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
Music on this video is by Daniel Smith: http://instagram.com/phillip_daniel_smith/
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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
– Neptune’s Harvest Fertilizer: https://rootsandrefuge.com/neptunes-harvest-fertilizer
#rootsandrefuge
27 Comments
Speaking of green stalk planters, I just finished planting bush green beans in 2 original sized towers. Contender & improved tender are 55 days so I figured they should be ready by September before our first freeze. We had drought until the past 3 days when we finally got 3.5" of rain. I do appreciate your comment about the challenge of direct sowing seeds in the hot days can be a little spotty because it's important to keep them well watered until they germinate. I'm listening to your advice. Planted some extras in a seed starting trays to fill in where there are some that don't come up plus over seeding. Thanks for the tips.
I think cottage garden is supposed to be a little wild. It's gorgeous.
This year is hard, I am feeling over whelmed with being over 60 with a garden/yard that is too much for me to handle, plus, the wild fires are causing weekly events of air quality and it is expected to continue throughout the growing season. My plants are stunted but my tomatoes and peppers keep fighting the good fight so I will too. Slowly I am removing the areas of my yard/garden that cause me the heavy overwhelmed feeling and already I have a new vision of downsizing but still gardening and feeling more calm and ready to enjoy, not resent, my backyard world. Oddly I have found the most pleasure in my greenstalk this year, lol. My year is not the best but my border neighbors in Canada have it so much worse, my thoughts are with them. Blessings to all.
I just love how your garden has come along. My Shishito’s aren’t as big, but they are in a windy location, maybe that’s my problem. I will persevere, wait to see how my pepper’s are doing
Good reminders. I forget every winter how awfully the plants suddenly, overnight, tank in the first week of July, here. Like they were rained on by micro fire embers. (Honestly not sure if that is some long distance fireworks type drift either, because they do start setting them off July 1st? Or some rather weird local disease?) After we moved in, I've been attempting to grow here since 2016, with what feels like total failures by fall. Until I look back at the December through June garden pictures, and photos of the massive harvests. By February I do have sort of overall gardener's amnesia!
For sure back to doubting if I'm going to try growing tomatoes again next year. I don't see how they are going to get past the micro burnt holes and armyworms, to survive the July-August corn ear worms in their fruit, but the corn itself did well. We time our sweet corn to finish out before July hits, so it doesn't get messed up by the corn earworms flying in looking for new hosts, or the early July rain of fire stuff. At least I know the okra, the field peas (cow peas), and many of the peppers will eventually pull through with new leaves, and produce.
The peppers are also doing that wild gnarly twisted dying leaf mess, which started after the new purchased mulch, so that's frustrating. Can't go without the deep mulch, even though some of the rain last month did share out to our spot. However, loving the new water hydrant out by the main garden this year! Much less heavy connected hose dragging, and only one hose!
At best we still really only provide a limited selection of veggies for others, but you are right, that's still a selection of protein and nutrition they would otherwise need to find somewhere else. Plus they have been enthusiastic about the flavors, even when I was doubtful about passing on that particular veggie batch. Best comment was about our big dessert carrots. Felt great. Focus on the positives, and let gardener's amnesia sooth the rest? Haha
I watched Leah’s homestead festival video this morning. I love what you had to say about relationships and stewardship of the Earth. Daniel’s prayer blew me away! I just want to add my voice to that prayer: I bless you until next time!
Do you have a mini fridge in the greenhouse to hold bottles of water?
Gardening has been more challenging this year bc of the drought here in Central IL…. Oh yeah and RABBITS.😵💫 I live out in the country and they are just everywhere. One made a nest in one of my raised beds and I felt bad and let them stay until they were big enough to leave.. Then I put a skirt around my fence so no more bunnies in the garden! We finally got rain and storms for 3 straight days and I was so happy.. Everything perked right up and got so much bigger! +Not having to drag 200ft hose around watering for an hr! Now we're in the 90s w/high humidity & it's getting tiring.. I'm just longing for a great harvest.. I have a raised bed garden & started another in-ground garden and had big plans but I feel set back.. I'm praying to make up for lost time.. Some days I'd feel like a failure like I'm losing the battle but gardening is one thing I could never give up on bc it's in my blood.. Got to appreciate what you've got and still be proud and just keep going.. Gardening is hard work… but so worth it. 😌
It light through your forehead when u talk.
Our earth is organic. It changes overtime, it has a life and will continue to do so. We dont stay exactly the same for our entire life. Let's try to adapt and enjoy the wonder of the earth's beauty and care it takes to heal and grow. I'm going into it in a very late season of life. I will try my best to heal, and enjoy the changes. Be blessed❤
Cottage garden is always overgrown 😂❤ The planet is dying 😢 humans are the worst pest this plant has seen, animals would have done a much better job, they manage balance much better than us.
I had extra pepper plants and planted them in my front flower bed and I'm so grateful that I did, because my pepper bed in my garden is in MAJOR struggle mode. Everything in that bed is dying. I think it's a combination of the soil I got and it pouring for a week straight and altho its a raised bed it sat in water.. I'm pretty sad about it but all my other 2 raised beds are looking good. So I'm trying not to stress over it too much.
In the UK in W W #2, people forgot how to eat a banana because the kids hadn't ever seen them. In ten years…a generation forgot how to eat a banana. This is just like language and "other things" I shall not speak of here. You are SO right about everything you said. Thank you for helping me be mindful of the brightside…the things I take for granted. We all do. Who's to say this may not happen to new generations in the future with food? Ya never know. Personally, bananas are my favorite second only to a good ripe strawberry. At LEAST…I know I will always see strawberries…I hope. But, bananas? It makes me sad to think of life without them. It could happen. But, I try not to think about it.
We doubled our growing space & are succession planting. We didn’t have a drop of rain here in PA for 6.5-7 weeks. It’s my first year with a Greenstalk. Our dwarf tomato is exploding! So glad I planted a honey butternut squash opposite of it to keep the Greenstalk balanced. Just harvested my first beer harvest from the top tier. I love it!
Here Maine we are lucky if we have had one week of sunshine in the last month and half it's not normal for us
Sweet Jess, thank you for this video, I need this video today.❤
What is the name of the squash around 5:30 seconds into your program that squash bugs don’t get?
Thank you, Jess!! I so appreciate your honesty and graciousness as you are talking about food and how important it is to grow it, if we are able! 😊
Love zinnias ❤
the plant at 6.20 is a bitter melon
My Utah Celery is doing AMAZING in my greenstalk! And in the blistering heat, to boot!
Thanks need the encouragement
I am taking a rest/rain day since we are getting 2.5 inches of rain today. But it has been a hard season that is so worth it. Loving watching everything grow this year. Thank you Jess for recommending "The Body Keeps Score" There was a fascinating piece I heard yesterday about how trauma damages the frontal lobe. And how if it is damaged we get stuck in routines and habits, that relationships are superficial and that wonder and innovation are lost. It struck me so strongly as we see more and more people going back to the old habits and patterns. I treat chronic pain and I do find many people with scarring in their frontal lobe, and when treated they start pushing for thriving again.
Last year it was too hot to grow tomatoes, this year I have baby tomatoes on the branch, so I'm really hoping for some harvest. crossing my fingers.
I ordered some fresh shishito peppers and tried to blister them. They were too spicy for me. Were they supposed to be spicy or did they send me the wrong thing?
Enjoyed the video.
💝💝💝