This rocks This is what every family should do. This is how communities stay healthy. To have a healthy community we should think small, small urban farms, small local business, etc.
It would be good indeed. If it came to that, people probably would not be able to make nearly as much money as this if they decided to sell it, though.
No, not every family or you would have no one top sell to /wink You need all sorts of people with a wide array of profitable skills. Mechanics, cabinet makers, carpenters etc. (Some are better at building than growing, and prefer to do so)
Diversity is good for investments, genetics, and food supply. With giant conglomerates owning the food production one disease can wipe out huge amounts of food (like having no lettuce in most of the country for weeks or months). Small food supplies like this are an awesome protection from that.
I am inspired! I spent the last 16 years driving a minimum of 180 miles to and from work everyday to pay for our 5 acres. I gardened each year, and we raise a lot of our own meat. Now we are paid off, and I work closer to home so we are starting to work on our farm. Thank you for showing us your operation!
Beautiful place. I recently moved out onto 15 acres of ripe land surrounded by 140 of pine and hardwood, family owned. Its all pretty unlimited as to what I could grow(Zone 9, S.Louisana) and the space available... Thanks for sharing your setup. It helps to provide perspective.
you can spray the plants with some ghost pepper water and that will stop anything with a nervous system. just super wash/rinse before harvest. works for any animal problem also. I would think this would really benefit someone with multiple sites like you have. also great job, you are inspiring me to kick it up a gear. thanks for the videos and keep up the good work
Dirtpatcheaven honestly just do it outside of the city and buy the damn land. You'd have to drill a well, but you could make ponds and honesty who wants to feed their plants with flouride chlorine and all that shit?
No way, i was just looking at some of your videos and I saw the block building in your backyard and the house and thought, isn't that Kelowna, stopped the video and looked at the info! I knew it. Nice job. You are an inspiration.
I don't know if you are aware but Ladybugs love to eat aphids and you can purchase them in the garden centers, at least on the east coast. They will hang around and they won't harm the plants.
your killing it! stoked to see someone doing it and not caring about the stupid laws in place that keep us from making money and being healthy! keep it up
I'm into my first gardening season ever. Planted the tomatoes and peppers the first Sunday in April. I live in southern Illinois 45 minutes from the Gateway Arch. Everything is planted in wine 1/2 barrels made of resin. 9.97 at Rural king. I planted Beef eater and Early Girl tomatoes. The peppers I planted are Jalapeno, Bell, Banana, Pimento, Chili and 2 others. I have Golden Cabbage red and yellow onions, sugar peas and summer squash. From the second week of May and 2 weeks into June was bone dry here. Watered early every morning before 7 am. Tomatoes would show tons and tons of blooms but only 2 became tomatoes, that is until last week when it rained over night. A week before it rained I read that it was ok to hand pollinate with cue tips and water. So I tried that. I hand pollinated 25 or so blooms and then it rained a week later. Now I see 12 tomatoes forming and each of the beef eater plants area good 4 feet tall. The pepper plants are going nuts and I think I counted 23 across all the plants. Very exciting for this beginner. Aphids were an issue. I sprayed them with a Cayenne pepper, dish soap and water mixture. I don't know if that was a healthy thing to do, but according to a local gardener they said that is what they use. I am saving egg shells and plan on grinding them up to mix with the soil. See anything in this comment I should change please give me your guidance. Cheers
Very neat and inspirational. You're really using every available space. I have about 5 acres and to me that doesn't seem like much, and yet with not even an acre you are getting maximum use.
Curtis this is a priceless video, esp for motivated and activated farmers looking for efficiency...so packed with info gems. U deserve a lot more views -quality is low volume tho. Very grateful, bro. will be watching this over till i get it all.
im not into farming at all but the love you have for your profession made this quite entertaining. I actually gained alot from this, quite amazing actually
I've got to tell you that you've inspired me to attempt this here in Maine. My growing season is shorter and my profit will be less but I'm currently disabled and this is a perfect way for me to get some savings tucked away for my fiance and her son. I'm considering greenhouses as well if only for good cukes and tomatoes throughout the winter.
+Deadman Talking That's awesome dude. Your story sounds compelling. Remember to always tell your story. As small farmers, we're more than just farmers. You will become your own brand. When I started, our main story was the fact that we were pedal powered, so that became a big part of our marketing. Best of luck brother.
That's awesome you can do a stale bed weeding technique. This just isn't possible with large agricultural operations. Also like how you've transitioned to no-till. Tilling is terrible for the soil in the long run. Awesome set up. Good and creative uses to maximize your small space. Great stuff.
I live on 22 acres and just started my farm this year. I have a 40x10 greenhouse with a list of vegetables and fruit growing. I also have an aquaponic system that I plan on stocking with blue channel catfish, as soon as they are in season. I have mint, thyme, basil, cinnamon basil, strawberries, and iceburge lettuce in my aquaponic system with large goldfish and one sunfish in the tank area. I have 6 chickens with the coop attached to the shaded side of the greenhouse. I think I might be getting a flow hive for Christmas and might get a couple of mini cows in the spring. Even though I'm on a lot of land, I'm always looking for ways to use every square inch of it. I would love your feed back and ideas on how I can best use the land that I'm on. It has more hills than flat areas. It's just my husband and I that will be working the land so the easier the set up the better. Here's what I had in mind so far. I was thiking about digging a well and adding a bilge pump and water filter system that will go into two water tanks. I would then hook this up to my aquaponic systems and have a bilge pump for the aquaponic system as well. Then from the aquaponic tanks I will have a watering system going into the garden beds. Hook it up to solar or wind energy, and put the watering system and aquaponic system on a timer. Fence off areas where I can grow orchard grass and let the cows rotate from area to area letting the grass grow back, and the cows fertlize the ground.The aquaponic systems will be the animals water source. So all I would have to do is inspect and maintain everything on a daily basis. Also my pitbull just had puppies. She's pure bred and so are the puppies, UKC. We're keeping two females. They can help with the farm as well. We have a mix of farmland and suburbia where I live. The town is developing fast. But no one will be able to build up to our house. We're on a RR5 zone. Would love to make it a place for some of the families moving in from the city to visit. I want people to see the benifits of growing your own food and that with a little bit of technology thrown in, farming can be realy fun. I'm excited about the flow hive, it's literally honey on tap, and a lot of it! So it's very exciting! Slowly but surely it's growing. New ideas are fun too!
