This guys is one of the most data driven farmers I've ever seen. It's really exciting to see someone like this optimizing every aspect of his operation.
IF they were done with the strawberry patch for the season and already picked the runners to start a new patch elsewhere, they could instead of doing labor pulling everything out just move their chicken pen to the strawberry patch and let the chickens do the tearing out and turning of the soil. Add a horse/cow manure row on the high side and the chickens will pull it down the entire distance... That way you get good eggs, fast growing chickens and you don't have to feed the chickens anything else and they do all the work for you. Once they are done, move them to another spot that needs clearing and tilling and clean your terrace rows up for the next planting.
Chicken fertilizer is chicken poop. And those microbial issues you seem to be concerned about are actual beneficial in preparing the soil to be useable by plant life.
^ right on. The whole north island is nice, since there are changes in altitude everywhere and the climate is great because of coastal weather. Better than where I come from, since it is rather flat here and the weather is either freezing in winter or burning hot in summer.
That is the perfect location for planting crops because of the water runnoff from the surrounding hills and the nutrients carried with the water is very good for plants plus it looks like the way he has it set up is perfect where the tent creates a runoff into the crops. Perfect set up and location for growing crops not too much sun or getting burned because of the hills and the hills and the set up seem good for good drianeage and clean and nutritive runoff from the surrounding landscape. plus its higher up and gets good airflow which is also important.
This is an amazing operation, and what makes it so great is this guy's work ethic, knowledge, and organizational skills. (and the wisdom of listening to his wife, lol) One thing I've noticed is that people who just knuckle down and do the job are much happier and have this amazing aura of rightness about them, as opposed to people who stand around and talk and complain. I wish many blessings to him and his operation. The world needs more men like this. Doing, learning, growing, adapting. Awesome!
Judy Onthemton Exactly what I thought. I pictured billions of spores flying off the moldy flats & cringed. BUT I'm super impressed with the set up & took notes.
This is a very productive garden. In the first few minutes when he was showing the rows of strawberries, I was thinking about John Jeavons, and biointensive beds instead of rows. I was fortunate enough to participate in a 3 day workshop with John Jeavons, Carol Cox, and others from Ecology Action in Willits, California back in 1995. It was a great learning experience. I recommend their books and materials highly. They also have a seed company called Bountiful Gardens that sells nothing but open pollinated seed varieties.
Great to see another small scale producer doing it off grid and in New Zealand! The cooling is always the issue but once you can work that one out it's all sorted! We use a simple reverse heat exchange system using ground water for cooling all run via a 12v system. The Nissan eNV200 electric van is a good way to go if you want capacity and something relatively affordable and very simple (eg Nissan Leaf in a box!)
Curtis I have watched ALL your videos and your work is truly inspiring. You are a mentor to many in this world so keep doing what you are doing and sharing knowledge and courage. I am in my first year of farming so this update video was also truly inspiring. Wish you and all the other people you have touched the best in this world., PS I was browsing Paraka's instagram and would just like to say congrats to you and katie & good luck
This is almost exactly the look I am aiming for once my student loans are paid off! I absolutely love hillside terrace permaculture and I have to say you folks at Pakaraka are awesome! If I ever make it out that way I hope you won't mind a visit!!
Curtis, I saw you on WranglerStar and decided to give your channel a look. Now I am subscribed! Thanks for making the trip to be on TH-cam w/Cody and Mrs. W!!!
Can you tell us more about your community? It looks great and I will be eventually trying to do exactly the same thing you are and run everything off the sun!
My basil often has spotty, inconsistent germination. Also if I hold it long enough to get good volume, it often seems to start yellowing. I'm growing in a greenhouse so it can get pretty hot in there. Maybe I'm watering too much? Thoughts?
I'm loving this channel. we are planning on buying roughly 20 or 30 acres in Louisiana. we were planning on orchards and chickens or goats but I'm starting to think growing crops would be a better experience. it's very inspirational stuff.
One option may be an "open house" day at the farm where visitors can pick their own strawberries when they're too small to be worth taking to market? No labor on the farmer's end other than keeping an eye on people.
