We moved from 3/4 acre to over 17 acres last year and I will say a lot of days I feel completely overwhelmed with the amount of land we have. It’s a LOT of work. Every weekend hold many projects. A lot of them are not really fun. I love our Farm and don’t regret moving here but I don’t think you need this much land to be a homesteader or even to be self sufficient. I think you can be HAPPY on any size homestead!! ❤ Love your videos, your candor and your attitude
Thanks for sharing your experience! I always figured 5 acres would be a sweet spot. Not to big and not to large. I always view my space as a opportunity to see how much I can do, so then one day when I have more space Ill know what to do with it lol Even during peak summer my space can be overwhelming at times so I can imagine how much 17 would be to handle.
Agreed, we're only on 2 acres and it can be overwhelming in the middle of summer when the small veggie garden is producing and the weeds are thriving. There's a lot of landscaping to take care of. It can be exhausting even with everyone taking care of different areas.
I'm in Australia so I tend to watch video 6 months later then when you post. I've watched a bunch of you shorts though. It's crazy to see you garden so bare. .starting from scratch this year in a typical house yard. One day I hope our garden looks as amazing as yours
11:00 Poppies are tricky to grow, if you want a good harvest when they're nearing maturity you have to scratch the bulbs with something sharp and collect the white sap that they have in excessive abundance :)
Noticed you have grow bags, you can plant potatoes in grow bags. I tried potatoes in raised bed but digging when it’s time to harvest disturbed the soil a lot so I opted pots and grow bags.
3:50 catfish LOVE those grubs. used to pick em out while prepping the garden as a kid, then at the end of the day dad and I would go fishing and come home with good fish.
I splurged on one pk of Floret bred dahlias and one pk of their rainbow zinnias. They spent years breeding them, so it's such a treat! Their regular seeds aren't typically more than around $5 (other seed sales throughout the year). I'm so excited to see how they turn out, and hopefully save seeds for next year!
Bre I love your videos! I think because you’re not over the top. You have a regular house and backyard. You’re more relatable. I do have a question, where did you get this pink seed started trays and domes?! I’m in love and can’t find them anywhere online. 😍
Getting me even more excited to start seeds this weekend!! You’re going to LOVE the bee’s choice seeds.. I grew them last year they were so easy, SO gorgeous, the pollinators went absolutely nuts over them, and I collected so many seeds from them. Excited to see what your varieties will look like!
I have the same issue putting soil in my beds. We have wild rabbits, a ton of them, so I need a 2 foot tall perimeter around each grow area. My cart dumps, but at 8 inches. I have to shovel my soil out. But it's still better than having to carry soil bags all over. 💚
This is our 4th year growing in our newish home also. We splurged and got 2 beds that are 3.5' X 3.5' square and 32" tall. We will grow white potatoes in 1 bed and sweet potatoes in the other bed. Hoping to get bumper crops. Your garlic is beautiful! I think it's going to be a good garlic year. Thanks for sharing!
sweet potato slips are super easy! You should have plenty. i got some Floret dahlias in the daughters of floret variety, very excited and i have the same thought (ill find space lol). first year trying soil blocking and i'm super hooked!
Nice job with the onions, I have always trimmed the seedling while they were inside, just leaving them go this year to see what happens. First year putting my sweet potatoes (same method as you are using} on a heat matt, and they really took off, I had vines appearing within a couple weeks. The other thing that may had caused such good results is I did not cure the "seed" sweet potatoes I had saved. Plan on a video, showing how I treat the sweet potato vines after I harvest off the tubers. New subscriber. Stay Well!!!