That sounds like a cool plan! My suggestion would be to lay out how you want it to be in the end, and work towards it. For example, the cattle you want, map out where they will be, their rotation times, and other details pertaining to them so that when you do get them, you're ready.
keep a small plot to farm the way you want, lease the rest to other productive farmers. This way you can keep your operation small and manageable without hiring help and the rest of the land can be productive and income producing as well.
I also started my first raised bed this past spring. I hope to add more beds next spring. This time around was definitely a learning experience and I took lots of notes and kept a journal along the way. I have to say we ate good this summer and I am still producing cucumbers, tomatoes (cherry and San Marzano) and pole beans. Thanks for your inspirational video.
+shakaama That's how you start! Don't be afraid and use any failures as learning experiences. Grow some sprouts in the house. It is so easy you will wonder why you didn't grow them sooner. I have no outside space so I built shelves in my bedroom with grow lights above and I have a garden. Right now I have 6 lettuce, 4 basil, 4 oregano, 2 mizuna, 3 sorrel, 8 sugarsnap pea, 6 strawberry and 3 catnip plants growing. Keep a garden every year and you will see how great YOUR veggies taste. Best of luck to you!
Man, this is really inspiring! I had no idea my hobby could be turned into something profitable enough for me to live off of. I would go for a semi-permaculture garden though. With natural groundcovers and all that. Perhaps a perennial hügel section with some seasonal stuff mixed in. Probably nowhere near as effective, but if I can break even and have some left over for improvements, then that's enough.
Hey have you tried using worm composting so that you could eliminate smell for your other lots? i think it would save you time and would provide you with good worm castings and compost :)
Super pleased at finding your channel. I have been looking into small scale farming for a couple of months and your videos are very helpful Thank you for sharing!
Seeing the Japanese mini truck, I figured you were in Canada, great little trucks, was a GM on a refurbishing company for them here in the Philippines. Good video, nicely explained.
Curtis, do you ever test the soil? pH, nitrogen, phosphorous and potash levels and adjust accordingly. Ever consider growing wine cap mushrooms under the tomatoes? Easy to grow, great for the soil and $12/lb wholesale to restaurants.
I just finished a weekend seminar on mushroom farming. I will do wine caps end of summer after I turn over one bed that gets too much shade. Only need to get my hands on wood chips which shouldn't be difficult. I'll keep you posted.
It is likely that many homes in many regions could harvest all water needed for the garden via the roof area Raingutters and storage tanks. Plants grow well on natural water because it is naturally soft. Some crops will grow via greywater from showers and laundry wastewater. Not root crops, or crops that lay on the soil top, but corn, or nut trees, and so on. A region having 10" or more of rain is a consideration for this.
I am a small farmer in barbados. I am currently operating a 3 acre lot and a greenhouse. I planted indeterminate tomatoes in the greenhouse last year had problems with pruning and fertilizer. Give the tomatoes too much nitrogen and had to over prune the excessive growth. Don't quite understand pruning, staking and fertilizing. Barbados has summer all year round and should be having higher yields
Did not work the green house this year planted bush tomatoes outside very difficult because we are right now at the ending of are rainy season. I have beans, cucumber, finger squash, ginger, thyme and yams planted quite tired harvesting and planting i'm beaten. Obstacles are mostly people stealing are thyme because it's a high value crop.
Tamara Dottin I'm assuming it's your down season right now but I'm hoping you have a lot of success in the coming year. if you are still wondering about the tomato pruning, curtis has a great video about it called managing intensive tomatoes (I think). it was really helpful for me to get new ideas about growing tomatoes.
Yes I watched it, it was very informative I live in Barbados so really don't have a diwn time but the rainy season has me good just wondering do u have a green house and if you do can u give me so ideas
this is so awesome you are the man. I really like what you are doing and I hope to be doing some of it my self we are moving to a new home that has 4.5 acres am pretty excited about it.
what methods do you use in the beds for soil replenishing? in your high turnover plots do you find your always adding to the soil and if so are you buying compost fertilizers??? just curious. thanks
+Mrs J Tunes I make my own compost, but I can't make enough for my needs. I buy compost and organic fertilizers. I've used various fertilizers over the years from certified organic blood meal, alfalfa meal, feather meal, dried molasses, chicken manure, and a mix of all of the above. My main fertilizer I use for nursery soil is called Gaia Green 4/4/4, it's an organic mix of a bunch of things, and my main fertilizer in the field besides compost is a certified organic dried turkey manure which is an 8/2/4. Hope that helps.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thanks for the quick response! this would be my dream to do this for a living. thanks for the inspiration and making the world a better place. do you find you replenish often? at the beginning of each growing season?
