I worked for a while at an indoor plant store. They recommended using a clean dry chopstick to test for dryness. They said it’s like testing a cake. Comes out dirty, cake’s not ready, don’t water yet, comes out clean, cake is done, time to water.
I kill more plants than I grow. Laughed so hard I nearly spat out my coffee. I’m going to use this as my motto so I can be more ruthless in picking out the best seedlings and not try to save them all. Fellow country Victorian.
It also helps you garden more stress free & be willing to experiment. If they die, they die. There's some old garden joke that's like "the key to good gardening is replacing your dead plants before anyone notices" 😂
After watching American gardening TH-camrs for years, I'm very glad I was recommended your channel (being a fellow Victorian, albeit from Melbourne). Great to have local advice. And your video production is right up there. Can't wait to watch you grow :)
With all honesty, my first mistake was listening to someone who thinks they're a gardener but doesn't have success in it. As soon as I realized my mistake I reassessed and started reading old and new literature on gardening. Ever since then I have been having such great success. This was before discovering your TH-cam channel.
At first I thought this was a dig at me, till I got to the end of the comment haha. One of the things I've quickly learnt from doing this channel (and researching & fact checking videos), is a lot of gardening "conventional wisdom" has been disproven by science studies. In doing research for the next video I found out something I thought for years was a fact (and is often stated as fact online) is actually just a gardening myth.
I've had a fairly good amount of garden space and have had various results, some good some bad. I've had bad soil, critters munching down plants, assorted bugs and too much wind or too much harsh sun and not who th rain. Every year it's something else. The past two years weren't productive at all. My neighbor's cats always hung out with me in the garden and really made it fun. Then they were killed by a fox or coyote. It made it too depressing to go into the garden without them. Then last year my mom had a stroke and had to move here with us. That really changed the time I had available. This year I thought I would get it all cleaned up and start over. Then I fell in February and broke my shoulder. I couldn't get to the garden until mid june. Anyway the late start impacted the results. But at least I got something out of it and can look ahead to next year now that I've made a start of it. 🍅
Here in the mountains of Wyoming vegetable gardening can be a challenge. Short summers, sandy alkaline soil (8.5 ph), little rain, and lots of deer. I learned some of your tips through experience. First, test the ph. I planted lots of acid-loving berry bushes and then couldn't understand why they were doing so poorly. Raised beds are now filled with heavily amended soil. More composted manure added spring and late fall. Plenty of mulch to retain soil moisture (I use chopped dried grass clippings and leaves). Fertilizing geared to specific plants, heavy feeders especially. And this fall I finally got around to adding wire cages over all my raised beds, except the asparagus and rhubarb, which the deer won't touch. I moved here from lowland Virginia, where we got 36 inches of rain a year and everything grew. It's been an education. Subscribed.
I really have to thank the algorithm in suggesting you. I also live in Victoria and I have been trying to grow some veggies for the past 2 years, and this year I started the seed in a separate tray and it's really great to have your suggestions especially the spacing between the plants. Last year I followed the spacing recommended on the packet and I had a sparse garden and not a great harvest. Also the soil I used was just basic potting and garden soil mix, it did impact the germination of seeds and the ones that germinated later faced doom. Really thanks for all the advice, could you also share some details on companion plants that grow well.
I have learnt that I need to plant 3 to 4 times the amounts that I actually need. Simply, if I plant more the pests can snack, and I still have about what I need left. I normally don't kill off seedlings if I can help it, I pass on the excess to others if I don't plant them. If I discover by chance the pest didn't do a number on them, and I am over planted in a section, I start harvesting things like salad greens earlier so I thin them that way. my biggest mistake, was thinking chickens and veggies can co exist in the same space.
Made same mistake w/chickens. They destroyed nearly all my plants, closer to the house. The deer took care of the garden area few hundred feet from house! Took out all my squash type plants! I had about 30’+ of pumpkin, and not one made it. Off a 20’ cantaloupe, I got ONE (1) the entire year! Now, I have a new critter (marmot(?) taking out my carrots, beets, and kale. Plants it doesn’t like, it digs up & leaves.
My biggest early mistake was stressing about every bug, every brown spot appearing on each leaf, every little imperfection. 4 years on I don't stress, I appreciate the ENTIRE ecosystem in my garden, I don't wage war with nature and I just let things do what they do. It is a MUCH more enjoyable way to grow and it's far more successful.
I have been cultivating the vegetable garden for 10 years. I think your advice is the best ever because it is simple, clear and logical. I put them into practice here in Northern Italy and they work wonderfully. Thank you.
I eventually worked out to dig a shallow hole, tehn put the the compost in it and turn every week, then move it every 6months. Where the compost heap was, is where you garden. This restricts the space you are using and makes the soil good. Essentially it is a type of rotational cropping, but to begin a garden.
In my 18 year project I’ve grown around a thousand tomato seedlings so far and I discovered a new result just a few years ago when starting tomato seeds. Since I am now only growing around 20 plants per season instead of over 100, I decided to put one seed in each punnet hole instead of 4, so that’s 8 seeds per punnet instead of 32 seeds per punnet (eg my punnets have 8 holes). To my surprise the seedlings were ready to be potted up to the next size (tubes) a week earlier than usual and they continued faster growth in the tubes as well. I’ve now tested this for 4 seasons in a row with the same result! However, I grow from my own saved seeds which are kept in the fridge and I know exactly how old they are. I’m not recommending this to new gardeners or people not yet experienced in growing tomatoes from seeds. It definitely takes a few seasons to understand how to sow seeds correctly and look after them through the early weeks until they are ready to plant in the garden.
Have never thought about the planting space as recommended on seed packages before, just follered their advice. But when I got it "wrong," ie closer, the veges and flowers still grew just as strongly and just where I wanted. Valuable advice: One size does not fit all. Thank you.
