I haven't bought seeds of Calendula for over 18 years. The flower has been with me wherever I move to and however, I can grow. Now I have a huge garden space I can use as I wish, even though I'm renting. I had my raised bed put in two years ago and this will be my second spring in this space. I'm so proud of my Calendulas from saved seeds. I use the petals in olive oil as an all-purpose skin treatment. Sunburn, bug bites, dry skin, cuts and bruises, you name it. I also eat the flowers in salads and use fresh leaves and petals as a treatment for burning myself on nettles. I put it in almost all my beds to work as a medicine plant for other plants. They're my little orange garden helper. Last summer I discovered a different colored variety amongst my usual Calendulas. It was sort of cream-colored with a hint of peach. I saved the seeds from it and will hopefully be able to replicate it this year.
I planted calendula, borage, nasturtium and wild rocket in my allotment 12 years ago and they have all self seeded every year since. Not only are they beautiful and delicious, but I love the fact that they help suppress the weeds too 😃
You have really inspired me with your videos. Can't stop watching. Thank you for great content! My garden has never looked any better after watching your videos!
Oh Huw, you summed it up perfectly with the word “overwhelm”. I’m SO determined to have my own veg growing this year…..sometimes I feel that I’m not making progress. But then, I checked with my “2024 Garden Goals” as well as my list of 10 staple crops that I “must grow” (hmm, looks like I was paying attention to your planning video….indeed I was, with beds sketched out as well).:… Crazy garden fantasy gives me 13 staple crops of which 3 are summer crops and 1 being too late to plant (garlic). Huw - how did you do this to me? Or, FOR me, perhaps? I’ve got 10 crops already growing strong. Thank you! ❤ It’s like I don’t know what I’m doing yet the garden thrives nonetheless.
I planted some carrots, kale and broccoli today. It's my first year growing anything at all and I don't have a proper garden set up so I'm growing in pots and, in the case of the carrots, some old wellies!
So who cares if your garden is “proper”? 🤣🤣 Enjoy your garden journey with whatever…. and wherever you plant. 👍🏻 Be quirky - that’s Bonus Points in my book. You’re growing brassicas….and carrots “to boot”!🤪
Best of luck. There is never any harm trying something unconventional, but don't expect any miracles in the first year. Gardening never stops being a learning experiance.
Norway here! Carrot, coriander, radish, orach (?), rocket and some salads sown on frozen soil in the beginning of March (or even as early as January). Some seed we really have to wait with, but these are happy in the cold, and don't rot if the soil is frozen. Colder climates have advantages, too!
Where did you get your seeds? I have been looking for the last years without success. I can't find Asturian tree cabbage seeds here (from France). Happy sowing.
@raphaellejoubert4761 I got mine from Real Seeds here in Wales too - but I don't think they can be exported any more. However the seeds originated from Spain - so maybe there will be a way to source from there. Good luck.
Watching this video made me hungry! I haven't developed a veg area yet, so I'm planning to grow veg among my flowers this year. Thanks for the great video!
Lovely video! I have expanded my growing space this year and though I've started some seedlings in the greenhouse since February I'm itching to sow outside, everything still looks so bare, even though spring seems well underway. I received my signed copy of Huw and Sam's book today for my birthday and dug into the April chapter right after this video 😄
No land to use myself, so everything is in containers. I am going to plant up white carrots from my own saved seeds, Bok Choi, Calendula and hopefully some potatoes in a pot or two. Lettuce was planted 2 weeks ago, just coming up now after a few colder night temperatures. Cabbage is one plant I have trouble with, especially if the weather is way too hot or cold. Slugs enjoy my endeavors though.
Slugs are a huge issue with cabbage. I cover from day 1 with insect cloth, held to the ground as tightly as possible. Remove all leaf/wood cover nearby, check the plants daily.
