🌱 Thanks to Reolink for sponsoring this video! https://Reolink.com/?aff=1016
Winter at SkyRidge can look still on the surface, but there’s a lot taking shape right now.
In this video, I’m sharing a look at where things stand across the property — how the chickens are settling into their new home, an unexpected development along the banana walk, a first glimpse at how we’re approaching Christmas in the gardens, and an early preview of the vegetable garden as it transitions into a fully designed terraced potager.
This isn’t a how-to or a big reveal. It’s a walk through the garden during a season of change — a moment to step back, take stock, and see how each space is coming together.
42 Comments
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I get the new direction and the need to make the business work. but I miss some of the cooking and such. what about holiday specials? Do a recipe or prep show for the feast holidays like Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, yadda yadda. And It can be just a few times a year and make it kind of how to use what you get blessed with from your garden. Cut flowers, food prep, favorite holiday dishes or traditions kind of thing? I do love what you are doing , but I also loved what you did. Just saying, I am a fan
o with the deeper beds
I'm elderly and crippled up by arthritis so raised beds are ethe only way to fly. All I have to do is walk up too them and pick or plant. No bending.
Hay!! Fun to learn that your son is about the same age as our granddaughter who is also a senior getting acceptance letters to colleges. Good luck to him and of course, you. Hope he gets some scholarship money.
Love the steps. It's a whole level up in terms of aesthetics and accessibility. It looks professional. If it's just accessibility you're concerned with, perhaps a few prefab wooden bridges such as are used to cross man-made streams? Not terribly expensive last I looked, and a wide variety available. But for that matter you could install ramps.
I had tall wood beds before we just moved. I LOVED them. Mine rotted quickly as well, though, even though I researched and painted the insides with an all natural product. It was expensive and definitely not worth it. At this house I’m either putting in metal beds or building stone ones. I love the steps up the middle of your rendering!
Brian i was watching some one talking to a farmer about eggs😅he raises his chicken purely outside but he keeps a goose and cuple of ducks this he said saves his chickens from hawksof i find the video again will try and link it
Happy Birthday Emily (yesterday)! I hope your day was special. Re: vegetable garden area and heavy rains. Would putting in stairs make a way for excess water to wash down a stairs area? Water will always find its way to the least resistance downhill exit. I like the picture with the pathway left clear but retaining walls in place. (from an erosion paranoia perspective)
Best wishes for 2026 Brian and Happy Christmas
YES! I love the idea of leaving the space for the stairs. It also provides some depth and dimension to an otherwise straight line.
You will lose chickens to ariel predetors, but their quality of life and health will be so much better. The roosters will warn them when to hide. We had over 70 mixed poultry (chickens, ducks turkeys, geese, and turkeys) free range. They thrived and bred completly free range, with accessto a creek, and rain forest. They perched and nested where ever they wanted. Disease was nil., egg production amazing. It was when we realised we hardly ate eggs and my husband wanted to put in koi ponds, that we gradually went out of "the poultry business".. by natural atrition and not letting them breed. I still twenty years later miss many of my feathery friends, the last peacock. passing, 3 years ago. Have a wonderful life Brian, happy birthday Emily, Cheers, Muffy PS..please, never, ever get goats. They will decimate EVERY THING!!!!! Merry Christmas.
I think the path idea is a great one! Also about the goats I watched a yard guy borrow someone’s goats and those goats cleared a horribly overgrown yard in under a week. It was unbelievable so that might be an option. Borrow or rent some goats. They will eat everything and all you have to supply is water for a week.
Happy Birthday Emily!!!!
Happy Birthday Emily🎉
Wait, the sheep are gone too? I missed a few videos….
How about a compromise on the stairs for now. Just have them come down from the very top leading down to the bottom bed. It does not have to be open where you were standing at the bottom. The design is very beautiful and practical too! I would love to come out of the house with my basket and pick things for my dinner that night. Love it!
One more thing . . . a winter cover crop for the entire garden should be mustard plant. Laura's mother on Garden Answer did this to get rid of the nematodes in her garden. She said let the plants grow tall, then cut them down and work the greens into your soil. She said it will get rid of many insects, etc. You might contact Laura to get the exact type of mustard plant. I am sure her parents sell the seeds at their garden center, or can offer a good source. This would be a little extra insurance when you finish tending to your new garden beds. NO MORE NEMATODES!
I bought solar Reolink cameras with hub. Great product! Thanks for the info.
