Love the minibed system. I also love the buckwheat mulch -- my wife managed to make one small pillow out of our big bag and after years of the bag sitting around it got used for mulch too.
The garlic scapes are a hot seller around our area. Your should pinch them off the the first leaf, even if you are not going to use them, otherwise it stunts your bulb growth. I did let 12 plants go to seed last year, and planted that seed this Spring and will have more cloves to plant this autumn. We love garlic and onions. Your garden is a work of art.
I used to remove all scapes. Then I didn’t. And I didn’t notice much difference in bulb size. But I’m going to remove all the scapes tonight. I’ve replanted my own bulbs for years. The biggest ones gat used for replanting. Thank you. 👍🏻
This is really cool! Looks like you’re doing a great job. I have used black plastic in my garden before, but not with beds. This year I am doing mounded beds with landscape fabric. I prefer it to the plastic because it seems to leave the clay soil in better shape and preserves the worm population better for me. I don’t think I could do this mini bed system without irrigating. I live in a high desert. We only receive about 10” of precipitation per year. I am doing the carrots with the little cabanas and they are up and looking pretty good. It took quite a lot longer than 4 or 5 days for them to germinate, not sure why. Maybe I put a little too much potting soil on top. The bed looks really cute, 5hough, and it has been a fun experiment! The sticks I used were long bamboo skewers from the dollar store, cut in half. Goldenrod doesn’t grow wild here.
Elizabeth says, Cynthia I live in dry north California and finally had to put in an irrigation system to my minibeds last year; just the quarter inch line and bubblers, and on a timer. Our utility company could turn off the electricity to our well any time during summer, when fire danger is too high, and we're in drought. I don't know how I would water then. I made my minibeds with used billboard plastic (purchased online). My minibeds garden is so pretty and organized. I love this system! It' saved me tons of labor!!
Elizabeth says, Great video! My minibeds are so organized and beautiful, I'm surprised nobody here that views them ever seems interested. I post and post and share and no one asks how to make them, how to grow in them. In the coming hard times maybe people will ask. It's so easy to use minibeds in an effort to become self-reliant. I've learned so much by studying growing and listening to you Herrick, but I still have questions. Do you ever grow in succession, and I didn't see any carrots. I'm harvesting new type seed with every garden; iceberg is next, just finished spinach and early shelling peas (actually a couple months ago). You have trouble with beans, I have trouble with carrots. Need to use my shade discs! My homegrown, homemade and canned pantry has grown by leaps and bounds. I've gotten a lot of ideas from Jackie Clay-Atkinson of Backwoods Home magazine. She cans anything and everything: mozzarella cheese, hamburger patties, cream soups, butter, wild meat, and meal-in-a-jar, too. Anyway, it's quite an adventure. My favorite psalm is 91. The Lord is faithful, especially in these times!!!
I watched your potato video, and now I’m thinking about adding another wood frame then keep mulching. It might increase your potato harvest. Have you tried that before?
Elizabeth says, I don't know how relevant this is, but when I went to share this on fb, it wouldn't let me, and said it was blocked. Hm. I had to copy and paste instead. This has been happening more and more.
Wow...now that is a good example of a good steward of the Lord's blessings
We have used this method for 3 years and love love love it!!!! So easy to manage!!
Love the minibed system. I also love the buckwheat mulch -- my wife managed to make one small pillow out of our big bag and after years of the bag sitting around it got used for mulch too.
The garlic scapes are a hot seller around our area. Your should pinch them off the the first leaf, even if you are not going to use them, otherwise it stunts your bulb growth. I did let 12 plants go to seed last year, and planted that seed this Spring and will have more cloves to plant this autumn. We love garlic and onions. Your garden is a work of art.
I used to remove all scapes. Then I didn’t. And I didn’t notice much difference in bulb size. But I’m going to remove all the scapes tonight. I’ve replanted my own bulbs for years. The biggest ones gat used for replanting. Thank you. 👍🏻
Elizabeth says, And that's why I read the comments, because I learn something new, this time about garlic!!
This is really cool! Looks like you’re doing a great job. I have used black plastic in my garden before, but not with beds. This year I am doing mounded beds with landscape fabric. I prefer it to the plastic because it seems to leave the clay soil in better shape and preserves the worm population better for me. I don’t think I could do this mini bed system without irrigating. I live in a high desert. We only receive about 10” of precipitation per year.
I am doing the carrots with the little cabanas and they are up and looking pretty good. It took quite a lot longer than 4 or 5 days for them to germinate, not sure why. Maybe I put a little too much potting soil on top. The bed looks really cute, 5hough, and it has been a fun experiment! The sticks I used were long bamboo skewers from the dollar store, cut in half. Goldenrod doesn’t grow wild here.
Elizabeth says, Cynthia I live in dry north California and finally had to put in an irrigation system to my minibeds last year; just the quarter inch line and bubblers, and on a timer. Our utility company could turn off the electricity to our well any time during summer, when fire danger is too high, and we're in drought. I don't know how I would water then. I made my minibeds with used billboard plastic (purchased online). My minibeds garden is so pretty and organized. I love this system! It' saved me tons of labor!!
Elizabeth says, Great video! My minibeds are so organized and beautiful, I'm surprised nobody here that views them ever seems interested. I post and post and share and no one asks how to make them, how to grow in them. In the coming hard times maybe people will ask. It's so easy to use minibeds in an effort to become self-reliant. I've learned so much by studying growing and listening to you Herrick, but I still have questions. Do you ever grow in succession, and I didn't see any carrots. I'm harvesting new type seed with every garden; iceberg is next, just finished spinach and early shelling peas (actually a couple months ago). You have trouble with beans, I have trouble with carrots. Need to use my shade discs! My homegrown, homemade and canned pantry has grown by leaps and bounds. I've gotten a lot of ideas from Jackie Clay-Atkinson of Backwoods Home magazine. She cans anything and everything: mozzarella cheese, hamburger patties, cream soups, butter, wild meat, and meal-in-a-jar, too. Anyway, it's quite an adventure. My favorite psalm is 91. The Lord is faithful, especially in these times!!!
I watched your potato video, and now I’m thinking about adding another wood frame then keep mulching. It might increase your potato harvest. Have you tried that before?
No. I haven't done that. It's worth a try. 👍
Elizabeth says, I don't know how relevant this is, but when I went to share this on fb, it wouldn't let me, and said it was blocked. Hm. I had to copy and paste instead. This has been happening more and more.