I’m in Ballarat so your advice to this amateur gardener makes a heap of sense for me. I think it was your words in this vid that really made me realise my biggest problem. I don’t like to surrender my seedling babies and have until recently only planted single seeds in each portion of my seed trays. Time to bite the bullet and understand that I am not sacrificing individual plants per se but bringing their life back into the garden in other ways. I love what you offer, and am better off knowing I have someone here in Victoria dealing with my issues. Thank you 🍅 🌿 🥕 🍏
I live in sub tropical Queensland. I tended to overwater pot plants in a very humid climate. I had to learn the difference between heat stressed plants and thirsty plants. I learned I needed to grow some plants that we are usually told to grow in full sun in part shade the hard way. My next biggest error was trying to grow tradtional vegetables that cannot handle temperatures above 25 degrees without wilting or bolting. This season I am only growing vegetables that love hot temperatures and things are looking good so far. IMO really need to learn more about hot humid climate vegetables in a country like Australia.
Sounds like you're off to a great start ! I'm just here to say that even in ( probably) much cooler places like west-central Wisconsin, USA, we typically have to plant things like lettuce, radishes, and definitely spinach and peas, early enough in spring to be able to enjoy them long, get much of a harvest, or any at all. One thing that's been encouraging for me to learn is that it isn't the one to 3 day heat wave we may get at any point in spring which will make them bolt, but longer periods of higher temps. And yes, it really helps to learn which plants don't need as much direct sunlight after all, if it's really hot. Typically, you're more heat-sensitive plants that do need some decent hours of sunlight, should get maximum morning sunshine and be more in shade for the afternoon. Planting them on the shadier side of a corn patch or trellis of pole beans can sometimes provide that.
I grew-up on a farm with a large vegetable garden,in central New Jersey, and am now transplanted to the western Ozarks of East Central Oklahoma. A couple of book recommendations, "Gardening When It Counts", by Steve Solomon. Soil building, plant selection, seed starting, and low water techniques (bed spacing, mounded beds vs enclosed raised beds). Enclosed raised beds drain and evaporate water more quickly, especially in windy/breezy environments than mounded beds, and while closely spaced beds result in a more compact garden, wider spacing allows them to draw more water from a larger area of surrounding soil. "Square Foot Gardening", Mel Bartholomew. The original book goes into detail about composting, soil types, and soil improvement. The second, "All New Square Foot Gardening", kinda punts/shortcuts soil building in favor of filling your raised beds with a mixture of commercial bagged soil and compost, along with agricultural vermiculite. It does go into making your own compost to maintain them. I recommend reading/having both (along with "Gardening When It Counts") for covering different aspects. Of course, these are by no means the "be all, end all, sum total" of gardening knowledge, but in my experience, a good starting point. Also, I would recommend having more beds than you need (if you have the space) so some can be left fallow with soil building cover crops (deep rooted grasses to break up/aeriate compacted soil, whil bringing mineral nutrients to the growing zone, and nitrogen fixing legumes like clovers and vetches). I like your common sense and straightforward presentation, and have subscribed to your channel.
BIG thanks to you for. making me feel so much better about only having a small garden space to grow plants. Ours is the smallest garden, compared to the much larger neighbours' gardens near us.
I've recently discovered your fantastic channel and I'm really enjoying your content, tips, and really helpful advice borne from your own experience. You're like watching Gardening Australia! Who knows, in the future you could be one of their presenters! 🍅🍅🍅🍅
So many little practical pearls of wisdom here. Most I knew, but a nice reminder of the basics...which I will be going back to as I learn to garden in a totally different environment after moving from the damp and temperate Pacific Northwest of Canada to the dry, hot interior. I just subscribed, so looking forward to more fantastic info. Thanks!
I used two bags of soil improver in a 2mx1m bed, and regularly used seasol when watering. Then each pay cycle I've picked up various soil treatments. I'm not after a big harvest this time round. This time is actually about getting ANYTHING to grow so it can be chopped and dropped later on. During this time period, I'm also starting my compost so next season I can truly enrich this patch, and start the same process on the next one.
Thank you Great video. I live in NSW with temps. of 42 in summer and -7 in winter. I learned and still learning from my mistakes like you said.....know yor plants needs. And now have a better success with even using my own seeds for planting. And knowing your soil condition is definitely a must and the watering. As I am a Recycler I keep all plastic meat trays, wash them thoroughly and put my seed pots in them where they will get water from the bottom. And yes I have subscribed to your channel.. tfs 😊
biggest mistake i made when starting was listening to all the raised garden proponents. raised beds are expensive initially and on-going, whilst providing no benefit, and making things harder, including being an OH&S nightmare. for the price of unnecessary raised beds you can get things that truly make a big difference, like driptape irrigation system with fertilizer injector, commercial grade cell trays and commercial starting mix, proper propagation lights, good hoses and dramm watering wands, and some full length soil working tools, which are very difficult to use in raised beds. plant spacings are correct on seed packets, mostly 30cm to grow full size lettuce. you cant make up for the lost space of those bloomin raised beds. growing five lettuces to harvest in one go for camera is no big feat. you want a lettuce or two every second week or so, for entire year, if the veggie growing is more than an expensive way of still buying all veggies in supermarket all year. biggest noob mistake is not having a proper seed starting setup and trying to grow from seed straight in the ground, or worse, going cheap on seed starting setup having spent humdreds of dollars on useless raised beds and talking to microbial life you dont actually see.
hello from northern NSW.. just found your channel .. have been searching for Australian gardeners that have common sense and offer great advice ... thank you .. i have a huge problem with white cabbage b/fly... they are attacking everything this season that they should not be.... my small yard faces a forest and little sun with huge trees blocking most sun... .. covering beds caused mould and aphid buildup.. i try to plant out borage in each bed and lots of nasturtium plants around for bees . just pulled out all my broccoli plants after 6 months, they were 2 mts tall no heads all leaves and massively attacked by caterpillars. this year to stop fruit fly i bought cheap fruit bags on line and tying up all my tomatoes eggplants and capcicums as they grow ... the past 2 years lost all vegies to fruit fly attack. use worm castings seaweed extracts, blood / bone/ calcium, etc etc on beds built up soils with compost etc.. but vegies are just not prolific .. in producing... but i keep trying .. thank you again for straight forward content
I am going to try overplanting to make a living mulch. Your lettuce looked ridiculously overcrowded till you explained your method. I am thinking i could plant them every 15cm instead of 30cm and see how that goes.
