G'day Everyone, I'm back from our food tour vacation/holiday to the UK, Spain, and Portugal. We had a great time, and I learned much on our travels about how food is utilised in these countries. Yes, the sightseeing of the old world was amazing, but my main interest was the fruit and veg and cuisine in general. What can I say... I'm a foodie tragic! Anyway, I grabbed almost a full TB of media on this trip, and I will share all the best and most relevant bits with you in future videos. Honestly, it's good to be back creating content! Thanks for your ongoing support. Cheers :)
My daughter has two teen boys ...she had to be gone about two and a half days...the kids decided to save time and just wait til mom was an hour or so from home ( return trip ) then feed and water the two little dogs! 😳 The dogs were frantic my daughter asked hard questions,the boys confessed! Common sense was not in them...or would i say empathy. Parents have to be aware of their childrens levels of maturity and general understanding of how things work ❤ Mark I hope you do follow up on potatos that had the unhappy weeding, the ones left may do better 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 thanks for very interesting content!.. love all your videos ...BB from somewhere in Louisiana USA 🤠
I left my son to look after the veg garden when it was in peak production about 10 years ago and he was sending me photos of the cauliflower and broccoli he was picking...it switched on 'the green gene' in his 23yo brain and when I came home he announced that he was "having his own garden next year Mum." Well, he didn't wait until the next year, the following weekend he cleared and fenced a patch and set up an automatic watering system, carted manure from the shearing shed, dug beds and was ordering seeds. 10 years on and he has a thriving veg patch and orchard and we bond over talking gardening. Leaving him to look after my garden was one of the best things I ever did as a parent. You never know Mark....it might be like that for you too. Loved the video, thanks for sharing the highs and lows and I hope your peas recover enough to save some seed 😉🤞🏻👍🏻
Yes I started working out when is the best time to go away according to my garden calendar and when it needs little or no water and ask two or 3 people to look in on it. Of everything didn’t die, it’s a bonus!
It's not how much you know about gardening, it's about how much you LOVE gardening that makes it easy. The same goes for most things in life. If you love doing something it automatically becomes easier. Happy gardening everyone around the world 💚🌲🌏👍
Cà chua và khoai Tây của bạn cho thu hoạch năng xuất tốt ,kỹ thuật trồng trọt và làm vườn của bạn cũng rất tốt ,xin cảm ơn bạn đã chia sẻ kinh nghiệm của bản thân tới mọi người .
As someone who looks after their parents garden while on holidays AND has been convicted of fruit and veggie manslaughter (a job I’ve had as a teenager mind you). I really enjoyed watching this! I remember I would spend ages watering my parents gardens far longer than they would water but a lot of their plants still died! I still say i was set up by the plants. 😅
When i was younger my grandpa would drag me around the garden and i would fake as much interest as i could. Honestly i was thinking of my escape the whole time! Now i love gardening. They will come around, dad.
Leaving the YA's in charge of the homestead while you went away likely opened their eyes to how much you and Nina do in a week to keep things rolling. And of course, how much they'll have to do to be truly independent once they get their own place. I'm glad the garden survived its temporary keepers, I'm sure the plants are all happy to see you again!
Some things you take for granted as an experienced gardener, but for people who don't garden it's not so obvious. I am always a bit in pain when I see my garden after a holliday....
Ahh teenagers 😂 Mark your video gives me hope that there is an element of normal in mine also. Fancy that, your son pulled out all of the potatoes? It's too funny for words! It's great to see that you and your loved ones have arrived home safely. Thanks for your vlog.
I’m happy to hear an experienced gardener finally say that while gardening in general is easy there are a lot of things about it that are not easy. I’ve learned so much and got the confidence to try gardening myself from you and a few others on TH-cam so thank you for all you do. Glad you had a good vacation and are reenergized. Can’t wait for future videos. Cheers
As a kid I spent many an hour begrudgingly planting, weeding, harvesting and hated having to work so hard. But as an adult the knowledge and schooling I gained for that I am forever grateful! Thanks dad for pushing me to learn a fun and fruitful hobby. BTW, dad immigrated from England to the US in 1954, and he was amazed by the abundance that he saw. The lessons he gave me on rationing during the war and how important it is to know how to grow food is enormous.
