“5KeysToGardeningSuccess:LessonsLearnedFromTriplingAGarden'sAreaInOne

Year”

Jason Matyas

*FULL TRANSCRIPT*

Hosted By Marjory Wildcraft www.TheGrowNetwork.com

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“5KeysToGardeningSuccess:LessonsLearnedFromTriplingAGarden'sAreaInOneYear”

Jason Matyas

Marjory: HelloandwelcometotheHomegrownFoodSummit.ThisisMarjoryWildcraftandthissummitisbroughttoyoubytheGrowNetwork,whichisthepremiercommunityofpeoplewhoaregrowingtheirownfoodandmakingtheirownmoney.Yeah,thatFreudianslipisactuallyright.Makingourownmedicine,butreallygrowingyourownfoodandmakingmedicineismoney.

OurnextpresentationisallaboutthefivekeystosuccessfulgardeningandalsothelessonsthatwerelearnedbyJasonMathiasandhisfamilywhentheytripledtheirgardensizeinoneyear,sowhentheyreallyscaledup.Iwouldsaythatthisisaverygoodbeginnerlevelpresentation.Itislongerthanwenormallyhave.Butyouknow,thevisualsweresogoodandtheinformationwassogoodandit'sjustpleasanttolistentoJasontalkandIreallycanjustappreciatewhathe'sdoingwithhisfamilyofsevenkids,andhiswife,andthenthebusinesstheyhaveasaseedcompany.So,justaverywelldonepresentation.ThisisJason.Mathias.

Jason: Thanksforthatintroduction.I'msoexcitedtobebackforthisHomeGrownFoodSummit,andtobeapartofallthegreattrainingthat'sgoingonhere.Thissessioniscalled5KeyFocusAreasWhenIncreasingYourGardenSize,LessonsweLearnfromTriplingourGardenAreainOneYear.Let'sjumprightin.MynameisJasonMatyas.Mywife,Shannon,andIhavesevenchildren,ages14downto4.We'rehomesteadersandlifelonggardeners.We'vegotanheirloomseedcompanycalledSeedsforGenerationsthatgrewoutofourloveforgardeningandheirloomseeds.Ourfamily'sbeenonabitofareturntotheoldpathsoverthepastdecadeorso,andthatgotmeinvolvedinproducingadocumentaryfilmcalledBeyondOffGrid:ReturntotheOldPaths.

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Itwasreleasedacoupleyearsago,andthatfilmreallyisaboutalotofthechallengesandproblemswiththemoderneconomyandmodernsocietyandhowwecangettrappedintolifestylechoicesthatwedon'tevenrealizewe'reacceptingandthatwedon'thaveto,andhowwecanchoosefreedombyareturntotheoldpaths.AlotofwhatourfamilyhasgonethroughoverthepastdecadeorsoisinformedalotoftheexperiencethatIhaveandthereasonwhyIteachontopicslikethis.YoucanlearnmoreaboutthefilmatReturnToTheOldPaths.com.InadditiontotheHomeGrownFoodSummit,I'vebeenfeaturedintheGardenHacksSummit,BacktoBasicsLivingSummitandtheMotherEarthNewsSummitinthepast,soyoumayhaveseenmeatsomeofthoseevents,andifyouare,gladtobebackwithyou.

Ifit'sthefirsttimeyou'reseeingmeteach,IhopethatwhatIhaveheretodayforyouwillbehelpful.Let'stalkaboutwhatwe'regoingtocover.There'sawholebunchofthingsIcouldtalkabout,butIwanttotalkaboutfiveimportantareastohelpyougrowmorewithlesseffort,particularlyifyou'relookingatincreasingtheamountofspacethatyou'regardeningininthefuturebecauseourfamilywentthroughthisprocessinasignificantwaythisyear,asI'lltalkaboutinaminute,andIthinkthere'ssomeimportantlessonsthatwe'velearnedalongthewaythatIcanimparttoyou.

Thefiveareasareperennialcropsandwhythoseareimportanttogetstartedfirst,efficientirrigationsystems,verticalcompanionandsuccessivegrowingmethods,pestandweedcontrolplansandefficientharvestsystems.Beforewejumpintothecontent,let'stalkaboutwhothisisfor.Whetheryouhaveasmallbackyardgarden,oryou'vegotalargeruralpropertythatyouwanttogrowareallybiggarden,ormaybeevenstartmarketgardeningoutof,thispresentationisreallyforanybodywhowantstoobviouslyincreasetheirgardenspace,sincethat'skindofwrappedupinthetitle,andtheexperiencemyfamily'sgonethroughoflate,butanyonewhoreallywantstogetmoreoutoftheirgarden.

AlotofthestuffI'mgoingtotalkaboutappliestoyou,evenifyou'renotincreasingtheamountofspaceyou'regardening,there'salotof

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thingsyoucanapplytoexistinggardenspacesthatcanbehelpful,particularlyforreducingamountofworkrequiredandalsotoincreaseyields.Thosearethethingsthatifanyofthoseapplytoyou,stickaroundandhopefullywe'llhavesomegoodstuffthatyou'llbeabletoputintouseinthecominggrowingyear.Ifyoustaytotheend,I'llhavealittlebitofasurpriseforyou,somethingthatIthinkyou'llappreciate,sostickaroundforthat.

Allright,letmetalkabitaboutmyfamily'sbackgroundsoyouknowwherewe'recomingfromandwhat'sinformingthisinformationandexpertise,andrecommendationsthatI'msharingwithyou.AsIsaid,mywifeShannonandI,we'vebeenmarriedfor16years.Wehavesevenchildrenfrom14downto4.We'reahomesteadingfamily.I'vebeengardeningsinceIwasaninfantbasically.I'vebeeninthegarden.IgrewupinsouthernCalifornia.Myparentshadalargegardenintheirsuburbanbackyard,andwe'recarryingonthattraditionwithourkids,teachingthemhowtogrowtheirownfoodandworkingtogetherinthegarden.

Mybackground.AfterIgraduatedfromCornellUniversity,IwentintotheAirForceactiveduty,andIwasapilot.IflewKC-10refuelingtankers.ThisisnotaKC-10.ThisisaC-130butIflewtankersforanumberofyears,andthenforthelastfewyearsonactiveduty,IactuallyworkedwiththeArmy,whichisthecontextofthispicture.IwasinAfghanistanheregettingreadytotakeoffflighttoaremoteoperatingbase.Iwasgonealot,especiallyafter9/11,andoncewestartedhavingchildren...Mywifeispregnantherewithourthirdchild,ourfirstson...itbecamereallyhardtolookatanother10,11,12yearsofthatkindofoperationstempoandlifestyle.Someofthethingsthatwewantedtoaccomplishwithourfamilyandthekindoflifestylewewantedtohavewithourfamilywasnotveryconduciveformovingaroundeverycoupleofyearsandbeinggonemostofthetime.

IdecidedtoleaveactivedutyandIwentintothereserves,soIstillcontinuemyserviceinthatregard,butdecidedtopursueanentrepreneurialpath,andaftergainingsomeworkexperienceinNewJerseyforalittlebit,wedecidedtomovetoVirginia,andGod

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gaveusawonderfulplace...WhatIthinkisthemostbeautifulmountainvalleyinVirginia,perhapsalloftheAppalachianMountains...calledSinkingCreekValley.Wemovedin2010,andwerentedafarmsowecouldgettoknowtheareabeforewesettleddown.WejustabsolutelylovedthelandandthepeopleandthecommunityinthismountainvalleywestofRoanokeinthesouthwesternVirginiamountains.Itallowedustocontinuedoingsomeofthethingswehadbeendoing.

Wealreadyhadsomechickens,butweincreasedthesizeofourlayingflock.Westartedraisingmeatchickensandreallyincreasedourgardenspacewhilewewereatthisplace.Welearnedalotthroughthat,butwewereonlyabletostaythereforacoupleyears,andthenwehadtomove.Weweren'tabletofindasuitableplaceatthetimeinSinkingCreekValleywherewewantedtostay,andsowemovedalittlebiteasttowardsRoanoketothefoothillsoftheBlueRidgeMountains.Wewereinthatlocationquiteawhile,foraboutsixyears,nearatowncalledSalem.Ourgardensizeactuallydecreasedalittlebitgoingtothatproperty,butwelearnedalotwhilewewerethere.

Itwasachallengingsituationbecauseitwasabitofanorthfacingslope.Therewasalotoftreesaround,sowehadtoreallyworkwithlimitedspace.Itwasduringthistimewestartedourseedcompany,startedsellingheirloomseedsbothlocallyaswellasonline.Wereallylearnedalotabouttryingtogetthemostoutofthelimitedspaceasourfamilygrewparticularlyatthislocation.Weneededtogetmoreproductionoutofalimitedspace,sowedidn'thavetheoptionofjustincreasingthegardensizealotwherewewereatbecauseoftheconstraintswehadthere.Wealso,inadditiontogrowingourgarden,wealsocontinuedtoraisechickens.Weevenaddedsomeduckstothemix.

Whilewewerethere,myoldestdaughterreallygotaninterestinrabbits,particularlysilverfoxrabbits,soshestartedbreedingandraisingsilverfoxrabbits,whichshesellslocallypedigreedsilverfoxrabbits,soifyou'reinVirginiaorontheeastcoastandyou'reinterestedinsilverfox,letusknow.Anyways,whilewewereatthis

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place,welearnedatonparticularlyinmakingthemostoflimitedresources,particularlyspace.Welookedforalongtime,foragoodcoupleyears,inearnestforahomesteadwecouldsettleintoto,anditactuallywasn'tuntilsomefriendsofoursthatwemetandbecamefriendswithwhenwewereinSinkingCreekthefirsttimebackin2010through2012endedupmovingunexpectedlyoutofthevalleyandtheirhomesteadbecameavailable.

