Vegetable Gardening | Straight Talk for People Starting to Grow Food
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- If you are new to growing food, or are looking to start a vegetable garden then this video is for you. I give my honest and frank advice when it comes to starting a food growing journey, with the hope that it will greatly help you achieve your vegetable growing dreams. The goal with this video is to give you a mental and strategic toolkit to ensure the best possible success from the get go. It also is to help ensure you don't fall into any traps along the way, and that you have a positive and realistic journey forward.
Resources mentioned:
Diversity video (companion planting etc)
• Invaluable PEST CONTRO...
Channels
Liz / @lizzorab
Charles / @charlesdowding1nodig
Composting
Making your first compost • Simple Guide to Compos...
Art of Lazy Compsoting • The Art of Lazy Compos...
With a huge thanks to Sean Tucker for the inspiration behind this video. If you are interested in the deeper meaning of photography and creativity, check out his incredible videos here: / seantuckermerge
Huw's books
Signed copies of my books: huwrichards.shop/
Clothing
Awesome clothing designed for vegetable gardeners: huwrichards.te...
Online Courses
More Food Less Effort Course: morefoodlesseff...
Planting Plan Short Course: abundanceacade...
Social
Facebook: / huwrichardsofficial
Instagram: / huwsgarden
#permaculture #regenerative #homegrown
When I was 5 years old (in 1957) my dad gave me a little bit of ground, I planted 4 potatoes and got 28 back. I am now 69 and I think I have got a little better each year as I now have more than 7 H/acres in North Spain. I still love to be out in the garden.
Your father did a good job!
That's a wonderful memory 😊
How long did Dad go to?
Thats just awesome!
That is a LOT of potatoes 🤣
Garden for the sake of gardening, not for the harvest. The experience of being out in the fresh air, sticking your hands into the soil, listening to the sounds and enjoying the smells - that is what gardening is about for me. The harvest is just a nice bonus (unless of course you rely on it for sustenance, then I guess this entire comment is invalid).
It's a great reason to garden Alexander! Different people have different needs from the garden so your comment is totally valid!!
I'm the other way around. The breathing fresh air, playing in the dirt, hearing nature, and enjoying the fragrances of the outdoors are all wonderful, but I garden mainly for the good health and amazing flavor that the high-quality food provides. Both are good for body and soul.
I garden to put food on the table but everything you've said is still valid. In my old tiny garden in the city I grew a lot of food but I loved just being out there with my morning coffee. I miss that and I'm working toward that now that I'm in the country, adding dedicated flower beds and sitting areas into the vegetable patch. It can absolutely be both.
Even if you rely on it for sustenance, there is that other crop to harvest--the crop of self-satisfaction and feeling connected to the natural world. There is so much peace among plants and soil. It's really a win-win.
Even if you rely on the garden for food, this is a mindset that is still helpful when blended with vigilance of care and guarding.
I can't remember where I first heard this but I repeat it often. Don't let perfection get in the way of progress. Laura
A variation on a theme, good is not the enemy of perfect
I think the Flylady uses it
No such thing.
Well Said! I appreciate that!
I’m Catalonian person who ‘s retired now, and I watch all yours vídeos. I Learn a lot of garden vegetables and English too, cause you speack slowly and you put subtitles. For me, both are important. Thanks at all you teach us, specially today. Thanks, Thanks...
I could listen to him talk all day !!!!
Thank you for watching. Captions are now up and available :)
I'm fairly new to your channel and just want to say how much I appreciate this wisdom put forth here in this video and all others I have watched. These truths are a necessary lesson to learn in all of life. I have learned without the proper foundation there will not be much success. I have resolved to concentrate on the compost, but I have bought a lot of seeds ☺️🌱 I never understood why my skills with flowers and houseplants did not translate into vegetables. I'm excited for the season with the proper knowledge. Blessings from America 🇺🇸 P.S love your book. 💗
OOo I need captions, it helps me to audio process the sounds
In my gardening, there are no failures, just experiments that didn't work. I learn from those experiments.
I dont call them failures. I call them, "Interesting developments".
@@joshjohnson2460 I will make a quote out of this! Thx guys :)
To me it seems that experiments are just for that: does it work, how, and how well---or not at all? So there are no experiments which don't work, only experimenters who don't learn what the results might teach them.