My calendula is on order along with quite a few others you have suggested. My orchard/food forest is beside my garden so they will help both with colour, pollination and of course the edible ones are a huge bonus. P.S. Congratulations on the Sunday Times #1 Best Seller! I have it reordered here in Canada, looking forward to it!
Well, I also plant flowers, but where I live is currently too sunny and has little water, so I can't plant many, and I'm about to run out of water. Just waiting for the rainy season to come.
I’m in zone 4b and am mothering/willing some indoor seedlings to grow. Can I start leeks indoors? It’s April 1 here in Québec, Canada. My husband promises to watch your video on building a cover for a raised bed shortly so I can start lettuce, spinach etc. Love your channel, I’ve learned sooooo much, thank you.
I have been starting my leeks indoors for two years now. I put the seeds on top of the wet soil in the pot, keep it warm and cover with plastic wrap till they start germinating. Once they develop a bit more, I take them out and move them to a bigger pot where they'll have space to grow and won't be so close to each other. I poke small holes in the soil with a skewer and stick the small plants in them. And then when it's past the last frost, I move them in the garden.
The US zone system is some tosh. It only accounts for how cold it gets in the worst of winter. I have a similar (3 or 4 weeks shorter and much hotter/drier) "tropical annuals" (frost-free) growing season to you but in Prince George, BC, in Canada, the US zone is as low as a 4a or a 3b, so you cannot grow flowering evergreen trees and shrubs here like you can where you are, but the range of annual crops is pretty similar (I would have reasonable confidence about both sweetcorn and field maize, irrigated at sqft gardening densities or dry at ½ that density). For my own purposes, I have created an annual growing zone system which is literally just the number of weeks in the average year's frost-free season - a 120 day time from last frost to first frost is a zone 17, which is the integer part of the result of 120/7. Feel free to steal it.
Huw, which main crop seed potatoes do you recommend. Also, I like baked potatoes, no idea which to grow for baked potatoes, can you help? A second question, what medium do you recommend for growing carrots in, my first attempt last year just didn't work in compost. I've heard people using sand and compost mix?
🤤 stuff me with coriander & call me dumpling! So excited to try some tree cabbage flowers next year too 😋 After the amaranth, melons & squash 🤞🏻 Anyone know how much can you harvest leaf-wise from amaranth & it still flower? Planning to use it as a spinach substitute along with tree & strawberry spinach 😬
Thanks so much for those videos! I'm anxiously awaiting my book in the US. These are great in the meantime. :) One question: when you say to sow, do you mean direct sow, or start in modules? Thanks!!
hi Huw, I feel very silly for asking this, but what do you do after collecting your slugs? I've seen several tutorials on slug control (including yours) but none of them really seem to touch upon the subject of what to do with them after you've collected them. Is relocating them (tossing over the fence, or putting on the compost heap) enough, or do they need to be exterminated to have an actual impact? and if so; do you have a humane way of doing so? My chickens sadly don't care for them, so feeding them to the chickens is not really an option.
It's interesting how zones don't tell everything about our growing area. I'm in Vancouver BC Canada. Our zone is 7b, and our last average frost date is March 30. (Local gardeners still don't put out delicate crops like tomato and cucumber until the 3rd week of May.)
Totally. For a while I assumed I was in a similar climate to Huw and could pretty directly take his advice related to planting timing because we’re both zone 8. But I started to get suspicious with different things he’d say so I checked the monthly temperature averages in Wales and it’s vastly different from Arlington Texas where I am, it’s like 20-30 degrees higher on average here! Our last frost date is March 21st and this year our last frost was in the end of February. I still greatly enjoy Huw’s channel but it’s been helpful to recognize the difference in climate despite being in the same zone.
Huw, I have asturian cabbage sown at least 18 months ago. It's now gone to seed/flowering. What should I do with it? Do I dig up and re sow seeds? thanks
You mean Zone 8 in the UK I presume. How does that translate to USDA zones? Also I ordered your book last month and it was worth it getting it earlier than the US release! Loving it so much, Huw! Many thanks!