Weboughtitfromtheminthespring,andthebeginningofthisyearwemovedbacktoSinkingCreekValley,rightinthemiddleofthevalley,tooneofthemostbeautifulplacesonearthinmyopinion,andthisisapictureofourhomesteadlookingnortheast.We'vegotalmost17acresnow,andnotonlyalotmoreroomforgrowingcrops,butalsoanimals.Inadditiontochickensandrabbits,wealsoareraisingsheepnowandnextyear,we'rehopingtohavepigs.Then,we'llseewhatthefuturebeyondthatholds.We'realsoraisingchildren,andthekidsareintegrallyinvolvedinalloftheanimalchores.Basically,theanimalchoresareallassignedtothechildren.Myoldestdaughtertakescareofthesheep,andobviouslyshemanagesthebreedingprogramwiththerabbits,buttheyoungerkidshelpwithrabbitchoresaswell.

Then,otherkidswithchickenchoresandofcourse,weallworktogetherinthegarden.Thekidsareoutthereinthespringpreppingtheland,andthroughouttheyearwe'reworkingtogether.Oneofthethingsasahomeschoolingfamily,thehomesteadinglifestyleisreallyanimportantpartofjusttrainingourchildrenbecausewewantthemtobemotivated,hardworkingadults,andtoovercomeadversityanddifficulty,andgrowingyourownfoodandraisinganimalsoffersalotofchallengesandalotofproblemsolvingexperiences,andalotofhighsandalotoflows.It'sjustawonderfulwaytoraiseafamilyandtoraisechildren,sowealwaysareasmuchaspossibletryingtogetallthekidswithusworkinginthegarden.

Oneofthebenefitsandblessingsofbeingalargefamilyiswehavelotsofhands.Astheoldadagegoes,manyhandsmakelightwork.Whenwe'redoinglaborioustaskslikegardenprepandplantingandthosekindsofthings,itendsupbeingabigbenefittous,which

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highlightsathingthatIwantyoutonote,whichisthatlaborandtheamountoflaboryouhaveavailableisaprimaryconsiderationtoyourabilitytoscaleupyourgardenproduction,particularlyaddingadditionalgrowingspace,becausethemorespaceyou'regrowingin,themoreopportunitiesthereareforweedstogrowandforpeststoattackyourcropsandallthosekindsofthings.

Sometimesyourconstraintmaynotbeyourspacethatyouhaveavailable,oryourgrowingseasonoranythingelse.Itmayactuallybetheamountoflaborthatyouhave.Ifyoudon'thaveafamilytohelpyou,lookforneighborsorfriendstoworktogetherwithyouonthis.Whenourkidswereyoung,weactuallyinvitedfriendsoverwhowereinterestedingardeningbutcouldn'tdomuchthemselvesbecauseoflimitedspaceattheirhomes,andwhohadinterestineithergardeningorhealthyfood.Theywouldcomeoverandhelpuswiththesebiglaborintensivetimesoftheyear,especiallyduringgardenprepandgettingthegardenin.Thatreallyhelpedtolightentheloadbyspreadingtheworkoutamongstmorepeople,andwewereabletoblessthembysharingsomeofthefruitsoftheirlaborinthecropsthatwewereabletoharvestfromthose.

Thinkingoutsidetheboxthere.Ifyoudon'thavealargefamily,youcanstillhavealargegarden.Youjustneedtohaveadditionalmanpoweravailableforcertainperiodsoftheyear,particularlyinplantingseason.Letmeshowyouwhatourgardenspaceslooklikenowsoyouhaveanideaofwhatwedidthisyear,andwhatwelearnedfromthat.Thisisfromourhouselookingtotheeastofourproperty,andmostofgrowingareaishere.Thebiggestmaingardenisupatthetopofanicegentleslope,althoughit'sfairlyflatinthegardenspace.Alittlebitofslope,butnottoomuch.Lastyear,thepreviousownerswereonlygrowingabouthalfofthisspace,about30to35feetbyabout70,75feet.Previoustothatthough,theyhadactuallygrowntheentirespace,soweusedtheentirespacewhichisbasically30byabout150andthere'salittlestripnearwherethehillstartstogodownthehill.It'sabout10by75orso.That'sthemajorityofourgrowingspacethere.

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Inthelowergardenontheright,whichisdownnearoursmallcreek,there'saflatareaandthatisabout30by80.Wecanobviouslyexpandthatareainthefutureifweneedto,thoughwe'renotplanningonitimmediately.Wealsohaveakitchengardenthatisoverbyouroutbuildingsclosertothehouse,andthat'sabout20by70.Wegrowalotofsaladcrops,asyoucanseeourlettuce.Totherightinthispicture,youcan'tquitesee,there'sactuallythreeraisedbedsthatareabout12by4feet.There'salotofperennialherbsandthingsinthose,butthisspacehereiswherewegrowalotofthethingsthatwewanttohaveeasyaccessto.I'lltalkalittlebitlateraboutwhytheplasticisontheground,butthat'sanimportantthingIwanttogettolater.

Anyways,that'swhatourgrowingspaceslooklike.Intotal,wewentfromatourlastplace,ourmaingardenwasalmost40byabout80feet,probably35by80orby75.Somethinglikethat.Now,we'reuptoalmostaquarteracreintotalareathatwe'recultivatingforproduction.It'sabouttriplingoftheamountofspaceandwhilethatmayseemlikeaneasything...Hey,justtillmoregroundandplantmoreseed...there'salotmoretoit,especiallywhenitcomestothemanagementpieceofit.We'regoingtotalkoutofthatexperiencetothesefivemainpointsIwanttocover,solet'sjumpintothese.

Thefirstone,whichisveryimportant,isifyou'relookingatincreasingyourgrowingofyourproduction,andtheediblecropsthatyou'regrowing,youreallywanttostartwithperennialcropsandnotjustfirst,butnow.Don'twait.Mainreasonbeingisthatthesewilloftentakelongertogetestablished,especiallyinthecaseoffruitandnuttrees,sotheearlieryoucangetthesestartedthebetterintermsofgettingasoonaspossibleharvestfromthem.Additionally,sinceperennialstypicallyarenotmoving...Whenyouplantatree,it'sgoingtostaythere...youneedtofigureoutwherethebestplacetoplantyourtreesareandtakeintoconsiderationwhenthattree'smature,where'stheshadegoingtobeandmakesurethatyou'renotputtingit,ifyou'reinthenorthernhemispherelikemostpeoplelisteningtothisprobablyare,don'tputittothesouthofyourgardenspacebecauseonceitgrowsup,it'sgoingtoputshadeonyourgarden.That'scounterproductive.

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Planoutyourperennialcrops,particularlyfruittreesandothercropslikethatthatwillhavealastingimpactonthelandscapeandyourproperty,anddothosefirst.Let'stalkaboutsomeoftheoptions.There'sawholebunchofoptionsobviously,butIwanttohitsomeofthehighlightshere.Asparagus.ImentionthisfirstnotonlybecauseitstartswithA,butbecausewewereveryblessedthisyeartohaveasparagusthefirsttimeinalongtime.Thepreviousownersactuallyplantedthisjustlastyear,soweactuallygotthefirstcrop.Unfortunately,likeIsaid,theyweren'tplanningonmovingbutintheLord'sprovidence,wewereabletoharvestlotsofasparagus.Asparagusissomethingthat'sgoingtoproduceforadecadeortwoifit'smanagedproperly.

Youwanttofigureoutwhereyouwanttoputthisearly.OnethingI'llnote,alessonlearnedfromourfriendsthatplantedthisasparagus.Thisistheirsecondpatchofasparagus.Thefirstonetheydidinadifferentpartofthefrontyard.Whattheyfoundwascuttingoutabedinthegrasstoplantasparagus,certainkindsofgrasshaverhizomesandrunnersandbasicallywhattheyfoundwasthattheweedsbasicallycameinandencroachedonthatgrowingspaceovertime,sotheyplantedthismorerecentbatchorbedofasparagusinthemaingarden,kindofinthemiddleofthegarden.Thereasonforthatisbecauseit'seasiertocontrolweedswhenit'sinthegardenbedwhereyou'regoingtobeweedinganywaysandmulching,andotherthings.Ithelpskeeptheweedcompetitiondownfortheasparagusthemselves.

Asparagusisgoingtobeoneofyourfirstcropsinthespring.Weactuallyhadthebulkoftheasparaguswasinthefirstmonthortwo,butweactuallyhadsomeasparagusthatwewereabletoharvestinsmallbatchesmuchlaterintothesummer,soitdependsonthevariety,buttypicallyit'sgoingtobeaspringcrop,reallysummercrop,formostplaces.There'snothingquitelikefreshasparagus.Thesmelljustbringsmebacktomychildhoodwhenmyparentshadasparagusintheirbackyardgarden.Allright,nextisberries.Oneofthebestfruitsthatyoucanplantisberriesforalotofreasons.

