The challenges of growing a primitive garden is multi-faceted. Preparation is a tremendously physical endeavor while invasion by hungry wildlife presents an ongoing battle over the land. Rabbits, rats, insects and deer continuously scavenge and forage the land in search of food. Exotic introduced crop species such as corn and squash provide exquisite new gourmet items for an otherwise unchanging menu. Once the varmints discover that the new plants are edible and tasty they seemingly spread this information among the species and more come to feast. In this video I test out different methods to stop the invasion.
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Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Hunter / gatherer societies follow migrations of animals and seasons of harvest to acquire food. Since ancient times people have also cultivated the earth and planted crops. So they could provide themselves with a reliable food source without the need to move with the seasons. I cleared a small plot of land to grow a garden near my hut. A lot of work went into the preparation of the soil. I planted a few varieties of corn and squash. The seeds sprouted very nicely and everything seemed to be going well. But then the varmints came and the battle for control over the garden began. Five days later. They are growing very well still. Twelve days later. The plants look good but there are signs of some being eaten. I’m going to replace the lost corn plants with new seeds. Now I’m going to build a fence to protect the garden from varmints. I suspect tht rabbits and wood rats have been snacking here. Young suckers from fallen willow trees are an excellent material for building fences. Nine days later. Unfortunately the fence is not deterring the varmints. This garden is really costing me a lot of time and energy. Maybe these dry palm leaves will help to deter them. At this point I will try and hope for the best. Fourteen days later. This white material is cochineal, a scale insect that lives on prickly pear cactus. Even this prickly pear cactus fell victim to the garden varmints. No introduced plant is safe from the hungry pests. This is absolutely devastating and sad. So much work was invested into this garden plot. These plants have survived so far. But I know that it is only a matter of time before they are eaten too. At first this garden was growing extremely well and I was certain that I would have a wonderful fall harvest. But the varmints discovered the new exotic food source and over time they became bolder and bolder and ate more and more. I thought of setting traps to capture them but I figured there are probably too many varmints out here. So, I decided to NOT invest any more time in a garden. The beauty of gathering wild food is having freedom from the chores of maintaining and protecting a garden. The wild oaks produce an enormous amount of food each year. So do the various fruit-bearing trees like the wild cherry and mesquite trees. The wild foods are both tasty and nutritious and require absolutely no cultivation. A forager who knows the wild foods in an area is more free than the farmer tending to his crops all year.
47 Comments
Take the loss as a motivator Chad, don't lose up on farming just choose the right crops , the one that are adaptive to the region and climate ( I suggest sunchoke, lettuce, sweet potatoes) also try to farm fast growing crops. Never give up Chad 💪💪💪
Or just stick the willow branches themselves in the ground and weave them together as they grow.
Try to fence your garden by planting opuncia around it! It is quiet functional when planting trees? The opuncia also function as a water storage in drought? Great video by the way
χαρισματικος τσαντ.
Aku ikut sedih melihat kebunmu 😢 semoga kamu menemukan cara untuk mengatasinya
Sorry for what happened, brother. That’s definitely disappointing. Perhaps traps would be your friends next. Make a fence made of thorns if there are available in your area. At least next time, you will worry no more. Use some ashes too. It will help repel bugs.
well the garden failed but the content was very good as always! if u ever start a garden again i would start it by building a 2 feet rock or brick wall then cover up the top with branches ..but that is a lot of work. focus on what works for u… we will be watching! thank you!
Time to hunt the animals, by using 50 cal equipped with night vison scope
Чад не переживай 😌 возможно тебе нужен забор повыше
Irish spring soap , hung on stick and a 22 if the soap doesn't work.😂 The soap works.
Absolutely agree. 💯
Man the walls!😂
You need to pee around the garden to fend off varmints.
By the way, you can eat the pumpkin plant leaves fried or baked to wrap food like meat, it tastes quite good.
LOL the title : You and EVERY person who ever grows ANY veggies. good luck 🤣🤣
1:10 there are a lot of white spots on your squash leaves, do you think that's a nutrient deficiency, or insects, or does that variety just grow like that?
3:37 perhaps the next time you harvest the purple cactus fruit, maybe it would be a good idea to plant then evenly spaced AROUND the perimeter of the garden, as a natural deterrent, because of the spikes. And, hey, if that doesn't work, at some point you'll have your favorite treat right next to the hut! I wonder if you would like some yellow muscadine grapes? I can cut as many sucker vines as you would like. Start a vineyard if you like. 🤣🤣
Agriculture was/is a major shift in the evolution of nature, towards civilization, technology and machines. It is the same type force that killed the buffalo. I have often found myself in nature, working only to rebuild civilization. The true art is in Nomadic Bushcraft and survival, which you are very good at.😊
10:17 I would suggest making it taller by adding mud to it, in a wattle and daub style, and then increasing the height further with simple mud bricks, I assume at least 4 feet tall would keep out rabbits and rats. Also, I figure if they can't SEE the crops, maybe they won't care?