@@franceswatts4001 Thanks 😊 I caught that too. I just remember hearing about RHS ratings and I wasn’t sure which he would be giving - those ratings or USDA.
Yes I saw he was talking about sowing them ready for this season. However he was also harvesting. So I wondered when they were sown. 😊@@franceswatts4001
@@HuwRichards Oh, LOL, I missed it 🤣 I guess I didn't do too bad then, although I am worried about high temps here soon. It's going to be plenty warm by June.
Thank you for all your videos and books. Very helpful.. I am just wondering is it possible to give a idea how many plants we need to plant for two or four people? so for example, how many broccoli pants do I need to plant how many runner bean plants how many peas? I just have no idea I have just planted 200 PC seeds and I have no idea whether that will give me one or two while I’m in the garden or enough to feed a family of six? so please could you give us some indication of where we should be aiming to and I thank you once again for all your excellent work and books.
I guess if we look for the October planting videos here we should be set 😬. Cold climate NSW here. Lots to learn about growing in this climate. The almost 3 month variation in last frost date over the last 20 years has me nervous, but I think I'll stick with my grandfathers rule of planting out tender crops after the 2nd week of November.
I haven't bought seeds of Calendula for over 18 years. The flower has been with me wherever I move to and however, I can grow. Now I have a huge garden space I can use as I wish, even though I'm renting. I had my raised bed put in two years ago and this will be my second spring in this space. I'm so proud of my Calendulas from saved seeds. I use the petals in olive oil as an all-purpose skin treatment. Sunburn, bug bites, dry skin, cuts and bruises, you name it. I also eat the flowers in salads and use fresh leaves and petals as a treatment for burning myself on nettles. I put it in almost all my beds to work as a medicine plant for other plants. They're my little orange garden helper. Last summer I discovered a different colored variety amongst my usual Calendulas. It was sort of cream-colored with a hint of peach. I saved the seeds from it and will hopefully be able to replicate it this year.
Oh, I just love your naming it “my little orange garden helper”, There can be no better recommendation than that!
I planted some last year and saved seed, and have hundreds popping up now. It's so easy to save them, I'm shocked more people don't do it!
I planted calendula, borage, nasturtium and wild rocket in my allotment 12 years ago and they have all self seeded every year since. Not only are they beautiful and delicious, but I love the fact that they help suppress the weeds too 😃
@@boyturtleuk Wonderful!
Super helpful, thanks Huw!
Have finally got your book. I love it atm. It's easy to read as I have dyslexia so thank you x ❤
Oh that's so good to hear thank you so much!!
You have really inspired me with your videos. Can't stop watching. Thank you for great content! My garden has never looked any better after watching your videos!
Oh Huw, you summed it up perfectly with the word “overwhelm”. I’m SO determined to have my own veg growing this year…..sometimes I feel that I’m not making progress. But then, I checked with my “2024 Garden Goals” as well as my list of 10 staple crops that I “must grow” (hmm, looks like I was paying attention to your planning video….indeed I was, with beds sketched out as well).:… Crazy garden fantasy gives me 13 staple crops of which 3 are summer crops and 1 being too late to plant (garlic). Huw - how did you do this to me? Or, FOR me, perhaps? I’ve got 10 crops already growing strong. Thank you! ❤ It’s like I don’t know what I’m doing yet the garden thrives nonetheless.
Happy Easter Huw.
You too ☺️🐣
I planted some carrots, kale and broccoli today. It's my first year growing anything at all and I don't have a proper garden set up so I'm growing in pots and, in the case of the carrots, some old wellies!
So who cares if your garden is “proper”? 🤣🤣 Enjoy your garden journey with whatever…. and wherever you plant. 👍🏻 Be quirky - that’s Bonus Points in my book. You’re growing brassicas….and carrots “to boot”!🤪
Best of luck. There is never any harm trying something unconventional, but don't expect any miracles in the first year. Gardening never stops being a learning experiance.