Just found your channel as a fellow Australian the information about southern hemisphere sunlight was so helpful! Everything is normally about the northern hemisphere. I already am quite good at making sure veg and fruit plants are compact, I blast aphids with my hose, and pick off caterpillars on my brassicas, and have tons of companion plants nearby but I still have issues with aphid infestations on my alliums (spring onion and garlic) and green beans, and a million caterpillars. I’ve tried using eco-oil but that’s it. Please help a lady out. What am I doing wrong?
Just found your channel. This is perfect for me, novice using a small raised bed. I have a fence line which has pretty much zero sun. Any ideas what I can get to grow along there. I would prefer something I can eat but would love any suggestions. Thanks for doing this channel. My new go to.
Sun paths are really important. I feel you didn't quite explain it properly because that sun path changes depending on the season too and can be used to your advantage if you're smart about it as you mentioned. Using the East and West fence lines isn't bad per se and can be used to your advantage in Summer.. Plants will either get afternoon sun and no morning sun, or morning sun and no afternoon sun in Summer - allowing them to have a break from the blistering sun.. I've had precisely zero issues growing any kind of plant along either East or West fence lines here in VIC.
You are absolutely 100% right 🎯👏🏾👏🏾and on point about using the East and West zones around the yard to plant. I started observing every season where the sun is present the longest or shortest and it may vary. The southern side my house has full sun in the summer months, but the Fall I get partial sun exposure for a few hours. So it’s important for anyone gardening to observe their own property to determine how long each area gets the most sunlight, # of hours and also when the seasons change too. 👍🏽
what a wonderful video! thank you! my issue is i am elderly and disabled. and i have no help. i want to start a garden, i moved here 6 years ago now. i have collected some old dead freezers i plan to make super-raised beds in hugelkultur method. i would like to just start SOMETHING for spring tho! i was thinking of laying cardboard, then sawdust, both of which i have lots of access to, and maybe paying a neighbor trucker to bring in a load of topsoil for me. i have almost pure clay soil, and certainly couldnt till it anyway....i am in northern Minnesota, about an hour from Canada, in zone 3b i think. possibly 2b. not sure. what do you suggest?
I find it easier to start my seeds if I sock them in water before I plant them. Most of the time, the seed sprout before I plant them in the potin mix.
Yikes that was a lot of plant-murder talk! I did not think I needed 'help' with murdering plants, have done quite nicely on my own! More seriously, thanks for the tips, particularly the 'recommended plant spacings' and mixed planting. In the past, due to small space, I have planted closer than recommended, and it worked out okay, now I can go there with a lot more confidence. You are also that rare breed, the Victorian grower. Most of the other aussies are up in QLD, half that stuff will struggle down here.
Can I suggest growing you vegetables by the moon phase, different moon phases for different vegetables & legumes. I've been growing vegetables for over 30 years now & only just discovered this moon phase seeding thing 4 months ago, with a 95% germination success rate. & YES inter planting & succession planting is a must too. My vegetables are NO TILL & make 1 cubic meter of compost a month in a 3 bay pallet bay system. I also have 5 worm farms, & 8 chooks now. All in a 670 sqm block. BUT the biggest mistake I made in a vegetable garden was letting my garden beds dry out too much & not mulching. Rocket 🚀 🥦 🍅
I used to grow by the moon religiously this year I got a little sick and had to plant outside the moon phase and these are probably my best plants yet 🤷🏻♂ I grew some by the moon the following month but they’re not as strong…I’ll report back at the end of the season with my yields but so far I’m thinking it doesn’t really matter..
And I totally agree on mulching your garden beds and not letting them dry out this is so important and not many people stay on top of this, good advice.l
@HardCandy-d9q yeah, I've only recently had a bad run of some vegetables not sprouting, like corn & kale. I asked Charles dowding this question & he plants by the moon, when time allows. He is a vegetables guru on TH-cam & practices no dig too. You should check him out too, if not already.
My raised bed veggie garden sold my last house. I used raised bed garden beds and bought 6 yards of organic compost. Had it dumped on my driveway. Yes neighbors were horrified. Hired to kids to carry dirt to the back and fill my beds. Suburban houses in the US are backfilled with fill dirt and it's horrible. Anyone that tries to grow something in garbage fill dirt will fail. Much easier to do raised beds. Oh I knew the best spot for tomatoes based on the 6-foot high thistle forest in my back yard, when I bought the house. Tore out stupid landscaping bushes, I couldn't eat those. The spot where I had 6-foot high thistles was perfect for tomatoes and herbs.
My chickens destroyed nearly all my plants, closer to the house. The deer took care of the garden area, few hundred feet from house! Took out all my squash type plants! I had about 30’+ of pumpkin, and not one made it. Off a 20’ cantaloupe, I got ONE (1) the entire year, because I covered it w/a bowl. Now, I have a new critter (marmot(?) taking out my carrots, beets, and kale. Plants it doesn’t like, it digs up & leaves.
Be careful just dropping random plants into bare spaces in the garden. Some plants will impair the growth of other plants, Alliums (onions, garlic, leeks) next to peas and beans for example, which is the beginner mistake that I made. Peas were stunted and produced almost nothing. Lettuce is good. Doesn't seem to bother any other plants. Get a companion gardening chart that identifies what goes well together and what doesn't.
hi, do you have any tips from protecting your plants from the wind? I use my deck as my growing space as it gets the most sunlight through the day, and although my planters look sheltered behind the glass railing, they still seem to get a lot of wind. I also struggle with soil and mulch being blown out of the planters. any tips would be super appreciated!
Place tree fern fronds over the planters. You can nestle the plants between the fronds to anchor the fronds in place. You can also use a brick etc to anchor the fronds. I use this to keep mulch in place and stop the blackbirds digging up my beds.
Wind isn't entirely bad for plants, it strengthens the stems. Obviously there are many degrees of wind, but a breeze passing through is not a bad thing. If it is lifting your mulch and soil, then maybe cardboard cut outs (or bricks/pavers) to cover the mulch might be a thing, as long as it isn't too much hassle to lift up when you need to water.
Beginner mistake - not understanding that plants need the soil to be warm, not just sun light. A heat mat has significantly increased my germination rates. Question - tips for watering when going away for a week. I'm guessing automated watering systems and wicking beds but do you have any inexpensive tips please?