Rain or sprinkler water splashing funghal spores in the ground is the main culprit for funghal diseases affecting strawberries (Mycospherella fragaria in particular, botrytis cineraria, mildew, etc.). Make a taller growing ridge and cover it with thick black plastic. Mulch in the ways reduces splash but it also raises the ground level, so use sparingly. Plants age considerably after 7 years and it's better to plant new ones since the bark gets too thick and produces significantly fewer new shoots
You know you got something special when you see so many nedative comments. I was in awe and i could care less how big his land is. He gave us free info and i for one am thankful. Microgreens is now where i am heading in my hoophouse. very cool thanks!
I have been cutting off the strawberry leaves each year after harvest, a few inches above the crown,but that seems to scorch and weaken my plants (it killed quite a few last year), even with daily watering after cutting. It also seems to produce weaker and scorched runners that don't thrive well. I live in Zone 6a, and its not like we are in the desert or anything. What am I doing wrong, since everyone seems to do this and swear by it? Thanks!
This was a really great video. Very inspirational to see how much he has grown, and seeing all of the healthy green foliage and dark soil reminds me that spring and summer are on their way.Thanks for the great vid.
HA! been hunting for flats for microgreens for a while and found the same trays last week! glad Im heading down the right track! great vids and awesome to see some kiwi based content out there.
Great video, very inspirational! I loved his story and enthusiasm. Thanks for showing New Zealand as well. The music at the beginning and end may as well be cats mating though.
I have 20 acres on a very hard to access area. It's on the coast area of Ecuador, south America 15 to 30 degrees centegrade all year. What can you recommend?
I can't understand what he is saying at 3:16. I really want to know because I have 75 Strawberries on the way and I am planning to propagate them out like in this video. Thanks.
Very cool grow. Cheers from across the big pond. We love the strawberries, micro greens, basil. In the tunnel greenhouse, is that bamboo used for the tray shelving ?
This is outstanding, how about building a greenhouse above the strawberries ? ( Get some straw around them in autumn , for insulation) . More power to you, man !
Can you tell us more about the sine wave generator? Who makes it and what does it cost? Are you using an air conditioner or a heat pump to cool your walk in cooler?
You can google "sine wave generator". Make sure you are looking at a power generator (hundreds or thousands of watts) not a signal generator (tens of watts with flexibility in the signal characteristics). The cost difference is in the inverter electronics, smoothing out the alternating current so motors work more efficiently.
A non-electric cooler can be made by digging underground and using a water trap ventilation system. Meaning, the input air comes from an underground pipe that goes downhill into a pond where only half of it is above water, the cool air from the surface of the water moves up through the pipe but the humidity condenses on the pipe and drips back down into the pond. The cooler room has a chimney at the highest point in the ceiling that goes straight up into the fresh air above ground. Heat will automatically rise. If you keep the one door entrance into this "root cellar" sealed tight, the air circulation will automatically draw the cooler air up from the pond while the hotter air escapes through the chimney. Humidity is controlled from passive condensation that drains back down the input pipe from the pond below. Obviously this method works on a hillside which is what this guy has.
im curious to anyone out there, these lil trays he has plants growing in, wouldnt those hinder the overall yields by disrupting the taproots downward growth??? im in the stages of learning, was just curious... thanks!!
Curtis, how do they do lettuce and micro greens in hot weather? I want to do salad and micro greens but I’m in Savannah Ga. My salad greens bolt by May. Any advice?
Hah this dude is adorable. He looks so happy with his farm and seems genuinely excited to tell you all about it. What a champ!
This guys is one of the most data driven farmers I've ever seen. It's really exciting to see someone like this optimizing every aspect of his operation.
Check out Neversink, that dude's the same way. Just takes him a little longer to put it into words though :P
IF they were done with the strawberry patch for the season and already picked the runners to start a new patch elsewhere, they could instead of doing labor pulling everything out just move their chicken pen to the strawberry patch and let the chickens do the tearing out and turning of the soil. Add a horse/cow manure row on the high side and the chickens will pull it down the entire distance... That way you get good eggs, fast growing chickens and you don't have to feed the chickens anything else and they do all the work for you. Once they are done, move them to another spot that needs clearing and tilling and clean your terrace rows up for the next planting.
Jeez you're on to it
Problem is that he has fabric down
Chickens poop everywhere. Chicken poop is very dirty. Chicken fertilizer is much safer.
Chicken fertilizer is chicken poop. And those microbial issues you seem to be concerned about are actual beneficial in preparing the soil to be useable by plant life.
Chicken shit is full of nitrogen.
Boy those New Zealand farmers' properties are just so beautiful. What a great shot from the drone overhead. Really nice property.
