Small tip with the canning jar boxes: Don't remove all the plastic. Cut the plastic with scissors even with the top of the cardboard box and leave the part covering the box itself. The box will hold together better and last longer.
when plastic gets old and falls apart use duct tape all the way around the box, not just the corners. It helps to get some extra life out of your boxes.
This video got cut off somehow. It's missing about 7 more minute at the end. Part 2 is here: You can find the missing 7 minutes here: th-cam.com/video/9Tv8FiDYzv8/w-d-xo.html ♥
smart I'm going to try tht here in Chicago! Ty for the tip! "Blessings of Bounty and May Your Gardens and your Life always Bring You Joy, Inspiration and Abundance!" - Hope( & Mark)!💖💖
I just received 48 jars that my grandma had under her basement stairs she didn't know she had. She was happy to find a home for them and declutter a bit.
@@Sandy-_s yes funny enough this grandma didn't can but her mother did. My other grandma canned so much. My aunt gave me advice when I needed it when I was learning.
I used to can spinach. But I found I use so much more when I started to dry all my spinach. It works so much better to add the dry spinach pieces to everything. Then it doesn't water down the dishes I put it in. And it reconstitutes so fast. Only way to preserve it. We also use it fresh for greens and salads. I also powder some of the dry too. I also dry my kale, chard, bok choi and even my excess lettuces. Throw it in soup, sauces, egg dishes etc. And it faster than canning them. And doesn't take any of my freezer space. And alot of dry doesn't take hardly any storage space.
I agree about the eggplant - you could not pay me to eat an Italian eggplant. But last year I discovered an eggplant from Taiwan and I am hooked. It is the ping tung eggplant sold by Baker Creek. Hoss Tools also has a similar Japanese eggplant. It was *the* highlight of my 2021 garden. Unlike Italian eggplant, this one had a sweet flesh and very thin skin. I only grew 1 plant (in case I didn't like it) and I probably harvested about 100 eggplants. The way I cooked them was to cut them in long slices, toss with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and a lot of onion powder (we love onion) and then air fry them! They don't get super crispy because they are eggplant, but the skin does crisp up. Even hubby was happy when we had them for dinner. Towards the end of the season, I diced and dehydrated them. I toss them in soup and chili. I supported the plant with a tomato cage and I had no problems with disease. I had a few bugs, but not many. And it does like the summer heat, so plant when you would plant tomatoes.
I thought I would share our tip to prevent our corn from blowing over...last year our corn did really well for the first time in several years and was about 8 ft tall when some weather moved in that threatened to knock it all over. I had worked too hard to get it to that point to lose it, so my hubby and I grabbed some extra cattle panels that we had and a couple t-posts and went out and put them up as supports. We didn't put them on each row and we didn't pound them in terribly deep and only used a few zip-ties to hold the panels to the posts, so it was relatively easy to remove them when we were ready to harvest. We put them on the back row and on the front row and that seemed to be enough for the whole patch and our 8 ft.+ corn was saved! The sad part was that just as the corn was ready to harvest, we both got covid and my husband was in the hospital and all I could manage was keeping the chickens and animals fed...so by the time we were well, the corn was over ripe...but the stalks were beautiful! LOL! Hopefulluy this coming season it will do as well and we can put it in the freezer and can some. I did dehydrate what I could salvage and so we have that for backup for soups and such if we need it. Anyway, thanks for this video! You are an inspiration!
I grew a ton of celery last year....some went into the freezer, some I dehydrated, some got made into celery broth ,some made into celery salt. The leaves were dehydrated for soups....delicious.
@@connierodenburg129 I dehydrate celery and celery leaves then blend it with sea salt ( that I also make myself by boiling down sea water and then drying it in the oven) I use my spice grinder
Grow Tahitian squash or any really long running squash, cucumbers, and running beans up around your corn. It will really anchor it into the ground. Dig a trench to plant your corn instead of a mound, which a lot of people do. Leave the dirt on either side of the trench to pull up onto the corn when it comes up and gets about 2 feet tall. Keep mounding dirt up around it (hoeing) all throughout the season and pulling dirt up on the corn and it really stabilizes it. I'm in Cheyenne WY, 60 mph winds are typical, and I grow corn every year. Grow shorter varieties like Ambrosia, Peaches n Cream, Early Sunglow, etc. The shorter the corn, less likely it is to blow over.
I know the issue of overdoing it all too well. Last year was our first year of vegetable gardening. (Just bought our house 2 yrs ago) I was so excited when our garden was finally ready to plan out that I went nuts buying seeds. I planted too many different things that I didn't get enough of one thing to make a difference in our pantry. I have since learned exactly what you just said about look at what your family actually eats. So this coming year I will be able to plan out my garden much more wisely. Your experience and knowledge has become very valuable to me and I am very grateful for you.
Haha! We planted eggplants and they grew so beautifully then my husband tells me after eating about the third one that he does not like eggplant. So, this year there will be no eggplant.
I grow corn with two plants right next to each other, then block plant those as normal. They help support each other. It’s really helped with my windy situation.
If you are able, try to rotate what crops you plant in which beds. All plants will pull different amounts of nutrients and minerals from your ground. If you can follow corn/tomatoes with some root crops and then beans(which put nitrogen back into the soil) that should help keep your soil healthy.
@@Camperlauren I would not put tomatoes in same spot 3 years in a row. They are heavy feeders, so it would be good to give that spot a rest. Yes, beans and carrots sounds like a good swap.
@@Camperlauren Same things in same spots can also lead to a build up of pests and diseases on those plants. If and diseased leaves were left on top of the garden, if you plant same thing again, the new plants can be more quickly infected. If you put carrots where tomatoes were, there is not that same amount of concern.
Hi Rachel. I grow sweet potatoes in raised beds. You may want to rethink planting in the same bed as your green bean trellis. The sweet potatoes will try to climb your trellis. My vined a good 3 ft outside the bed on each side. Love your videos.