It’s actually not steps. They are just cement blocks that are used for gutters I believe. We had them on hand and used them as extra blockage from predators, trying to dig. We have fencing is underneath the ground, but we figured that would be an extra precaution we could put in front of the door.
lol our banana peppers were the only ones that didn’t germinate too! Such a bummer, but I ended up finding starts at my nursery that are pretty much the same size as the rest of them in the grow room. Pretty lucky find imo 🥰 central Texas has been all over the place lately with weather but following you with your onions last year has led to success with ours so far! Fingers crossed 🤞
I got my onion sets in christmas day. My dads grandfather always did that and as my family has moved less than 30 miles from there it seems to be going on ok. Its my first year trying this family myth but they seem to be doing ok. I dotted the holes, planted the sets, covered them and then put half rotted mulch from the compost heap on top to keep them toasty. (results will follow at the end of the experiment) Update on the onions (about 3/4 weeks off harvest I imagine) unseasonably hot spring and winter. Lead to bolting of most if not all of them as I've been away leaving them under the care of my parents. Resulting onions will probably be chopped on mass and frozen for future recipes post harvest.
Love the seed starting videos of all kinds. I am a new gardner, still honing my growing skills before I start seeds. Soaking up every bit of knowledge! Also, do you have everything you recommend linked in your Amazon page? Hoping to do some shopping soon
I bought Floret’s Precious Metals zinnias and can’t wait! Your onions look fabulous! Mine are quite scrawny. I definitely want to try seed blocking next year!
Those are so pretty! I had to contain myself during her sale! 2 and 3 years back my onions were the same way. If you jump to last years onion planting video I show what mine looked like in 2022 - th-cam.com/video/kX_LdsmlZjs/w-d-xo.html heres the video. Jump to 4:26 for the short clip if your interested. Last year was the first time I had good looking starts. I really think its giving them some extra space and making sure they are fed a handful of times inside. I always got onions out of my stringy starts so don't give up hope! Some weren't as big but I still got something!
@@itsbreellis yes I’ve watched them. I don’t think I fertilized as good as I should have, but I will definitely fertilize the area they are going. My onions were just so so last year and were about like my starts this year. Next year I want to definitely do soil blocks and use your technique! It does look SO much easier than pulling them apart! 💕🌻
Thanks for the advise! Where did you get your raised beds? Which brand are they? I have 12' x 4' beds that look like yours but am experiencing bowing on the sides from the weight of the dirt
I had no idea my first year that you had to get slips from sweet potatoes… so I just threw them in the ground and got a small harvest! hoping I can get more this year with slips instead of chucking it in the garden 😂
I want to grow squash again.. but last summer was my first time growing in the Midwest and my plant was killed off by squash bugs. Any advice to keep them at bay.
Best bet is pick them off. I typically will spend 5-10 minutes daily during a 4-6 week window in the summer. I burn off all the eggs to. if you want to be less hands on, neem oil will work for organic growing. I noticed it would effect my good bug populations though and stopped using it a few years back.
I will typically use straw for everything. I have a area in front of my house that Ive used wood chips in the past. Ive only grown hyssop there and catnip but its never had a problem. I'm planting all my lavender in that space this year.
It’s my first year attempting onions from seed…my seedlings don’t look as thick as yours, and I did a bulk sewing. Any tips on what I could do to help them along when transplanting? They’re currently a bit whispy, and I’ll be transplanting out in a couple of weeks.
If you haven’t fed them recently then that would be the thing I would do. You could always trim them back to around 4 inches and that should help their bases! I still got onions from wispy onion seedling. Not as big but still got onions!
I’ll try another round of fertilizer! I’ve kept them trimmed but since the last trim, they’ve started dropping, and watering was fine otherwise. Thank you!
Feeding will help a ton if your not. Sometimes lighting will play a big roll as well. What all do you have started so far? All my raised beds are filled with a 50/50 of compost and soil.
@@itsbreellis snapdragons, milkweed, herbs, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes and peppers. I’m about an hour south of KC and been loving your videos!!
Thank you so much!!! I wanted to play around with it and see if anyone noticed a difference! Its been awhile since Ive done any text on it but I think it helps know what the video is about at a quick glance!
Have you had issues with the ez straw having a lot of weeds/seeds?? I tried straw for mulch a couple years ago and super regretted it after I realized it spread seeds and weeds all over my garden. I believe it was the same kind you have but I could be mistaken. Have you had those issues?
