Great tips! Do you know what I do with my extra seedlings? I give them to my friends and students! And many of them have started their own vegetable gardens! That makes sooo happy! ❤️
It's corn for me that I'm not doing this year. I either get terrible pollination or it gets decimated by squirrels. This year I'm doing more melons and I can protect whatever fruits grow with netting etc.
Mulching with comfrey. A couple of years ago I noticed that my allotment tomato plants didn't look the happiest. So I picked some comfrey leaves and dotted a couple around the base of each plant. Put enough soil on each leaf to stop it blowing away. A week or so later the tomato plants were looking happier. No issue with slugs because it was a warm part of the year. So attest that it does make a difference
I plan to explore 4 principles this summer: Less lawn. At 58 my goal is to not need a mower by the time I retire 🙂 one part will be meadow + mushroom that likes meadow More of those I always bring home from the store. Swede, onions of all denominations, carrots, fennel, green peas and green beans, brussel sprouts. More shade tolerant crops bc my garden leans north (asian brassicas, asian radishes) + Smart placement of my sun loving favourites! Tomato, hot and sweet peppers, cucumber Low carb bc my body wants less of those or makes me suffer… Meat based, best veggies to give variation. Root celery, kohl rabi, cabbage, asparagus, zucchini.
Totally agree—better spacing and pick often. Our temps in the Upper Midwest last summer have increased and the dew points also to unbearable. This humidity is concerning not just because it’s unbearable, but it causes diseases and I will need to space plants farther apart for air flow. Just like if you plant zinnias close together they get tall and skinny and farther apart they can actually look like a rose shrub. Your book combining recipes with vegetables is a nice concept.
The grow season for most plants is all year, unless you live in extremely hot or cold part of the world, I work on the lawn mowing season, if you mow your lawns in the middle of the winter then you can grow some vegetables all year. Garden in a country with bad white butterflies, netting allows me to grow year round. But don’t sow brassica the last month of spring and autumn as the plants struggle in our hottest and coldest months.
Thanks for that information. I’m quite new to growing and there’s only me and my husband, do you have a video or fact sheet on what crops you can grow together in the same bed as I don’t need 10 cauliflowers/brassicas and I only have a limited space to grow in. I’m quite good at the sowing but the growing them on is proving quite challenging, I think I’m trying to grow too many different plants too so I’ve absolutely taken your advice on the grow what you want to eat! I’ve got 10 Kohl Rabi seedlings growing and I’ve never had that vegetable in my 65 years of life 😂😂
I'm really into two things you said (excuse any misinterprets…): first, soil temp is the best thing to track in the garden and to plant by, instead of relying on some planting calendar. Understand the process of how your garden space warms and cools with seasons and light intensity. Second, there should be no guilt with a closed-loop soil to table to compost system. Don't worry about having too many seedlings, vegetables going bad in the fridge, not eating that giant squash that someone gifted you. They all return to the earth and your garden via your compost setup and feed future plants.
YES!!! We don’t like eggplant, but I plant a handful of seeds every year to give plants to friends who do like them and then I plant 2-3 for my garden strictly for the compost pile! I get the funniest looks until people really think about it! I bought some comfrey seeds this year to try your idea of placing around my compost bin. Hmm. I should be sure it’s ok to have around cattle in case it gets into the pasture, which is next to garden.
I'm excited to get your new book, I have all of the others! One other thing is that it is ok to grow vegetables because they look beautiful too! I don't like chicory but the pink stuff looks amazing. I have taught myself not to feel guilty for not eating it… after all I don't feel guilty for not eating grass 😂😂
An easy small change I've been doing — sometimes there are things that grow much better when I buy them as a fully grown vegetable (eg green onion/shallots) from organic markets with the roots still intact, and just plonk them straight in the soil. I thought they might not do as well since they're already 'old' but honestly, doing far better than the ones I grew from seed.
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Great tips! Do you know what I do with my extra seedlings? I give them to my friends and students! And many of them have started their own vegetable gardens! That makes sooo happy! ❤️
I cover my beds in homemade compost and still have no idea how people can run out of compost lol i always have loads spare😂
Have the book on pre-order, out 3-20 here in the USA
The WISDOM. So so good!
It's corn for me that I'm not doing this year. I either get terrible pollination or it gets decimated by squirrels. This year I'm doing more melons and I can protect whatever fruits grow with netting etc.