Oh wow! I'll have to make a signboard with this quote for my potting bench! 😄
I'm going yo have to use that quote
I love how you speak out against chemicals!! Your work wouldn't be the same if you didn't. Thank you
My pleasure, about time I ramp up that side of things😉
@@HuwRichards I agree that many gardeners especially in the US waist a lot of money on things they don't need but you don't recommend using things like Bt or any Bio insecticides or Bio fungicides?
So simple but so true. You cannot learn much from success. You learn so much more from failure and you learn to pay more attention to the details the next time.
@@matthewking2209 true !! I live in the USA and people talk about how expensive gardening is 🤷🏼♀️
I do my best to explain to as many as I can that it can be expensive or cheap !! I spend very little because I save seeds, mix up my own “pesticide” with onions, garlic, baking soda, vinegar, milk, dish soap and things like that if needed, i scavenge for supplies at the dump and along side the road because people throw away perfectly usable items and I gather up stuff to compost. I did buy some need oil last year because out of the blue I got a terrible infestation of potato beetles on my ground cherries, it didn’t work so I ended up covering them with black plastic and killing the plants and solarizing the soil, worked like a charm :))
@@matthewking2209 Work on improving your soil rather than treating symptoms.
Thank you so much. I learned the hard way last year. Rushed into it, the ground was poor, I didn't feed it properly and ended up with nothing except for some peas and potatoes. This year I am going to slow down and try again. Compost heaps have been built. One was started last summer and when I turned it the other day it had the most beautiful worms in it. It will go on one of the beds. The weather was against us too here in N Ireland as we had a wet and cold spell when it needed to be warm. I have learned a lot over the winter months watching yourself, Liz and Charles. Keep up the good work.
Same happened to me 😂 Slow and steady this time round
So glad to hear you didn't give up! Wishing you better success in the coming season!
Thank you for encouraging everyone
If you have the availability, tree crews will gladly deliver wood chips. Let them break down for a season and this makes an awesome layer. Ash from the fireplace, leaves and untreated grass clippings are awesome free layers. In the beginning its okay to buy materials then just start building what you already get from yard waste. Last year we started collecting all of our grass clippings and layering them on top of the soil. Our soil is extremely sandy but after a few seasons of layering leaves, grass, wood chips, compost and ash, our soil is really improving. We used cardboard over the lawn to start new beds and just layered materials in top. No digging!! And its great exercise!!! Good luck!!
I’m just gutted Huw missed the opportunity (twice) to say ‘throw in the trowel’
Not sure if you will read this but Huw I just want to say thank you! You have been one of the most helpful people when it comes to gardening. I’ve watched my fair share of gardening videos in the past few months but yours are some of the most insightful by far. You’re a passionate garden who loves to help others and this latest video proves that. I’m using the same methods you are and so far have seen great results! Thanks again
I read it 25 seconds after you posted it Ivan! You're so very welcome. Wow that's extremely kind of you to say and I really appreciate it greatly. All I want is for as many people as possible to enjoy that feeling of growing. So glad to hear it's going well and good luck with this next growing season :D
@@HuwRichards crazy to hear you been gardening since the age of 3. My son will be 3 in a few months and loves helping us in the garden. We try to involve him as much as possible helping us out. So he will also know about gardening at a very young age. Have an awesome day Huw and keep up the great work!
Beside patience it needs dedication and devotion. For me gardening is recreation, helps me to calm down, joy, never ending learning and yes, some crops too. :)
I really liked the video, I can see myself comming back to watch this more times when I feel a bit down about my beginner garden. Thank you!
So utterly true about embracing failure in gardening! When you successfully grow something, you may have no idea why it worked, you just enjoy the results.
But when a certain crop fails, you go on a learning journey to find out what went wrong, and in that process, learn so much more about the ideal situation for that crop, and become a better gardener.
My biggest benefit of gardening is the side of mental health. To be in touch with yourself, to be in touch with nature. I have a sign in my garden that says... Gardening is cheaper the Therapy and you get Tomatoes. Cant be more true. Regards from Switzerland
I’m at a new beginning of designing a garden in our first country home with my wife and kids, I’m also a photographer and follow/enjoy Sean Tucker and I’m almost more excited about composting than I am making fine art photography and lunch out of our produce! Thanks for the world’s colliding online experience and the learning and inspiration Huw!
Omg!!! I’ve been a fan of yours for those 10yrs... and let me say; you’ve been so helpful and inspiring- continue the greatness!!!