I planted sweet potatoes for the first time last year in my raised beds. They went nuts, were all over the yard! I ended up with 26lbs of sweet potatoes 😜
I just want to thank you for how good you are at explaining how to can, but also all other homestead topics. We are slowly heading in that direction, and likely will have a humble 1 or 2 acres in New Brunswick in the fall. Baby steps but you make me feel more confident about being able to have a well-stocked pantry!
This will be my first year preserving food, so I am so excited to get my garden planted this year. I will be expanding my garden this year and including herbs for the first time.♥I'm even planting potatoes for the first time.
Rachel, this is the most OUTSTANDING video EVER!!!!! Wow!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I’ve been wondering how much to plant. I’m a novice and while this seems to be a lot, it gives me something to work from. Blessings for you and your beloved. 🙏🏼
I had the same problem with my corn falling over with high wind. I put t-posts around the corners (small 4X8 patch) and then used twine around the outside to hold it up. Worked great last year. Good luck with your garden!
I would love to do this, but we just don’t have room to store much. My husband was teasing me the other day that if we kept adding space, I would just keep canning. It is great security to have it on the shelf and I am regularly using what I can. There is so much more I would like to try too. I can only store 2-3 months worth, but we keep talking and looking for where we can tuck away more.
If you own the house and have interior walls you can get to you could use the space between the walls as shelving and create doors on one side for access. Some people build a platform for their bed with storage underneath it. Or store things behind books or in the back of entertainment centers. Search for a video on finding storage space in apartments for more ideas.
If you like fresh corn-on-the-cob for a BBQ or whenever, we blanch the corn still on the cob in huge pots and then freeze them wrapped in foil. Put them in the oven, still wrapped in the foil at 350 for an hour! You will be amazed at how fresh it feels and tastes! Yum!
i feel like you could fit way more corn in that giant space you have them in! as long as the soil is very fertile you can typically plant closer than recommended, and that might solve some of your falling-over issues as they would support each other!, it also would free up some more space for other things!
I'm a new subscriber just here to tell you I love your channel! I have been harvesting and preserving our own food for 30 plus years. I grew up watching my Grandmother, Aunts etc. Although I don't have any blueprints or spreadsheets of our gardens, (simply because I'm computer illiterate) :) I still under plant or over plant so many crops. I have outsourced my corn harvest though and our community shares what we have left over with others who have under planted, etc. I just cleaned out my seed planter shed. I'm excited and ready. Thank you for sharing your lovely homestead, your family, recipes and time with all your subscribers. Looking forward to going back and watching your past videos.
Another Michigander here living in the metro Detroit area! So excited for the growing season to start up again. Planning on canning and preserving at least 50% of my food this year 💗
Hey Rachel, I know this is 9 months later and doesn't matter now, but just a thought for next year's garden. You may consider planting an okra plant row to serve as a wall to block the wind from your corn. Okra gets really tall as you continue to harvest it, and it is great pickled. I love eating pickled okra with a sandwich. Love your channel.
Watching you pick up the fallen corn in the garden gave me an idea... How about something like a three foot welded wire/T-post fence around the border of the corn patch to hold it up? And/or a few rows throughout the patch? Maybe even chicken wire.... Might be worth a try. 🤷♀️
This will be my 4th year gardening and the second year being retired.....last year i expanded a small area and found i was playing catch up because of little to no pre planning. This video is a great template for me to sit down and plan out my garden this summer...and at the perfect time. Thank You
I love getting all the ideas. How to figure out how many plants to be reduce the quantity that you want, proximate quantity that you’re going to need to can and so on.
My goal is to can all of our excess this year. I always struggle with having time and end up losing crop or giving it away. Thanks for the inspiration!
Wow I never knew it took so many plants to make enough yo can for storage until next crop comes in !! Your a busy woman during harvest season Rachael!! But it sure is delicious when grown yourself!! Thanks for the enlightenment ! I know I won’t be growing that much at age 71 but I do plant a garden and I’ll can what I can ! With the help of your videos I now know how to use my new 16 Qt pressure canner !! Thank you Rachael for all your videos I’ve learned so much! ❤️✝️🙏🙋🏻
There is always so much more to grow! I love this season as much as I love the Harvest! The planning the seed hauls the watching and TOTALLY Stealing other peoples brilliant tricks! 💖Choosing the new varieties outside of what we will eat fresh or Frozen, so much to do while under the snow pack. i also do a bit of WINTER GROWING because we don't stop eating in the winter 😋and the fresh is so lovely from the garden. Lovely video, TFS! "Blessings of Bounty and May Your Gardens and your Life always Bring You Joy, Inspiration and Abundance!" - Hope( & Mark)! 👍
Hi Rachel! You asked us to comment about anything we need more info on. I was intently listening at the end of this 1st video as to how many pea plants approximately you need for 'x' number of pint/ quart jars you put up as peas are my favorite! You said 228 plants and blip no more then it went to spinach aaaahhhhhh! Please clarify as I never grow enough and this year I am growing all my hardcore staples with just a couple fun things! It is more important to have all my carrots, peas, corn, beans, beets, cabbage, Brussels, onions and garlic etc. to can for winter spring.
Sweet potatoes do really good in raised beds so I think you’ll have great success that way. We just moved to a new homestead in a new gardening zone much more north than I’m used to so I’m going to be doing a lot of experimenting with new varieties until I figure out what works here. Can’t wait to hear the varieties you’ve chosen to do. :)
Thank you Rachel for sharing your information. My garden looks almost exactly like yours with the fences. This is my third years and your tips will help me a lot with quantités. I love your channel.
I love this! So helpful to start like this and lay everything out ahead, even though I always change my mind on some stuff. I can't wait to go out and gather all the stuff for a supper salad out of my Greenstalk.