Did you drill holes in the wellies, for drainage? Other than that one concern, it sounds like a perfect set up to me!
@@that_auntceleste5848 I didn't, no. I don't have anything to drill holes with either unfortunately. I put some small rocks in the bottom though
Norway here! Carrot, coriander, radish, orach (?), rocket and some salads sown on frozen soil in the beginning of March (or even as early as January). Some seed we really have to wait with, but these are happy in the cold, and don't rot if the soil is frozen. Colder climates have advantages, too!
Ive really filled my beds up on the allotment already. You have really inspired me and ive learn so much. Thankyou.
I now have Asturian tree cabbage seeds, should be sowing them later today along with pak choi and collard greens. Happy Easter Huw.
Perfect!! Happy sowing☺️
Where did you get your seeds? I have been looking for the last years without success. I can't find Asturian tree cabbage seeds here (from France). Happy sowing.
@@raphaellejoubert4761 Hi, I got mine from Real seeds in Wales. Paul and Beckys asturian tree cabbage.
@raphaellejoubert4761 I got mine from Real Seeds here in Wales too - but I don't think they can be exported any more. However the seeds originated from Spain - so maybe there will be a way to source from there. Good luck.
Exciting & thankfully I have all these seeds. Very excited to get things going!
Calendula is such a great plant to have in the garden 🌼🌼🌼👍
Watching this video made me hungry! I haven't developed a veg area yet, so I'm planning to grow veg among my flowers this year. Thanks for the great video!
Lovely video! I have expanded my growing space this year and though I've started some seedlings in the greenhouse since February I'm itching to sow outside, everything still looks so bare, even though spring seems well underway. I received my signed copy of Huw and Sam's book today for my birthday and dug into the April chapter right after this video 😄
Exciting time of year!
Happy Easter holiday, a great video!
I leave landcress to grow it comes up easily and is great for winter salads and stirfies😮
I have a small separate vegetable bed for both lettuce and dandelions to grow alongside eacheother since both are in the Asteraceae family
No land to use myself, so everything is in containers. I am going to plant up white carrots from my own saved seeds, Bok Choi, Calendula and hopefully some potatoes in a pot or two.
Lettuce was planted 2 weeks ago, just coming up now after a few colder night temperatures.
Cabbage is one plant I have trouble with, especially if the weather is way too hot or cold. Slugs enjoy my endeavors though.
Slugs are a huge issue with cabbage.
I cover from day 1 with insect cloth, held to the ground as tightly as possible.
Remove all leaf/wood cover nearby, check the plants daily.
@@SK-lt1so You can check for slugs at night too, that's when they feed.
The end of this is just golden😄
Thank you for your list. I got some new ideas. I love runner beans too.
Heheh! Thanks for the fun ending! Love these creative moments 🎉
Thank You!;❤
My calendula is on order along with quite a few others you have suggested.
My orchard/food forest is beside my garden so they will help both with colour, pollination and of course the edible ones are a huge bonus.
P.S. Congratulations on the Sunday Times #1 Best Seller! I have it reordered here in Canada, looking forward to it!
Greetings from Asturias ;) we started a vegetable garden this year.
Well, I also plant flowers, but where I live is currently too sunny and has little water, so I can't plant many, and I'm about to run out of water. Just waiting for the rainy season to come.
Thanks Hew 😊
I can find that cabbage variety in the US, but a nice similar seed is Beira kale.
Thanks!
VERY well done...thanks!
I’m in zone 4b and am mothering/willing some indoor seedlings to grow. Can I start leeks indoors? It’s April 1 here in Québec, Canada. My husband promises to watch your video on building a cover for a raised bed shortly so I can start lettuce, spinach etc. Love your channel, I’ve learned sooooo much, thank you.