My first mistake was to plant seeds from different source onto the same pot since the plants are totally different and easily distinguishable. I didn't buy any seed cells but now I use a 30ml cup to germinate and transfer to double cup. The red okra seeds I bought contained eggs of flies, the entire soil was full of maggots, it was a horror to dig up the other plants in the same pot. Only the okra didn't germinate and the other pots that had the same seeds also had maggots. I planted that okra seed again in a 30ml cup, close it in a food container and it was also full of maggots after 1 week. That's 2 bags' worth of soil thrown away because of a maggot infestation.
@@Jondantic yeah I've been thinking about it, here's a short list in the mean time Lettuce Kale Radishes Peas and beans (check details on the specific variety though) Parsley Silverbeet/Swiss chard. Baby beetroot And citrus trees don't mind semi shade too much
@@CulinaryGarden1 Thanks for the reply. I’ve usually planted lettuce in full sun so I’ll try growing them in the less sunny areas. Just put in some coriander and dill on the southern side of a wall as I’ve heard that it’s less likely to bolt if exposed to less sun. Loving the learning process
Hello there I have 2 x food cubes I filled them with the best quality potting mix last year everything grew pretty well …this year I dug through horse manure ..dynamic lifter and blood and bone along with a little bit of lime …I wasn’t sure how much to use …I let it sit for a few weeks ..I did a PH solo colour test test and it’s Definately coming up purple alkaline what can I do please?
My first lot of seedlings I planted a few months ago. And I separated and reported them and they were so stunted that the others I planted over took them. I have now started cutting seedlings at the moment lettuce and spinach. When do you cull seedlings to 1 plant?
Hi. Love this channel. My silver beet looks great but the new growth is thick, rubbery, and the stalks are brown. This happens time and time again. What am I doing wrong? Also, I can't seem to get spring bunching onions to germinate. I have bought new seeds and still nothing. Amongst 10 clumps of 10 seeds each, I had one single onion germinate. I have tried this five times now. Please help.
🍓🍉🍑🥭🍌🥝🍄🟫🍇 thank you for your great advise. I thought I knew everything about gardening. You are teaching me a new thing or two. Busy binge watching the rest of your videos.
Blood and Bone a big mistake if you have a dog nearby as the dog will dig up your vegetable garden. My previous dog (R.I.P) dug under the fence to get at the neighbours blood and bone vegetable garden.
Finally, a comment correcting me that's actually correct 👏. This is noted for future content. I try my hardest to make everything in my videos factually correct, this one slipped through 🙃
How different is the climate in your area of regional Victoria to Melbourne? I’ve started my own first garden in the inner city, but I’d love to be more certain about how to apply your advice! Regional Vic can vary from several degrees colder and frostier (where I grew up in the Dandenong Ranges), to the hot dry areas of Mallee. Sadly I’ve only got a small concrete garden, closer to a courtyard) but I’m hoping to move in the next year and have space for a larger garden (and maybe chickens!)
I made a lot of mistakes last year (first time growing anything). I got almost all of my seedlings to germinate easily after making my own starter mix (yay!), but I kept things on heat mats for too long and I didn't underwater properly (who knew that you weren't supposed to keep them in the watering tray? D'OH!). I got too excited too quickly and didn't do enough research (mold, fungus gnats, etc.), but I've spent the year researching and learning and will better next year. Oh, and you are spot on with the spacing. Packages lie. 🙂🍅🧄
If you want to help my little channel grow, comment with your favourite plant or veggie emoji! 🌱🪴🥦📈
You’re my fave Aussie gardener! 🕺
O Canada :')
🌶🫑 Chilies and sweet peppers are my favourite to grow. I just don't like to eat them, so I give them away. 😁
🍕🤣
🌸🌺🌷🌿🍁 Cottage gardens are my favourite. Aussie who loves exotics more than natives.They burn too easily, having evolved to do so.
I worked for a while at an indoor plant store. They recommended using a clean dry chopstick to test for dryness. They said it’s like testing a cake. Comes out dirty, cake’s not ready, don’t water yet, comes out clean, cake is done, time to water.
As a baker looking into gardening tips, I appreciate the tip. Thank you
I kill more plants than I grow. Laughed so hard I nearly spat out my coffee. I’m going to use this as my motto so I can be more ruthless in picking out the best seedlings and not try to save them all. Fellow country Victorian.
It also helps you garden more stress free & be willing to experiment. If they die, they die.
There's some old garden joke that's like "the key to good gardening is replacing your dead plants before anyone notices" 😂
@@CulinaryGarden1 that's so funny 😂
Plant twice what you need and accept you will get half.
This has worked out pretty well for me.
After watching American gardening TH-camrs for years, I'm very glad I was recommended your channel (being a fellow Victorian, albeit from Melbourne). Great to have local advice. And your video production is right up there. Can't wait to watch you grow :)
‘Seed packets lie”. Love it
With all honesty, my first mistake was listening to someone who thinks they're a gardener but doesn't have success in it.
As soon as I realized my mistake I reassessed and started reading old and new literature on gardening.
Ever since then I have been having such great success.
This was before discovering your TH-cam channel.
At first I thought this was a dig at me, till I got to the end of the comment haha.
One of the things I've quickly learnt from doing this channel (and researching & fact checking videos), is a lot of gardening "conventional wisdom" has been disproven by science studies.
In doing research for the next video I found out something I thought for years was a fact (and is often stated as fact online) is actually just a gardening myth.