Hilarious that he pulled out the potatoes! 😂🤣😂 I'm happy to hear you had a wonderful holiday, and still an alive dog and garden to come home to! Much love to you and your family! ❤
I empathyze with you brother. My children are the same. Ask them anything about video games or anime and they got that down but practical things that will benefit them for knowing, well thats another thing. Faith keeps me optimistic. One day they will see wisdom.🤞
Welcome back home 🇦🇺 Looks like you had a great time away. Those potatoes? 😳 HOW did they not realise after pulling the first one? 😳 But you're right, they do look really good 👍
Thank you, Mark. I've learned so much from your channel over the years. I've grown weary of trendy garden channels, and your videos actually effect my life. ❤
Kids - they often don't listen and don't care about anything you think is important. They only bother just before you get home and hope you won't notice. Watering three times a week is not rocket surgery. Growing your own is a survival skill they need to take seriously. Time they throught about growing up and taking responsibility.
Welcome home Mark and Mrs Self Sufficient Me!! .. I look forward to seeing and hearing the tips n tricks and inspiration you gathered from your travels.. Ps, we'll not mention the spuds again ;)
I had some potatoes and cherry tomatoes that came up voluntary this year. I just harvested the potatoes and am enjoying the Orange cherry tomatoes. Tomorrow I’ll harvest some Swiss Chard, Beet greens, Collard greens. When I cook them down, I boil them with water and 2-3 Tablespoons of Bacon Grease, salt and pepper. About 10-25 before they’re done I’ll add 1-2 full heads of pealed garlic. I’ll repeat that on Monday morning. Whatever we can’t eat, I’ll freeze dry so we can enjoy them throughout our winter. We’re just starting going into Fall. I’ll be planting Hard Neck Garlic and let them go dormant over our cold snowy winter months.
Pork jowl, onion and a splash of cider vinegar for me, and I’ll pressure can mine. I love turnip greens. Sometimes for a quick side, I’ll just do caramelized onions and apples
@@donscott6431 Some of my Greens didn’t come up this year as it stayed cold for a very long time. I normally grow Swiss chard, Collards, Mustard greens, Turnip greens and Beets (Beets taste like dirt to me, but my wife likes them. I grow them for their greens). I don’t use a pork jowl, rather I use bacon grease. I mix all of my Greens together when I’m cooking them down. About 10-15 minutes before they’re done cooking I add 1-2 whole pealed Garlic heads. When the Greens are done, of course I strain the water out. The cloves of Garlic are still firm enough to hold their shape but buttery smooth on the inside. Sometimes I add a Sweet Onion about 5 minutes before the Greens are finished cooking as well. After Freeze Drying the excess and storing them in Mylar bags with an oxygen absorber, whenever I want Greens during the off season, I just take them out of the bag , put them in a sauce pan, add water and heat. They taste fresh. When food is Freeze Dried, it’ll last 25-30 years.
I can relate to "weeding" out the wrong plant. Probably has happened to the best of us at one time or another. A learning experience. What I have trouble understanding is why you don't have an automatic drip watering system, either permanent for whole year use, or a temporary one for your extended vacations. You have told us about this before in previous years. A drip hose system with a timer to water. Easy set up before you depart and easy removal when you return. The day you invest in set up will give you peace of mind. You'll just have to accept the errant weeding loss from novices. Great video as always. Look forward to your next installment.
We have also just got back from Italy, Malta, Croatia, France and Spain. Nothing like a 6 week European holiday, the food, the wine, the people, the ancient ruins, the castles, the art work, gondola in Venice - OMG us Aussies are so bloody lucky!! But wow it was bloody hot and busy over there, glad to be home 👊
You’re not the only one with that problem. I left instructions to care for my garden and yard with my oldest son, who is 22. I was on vacation for two weeks. He did the bare minimum and I have a train wreck to clean up.