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One,theytendtoproducefairlyquickly.Theyareprettyprolific.Infact,sometypescansprawlquiteabit,sokeepingthemundercontrolcanbeachallenge,sokeepthatinmind.Berriesareagreatsourceofnutrientsandantioxidantsandthosekindsofthings.Wehavewildblackberriesalloverourproperty.It'sahugeblessing.Wearebigloversofwineberries,whichisakindofwildraspberry.Itlooksjustlikearaspberryexceptitdoesn'thavethelittlefilamentsontheendofeachballontheberryitself.Itdoesn'thavelittlefuzzythingsontheberry.It'sjustaglossysmoothone,butittastesjustlikearaspberry.Ifyouhavewineberriesinyourarea,Ihighlyrecommendtryingtopropagatethemandputthemonyourproperty.

Theyliketogrowontheedgeofshadedareaslikealongtreelines.Theylikepartialshadeiswheretheydobest.Thesewillalsospreadaswell,soifyoucangetthemplantedalongatreelineorsomething,overtimethey'regoingtoexpandandgiveyoulotsofgreatberries.Thereactuallywasn'tanywineberriesatournewhomestead,butwehadalotatouroldproperty,soweactuallybroughtsomewithusandareintheprocessofpropagatingthoseaswell.Evencultivatedraspberries,blackraspberries,thosekindsofthingscanbeverybeneficialandproducegreatfruit.

Blueberriesisanotheronethataregreat.Very,veryhealthy.Theydotakeawhiletogetestablishedandproducefruit,butoncetheydo,they'regoingtodoitforalongtime.We'reblessedtohaveanorganicblueberryfarmjustdowntheroadfromuswherewe'vebeenpickingsincewemovedtoVirginiabecauseitwasjustuptheroadfromwhereweusedtolive.It'sagreatexperience.Kidspickingblueberriesisawonderfulthing.Thegreatthingaboutblueberriesinparticular,it'seasytopreservethembyfreezing.Youdon'tactuallyevenhavetowashthemoranythingaslongasthey'reclean.Youjustthrowtheminaziplockbagandputtheinthefreezer.It'sgreattomakeblueberrypancakesormuffins,orsmoothies,orwhateverelsefromthatform.Wehavegallonsandgallonsandgallonsofblueberriesinourfreezer.

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SomeotherberriesyoumightconsiderinadditiontothoseIalreadymentioned,obviouslystrawberries.Strawberriescanbedifficult.Theytypicallywillonlyproduceforafewyears,maybefiveyearsatmostformostvarieties.Theytendtogetoldandnotproduceaswell,socommercialgrowersonlygrowabatchforafewyears,andthenthey'llreplacethem.Theydogrowprettyquickly,though,onceyougetthemintheground.Theygetestablishedprettyquickly.Dependingonyourmicroclimate,youcanhavesometroublewithstrawberries.StrawberriesaredifficultforwhereweliveinthehighelevationoftheAppalachianMountains.We'reatabout2600feet,andwetendtogetbigvariationsintemperatureparticularlyinthespring,sowehaveproblemswiththingslikestrawberrieswhereblossomscangetfrostedandkillthefruit.

Weactuallylostalmostallofourpeachcropthisyearbecauseitwarmedupkindofearly,andthenwegotafrostanditzappedallofourpeachblossoms.Withstrawberriesbeawareofthatinparticularthatifyouarepronetolatefrostorperiodswhereyougetwarmandthenitgetscoldagain,strawberriescanbedifficult.Ifyouhaveasmallenoughpatch,obviouslyyoucouldcoveritwithplasticorsomethingtousefrostprotectionbutjusttakethatintoconsideration.Boysenberries.Alotofpeoplearenotawareofboysenberries,butsinceIgrewupinsouthernCaliforniawheretheboysenberryisfrom,thisismyfavoriteberry.

Itislikeablackberrybutbetter.It'sgotaverysweet,nicetartnesstoit.Ifyoucangetyourhandsonsomeboysenberriesandgrowthose,theyarejustphenomenaltogrow.Ihighlyrecommendthem.Then,someotherberriesthatarenot[inaudible00:23:00]fruitlikemostoftheonesImentioned,gooseberries,currants,elderberriesisawesomebecauseithassuperimmuneboostingproperties,andelderberriesareveryeasytogrow.Theygrowintolargeshrubs,almostlikeatree,soifyouhavethespaceforthem,Ihighlyrecommendelderberries.Also,gojiberriesareverypopularandmightgrowwellinyourarea.Justsomethingstoconsiderasfarasberriesgo.

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Grapesandvines.Obviously,youcangrowtablegrapes.Youcanalsogrowwinegrapesifyou'reinterestedinmakingyourownwine.There'sotherviningfruitcropslikekiwithatyoucangrowaswell.Whilemostkiwilikeyoubuyinthestorearegoingtogrowinawarmtemperateclimate,typicallyinasubtropicaltoMediterraneantypeclimate,therearehardykiwisthatwithstandfrost.Ifyougettherightvarietyandyourfrostsarenottoosevere,youmaybeabletogrowkiwiinyourarea.I'drecommenddoingthatbecausekiwiissupernutritiousandit'sanicechangefromalotoftheotherfruitsthatpeopletypicallygrow.Also,veryimportantareherbs.Whetherit'sculinaryherbs,likerosemaryorsageorparsleyyouseehere,orthymeororegano,marjoram,allthesethingsarereallygoodtogrow.

You'regoingtoprobablywanttohaveadedicatedherbgardenspaceorputtheminapartofyourgardenwheretheyhaveroomtoexpandandgrowandnotbeinthewayofotherthings.We'vegot,asIsaidearlier,raisedbedswithherbsinthem.There'salsosomeherbsthatareinpartofourmaingarden.Youcanalsogrowmedicinalherbs,orherbsthathavemedicinalproperties.Thingslikecomfrey,mullein...letmesee...plantainisanotherreallyversatileone.Yarrow.There'sallkindsofdifferentmedicinalherbsthatyoucangrow.Evenflowers,too,thatyoucanincludeinyourmix.Justrealizethatsincethey'reperennial,they'regoingtokeepcomingbackaslongasyoudon'thavetoosevereofawinteranddependingonthevariety.Takethoseintoaccount,getthoseplantedfirstsothatyou'renotgettinginthewayofotherthings,particularlyannualcropsandcomplicatingyourcropplacementorlayoutplaninthefuture.

Fruittrees.We'reveryblessedtohaveasmallorchardatourhomestead.There'sfourappletrees,acoupleplumtrees,acouplepeachtrees,apeartree.Nopartridge,though.And,acouplecherrytrees.Weplantedsomenectarinesthispastyear,andwe'replanningonplantingquiteafewmoreinthiscomingyear,butifyouarespaceconstrained,obviouslyyou'regoingtohavetofigureoutwheretoputtheseandmakesurethatthey'renotgoingtogetinthewayofyourgardenspace.They'renothavinganegativeeffectonyour

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growingofyourannualcrops.Onethingtoconsiderwhichisparticularlyoftendonewithappletreesistoeithergrowdwarfvarieties,whichyoucandoanykindoftree,butparticularlyforapples,they'reoftengrownontrellises.ThismethodiscalledistheEspalier.It'safrenchmethodofgrowingfruittreesontrelliseswherethey'retrainedintoapattern.

Whatitallowsyoutodoisyoucantakeanareawhereyoureallydon'thaveroomforatree,butwithpruningandmanagement,youcanpruneitandshapeittobeonafencelineoragainstawall,ifit'sasouthfacingwall,andyoucangetquiteabitoffruitproductionoutofaverysmallspaceusingthismethod.Thisisalsogoodevenifyouhaveenoughspace.We'relookingatpossiblydoingsomeofthisinthefuturejusttocreatesomemoreartisticformalgardeningspacesonourpropertythatcanbeenjoyedforgenerationstocome.Lastly,Iwanttomentionnuttrees.Nuttreesareoneofthebestthingsyoucandoforgrowinghealthyfatsonyourproperty.

We'reblessedtohavebothwalnuts,asyoucanseeontheleftthere.Itwasagreatyearforwalnutslastyear.Wealsohavehazelnutsonourproperty.Theygrowinabushform.Theydon'tgetmuchmorethan12feettallorso,butthesearebothgreatoptions.Youcanalsogrowchestnuts,whicharenotascommonanymorebecauseofthedieoffoftheAmericanchestnutpopulation,butthereareChinesechestnutsthatyoucangrownowthatareresistanttothediseasethatkilledtheAmericanchestnuts.Also,pecans.Wehaveacoupleofyoungpecantreesonourpropertythatwe'relookingforwardtoenjoyingintheyearstocome.And,ifyourclimateallows,whichprobablyisnotmanyplacesbutifyouliveinCalifornia,thismightbeanoption,almonds.AlmondshavetogrowinaMediterraneanclimate.AlmostallthealmondsinAmericaaregrownincentralvalleyofCalifornia,andmostofthealmondproduction,Ithinkintheworld,isfromthatarea.

Almondsarealsosupergreat,butanyofthesenuttreesifyouhaveroomforthem,youcanplantsomebecausethey'regoingtokeepproducingyearafteryearforyearstocome,andit'sagreatwaytogethealthyfatsintoyourdietwithalittlebitofwork,obviously,

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becauseyougottocracktheshellandtakeitout,butthosearegreatthingstoproducefoodfromyourpropertyandit'sanimportantpartofthenewrenaissanceofthisgrowingformorapproachtoagriculturecalledpermaculture.Oneofthecentralpiecesistheideaoffoodforuswhereyouhavefruitandnuttreesproducingalotofperennialcropproduction,sodon'toverlooknuttreesinthemixasyou'relookingathowyoucanproducemorefoodwhereyoulive.