@@CulinaryGarden1 I'm looking forward to it. 👍
I've had a fairly good amount of garden space and have had various results, some good some bad. I've had bad soil, critters munching down plants, assorted bugs and too much wind or too much harsh sun and not who th rain. Every year it's something else. The past two years weren't productive at all. My neighbor's cats always hung out with me in the garden and really made it fun. Then they were killed by a fox or coyote. It made it too depressing to go into the garden without them. Then last year my mom had a stroke and had to move here with us. That really changed the time I had available. This year I thought I would get it all cleaned up and start over. Then I fell in February and broke my shoulder. I couldn't get to the garden until mid june. Anyway the late start impacted the results. But at least I got something out of it and can look ahead to next year now that I've made a start of it. 🍅
Here in the mountains of Wyoming vegetable gardening can be a challenge. Short summers, sandy alkaline soil (8.5 ph), little rain, and lots of deer. I learned some of your tips through experience. First, test the ph. I planted lots of acid-loving berry bushes and then couldn't understand why they were doing so poorly. Raised beds are now filled with heavily amended soil. More composted manure added spring and late fall. Plenty of mulch to retain soil moisture (I use chopped dried grass clippings and leaves). Fertilizing geared to specific plants, heavy feeders especially. And this fall I finally got around to adding wire cages over all my raised beds, except the asparagus and rhubarb, which the deer won't touch. I moved here from lowland Virginia, where we got 36 inches of rain a year and everything grew. It's been an education.
Subscribed.
Living mulch is so useful, keeps the soil insulated and helps squeeze out the weeds.
I really have to thank the algorithm in suggesting you.
I also live in Victoria and I have been trying to grow some veggies for the past 2 years, and this year I started the seed in a separate tray and it's really great to have your suggestions especially the spacing between the plants. Last year I followed the spacing recommended on the packet and I had a sparse garden and not a great harvest.
Also the soil I used was just basic potting and garden soil mix, it did impact the germination of seeds and the ones that germinated later faced doom.
Really thanks for all the advice, could you also share some details on companion plants that grow well.
I have learnt that I need to plant 3 to 4 times the amounts that I actually need. Simply, if I plant more the pests can snack, and I still have about what I need left. I normally don't kill off seedlings if I can help it, I pass on the excess to others if I don't plant them. If I discover by chance the pest didn't do a number on them, and I am over planted in a section, I start harvesting things like salad greens earlier so I thin them that way. my biggest mistake, was thinking chickens and veggies can co exist in the same space.
Made same mistake w/chickens. They destroyed nearly all my plants, closer to the house. The deer took care of the garden area few hundred feet from house! Took out all my squash type plants! I had about 30’+ of pumpkin, and not one made it. Off a 20’ cantaloupe, I got ONE (1) the entire year! Now, I have a new critter (marmot(?) taking out my carrots, beets, and kale. Plants it doesn’t like, it digs up & leaves.
My biggest early mistake was stressing about every bug, every brown spot appearing on each leaf, every little imperfection. 4 years on I don't stress, I appreciate the ENTIRE ecosystem in my garden, I don't wage war with nature and I just let things do what they do. It is a MUCH more enjoyable way to grow and it's far more successful.
Yes exactly!
I love your teaching style. Many thanks.
I have been cultivating the vegetable garden for 10 years. I think your advice is the best ever because it is simple, clear and logical. I put them into practice here in Northern Italy and they work wonderfully. Thank you.
I eventually worked out to dig a shallow hole, tehn put the the compost in it and turn every week, then move it every 6months. Where the compost heap was, is where you garden. This restricts the space you are using and makes the soil good.
Essentially it is a type of rotational cropping, but to begin a garden.
In my 18 year project I’ve grown around a thousand tomato seedlings so far and I discovered a new result just a few years ago when starting tomato seeds. Since I am now only growing around 20 plants per season instead of over 100, I decided to put one seed in each punnet hole instead of 4, so that’s 8 seeds per punnet instead of 32 seeds per punnet (eg my punnets have 8 holes). To my surprise the seedlings were ready to be potted up to the next size (tubes) a week earlier than usual and they continued faster growth in the tubes as well. I’ve now tested this for 4 seasons in a row with the same result! However, I grow from my own saved seeds which are kept in the fridge and I know exactly how old they are. I’m not recommending this to new gardeners or people not yet experienced in growing tomatoes from seeds. It definitely takes a few seasons to understand how to sow seeds correctly and look after them through the early weeks until they are ready to plant in the garden.
You just changed my life with the spacing mistake! Fire video, absolute banger. 🎉
Have never thought about the planting space as recommended on seed packages before, just follered their advice. But when I got it "wrong," ie closer, the veges and flowers still grew just as strongly and just where I wanted. Valuable advice: One size does not fit all. Thank you.
I’m in Ballarat so your advice to this amateur gardener makes a heap of sense for me. I think it was your words in this vid that really made me realise my biggest problem. I don’t like to surrender my seedling babies and have until recently only planted single seeds in each portion of my seed trays. Time to bite the bullet and understand that I am not sacrificing individual plants per se but bringing their life back into the garden in other ways. I love what you offer, and am better off knowing I have someone here in Victoria dealing with my issues. Thank you 🍅 🌿 🥕 🍏
I've come to the conclusion that I can't plant successfully, but if I just chuck it at the ground and let nature do it's thing, great success.
I live in sub tropical Queensland.
I tended to overwater pot plants in a very humid climate. I had to learn the difference between heat stressed plants and thirsty plants. I learned I needed to grow some plants that we are usually told to grow in full sun in part shade the hard way.
My next biggest error was trying to grow tradtional vegetables that cannot handle temperatures above 25 degrees without wilting or bolting. This season I am only growing vegetables that love hot temperatures and things are looking good so far.
IMO really need to learn more about hot humid climate vegetables in a country like Australia.
Sounds like you're off to a great start ! I'm just here to say that even in ( probably) much cooler places like west-central Wisconsin, USA, we typically have to plant things like lettuce, radishes, and definitely spinach and peas, early enough in spring to be able to enjoy them long, get much of a harvest, or any at all. One thing that's been encouraging for me to learn is that it isn't the one to 3 day heat wave we may get at any point in spring which will make them bolt, but longer periods of higher temps. And yes, it really helps to learn which plants don't need as much direct sunlight after all, if it's really hot. Typically, you're more heat-sensitive plants that do need some decent hours of sunlight, should get maximum morning sunshine and be more in shade for the afternoon. Planting them on the shadier side of a corn patch or trellis of pole beans can sometimes provide that.
I grew-up on a farm with a large vegetable garden,in central New Jersey, and am now transplanted to the western Ozarks of East Central Oklahoma.