From Portugal a big Thank You. I am learning a lot with you and your channel. I can see you really Love Earth and her amazing Way of giving Us the Best of Nature ;) Please continue with this and be also calm with your Boys - in Our Days it´s hard for Parents to get their attention and also make them Love anything besides this Tecno Crazy Stuff. I believe that only with age we can understand how important is to have a garden with fruits and vegetables - good for Heatlh and also good for the Wallet ;)
My first thought as a parent of adult children, is that you were fortunate to get them to pay any attention to your garden at all, 😂 I would be putting a note in my gardening journal on how to automate the watering whilst away on holidays next time. Well, at least your raised beds can be revitalised to your standards with some deep watering sessions in your warmer spring days. I am a beginner gardener living on a mountain plateau in NSW, Australia. We get snow during our winters, not to mention heavy frosts from early March to late September. Today, is the first day that we have temperatures in the high teens but the wind velocity can be terrible for our veggies. I have to remain optimistic about any gardening disaster with my veggies and learning from it. Experimenting is a must in any climate zone, but, if for some reason it doesn't work... that is the nature of experimentation. Well, I think Mark you can now do a series of videos on showing us how to nurse a dying crop and bringing it back to optimum health. Or what automated systems are best to use in our gardens. We would all learn from some of those lessons. I particularly loved the few minutes where you were watering and chatting to us, it was so relaxing, and then you stopped. Go give your boys a hug, Mark. I think that you all need it.
I love seeing the sights on vacations, but really love seeing regular folks and how they live. I actually like going to get groceries because you see what people eat and how they shop.
You are a tollerant father and i guess you havent made your boys work in the garden when i was a young man the gardenn eas a big part of my summer chores along with the yard
Welcome back Mark. To be fair, we did have an unseasonably hot end to Winter in the last few days of August and very little rain since then. This hot, dry weather was really unexpected so the boys did well keeping things alive (and in some cases thriving). Shame about the potatoes though...
Welcome home! As a novice gardener, I completely agree with what you say about gardening being easy, but getting expertise from experience will make you that much better. I'm learning new things every day in my garden!
Hello Mark! And welcome home to Australia. I think your boys did a good job taking care of the garden, when I have had friends water my plants when I am off on a vacation, usually a lof of the plants are dead/dying. So great job. I am going to Greece in October and I hope when I get back to Sweden that my plants have been watered and are doing good :) Love your channel mate.
Welcome back! Looks like you had fun 🎉 I'm halfway 'round the world and getting ready for winter. I too am experimenting this season. I broadcasted purple top turnips in a fallow area to see if it helps break up the ground for future cultivation. It's very rocky in Tennessee. I tell people I'm a rock farmer, every time it rains, I get a new crop! 😁❤️❤️
Lol they did pretty good and glad you had a wonderful trip away. So fun visiting other cultures. Little Bella and the glove fetish is so funny, our dog has a sock fetish. Welcome home!
i do prefer the videos when you are talking to us about your garden and showing us around vs the videos with that kind lady. Just wanted to share my personal opinion, love your channel and am excited to see more of your garden and plants!
Welcome back Mark. I’m in the Perth Hills in W.A. I left my vege garden for 4 weeks in June last year to visit my sister in Scotland. Watering is the biggest problem here, so can only go away in winter. It survived ok, but still meant I missed getting some crops in for spring. Vege gardens are a tie but worth it for the lovely home grown produce ❤
Good to see yall back safely. Here in North Florida, US we are still in last of summer's heat, but can feel Fall in the air. Your Summer soon. Love the contrast. Best to u and yours.
Mark, Im surprised you're not using a more efficient way of watering. I think you should experiment with watering methods and then make a video for us.❤
Whenever i see your raised beds I get the motivation to work towards having the space to create something like that for my future self. Its much better for the back, specially as you get older or have an injury. It also has better nutrient control in the soil. Your strawberries and lettuces look amazing, great for a salad. Thank you for sharing!
What a wonderful vacation!! To be nosy in other gardens around the world and sample the cuisine!! My beloved sons have no interest in gardening despite my encouragement. Oh well
Always wild to see you in Spring with a loaded garden. Not much can grow here through winter except onion and some greens so I am jealous of your climate!
Welcome back! Gosh you are so right about experience in the garden - we are about a year into our vege garden and honestly, it feels like I'm trying to learn a new language. In our first twelve months we've had sheets of grass being able to lift up like a mat (grass grub), swan plants with no caterpillars (paper wasps), established plant clinging to life (root rot/grass grub damage) garlic and tulips loped off at ground level (weedeater...) and a whole bee colony decided to take up residence on our newly planted dwarf apple tree (1m tall)!! I did laugh at the weeding comment, my partner weeded 'for me' yesterday.... RIP passionfruit vine #4 🤦🏻♀️
Mark you do look well rested. I know you and your wife had a wonderful time. Looked like perfect weather. Take care and welcome home. In defense of the boys.... You should have plant markers in your beds with watering instructions. When you write instructions on paper with no photo a lot of people do not know what a potato plant looks like. Or funny signs like if I'm drooping I'm thirsty. Or have your beds numbered. Sayings like pick strawberries for breakfast or your smoothie. I had the hardest time breaking my husband from watering the leaves of certain plants. (and we only have two raised beds!!!!!)
