If you know people in your life who want to learn to garden, it’s so helpful to be able to teach them. Knowing what they need to know, what they don’t need to know, and giving them just the right amount of information to keep them from getting too overwhelmed.
For more information, visit the BLOG: https://rootsandrefuge.com/gardening-for-beginners/
For the seed-starting BLOG visit here: https://rootsandrefuge.com/starting-seeds-indoors/
Grab my gardening book here: https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-ftgbook
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Hey ya’ll, I’m Jess from Roots & Refuge Farm
Welcome to a place that feels like home. A small farm with a big family. We hope you’ll pull up a chair, grab some coffee and visit awhile.
There was a time that all I wanted in the world was a little farm where I could raise my family and grow our food. Now, that is exactly what exists outside my door. In watching it unfold, a new dream was formed in my heart – to share this beautiful life with others and teach them the lessons we’ve learned along the way. Welcome to our journey, friend. I am so glad you’re here.
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WHERE TO FIND US (Some of the links here are affiliate links. If you purchase through our links we’ll receive a small commission but the price remains the same – OR BETTER – for you! Be sure to check for any mentioned discount codes.)
– Our Website: https://rootsandrefuge.com
– Sign up for our newsletter: https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-signup
– Join our Patreon to get early access to podcasts and other information, plus monthly LIVES with me and Miah: https://patreon.com/rootsandrefuge
– Abundance+ (Grab a FREE 7-day trial): https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-wilder-still
– Shop our Stickers & Shirts: https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-shop
– Order my first book, “First Time Gardener”: https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-ftgbook
– Order my second book, “First Time Homesteader”: https://rootsandrefuge.com/first-time-homesteader-yt
– Instagram: www.instagram.com/roots_and_refuge
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootsandrefugefarm
– Email Us: rootsandrefuge@yahoo.com
– To drop us a line:
PO Box 4239
Leesville SC 29070
– To have a gift sent to our house from our Amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/SFA0IZHZRCOZ?ref_=wl_share
– To support us through PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jessicasowards
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PRODUCTS WE LOVE – You’ve probably heard me talk about these things a million times, so here’s where you can order them (and get a discount with my code!):
– Greenstalk Vertical Gardens (Use code “ROOTS10” for $10 off your order): https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-greenstalk
– Squizito Tasting Room (Use code “ROOTS” for 10% off your order): https://rootsandrefuge.com/yt-squizito
– ButcherBox: https://rootsandrefuge.com/butcherbox
– Growers Solution: https://rootsandrefuge.com/growers-solution
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33 Comments
Do Not Trust anyone that self proclaims they are an expert gardener! There are just too many variables and too many new things to learn.
🇺🇸🇺🇸👀👀👀👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻🥃🥃🥃☕️☕️☕️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I need tips on building standup raised bed gardens. What type of wood, are they bottomless? Weed control around the raised beds.
Please Jess, can you stop lecturing everyone and show by example, talking is easy… as they say you 'talk the talk' but now it's time to 'walk the walk'. I have to tell you this Jess because I'm hearing mutterings about your lectures from unhappy watchers who love you. It's not what they watch your channel for. It's the interaction with your animals and everyday life that people love.
Two summers ago I grew two cherry tomato plants in pots. Last summer I grew two cherry tomato plants, two patio tomato plants and a bean plant in a large, tall planter box. The beans were a failure but I was not discouraged. This summer I'm going to grow tomato plants in pots and use my planter box to grow potatoes. And really, I did it all because I have been watching your videos for years. Huge thanks, Jess.
Hi Jess and fellow Gardners. When do you mulch? Right when you direct sow? Will seedlings be able to come up through the mulch? Or do you wait until they've sprouted and mulch around them?
Thank-you Jess! Starting a class using your book in my small town at the beginning of March! I am so excited!!!!
Wish my adult children would havee caught the bug. Growing up, they weren't interested. The short time I've had with my grandchildren I've tried to get them interested.
When I lived in WA a local food bank had classes and would set up one square foot garden to help out. We need more of that.
💯🙏🙏🙏
As a newbie gardener, I grew marigolds last year and that encouraged me to try vegetables this year, but I tossed all the dirt out when I cleaned the pots and stored them for the winter. Should I have kept the dirt and dead plants to make compost? I was planning on just getting potting soil made for vegetables to get started. I had no clue about the soil until you talked about it here. I am going to be a balcony gardener because my waiting room is my classroom, and even though this isn't even the zone we will be living in or growing our real garden when we get our land/house, I am going to start with the little I can here even if it's just two plants. I might be growing squirrel food though, because on the 3rd floor, we are treetop level and have lots of squirrels. It won't take them long to cross the roof and discover a little oasis even if the marigolds didn't tempt them, I'll bet some nice juicy tomatoes or strawberries would. I don't think that would bother me because I adore those squirrels anyway and if I could sit and watch them from my office, that would be worth the garden even if I didn't get any of it. (Now scurries off to see what garden plants squirrels like best…)
I love to teach gardening and hear that they kept trying until they were successful.
I am teaching a seed starting class last Saturday of Feb. I'm so excited! I love teaching gardening. I just love it. Thank you for all your love and sharing. I bless you!!!!!
I am a beginner. I bought some seeds, some soil, and I am accumulating containers. Thank you Jess.