Hi! Ive been watching your videos since im in Kansas too! Is Randy E. Carr yours on facebook? Just making sure its you and not someone else. Thank you!
We moved from 3/4 acre to over 17 acres last year and I will say a lot of days I feel completely overwhelmed with the amount of land we have. It’s a LOT of work. Every weekend hold many projects. A lot of them are not really fun. I love our Farm and don’t regret moving here but I don’t think you need this much land to be a homesteader or even to be self sufficient. I think you can be HAPPY on any size homestead!! ❤ Love your videos, your candor and your attitude
Thanks for sharing your experience! I always figured 5 acres would be a sweet spot. Not to big and not to large. I always view my space as a opportunity to see how much I can do, so then one day when I have more space Ill know what to do with it lol Even during peak summer my space can be overwhelming at times so I can imagine how much 17 would be to handle.
Agreed, we're only on 2 acres and it can be overwhelming in the middle of summer when the small veggie garden is producing and the weeds are thriving. There's a lot of landscaping to take care of. It can be exhausting even with everyone taking care of different areas.
I'm in Australia so I tend to watch video 6 months later then when you post. I've watched a bunch of you shorts though. It's crazy to see you garden so bare. .starting from scratch this year in a typical house yard. One day I hope our garden looks as amazing as yours
11:00 Poppies are tricky to grow, if you want a good harvest when they're nearing maturity you have to scratch the bulbs with something sharp and collect the white sap that they have in excessive abundance :)
Noticed you have grow bags, you can plant potatoes in grow bags. I tried potatoes in raised bed but digging when it’s time to harvest disturbed the soil a lot so I opted pots and grow bags.
Yes that’s my plan!! ❤️
3:50 catfish LOVE those grubs. used to pick em out while prepping the garden as a kid, then at the end of the day dad and I would go fishing and come home with good fish.
I splurged on one pk of Floret bred dahlias and one pk of their rainbow zinnias. They spent years breeding them, so it's such a treat! Their regular seeds aren't typically more than around $5 (other seed sales throughout the year). I'm so excited to see how they turn out, and hopefully save seeds for next year!
i use grow bags for potatoes. i can put them wherever i have an open space and i get so many, per bag.
Bre I love your videos! I think because you’re not over the top. You have a regular house and backyard. You’re more relatable. I do have a question, where did you get this pink seed started trays and domes?! I’m in love and can’t find them anywhere online. 😍
Thank you so much!! Both are from bootstrap farmer!
@@itsbreellis thank you!
Getting me even more excited to start seeds this weekend!! You’re going to LOVE the bee’s choice seeds.. I grew them last year they were so easy, SO gorgeous, the pollinators went absolutely nuts over them, and I collected so many seeds from them. Excited to see what your varieties will look like!
I have the same issue putting soil in my beds. We have wild rabbits, a ton of them, so I need a 2 foot tall perimeter around each grow area. My cart dumps, but at 8 inches. I have to shovel my soil out. But it's still better than having to carry soil bags all over. 💚
This is our 4th year growing in our newish home also. We splurged and got 2 beds that are 3.5' X 3.5' square and 32" tall. We will grow white potatoes in 1 bed and sweet potatoes in the other bed. Hoping to get bumper crops. Your garlic is beautiful! I think it's going to be a good garlic year. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the video, always great watching you and seeing you so happy😁👍👌
sweet potato slips are super easy! You should have plenty. i got some Floret dahlias in the daughters of floret variety, very excited and i have the same thought (ill find space lol). first year trying soil blocking and i'm super hooked!
Nice job with the onions, I have always trimmed the seedling while they were inside, just leaving them go this year to see what happens.
First year putting my sweet potatoes (same method as you are using} on a heat matt, and they really took off, I had vines appearing within a couple weeks. The other thing that may had caused such good results is I did not cure the "seed" sweet potatoes I had saved.