Yotam is an Israeli emigre to NZ
wow that's cool....his farm is really nice
the entirety of new zealand is beautiful, unlike australia where only the buildings look nice.
^ right on. The whole north island is nice, since there are changes in altitude everywhere and the climate is great because of coastal weather. Better than where I come from, since it is rather flat here and the weather is either freezing in winter or burning hot in summer.
Karen C ye NZ is lit
That is the perfect location for planting crops because of the water runnoff from the surrounding hills and the nutrients carried with the water is very good for plants plus it looks like the way he has it set up is perfect where the tent creates a runoff into the crops. Perfect set up and location for growing crops not too much sun or getting burned because of the hills and the hills and the set up seem good for good drianeage and clean and nutritive runoff from the surrounding landscape. plus its higher up and gets good airflow which is also important.
2:20 "...Yeah!..." GREAT expression of a "victory lap" as he speaks of the bounty and the 25 liters of frozen ready made strawberry sauce.
1/4 acre, 1/2 or full acre, it does not matter, his knowledge+skill+passion/artistry+++his hard work is amazing!
very passionate young man about his farm. Love to see this kind of enthusiasm!!
That great. I remember watching last year. He's doing an awesome job. I love that he is off grid and still crushing it. Keep up the great work.
This is an amazing operation, and what makes it so great is this guy's work ethic, knowledge, and organizational skills. (and the wisdom of listening to his wife, lol) One thing I've noticed is that people who just knuckle down and do the job are much happier and have this amazing aura of rightness about them, as opposed to people who stand around and talk and complain. I wish many blessings to him and his operation. The world needs more men like this. Doing, learning, growing, adapting. Awesome!
Don't touch the healthy flats of micro greens after touching the moldy ones?
Judy Onthemton
Exactly what I thought.
I pictured billions of spores flying off the moldy flats & cringed.
BUT I'm super impressed with the set up & took notes.
Judy Onthemton yup
Totally right! will do :)
Pakaraka Permaculture
Bobby Light two wrongs don’t make a right
Totally crushing it, very adaptive and lean
The farm looks great! Love that you're running off solar.
Thanks!
Refreshing listening to that fellow talk about practicing and honing his craft. Lots of thought, focus, and attention obviously put into his work.
This is a very productive garden. In the first few minutes when he was showing the rows of strawberries, I was thinking about John Jeavons, and biointensive beds instead of rows. I was fortunate enough to participate in a 3 day workshop with John Jeavons, Carol Cox, and others from Ecology Action in Willits, California back in 1995. It was a great learning experience. I recommend their books and materials highly. They also have a seed company called Bountiful Gardens that sells nothing but open pollinated seed varieties.
Great to see another small scale producer doing it off grid and in New Zealand! The cooling is always the issue but once you can work that one out it's all sorted! We use a simple reverse heat exchange system using ground water for cooling all run via a 12v system. The Nissan eNV200 electric van is a good way to go if you want capacity and something relatively affordable and very simple (eg Nissan Leaf in a box!)
Just googled this van. In the UK it costs £10 000. I don't see this as low cost or affordable.
So good to see how far they've come since last time you were there
Curtis I have watched ALL your videos and your work is truly inspiring. You are a mentor to many in this world so keep doing what you are doing and sharing knowledge and courage. I am in my first year of farming so this update video was also truly inspiring. Wish you and all the other people you have touched the best in this world., PS I was browsing Paraka's instagram and would just like to say congrats to you and katie & good luck
A canadian interviewing a south american in New Zealand. Now ive seen it all.
This is almost exactly the look I am aiming for once my student loans are paid off! I absolutely love hillside terrace permaculture and I have to say you folks at Pakaraka are awesome! If I ever make it out that way I hope you won't mind a visit!!
Curtis, I saw you on WranglerStar and decided to give your channel a look. Now I am subscribed! Thanks for making the trip to be on TH-cam w/Cody and Mrs. W!!!
Thanks for subscribing. It was an amazing trip all around.
i love listening to people who are passionate about what they do. this guy truly is!
Awesome, but it looks like more than a quarter acre.
Thanks Tony, it's a 1/4 acre of market garden, not more. the farm is a community we are a part of and it is bigger.
+Pakaraka Permaculture כל הכבוד אחי, זה נראה מעולה!