A couple of book recommendations,
"Gardening When It Counts", by Steve Solomon. Soil building, plant selection, seed starting, and low water techniques (bed spacing, mounded beds vs enclosed raised beds). Enclosed raised beds drain and evaporate water more quickly, especially in windy/breezy environments than mounded beds, and while closely spaced beds result in a more compact garden, wider spacing allows them to draw more water from a larger area of surrounding soil.
"Square Foot Gardening", Mel Bartholomew. The original book goes into detail about composting, soil types, and soil improvement. The second, "All New Square Foot Gardening", kinda punts/shortcuts soil building in favor of filling your raised beds with a mixture of commercial bagged soil and compost, along with agricultural vermiculite. It does go into making your own compost to maintain them. I recommend reading/having both (along with "Gardening When It Counts") for covering different aspects.
Of course, these are by no means the "be all, end all, sum total" of gardening knowledge, but in my experience, a good starting point.
Also, I would recommend having more beds than you need (if you have the space) so some can be left fallow with soil building cover crops (deep rooted grasses to break up/aeriate compacted soil, whil bringing mineral nutrients to the growing zone, and nitrogen fixing legumes like clovers and vetches).
I like your common sense and straightforward presentation, and have subscribed to your channel.
BIG thanks to you for. making me feel so much better about only having a small garden space to grow plants. Ours is the smallest garden, compared to the much larger neighbours' gardens near us.
Great to find an Australian garden channel, love the content and have been watching all your old videos,thank you.🌱🥦🥒🌽🥕
I've recently discovered your fantastic channel and I'm really enjoying your content, tips, and really helpful advice borne from your own experience. You're like watching Gardening Australia! Who knows, in the future you could be one of their presenters! 🍅🍅🍅🍅
So many little practical pearls of wisdom here. Most I knew, but a nice reminder of the basics...which I will be going back to as I learn to garden in a totally different environment after moving from the damp and temperate Pacific Northwest of Canada to the dry, hot interior. I just subscribed, so looking forward to more fantastic info. Thanks!
I used two bags of soil improver in a 2mx1m bed, and regularly used seasol when watering. Then each pay cycle I've picked up various soil treatments. I'm not after a big harvest this time round. This time is actually about getting ANYTHING to grow so it can be chopped and dropped later on. During this time period, I'm also starting my compost so next season I can truly enrich this patch, and start the same process on the next one.
Thank you Great video. I live in NSW with temps. of 42 in summer and -7 in winter. I learned and still learning from my mistakes like you said.....know yor plants needs. And now have a better success with even using my own seeds for planting. And knowing your soil condition is
definitely a must and the watering. As I am a Recycler I keep all plastic meat trays, wash them thoroughly and put my seed pots in them where they will get water from the bottom. And yes I have subscribed to your channel.. tfs 😊
Reusing meat trays for this purpose is such a great tip! Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely love your TH-cam channel. Just built some garden boxes and I’ve got no idea what to do. I can learn so much from you. Thank you
biggest mistake i made when starting was listening to all the raised garden proponents. raised beds are expensive initially and on-going, whilst providing no benefit, and making things harder, including being an OH&S nightmare.
for the price of unnecessary raised beds you can get things that truly make a big difference, like driptape irrigation system with fertilizer injector, commercial grade cell trays and commercial starting mix, proper propagation lights, good hoses and dramm watering wands, and some full length soil working tools, which are very difficult to use in raised beds.
plant spacings are correct on seed packets, mostly 30cm to grow full size lettuce. you cant make up for the lost space of those bloomin raised beds.
growing five lettuces to harvest in one go for camera is no big feat. you want a lettuce or two every second week or so, for entire year, if the veggie growing is more than an expensive way of still buying all veggies in supermarket all year.
biggest noob mistake is not having a proper seed starting setup and trying to grow from seed straight in the ground, or worse, going cheap on seed starting setup having spent humdreds of dollars on useless raised beds and talking to microbial life you dont actually see.
hello from northern NSW.. just found your channel .. have been searching for Australian gardeners that have common sense and offer great advice ... thank you .. i have a huge problem with white cabbage b/fly... they are attacking everything this season that they should not be.... my small yard faces a forest and little sun with huge trees blocking most sun... .. covering beds caused mould and aphid buildup.. i try to plant out borage in each bed and lots of nasturtium plants around for bees . just pulled out all my broccoli plants after 6 months, they were 2 mts tall no heads all leaves and massively attacked by caterpillars. this year to stop fruit fly i bought cheap fruit bags on line and tying up all my tomatoes eggplants and capcicums as they grow ... the past 2 years lost all vegies to fruit fly attack. use worm castings seaweed extracts, blood / bone/ calcium, etc etc on beds built up soils with compost etc.. but vegies are just not prolific .. in producing... but i keep trying .. thank you again for straight forward content
I am going to try overplanting to make a living mulch. Your lettuce looked ridiculously overcrowded till you explained your method. I am thinking i could plant them every 15cm instead of 30cm and see how that goes.
One of the great things about over planting is you just eat them as you thin them out. Salads galore 🥗
Just found your channel as a fellow Australian the information about southern hemisphere sunlight was so helpful! Everything is normally about the northern hemisphere.
I already am quite good at making sure veg and fruit plants are compact, I blast aphids with my hose, and pick off caterpillars on my brassicas, and have tons of companion plants nearby but I still have issues with aphid infestations on my alliums (spring onion and garlic) and green beans, and a million caterpillars.
I’ve tried using eco-oil but that’s it.
Please help a lady out. What am I doing wrong?
I’m so glad I discovered this channel. I’m about to start my first patch and these tips are so helpful
Just found your channel. This is perfect for me, novice using a small raised bed.
I have a fence line which has pretty much zero sun. Any ideas what I can get to grow along there. I would prefer something I can eat but would love any suggestions.
Thanks for doing this channel. My new go to.
You can grow salad greens, leafy greens, root vegetables, brassicas and herbs in the shade.
Thanks. I will give it a go.
Fantastic video. Thank you ❤
Thank you so much. I am guilty of every single one of these mistakes 😂
Super helpful. Im guilty of over watering for sure. This fall I’m doing my best to hold back 🙂↔️
Sun paths are really important. I feel you didn't quite explain it properly because that sun path changes depending on the season too and can be used to your advantage if you're smart about it as you mentioned.