Plan on a video, showing how I treat the sweet potato vines after I harvest off the tubers.
New subscriber.
Stay Well!!!
Could you post a video of your chicken steps going into thier coup they look like what I want to build for mine
It’s actually not steps. They are just cement blocks that are used for gutters I believe. We had them on hand and used them as extra blockage from predators, trying to dig. We have fencing is underneath the ground, but we figured that would be an extra precaution we could put in front of the door.
lol our banana peppers were the only ones that didn’t germinate too! Such a bummer, but I ended up finding starts at my nursery that are pretty much the same size as the rest of them in the grow room. Pretty lucky find imo 🥰 central Texas has been all over the place lately with weather but following you with your onions last year has led to success with ours so far! Fingers crossed 🤞
Did you do the stratification process for your lavender?
Yay! Can't wait to see your garden
Woohoo! I have been waiting for your next video 🙂
Hope you enjoyed it!
I got my onion sets in christmas day. My dads grandfather always did that and as my family has moved less than 30 miles from there it seems to be going on ok. Its my first year trying this family myth but they seem to be doing ok. I dotted the holes, planted the sets, covered them and then put half rotted mulch from the compost heap on top to keep them toasty. (results will follow at the end of the experiment)
Update on the onions (about 3/4 weeks off harvest I imagine) unseasonably hot spring and winter. Lead to bolting of most if not all of them as I've been away leaving them under the care of my parents. Resulting onions will probably be chopped on mass and frozen for future recipes post harvest.
Hope they turn out great!
What region do you live in?
@@brandynash1409 hell. No jokes I'm in the UK it's been a mild winter tbh but we haven't had the bitter cold we used to get
How often do you use fish fertilizer?
This is your best video yet
Thank you!!
You can grown potatoes in a tire and stack them for more potatoes. Grow up instead of wide
Love the seed starting videos of all kinds. I am a new gardner, still honing my growing skills before I start seeds. Soaking up every bit of knowledge! Also, do you have everything you recommend linked in your Amazon page? Hoping to do some shopping soon
I did not see the straw mulch you use in the Description, can you share that? Thanks!!! 🙏🏼 ❤
Can you please share where you get your bulk compost?
I bought Floret’s Precious Metals zinnias and can’t wait! Your onions look fabulous! Mine are quite scrawny. I definitely want to try seed blocking next year!
Those are so pretty! I had to contain myself during her sale! 2 and 3 years back my onions were the same way. If you jump to last years onion planting video I show what mine looked like in 2022 - th-cam.com/video/kX_LdsmlZjs/w-d-xo.html heres the video. Jump to 4:26 for the short clip if your interested. Last year was the first time I had good looking starts. I really think its giving them some extra space and making sure they are fed a handful of times inside. I always got onions out of my stringy starts so don't give up hope! Some weren't as big but I still got something!
@@itsbreellis yes I’ve watched them. I don’t think I fertilized as good as I should have, but I will definitely fertilize the area they are going. My onions were just so so last year and were about like my starts this year. Next year I want to definitely do soil blocks and use your technique! It does look SO much easier than pulling them apart! 💕🌻
Garlic and onions are looking great.
I’m in NE Kansas and we had a snow mix today.
Thanks for the advise! Where did you get your raised beds? Which brand are they? I have 12' x 4' beds that look like yours but am experiencing bowing on the sides from the weight of the dirt
I had no idea my first year that you had to get slips from sweet potatoes… so I just threw them in the ground and got a small harvest! hoping I can get more this year with slips instead of chucking it in the garden 😂
I agree with you on the potatoes.
Can't wait to have a garden!
I just found your channel and am excited to watch more of your videos. What zone are you in?
Thank you! Just changed to zone 7a, you may find old videos of me saying 6b lol
I just love your sprayer. Where did you get that. Happy growing
Yes. Please do share
I can't find the video you mention but you say you cut the stems of your onions before you planted on the ground, is there a reason for this?