I'm a perfectionist, I hate it; I never start anything through fear of failure.
I've just started veg gardening this year, and I've already made mistakes, even just today. This time I don't care!! I'm just going for it, and I'm going to learn from my mistakes. I'm enjoying the process, so what if it's perfect?!
Thanks Huw, I love your vids!
Thanks to you I built my first raised bed. I'm so excited to build more from pallets.
"I am impatient enough waiting for a pancake to cook"
mood
when I actually first started with gardening, I only planted tomatoes and eggplants so that if I fail (which I wasn't hoping) i won't get frustrated and also since I don't know anything yet, I don't want to get overwhelmed with the day-to-day caring of the vegetable patch. And now I'm slowly expanding it with onions, garlic, cabbage lol. Good day, y'all!
Thank you Lito! That sounds so fantastic and you're going to love the process of gradually easing in to growing more and more crops! :D
I'm absolutely looking forward to it, Huw! 🥰
Huw, appreciate the video. You made a lot of excellent points about getting started to grow your own food and emphasizing that making the effort is most important and to not get discouraged but rather to take things that do not go well as learning not failure. Some of a gardeners best lessons come from both their successes and failures and the combination of the two. Well Done Sir!
After 20+ years I can tell you not all crops will thrive every season. Some crash. Dont give up, all you newbies
You are wonderful! I have felt discouraged in the past, but learning from great gardeners like you has inspired me to keep trying!
Such an important topic. All SO true! Gardeners must hold the record in how many times a person says, "Oh, no!".
Hi Richard, I'm 70 and gardening over 50 years and a retired florist.
I've lived in Pennsylvania, Hawaii and Florida. We moved to Florida in 1979 and I've done easy method gardening for the most part. I've been watching online groups and started a TH-cam channel in September in hopes of passing on any simple tips I've learned before I forget them 😁.
I certainly enjoyed watching your channel along with Charles, the Master, Dowding! You both have a wonderful approach. Thank you and I hope you have great success.
Hi Peggy, I’ll check out your channel!!
@@imbrudedsoul thanks Chris 👩🌾👍
I like what you said “Don’t grow just for the harvest. Grow for the experience.” True.
Been a lifetime gardener....mostly the pretty stuff...just started my food gardening journey around 5 years ago....This video isl very wonderfully thought out....it is like any skill ...it takes time and experience to build your proficiency...never be afraid to ask questions...I have been known to stop randomly if I see something growing and ask the owner about the experience...you would be surprised how open most are about sharing info..sometimes it has even gotten me seeds.
I'm following your Veg In One Bed book this year in my very first garden! My seeds arrived yesterday - I'm excited and a little apprehensive, but trying to remember that the learning experience is going to be more valuable than the result this year. Thanks for the frank and honest chat at the perfect time ☺️
Absolutely the learning experience is everything! The good thing about Veg in One Bed is you only have a few things to focus on every month which will help make it nice and manageable 😊 Best of luck!
@@HuwRichards we are also following your book as a guide - very much as new Gardeners’ with our L plates on!
I used this book last year for my first vegetable garden. It was brilliant, so structured, instructive and nicely paced so you never feel overwhelmed. I'll be following it again this year with a few adaptations to try different crops. I did have some failures but I had so many successes and learnt so much. Good luck 🌱
@@lindseybush2775 really encouraging to hear this - thanks - it’s good to have something positive to focus on just now - just built our first raised bed and also dug out our first pond with a view to encouraging wildlife into the garden - exciting times!
I agree with all of this except "no dig" at the beginning. If native soil is poor quality like most of us have (clay) you need to amend that first with gypsum and compost. Then after you have a decent base, then no dig is good.
Me: "Ok, I'll try no dig gardening"
Georgia red clay: "lmao no you won't"
Hugulkulture in raised beds is pretty much all I can do with my resources. It's fun. Last year's soil looks amazing right now.
you inspired me to go all in into gardening. I have 22acres of land ready to be converted into a food forest
freeangel378, are you planning on having animals as well? Do you know how you are going to start - an acre or two or are you planting trees first? Curious as 22 acres is a lot of land! Good luck and I hope everything works out for you.