Just love the compost idea. My compost didn't work well as a mulch in our summer heat, as it would juat dry up
Mulching with comfrey. A couple of years ago I noticed that my allotment tomato plants didn't look the happiest. So I picked some comfrey leaves and dotted a couple around the base of each plant. Put enough soil on each leaf to stop it blowing away. A week or so later the tomato plants were looking happier. No issue with slugs because it was a warm part of the year. So attest that it does make a difference
Bought your book and the one about hotbeds that you mentioned before and will devour the info.
Good morning from Northern Ontario Canada, just getting started with the seed-starting here. Great tips and motivation Huw!
I plan to explore 4 principles this summer:
Less lawn. At 58 my goal is to not need a mower by the time I retire 🙂 one part will be meadow + mushroom that likes meadow
More of those I always bring home from the store. Swede, onions of all denominations, carrots, fennel, green peas and green beans, brussel sprouts.
More shade tolerant crops bc my garden leans north (asian brassicas, asian radishes) + Smart placement of my sun loving favourites! Tomato, hot and sweet peppers, cucumber
Low carb bc my body wants less of those or makes me suffer… Meat based, best veggies to give variation. Root celery, kohl rabi, cabbage, asparagus, zucchini.
Nice. Looking forward to the new book. If you haven't seen it, check out jadam natural farming, its incredible.
Book came today. Looking forward to reading it!
Totally agree—better spacing and pick often. Our temps in the Upper Midwest last summer have increased and the dew points also to unbearable. This humidity is concerning not just because it’s unbearable, but it causes diseases and I will need to space plants farther apart for air flow.
Just like if you plant zinnias close together they get tall and skinny and farther apart they can actually look like a rose shrub.
Your book combining recipes with vegetables is a nice concept.
Garlic is a great succession plant in my area. It’s done in June, just in time to plant all the heat loving plants like okra and peppers.
The grow season for most plants is all year, unless you live in extremely hot or cold part of the world, I work on the lawn mowing season, if you mow your lawns in the middle of the winter then you can grow some vegetables all year. Garden in a country with bad white butterflies, netting allows me to grow year round. But don’t sow brassica the last month of spring and autumn as the plants struggle in our hottest and coldest months.
Kohl rabbi is just an overgrown radish 😂😂😂
Great video as usual.
Thanks for that information. I’m quite new to growing and there’s only me and my husband, do you have a video or fact sheet on what crops you can grow together in the same bed as I don’t need 10 cauliflowers/brassicas and I only have a limited space to grow in. I’m quite good at the sowing but the growing them on is proving quite challenging, I think I’m trying to grow too many different plants too so I’ve absolutely taken your advice on the grow what you want to eat! I’ve got 10 Kohl Rabi seedlings growing and I’ve never had that vegetable in my 65 years of life 😂😂
Sometimes small changes have big results.
Looking forward to getting your new book! Thank you again for lots of great tips. 🥬 🥦 🥕 🧅
Wonderful encouragement to prevent us from just giving up 😂❤🙇🏻♀️
I'm really into two things you said (excuse any misinterprets…): first, soil temp is the best thing to track in the garden and to plant by, instead of relying on some planting calendar. Understand the process of how your garden space warms and cools with seasons and light intensity. Second, there should be no guilt with a closed-loop soil to table to compost system. Don't worry about having too many seedlings, vegetables going bad in the fridge, not eating that giant squash that someone gifted you. They all return to the earth and your garden via your compost setup and feed future plants.
YES!!! We don’t like eggplant, but I plant a handful of seeds every year to give plants to friends who do like them and then I plant 2-3 for my garden strictly for the compost pile! I get the funniest looks until people really think about it! I bought some comfrey seeds this year to try your idea of placing around my compost bin. Hmm. I should be sure it’s ok to have around cattle in case it gets into the pasture, which is next to garden.
Thank you for another great video
I'm excited to get your new book, I have all of the others! One other thing is that it is ok to grow vegetables because they look beautiful too! I don't like chicory but the pink stuff looks amazing. I have taught myself not to feel guilty for not eating it… after all I don't feel guilty for not eating grass 😂😂
An easy small change I've been doing — sometimes there are things that grow much better when I buy them as a fully grown vegetable (eg green onion/shallots) from organic markets with the roots still intact, and just plonk them straight in the soil. I thought they might not do as well since they're already 'old' but honestly, doing far better than the ones I grew from seed.
Huw can we get a signed copy of your book? If so, how?
Excited to get your new book, these are great tips, thanks so much!