We took t posts and strung string up and down and cross wise to support our corn. A friend of mine grew hers with two cattle panels (she had them in storage) laying on there sides. You do what you can when you have wind
Rachel thank you so much for this video. I’m planning my first raised garden this year and it’s a bit overwhelming for a newbie. This really helped me put things into perspective. Not as overwhelmed after watching this an am feeling more excited.
So fun! I'm anxious to get my garden going. I'm going to try the Cherokee purple tomatoes this year. You make them look & sound so delicious! 🤗🍅 Question-No peppers?
Girlfriend they are grow at least six plants if you have room!💖 "Blessings of Bounty and May Your Gardens and your Life always Bring You Joy, Inspiration and Abundance!" - Hope( & Mark)!
I learned a couple of years ago. I grow all my peppers invthe greenhouse now. And I have pepper plants get 6 ft tall! And I live on the southern oregon coast where it doesn't get warm in the summer. Only way I will grow my peppers from now on.
@@seedaholicgardens9085 I planted 30 tomato plants last year so I definitely have room! I usually plant Beefsteak, Abe Lincoln and Roma but am changing it up this year. Bought seeds for the Cherokee purple and Amish paste to add into my tomato jungle. 🍅 😀
Hi Rachel. I am looking forward to seeing what you do in the garden. What a great job planning your garden and putting the project together. God Bless you and stay safe out there. Maria. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💝💝💝💝💝🍅🌽🧅🥕👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💝💝💝❤️❤️❤️
Holy WOW!!! I'm impressed... so much info at the tip of your fingers! Can you direct me to that square foot garden planting square thingy? 😁 (thingy is a technical term I like to throw around) 🤣 Thanks Rachel. I love all your videos. Take care.
I've saved this to referr to when I sit down to plan my gardens. I have 8 double stacked raised beds, w/ cow panels & trellises. Then I have a ground garden which we are putting in a greenhouse. On the side of that we'll have 4 old tires for growing pumpkins & squashes in. Up in the back of the house near the raised beds but on the other side of the wood shed I line the driveway w/ cloth bags to grow my potatoes in, that worked awsome last yr so that we'll do again, I have a bad back so really have to use methods that will accommodate me. The ground garden will have some new added features to help vertical growing, ex: I'll be making tippee trellises for pole beans, and sm raised beds around those for perhaps onions or beets.
So nice to hear about all your plans for this growing season. Hope you have an awesome growing season because I know the following year you are going to rest.
Hey Rachel. I found something I have to tell you about so I sure hope you or Todd sees this. I am terrified of cutting my fingers off using the mandolin while cutting my fresh veggies and such. Well I got a new one. I got the nice one from Pampered Chef. Girl!!!! Trust me you need it!! Your fingers don’t even come close to the blade and it cuts all of the item. Stores easily as well. I love love love it!!! I was just watching and I remembered how scared you are like myself of cutting yourself. Check it out. Not cheap but soooooooo worth it with how much we/I use it during canning season.
I almost didn’t watch this video. I have such a tiny patio space that get virtually no sunlight. In faith I tried my best to grow for two seasons and nothing grew for me. Hope deferred 😔. I have no where to grow. BUT, I can rejoice in your teachings and watch you growing and stewarding so faithfully. I am happy for you and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Sprouts are a good option and so are microgreens. Neither really need light making them ideal for apartments or dark abodes. ^-^ They're great in soups, sandwiches, wraps, over breakfast eggs or hash, salads, etc & they grow fast so you can continually plant and harvest. Lettuce, rocket (arugula), spinach, green onions all are ok with low light levels too. Good luck!
@@roseannamcbain that is such an awesome idea! I’ve never thought of that and you have so many great suggestions. Thank you so much! 💗. I think I will give it a go
Idea for the corn, on the side that the wind is putting them down put candle panels it will support it and not to waste space you can grow big paper plants they will appreciate some shade coming from the corn papers grow big and juicy with some shade or maybe some squash or cantaloupe. My kids love to pick cantaloupe and small melons for the trellis. Happy gardening.
I really need to draw my garden out like you did. I know I have an idea of how I want to do things. I know I already have my list made of what I want to grow. I really need to get another raised bed made because I know I never have enough space. I've been thinking about using my chain link fence as ready-made trellis to plant something there. I planted garlic last fall for the first time, so some of my space is already used up. I can plant something in its place after I harvest them. Last year due to surgeries and sickness, I was too late to plant my spinach because I could never get it to grow. I really missed it something terrible. I was thinking about planting carrots in between different plants to fill in spaces. So many ideas in my head...which is why I need to do this and really see what is doable.
Obviously, I missed a video because I thought you were on a rest year. Have to go back and see when I missed the vlog Happy you are planning, whenever you start the garden.
You might try doing the Florida Weave around your corn stalks (just like you would with your tomatoes). You could also use cattle panels with tomato clips to keep the stalks upright against the wind.
I have done sweet potatoes in a raised bed and I was satisfied with the yield. It was my first (and so far only) time growing them, though, so I don't have any real basis for comparison.
Racheal a heads up concerning growing your sweet potatoes with your climbing green beans the sweet potatoes will climb too, you may have them taking over the green bean trellis. My grandmother loved sweet potato vines and would often grow them to climb the post on her front porch. She would put a tuber in a quart jar and just keep it watered. The vine would be all over the porch by summers end. Maybe you could put another trellis for the sweet potatoes to climb or keep a watchful eye out and move the vine away from the green bean trellis. :)
I am like you with regard to sweetcorn, I have planted them three times this season and they keep getting blown over! I need a proper sturdy cage around them I think just to hold them up.It is so jolly frustrating GRRRR I started thinking while you were talking about a possible overabundance of corn and carrots - dont forget the freezedryer for the extras cos jars of FD'd veges, fruit and meats would be perfect for up at the cabin!! Especially as you are planning to take a year off? you will need to be double stocking for the next year? so you have enough on the shelves for the year off? :) xxx
Is there a part 2? It sounds like your garden plans are fantastic! But did you forget peppers? A must for Salsa…. I want some Tomatillos for Green Enchilada sauce.