I'm wondering now (having seen the comments) as someone who has a garden close to on par with Mark's, if there isn't an industry gap of "holiday carer" for someone like me, with 6 full time hobbies and uni as her "job" 😂 thank goodness my garden feeds me
I followed your advice and grew a Roselle bush and the whole family has really been enjoying the leaves from that plant. I'm still waiting on it to bloom, but I sure do love the taste. Thanks!
Good day Mark! Good to see that you had a good vacation and that your garden didn't fare too badly! It's still as hot as hades here in south Florida, but i did notice the temperature drop into the low 70s a couple of mornings ago. Soon be time to start puttering around outside again😊
Your climate sounds similar to ours in Central Florida. Great growing in the Fall and Winter, generally, dry Spring, and extreme heat and rain come Summer.
Great honest video. This is why I've chosen to go down the permaculture road by creating a food forest. Forest's don't need watering or fertilizers they just exist. I live in Northeast Thailand and the weather is extreme and trees are important for protecting the soil. If you leave a food forest it will still be there for years afterwards.
Hey Mark, I want to remind YOU that you are a great teacher and therefore go with your young sons into the garden and show them what they did well and what not so well, remember we all learn more of the experience than the books. In a note from 0 to 20 I'll give them a 16. I am glad you traveled and enjoyed good food and culture , Best regards & best wishes for YOU & FAMILY, Andrew.
Mark, we planted old ones like you did, however we have not dug them yet. We also cut up an old baker that had sprouted in Mom's panty and it is doing great. Stoked to harvest them.
You’re not alone! I pray 🙏🏼 for rain at home when I’m on holiday so my garden survives from being left to dry out then watered at the “very last second”!! before arriving back home ! 🙄
Welcome home! Seeing those potatoes just hurt me in the heart. Still, you had a garden to come back to and it all looks pretty revivable. Happy lettuce munching!
G'day Everyone, I'm back from our food tour vacation/holiday to the UK, Spain, and Portugal. We had a great time, and I learned much on our travels about how food is utilised in these countries. Yes, the sightseeing of the old world was amazing, but my main interest was the fruit and veg and cuisine in general. What can I say... I'm a foodie tragic! Anyway, I grabbed almost a full TB of media on this trip, and I will share all the best and most relevant bits with you in future videos. Honestly, it's good to be back creating content! Thanks for your ongoing support. Cheers :)
Happy to hear that y'all had a great time on your Vacation. Have a good day and stay safe 😊
Glad your a foodie can't wait for the videos. Love your content and garden.
Glad you came to my neck of the woods, hope you enjoyed it. Best of luck brother.
that was too funny... "only just grown up here for 18 years on this property"
My daughter has two teen boys ...she had to be gone about two and a half days...the kids decided to save time and just wait til mom was an hour or so from home ( return trip ) then feed and water the two little dogs! 😳 The dogs were frantic my daughter asked hard questions,the boys confessed! Common sense was not in them...or would i say empathy. Parents have to be aware of their childrens levels of maturity and general understanding of how things work ❤ Mark I hope you do follow up on potatos that had the unhappy weeding, the ones left may do better 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 thanks for very interesting content!.. love all your videos ...BB from somewhere in Louisiana USA 🤠
I left my son to look after the veg garden when it was in peak production about 10 years ago and he was sending me photos of the cauliflower and broccoli he was picking...it switched on 'the green gene' in his 23yo brain and when I came home he announced that he was "having his own garden next year Mum." Well, he didn't wait until the next year, the following weekend he cleared and fenced a patch and set up an automatic watering system, carted manure from the shearing shed, dug beds and was ordering seeds. 10 years on and he has a thriving veg patch and orchard and we bond over talking gardening. Leaving him to look after my garden was one of the best things I ever did as a parent. You never know Mark....it might be like that for you too. Loved the video, thanks for sharing the highs and lows and I hope your peas recover enough to save some seed 😉🤞🏻👍🏻
Lovely story.
Yes I started working out when is the best time to go away according to my garden calendar and when it needs little or no water and ask two or 3 people to look in on it. Of everything didn’t die, it’s a bonus!
It's not how much you know about gardening, it's about how much you LOVE gardening that makes it easy.