Using the East and West fence lines isn't bad per se and can be used to your advantage in Summer.. Plants will either get afternoon sun and no morning sun, or morning sun and no afternoon sun in Summer - allowing them to have a break from the blistering sun.. I've had precisely zero issues growing any kind of plant along either East or West fence lines here in VIC.
You are absolutely 100% right 🎯👏🏾👏🏾and on point about using the East and West zones around the yard to plant. I started observing every season where the sun is present the longest or shortest and it may vary. The southern side my house has full sun in the summer months, but the Fall I get partial sun exposure for a few hours. So it’s important for anyone gardening to observe their own property to determine how long each area gets the most sunlight, # of hours and also when the seasons change too. 👍🏽
Awesome channel mate, your a bloody legend 👌🇦🇺
what a wonderful video! thank you! my issue is i am elderly and disabled. and i have no help. i want to start a garden, i moved here 6 years ago now. i have collected some old dead freezers i plan to make super-raised beds in hugelkultur method. i would like to just start SOMETHING for spring tho! i was thinking of laying cardboard, then sawdust, both of which i have lots of access to, and maybe paying a neighbor trucker to bring in a load of topsoil for me. i have almost pure clay soil, and certainly couldnt till it anyway....i am in northern Minnesota, about an hour from Canada, in zone 3b i think. possibly 2b. not sure. what do you suggest?
I find it easier to start my seeds if I sock them in water before I plant them. Most of the time, the seed sprout before I plant them in the potin mix.
Great video simple and easy to understand will be refining my garden methods
This video was very interesting. Crowd those plants! I shoulda watched this bf i put my plants down in one of my beds. I coulda put more in.
I wish I found this video 10 years ago! Instead learnt all these things too but verryy slowly over the years 😅
Yikes that was a lot of plant-murder talk! I did not think I needed 'help' with murdering plants, have done quite nicely on my own!
More seriously, thanks for the tips, particularly the 'recommended plant spacings' and mixed planting. In the past, due to small space, I have planted closer than recommended, and it worked out okay, now I can go there with a lot more confidence.
You are also that rare breed, the Victorian grower. Most of the other aussies are up in QLD, half that stuff will struggle down here.
Can I suggest growing you vegetables by the moon phase, different moon phases for different vegetables & legumes.
I've been growing vegetables for over 30 years now & only just discovered this moon phase seeding thing 4 months ago, with a 95% germination success rate.
& YES inter planting & succession planting is a must too. My vegetables are NO TILL & make 1 cubic meter of compost a month in a 3 bay pallet bay system. I also have 5 worm farms, & 8 chooks now. All in a 670 sqm block.
BUT the biggest mistake I made in a vegetable garden was letting my garden beds dry out too much & not mulching. Rocket 🚀 🥦 🍅
I used to grow by the moon religiously this year I got a little sick and had to plant outside the moon phase and these are probably my best plants yet 🤷🏻♂ I grew some by the moon the following month but they’re not as strong…I’ll report back at the end of the season with my yields but so far I’m thinking it doesn’t really matter..
And I totally agree on mulching your garden beds and not letting them dry out this is so important and not many people stay on top of this, good advice.l
Following the moon greatly boosted my gardening. Last full moon I sowed some beetroot seeds...they sprouted in 4 days.
@@gramsmith1366 Could be other factors at play though.
@HardCandy-d9q yeah, I've only recently had a bad run of some vegetables not sprouting, like corn & kale. I asked Charles dowding this question & he plants by the moon, when time allows. He is a vegetables guru on TH-cam & practices no dig too. You should check him out too, if not already.
For the algorithm: 🌻
Handy tips indeed my guy. Lessons I've also learned the hard way.
My raised bed veggie garden sold my last house. I used raised bed garden beds and bought 6 yards of organic compost. Had it dumped on my driveway. Yes neighbors were horrified. Hired to kids to carry dirt to the back and fill my beds. Suburban houses in the US are backfilled with fill dirt and it's horrible. Anyone that tries to grow something in garbage fill dirt will fail. Much easier to do raised beds.
Oh I knew the best spot for tomatoes based on the 6-foot high thistle forest in my back yard, when I bought the house. Tore out stupid landscaping bushes, I couldn't eat those. The spot where I had 6-foot high thistles was perfect for tomatoes and herbs.
Thank you for this video
New subscriber! Just found you today and love your videos! Thanks for the great information!
My chickens destroyed nearly all my plants, closer to the house. The deer took care of the garden area, few hundred feet from house! Took out all my squash type plants! I had about 30’+ of pumpkin, and not one made it. Off a 20’ cantaloupe, I got ONE (1) the entire year, because I covered it w/a bowl.
Now, I have a new critter (marmot(?) taking out my carrots, beets, and kale. Plants it doesn’t like, it digs up & leaves.
Definitely over or under watering. My nemesis.
When I first started I put all my blueberries southern high bush in the same bed lol big mistake
thank you
thanks i needed to hear your advice
Great video! Thanks! Had never considered the weight of my seed trays before, will give that method a go 👌
Very helpful. Thank you
But i fell so bad about killing the seedlings!!
Helpful, thank you.
Be careful just dropping random plants into bare spaces in the garden. Some plants will impair the growth of other plants, Alliums (onions, garlic, leeks) next to peas and beans for example, which is the beginner mistake that I made. Peas were stunted and produced almost nothing. Lettuce is good. Doesn't seem to bother any other plants. Get a companion gardening chart that identifies what goes well together and what doesn't.
Great video, thanks from NZ 😊
hi, do you have any tips from protecting your plants from the wind? I use my deck as my growing space as it gets the most sunlight through the day, and although my planters look sheltered behind the glass railing, they still seem to get a lot of wind. I also struggle with soil and mulch being blown out of the planters. any tips would be super appreciated!
Place tree fern fronds over the planters. You can nestle the plants between the fronds to anchor the fronds in place. You can also use a brick etc to anchor the fronds. I use this to keep mulch in place and stop the blackbirds digging up my beds.