Just started some seeds last week. Am ready to start gardening again, but we've got about 6" of snow in west MI. I try to get more out of my yard every year by gardening better and planting edible landscaping around the yard. Fruit trees and bushes. Plant now for good yields in a few years. Can't wait for the Rhubarb to come up and make some Rhubarb sauce and Strawberry/Rhubarb pie!
Malabar spinach and amaranth grow massive amounts of food in the summer. They love the heat. I blanch and freeze tons of it in1 cup amounts in September and October for the whole winter and spring.
Plant your corn rows between hog or cattle panels with the panels running parallel with each other about 2 ft apart. Then you can run string back and forth between the panels about every 3 or 4 corn plants. Helps in high wind areas.
I enjoy your videos so much! Moved to a new house and building my garden this year after missing gardening last year. I don’t have as much space but at least have long growing seasons in Oklahoma.
Rachel try using the hortenova netting horizontally like flower farmers do, for your corn. You may need 2 layers at 2 foot and 3 foot off the ground for extra support but I bet that would solve your problem with it getting blown over. And the netting is cheap and reusable.
I always try to stick with my drawn out garden plans and then I get out there planting and by the time I’m done….we’ll I’ve gone all Willy Nilly again! 🤣 Going to try harder this year to stick with the plan!!
Excellent video. I have a tendency to over plant, and then over can the product, so this helps a lot. Steve at Green Side Up has a lot of wind on his allotment that knocked over his corn. If you search TH-cam for Green Side Up Protecting Sweetcorn, his video will come up that shows what he made to protect it. It was pretty simple and looked like it worked well.
I just planted my dixon Dale's onions this year and they were way better then last year. I cant wait to see your garden this year. The corn let dry on stalks and save for animal feed. Chickens love them
Live in MN i grow mkne in a kids swimmknv pool. For your area try a small geen h ouse to go over ittkkeep the wind from n lowi g them over. Or put some t post around then tire string or twine around to help suport and prevent from falling over
thank you for doing this. Last year was our first using the square foot garden method. We got a ton of food. I have my plans started...now to figure out how many seeds I need. I love my square foot tool.
I recently found your channel and love your videos. This is so good! Hopefully you'll do a series. Would love glean from your experience as a fellow Michigander. Thank you, God bless.
Perhaps it would be helpful to print an image of the garden from Google earth? You could trace it or enlarge it if needed, even make copies to continue to use. It would be to scale and you could even save them in a garden journal. Excited to see this seasons garden! Thanks for always sharing great videos!
I grow what i can eat fresh, and some fun items. The stuff i can comes from Blocks and Randazalls in Westland. It’s a trip for me but worth it. I can’t grow that stuff as cheap as i can get from them. I do want to plant some berries though! Love your garden!!
OMG we love corn, I can it. and Its amazing !!and I layed out my garden plan for this year and I need to have a bed just for carrots alone ! Thanks for reminding me !
I grow egg plants to give a way I don’t like them but I think they are beautiful plants my hubby said what ever you do that’s fine as long as we know why we are doing it for 😁
I wonder if maybe creating some sort of fencing around the corn for support would help. What popped in my head was T posts and chicken wire around the tposts kind of enclosing in the corn snuggly
Placed my onion order this week. Mine didn’t do well last year but I’m not giving up. I did a raised bed last year. This year I’m plant direct in ground. Let’s hope that helps. I can’t wait for the ground to thaw. I’m in 4b so it will be awhile. But starting my cold weather seeds next month. I’m so ready.
I got so excited watching your onion videos last October that I ordered my onions from Dixondale in November:). I was worried they would be out and I wasn't sure exactly when to order. I ordered 5 bunches to see what I liked best.
Small tip with the canning jar boxes: Don't remove all the plastic. Cut the plastic with scissors even with the top of the cardboard box and leave the part covering the box itself. The box will hold together better and last longer.
And turn your jars upside down to store. They won’t get spiders in them and get so dirty.
Yes to both of these ideas! Been doing this for years and years.
I’m always adding duct tape to the corners :)
Yes, upside down jar storage is the only way to go! And it also protects the rims of the jars too.
when plastic gets old and falls apart use duct tape all the way around the box, not just the corners. It helps to get some extra life out of your boxes.
This video got cut off somehow. It's missing about 7 more minute at the end. Part 2 is here: You can find the missing 7 minutes here: th-cam.com/video/9Tv8FiDYzv8/w-d-xo.html ♥
No problem...things happen.
When we lived in Texas, we had to plant our corn in trenches, filling as it grew to prevent winds from laying it over. Worked great.
Great tip!
Yes. Last year I hilled mine like potatoes. 🙂
smart I'm going to try tht here in Chicago! Ty for the tip! "Blessings of Bounty and May Your Gardens and your Life always Bring You Joy, Inspiration and Abundance!" - Hope( & Mark)!💖💖
Ty for this tip. Im in Indiana and have wind issues. The GMO corn grows well. Im trying to HIDE mine so I can get something pure goin.
Will that here in Central IL!
I just received 48 jars that my grandma had under her basement stairs she didn't know she had. She was happy to find a home for them and declutter a bit.
And probably happy you are canning!
@@Sandy-_s yes funny enough this grandma didn't can but her mother did. My other grandma canned so much. My aunt gave me advice when I needed it when I was learning.
I used to can spinach. But I found I use so much more when I started to dry all my spinach. It works so much better to add the dry spinach pieces to everything. Then it doesn't water down the dishes I put it in. And it reconstitutes so fast. Only way to preserve it. We also use it fresh for greens and salads. I also powder some of the dry too. I also dry my kale, chard, bok choi and even my excess lettuces. Throw it in soup, sauces, egg dishes etc. And it faster than canning them. And doesn't take any of my freezer space. And alot of dry doesn't take hardly any storage space.