Nowthatwe'vediscussedperennials,andhowit'simportanttogetstartedwiththosefirst,let'stalkaboutwater.It'sextremelyimportantasyouincreasethesizeofyourgardenandyouhavemorespacetomanagethatyouuseefficientirrigationsystems.Now,there'sacoupleconsiderationsbeforeItalkaboutspecificsofirrigationsystemsthemselves.Youwanttoconsiderbeforeyouputanewgardenspacein,especiallyalotofpeoplewon'tnecessarilyexpandtheircurrentgardenspace.Theymayputanentirelynewgardenspaceinanotherpartoftheirproperty,andparticularlyinthatcase,youwanttoconsideryourabilitytoirrigate.Youhavetolookattheamountofwaterthatisgoingtobeneeded,particularlyifit'sanareathatdoesn'thaverunningwateravailabletoit.

Also,lookatthedistancefromyourwatersourceparticularlyifyouhaveto...Onourproperty,weonlyhaveaspigotatthetopofthehill,soinitiallyIranhosesouttothegarden,butoncewestartedplantinginourlowergarden,IgotthreequarterinchblackpolypipeandranbasicallyasupplylineouttothemaingardenandthenT'edoffitandwentdowntothelowergarden.ThatgavemethesupplyIneededforrunningmyirrigationinthosegardenswithouthavingtouseahose,whicharegulargardenhoseisnotoptimalforgettingwatersupplyforirrigationouttoadistantspot.Theotherthingyouwanttolookatisconsiderthewatersourcesonyourpropertyandthedrainageinvolved.Slopesdrain,depressionspoolwater.

ThispictureisactuallyapictureofpartofourlowergardendownnearoursmallcreekafterTropicalStormFlorencecamethrough,andwehadalotofwater,andtherewassomepoolingofwaterinthatlowergardenspacebecauseitisarelativelyflatareanearthebottomofourpropertynearwhereourwatersource,thesmall

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creek,runs.Thisisaconsideration.Thisspacewasalreadyhere,soIwasjustworkingwithwhatIhad,butifyou'relookingatputtinginanewspot,it'sveryhelpfultohaveasenseofwherewatercollectsduringlargerainevents,andyouwanttotakethatintoconsiderationwhenyou'relookingatwhereyou'replacingyourwater.Then,obviouslywhenyou'relookingatwhatcropsyou'regoingtoplantinaparticulararea,ifyoudohaveanarealikethiswhereitcanpoolwaterduringsignificantrainevents,don'tplantthingstherethatdon'tlikebeingreallywetobviously.Thingslikegarlicthatdon'tliketheirfeetwet.

We'renotplantinggarlicinthislowergardenasanexample.Allright,let'stalkaboutautomatingirrigation.Whenyou'reincreasingyourgardenspace,andyou'rescalingupyourproduction,automationisreallykeyforthatefforttomakeitmanageable.Irrigationisoneoftheeasiestthingstoautomate,whichiswhyI'mtalkingaboutithere.Irealizethat'srobotweederscomingandthatkindofstuff,butmostpeoplearen'tgoingtohavethoseoptions.Theeasiestthingtoautomateisgoingtobeirrigation.EvenaplacelikeVirginiawherewegetlotsofwater,andactuallythispastyearIthinkwasarecordyear.Literally,brokerecordsfortheamountofwaterthatwegot,theamountofrain.Westillhadtorunirrigationbecausetherewasperiodswheretherewasnotenoughwater,particularlyforgerminatingseedsintheground.Youwanttobeabletohaveirrigationsystemsinplacetomakeiteasierforyoutomakesurethatyourplantsgetthewaterthattheyneed.

Whenadryspellcomes,you'llbethankfulthatyoudidbecauseratherthanhavingtowatereverythingbyhand,youcanhopefullysetitandforgetitwiththeexceptionofadjustingforrainfallevents.Onethingtonoteisthatirrigationsystemscanalsobeusedtodistributefertilizerwhichisreferredtoasfertigation.Ihaven'tdonethatyet,butit'sathingthatalotofcommercialgrowersdo.Youcanhavethatadditionaloptionavailabletoyouifyouareinstallinganirrigationsystemthatwouldallowforthat.Ijustwanttomakethatnote.Now,themainwaythatyou'regoingtoautomateirrigation,youcanhaveanirrigationsystemthat'sinplacebutwhatautomates

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it?Well,itobviouslyisatimer,somethingtoturnthewateronandturnitoffonaschedulethatyoudetermine.

There'salotofdifferenttimersoutthereonthemarket,andseemslikemoreandmorecomingonaswehavealotmoredigitalcontrolsystemsandelectronicscomingonbutyoudon'thavetospendalotofmoneyonthem.ThesearetheonesthatIuse,whicharesomeofthemostcommonones.YoucanfindtheseatabigboxhomeimprovementstorelikeLowe'sorsomething.Mostoften,you'llfindtheminasingleoutputmodellikeontheright,butyoucanalsogetamultiplezonemodelliketheoneontheleft,whichhasthreezones.I'vealsoseenthemwithfourandmorezones.Itjustdependsonyourgarden.Whatwe'reusingsincewehaveakitchengardenandalowergarden,thoseeachgetoneofthesinglezonetimers,andthenourmaingardenissplitupintothreezones,andweuseathreezonetimer.Wehavefivezones.

Oneofthebenefitsbesidesthefactthatyoucansetitandforgetit,ifyou'reonwellwaterlikeweare,youcanmanagethedemandonyourwellbyoffsettingthecyclesofyourirrigation.Itrytosettheseupsothatthey'regoingeithereveryotherdayoreverythirdday,andatdifferenttimesofthenight.Youalwayswanttowateratnightwhenit'sdarkandthere'stheleastamountofevaporation.Youcanusethesetimers,andifyouhaveseparatetimers,you'regoingtohavetoprogramthemseparatelytoworkinacoordinatingfashionsothatyoucanaccomplishthat.That'swhatwe'vedone.Itworksrealgreat.Ifyoudohaverain,it'sreallyeasy.Idon'tknowifyoucanseetheprintingthereinthelittlegreentrianglewhereitsaysauto.Belowthat,itsays“Forraindelay,pressplus.”

Basically,ifitwateredyesterday,lastnight,andthenwehavearaineventtodayanditdoesn'tneedtogetwateredagainthenexttwodaysfromnowbecausewegotsufficientamountofrain,basicallyyouhittheplusbuttonanditsays24hours.That'sthefirststep,a24hourdelay,andthenyouhititagain,itsays48hours.Youcanbasicallysetaoneday,twoday,threedaydelaydependinguponhowmuchyougot.Whatit'lldo,it'lljustpausethescheduleforthatamountoftimeandthenwhenthedelayisover,thenit'llresume

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countingdowntothenexttimethatitwasgoingtowater.Thisisgreatbecausetheonlythingyouhavetodothatmakesittrulynotsetandforget,youdohavetobasicallyadjustforrainevents.Whenitrains,yougooutthere,lookathowmuchwateryougotorlookatyourraingauge,andthenpush“Plus”onceortwice,orthreetimes,whateveritis,andyou'regoodtogo.

Thebestthingaboutthis,Ithink,isthatifyouwanttotravel,wateringyourgardenisoneofthethingsthathastogetdone,andifyou'regoingtogetrain,thenyouobviouslydon'twantitwatering.Thebeautyofhavingatimersetupwithanirrigationsystemlikethisisthatinsteadofyourfriendscomingoverandhavetohandwaterforanhourorwhatever,ahalfanhouroranhour,whateveritis,alltheygottodoislook,“Hey,diditrain?”Pushtheraindelayonceandthey'redone.Essentially,thewateringofthegardenbecomesextremelyeasytomanageforhelpersinparticularifyou'reoutoftownforaweekendorsomethinglikethat.

Allright,let'stalkaboutdistributioninanirrigationsystem.There'slotsofdifferentwaystoirrigate.There'ssprinklers,there'ssprayingdevices,thosekindsofthings.Typically,dripirrigationisgoingtobebestandtheprimaryreasonforthatisthatthere'saleastamountofevaporationsothereforeyouusetheleastamountofwater.Youhavethemosteffectiveuseofthewaterthatyou'reusinginirrigation,right?Someofthedripirrigationtypesyoucanconsider.Soakerhosesarethemostavailable.YoucangetthoseatLowe'sorHomeDepot.ThisiswhatIusedforadecadeprobablyuntilchangingrecentlytosomethingbetter,whichI'lltalkaboutinamoment.Soakerhosescanbeveryeffectiveandeasytouse.Oneofthebiggestdownsideswiththemisbecausetheyhavelittlemicroperforationsandstuffinthem,essentiallyit'sabigholyhose.It'sblackandit'srubber,anditgetsdamagedovertimewithsunlightandextremetemperaturesandsuch.

Myexperiencewasthatthehosesseldomdidtheylastmorethanacoupleyearsbeforetheystartedcracking,springingleaksandbreaking,andrepairingthemisratherdifficultbecauseyouhavetobasicallyputahosesplicerinthemandtheydon'treallylikedoing

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that.Ihonestlydon'tknowwhyIwaitedsolongtotransitionawayfromthese,buttheydoworkgoodforsomeapplicationsparticularlyone'slikeflowerbedswhereyouhaveanoddshapedareaandyouneedtoputthehousearoundabunchofperennialplantsorsomething.Thatcanbeagoodapplicationforasoakerhose.