The same goes for most things in life. If you love doing something it automatically becomes easier. Happy gardening everyone around the world 💚🌲🌏👍
Amen
Cà chua và khoai Tây của bạn cho thu hoạch năng xuất tốt ,kỹ thuật trồng trọt và làm vườn của bạn cũng rất tốt ,xin cảm ơn bạn đã chia sẻ kinh nghiệm của bản thân tới mọi người .
As someone who looks after their parents garden while on holidays AND has been convicted of fruit and veggie manslaughter (a job I’ve had as a teenager mind you). I really enjoyed watching this!
I remember I would spend ages watering my parents gardens far longer than they would water but a lot of their plants still died! I still say i was set up by the plants. 😅
sounds like you drowned them lol
Hahahha@@Ryuki117Skittles
@@Ryuki117Skittles well that was kind of what I thought but they love to remind me even years later that I “didn’t water them enough”.
4 weeks away and the garden is still alive 👍👍
Lol you'd think after pulling the first potato, what that knobby bit was would hit him.
The potatoes made me chuckle so much.
When i was younger my grandpa would drag me around the garden and i would fake as much interest as i could. Honestly i was thinking of my escape the whole time! Now i love gardening. They will come around, dad.
Welcome home! Sounds like a dream vacation. Incredible. The garden survived, the dog looks healthy and nothing got burned down. That's awesome!
😂
Leaving the YA's in charge of the homestead while you went away likely opened their eyes to how much you and Nina do in a week to keep things rolling. And of course, how much they'll have to do to be truly independent once they get their own place. I'm glad the garden survived its temporary keepers, I'm sure the plants are all happy to see you again!
I feel so good just seeing a new video upload from you, Mark. Thank you for doing what you're doing!!!
Some things you take for granted as an experienced gardener, but for people who don't garden it's not so obvious. I am always a bit in pain when I see my garden after a holliday....
Most novice gardeners don't understand watering, and often give a superficial water until the top of the soil looks wet.
Ahh teenagers 😂 Mark your video gives me hope that there is an element of normal in mine also. Fancy that, your son pulled out all of the potatoes? It's too funny for words! It's great to see that you and your loved ones have arrived home safely. Thanks for your vlog.
3:31 As a son of a father who loves gardening, i felt that sigh like he's my own dad.
Such a dad video. Spends 15 minutes bitching about his lazy kids. I love it.
They still did way better than I would have at their age!
I’m happy to hear an experienced gardener finally say that while gardening in general is easy there are a lot of things about it that are not easy. I’ve learned so much and got the confidence to try gardening myself from you and a few others on TH-cam so thank you for all you do. Glad you had a good vacation and are reenergized. Can’t wait for future videos. Cheers
As a kid I spent many an hour begrudgingly planting, weeding, harvesting and hated having to work so hard. But as an adult the knowledge and schooling I gained for that I am forever grateful! Thanks dad for pushing me to learn a fun and fruitful hobby. BTW, dad immigrated from England to the US in 1954, and he was amazed by the abundance that he saw. The lessons he gave me on rationing during the war and how important it is to know how to grow food is enormous.
Hilarious that he pulled out the potatoes! 😂🤣😂 I'm happy to hear you had a wonderful holiday, and still an alive dog and garden to come home to! Much love to you and your family! ❤
Not only did you sons think your spuds were weeds but they just threw them on the grass after pulling them out.😁
Thank you for the belly laugh about the potatoes! I'm glad you had a good vacation. I'm sure you are happy you are back to your own garden.
I empathyze with you brother. My children are the same. Ask them anything about video games or anime and they got that down but practical things that will benefit them for knowing, well thats another thing. Faith keeps me optimistic. One day they will see wisdom.🤞
Welcome back home 🇦🇺 Looks like you had a great time away. Those potatoes? 😳 HOW did they not realise after pulling the first one? 😳 But you're right, they do look really good 👍
Welcome home Mr Mark. Looks like y'all had a great time on vacation. That tomato festival looks like it was a blast 🍅
Thank you, Mark. I've learned so much from your channel over the years. I've grown weary of trendy garden channels, and your videos actually effect my life. ❤
Welcome home Mark
Maybe they need to be with you more in the garden, doing the work. Then im sure theyll know what is what. Thanks for another great video.