I just bought a dehydrator and am super excited to dry my kale, lettuce, basil, etc
Do you dehydrate them, hang-dry them, or freeze dry them? How do you store them?
@@DracoTriste I dehydrate, crumble and grind some as well. Just add to everything and get way more nutrients
I agree about the eggplant - you could not pay me to eat an Italian eggplant. But last year I discovered an eggplant from Taiwan and I am hooked. It is the ping tung eggplant sold by Baker Creek. Hoss Tools also has a similar Japanese eggplant. It was *the* highlight of my 2021 garden. Unlike Italian eggplant, this one had a sweet flesh and very thin skin. I only grew 1 plant (in case I didn't like it) and I probably harvested about 100 eggplants. The way I cooked them was to cut them in long slices, toss with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and a lot of onion powder (we love onion) and then air fry them! They don't get super crispy because they are eggplant, but the skin does crisp up. Even hubby was happy when we had them for dinner. Towards the end of the season, I diced and dehydrated them. I toss them in soup and chili. I supported the plant with a tomato cage and I had no problems with disease. I had a few bugs, but not many. And it does like the summer heat, so plant when you would plant tomatoes.
I agree about the eggplant. Ping tung is the only one I grow. I can it into “eggplant (ratatouille) sauce”. :)
I thought I would share our tip to prevent our corn from blowing over...last year our corn did really well for the first time in several years and was about 8 ft tall when some weather moved in that threatened to knock it all over. I had worked too hard to get it to that point to lose it, so my hubby and I grabbed some extra cattle panels that we had and a couple t-posts and went out and put them up as supports. We didn't put them on each row and we didn't pound them in terribly deep and only used a few zip-ties to hold the panels to the posts, so it was relatively easy to remove them when we were ready to harvest. We put them on the back row and on the front row and that seemed to be enough for the whole patch and our 8 ft.+ corn was saved! The sad part was that just as the corn was ready to harvest, we both got covid and my husband was in the hospital and all I could manage was keeping the chickens and animals fed...so by the time we were well, the corn was over ripe...but the stalks were beautiful! LOL! Hopefulluy this coming season it will do as well and we can put it in the freezer and can some. I did dehydrate what I could salvage and so we have that for backup for soups and such if we need it. Anyway, thanks for this video! You are an inspiration!
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I grew a ton of celery last year....some went into the freezer, some I dehydrated, some got made into celery broth ,some made into celery salt. The leaves were dehydrated for soups....delicious.
How do you make celery salt? Thanks!
@@connierodenburg129 I dehydrate celery and celery leaves then blend it with sea salt ( that I also make myself by boiling down sea water and then drying it in the oven) I use my spice grinder
Grow Tahitian squash or any really long running squash, cucumbers, and running beans up around your corn. It will really anchor it into the ground. Dig a trench to plant your corn instead of a mound, which a lot of people do. Leave the dirt on either side of the trench to pull up onto the corn when it comes up and gets about 2 feet tall. Keep mounding dirt up around it (hoeing) all throughout the season and pulling dirt up on the corn and it really stabilizes it. I'm in Cheyenne WY, 60 mph winds are typical, and I grow corn every year. Grow shorter varieties like Ambrosia, Peaches n Cream, Early Sunglow, etc. The shorter the corn, less likely it is to blow over.
I know the issue of overdoing it all too well. Last year was our first year of vegetable gardening. (Just bought our house 2 yrs ago) I was so excited when our garden was finally ready to plan out that I went nuts buying seeds. I planted too many different things that I didn't get enough of one thing to make a difference in our pantry. I have since learned exactly what you just said about look at what your family actually eats. So this coming year I will be able to plan out my garden much more wisely. Your experience and knowledge has become very valuable to me and I am very grateful for you.
If you get corn you have to try corn stock by boiling the cobs. It's so good. Use like broth. I used it in my dressing for Thanksgiving.
Haha! We planted eggplants and they grew so beautifully then my husband tells me after eating about the third one that he does not like eggplant. So, this year there will be no eggplant.
You are such an amazing teacher!! Don't sell yourself short!
I grow corn with two plants right next to each other, then block plant those as normal. They help support each other. It’s really helped with my windy situation.
If you are able, try to rotate what crops you plant in which beds. All plants will pull different amounts of nutrients and minerals from your ground. If you can follow corn/tomatoes with some root crops and then beans(which put nitrogen back into the soil) that should help keep your soil healthy.
In one bed we put tomatoes in 2 years in a row. Per your suggestion Should I do green beans and carrots this year? I may do that then
@@Camperlauren I would not put tomatoes in same spot 3 years in a row. They are heavy feeders, so it would be good to give that spot a rest. Yes, beans and carrots sounds like a good swap.
@@Camperlauren Same things in same spots can also lead to a build up of pests and diseases on those plants. If and diseased leaves were left on top of the garden, if you plant same thing again, the new plants can be more quickly infected. If you put carrots where tomatoes were, there is not that same amount of concern.
I’ve grown my sweet potatoes in raised beds for years, they do great!
Thank you for the suggesting the website for ordering onions ... I even got 1/2 off my order ... can't beat that!
Hi Rachel. I grow sweet potatoes in raised beds. You may want to rethink planting in the same bed as your green bean trellis. The sweet potatoes will try to climb your trellis. My vined a good 3 ft outside the bed on each side. Love your videos.
I planted sweet potatoes for the first time last year in my raised beds. They went nuts, were all over the yard! I ended up with 26lbs of sweet potatoes 😜
I just want to thank you for how good you are at explaining how to can, but also all other homestead topics. We are slowly heading in that direction, and likely will have a humble 1 or 2 acres in New Brunswick in the fall. Baby steps but you make me feel more confident about being able to have a well-stocked pantry!
This will be my first year preserving food, so I am so excited to get my garden planted this year. I will be expanding my garden this year and including herbs for the first time.♥I'm even planting potatoes for the first time.