Anotheroptionisablackpolypipe.Typically,halfinchpolypipewithemittersthatyouputin.Thisismostbeneficialifyouhavesomethinglikeaflowerbedwhereyouhaveindividualplantsthatneedtogetwatered,butnottheentireareabecauseyoucanbasicallyrunthehoseinashapearoundthebedtoreachalltheplantsandthenputanemitterateachplant.Then,it'sgoingtowaterjusttheplant.You'redoinganeffectiveapplicationofwaterthatway.Foralargerparticularlyrowgardeningapplications,thisisalotmoretimeconsumingbecauseyouactuallyhavetoputintheemittersanditjusttakestimetodothat.

Thelastoptionisdriptape,andthisiswhatIrecommend,whatItransitionedtoacoupleyearsago.It'swhat'susedinmostvegetableproductioncommercially.Typically,theyusebedshaperstomakeabedandthentheybasicallylaydown...There'saspecialcontraptionthatgetstowedbehindatractor.Itlaysdowndriptapeandthenputsblackplasticorsomekindofmulchdownoverthebed,andthenbasicallythere'sholesthatareintheblackplasticthattheytransplantplantsinto.Typically,theycorrespondtothespacingofthedripemitters,sowhatthisisisbasicallyablack...Ithinkit'sabouta10mil.There'sdifferentthicknessesofit,butbasicallywhenitcomestoyouit'sflat,andthenoncethewaterrunsthroughit,itfillsupandbecomesmorecircular.

Inside,ontheinsideofthetubeorthetape,isadripemitterbasicallyfusedintothesurfacewithalittleslitinit,sothewaterjustdripsoutthatway.ThereasonIrecommendthisparticularlyifyou'redoingrowgardeningoranythingapproachingrowgardening...Ifyou'redoingsquarefootgardeningandyouhavelongfourfootbeds,thiswouldalsoworkgreatforthat.Itistheeasiesttosetupbyfar.Verysimpletosetup.Youcancutitwithaknife.I'llshowyouinaminutehowIattachedeachend.It'sthemostdurableandlongestlasting.

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Mycommercialvegetablegrowerfarmerfriendsaidthatthesewilllastfiveormoreyearsdependinguponuse,temperatureextremes,thosekindsofthings,sothey'reverydurable.Theylastalotlongercertainlythensoakerhosewould.

Theyarethebestvalueforyourmoneyaswellasyourtimebecauseofthatfirststep,thefirstadvantage.Sincethey'retheeasiesttosetup,it'lltakeyoutheleastamountoftimetoputthesethingsin,whichmeansthatyou'reusinglesstimetoimplementtheirrigationsolutionasopposedtoputtingemittersinablackpolypipeorcuttingthesoakerhosetolengthandputtinganendcaponitorwhateveritis.SinceIusedriptape,Iwanttoshowyourealquickwhatitlookslikeandhowyouuseit.There'sadistributionheader,whichistypicallyahalfinchpolypipe.Youcanusethreequarterinchaswell.There'salittlepiercingtoolthatyoucutalittleholeinit,andthenthere'stheselittleadaptersthathavealittlebarbedend,andjustliterallyyoupushthemintothatheaderpipeontheleft,andthenthere'salittlescrewcollar.

Whatyoudoiswiththecollarallthewayuptowardstheheaderpipe,yousqueezethedriptapetomakeitmoreround,andyoufititoverthefemaleendofthefitting.Onceyougotitallthewayupthere,youbasicallyturnthelittlescrewcollaranditdescendsdownoverthedriptapetosecureitontothefitting.It'sextremelyquicktoattachthisthing,andthendependingonthetypeoftapeyouhave,youcanseejustontherighttherethere'salittleemitterthatyoucansee.Mostcommercialproduction,they'regoingtobeusingonefootormaybeeventwofootspacingontheiremitters.Formygarden,sinceIgrowmoreintensively,Iactuallygotsometapethathassixinchemitterspacing.Youcanpickwhateveryouwant.You'llpayalittlebitmorefortheonesthathavemoreemittersclosertogether,butit'sprobablyworthitifyou'regoingtobegrowingalotofcropsthataregoingtobeclosertosixinchspacingthan12inchspacing.

Ontheotherend,theyactuallydohavespeciallydesignedendcaps,butIdon'tevenrememberhowmuchtheycost,butthey'rereallynotneededbecauseyoucanjusttieaknotintheendoftheother

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endofthehouse.WhenIsaytheseareeasytosetup,Iliterallymeanit.Thewholedriptapecomesinaroll.Youtakeittooneend,youhookitupontheheaderpipe.Youpullitthroughtheotherendtotheendofthatrow.Youcutit,youtieaknotinitandyou'redonewiththatrow.It'sveryquickandeasy.Then,justtoshowyouyourheaderpipedoesn'thavetohaveaTinit,butinthiscasebecauseIhadamultiplezonesystem,atthebottomofthispictureifwherethetimerwasgoingintoeachofthezonesandthenthere'sjustalittlefitting.

There'sacoupledifferenttypesoffitting.YoucanseeIusedacoupledifferenttypeshere.Youcanseethedifferences.Oneislikeapushonontheleftwhereyoujustpushthatblackpolypipeintothefittinganditsqueezesitandholdsitinplace.Then,youcanalsousethelittlegrayelbowswiththescrewdownclamps.Thelittleoneinthebottomrighttherethatattachestothescrewend,it'sverysimilartotheadapterthatputsthedriptapeontotheheaderpipe.It'sgotalittlescrewcollarthatgoesdownoverthepipeandattachesitonthere.Whenyou'redone,allyourrowshavedriptapeonthem,andit'sveryeffective.Evenwith12inchspacing,butparticularlywithsixinchspacingemitters,you'regoingtogetveryevenwaterdistributionalongthatline.

It'sagreatwaytogetaveryeffectivewaterapplicationtoyourplantswithminimalevaporation.OntherightinthispicturebythewayisalittlecarrierthatImade,butyoucanseethereelofdriptapetherethatImadealittlecarrierfor.Itcomesonspoolslikethat,andveryeasy.Lateron,I'llshowyouawaythatyoucanlookatsomeoftheproductsthatIrecommendthatIuseifyouwanttogetstartedwiththeseandknowwhattouse.Allright,sowaterveryimportant.Wetalkedaboutirrigation.Hopefully,implementingsomeoftheseoptionswillhelpyoutomakethewateringpartoftheworkeasierandalmostnon-existentifyoudesignitwell.

Let'stalkaboutverticalcompanionandsuccessivegrowingmethods.Thefirsttypeofproductivityboostthatyoucangetisspaceproductivity,andthisiswhereImentionedinthebeginningevenifyou'renotincreasingyourgardenspace,there'ssomethingforyouin

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thispresentation.Automatingyourirrigationhopefullyissomethingthatyoucanuse,butthisinparticularcanbeaveryeffectivewaytoincreasetheamountofproductionyougetoutofagivenareausingverticalmethods.Asasidenoteandaforeshadowingofwhat'stocome,italsohelpswithharvesting,too.It'saloteasiertopickthingsthatareupoffthegroundthanthingsthatareontheground.Tomatoes,cucumbers,thosekindsofthingsaremucheasiertopickwhenthey'regrowingvertically.

Someoftheverticalmethodsoftrellising,fencesorrigidgridslikecattlepanels.ThisismyprimarymethodIuse.I'veusedawholebunchofdifferentthings.EverythingI'mgoingtotalkabouthereinthesenextones,thisiswhatIfoundtobetheeasiesttosetup.WeputinsomeTpostsintheground,threeTposts,cattlepanelisfourfeettallby16feetlong.YouputaTpostateachendandoneinthemiddle,andthenIjustusedzipties,plasticzipties,toattachthecattlepaneltotheTpost,andnowI'vegotanicerigidstructurethatmycucumberscangrowthroughlikethis.

Tomatoes.Tomatoesarenotgoingtovinethroughthetrellisaseasilyassomethinglikeacucumberwould,buteverysooften,youjustwalkpastandyoutakesomeofthebranchesthatarestickingoutandyoufoldthembackthrough,andstickthemthroughoneofthebigholes,andnowit'sgoingtostartgrowingtheotherway,andovertime,yougetitwoventhroughthestructureandnowit'sgotanice,solidstructuretogrowin.There'sanexampleofrigidgrids.YoucanalsousefencinglikewhatIusedformycucumbersthisyearwasactuallyafourfoottallgardenfencewithsimilarsizedholesinit.Itwaslikea50footsectionoffence,andwejustranitdown,andthat'swhatthecucumberstrellisedon.

Thisisprobablythelowestbudgetoption.Twineorstringandsomesimpleforms,likethesewoodenstacksinthegroundwiththehorizontalpieceacrossfromthemsothatthesepolebeanscangrowuponthem.Verysimple,easytoimplement.That'sanotherwaythatyoucangivethingsthatwanttoclimbparticular,likepolebeans,givethemsomethingtoclimbon.Nettingisanotherone.Typically,it'sgoingtobesomekindofanylonoraplastic.Youcanusethesefor

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peas,forcucumbers,forpolebeans.Thebiggestdisadvantageofnetting,andthereasonIdon'ttypicallyuseitanymoreovertherigidstructureslikeafenceoracattlepanel,isthatwhenthegrowingeraisdoneandyou'vegotdeadvinestopulloff,pullingdeadvinesoffofnettingisalotmoretrickyanddifficulttocleanoffthenettingsoyoucanuseitagainthenexttimethanitisarigidstructurelikeacattlepanel.