How about some Hugleculture for filling the bottom of the beds with some soil in top?
I am the goat advocate. Also, you could consider renting goats from a 4H Kid. It helps you both out. It would also give you a preview of how much the goats would eat in a day as well as what it is like to have them around BEFORE you make a livestock investment.
Stairs don't look too hard to do… I can never get the garden to look like photos. Zack from an American homestead said that he will never own goats again. He said they act like drunken teenagers…. Just food for thought.
Happy Birthday Emily ❤
Merry Christmas to all 🎄
Garden plans are great, leave room for future stairs and pathway
Loved the format and the season of change at SkyRidge. Looking fabulous. Would those bananas grow at our location, too (since you've been here)?
And of course, happy birthday do Emily. CameraGuy
I hope you and your family have a Happy Christmas and a wonderful new year
Happy Birthday, Emilie! You did say it was your older chickens you put in the pasture area so you shouldn't be surprised they go to bed early, us mature ladies need our beauty sleep. I love the garden layout that gives you the option to add stairs later; in the meantime, you can put a few grow bags in the spaces if you really wanted something. Have you considered adding a macadamia tree or two somewhere on your property? I think you might have the right climate for them. Have a wonderful time with your family and I can't wait to see what 2026 brings.
ChatGPT for the win! Who knew? Brian, what about digging out the garden area so your new beds would still show the wall? I know, more work! Also stairs are nice, but would a ramp be more helpful? Thinking about wheeled carts, etc (no idea how you'd do ramps!).
Brian, do put in the stairs as soon as you are able. It enhances your whole house. Makes everything look more beautiful and will probably save you more steps than you can imagine. What? You are looking at college for Noah? I thought he just turned 16 and got his driver's license. Emilie was following him to school to make sure he got their safely. How fast the time flies by!
Merry Christmas
goats are a challenge to keep contained, just get a couple more sheep then when they are grown take to be processed
Just heard the forecast! Stay safe! I’m glad y’all are on a hill.
I like the stairs. They are built into the garden, but I think you could just add bricks in front of the wall.
Third try to help out Brian on nematodes. Grow mustard as a companion planting to your garden beds. Nematodes do not like mustard plants and will steer clear of your companion plantings. Hopefully, problem solved. Resource – Garden Answer channel on YouTube. The author's mother, is a farming seed store/garden plants, etc. store in the farming area of Oregon/Idaho. She has discovered that mustard planting cover crops are poisonous to nematodes. Here is another source confirming that fact. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L3BVL8lchUg
Garden Answer video also confirming mustard ground cover kills nematodes at the 9:31 timestamp in the video. Two gardeners confirming mustard ground cover kills nematodes. Just saying. Good luck and happy garden reset.
Happy Birthday Emily!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! What a beautiful retreat you have!
I love the chickens' "retirement home." I like your idea of leaving space to put in the stairs later when you have time. (This year, more Noah-time is important, even if it means less garden construction time right now.) Can you salvage a couple of the old beds for one more season to fill in the future-stair space? If you have a tomato trellis (or beans, cucumbers, etc.) running the same direction as your future path,with short crops on either side, you'll still see some of that gorgeous wall!
I love goats as much as the next person, had one years ago. They CLIMB, if they get out they will climb on your vehicles. So really do your research, I love the idea of steps.
What a lovely Bella! Love all your content!
It looked great! Do The stairs now, make another layer of stones so the walls will be higher. Try and dig the metalbeds down a little and then you have it like the picture! 😃
Love your videos, waiting for a new one!
great idea! leave space for the paths and stairs. yay for the future plan!!
Again – sweeping of all those eucalyptus leaves and foliage atop the new chicken shed roofing … hint, hint GIT UR DUN !
For the garden bed, install the walkway in the center atop the bed. BUT !!!, Just because CHAT said to tear out the rock walls and have in-stair walls. … (wait for it) …. What about some of all those excess wall blocks (in back of your at the end of the vid). Install a rock block star walk atop the garden bed and outward of the upper wall – and stair walk down into and onto the garden walk from the above ground level. Then, have the bottom-most wall with its own outside block stairs. No tearing out any already firm and stabilized rock walls, use of these excess wall blocks, and lay down a proper flat garden walk down the center. If you pour in quik-crete into these open block holes they will firm up the block stairs and all will be stable, easy to construct, etc.
If you are doing a tropical food forest in the pasture – then goats are a NO ! They will tear into all of the trees, shrubs, bark, etc – and the area will be destroyed.