+Mrs J Tunes I add a thick layer of compost to all the beds at the beginning of the season, then reapply about 2L of fertilizer per 50' bed every rotation.
THIS is THE COOLEST thing in life. i LOVE LOVE LOVE what you are doing :) In a couple of years i wanna be like you man!! haha. so awesome. Gonna have to take your course!
ladyeclectic look into mulching. It won't kill weeds, but pulling them will literally be a piece of cake. You can also leave nitrogenating/edible weeds like plantains dandelions and purslane.
I need your advise. The problem might be more difficult at least for me to sell all what you can produce couse I got not clue where, when and how. please some ideas. Thank you
You said you cut the salanova lettuce by hand and it regenerates. Do you not cut the core, just the leaves and leave the core or at a certain height? Thanks.
so with all your production and using a dig method how do you keep your soil healthy enough to keep feeding your plants? I'm just starting a farm and I love you level of efficiency, I have 2.3 acres and chickens I want a few more animals and I am currently in the winter season but I want to prepare for gardening in the april after the winter.
Ever tried woodchip mulching? You won't need to use tarps and it's super easy to put down. Weeds rarely grow in there. If they do grow, just pull them up and it's the easiest stuff ever. It's also very spongy and will make it much less expensive to water. Tarps do that too but they won't store water.
Subbed. I have been working 1/3 acre for 5 years now. Fruit trees, vines, berries, veggies... Producing plenty but I want to start making some profit from my hard work.
Have you joined or setup shop at a farmer's market? Have you gone out and marketed your organic produce? Seems odd you can't make a profit??? Can you break down your costs and other expenses?
Gotcha. Love what you're doing. It is really cool to see something different than conventional agriculture. I'm a Plant Science/Horticulture Major at the University of Tennessee and have always been interested in urban farming. I'll definitely check out your other videos. Keep up the good work.
Hi Curtis..... I'm a semi retired RN from NYS.....I'll make an offer.....I'll come work for you....make some money doing and learning everything from you and your small team and business outfit....and then I'll buy an adjacent plot of land....to double our efforts in 2-3 years.... In this way....we can consolidate "your effective business plan"...and I can eventually reteach what I will be taught too... Food is medicine....I just had leg surgery in May 2016,...and I would be ready for work/learning in August. Never know where new opportunities can come from..... Cheers, Frank
You mention a quick flame weed to your stale seed beds before planting. Why do you choose to do that instead of running a stirrup hoe through to knock down the tiny weeds?
I love this idea and have recently been studying deeply in aquaponics. I'm wondering if aquaponics can produce the same turnout, better, or less on the same amount of land. Not as much work after initial setup I would think. What are your thoughts Mr. Curtis?
+brightidea23 It's all about what your context is. If you're in a dense urban area where there are no good soils to use, then it makes sense. Otherwise, it can't complete with good soil farming based on input costs. It's also a lot to manage. Ph and feeding fish aren't things that just get managed themselves. So, personally, I prefer soil and am happy to be a dirt farmer and will as long as I can be.
Can you give me a quick insight into your irrigation? Is that half inch line running to battery operated Orbit timers? Seems genius just wondering if thats what I'm seeing. THANK YOU. You rock. I'm gonna take your workshop soon.
There are three things we need to know. 1. Total man hours of effort per year 2. Costs and then 3) Revenue. Without the first two, it is hard to gauge how good or bad it is to get into it
I'm curious, why do you use tarps instead of woodchip to cover your land? Woodchip will help minimise weeds but also feed the soil beneath it for your plants.
I have pondered for almost ten years on growing bell and some hot varieties of peppers for sale on my place? I have had great yields on just few plants and bell or green peppers are outrageous in stores.
Dude, you are awesome. I'm Ed Holt in the US the state I live in is North Carolina. I would like to grow tomatoes herbs squash and corn Silver Queen to be exact. I would love to be able to do all 3 year round, but don't think that is feasible.. Especially the corn, but I've also thought about strawberries, and other berries. But by watching what you have been able to achieve it does give me hope! Before I can do anything I have got to find out what the local laws are lol. I live in the city limits laws are different than in the country.
There's be no economic benefit that I can see of pushing the season for corn. It's one of the lowest value crops out there, so spending resources to extend the season, wouldn't have much pay off.
Hi Curtis! All our seed packets tell us to thin out our vegetables at a certain point, but when I look at your videos it looks like your maximizing your space by packing in plants. So my question is, do you thin out your plants? Thanks
Do you cover marketing, pricing and working with local folks and businesses (restaurants, chefs et al). Also, I hope the book breaks everything down to nanite size buddy....because like most...this 48 yo man grew up in the city, visited my country kin in the summers as a kid...but has forgotten everything.
+David Hutchinson Yes sir. That's all in the book, in great detail. You'll notice that I usually spend more time talking about business than I do soil, because so many books have already been written about soil. Best of luck!
Being so close together have you ever had to deal with insects if so how did you combat that> Cucumber beetles and squash bettles killed my harvest last year.
take 5 whole tomatos, 2 zucchini , 2 rosemary stems, 5 thyme stems, salt pepper, and extra virgin olive oil, heat oil in pan, add salt and pepper, chopp up zucchini into circles and add to pan, toss in whole tomatoes, add the leaves of the rosemary and thyme. add a little more salt and cover with a lid untill zucchini and tomatoes are soft. Once the zucchini and tomatoes are soft, turn off heat and pour zucchini, tomatoes and sauce into ceramic serving dish. Enjoy!! :)
+Eugene McGill I write about in my book. On my website, you can download some sample contracts. theurbanfarmer.co/product/the-urban-farmer-free-extras/
Hello Mr. Stone, What I would like to know is whether or not any of the people who have taken your online courses have attained the success you have? I live in central Texas and wonder, given the heat here, if it is possible to achieve this on a small area. Thank you
Hi Curtis! Thanks for all your interesting, educational videos. I'm thinking about taking your online home study course in the future. Can I ask, what sort of terms do you agree with your land owners? Have you had any problems where you have secured some land only for the owner to change mind say one year later? Many thanks.