Particularlythingslikecucumbersthathavetendrilsthatwrapthemselvesaroundthings,it'saverylaborioustasktotakecucumbervinesoffofthiskindofaflexiblenetting.It'ssomucheasiertoripitoffofarigidstructurelikeacattlepanel,andthat'sthereasonthatweusethose.Also,thesearen'tgoingtolastforthatlong.You'reprobablygoingtogetmaybeahandfulofyearsoutofthisnetting.Cattlepanelswillprobablylastforever,ordecadesbecauseit'ssupersolidmetalandit'sgalvanizedsoit'snotreallygoingtorustmucheither.Anotheroptionarecages,whicharegoodforthingsliketomatoesandpeppersinparticular.Youcanactuallymakeyourowncagesbyusingfencing.Youcangetarolloffencingandjustcutittotherightlengthtomakethesizeofthecircularcagethatyouwant,andthosecanbeagreatwaytogivestructuretoplantsthatdon'tnaturallyhavestrongstemsandneedsomesupport.

OneotherthingthatI'llmention,anditreallydoesn'tapplyunlessyouactuallyhaveagreenhouse,butgoingbacktothestrings.Whatcommercialgrowersdowhentheygrowingreenhousesforthingslikecucumbersandtomatoesistheyhangstringsfromtheceilingortheceilingstructure,andthentheysecureitonthebottom,andthentheybasicallyuselittleclipstoclipthevinestothatverticalstringeverysooften.So,ifyou'vegotasetupwithagreenhouseorsomethinglikethat,that'sanotherwaythatyoucanuseastringtypetrellisingsystem.Allright,thelastoneisusingplantsasatrellis.AmethodIrefertoasstacking.I'lltalkmoreaboutinaminute.CornintheThreeSistersmethodisthemostcommonlyknownapplicationofthismethod,andsothecornisthetrellisforthepolebeans,andinthreesisters,wintersquasharetheotheronethat'sgrowninthatcombinationandtheyvineoutamongstthecornatthebase,justlikeyouseehere,tofillinthespace.

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You'vegotthreeplantsgrowinginone,butthetwoprimaryoneshereworkingcloselytogetheristhepolebeansgrowinguponthecorn.Now,Iliketorefertothisasstacking,whichisbasicallyyou'restackingmultipleplantsinthesamespace.TheThreeSistersmethodthatIjustshowedisthebestknownofthese,butthere'sothermethodsofstackingmultipleplantsinthesamespace,andit'snotjustbasedonthetrellisoptionthatIshowedyouwithcornandpolebeansforinstance.Youcandothisbasedontiming,soanexampleofthiswouldbecarrotsandlettuceplantedincloseproximity.Carrotstakealongtimetomature,andparticularlyfortheirfoliagetogettothepointwhereit'sproducingmuchshadetakesquiteawhile.Itcantakeacouplemonths.

Lettuce,however,growsfairlyquicklyandoftencanbeharvestedinthetimethatittakesbeforethecarrotsgettothepointwherethey'dbeshadingthelettucemuch.Honestly,ifyou'regrowinginthesummer,thelettuceisprobablygoingtoappreciatesomeshadeanyways.Ratherthanjustgrowingcarrots,youcangrowcarrotswithyoursamespacing.Inbetweenthoserowsofcarrots,plantsomelettuceandjustharvestthelettucewhenit'sready,andthengetitoutofthewayofthecarrotsandnowthecarrotfoliagecanfillinbetweenit.That'sanexampleofbasedontimingorbasicallyyou'reharvestingsomething,takingitoutofthemixatacertaintime.There'salsoawaytodothiswhereyoucanactuallyplantthingsatdifferenttimesincloseproximityinasimilarfashiontodothesamething.

Inthiscase,youmightplantthelettucealittlebitbeforethecarrots,andthenoncethelettuceisgerminatedandstartsgrowing,youputthecarrotsinandthenyou'lldefinitelyhavethelettuceoutofthewaybeforethecarrotsmatureenoughtointerferewiththelettucegrowingrightnexttoit.Youcanalsostackbasedonheight.Oneexampleofthisisgrowingbasilatthebaseoftomatoes.Ifyou'retrellisingyourtomatoesuponatrellis,thearearightnexttotheplantisnotgoingtobeused,andasI'lltalkaboutinalittlebit,basilandtomatoesarefriendsofasort,soIalwaysgrowbasilbymytomatoes.Anotherwaythatyoucanstackbasedonheightistoputshadetolerantplantsunderaplantlikeokrathatproducesadappled

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shade.It'snotafullshade,butbecausetheleavesinokraspreadoutwide,Igrowsummersquashunderneathmyokra.

Now,youhavetogetthetimingright.Youhavetostarttheokraalittlebitbeforethesquashsothattheokragrowupabovetheheightofthesquashplants,butthisworksgreat.I'veactuallyfoundthatgrowingpolebeansonokraworkswaybetterthangrowingthemoncornbecausethenaturalstructureofokra,whichisawoodyplant,youcanseehowthebranchesontheokraarespacedoutwhereasthecornhasleaves.It'slikeabunchofleavescomingoffacentralstalk,sookraisanidealnaturaltrellisforsomethinglikepolebeans.Ihighlyrecommendyoutrythose.Ifyoulivefarenoughsouthwhereyougetenoughheatandlongenoughsummertogrowokra,youshouldgrowokrabecauseit'sagreatplantforalotofdifferentthings,butoneofthereasonsforitisthatitmakesagreattrellis,soyoucanusethestackingmethodologywithokraandotherthingslikepolebeansorsummersquash.

Allright,solet'stalkaboutplantproductivityandhowyoucanusecompanionplantinginparticulartoincreasetheamountofyieldyouget.Therearesomeplanttypesthatputtogetherhavesynergisticeffectsoneachother.CarrotsLoveTomatoesisthenameofapopularbookonthistopic.Tomatoesareveryfriendlywithbasiloronions.Weplantalotoftomatoes,over300plantsthispastyear.Ialwaysplantmybasilnexttomytomatoes,andItrytoplantmyonionsnexttomytomatoesaswellbecausetheyhaveasynergisticeffectoneachotherwheretheygrowbetterthantheywouldiftheywerenotnexttoeachother.Also,beansandstrawberriescanbebeneficial.There'sawholebunchofotheronesthatyoucanlearnaboutinoneofthesebookslikeCarrotsLoveTomatoes.

There'salsosometypesthathavedetrimentaleffectsoneachother.Youwanttodistancethesefromeachother.There'ssomeexampleslikeonionsandanykindoflegume,likebeansorpeas.Theydonotlikeeachother,andthey'llimpedeeachother'sprogress.Tomatoes,alongwithpotatoesorcorn,theprimaryproblemyouhavehereisyouhavethesamekindofblightthatcanmovefromtomatoestopotatoesorviceversa,andthecornworm,youknowthatwormthat

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getsinyourcorn,thatcanalsoeatyourtomatoesaswell,soyouwanttokeepthoseapartandnotgivepredatorsabuffet.Trytolimittheirimpacttoonetypeofplant.Here'sanexampleofbasilnexttosomeofourtomatoes.

Anotherbenefitofcompanionplantingisyoucanactuallyusesomeplantstohelpotherplantsinindirectways.Oneexampleisradishesareknowntorepelsquashbugs.Youdon'tevenhavetoharvesttheradishes,thoughobviouslythat'sbetterifyoucan.Plantingradishesaroundthebaseofyoursquashplantsisagreatwaytorepelthesquashbugsfromthemwithouthavingtouseanypesticides.Finally,croprotation,youmaybeawareof,isaprincipleofputtingyourcropsinasequencesothattheyhavebeneficialeffectsoneachotherratherthandetrimentalonesbecausesomecropsdobestfollowingothers.Someexamplesarepotatoesareknowntobebestaftercorn,andlegumesareagoodprecedingcropforalotofdifferentthingsprimarilybecausetheyfixnitrogen.Ifyouhaveaheavyfeederlikecorn,it'softengoodtoputcorninaplacethatyouhadalegumelikebeansorpeasinthepreviousyearbecausethoseplantsfixnitrogeninthesoil.

Somecropsdopoorlyfollowingothers.Anexamplewouldbecarrots,beetsandcabbagesaregenerallydetrimentaltofollowingcrops,soifyouhavesomethingthathashighnutritionalrequirements,youprobablydon'twanttoputthemaftertheseones,butthere'slotsofotheroneswithoutgoingintoatonofdetail.Iwantedtomakeyouawareoftheseprinciplesjustsoyouknowtoconsiderthosewaysthatyoucanincreaseyourproductionoryouryieldswithoutnecessarilyjustincreasingyourspace.Eventhoughwetripledourgardensize,westillfollowalotofthesesameprinciplesbecausewewanttogetasmuchoutofwhatwe'redoingaspossibleineverywaypossible.