Oh you lucky duck, that's a lot of land to play with. I only have 0.5 acre so very limited in what I can do but I'm still establishing a small food forest. Best of luck to you 😊
@@thisorthat7626 hello.... I live in a hilly area somewhere deep in the Himalayas. Im conserving the upper half of the land (about 10 acres) for water source and you know, a little tropical forest in it's natural form. The bottom half has already been cleared for cultivation. I'm planting bamboos on all the slopes to prevent soil erosion. Still, lots of trees. My cultivation area in total is actually confined to about 6-8 acres. I am not particularly interested in raising livestock. We have lots of earthworms so we're doing vermicomposting already. Thanks for the interest!
@@theclumsyprepper hey there, I wish I could send you an acre or two 😊 will try to do my absolute best with all the land I've been blessed with. Good luck to you too!
@@freeangel378 Sounds like you have a great plan. Bamboo is very useful along with stabilizing soil. Good luck to you!
22!!?? I thought you were older. So rare to see someone so young who is also so wise and grounded and not just obsessed with social media like TikTok, and fame and money and this culture of instant gratification and entitlement. LOL.
I was a silly starter myself. Now i have decided to focus on 1 new type of perennial each year, and 1 type of new veggie each year. It helps to focus and observe.
When I began my gardening journey more than 25 years ago, I used the odd fertilizer, but I've been natural for more than 10 years . I've just recently started no dig (2 years) and I'm loving it!
This is brilliant advice Huw, every single thing you've said I completely agree with.
This year will be my first proper year gardening, and I absolutely am EXPECTING failures, hardship, cold, despair... I will treat every single thing I harvest as a bonus, as a miracle, rather than setting any unreasonable objectives.
Thanks Huw, here's wishing you all the very best.
Thank you. Last year was my first. I moved to a desert and a cold climate. I experienced a terrible first year. I have few trees and no organic material on my property. Getting started this second spring I feel slightly more confident. I plan to watch more of your videos.
I'm yet to find a positive lesson or solution from the destructive ravages of parrots😡. Ive got horrendous insect pest problems this year due to sappy green growth caused by excess rain. Also the cool, wet summer means very poor fruit set in cukes, zucchini, squash etc.
That accent is fantastic, I could listen all day
Ahh thank you😉
Now in my 50s gardening has taught me more patience than perhaps the whole rest of my life. But I love the daily learning curve. It's daily new but attainable and best of all grounding. You have been a key inspiration to me for the last three years. Thank you for this video which is much like your older ones but with new mature wisdom.
Hello Huw, I'm very interested in your planting plan course but I'm in zone 4. I can't get compost until mid April and don't dare put tomato plants in the garden until the end of May. Succession planting is a dream for me. So, will your course apply to me? Will I be able to make the adjustments for my much shorter garden season?
Thank you. Your channel is excellent.
Another great video Huw. Containerwise have run out of supplies of modules. Looking at your shelves I can see why 😂😂 😂😂
Hahaha well I'm lucky to have had these for a couple of years now😂
I was eyeing up those modules too!
I understand that this takes time .I started small and added more and more. My landlord let's me use his backyard. I love it no matter how difficult it can be at times. It's a blessing.
Hi Huw - thought you'd be pleased for me that today I've found 3 of my Winter sowing bottles have got seedlings in 😁👍 PTL! Lv mxxx
100% agree mate, thanks for the video very inspirational. Have a great growing season.
😊🌱🌱🌱🌱
Wisdom can only be learned, it cannot be taught. Some times getting punched in the nose (metaphorically speaking) is the best way to learn!
What an epic video, thank you so much Huw!
I wish to add an item to your list of fantastic tips! :-) It works so well for me and might help others too.
Before doing anything else in a new garden, first of all install a simple but comfy little bench in a lovely spot of the garden :-) where you can sit and take rests and enjoy just being in your garden, looking around, having a cuppa tea, listening to the birds, observing and receiving inspirations, looking at the things you just did and appreciating and enjoying it.
That way even if your crops don‘t all grow perfectly you still have that beautiful spot and that lovely enjoyable connection, and time to observe and inspiration to start again. And, the garden is less focussed on just doing, achieving, results - it‘s more about the connection, the receiving, and the doing and the results naturally follow.
This is one of the most informative and through gardening presentation I have ever heard. Excellent.
I learned that the biggest challenge in my garden was my dogs! They love the veggies and my off season task this year was to fence it in. The dogs are only allowed in when I’m there to keep a watchful eye. Love your videos and find myself watching them again and again to reinforce the basics.
7:22 Key word is "Evolving" Nature changes over time through many small step called "evolution". It's alright to have an image of the finished project, but gardening is a lifestyle. One must work toward his/her vision in a series of small steps.