I have been starting my leeks indoors for two years now. I put the seeds on top of the wet soil in the pot, keep it warm and cover with plastic wrap till they start germinating. Once they develop a bit more, I take them out and move them to a bigger pot where they'll have space to grow and won't be so close to each other. I poke small holes in the soil with a skewer and stick the small plants in them. And then when it's past the last frost, I move them in the garden.
The US zone system is some tosh. It only accounts for how cold it gets in the worst of winter. I have a similar (3 or 4 weeks shorter and much hotter/drier) "tropical annuals" (frost-free) growing season to you but in Prince George, BC, in Canada, the US zone is as low as a 4a or a 3b, so you cannot grow flowering evergreen trees and shrubs here like you can where you are, but the range of annual crops is pretty similar (I would have reasonable confidence about both sweetcorn and field maize, irrigated at sqft gardening densities or dry at ½ that density).
For my own purposes, I have created an annual growing zone system which is literally just the number of weeks in the average year's frost-free season - a 120 day time from last frost to first frost is a zone 17, which is the integer part of the result of 120/7. Feel free to steal it.
Yes, all ye folks who have a garden: start growing!
The more people grow veg, the fewer people will go short.
Huw, which main crop seed potatoes do you recommend. Also, I like baked potatoes, no idea which to grow for baked potatoes, can you help? A second question, what medium do you recommend for growing carrots in, my first attempt last year just didn't work in compost. I've heard people using sand and compost mix?
🤤 stuff me with coriander & call me dumpling! So excited to try some tree cabbage flowers next year too 😋
After the amaranth, melons & squash 🤞🏻
Anyone know how much can you harvest leaf-wise from amaranth & it still flower? Planning to use it as a spinach substitute along with tree & strawberry spinach 😬
Thanks so much for those videos! I'm anxiously awaiting my book in the US. These are great in the meantime. :) One question: when you say to sow, do you mean direct sow, or start in modules? Thanks!!
Modules, i guess it s still to cold for cabbage and so
hi Huw, I feel very silly for asking this, but what do you do after collecting your slugs? I've seen several tutorials on slug control (including yours) but none of them really seem to touch upon the subject of what to do with them after you've collected them.
Is relocating them (tossing over the fence, or putting on the compost heap) enough, or do they need to be exterminated to have an actual impact? and if so; do you have a humane way of doing so? My chickens sadly don't care for them, so feeding them to the chickens is not really an option.
Are these all things to sow in open ground and not under cover?
where do i manage to get hold of tree cabbage seeds ? i cant seem to find them, also what is the type (is it asturiam?) thank you
Diolch yn fawr, I always forget to sow herbs.
I don't like the leaves but I do love the seeds for coriander.😂
It's interesting how zones don't tell everything about our growing area. I'm in Vancouver BC Canada. Our zone is 7b, and our last average frost date is March 30. (Local gardeners still don't put out delicate crops like tomato and cucumber until the 3rd week of May.)
Precisely. I'm way south of you in the Portland area, zone 8a with last frost around May 10th.
@@Andrea-si2vs and you'll have a warmer summer generally.
Totally. For a while I assumed I was in a similar climate to Huw and could pretty directly take his advice related to planting timing because we’re both zone 8. But I started to get suspicious with different things he’d say so I checked the monthly temperature averages in Wales and it’s vastly different from Arlington Texas where I am, it’s like 20-30 degrees higher on average here! Our last frost date is March 21st and this year our last frost was in the end of February. I still greatly enjoy Huw’s channel but it’s been helpful to recognize the difference in climate despite being in the same zone.
@@Andrea-si2vsInteresting! I'm also in Portland and my zone is 9a. East coast Portland or west coast Portland?
Growing zones refer to winter hardiness. For veg growing you figure first and last frost.
You're planting plugs, not starting them / sowing them in April? Am confused....
I live in Barbados 🇧🇧 what zone is that considered?