Thelastareaissuccessiveplantings.Don'tplantjustonce,andthisincludesifyouhavealotofgardenspace.Iknowitcanbehard,butifyoucankeepupwithit,optimizeyourspaceavailablebyplantingagainafterharvestingthefirstcropinaspace.Ingeneral,Iwouldrecommendthatyouimplementthingslikeverticalgardenand

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successiveplantingsbeforeyouexpandyourgardenspacebecauseyoucangetmoreoutofthesameareaifyou'redoingthesethings.Youcanusetransplantinginparticularasaneffectivewaytomaximizeproduction,andwhatImeanbythisisthatifyouhavesomebeetsthatyougrow,andthenyouharvestthebeets,youcoulddoasuccessivecropofsomethingelseafterthatinthatsamespace.But,ifyouputseedsintheground,theyhavetogerminate.Theyhavetogrowfromgermination.

Ifyouhadsomeseedlingsthatyouhadgrownbeforethatintrayselsewhereandthenwhenyouharvestedyourbeets,youimmediatelyputinayoungseedlingplant,you'regoingtobethatmanyweeksaheadofandclosertoharvestforthatplantthanifyoujustplantedbyseeds.It'sgoodforthingslikesaladgreens,anythingthatyou'regoingtobeharvesting,orrootcrops,ifyoupulloutarootcrop,takesomethingthatyoutransplantintothatspaceafterit.Also,radishesplantingwithaslowgrowingcropisawaythatyoucandothis.Radishesgrowextremelyquickly.Threetofourweeks,they'reready.Alotofcropsthatgrowmoreslowly,youcanplantthemliterallysidebyside,andbythetimethattheradishesareready,youcanpullthemoutofthewayandnowalltheroomistherefortheothercroptocontinuegrowing,whichleadsmeintointer-planting,amethodofspaceproductivitybasedontiming.

Imentionedcarrotsandlettuce.Radisheswithbasicallyanythingbecausetheygrowsofastthatyoucangrowradishesrightnexttolotsofotherthingsthatgrowslowly,andthenbythetimetheradishesareready,youpullthemoutofthewayandtheotherplanthasallthatspace.Yougrewradishesontopofjustthatoneothercropyouweregoingtodo.Finally,veggieswithmultipleedibleparts.Therearesomeplantsthatit'snotjustonepartoftheplantthatyoucaneat.OntopofBrassica'sthatyoucaneattheleavesfromtypically,likeyoucaneatbroccolileaves,right?Eventhoughusuallypeopleonlyeattheflowerpart.SamethingwithothertypesofBrassica'slikethat.Theytendtohaveedibleleavesandstuff.Sweetpotatoes,believeitornot,theleavesonsweetpotatoes,ifyoucookthemlikespinach,areprobablymyfavoritegreen.Betterthanspinach,betterthananythingelse.

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It'sjustamazingflavor.Justbecarefulyoudon'tharvesttoomuchbecauseanyfoliageyou'reharvestingofftheplantisreducingtheamountofsolarcollectingcapabilityofthatplant,whichisgoingintotheroots,whichistheprimarycropforsweetpotatoes,right?Irecommendnotharvestingmorethan10%ofsomethingliksweetpotatoleavesatatimesoyoudon'tover-stresstheplant.Anotherexamplewouldbeturnipsandturnipgreens.Turnipgreensaregreatsauteedandsuch,andyoucandothesamethingwhereyoudoselectivepruningofturnipgreens,aslongasyoudon'ttaketoomuch.Theturnipwillcontinuetogrowandyoucangetagreencropoutofitforcookedgreens,aswellastheturnipsthemselvestowardstheendoftheseason.

Allright,nextareahere.I'mgoingtopickupthepaceherebecauseIdon'twanttogotoolongishaveaneffectivepestandweedcontrolplan.Weedcontrol,obviously.It'slikestuffkeepsgrowingwhetheryouwantittoornot.Onethingtothinkaboutwhenyou'reapproachingtheproblemofweedsisthatrealizethatsomeweedsarenotaproblem.What?WhatdoImeanbythat?Well,someweedsareedible,soIdon'treallyseethemasweedseventhoughtheygrownaturallyandthey'renotcultivated.You'renotplantingthem.Acoupleofexamplesofthesearelambsquarterontheleft.Muchmorenutritiousthanspinach.Youcancookasacookedgreen,andit'salsogreatforanimals,soifyouhaverabbitsorsomethinglikethat,youcanfeedthemtorabbits.

Then,anothercommononeiswoodsorrell,whichhasalemonlikeflavor.It'softenusedbychefstoaddlemonflavortodisheswithoutaddingacidthatyouwouldgetoutofsomethinglikelemonjuice.Thesearetwoexamplesofweeds.Knowwhatisgrowingthereandwhatitspossibleusemightbe,particularlyforyoutoeatbeforeyoujustpullitupandthrowitoutorthrowitinthecompost.Someweedcontrolmethods.Ifyouarelikemostpeople,you'reprobablydoingmanualweedcontrol,soyou'reusingweederslikethisprongedone,oroneofmyfavoritesisthishand-heldbladerweeder.It'saJapanesestyleweeder.Maybeaweedingknifelikethat,oranoscillatingweederontheright,whichbythewayifyouhaveaverylargerowgarden,itmightbemoretimeeffectiveforyoutonotuse

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thehandheldversionofthisbutgetawheeledhoethathasastirruphoe,samekindofheadonit,butthatyou'repushingbehindawheel.

Youcancoveralotmoregroundalotmorequicklythatway.Keepthatinmindifyouhavealargerowgarden.That'smanualmethod.You'reeitherdigginguporcuttingofftherootatthesurface,andthenalotofpeoplegatheruptheweedsjustforthesakeofaesthetics,butalotoftimesyoucanjustdowhat'scalledchopanddrop,whichisbasicallyyoucutthemdownandyouleavethemthereformulch.Theydecayandmulchthesoil,soyoudon'tnecessarilyhavetoalwayscleanthemupunlessthat'syourpreference.Anotherweedcontrolmethodiskillingthem.Now,obviously,youwanttokillweeds,right,butkillingthemotherthanmanualremoval.Vinegarspray.Thereisahighacidiccontentpercentagevinegaryoucanusethatcanbeeffectiveonweeds,whichisparticularlyeffectiveonweedsthatmaybehavealargetaprootthatyoucan'tgetto.Also,youcanuseveryhotwater.Now,Icautionyouusingboilingwaterornearboilingwater.However,itworks.Justmakesureyoudon'tspillitonyourselfandgiveyourselfabadburn.

Lastbutleast,probablythemostfunmethodofweedingisflameweedingwhereyou'reusingfire.Thiscanbeparticularlyeffectiveandisoftenusedbycommercialgrowersforweedcontrolwithcropsthathavealonggerminationtimelinelikecarrots.Carrotscantakeacoupleweeks,aweektotwoweeks,togerminate,sotheywillcultivatethesoilonthesurface.They'llplanttheircarrotseedsandwater,andthentheweedseedsgerminateveryquicklyandwillstartsprouting,andbeforethecarrotseedsstartgerminatingandbreakthroughthesurface,they'llgodoaflameweeding,whichwillkillallthoseweedseedsthathavealreadygerminated.Then,whenthecarrotseedscomeup,theydon'thavethoseweedstocompetewiththem.That'sthemostcommonuseofflameweeding.Ifyouneedtoclearweedsinabigarea,andyoudon'thaveanyplantsplantedthere,youobviouslycanjustflameweedthemallifthat'syourpreference.Anotherquitecommonmethodofweedcontrolissmothering.Mulchingisthemostcommonmeansofthisusingthingslikestraworwoodchips.

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Haycanbeusedinsteadofstraw.Justrealizethatmosthayhasseedinit,weedseedandgrassseedinit,sobecarefulabouthowyoudothatbecauseyou'reintroducingmoreweedseedintoyourgardenenvironmentwhenyoudothat.Anotherwayismanufacturedmulcheslikeplastic.Typicallyblackisused,buttherearecoloredmulcheslikethisredmulchthatsomepeopleliketousebecauseitsupposedlyhasbeneficialimpactonthefruitingoftheplant.However,solidcoloredmulchwhetherit'sredorblackisn'ttheonlykindyoucanuse.Youcanactuallyuseclearmulch,andwhenyoudothis,youcanuseaprocesscalledsolarization.Now,thisissomethingIactuallytriedforthefirsttimethisyearattherecommendationofmygoodfriend,JohnMoodyoutofKentucky.He'sactuallywritingabookonnon-chemicalweedcontrolatthepresent.Itshouldbecomingoutsoon.He'sdonealotofexperimentingwithsolarization,andbasicallywhatitisisyouputclearplasticrightagainstthesurfaceandyou'rebasicallysuffocatingtheweedsandburningthembyincreasingthetemperatureunderneath.

Thesecondarybenefit,whichblackplasticornon-translucentplasticdoesn'tgiveyou,isthatitcanalsoheatthesoiltoacertaindepthbelowthesurfaceandcanactuallykillweedseedsbyheatingthemup.Ifyoucangetithotenough,youcanactuallykillweedseeds,soyouhaveadoublebenefitinactuallykillingtheweedsthatarealreadygerminated,butyoualsokilltheweedseedsdowntoacertaindepthsothatyou'renothavingthosegerminateaftertheface.Now,Ifoundthroughmyexperimentationwiththisthatit'sreallyimportantthatyouhavetheplasticasclosetothegroundaspossible.It'sbestifyoudohavemorematureweedsthatyoumowthemdownastightasyoucansothatyoucangetthatplasticclosedown.Whathappensiftheplasticissittingontopofweedsthatareafewinchesofftheground,basicallywhatyouhaveisyou'regoingtostressthoseplantsbutyouwon'tnecessarilykillthembecauseyou'regoingtocreatealittlegreenhouseeffect.You'llseealotofmoisturecondensatingunderneaththeplastic.