+Tim Sadler Hey Tim, I use simple contracts so that doesn't happen. I suppose it could, but for the 20 or more plots I've farmed on over the years, I've been pretty thorough and careful about picking landowners. In my online course (www.profitableurbanfarming.com) we get into it in great detail. I also talk about it in my upcoming book www.theurbanfarmer.co
Hello! Quick question-I noticed your beds were built up, especially the area where your greenhouses are out back with a lot of mulch and looks like wood chips? To me it appeared much more elevated than the rest of the yard area. Was the soil where you are great to begin with, or did you have to do a lot of cultivation or bring in soil for your greenhouses? Did you do lasagna type of layering? I've seen so many methods, what worked for you?
Just off the cuff, because I know you're busy. I have a terraced front yard. It's around 30 feet high from the street. I live on a bluff. I thought about melons and squash cascading down the front. However Do you have a better idea for that kind of space?
This rocks This is what every family should do. This is how communities stay healthy. To have a healthy community we should think small, small urban farms, small local business, etc.
+jason browne that's exactly it my brother.
It would be good indeed. If it came to that, people probably would not be able to make nearly as much money as this if they decided to sell it, though.
No, not every family or you would have no one top sell to /wink
You need all sorts of people with a wide array of profitable skills. Mechanics, cabinet makers, carpenters etc. (Some are better at building than growing, and prefer to do so)
Well if they did...there would be no market.
Diversity is good for investments, genetics, and food supply. With giant conglomerates owning the food production one disease can wipe out huge amounts of food (like having no lettuce in most of the country for weeks or months). Small food supplies like this are an awesome protection from that.
I am inspired! I spent the last 16 years driving a minimum of 180 miles to and from work everyday to pay for our 5 acres. I gardened each year, and we raise a lot of our own meat. Now we are paid off, and I work closer to home so we are starting to work on our farm. Thank you for showing us your operation!
Beautiful place. I recently moved out onto 15 acres of ripe land surrounded by 140 of pine and hardwood, family owned. Its all pretty unlimited as to what I could grow(Zone 9, S.Louisana) and the space available... Thanks for sharing your setup. It helps to provide perspective.
i stay in south africa...i wish i had a friend like you for a week...your passion and knowledge is just inspiring !!!pimpin my land out
So beautiful. I have watched this video three times now and I learn something different every time!
you can spray the plants with some ghost pepper water and that will stop anything with a nervous system. just super wash/rinse before harvest. works for any animal problem also. I would think this would really benefit someone with multiple sites like you have. also great job, you are inspiring me to kick it up a gear. thanks for the videos and keep up the good work
Just what the world needs. An exceptional human being. I’d love to learn the ins and outs of what you do
You are too kewl for words. You have opened a new world of gardening to us!
this is frickin awesome! you r my hero!
Dirtpatcheaven honestly just do it outside of the city and buy the damn land. You'd have to drill a well, but you could make ponds and honesty who wants to feed their plants with flouride chlorine and all that shit?
Dirtpatcheaven @ "
@ what about profit ? :)
No way, i was just looking at some of your videos and I saw the block building in your backyard and the house and thought, isn't that Kelowna, stopped the video and looked at the info! I knew it. Nice job. You are an inspiration.
I don't know if you are aware but Ladybugs love to eat aphids and you can purchase them in the garden centers, at least on the east coast. They will hang around and they won't harm the plants.
your killing it! stoked to see someone doing it and not caring about the stupid laws in place that keep us from making money and being healthy! keep it up
I'm into my first gardening season ever. Planted the tomatoes and peppers the first Sunday in April. I live in southern Illinois 45 minutes from the Gateway Arch. Everything is planted in wine 1/2 barrels made of resin. 9.97 at Rural king. I planted Beef eater and Early Girl tomatoes. The peppers I planted are Jalapeno, Bell, Banana, Pimento, Chili and 2 others. I have Golden Cabbage red and yellow onions, sugar peas and summer squash. From the second week of May and 2 weeks into June was bone dry here. Watered early every morning before 7 am. Tomatoes would show tons and tons of blooms but only 2 became tomatoes, that is until last week when it rained over night. A week before it rained I read that it was ok to hand pollinate with cue tips and water. So I tried that. I hand pollinated 25 or so blooms and then it rained a week later. Now I see 12 tomatoes forming and each of the beef eater plants area good 4 feet tall. The pepper plants are going nuts and I think I counted 23 across all the plants. Very exciting for this beginner. Aphids were an issue. I sprayed them with a Cayenne pepper, dish soap and water mixture. I don't know if that was a healthy thing to do, but according to a local gardener they said that is what they use. I am saving egg shells and plan on grinding them up to mix with the soil. See anything in this comment I should change please give me your guidance. Cheers
I love going back to this video to see how much has changed in just 3 years.
So glad to see this guy's channel growing so much
what a wonderful entrepreneur you are. Have watched this many times and I have a great amount of respect for you. Keep going bro
Duuuuude, dude. That's hard work. You are awesome. Thanks for making and uploading this vid.
amazing. i love your farms. currently caring for 3 tomato plants myself 😀
Very neat and inspirational. You're really using every available space. I have about 5 acres and to me that doesn't seem like much, and yet with not even an acre you are getting maximum use.