Rachel, this is the most OUTSTANDING video EVER!!!!! Wow!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I’ve been wondering how much to plant. I’m a novice and while this seems to be a lot, it gives me something to work from. Blessings for you and your beloved. 🙏🏼
I had the same problem with my corn falling over with high wind. I put t-posts around the corners (small 4X8 patch) and then used twine around the outside to hold it up. Worked great last year. Good luck with your garden!
I would love to do this, but we just don’t have room to store much. My husband was teasing me the other day that if we kept adding space, I would just keep canning. It is great security to have it on the shelf and I am regularly using what I can. There is so much more I would like to try too. I can only store 2-3 months worth, but we keep talking and looking for where we can tuck away more.
Some veggies I don't pick and can I just run out and knock snow back and pull carrots 😎
If you own the house and have interior walls you can get to you could use the space between the walls as shelving and create doors on one side for access. Some people build a platform for their bed with storage underneath it. Or store things behind books or in the back of entertainment centers.
Search for a video on finding storage space in apartments for more ideas.
@@Jennifer-1724 Can you do that with all root veggies?
You can move?
Check out lead farmer “the real problem with pressure canning food”
If you like fresh corn-on-the-cob for a BBQ or whenever, we blanch the corn still on the cob in huge pots and then freeze them wrapped in foil. Put them in the oven, still wrapped in the foil at 350 for an hour! You will be amazed at how fresh it feels and tastes! Yum!
Interesting, have tried every which way to freeze corn on the cob and it always taste like the cob.
i feel like you could fit way more corn in that giant space you have them in! as long as the soil is very fertile you can typically plant closer than recommended, and that might solve some of your falling-over issues as they would support each other!, it also would free up some more space for other things!
I'm a new subscriber just here to tell you I love your channel! I have been harvesting and preserving our own food for 30 plus years. I grew up watching my Grandmother, Aunts etc. Although I don't have any blueprints or spreadsheets of our gardens, (simply because I'm computer illiterate) :) I still under plant or over plant so many crops. I have outsourced my corn harvest though and our community shares what we have left over with others who have under planted, etc. I just cleaned out my seed planter shed. I'm excited and ready. Thank you for sharing your lovely homestead, your family, recipes and time with all your subscribers. Looking forward to going back and watching your past videos.
Another Michigander here living in the metro Detroit area! So excited for the growing season to start up again. Planning on canning and preserving at least 50% of my food this year 💗
Hey Rachel, I know this is 9 months later and doesn't matter now, but just a thought for next year's garden. You may consider planting an okra plant row to serve as a wall to block the wind from your corn. Okra gets really tall as you continue to harvest it, and it is great pickled. I love eating pickled okra with a sandwich.
Love your channel.
Watching you pick up the fallen corn in the garden gave me an idea... How about something like a three foot welded wire/T-post fence around the border of the corn patch to hold it up? And/or a few rows throughout the patch? Maybe even chicken wire.... Might be worth a try. 🤷♀️
I love how you plan out your garden!
This will be my 4th year gardening and the second year being retired.....last year i expanded a small area and found i was playing catch up because of little to no pre planning. This video is a great template for me to sit down and plan out my garden this summer...and at the perfect time. Thank You
I love getting all the ideas. How to figure out how many plants to be reduce the quantity that you want, proximate quantity that you’re going to need to can and so on.
My goal is to can all of our excess this year. I always struggle with having time and end up losing crop or giving it away. Thanks for the inspiration!
Put some in the freezer and can it later.
Wow I never knew it took so many plants to make enough yo can for storage until next crop comes in !! Your a busy woman during harvest season Rachael!! But it sure is delicious when grown yourself!! Thanks for the enlightenment ! I know I won’t be growing that much at age 71 but I do plant a garden and I’ll can what I can ! With the help of your videos I now know how to use my new 16 Qt pressure canner !! Thank you Rachael for all your videos I’ve learned so much! ❤️✝️🙏🙋🏻
There is always so much more to grow! I love this season as much as I love the Harvest! The planning the seed hauls the watching and TOTALLY Stealing other peoples brilliant tricks! 💖Choosing the new varieties outside of what we will eat fresh or Frozen, so much to do while under the snow pack. i also do a bit of WINTER GROWING because we don't stop eating in the winter 😋and the fresh is so lovely from the garden. Lovely video, TFS! "Blessings of Bounty and May Your Gardens and your Life always Bring You Joy, Inspiration and Abundance!" - Hope( & Mark)! 👍
my first comment is this....you most certainly do have Fluff! you added it last year.....Flowerbeds !💐🌻🌹🌼
Oh yeah! 💐🌻🌹🌼
Your tomatoes looked so great last year so I bought Jobes spikes and the mycorrhizal.
Hi Rachel! You asked us to comment about anything we need more info on. I was intently listening at the end of this 1st video as to how many pea plants approximately you need for 'x' number of pint/ quart jars you put up as peas are my favorite! You said 228 plants and blip no more then it went to spinach aaaahhhhhh! Please clarify as I never grow enough and this year I am growing all my hardcore staples with just a couple fun things! It is more important to have all my carrots, peas, corn, beans, beets, cabbage, Brussels, onions and garlic etc. to can for winter spring.
Sweet potatoes do really good in raised beds so I think you’ll have great success that way. We just moved to a new homestead in a new gardening zone much more north than I’m used to so I’m going to be doing a lot of experimenting with new varieties until I figure out what works here. Can’t wait to hear the varieties you’ve chosen to do. :)
Tomatoes thrive in our area. I cannot garden but grew up gardening Downriver. We tomato everything in our "can closet". 💗
I put my rings back on my jars after they're empty to protect them from getting chipped
That corn syrup- especially, if not gmo- is an incredible venture that i wouldnt have thought of. Glad to have found you!
Oh my gosh this video is so exciting!!! Watching on the TV now 😎😎😎🪴🪴🪴
Thank you Rachel for sharing your information. My garden looks almost exactly like yours with the fences. This is my third years and your tips will help me a lot with quantités. I love your channel.