Kids - they often don't listen and don't care about anything you think is important. They only bother just before you get home and hope you won't notice. Watering three times a week is not rocket surgery. Growing your own is a survival skill they need to take seriously. Time they throught about growing up and taking responsibility.
Welcome home Mark and Mrs Self Sufficient Me!! .. I look forward to seeing and hearing the tips n tricks and inspiration you gathered from your travels.. Ps, we'll not mention the spuds again ;)
I had some potatoes and cherry tomatoes that came up voluntary this year.
I just harvested the potatoes and am enjoying the Orange cherry tomatoes.
Tomorrow I’ll harvest some Swiss Chard, Beet greens, Collard greens.
When I cook them down, I boil them with water and 2-3 Tablespoons of Bacon Grease, salt and pepper.
About 10-25 before they’re done I’ll add 1-2 full heads of pealed garlic.
I’ll repeat that on Monday morning.
Whatever we can’t eat, I’ll freeze dry so we can enjoy them throughout our winter.
We’re just starting going into Fall.
I’ll be planting Hard Neck Garlic and let them go dormant over our cold snowy winter months.
Pork jowl, onion and a splash of cider vinegar for me, and I’ll pressure can mine. I love turnip greens. Sometimes for a quick side, I’ll just do caramelized onions and apples
@@donscott6431 Some of my Greens didn’t come up this year as it stayed cold for a very long time.
I normally grow Swiss chard, Collards, Mustard greens, Turnip greens and Beets (Beets taste like dirt to me, but my wife likes them. I grow them for their greens).
I don’t use a pork jowl, rather I use bacon grease.
I mix all of my Greens together when I’m cooking them down.
About 10-15 minutes before they’re done cooking I add 1-2 whole pealed Garlic heads.
When the Greens are done, of course I strain the water out.
The cloves of Garlic are still firm enough to hold their shape but buttery smooth on the inside.
Sometimes I add a Sweet Onion about 5 minutes before the Greens are finished cooking as well.
After Freeze Drying the excess and storing them in Mylar bags with an oxygen absorber, whenever I want Greens during the off season, I just take them out of the bag , put them in a sauce pan, add water and heat.
They taste fresh.
When food is Freeze Dried, it’ll last 25-30 years.
I can relate to "weeding" out the wrong plant. Probably has happened to the best of us at one time or another. A learning experience. What I have trouble understanding is why you don't have an automatic drip watering system, either permanent for whole year use, or a temporary one for your extended vacations. You have told us about this before in previous years. A drip hose system with a timer to water. Easy set up before you depart and easy removal when you return. The day you invest in set up will give you peace of mind. You'll just have to accept the errant weeding loss from novices. Great video as always. Look forward to your next installment.
We have also just got back from Italy, Malta, Croatia, France and Spain. Nothing like a 6 week European holiday, the food, the wine, the people, the ancient ruins, the castles, the art work, gondola in Venice - OMG us Aussies are so bloody lucky!! But wow it was bloody hot and busy over there, glad to be home 👊
You’re not the only one with that problem. I left instructions to care for my garden and yard with my oldest son, who is 22. I was on vacation for two weeks. He did the bare minimum and I have a train wreck to clean up.
Welcome home Mr Mark! I would love to see a video on lessons for the boys - an idiots guide and one on what it looks like once you "saved" the beds 🙂
So glad that you are back, & most of your garden survived! 🎉
Welcome home!well done to your sons for taking care of your garden.enjoy that lovely feeling of travelling and then enjpying your home
From Portugal a big Thank You. I am learning a lot with you and your channel. I can see you really Love Earth and her amazing Way of giving Us the Best of Nature ;) Please continue with this and be also calm with your Boys - in Our Days it´s hard for Parents to get their attention and also make them Love anything besides this Tecno Crazy Stuff. I believe that only with age we can understand how important is to have a garden with fruits and vegetables - good for Heatlh and also good for the Wallet ;)
One solution:
Drip irrigation with a programmable tap controller for the more delicate plants. Set it & forget it.