Curtis this is a priceless video, esp for motivated and activated farmers looking for efficiency...so packed with info gems. U deserve a lot more views -quality is low volume tho. Very grateful, bro. will be watching this over till i get it all.
im not into farming at all but the love you have for your profession made this quite entertaining. I actually gained alot from this, quite amazing actually
I've got to tell you that you've inspired me to attempt this here in Maine. My growing season is shorter and my profit will be less but I'm currently disabled and this is a perfect way for me to get some savings tucked away for my fiance and her son. I'm considering greenhouses as well if only for good cukes and tomatoes throughout the winter.
+Deadman Talking That's awesome dude. Your story sounds compelling. Remember to always tell your story. As small farmers, we're more than just farmers. You will become your own brand. When I started, our main story was the fact that we were pedal powered, so that became a big part of our marketing. Best of luck brother.
That's awesome you can do a stale bed weeding technique. This just isn't possible with large agricultural operations. Also like how you've transitioned to no-till. Tilling is terrible for the soil in the long run. Awesome set up. Good and creative uses to maximize your small space. Great stuff.
+Jordan Bryant It's been an easy switch. I've got videos on how we do it up here.
I live on 22 acres and just started my farm this year. I have a 40x10 greenhouse with a list of vegetables and fruit growing. I also have an aquaponic system that I plan on stocking with blue channel catfish, as soon as they are in season. I have mint, thyme, basil, cinnamon basil, strawberries, and iceburge lettuce in my aquaponic system with large goldfish and one sunfish in the tank area. I have 6 chickens with the coop attached to the shaded side of the greenhouse. I think I might be getting a flow hive for Christmas and might get a couple of mini cows in the spring. Even though I'm on a lot of land, I'm always looking for ways to use every square inch of it.
I would love your feed back and ideas on how I can best use the land that I'm on. It has more hills than flat areas. It's just my husband and I that will be working the land so the easier the set up the better.
Here's what I had in mind so far. I was thiking about digging a well and adding a bilge pump and water filter system that will go into two water tanks. I would then hook this up to my aquaponic systems and have a bilge pump for the aquaponic system as well. Then from the aquaponic tanks I will have a watering system going into the garden beds. Hook it up to solar or wind energy, and put the watering system and aquaponic system on a timer. Fence off areas where I can grow orchard grass and let the cows rotate from area to area letting the grass grow back, and the cows fertlize the ground.The aquaponic systems will be the animals water source. So all I would have to do is inspect and maintain everything on a daily basis.
Also my pitbull just had puppies. She's pure bred and so are the puppies, UKC. We're keeping two females. They can help with the farm as well.
We have a mix of farmland and suburbia where I live. The town is developing fast. But no one will be able to build up to our house. We're on a RR5 zone. Would love to make it a place for some of the families moving in from the city to visit. I want people to see the benifits of growing your own food and that with a little bit of technology thrown in, farming can be realy fun. I'm excited about the flow hive, it's literally honey on tap, and a lot of it!
So it's very exciting! Slowly but surely it's growing. New ideas are fun too!
That sounds like a cool plan! My suggestion would be to lay out how you want it to be in the end, and work towards it. For example, the cattle you want, map out where they will be, their rotation times, and other details pertaining to them so that when you do get them, you're ready.
A.C. Tour video of your property it it's possible??? Would love to see. I sub if replied
A.C., make sure everyone knows what you have so we can all come get your stuff when SHTF.
keep a small plot to farm the way you want, lease the rest to other productive farmers. This way you can keep your operation small and manageable without hiring help and the rest of the land can be productive and income producing as well.
Amazingly well organized. Still can't imagine what April must be like and how you recover from the Winter.
I also started my first raised bed this past spring. I hope to add more beds next spring. This time around was definitely a learning experience and I took lots of notes and kept a journal along the way. I have to say we ate good this summer and I am still producing cucumbers, tomatoes (cherry and San Marzano) and pole beans. Thanks for your inspirational video.
This is VERY impressive. Wow! You are truly inspiring. I'm enjoying this video immensely!
I so want to do this. but i'm a youtuber and have no idea how to do any of this. this year was the first year i did a garden.
+shakaama That's how you start! Don't be afraid and use any failures as learning experiences. Grow some sprouts in the house. It is so easy you will wonder why you didn't grow them sooner.
I have no outside space so I built shelves in my bedroom with grow lights above and I have a garden. Right now I have 6 lettuce, 4 basil, 4 oregano, 2 mizuna, 3 sorrel, 8 sugarsnap pea, 6 strawberry and 3 catnip plants growing.
Keep a garden every year and you will see how great YOUR veggies taste. Best of luck to you!
+shakaama Neither did I. I learned how to farm, mostly from TH-cam as well.
Suggestion, research back to eden garden here on youtube. Do away with all that plastic sheeting and the tiller.
The complexity for such a small area is mind boggling.
at 6:43 you mention using a T Hangers in you hoop house. Where did you buy yours? Only finding basket hangers on farm tek, growers supply and online
+Joseph Monroe Just from an old grower in town. You can easily weld these though. They're just a T with hooks on all ends.
Man, this is really inspiring! I had no idea my hobby could be turned into something profitable enough for me to live off of. I would go for a semi-permaculture garden though. With natural groundcovers and all that. Perhaps a perennial hügel section with some seasonal stuff mixed in. Probably nowhere near as effective, but if I can break even and have some left over for improvements, then that's enough.