I love this! So helpful to start like this and lay everything out ahead, even though I always change my mind on some stuff. I can't wait to go out and gather all the stuff for a supper salad out of my Greenstalk.
We took t posts and strung string up and down and cross wise to support our corn. A friend of mine grew hers with two cattle panels (she had them in storage) laying on there sides. You do what you can when you have wind
We eat a ton of onions, green beans, garlic, carrots, and tomato products too
Rachel thank you so much for this video. I’m planning my first raised garden this year and it’s a bit overwhelming for a newbie. This really helped me put things into perspective. Not as overwhelmed after watching this an am feeling more excited.
So fun! I'm anxious to get my garden going. I'm going to try the Cherokee purple tomatoes this year. You make them look & sound so delicious! 🤗🍅
Question-No peppers?
Hubby loves those tomatoes
Saw a great pot planting tomato idea as a center pot inside larger pot served as water vessel to water the plant & have wire cage around
Girlfriend they are grow at least six plants if you have room!💖 "Blessings of Bounty and May Your Gardens and your Life always Bring You Joy, Inspiration and Abundance!" - Hope( & Mark)!
I learned a couple of years ago. I grow all my peppers invthe greenhouse now. And I have pepper plants get 6 ft tall! And I live on the southern oregon coast where it doesn't get warm in the summer. Only way I will grow my peppers from now on.
@@seedaholicgardens9085 I planted 30 tomato plants last year so I definitely have room! I usually plant Beefsteak, Abe Lincoln and Roma but am changing it up this year. Bought seeds for the Cherokee purple and Amish paste to add into my tomato jungle. 🍅 😀
Hi Rachel. I am looking forward to seeing what you do in the garden. What a great job planning your garden and putting the project together. God Bless you and stay safe out there. Maria. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💝💝💝💝💝🍅🌽🧅🥕👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💝💝💝❤️❤️❤️
Use 2 t posts on either side of your corn and tie it up with some paracord like the florida weave for tomatoes!
Holy WOW!!! I'm impressed... so much info at the tip of your fingers! Can you direct me to that square foot garden planting square thingy? 😁 (thingy is a technical term I like to throw around) 🤣 Thanks Rachel. I love all your videos. Take care.
I got my onion order in! I plan to try starting onions from seed again, since I think I did it all wrong last year - I learned a lot!
🇦🇺For the corn you need to have them staked and either chicken wire or similar every two to three meters to help them stay standing in high winds.
I’m going to freeze dry our corn this year. It’s supposed to taste just like it’s off the cob once you rehydrate it!
I've saved this to referr to when I sit down to plan my gardens. I have 8 double stacked raised beds, w/ cow panels & trellises. Then I have a ground garden which we are putting in a greenhouse. On the side of that we'll have 4 old tires for growing pumpkins & squashes in. Up in the back of the house near the raised beds but on the other side of the wood shed I line the driveway w/ cloth bags to grow my potatoes in, that worked awsome last yr so that we'll do again, I have a bad back so really have to use methods that will accommodate me. The ground garden will have some new added features to help vertical growing, ex: I'll be making tippee trellises for pole beans, and sm raised beds around those for perhaps onions or beets.
Yeah, I learned about the peas, lol. I had enough for one meal, lol.
So nice to hear about all your plans for this growing season. Hope you have an awesome growing season because I know the following year you are going to rest.
Girl, you are amazing! We started planning our gardens this past weekend too. Can't wait! :)
Have you thought of a snow fence to help the corn stay up?
That’s a nice garden.
Hey Rachel. I found something I have to tell you about so I sure hope you or Todd sees this.
I am terrified of cutting my fingers off using the mandolin while cutting my fresh veggies and such. Well I got a new one. I got the nice one from Pampered Chef. Girl!!!! Trust me you need it!! Your fingers don’t even come close to the blade and it cuts all of the item. Stores easily as well. I love love love it!!! I was just watching and I remembered how scared you are like myself of cutting yourself. Check it out. Not cheap but soooooooo worth it with how much we/I use it during canning season.
Loved this video! Feeling so inspired now.
Getting my trees pruned, so I'll finally have some sunshine to be able to grow more food.
I almost didn’t watch this video. I have such a tiny patio space that get virtually no sunlight. In faith I tried my best to grow for two seasons and nothing grew for me. Hope deferred 😔. I have no where to grow. BUT, I can rejoice in your teachings and watch you growing and stewarding so faithfully. I am happy for you and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Sprouts are a good option and so are microgreens. Neither really need light making them ideal for apartments or dark abodes. ^-^ They're great in soups, sandwiches, wraps, over breakfast eggs or hash, salads, etc & they grow fast so you can continually plant and harvest. Lettuce, rocket (arugula), spinach, green onions all are ok with low light levels too. Good luck!
@@roseannamcbain that is such an awesome idea! I’ve never thought of that and you have so many great suggestions. Thank you so much! 💗. I think I will give it a go
You may want to pick up a grow light. I’ve had great results with the one I got at home depot
Idea for the corn, on the side that the wind is putting them down put candle panels it will support it and not to waste space you can grow big paper plants they will appreciate some shade coming from the corn papers grow big and juicy with some shade or maybe some squash or cantaloupe. My kids love to pick cantaloupe and small melons for the trellis. Happy gardening.
I really need to draw my garden out like you did. I know I have an idea of how I want to do things. I know I already have my list made of what I want to grow. I really need to get another raised bed made because I know I never have enough space. I've been thinking about using my chain link fence as ready-made trellis to plant something there. I planted garlic last fall for the first time, so some of my space is already used up. I can plant something in its place after I harvest them. Last year due to surgeries and sickness, I was too late to plant my spinach because I could never get it to grow. I really missed it something terrible. I was thinking about planting carrots in between different plants to fill in spaces. So many ideas in my head...which is why I need to do this and really see what is doable.