Hi Huw do you have a video of the cabbage cover or how they were made I struggle with cabbages and want to make some x
Maybe a month ago he had a video on the build.
Huw, I have asturian cabbage sown at least 18 months ago. It's now gone to seed/flowering. What should I do with it? Do I dig up and re sow seeds? thanks
As he said, eat the flower shoots
You mean Zone 8 in the UK I presume. How does that translate to USDA zones? Also I ordered your book last month and it was worth it getting it earlier than the US release! Loving it so much, Huw! Many thanks!
Right at the start of the video he states Zone 5b and warmer. Last frost date mid-May.
I think the only zones people use are the usda zones
@@franceswatts4001 Thanks 😊 I caught that too. I just remember hearing about RHS ratings and I wasn’t sure which he would be giving - those ratings or USDA.
No, he does mean US zones. But the zones are tosh anyway. The real zone is the time from last frost to first frost.
@@ellenorbjornsdottir1166 Completely agree! Thats why we don’t use zones in the UK, I guess.
When do you sow your leeks to harvest them in April. Please
Also when did you sow the carrots to harvest them now please
He meant sow - there was a correction text comment on the video.
Yes I saw he was talking about sowing them ready for this season. However he was also harvesting. So I wondered when they were sown. 😊@@franceswatts4001
@@laurajmottram sow now. All the veg he was showing is for sowing now - as per the title of the video.
Im no expert but I'm pretty sure that the Leeks he is harvesting in the video were not sown in March or April. Yes, I read the title. Thanks.
I'm in US and I've tried to get the Asturian Tree Cabbage seeds, but nowhere will send it here. Does anyone know where i can get this?
Same!!
Looking for tree cabbage.
Baker Creek has a walking stick kale similar but not the same.
@@reneespring834 Let me know if you find it!
@@mlee40738 same!
What area of the world r u in? Cus that is what will tell me if ur videos are for me in the USA zone 7. Thanks!
In this video at the start I mentioned that this list is suitable for zone 5b and warmer :) I'm zone 8
Awesome thank youuuuu!
He's in Wales. But last frost is really key for a lot of this info.
Did you say Australian Tree cabbage?
Asturian :)
Huw or anyone, looking for a source for the Asturian tree cabbage seeds?
all my lettuces always bolt
❤❤❤👍👍👍
Huh. So _harvest_ leeks in April. I just transplanted them the other day. I guess I screwed that up. 🤣
Sorry I did put text on screen that I meant sow😂
@@HuwRichards Oh, LOL, I missed it 🤣 I guess I didn't do too bad then, although I am worried about high temps here soon. It's going to be plenty warm by June.
Overwintered leekers?
Thank you for all your videos and books. Very helpful.. I am just wondering is it possible to give a idea how many plants we need to plant for two or four people? so for example, how many broccoli pants do I need to plant how many runner bean plants how many peas? I just have no idea I have just planted 200 PC seeds and I have no idea whether that will give me one or two while I’m in the garden or enough to feed a family of six? so please could you give us some indication of where we should be aiming to and I thank you once again for all your excellent work and books.
That was meant to be 200 pea seeds😀
Get his book, has all the info in there!
Vidioku membahas seputar pupuk organik buat tanaman cepat tumbuh subur dan berbuah cepat
Which leeks can you harvest in April?
Me in Australia: 😭
Depending on where in Australia, is now not the perfect time to start your "winter crops" who don't do so well with the heat? 😊
South Australia here
@@ingela1767 I know Self Sufficient Me in Queensland grows tomatoes over the winter
I guess if we look for the October planting videos here we should be set 😬.
Cold climate NSW here. Lots to learn about growing in this climate. The almost 3 month variation in last frost date over the last 20 years has me nervous, but I think I'll stick with my grandfathers rule of planting out tender crops after the 2nd week of November.
Just subtract or add six months, unless you're in the tropical zone, in which case, synchronize to the availability of rainwater
Thank you 🙏 ❤