Actually, I would bet even more productive, with less work being put into it (less weeding with ground covers, etc).
Hey have you tried using worm composting so that you could eliminate smell for your other lots? i think it would save you time and would provide you with good worm castings and compost :)
You are doing great work!!! I'm happy I have discovered your channel. Thank you Curtis.
Super pleased at finding your channel. I have been looking into small scale farming for a couple of months and your videos are very helpful
Thank you for sharing!
I love the extra cycle bike and trailers, give those guys and gals a shout out! Love the video, keep them coming!
Seeing the Japanese mini truck, I figured you were in Canada, great little trucks, was a GM on a refurbishing company for them here in the Philippines. Good video, nicely explained.
Curtis, do you ever test the soil? pH, nitrogen, phosphorous and potash levels and adjust accordingly. Ever consider growing wine cap mushrooms under the tomatoes? Easy to grow, great for the soil and $12/lb wholesale to restaurants.
Sounds like a neat idea. Maybe you could try it and let me know how it goes. I on;y test my soil at new plots or if there's a reason too.
I just finished a weekend seminar on mushroom farming. I will do wine caps end of summer after I turn over one bed that gets too much shade. Only need to get my hands on wood chips which shouldn't be difficult. I'll keep you posted.
It is likely that many homes in many regions could harvest all water needed for the garden via the roof area Raingutters and storage tanks. Plants grow well on natural water because it is naturally soft. Some crops will grow via greywater from showers and laundry wastewater. Not root crops, or crops that lay on the soil top, but corn, or nut trees, and so on. A region having 10" or more of rain is a consideration for this.
I am a small farmer in barbados. I am currently operating a 3 acre lot and a greenhouse. I planted indeterminate tomatoes in the greenhouse last year had problems with pruning and fertilizer. Give the tomatoes too much nitrogen and had to over prune the excessive growth. Don't quite understand pruning, staking and fertilizing. Barbados has summer all year round and should be having higher yields
any updates? I'm curious to hear.
Did not work the green house this year planted bush tomatoes outside very difficult because we are right now at the ending of are rainy season. I have beans, cucumber, finger squash, ginger, thyme and yams planted quite tired harvesting and planting i'm beaten. Obstacles are mostly people stealing are thyme because it's a high value crop.
Tamara Dottin I'm assuming it's your down season right now but I'm hoping you have a lot of success in the coming year. if you are still wondering about the tomato pruning, curtis has a great video about it called managing intensive tomatoes (I think). it was really helpful for me to get new ideas about growing tomatoes.
Yes I watched it, it was very informative I live in Barbados so really don't have a diwn time but the rainy season has me good just wondering do u have a green house and if you do can u give me so ideas
Tamara Dottin I'm working on building a greenhouse into our new enclosed 16x32 foot back porch.
this is so awesome you are the man. I really like what you are doing and I hope to be doing some of it my self we are moving to a new home that has 4.5 acres am pretty excited about it.
what methods do you use in the beds for soil replenishing? in your high turnover plots do you find your always adding to the soil and if so are you buying compost fertilizers??? just curious. thanks
+Mrs J Tunes I make my own compost, but I can't make enough for my needs. I buy compost and organic fertilizers. I've used various fertilizers over the years from certified organic blood meal, alfalfa meal, feather meal, dried molasses, chicken manure, and a mix of all of the above. My main fertilizer I use for nursery soil is called Gaia Green 4/4/4, it's an organic mix of a bunch of things, and my main fertilizer in the field besides compost is a certified organic dried turkey manure which is an 8/2/4. Hope that helps.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thanks for the quick response! this would be my dream to do this for a living. thanks for the inspiration and making the world a better place. do you find you replenish often? at the beginning of each growing season?
+Mrs J Tunes I add a thick layer of compost to all the beds at the beginning of the season, then reapply about 2L of fertilizer per 50' bed every rotation.
THIS is THE COOLEST thing in life. i LOVE LOVE LOVE what you are doing :) In a couple of years i wanna be like you man!! haha. so awesome. Gonna have to take your course!
Does tarping kill off any good bacteria or microbes in the soil, or does it just affect the plants/weeds?
From what I've seen the microbes thrive. It's meant to kill weeds and weed seeds.
ladyeclectic look into mulching. It won't kill weeds, but pulling them will literally be a piece of cake. You can also leave nitrogenating/edible weeds like plantains dandelions and purslane.
I mean heavy mulching with the mulch naturally decomposing the most on the bottom (woodchips straw and leaves are the best)
How do you procure growing sites? Are you renting or do you have different arrangements at various sites?
Thanks.
+211steelman I've got rental agreements, leases, and I also own my home that I'm farming too.
I need your advise. The problem might be more difficult at least for me to sell all what you can produce couse I got not clue
where, when and how. please some ideas. Thank you
+evaristo primero read my book. There's a lot there. Saves me typing it out again here. Best of luck.
You said you cut the salanova lettuce by hand and it regenerates. Do you not cut the core, just the leaves and leave the core or at a certain height? Thanks.
+Michael Coy We cut into the core a little bit. We basically just cut it straight across and leave about an inch of height off the ground.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone cool just trying it out this year myself and was wondering how you are to maximize a single plant
Where did you purchase your flame weeder or did you make it. Only one i see like that online is over $1000
+Scott York I bought it. It's totally worth $1000.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thank you for the fast reply!!!
Thank you very much for sharing. I am inspired. What is your seedling strategy? Do you buy your seedlings?