Can you tell us more about your community? It looks great and I will be eventually trying to do exactly the same thing you are and run everything off the sun!
thanks
Hi, have a look at our website, we share our story there :)
My basil often has spotty, inconsistent germination. Also if I hold it long enough to get good volume, it often seems to start yellowing. I'm growing in a greenhouse so it can get pretty hot in there. Maybe I'm watering too much? Thoughts?
You are so passionate about your business and such an honest person and joyful person. Great job on everything you’re doing.
I remember the old video about the strawberries! So fun to see it again!
I'm loving this channel. we are planning on buying roughly 20 or 30 acres in Louisiana. we were planning on orchards and chickens or goats but I'm starting to think growing crops would be a better experience. it's very inspirational stuff.
I could listen to him talk all day. Great job!
Thanks for this! Love Love Love!! From the Farm-A-Yard team!
I lost interest very early in the vid until I heard him say, "I'm glad that I listened to my wife." I thought, oh I could learn something from this!
One option may be an "open house" day at the farm where visitors can pick their own strawberries when they're too small to be worth taking to market? No labor on the farmer's end other than keeping an eye on people.
"I'm so glad I listened to my wife" this man gets reminded of that comment every time they disagree, I guarantee it.
"She's now managing half of the operation" LOL
Can't get proper flats down in Portugal either.
His soil (and crops) looks amazing!
I am so happy I listened to my wife, said every man ever
Without my wife making the calls Id be dead or in prison...
A question. When planting, is it better to have rows running N/S or E/W for max sun or doesn't it really matter? Im in lower Michigan
so impressed with - what do you call them? - microsalads? for the sweet basil, what variety exactly do you use?
looks like a great spot to live, and a beautiful garden, 10 out of 10.
hey thanks for talking about the process and stuff, I would like to know how he keeps the weeds out of his garden outside?
Could you outline total land in the operation? Fallow Area/Production/Outbuildings/Green houses....
Rain or sprinkler water splashing funghal spores in the ground is the main culprit for funghal diseases affecting strawberries (Mycospherella fragaria in particular, botrytis cineraria, mildew, etc.). Make a taller growing ridge and cover it with thick black plastic. Mulch in the ways reduces splash but it also raises the ground level, so use sparingly. Plants age considerably after 7 years and it's better to plant new ones since the bark gets too thick and produces significantly fewer new shoots
I really enjoyed watching this video! Thank you all. So inspiring!
I wish I had the knowledge to start off my own farm...
You know you got something special when you see so many nedative comments. I was in awe and i could care less how big his land is. He gave us free info and i for one am thankful. Microgreens is now where i am heading in my hoophouse. very cool thanks!
It's great to see someone so excited about what he is doing...
I have been cutting off the strawberry leaves each year after harvest, a few inches above the crown,but that seems to scorch and weaken my plants (it killed quite a few last year), even with daily watering after cutting. It also seems to produce weaker and scorched runners that don't thrive well. I live in Zone 6a, and its not like we are in the desert or anything. What am I doing wrong, since everyone seems to do this and swear by it? Thanks!
I love that he is saving his salanova seeds. I am doing that too. Great minds think alike :-)
This was a really great video. Very inspirational to see how much he has grown, and seeing all of the healthy green foliage and dark soil reminds me that spring and summer are on their way.Thanks for the great vid.
Don't change it!! Keep it real with the Fahrenheit!!
Isn't that a fictional movie from the sixties? or are you alluding to the documentary on American politics by that Moore producer?
I love that farming is getting cool.. like farming is becoming a new 'career'
Love this. I'm really thinking of getting into small farming and horticulture. Guess I'll have to start the vids from the beginning.
I like this one..Yellow and Golden Chard seeds are usually half the price of Golden Beets..same color micros.
I have some sloped land similar to this... I'd love to get some info on water run off mitigation
i remember the strawberries video! inspiring to see such great progress being made off- grid
Such a great tour to watch, what an epic farm he is running
HA! been hunting for flats for microgreens for a while and found the same trays last week! glad Im heading down the right track! great vids and awesome to see some kiwi based content out there.
could you provide what cooler you use.
My girlfriend wants to go to New Zealand now ... not sure if it is because of the strawberries or Mr. strawberry himself 😉
How do you keep herds of deer, rabbits and groundhogs out? Birds eating your berries? Weeds?
Great video, very inspirational! I loved his story and enthusiasm. Thanks for showing New Zealand as well.
The music at the beginning and end may as well be cats mating though.