My first thought as a parent of adult children, is that you were fortunate to get them to pay any attention to your garden at all, 😂 I would be putting a note in my gardening journal on how to automate the watering whilst away on holidays next time. Well, at least your raised beds can be revitalised to your standards with some deep watering sessions in your warmer spring days. I am a beginner gardener living on a mountain plateau in NSW, Australia. We get snow during our winters, not to mention heavy frosts from early March to late September. Today, is the first day that we have temperatures in the high teens but the wind velocity can be terrible for our veggies. I have to remain optimistic about any gardening disaster with my veggies and learning from it. Experimenting is a must in any climate zone, but, if for some reason it doesn't work... that is the nature of experimentation. Well, I think Mark you can now do a series of videos on showing us how to nurse a dying crop and bringing it back to optimum health. Or what automated systems are best to use in our gardens. We would all learn from some of those lessons. I particularly loved the few minutes where you were watering and chatting to us, it was so relaxing, and then you stopped. Go give your boys a hug, Mark. I think that you all need it.
Nice to see a green garden after 4wks, I couldn't be that hopeful here....I thought Bella.had taken over gardening
with potatoes out 😂
Greetings from North Florida! Glad to see you back.
Welcome home, Mark!
I love seeing the sights on vacations, but really love seeing regular folks and how they live. I actually like going to get groceries because you see what people eat and how they shop.
You are a tollerant father and i guess you havent made your boys work in the garden when i was a young man the gardenn eas a big part of my summer chores along with the yard
Welcome back Mark. To be fair, we did have an unseasonably hot end to Winter in the last few days of August and very little rain since then. This hot, dry weather was really unexpected so the boys did well keeping things alive (and in some cases thriving). Shame about the potatoes though...
Welcome home!
As a novice gardener, I completely agree with what you say about gardening being easy, but getting expertise from experience will make you that much better. I'm learning new things every day in my garden!
😂Ms Nina sounded like she was having a blast at the tomato throwing event 😂
Hello Mark!
And welcome home to Australia.
I think your boys did a good job taking care of the garden, when I have had friends water my plants when I am off on a vacation, usually a lof of the plants are dead/dying.
So great job.
I am going to Greece in October and I hope when I get back to Sweden that my plants have been watered and are doing good :)
Love your channel mate.
WELCOME HOME Mark. Love your Videos. Blessings. Leila and Ronald.🍓🍓
I'm so glad you got a nice vacation.
Your dedication to farming is inspiring
you inspired me to garden thank you
Welcome back Mark
Welcome back Mark, looks like you enjoyed yourself by the excess luggage. Cheers mate!
Welcome home Mark. I'm glad your had a good vacation.
5:32 I understand just what you mean. As an experienced nurse, I know a lot just by looking at a patient's face that others wouldn't see.
Glad you had a wonderful holiday!! ☺
Im so glad you had a great time exploring the UK, Spain and Portugal! Commiserations on the spuds! 😅
Welcome back, Mark. I have to say I'm a bit surprised you don't have a watering system in place. Is it a bit tricky living where you are 🤔
Welcome home mark hope you enjoyed your trip and a good lesson learnt by the young lads 😂💪
Hi Mark great to hear you had a terrific holiday. I feel you mate I have a son like that aswell lol😂😂😂😂
This video makes me laugh reminded me when I put my young adults on charge on my garden. They even watering the wheats 😂 I’m happy I’m not alone.
Missed you welcome home ❤❤
Welcome Home!
Welcome home mark, its nice to see the whole family getting interested in the garden. Keep it up mark, keep on making these amazing videos.😊
True words 👏👏 Mark.
Welcome back! Looks like you had fun 🎉 I'm halfway 'round the world and getting ready for winter. I too am experimenting this season. I broadcasted purple top turnips in a fallow area to see if it helps break up the ground for future cultivation. It's very rocky in Tennessee. I tell people I'm a rock farmer, every time it rains, I get a new crop! 😁❤️❤️
Welcome back
Lol they did pretty good and glad you had a wonderful trip away. So fun visiting other cultures. Little Bella and the glove fetish is so funny, our dog has a sock fetish. Welcome home!
i do prefer the videos when you are talking to us about your garden and showing us around vs the videos with that kind lady. Just wanted to share my personal opinion, love your channel and am excited to see more of your garden and plants!
Welcome back Mark. I’m in the Perth Hills in W.A. I left my vege garden for 4 weeks in June last year to visit my sister in Scotland. Watering is the biggest problem here, so can only go away in winter. It survived ok, but still meant I missed getting some crops in for spring. Vege gardens are a tie but worth it for the lovely home grown produce ❤
Good to see yall back safely. Here in North Florida, US we are still in last of summer's heat, but can feel Fall in the air. Your Summer soon. Love the contrast. Best to u and yours.