I start everything from seed.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone very impressive. Do you have any videos on this?
so with all your production and using a dig method how do you keep your soil healthy enough to keep feeding your plants? I'm just starting a farm and I love you level of efficiency, I have 2.3 acres and chickens I want a few more animals and I am currently in the winter season but I want to prepare for gardening in the april after the winter.
Keep watching my videos as I address this in many of them. We have been mostly no-till for 2 years now.
Ever tried woodchip mulching? You won't need to use tarps and it's super easy to put down. Weeds rarely grow in there. If they do grow, just pull them up and it's the easiest stuff ever. It's also very spongy and will make it much less expensive to water. Tarps do that too but they won't store water.
+Matthew Niedbala yes. I have a video on it. Search Mulch.
Subbed. I have been working 1/3 acre for 5 years now. Fruit trees, vines, berries, veggies... Producing plenty but I want to start making some profit from my hard work.
Have you joined or setup shop at a farmer's market? Have you gone out and marketed your organic produce? Seems odd you can't make a profit??? Can you break down your costs and other expenses?
Yankee Axe & Tool Co. Didn't that guy use it to grow weed. It's in California.
market to local restaurants - you may find one that will buy all your produce.
Hello Could you please teach me in a video how to set up a patio? Thanks
+david zabala you can't be serious.
Do you have a video or Could you refer me where I can get more info in how to start as a beginner?
Lol I found it !! Great videos I'm a beginner on all this great journey !! I like it !
Cheers!
Great vid, love the emphasis on concentrating on the tasks that pay. Good stuff!
Curtis... Big fan and constantly humbled by your video's my man. I'm wondering if you take private questions?
Yes, in the TH-cam live sessions.
How do you get the urban lots or get the people to agree to work their lawns? Thanks. This is like one of the best videos I've seen in a long time.
+Wind Dancer If you watch more of my videos, that's all in there.
Love the washing machine trick for drying greens. Good work!
Curtis, how do you compensate your home owner for water used on the beds you have at their homes.
How are you harvesting your lettuce? I worked on an organic farm and did it by hand. Takes forever and hard on the back.
+Jordan Bryant For loose leaf greens, we use the Quick Cut Greens Harvester, but for Salanova lettuce, we harvest by hand. We're quick.
Gotcha. Love what you're doing. It is really cool to see something different than conventional agriculture. I'm a Plant Science/Horticulture Major at the University of Tennessee and have always been interested in urban farming. I'll definitely check out your other videos. Keep up the good work.
Hi Curtis.....
I'm a semi retired RN from NYS.....I'll make an offer.....I'll come work for you....make some money doing and learning everything from you and your small team and business outfit....and then I'll buy an adjacent plot of land....to double our efforts in 2-3 years....
In this way....we can consolidate "your effective business plan"...and I can eventually reteach what I will be taught too...
Food is medicine....I just had leg surgery in May 2016,...and I would be ready for work/learning in August.
Never know where new opportunities can come from.....
Cheers,
Frank
You mention a quick flame weed to your stale seed beds before planting. Why do you choose to do that instead of running a stirrup hoe through to knock down the tiny weeds?
+Julia Irish Because it's way less work, faster, and more thorough.
Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Cool. It's a tool I haven't tried yet but I'll probably give a go this season. Thanks for all the videos!
Hey Curtis, do you know if that basic black plastic you can get from Home Depot is safe to use in a garden as a ground cover? Thanks.
+buyerofsorts I'm not sure, but Google might.
Okee Doke. Thanks.
I love this idea and have recently been studying deeply in aquaponics. I'm wondering if aquaponics can produce the same turnout, better, or less on the same amount of land. Not as much work after initial setup I would think. What are your thoughts Mr. Curtis?
+brightidea23 It's all about what your context is. If you're in a dense urban area where there are no good soils to use, then it makes sense. Otherwise, it can't complete with good soil farming based on input costs. It's also a lot to manage. Ph and feeding fish aren't things that just get managed themselves. So, personally, I prefer soil and am happy to be a dirt farmer and will as long as I can be.
Wranglerstar sent us over- so glad we did!
Can you give me a quick insight into your irrigation? Is that half inch line running to battery operated Orbit timers? Seems genius just wondering if thats what I'm seeing. THANK YOU. You rock. I'm gonna take your workshop soon.
+James Hansen You described exactly how it works.
whats the current price per oz of microgreens in canada right now..im trying to correlate prices in my own country
+Wesley Rodriguez Canada is a massive country, prices vary from city to city. I sell sunflower and pea shoots for $15 per pound.
Love it! #1 question is marketing and selling your produce. Hope this channel has insight on that. Love what you're doin'!
You use city water do youfilter it or adjust ph?
No need for where I'm at. We have great water. No chlorine or floride.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone What are prices in ur area of tomato for kg ?.
I live in Kelowna and would love to tour your property sometime to get some ideas :-) it looks fantastic from the video.. keep up the good work
You can also do hydroponic cultivation on your roof top, that will add more dollars.
where did you buy the tarps?
+sonofthunder 333 Just do a google search. Not hard to find.
How do you find customers to buy your crop and how do you price the crop. I would like to get an idea.
+Gabriela Muñguia That's a really big question, that is totally covered in my book. In fact, there's almost an entire chapter on it.
I found it just right after I asked. Thank you for your videos and know that you are an inspiration to many many people.
There are three things we need to know. 1. Total man hours of effort per year 2. Costs and then 3) Revenue. Without the first two, it is hard to gauge how good or bad it is to get into it
I'm curious, why do you use tarps instead of woodchip to cover your land?
Woodchip will help minimise weeds but also feed the soil beneath it for your plants.