An instant garden will never be sustainable. Even though many people claiming "permaculture" will say you can.
thank you for this video! i've been gardening for a number years but from a more traditional (tilling, weeding, etc) approach and with a ton of frustration and little actual success. i've taken this off season to learn as much as i can about permaculture and no dig gardening and am looking forward to starting this year as a novice having thrown out most of what i thought i knew!
Great video, thanks for sharing this. We need those good foundations on the bad days!
When i was child......................... Oh what are you reading?... I am also child right now.
Wise words from a true Gardner... Thank you for your continual optimism and realism!
As someone who believes in the God who created the heavens and the earth in 6 days, I too learn so many life lessons like patience, planning, gratitude. The science of gardening is so awesome. Literally. Thanks for your channel. Always helpful 😊
You're 22! So young and so wise. Thanks for sharing this encouraging words, Huw!
As the continuous novice I really needed to hear this. I may have to hear it again... and again... and again... Thank you!
Me too! Just rewatched this video. Hope you are having a good time on your gardening adventures!
Thanks for all your time and effort in sharing your gardening experience...you are an absolute AWESOME speaker!
Gardening is part of my therapy.
It was my birthday and my lovely hubby bought me your growing veg in a bed book. First year on a clay soil allotment. No dig all the way.
Thank you, Huw! I'm about to make my first raised beds from pallets (inspired by your video that I watched last year!!). This video comes at a perfect time :) I've been reviving my front garden for the last year - I bought a house and the front garden was just grass patches and very old building rubble soil, now it's full of worms and budding plants. As you say, small steps and don't overstretch and overwhelm yourself :D
You helping me tremendously. This video was very important indeed, a great reminder.
I love this video. I’m a long term, no dig veg gardener. And I still rewatch the video periodically as a reminder of the principles.
Thank you. That's great to hear! :)
Lordy, I love that collection of Containerwise trays that you’ve amassed behind you, Huw! 😍😍😍I wish I had more of my own.
Bit by bit, eh? Some now, a few more later on, and some even after that.... You'll get there.
Thank you for these videos. My family and I are starting our first vegetable garden here in Ontario Canada. We'll be checking in for regular videos to keep us right.
How are you getting on? ❤️🇳🇿
I'm not a beginner, Huw, but it's always good to be reminded of the fundamentals! That said, I'm still learning, from you and Liz and Charles and the other great TH-camrs out there.
The only "chemical" I use in my garden is a bit of organic seaweed-based feed for my container-grown crops that don't have the benefit of a soil ecosystem. I'm looking forward to the soil in my new raised beds becoming properly established, but in the meantime the only thing I'll be feeding them is home-made worm compost 😀
Beat gardening video ever!! Sage words! Ty
This was a really helpful video. I was feeling overwhelmed by some gardening channels that recommend Espoma products and it seemed so expensive. Thank you.
So true.
I spent last year clueless and experimenting.
I learnt a lot from my mistakes. I learnt a lot from problems I faced
And I learn a huge amount about pests I never knew even existed.
But this year I'm so much more prepared. I know how to prevent all the things I faced last year that I was clueless to start with
Loving this guy great advice
So.. need learn English)) 🤤
One of the best videos you've done, Huw! So very encouraging to so many people.
Great video Huw and who doesn’t love a good cliché 😁
Huw, I appreciate you and your knowledge
Great message! And even years into my gardening journey I needed to hear it. Even seeing that each year my garden is getting bigger and better I still get disheartened and let down that I’m not at the scale that I want to be. Patience and tenacity is a really important lesson that I need to continue to lean into.
Hi Huw! Starting my gardening journey this year, I have 3 raised beds and 15 50L pots to start off with, so can't wait! (all filled with multi-purpose compost and a bit of vermiculite) Your talk about chemicals has me really struggling as I totally get you, but what about if I can't get homemade compost for quite a while (so my beds have no mulch), and what about my pots, does it matter as much? Even the 100% vegan organic feeds? Thanks a lot! Your videos are just incredible :)
Awesome update my friend
Please stop referring to chemicals as bad. Carbon, potassium, nitrogen, all chemicals. Water... made of chemicals. Everything is made of chemicals. You are referring to herbicides and pesticides.
oh my god such pesimism and negative vibe!! I hope no beginner gardner sees this video. It is TOTALLY NOT TRUE: you can be a beginner and have a succesful first SEASON especially now when you have so much easy information. Don't compare them with you 10 years ago when you could only experiment and not have online information!