12:47 OH NO! 😭😭
It just show the more work you put into something more blank you are at the end. Regardless how many times you try you will fail yet you still try over and over.
So sorry, how disheartening for you. Glad you found positive vibes in wild foraging plants
Eh set up a couple of figure 4 deadfalls for rabbits and wood rats but I seem to remember that the canyon lands hantivirus and bubonic plague was still a threat so cook meat very well
E muito bom poder ver seus conteúdos lembro d quando vc feis a casinha de tijolo manual aquele foi um belo trabalho ❤salve aqui do brasil
😢
Does a scarecrow helps?
do you think the Navaho's weren't free tending to crops find the most noxious weed or thorn tie them directly to the plant stems so if you eat my plants I won't stop you but you will be sick and full of thorns. those that attacked your garden were local pests or deer I would have made a meal out of the deer fertilizer out of a rat never touch a rat but dig a hole and bury rat next to plant by flicking him in hole with a stick a paiute deadfall would be good for them
your lazy old man not good for survival
had it been me I would have planted more and made deer traps javelina traps figure 4 traps and a lot of them and eaten venison and pig like creatures.
I know your done farming but what about very small plants that mabe you could make a large pot out of clay and keep near or even in your hut to maintain a watchful eye on.
Antik persler gibi kerpiç duvar ile çevrelenmiş bahçeler yapmalısın Chad. Kolay Gelsin.
Hey Chad, I’m sorry the garden ended up doing more harm than good for you.. this is an unfortunate thing to happen amongst the best of us. I admire your persistence in moments like this. Have you stayed out there in times to catch them in the act?
execute Order 66 !!!
Lo siento mucho amigo😢sé lo frustrante que es ver todo el esfuerzo comido por aliñamas,una vez intenté hace un huerto en casa y los pájaros hacían festines todos los dias,hasta puse una cortina tipo velo y fue peor,ya que la ocuparon como un privado😂😂y cada vez había dentro más pajaritos se pasaron el dato.Claro eran especies que jamás habían degustado las que plantaste,se volvieron locos.Pero lo intentaste 💪🛖🦶🔥
Don't plant near Pine tree even if its grows it will never be healthy or sweet i don't know the name of the tree but it looks like pine 🌲
Dig a pit around the garden and make a wall of stone and wet soil with a foundation and fill the pit and find thorny bushes and plants, after drying spread them properly around the garden walls with a good thickness, keep only a small path to enter the garden and that too should be restricted,
Sprinkle ash on the plants to protect them from insects and pests
I am saddened to see the condition of the garden, but more than that I am saddened by the fact that you have given up farming.😢
Another amazing video 🎉
Thank you chad ❤❤
I catch varmints and often eat them alive. I burn their skin and bones to mix with dry soil. I grow my vegetables and fruit trees in large terracotta pots. I also grow some on the ground but it is walled up so noone can get in. I specially grow vegetables on the ground to attract varmints. I set a nice trap for them…Rabbits, field mice, rats, birds even some reptiles and boars I catch during the summer season. The best meat is boar meat, then rabbit. Sometimes boars try to strike back especially if they have babies but I have a nice surprise for the whole family. I dug 2m hole in the ground and covered it with bushes and leaves. When they chase me they fall in the holes that I dug. The boar meat lasts me the whole year. mmm delicious….
How do you charge your camera?
I wonder if you can eat the squash leaves. We use the laves of pumpkins as a vegetable. How about planting some watercress in the stream?
hola, usa tabaco coyote o tabaquillo, el tabaco es un excelente plaguicida.
I was really rotting for that garden to thrive to. Darn it.
Hi Chad, this is devastating. In Sri Lanka, some rural communities practice slash and burn farms. I've spent some time among them and observed. The burn is very important because the smell of burning drives the bugs and other vermins away for a while. They will eventually return of course and become a headache such that the farmer has to stay awake every night to protect his crops from vermins.
Peace is not the answer!
Chad, here's an interesting video idea and possible crop growing solution for your situation: Make a natural fish pond that maybe fills itself during rain and fence half the pond in the middle with your wattle method so the fish remain on the one side. Then create a wattle raft/bed on the other side with soil on top. Plant your seeds in there, the plants will receive their nutrients and water from the fish water below as their roots grow into the water. Just leave some good space between the raft/bed and the pond edge so the creatures can't get to them unless there are some swimmers out there. The fish could be fed with some greens and bugs, they will likely feed on any little bastards floating towards the raft, possibly also a harvest the fish if you put in a particular you'd prefer eating.
But lucky you are indeed to be able to forage! Keep at it 💪
So sad to see the garden, I think the plot might fit some banana or papaya plants, their leaves are bitter to animals' taste and their trunks can be wrapped