden in a small footprint in the burbs. I love my little homestead😉
My mom just moved from Los Angeles County to Oregon. She is still trying to get used to the weather and how to garden there vs here. While here the weather is more forgiving, she lost a couple plants when she was surprised with the snow.
The midwest, particularly near the Mississippi river is very resilient from droughts because of the river. St. Louis is 6b/6a. I'm in Atlanta and its a pretty mild, and lots of rain. Basically solid 8a zone with climate change. This past winter was above average and the lowest temp we got was 22F, which would put us at 9a. Always wild to see how Portland, Salem, Boise are such high zones despite being very northern. Of course you have to watch out for the light levels. The high zone + a large greenhouse or polytunnel can work well, but it will be very very dark in the winter.
10:00 "What would be better homegrown rather than store bought?" One of the best answers to this is, any plant that converts sugars to starches over time. We tend to prefer simple sugars (it's why sucrose addiction is a thing), while plants will convert them to starches as a "OK let's set that aside for when we encounter optimal germination". The best example of this off the top of my head is garden peas-- they'll taste OK to gross in the store, but freshly picked they're supposedly delicious. Sweet corn will also do this, so you want to eat or freeze that ASAP. And yes, because supermarkets will desire sale weight and shelf life over flavor, store-bought fresh tomatoes will taste quite watery. Canned tomatoes, on the other hand... GMO seeds... I mean, yeah, if there's anything we can take away from our "better living through chemicals" from 70+ years ago, it's that we really do not know the long-term consequences of a technology until we really have used it over decades. Usually those who sell GMO seeds wouldn't want a nasty mutation to cause destruction of some kind, that would potentially wreck their business. At the same time, Monsanto isn't exactly the kind of company I'd want to buy from. Also, a known issue with GMO seeds is that the licensing is so strict that a subsistence farmer in, say, India wouldn't be able to save some seed from a crop, which works against some of the stated goals of GMO crops (solving world hunger). Speaking of excess produce: I have 2 quart-jars of plum wine soaking, and started some salt-cured plums (umeboshi). To be honest one really doesn't consume fresh Asian plums, they tend to go into other products. The other fruiting trees that tend to do really well are citrus and pomegranate. I'd like to freeze a bunch of pomegranate juice now that I know I can just chuck the arils into a blender then strain it off, maybe boil that down for pomegranate molasses. Also preserved lemons because why not. Ooo... you're selling mushroom grow kits. I'll grab a shiitake kit at some point. I'm told wood ears are super easy and wholesome.
I liked the video. I enjoy seeing the behind the scene sort to speak and understand you better as a person Kevin. I really got into gardening 1.5 years ago. Or around when covid happened and now my dream and goal is to move back to Australia and open my own plant nursery so I can have a positive impact for others, like you have had for me. I love gardening and have over 30 fruit trees now in Arizona and almost 30 varieties of dragonfruit.
Epic Gardening...Epic Homesteading ✊🏾 Epic Cooking is just a natural addition. As you try your hand at making epic dishes, you can collaborate with “farm to garden” chefs to cook from your garden or theirs.
I would love to see a video about Jadam! When you learn more about it, please consider doing one, the concept sounds so interesting. Maybe see if someone is an expert in your area and see if they'll jump in on a video with you. Love the content, thanks for always teaching me so much!
You are right, it is so much fun to do. Today was planting day for me and every year it’s so much fun planning the garden, growing, and harvesting. Each year we try new things and it’s fun seeing what works and what doesn’t.
I'm so happy I'm not the only one that knows who Matt Mulholland is! (The recorder version of the Titanic theme...) He's hilarious and also a super gifted songwriter.
I loved your book. It was very helpful for me as a new gardener. I have found so much joy in growing my own fruits and veggies. My parents always had a green thumb but I never thought I had the gift until I read your book and watched a few of your videos. Now I have a full garden in my sunroom and a hydroponic system growing lettuce and herbs on my countertops. Thank you for all of your insight and knowledge about gardening and sustainability. Blessing to you and your business!
I used to live in Southern Oregon and let me just say that it is VERY red. I’d say that the one exception is Ashland which I would definitely check out.
Like eastern Oregon? Oregon is like Maryland (my state) in a way. Far western part is West Virginia red, far eastern part is Alabama red (slavery continued for several years after the emancipation proclamation because MD was exempted since it didn’t secede) and central, where I am, is northeast liberal. I’m glad I live where I live.
I’ve lived in Southern a Oregon and Southwest Washington and both are wonderful. Politically and culturally very very different but both very beautiful.
Yay you! I donate surplus to local foodbank too. Sometimes I grow things I don't like...just because i can and donate all that doesn't get given away to family friends, sold at roadside stands and or local markets. Some of the foods I grow I allow to over ripe or go to seed. Also, just because it can be done! One year a friend allowed me to prune his over abundance of lavender. From hem I made sachets and dry flower arrangements. Recently made some essential oils. When the sachets got old I planted the seeds.....Wow! Can your seeds be shipped to Canada??? (Wasabe horseradish?)
If your still shopping for an area to move, check out Arkansas. Great growing seasons, mild winters, and a ton of green spaces. Way too many things to list but most of all, one of the cheapest states to live in.
We don’t have water restrictions either (yet). I’m in Riverside County. We got an email from the water company (Rancho CA Water) basically letting us know that we may have them soon, but as of right now we’re okay.
So awesome that you are able to contribute to the food bank! Everyone deserves to eat healthy food. Some cities have a program called, "grow a row", which donates fresh produce to those in need. Sad, that you weren't able to replant the avocado trees!