Its already been four weeks? Holy cow that flew by. Wowsers. Glad holiday/ vacation went well
Mark, Im surprised you're not using a more efficient way of watering. I think you should experiment with watering methods and then make a video for us.❤
Whenever i see your raised beds I get the motivation to work towards having the space to create something like that for my future self. Its much better for the back, specially as you get older or have an injury. It also has better nutrient control in the soil.
Your strawberries and lettuces look amazing, great for a salad.
Thank you for sharing!
Real talk .Thank you, Mark
Welcome home Mark :)
What a wonderful vacation!! To be nosy in other gardens around the world and sample the cuisine!! My beloved sons have no interest in gardening despite my encouragement. Oh well
Always wild to see you in Spring with a loaded garden. Not much can grow here through winter except onion and some greens so I am jealous of your climate!
Welcome back! Gosh you are so right about experience in the garden - we are about a year into our vege garden and honestly, it feels like I'm trying to learn a new language. In our first twelve months we've had sheets of grass being able to lift up like a mat (grass grub), swan plants with no caterpillars (paper wasps), established plant clinging to life (root rot/grass grub damage) garlic and tulips loped off at ground level (weedeater...) and a whole bee colony decided to take up residence on our newly planted dwarf apple tree (1m tall)!! I did laugh at the weeding comment, my partner weeded 'for me' yesterday.... RIP passionfruit vine #4 🤦🏻♀️
Mark you do look well rested. I know you and your wife had a wonderful time. Looked like perfect weather. Take care and welcome home.
In defense of the boys.... You should have plant markers in your beds with watering instructions.
When you write instructions on paper with no photo a lot of people do not know what a potato plant looks like. Or funny signs like if I'm drooping I'm thirsty. Or have your beds numbered. Sayings like pick strawberries for breakfast or your smoothie.
I had the hardest time breaking my husband from watering the leaves of certain plants.
(and we only have two raised beds!!!!!)
Sweet trip...
I'm wondering now (having seen the comments) as someone who has a garden close to on par with Mark's, if there isn't an industry gap of "holiday carer" for someone like me, with 6 full time hobbies and uni as her "job" 😂 thank goodness my garden feeds me
I think you are right. Definitely a career in vacation watering and care around the country.
Welcome home Mark. ❤
We’re off to Portugal next week (from Melbourne) will be nice to be warmish. 😂😂😂
Welcome home Mark!!!
Welcome home Mark! 👍
I followed your advice and grew a Roselle bush and the whole family has really been enjoying the leaves from that plant. I'm still waiting on it to bloom, but I sure do love the taste. Thanks!
Welcome home to oz glad you had a nice time away, garden is going to keep you busy for the next few days
Welcome home Mark! I love your videos and your humor.
OMG 😂 You would think after he pulled the first potato he would have stopped 🤣😂🤣
Good day Mark! Good to see that you had a good vacation and that your garden didn't fare too badly!
It's still as hot as hades here in south Florida, but i did notice the temperature drop into the low 70s a couple of mornings ago. Soon be time to start puttering around outside again😊
Your climate sounds similar to ours in Central Florida. Great growing in the Fall and Winter, generally, dry Spring, and extreme heat and rain come Summer.
Great honest video. This is why I've chosen to go down the permaculture road by creating a food forest. Forest's don't need watering or fertilizers they just exist. I live in Northeast Thailand and the weather is extreme and trees are important for protecting the soil. If you leave a food forest it will still be there for years afterwards.
Great to see you back in your garden ✌️❤️🤙
Hey Mark, I want to remind YOU that you are a great teacher and therefore go with your young sons into the garden and show them what they did well and what not so well, remember we all learn more of the experience than the books. In a note from 0 to 20 I'll give them a 16.
I am glad you traveled and enjoyed good food and culture , Best regards & best wishes for YOU & FAMILY, Andrew.
Definitely agree
Couldn't help yourself watering, love it !!!
Mark, we planted old ones like you did, however we have not dug them yet. We also cut up an old baker that had sprouted in Mom's panty and it is doing great. Stoked to harvest them.
You’re not alone! I pray 🙏🏼 for rain at home when I’m on holiday so my garden survives from being left to dry out then watered at the “very last second”!! before arriving back home ! 🙄
Glad your back...have missed your videos.
Welcome home! Seeing those potatoes just hurt me in the heart. Still, you had a garden to come back to and it all looks pretty revivable. Happy lettuce munching!