+Phuong Tran because of my context. There's no one size fits all for farmers. Check out my video on sheet mulching.
Thanks! Love your vids btw I am in the process of renting out my next door neighbor and want to implement your methods.
Excellent vid, what an education that's got my brain ticking.
I have pondered for almost ten years on growing bell and some hot varieties of peppers for sale on my place? I have had great yields on just few plants and bell or green peppers are outrageous in stores.
Dude, you are awesome. I'm Ed Holt in the US the state I live in is North Carolina. I would like to grow tomatoes herbs squash and corn Silver Queen to be exact. I would love to be able to do all 3 year round, but don't think that is feasible.. Especially the corn, but I've also thought about strawberries, and other berries. But by watching what you have been able to achieve it does give me hope! Before I can do anything I have got to find out what the local laws are lol. I live in the city limits laws are different than in the country.
There's be no economic benefit that I can see of pushing the season for corn. It's one of the lowest value crops out there, so spending resources to extend the season, wouldn't have much pay off.
what do you do when a hose ban gets enforced? Are you protected like rural farmers?
Hi Curtis! All our seed packets tell us to thin out our vegetables at a certain point, but when I look at your videos it looks like your maximizing your space by packing in plants. So my question is, do you thin out your plants? Thanks
+Julio Sanchez we never thin, we just plant at the correct density. If you ever get my book, all the crop densities I plant are in there.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thank you! Just got you're book, awesome sorce of information.
Do you cover marketing, pricing and working with local folks and businesses (restaurants, chefs et al). Also, I hope the book breaks everything down to nanite size buddy....because like most...this 48 yo man grew up in the city, visited my country kin in the summers as a kid...but has forgotten everything.
+David Hutchinson Yes sir. That's all in the book, in great detail. You'll notice that I usually spend more time talking about business than I do soil, because so many books have already been written about soil. Best of luck!
Great video, good luck if you get any of that bindweed everyone has it around where I am.
Or maybe I should stick with landscape fabric? Can you recommend a certain type? Thanks again. :)
+buyerofsorts Sunbelt is the brand I use.
Thanks Guy. :)
what program are you using please and where to get it?
John P free?
here the link: www.sketchup.com/
I have a 1/4 acre,thanks for more inspiration on micro farm & using any available space
just what kind of soil you use, an do you worm castens
How do you fertilize your crops with all of that weed block????
+Gruetzenbach Hans With compost and turkey manure. We just take it off when we're turning over beds.
I want to live with someone like this and just learn first hand then go on my own when I feel competent enough
Being so close together have you ever had to deal with insects if so how did you combat that> Cucumber beetles and squash bettles killed my harvest last year.
+R. J. Denicola never had those where I am.
take 5 whole tomatos, 2 zucchini , 2 rosemary stems, 5 thyme stems, salt pepper, and extra virgin olive oil, heat oil in pan, add salt and pepper, chopp up zucchini into circles and add to pan, toss in whole tomatoes, add the leaves of the rosemary and thyme. add a little more salt and cover with a lid untill zucchini and tomatoes are soft. Once the zucchini and tomatoes are soft, turn off heat and pour zucchini, tomatoes and sauce into ceramic serving dish. Enjoy!! :)
I'm impressed and I would like to know how to formulate a typical contract with the land owner for a project like this?
+Eugene McGill I write about in my book. On my website, you can download some sample contracts. theurbanfarmer.co/product/the-urban-farmer-free-extras/
Very nice set up. Add quail and honeybees to your mix. Excellent video, Thanks man.
What type of software are you using to map out your plots?
+Brian Beck Sketchup.
Thanks
What's the best weed fabric to put in between rows that's tough enough to sustain foot traffic all season and not tear?
Hello Mr. Stone,
What I would like to know is whether or not any of the people who have taken your online courses have attained the success you have? I live in central Texas and wonder, given the heat here, if it is possible to achieve this on a small area.
Thank you
+Blodwen M Time will tell my friend. But, I can point you to a couple that are right now. greensistergardens.com , www.flavourfulfarms.com
How do you approach your land owners? To obtain there land are you paying a monthly fee??
$50 pm or do you offer a price per square foot?
Hi, what is your net? Not including TH-cam. Thanks
Hi Curtis! Thanks for all your interesting, educational videos. I'm thinking about taking your online home study course in the future. Can I ask, what sort of terms do you agree with your land owners? Have you had any problems where you have secured some land only for the owner to change mind say one year later? Many thanks.
+Tim Sadler Hey Tim, I use simple contracts so that doesn't happen. I suppose it could, but for the 20 or more plots I've farmed on over the years, I've been pretty thorough and careful about picking landowners. In my online course (www.profitableurbanfarming.com) we get into it in great detail. I also talk about it in my upcoming book www.theurbanfarmer.co
I live in a Northern state, what to do in a 6 month winter?
+Fishpig65 Don't let that stop you. People are farming far north of you. Just give'r!
10* Keep it up. We are attempting multiple Nor CAL city gardens (with jailed personnel) and creating city fresh food bank produce.
Hello! Quick question-I noticed your beds were built up, especially the area where your greenhouses are out back with a lot of mulch and looks like wood chips? To me it appeared much more elevated than the rest of the yard area. Was the soil where you are great to begin with, or did you have to do a lot of cultivation or bring in soil for your greenhouses? Did you do lasagna type of layering? I've seen so many methods, what worked for you?
Just off the cuff, because I know you're busy. I have a terraced front yard. It's around 30 feet high from the street. I live on a bluff. I thought about melons and squash cascading down the front. However Do you have a better idea for that kind of space?