How about starting that big cabbage towards the end of summer? September through May or June? Keep a micro insect net on it covering it completely for the whole growing period? Also a better set up for shade.
If you are trying to grow tropicals you may actually want to add sand into a patch of soil...South Florida soil is a loamy sand over a bedrock of limestone. My mom was a landscape designer and I grew up on a nusrey, the only thing she ever added for trees was a little compost. I can't imagine them doing well in clay at all, I think they need that drainage. My experience is mostly what I was taught by my parents (and know nothing about growing in California) but my instinct would be to fill in with a 50/50 sand and compost. Could be a fun experiment!
Tysm for those links! We are planting in our backyard without professional help and I have been struggling with finding native plant ideas. Calscape is perfect ❤️❤️
We used to grow bananas in East County San Diego... Honestly they were great while we had them, but they were a ton of work, and used a LOT of water. We had 3 varieties, and each year we would pull the pups off and sell them. We probably pulled 4 or 5 bunches off the trees, as we limited them to 1 adult tree per variety before we finally cut all of them out of our yard.
I loved this! Please, would you do more of these. I like the question & answer format, but it was easy to listen to as I poked around the garden. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the way you do your other videos, but with those, I'm too busy watching so I can't do anything else. Today, as I heard you say something about tomatoes ripening off the vines, compared to dragon fruit, I walked over and checked out my tomato germination rate and it was nice to see them sprouting up. :)
It is fun! And it's one of those things that there is always something to learn to make it better. I'm obsessed with my garden and I'm excited to get good at it
amazing you are... ive bin watching you for years ive bin gardening for years learning all i can we soled our house and now we have an acre in town and we are going nuts planting fruit trees so far 18 of them yay
Gonna reiterate my initial comment. I would REALLY love to know what your ideas are around long-term veggie and fruit storage. I’m really all set with growing, but it’s the processing and storing that I struggle with. Living in Texas, I don’t have the ability to have a root cellar because we don’t have basements. So how does someone living in a warmer climate without a basement store their food long-term? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Freezer: A small one. This is my goal, because even those of us with basements might not want to use them if we are in a high radon area. Radon can really accumulate in a basement but often affects the whole home.
Love your gardening content! Will you be adding any homesteading/gardening content for people in zones 3-6? Would love to have more education esp from a drier climate to more of a humid one in those zones. Happy growing! Much love from Colorado Springs, CO🥰🥰
I love rock cllmbing and gardening too!!! Would be so cool to see you do some of these not garden related hobbies one day... maybe not as an epic gardening vid since its not related but still would be cool as a small segment!
I loved using california wild garden's pre planned gardens for my native plant landscape. They use a lot of Cali native plants in their pre-planned designs and they have a permaculture approach as well. It made it so much easier for me as I was having a hard time wading through all the native plants and wanting to have edibles intermingled as well. Was just thinking something like that might be useful for you as you design the curb strip.
I would like to try growing luffa and hope you try it again with better success. There's an exotic tropical plant nursery in Chula Vista. If you ever go there, please include it in a video. I've lived in zone 10b all my life, but I'm unfamiliar with so many tropical fruit that I haven't bothered to purchase trees to grow them at home. I'd like to grow a mango tree, though. Store bought produce is so unimpressive, especially their tomatoes and plums. I have an 80 ft tall "paper shell" pecan tree, Fuyu persimmons, apple pears, figs, avocados, a Burgundy plum and the best tasting citrus. Luckily, they're surviving my neglect over the past few years due to illness, but your videos are helping me rehab my way back out to the garden. Thanks Kevin, Jacques and the Epic Team.
I’m so happy you are offering a drip tape system! Just in time for me! I can’t wait until Epic contacts me! I had just looked at Drip Depot, but your system will be perfect for my Birdies and cheaper! Thanks, Kevin.
Fabulous video. I really enjoyed it. Sent you a text PM, so I hope you get it. Thank you for all you do and how you keep it real. It's great that you understand not everyone can afford things in the same manner and that was shown by you explaining you stayed at a friend's apartment for $400/month writing articles! Your chickens are almost the same age as mine. You might not start getting eggs until late September or so. You have full-sized chickens whereas I have Silkie bantams (mine won't lay until they're about 6-9 months old). Since it's warmer in Z10B than my Z9B, mine might not lay until next spring. I've been gardening 50 years but only 2 in Z9B, so I've been learning quite a bit from you. Edited to add that if you do buy something in Oregon (where I've lived), stay out of Lane County. It's the most expensive county in Oregon and not much cheaper than here in Cali. Also, you can plan on 48" or more of rain, although summers are pretty. Washington (family lives there) gets a ton of snow . . . and a very short growing season. Northern Nevada might be okay.
In Australia here, birdies bed irrigation system setup would be great. Would also love to get access to the seedling trays, 4 and 6 cell I've looked and nothing like yours here. Keep on growing. 😀
I loved this program. I thought several live programs would be like this but they spend so much time greeting listeners, that I get sidetracked. Thank you for answering some personal business questions.
I live in zone 7B in NC and its terrible lol. Humidity is god awful here. Going outside for 2 minutes in the summer feels like getting out of the shower and getting dressed without drying off. I keep a battery powered leaf blower near by and take breaks to cool off/dry off.
I like the format. I have two questions for next time. 1) do you think all the cost (not including your personal time) into growing your own food is lower than buying at the grocery store? 2) do you have formal training or just self taught from experience, books, and other youtube channels?
Every time I hear about your dragon fruits, pineapples, bananas and all your warm weather crops, I get so jealous! I live in Canada, so there's no such thing as warm weather crops, especially not ones that can survive five months of winter!