Hi Huw been following you for quite sometime now. you said not to use tomato feed and all. But how to be sure where the compost is coming from. I’ve been using just a normal multi purpose compost from B&Q. Will that still class as organic growing. Many thanks
Huw (or anyone) do you have ideas of how to prevent/discourage muntjacs. Yesterday I found my entire Purple sprouting broccoli patch decimated. Just chewed stalks left 😢I already have 1.2 m fencing so I’m looking for planting ideas ??
Hugh , I've followed you for so many years now and I really cant fault you and your presentation skills. I started when I was 10 y.old and grew peas, now Im seventy and find gardening difficult through aches and pains and a variety of health issues, But I still enjoy the challenge of germinating my seeds and nurturing them on to fruition. BUT the key thing as you said is the health of the soil..... . That cant happen if your soil is sick. the father of medicine said "let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food . The WHO in 2006 reported that the worlds growing soils have lost 76% of its mineral structure. The minerals and trace elements are the transportation devices for the vitamins that the plant needs to give us. If the plant is deficient then we will be also .. i JUST LOVED YOUR RECENT VID.
One for the newbies, from acorns grow mighty oak trees. Ok nit mighty oak threes, but been gardening since childhood. But as of this year, £10,000 and a fair few hrs hard slog, we are now a commercial producer, with close to 1000 sq metres of bed space, 126 of which is polytunnel. Start small, just like plants, it can grow. Good luck
Thank you Huw! This video is just the thing a new gardener needs to keep on going! Now that my youngest kid is getting at 1,5 y/o (my first born a bit over 3, he's "helping" in the garden), I have set a chalenge to manage 7m² plot this year and hope to expand every year. First broad beans are ripening (I'm too eager and harvested them too soon, but hey, it's a learning process)
The saying "You are what your forefathers ate" is also true. Glad to hear him talking about the importance of Organic Gardening, slightly surprised I didn't hear the word 'Salvestrol' being mentioned, ahwell.
This is the 10th year I have tried to grow a garden. Last January I harvested my first harvest in an indoor garden.
Here is a question I hope someone could help me with. I was wanting to start with composting, but the cost of composters seems high for the amount of compost you get. I thought I would try to make my own by buying a 55 gallon drum (steel), putting it on wheels to turn it (perhaps getting something like a bike pedal to turn it), and punching a bunch of holes in it for air flow. Being metal, I would think it would increase the temperature, and even could paint it black to help.
Would that work?
I'm so very new to this and you mentioned if I take nothing else from this video, take caution with unnatural chemical products. How do I know what isn't okay? I used potting soil for the seeds because it has nutrients made by miracle grow. In contrast, I used seeds from the same packets under same conditions (lighting, heat, water, et cetera) with organic seeding soil. The organic ones look like an American Monday morning at the office, pretty sad. Are there ingredients or labels I can look out for? Like a red flag I can check out. The soil I have naturally is sandy. I'm uncertain what other information would be helpful to provide. Anything helps!
My love in life is the garden I have a level 5 cert in gardening .I found your (you tube ) a few weeks ago,And just love them,You put thing,s so beautifully,I have become addictive to watching your work, no ego, such a gent,
I believe you,r work is done in Wales is this correct,Looking forward to each and every video you put out.Many thanks and best wishes to you.
I really enjoy all your videos Huw, thanx for rhem! I have a question regarding rised beds - if you add a thin layer of compost to them each year, in a couple of years you'll end up having them full, how do you cope with that? Or is the old compost just...totally breaking down to a small amount of ashes..? Don't know if that makes sense but please answer if you get what I mean.
This hit home for me because I'm a new gardener. I retired and decided to try my hand at it.well it didn't go as planned. Lol Who knew all the bugs and creepy crawlers wanted my food as well.I didn't know I had these horrible pests in my yard. I only did a few flowers ( pots) here and there.I watched all those videos and went right in.Im TRYING to do chemical free much as possible by learning about the soil and and beneficial plants etc.I think about my garden to much lol and want everything to survive but hey you get some things that just don't go right. I'm not giving up I really NEED bees to help pollinate. Any suggestions. I have bird feeders and SOME plants but things can get expensive. I'm need to slow do and chill and I know it will be aright.Thank you
Hi Huw, thank you so much for this video. I have a question. My garden is a newbuild. So the builders filled it and all the other houses with rocks and then covered it with a layer of a grass. We have been painstakingly going through the rocks and then adding compost to plant something. My question is can I apply 'no dig' to this type of garden full of rocks? Thank you.