Wind isn't entirely bad for plants, it strengthens the stems. Obviously there are many degrees of wind, but a breeze passing through is not a bad thing. If it is lifting your mulch and soil, then maybe cardboard cut outs (or bricks/pavers) to cover the mulch might be a thing, as long as it isn't too much hassle to lift up when you need to water.
You could use some hardy leafy pot plants on either side to create a kind of windbreak.
I planted what the seed packet clearly said cabbage. After months of growing it decided that it was a cauliflower!
If you live in the desert would a shaded area work? We had a week of 120 degrees this year.
Beginner mistake - not understanding that plants need the soil to be warm, not just sun light. A heat mat has significantly increased my germination rates.
Question - tips for watering when going away for a week. I'm guessing automated watering systems and wicking beds but do you have any inexpensive tips please?
My first mistake was to plant seeds from different source onto the same pot since the plants are totally different and easily distinguishable. I didn't buy any seed cells but now I use a 30ml cup to germinate and transfer to double cup. The red okra seeds I bought contained eggs of flies, the entire soil was full of maggots, it was a horror to dig up the other plants in the same pot. Only the okra didn't germinate and the other pots that had the same seeds also had maggots. I planted that okra seed again in a 30ml cup, close it in a food container and it was also full of maggots after 1 week. That's 2 bags' worth of soil thrown away because of a maggot infestation.
Any chance you could do a video about edible plants that do well in a shaded or semi shady environment? Love the info and honesty
@@Jondantic yeah I've been thinking about it, here's a short list in the mean time
Lettuce
Kale
Radishes
Peas and beans (check details on the specific variety though)
Parsley
Silverbeet/Swiss chard.
Baby beetroot
And citrus trees don't mind semi shade too much
@@CulinaryGarden1 Thanks for the reply. I’ve usually planted lettuce in full sun so I’ll try growing them in the less sunny areas. Just put in some coriander and dill on the southern side of a wall as I’ve heard that it’s less likely to bolt if exposed to less sun. Loving the learning process
🥒 summer is nearly here - time to grow cucumbers 🥒🥒🥒
The spacing is based on dry farming techniques
Where do you water? At the roots or with watering hose over everything?
Great content, thanks! 🥬🥦🌿🐞🥕
Amazing 🤯
Using capillary wicking mats has made a huge difference with seedlings in the glasshouse
Strawberry 🍓 😍
Hello there I have 2 x food cubes I filled them with the best quality potting mix last year everything grew pretty well …this year I dug through horse manure ..dynamic lifter and blood and bone along with a little bit of lime …I wasn’t sure how much to use …I let it sit for a few weeks ..I did a PH solo colour test test and it’s Definately coming up purple alkaline what can I do please?
My first lot of seedlings I planted a few months ago. And I separated and reported them and they were so stunted that the others I planted over took them. I have now started cutting seedlings at the moment lettuce and spinach. When do you cull seedlings to 1 plant?
Hi. Love this channel. My silver beet looks great but the new growth is thick, rubbery, and the stalks are brown. This happens time and time again. What am I doing wrong? Also, I can't seem to get spring bunching onions to germinate. I have bought new seeds and still nothing. Amongst 10 clumps of 10 seeds each, I had one single onion germinate. I have tried this five times now. Please help.
Olive trees 🌳
My major issue is perennials not annual weeds
🍓🍉🍑🥭🍌🥝🍄🟫🍇 thank you for your great advise. I thought I knew everything about gardening. You are teaching me a new thing or two. Busy binge watching the rest of your videos.
🥦🧄🍅🫑🫐🍓 and brussell sprouts
Over watering: guilty as charged 😢
Thank you #SaveSoil #Consciousplanet
Patchoy is the easiest plant that I grow. Okra and sweet peppers are attacked by pest and I don't harvest any crops.
How much does doggo love the smell of blood and bone 🤣
Blood and Bone a big mistake if you have a dog nearby as the dog will dig up your vegetable garden. My previous dog (R.I.P) dug under the fence to get at the neighbours blood and bone vegetable garden.
My biggest problem is when it comes to mulch and getting/keeping the soil moist enough under it. Thank you for the tips
Mulch will make it easier to help keep moisture in the soil! But you still have to water it 🚰
Are grubs good for the garden? I've found no worms but quite a few fat beetle grubs in the bed soil and wonder if i should do something about them
A few is fine, but too many in soils lacking in organic material can lead to grubs eating plant roots. Some grub species are worse than others too.
biggest mistake ive made in my first year is killing all my started seeds with too much water
It happens, we're action oriented creatures. We're really really bad doing nothing
Where is that video on the soil Mr Gippsland?
Dogs looove that blood and bone meal, beware pests and critters might go digging for that smell good stuff
Not trying to be annoying but chloroplasts are organelles of the cell not cells themselves
Finally, a comment correcting me that's actually correct 👏. This is noted for future content. I try my hardest to make everything in my videos factually correct, this one slipped through 🙃
@@CulinaryGarden1❤
Oh no am I ♥️
I can’t kill seedlings. I just can’t. I’ll give them away to others who didn’t plant seedlings. Why compost them?
How different is the climate in your area of regional Victoria to Melbourne? I’ve started my own first garden in the inner city, but I’d love to be more certain about how to apply your advice! Regional Vic can vary from several degrees colder and frostier (where I grew up in the Dandenong Ranges), to the hot dry areas of Mallee. Sadly I’ve only got a small concrete garden, closer to a courtyard) but I’m hoping to move in the next year and have space for a larger garden (and maybe chickens!)
It's basically identical to Melbourne 🌱
Yeah chickens! We want chickens but want to wait a few years for our kids to enjoy getting them as pets 🐣
I made a lot of mistakes last year (first time growing anything). I got almost all of my seedlings to germinate easily after making my own starter mix (yay!), but I kept things on heat mats for too long and I didn't underwater properly (who knew that you weren't supposed to keep them in the watering tray? D'OH!). I got too excited too quickly and didn't do enough research (mold, fungus gnats, etc.), but I've spent the year researching and learning and will better next year. Oh, and you are spot on with the spacing. Packages lie. 🙂🍅🧄
🥝
Seed 0ackets do lie! Lol😂
Going back to check if any other videos were missed by the silly algorithm ....
Vegetable 🌽