🧑🏫Remember your best teacher? That is your goal. Remember how they encouraged you for success not failure! 🔆I rather think that your lesson in composting may be the first one you need to learn. People have so many different places they garden so how do they compost? What materials do you need to make compost? That was my biggest question! Second, was how much compost do I need and where will I put it? 🔅Then I moved on to plants. My children all did the basic plants in elementary school and that made me remember my seeds in school. We learned about overwatering and underwatering in those classrooms! Failure! No little seedling to take home. Mine always grew until I got them home. Never knew the right place to plant them and it took many years to have that conversation. Actually, as I learned where to find resources for my high school and college classes, reading books back then, that books on growing a garden came into my life! Now we have the internet with you, Jess, and many others to learn from. One person gives out an actual paper on when to start seeds for a couple of dollars. Another tells how to make liquid fertilizer if you have access to cow pies. It goes on to be an actual overload of material. I would encourage going back to what you may have experienced when you were young. Maybe a few veggies you can really use but do not leave out the basic flower that can be very successful and give you lots of joy. I had a dad who grew tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes! Had to learn about other veggies on my own. My grandfather grew marigolds. He even cross bred them to get the color and hardness he wanted. So, we defiantly have had lots of tomatoes just for our use during the summer and still have them and marigolds to enjoy. What is advanced to me is when you preserve your own food! Wow, now there is a skill to learn. I do hope many people try a garden even if it is just flowers. The veggies may come later. Happy gardening! ❇❇❇
Oh my gosh!! I just recently offered to my Friday night knitting group to help them start pepper seeds in March!! I'm SO excited to share with them. My little garden grows beautifully because of channels like you and Gary at The Rusted Garden!! 💗💗💗
Ty Jess, I am going to be a beginner! I just ordered 2 of the books. One for me and one for my daughter 💕
I so enjoy watching your channel. You have such a kind and generous, gentle spirit. And I am so glad that your health is improving 🙌
I have been gardening since 1994 and just started taking a Master Gardener course. Wow, there is so much to learn even after having my hands in the dirt for close to 30 years! Teaching to others to share the wealth and benefit of gardening can never hurt and only help. Our Master Gardener program partners with local schools to do field trips to the Discovery Garden and teach the grade school aged kids (probably 4th graders?) about gardening, pollinators, and all kinds of fun things. Can’t wait to be a part of that!! Thanks Jess for being such a great encourager to all of us. You have the gift of being able to share well and I always get something out of each video.
Need bit of help! Prepping to seed over 1,000 pods to “spread the joy” to many neighborhood gardeners! Dilemma this yr is to find a non-fading tag for ea plant. No tongue depressors! We are big recyclers so would use plastic if they’re sturdy and won’t fade. Anyone have ideas or links? Thx guys!
Super great video! I loved it! Thank you for continuing to share your wisdom! I am so very very very happy you are feeling better. Not just for the extra inspiration, but because I truly want you to be well. ❤️
Great post, Jess! It gave me great insight into teaching a sourdough bread class that my girlfriends are asking me to teach. I didn't feel qualified, but this post gave me so many great tips!
I have hardened for many Yeats and was able to mulch my garden. But where I am now that doesn't work. We have bugs that look like the rolly pollys that eat plants, wood and my strawberries. Mulching just brings them in more. Wish I knew how to get rid of them without hurting the good bugs. So mulching doesn't Always work, sadly.
Years not yeats dumb auto correct!
My biggest gardening tip I could offer is to use fish tank and/or pond water to water your plants. You’ll feed your soil with biodiverse fertilizer every time you water and have the healthiest, most abundant plants that thrive even when subjected to pest and disease pressure 💚
JUSTEN RHADS SAID COVER SOIL
Okay, I’m not even a minute in and I’m drooling over those purple pots. Soooo pretty! Okay, back to the scheduled program. 😊
This will be my fifth year gardening. Four years in 5gal buckets and small spaces and now in an actual garden! I’ve learned so much in my “waiting room turned classroom” and hope to someday encourage someone else to go for it♥️
It’s also been interesting to watch so many people go back to the garden and to the land. On a recent flight, I met the sweetest lady who was around 80 years old and she will be gardening this year for the first time. It took her a long time to come back to the garden but it also showed me that it’s never too late to start!
This helps a lot! 🥰 I've been desperate to share and I really just hadn't know which steps to take to do this. 🩵
Small gardener here, Jess (or anybody else), but I am doing GreenStalk and containers (grow bags). Where can I find the mulch to put on top?
Basically a beginner here, question about mulching…how much mulch do you typically put down inch wise? If you are direct sowing seeds, do you mulch over the top of them right away or do you wait for the seed to sprout first?
Another inspiring video, Jess. Can we talk about the sharpie on the bootstrap farmer containers? LOL. It made me wonder if you did that accidentally or if that’s your normal protocol. Interesting. I may try that with mine if I can get up the courage. My handwriting is so bad I actually print my seed labels on laser printer and cover them with a clear sticker so they hold up for the season. It’s liberating to see you just go for it on your containers!❤
Great video!!! The issue I always run into is every place in a 50 mile radius that sells compost, the compost is far from being “done cooking” or “finished”. It’s always super hot, still cooking and breaking down. Any tips on that Jess? Thank you so much!!!!! 😊😊
Enjoy this video and the way you think and talk about things I think you are a great mentor
I enjoy your channel very much!! I have been growing a Small Garden for many years. I was in the Marines so not every year was I able to, but when I was home I always have a small Garden. I sometimes grow to much but shared with my Coworkers and neighbors. My wife's favorite story is about the Vegetables rolling out of the refrigerator. I since have learned how to can. I turned 66 and finally retired from the Military and federal service. This will be my first full year without worrying about not having enough time. I have encouraged my fellow neighbors when they started their own garden. I usually gift many with my extra plants that I started from seed. I also make an effort to push rebuilding the soil and mulching. Coastal Carolina can be unforgiving with the weather. Bless you for all you do!!!