Well put Huw. I think what you have expressed in your video, most experienced gardeners would concur. As lovely as programs like Gardeners World can be, I also feel (through no real intention to mislead anyone) they paint an unrealistic picture of what it's like to have a garden. Most people who start out with an Allotment for example, start with an overgrown weedy, rubbish tip and heavy clay soil. We don't have teams of people and healthy budgets to start out with, oh and that's when you can fit it in around work, family and the weather. Our TV screens only show us lush gardens with perfect soils you can plant straight into and have instant success.
The only things I would add to your thoughts for new gardeners would be, before you go no dig, get rid of perennial weeds before switching to no dig(person preference of course). Draw up a plan or a rough idea of what you want your plot to look like, where beds and sheds etc will go. Observe where the sun rises and falls and if areas of your growing space will be in shade. Work on your growing space little and often until you get it to how you want it, don't try and do it all as quick as you can, your back will thank you for it! Last of all, invest in a flask and take regular tea/coffee breaks. :o)
Great video love your passion ! 🏴 organic all the way!
I have to watch Liz on 2x playback speed. Haha...love you lady but I got stuff to do. can't watch your garden grow in real time. appreciate the wealth of knowledge from Huw, Charles, Liz, Mark, and Ben. cheers guys
I've got 3.5 massive piles of compost going right now. All at different stages. I so looking forward to starting my no dig garden. I'm doing my best to spend little or nothing on my garden (except some seeds to get started). Not always easy but it is so rewarding when you get a great harvest from just hard work. My compost piles will never stop growing and will continue to use chop and drop and use what I have on hand to grow what I need. So far a great success and I am learning more everyday. :) Start with the easy vegetables and the success will motivate you to try more difficult crops. Tomatoes are still a challenge here in the tropics but I am trying 4 different methods to see what works this year. Good luck to everyone.
Wow, your advices will surely help me a lot ❤️ but I have a question...
What if we don't use wood chips or sort of mulching ? Will the plants perform good In this case ? (If someone knows please reply)
2:49 A beautiful view!
That’s how I felt about my failures last year.. but this is exactly what I said.. atleast I learned a lot of what not to do. But I’m trying again.. because I was told the meaning of failure was the opportunity to begin again with increased intelligence ❤‼️💯
Very nice video, thank you! If more people apply these principles in their gardens, no dig, no chemicals, companion plants and biodiversity, world would be much friendlier place for the animals and environment! It's really important to remember that people took over the planet and living spaces of other animals, so the least we can do is to invite them to our gardens (and pinch one or two veggies) and plant some fruit trees, if possible, for the birds. The place I rent has got small garden, which is mostly shaded, but I still try to use the space and plant some food (chive is thriving :)) and flowers. About two years ago I discovered no dig through Charles Dowding channel and I think it will take few more years until the soil is healthy, but I swear I can already see more growth. Unfortunately my neighbors are not interested in gardening, in fact one of them just cut a tree in their garden, which left me in tears really. I just hope that I help the soil at least a bit. I am still rather a beginner and still learning about gardening and your videos are incredibly helpful. Thank you!
Interesting and useful video. I think you needed a bit for those like me setting out with a small garden and space for composting is also the space for gardening. I have put off gardening because I wasn’t sure I’d be around to follow up next year. Moved house etc. but I am just going to try a bit and enjoy the creative journey. Thanks for helping me along.
thanks for your video's. i have a jungle of a garden (28ft wide, 75ft long) with waist high reedy type grass and head high type bushes. im hoping to turn it in to a vegitable garden one day but it is hard getting started, my family have absalutly no interest in it so its up to me. I have asthma, moderate to sever copd, carpal tunnel syndrome and i, like millions of other people around the world, have been housebound because you know why! well thanks to your insperation and straight talking, i am now more determind to start my garden adventure, even if it kills me (not literally!) so starting now i will be sitting down to plan out my 'Victory' garden, then i just have to work on getting everything cleared out so i can get my raised beds and pollytunnel in, i plan on making my own pollytunnel using rebar rods, wood and brackets, and square wire pannels. Wish me luck, im going to need it lol