I want to grow squash again.. but last summer was my first time growing in the Midwest and my plant was killed off by squash bugs. Any advice to keep them at bay.
Best bet is pick them off. I typically will spend 5-10 minutes daily during a 4-6 week window in the summer. I burn off all the eggs to. if you want to be less hands on, neem oil will work for organic growing. I noticed it would effect my good bug populations though and stopped using it a few years back.
Curious about how you "burn off all the eggs"... sounds effective! How do you do it?
Wish I knew you were going to splurge on the Dahlia seeds from Floret I would have sent you a literal jar of them! :)
What would you say is the best mulch for a sole flower bed? Love your content!
I will typically use straw for everything. I have a area in front of my house that Ive used wood chips in the past. Ive only grown hyssop there and catnip but its never had a problem. I'm planting all my lavender in that space this year.
My cabbage never looks super great until I get them in the ground. Then they take off!
It’s my first year attempting onions from seed…my seedlings don’t look as thick as yours, and I did a bulk sewing. Any tips on what I could do to help them along when transplanting? They’re currently a bit whispy, and I’ll be transplanting out in a couple of weeks.
If you haven’t fed them recently then that would be the thing I would do. You could always trim them back to around 4 inches and that should help their bases! I still got onions from wispy onion seedling. Not as big but still got onions!
I’ll try another round of fertilizer! I’ve kept them trimmed but since the last trim, they’ve started dropping, and watering was fine otherwise. Thank you!
hi i dont have mutch room here what can i plant my onions with ?
Loved this video!
Thank you so much!
Your seedlings look so much bigger than mine and I’m pretty sure we started them about the same time. Also what do you fill your raised bed with?
Feeding will help a ton if your not. Sometimes lighting will play a big roll as well. What all do you have started so far? All my raised beds are filled with a 50/50 of compost and soil.
@@itsbreellis snapdragons, milkweed, herbs, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes and peppers. I’m about an hour south of KC and been loving your videos!!
Absolutely love this new thumbnail style!!!
Thank you so much!!! I wanted to play around with it and see if anyone noticed a difference! Its been awhile since Ive done any text on it but I think it helps know what the video is about at a quick glance!
What's more satisfying- giving the hens the grubs, or torching the squash bug eggs? jk - Love all your channel content!
Have you had issues with the ez straw having a lot of weeds/seeds??
I tried straw for mulch a couple years ago and super regretted it after I realized it spread seeds and weeds all over my garden. I believe it was the same kind you have but I could be mistaken.
Have you had those issues?
I may have to pick up a few, but it’s “99% weed free” I have always loved using it. I used another straw like it once and it was a nightmare!
@@itsbreellis Ok! Good to know. Thanks!
My oregano comes back every year and I'm in iowa
I have 2 plants that have, I had 2 others that didn't over winter well last year. My problem was I needed to plant more then what I have planted lol
How do you prevent mold from forming on top of seed starts? I keep battling this.
Good airflow and make sure the soil drys out before watering again
Nice garlic and onions😊
Thank you!
How long can onions last? Like I’d like to grow enough for a year but I feel like none of the store bought lasts even a week in my kitchen :(
Depends on the variety. This variety is called calibra and they can store around 6-8 months when cured correctly.
I leave sweet potatoes in my pantry from Christmas and they start sprouting then you just put them in water
Good to know thanks for sharing! I grab these potatoes months ago in hopes them being older would help the process!
Can l ask, l notice the straw.. why do you have that?
Helps retain the moisture in the soil. Less watering
@itsbreellis aw thanks for replying. You have me hooked line and sinker.. is any straw ok?
I'm in Missouri Neighbor everything looking good there just Sub to your channel
I had 100% germination on my Renee's Garden zinger hibiscus last year. Hopefully you'll experience the same!
I hope so too!
🦉🧵🤗🛎️
Hi! Ive been watching your videos since im in Kansas too! Is Randy E. Carr yours on facebook? Just making sure its you and not someone else. Thank you!