Obviously, I missed a video because I thought you were on a rest year.
Have to go back and see when I missed the vlog
Happy you are planning, whenever you start the garden.
Corn blowing over? Try rigging up some kind of a horizontal trellis. About 3 feet tall should do.
You might try doing the Florida Weave around your corn stalks (just like you would with your tomatoes). You could also use cattle panels with tomato clips to keep the stalks upright against the wind.
I have done sweet potatoes in a raised bed and I was satisfied with the yield. It was my first (and so far only) time growing them, though, so I don't have any real basis for comparison.
Racheal a heads up concerning growing your sweet potatoes with your climbing green beans the sweet potatoes will climb too, you may have them taking over the green bean trellis. My grandmother loved sweet potato vines and would often grow them to climb the post on her front porch. She would put a tuber in a quart jar and just keep it watered. The vine would be all over the porch by summers end. Maybe you could put another trellis for the sweet potatoes to climb or keep a watchful eye out and move the vine away from the green bean trellis. :)
I am like you with regard to sweetcorn, I have planted them three times this season and they keep getting blown over! I need a proper sturdy cage around them I think just to hold them up.It is so jolly frustrating GRRRR
I started thinking while you were talking about a possible overabundance of corn and carrots - dont forget the freezedryer for the extras cos jars of FD'd veges, fruit and meats would be perfect for up at the cabin!! Especially as you are planning to take a year off? you will need to be double stocking for the next year? so you have enough on the shelves for the year off? :) xxx
Is there a part 2? It sounds like your garden plans are fantastic! But did you forget peppers? A must for Salsa…. I want some Tomatillos for Green Enchilada sauce.
Just started some seeds last week. Am ready to start gardening again, but we've got about 6" of snow in west MI. I try to get more out of my yard every year by gardening better and planting edible landscaping around the yard. Fruit trees and bushes. Plant now for good yields in a few years. Can't wait for the Rhubarb to come up and make some Rhubarb sauce and Strawberry/Rhubarb pie!
Malabar spinach and amaranth grow massive amounts of food in the summer. They love the heat. I blanch and freeze tons of it in1 cup amounts in September and October for the whole winter and spring.
I made corn cob syrup after watching your video! Delicious!
Wife and myself really enjoy your channel and look forward to the videos. Keep up the good work !
Love your plans for gardening but what about garlic and herbs? Where you putting them?
Plant your corn rows between hog or cattle panels with the panels running parallel with each other about 2 ft apart. Then you can run string back and forth between the panels about every 3 or 4 corn plants. Helps in high wind areas.
I know that I need to plant way more jalapenos now that I've made your cowboy candy!!! Sooooo good!
I enjoy your videos so much! Moved to a new house and building my garden this year after missing gardening last year. I don’t have as much space but at least have long growing seasons in Oklahoma.
Rachel try using the hortenova netting horizontally like flower farmers do, for your corn. You may need 2 layers at 2 foot and 3 foot off the ground for extra support but I bet that would solve your problem with it getting blown over. And the netting is cheap and reusable.
Love green beans and Lima beans
I always try to stick with my drawn out garden plans and then I get out there planting and by the time I’m done….we’ll I’ve gone all Willy Nilly again! 🤣 Going to try harder this year to stick with the plan!!
Excellent video. I have a tendency to over plant, and then over can the product, so this helps a lot.
Steve at Green Side Up has a lot of wind on his allotment that knocked over his corn. If you search TH-cam for Green Side Up Protecting Sweetcorn, his video will come up that shows what he made to protect it. It was pretty simple and looked like it worked well.
I just planted my dixon Dale's onions this year and they were way better then last year. I cant wait to see your garden this year. The corn let dry on stalks and save for animal feed. Chickens love them
Live in MN i grow mkne in a kids swimmknv pool. For your area try a small geen h ouse to go over ittkkeep the wind from n lowi g them over. Or put some t post around then tire string or twine around to help suport and prevent from falling over
thank you for doing this. Last year was our first using the square foot garden method. We got a ton of food. I have my plans started...now to figure out how many seeds I need. I love my square foot tool.
I missed your peppers!! Video cut off at the end😞 But loved the video and information. Cant wait to start my seeds!🥦🍅🥒🌶
I recently found your channel and love your videos. This is so good! Hopefully you'll do a series. Would love glean from your experience as a fellow Michigander. Thank you, God bless.
Perhaps it would be helpful to print an image of the garden from Google earth? You could trace it or enlarge it if needed, even make copies to continue to use. It would be to scale and you could even save them in a garden journal. Excited to see this seasons garden! Thanks for always sharing great videos!
I grow what i can eat fresh, and some fun items. The stuff i can comes from Blocks and Randazalls in Westland. It’s a trip for me but worth it. I can’t grow that stuff as cheap as i can get from them. I do want to plant some berries though! Love your garden!!
I won't grow onions and potato, because I can get them cheap at a local place. Same with corn.
OMG we love corn, I can it. and Its amazing !!and I layed out my garden plan for this year and I need to have a bed just for carrots alone ! Thanks for reminding me !
I grow egg plants to give a way I don’t like them but I think they are beautiful plants my hubby said what ever you do that’s fine as long as we know why we are doing it for 😁
U rock Rachel! Thanx for sharing!!
Wonderful video
I wonder if maybe creating some sort of fencing around the corn for support would help. What popped in my head was T posts and chicken wire around the tposts kind of enclosing in the corn snuggly
Placed my onion order this week. Mine didn’t do well last year but I’m not giving up. I did a raised bed last year. This year I’m plant direct in ground. Let’s hope that helps. I can’t wait for the ground to thaw. I’m in 4b so it will be awhile. But starting my cold weather seeds next month. I’m so ready.
I got so excited watching your onion videos last October that I ordered my onions from Dixondale in November:). I was worried they would be out and I wasn't sure exactly when to order. I ordered 5 bunches to see what I liked best.