I have 20 acres on a very hard to access area. It's on the coast area of Ecuador, south America 15 to 30 degrees centegrade all year. What can you recommend?
Could I get a diagram showing the size of the beds of the variuus crops?
how many people work in that a quarter acre ? and how long per day to fill all the land with plants.
what temperature does his cooler need to be at to keep the greens?
Nice tour...they are crushing it!...liked!
Wow! We just put in our first raised beds!
I can't understand what he is saying at 3:16. I really want to know because I have 75 Strawberries on the way and I am planning to propagate them out like in this video. Thanks.
Amazing. congratulations on all of your hard work and harvest.
I love how passionate and knowledgeable he is, always nice watching an expert speak on their craft
Very cool grow. Cheers from across the big pond. We love the strawberries, micro greens, basil. In the tunnel greenhouse, is that bamboo used for the tray shelving ?
Yes it is. Thanks!
This is outstanding, how about building a greenhouse above the strawberries ?
( Get some straw around them in autumn , for insulation) .
More power to you, man !
How far apart would you say his two main plants in each bed are apart? 18 inches?
I have never seen strawberries that look so amazing!! Congrats on your beautiful farm!!
Anyone see the weed plants behind the strawberry patch??
Farm looks beautiful, especially that field of eggplants. Also Yotam is quite attractive.
He is FABULOUS! So interesting. Thank you for this video. Those salads looked GREAT. Had a hard time understanding some words
That guy's accent is charming.
French, Israeli Middle Eastern I think.
Sooo, complementing and identifying the origins of an accent is - racist? That is just plain stupid.
Just put the basil in a sub compartment with a exhaust fan and it will thank you.
Can you tell us more about the sine wave generator? Who makes it and what does it cost? Are you using an air conditioner or a heat pump to cool your walk in cooler?
You can google "sine wave generator". Make sure you are looking at a power generator (hundreds or thousands of watts) not a signal generator (tens of watts with flexibility in the signal characteristics).
The cost difference is in the inverter electronics, smoothing out the alternating current so motors work more efficiently.
when i heard your walk in freezer problem i always think of ammonia freezer using a solar reflector to heat the solution to separate ammonia .
I have big time trouble with shrews eating my strawberrys--what can I do about them???
that is more than a quarter of an acre my dad had two acres and I'd say that in at least one acre
This whole operation is amazing.
great video and info. Thanks for sharing. wonderful farm. This type of farming can feed all humanity, no problem.
I remember the video from last year! fantastic info and enjoyable to watch.
What a beautiful farm!!!!!!
A non-electric cooler can be made by digging underground and using a water trap ventilation system. Meaning, the input air comes from an underground pipe that goes downhill into a pond where only half of it is above water, the cool air from the surface of the water moves up through the pipe but the humidity condenses on the pipe and drips back down into the pond. The cooler room has a chimney at the highest point in the ceiling that goes straight up into the fresh air above ground. Heat will automatically rise. If you keep the one door entrance into this "root cellar" sealed tight, the air circulation will automatically draw the cooler air up from the pond while the hotter air escapes through the chimney. Humidity is controlled from passive condensation that drains back down the input pipe from the pond below.
Obviously this method works on a hillside which is what this guy has.
*shrug* Not that hard to construct.
Ponds aren't hard to construct.
Hi Curtis great videos , I really appreciate the content you post for all of us!
how do you get started on a project like this?
Great video. It was nice to see the update!
Crazy! I started watching this and was like... Bro, that looks like our bush. Welcome to Godsown!
I'm an hour away in Te Awamutu
im curious to anyone out there, these lil trays he has plants growing in, wouldnt those hinder the overall yields by disrupting the taproots downward growth??? im in the stages of learning, was just curious... thanks!!
Such an interesting episode. Thank you for producing videos on New Zealand.
Awesome and informative video. Appreciate the content
This is so inspiring! Someday soon, this will be me!
Should do a 6 ft huglemound both sides and rain wouldn't be a problem + less stooping.
I was just wondering how this guy's strawberries came out this year...thanks Curtis!
That is truly inspiring! Thanks, Curtis.
Incredible work !
sweet thorough video Curtis...hard worker
Curtis, how do they do lettuce and micro greens in hot weather? I want to do salad and micro greens but I’m in Savannah Ga. My salad greens bolt by May. Any advice?
It’s all possible dude. Check out Ray Tyler’s Salad course. I should be doing a video about it soon.