They'llbereallyhotbuttheywon'tnecessarilybedead,sothecloseryoucangetthatplastictothesurface,thehotteritwillget,themorelikelihoodthatyou'regoingtobekillingtheplant.Youcanseeright

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hereinthisexample,Ihadplasticoverthisgrassarea,andIputacoupleofextrawindowsthatIhadinthebottomrightandleftcorner.Youcanseethere,andyoucanseethedrasticdifferencewithhavingthesurfaceascloseaspossible.Itbasicallykilledallthegrasswhereitwasflatonthegroundversusrightnexttoitwheretherewasalittlebitofanairgap,maybeaninchortwo,thegrassstillsurvived.Eventhoughitwasstressedobviously,itdidn'tnecessarilykillit.That'stheemphasisitemformeistrytogetascloseassurfacecontactasyoucanwhenyou'redoingsolarization.

Howlongdoesthistake?Itdependsonhowmuchsunlightandhowhotitis,butifit'sinthemiddleofsummerandyouhavefullsun,youdon'thavecloudydays,itcouldbeaslittleasafewdaysoftimeoftheplasticontheground.Itcouldheatupthesurfaceenoughtokilltheweedsandheatupthesoilenoughtokillsomeoftheweedseedstoaccomplishthedesiredendobjective.That'sonethingthatwestarteddoingandfoundgoodeffects,thoughthere'ssomeapplicationmethodsI'mlearningtomakeitmoreeffectivethatI'mgoingtobeusinginthefuture.Mostofwhatweuseforweedcontroliswoodchipmulch.Wegotabunchofloadsofwoodchipsdeliveredbyalocaltreetrimmingcompanyintheareatoourplace,andweusethat.That'sgreatforweedcontrol.Itlooksreallynice.Niceforwalkingpaths,obviously,whenyouhavewoodchipsdown,andthenalsoasthatdecomposesitaddstotheorganicmatterofthesoil.

Ifyoucangetyourhandsonwoodchips,that'sgreat.ThatwouldbeareallygoodwoodcontrolmethodI'drecommend.Now,let'sfinishupthissectionwithpestcontrol.Firstofall,it'simportanttorealizethatnoteveryinsectisapest.Therearesomebeneficialinsectssuchastheladybug,whichreallylikeaphids.Theprayingmantiseatsallkindsofdifferentinsects,andalsopredatorywaspscanbeverybeneficialforkillinggardenpests.Now,let'stalkaboutsomeofthepestsorinsectsthatarepeststhatareverycommonandhowyoumightbeabletocontrolthem.Squashvineborerisoneofthemostaggravating.Ifyou'veeveryhadit,youknowwhatI'mtalkingabout.Thesethingsbasicallylaytheireggsontheplant,ornearthebaseoftheplant.Theeggshatch,thelarvaecrawlandburrowaholeintothestemofthesquashandstarteatingthesquashfromtheinside.

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Bythetimeyourealizeit,thattheleavesstartdrooping,there'salreadyalotofdamageinsidethestem.

Let'stalkabouthowyoucanaddressthisissue.Thefirstisprevention,whichisbasicallytokeepthebugsofftheplantsothey'renotlayingtheireggs.Usingafloatingrowcoverisoneway,soafteryougettheplantsintheground,coverthemwithhoopsandsomefloatingrowcoversoyoucan'thaveanyinsectsflyingonthemandlayingeggs.TheothermethodthatIhaveheardused,thoughIhaven'tpersonallybeenabletogetalotofpersonalexperiencewiththis,istiming.Apparently,thesquashvineborertendstomateandlayeggsintheearlysummer.Mostplaces,it'sgoingtobeMay,earlyJune.Ifyoucantimeyoursquashparticularlytobecominginafterthat...WhatItendtodoisIgrowacoupleiterationsofsquash.

Thefirstsquash,summersquashbatchthatI'mgoingtoplant,I'llcover,andthenthesecondone,becauseI'mtypicallyplantingitaftertheperiodwherethey'remating,Idon'tcoverthemandIrarelyseesquashvineborerdamageinthattimeperiod,thoughIhaven'tdonealotoftestingtodeterminetheexacttiming,butjustsoyouknowthat'sanotherwaythatyoucandoit.Ifyoudohavesquashvineboars,youbasicallyjustneedtocutopenthestemandremovethem.Youdon'tnecessarilyhavetocutoffthestemthoughyoucandothat.Youcancutaslitinthestemandfindthewormwhereit'sinthereandjustsmushit,whichiswhatIdo,andthenIalsowillbasicallytakeDiatomaceousEarthandsprinkleitoverthebaseoftheplants,whichwillbasicallydesiccatethelarvaeifanymoretrytoclimbonthat.

Onceyoufinddamageandyougetridofthework,whatIdoandIrecommendyoudoisbasicallytohillupdirtontopofthatbranchwhereithasthedamage.Squashwillre-rootfromthestem,soratherthanleavingthedamageopenforittorotanddecay,ifyoucoverit,theremaininglivingpartsofthatstemcanactuallyre-rootandstillcontinuegrowingtheplantfromthatbase.That'swhatIdo.Irecommendyoutrythesame.Let'stalkaboutwormsandcaterpillars.Obviously,oneofthemostcommononesisthetomatohornworm,iconicdestroyeroftomatofoliage.Theytendtobefairly

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easytospotthedamage.You'llseeabunchofleavesmissing.Findingthetomatohornwormcantakeadiscerningeye,buttypicallyonceyoufindthem,youcantakethemoff.Onething,ifyoueverfindatomatohornworm...Iactuallyhaveapictureofithere...thathasabunchoflittlewhitethingsonitsback,Iactuallydon'tkillthose.Thereasonwhyisbecausewhatthosearearepredatorywaspeggs.

Awaspcamealong,foundthisworm,laidtheeggsonitasfoodforitsyoung,becauseoncethoselarvaehatch,theybasicallyeatonthewormandkillit.Lateronewhenyoucomeback,you'llfindbasicallyadeadshriveledtomatohornwormwhereyouformallyhadalivingtomatohornwormwithabunchofwhitethingsonitsback.Iwanttoencouragebeneficialpredatoryinsectslikewasps,sowheneverIfindthose,IalwaysleavethembecauseIwantmoreofthoseinmygarden,notless.Ionlytakeoffthehornwormsthatareallbythemselves.Cabbageworms.Oneofmostpeople'snemesisiftheygrowBrassica's.Theyaffectnotjustcabbagebutbroccoli,kale,collardgreens,alltheBrassica's.Methodstodealwiththem.Floatingrowcover.Ifyoucankeepthebutterfliesoffofthecabbageorkaleorwhateveritissotheycan'tlaytheireggs,thenyouwon'thaveanylarvaethere.That'sonewaythatyoucandothat.

Manualremovalifyoucancatchthemearlyisgreat.Also,manualremovaloftheeggs.Youcanalsofindtheeggsacsunderneaththeleaves.However,ifyou'regrowingaverylargegarden,thatmaynotbepossibleandevenifyoudothat,sometimesyoumaynotgetallofthem.Typically,thethingthatisusedforwormsisaspraycalledBT.ItstandsforBacillusthuringiensis.It'sbasicallyabacteriathatattacksthewormsandkillsthem.BTisanorganicwormpesticidethatisthemostcommonlyusedfordealingwithcabbageworms.YoucanalsouseDiatomaceousEarth,thoughyoumayhavevaryinglevelsofefficacy.BasicallywhenyouputDiatomaceousEarthonsomethinginapowderform,whenitrainsitwashesitoffsoyouhavetoreapplyitoverandoveragain.Whatitdoesisbasicallywhenthewormsingestit,itscratchesupanddestroystheirinsidesandtheydiethatway.

Allright,let'stalkaboutbeetles.TwoofthemostcommonbeetlesaretheColoradoBeanbeetleandthesquashbeetle.Methodsof

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dealingwiththem,manualremovalobviously.Ifyou'redealingwiththesquashbeetle,thebestwaytodealwiththemistobecheckingparticularlytheunderside,butsometimesthetopsideoftheleaves,foreggsacs,whichcanbeyellowtoorangeandgoldcolor,andgetthemoffthere.TheeasiestwaytoremovethemthatIfoundistakesomeducttape,wrapitaroundyourhandstickysideoutandthenbasicallygoandjustthetapewillsticktotheeggsandpullthemoff.Sometimes,it'llriptheleafbutitwon'tpullthewholeleafoff.It'llbasicallypulltheeggsoffoftheleaf,asisdemonstratedherebymyyoungestbeautifullittlegirlwhohadaparticularlyeffectivebeetleeggcollectionsessionandwasproudofit.

YoucanalsouseDiatomaceousEarththough,asImentionedbefore,youhavetoreapplyit.OnemethodthatIgotfromacommercialgrowerfriendofmineisaneemoilmixedwithDE,DiatomaceousEarth,spray.Thewaythisworksistheneemoilisbothainsecticideandinsectdeterrent,butalsobecauseit'sanoil,it'ssurfactant.Itmakestheliquidyoumixitinsticktotheleaves.DiatomaceousEarthisapesticide,asImentioned.Itkillsthewormsusuallybydestroyingthemfromtheinsidewhentheyingestit.Well,ifyoumixthesetwotogether,aquartercupofDEpergallonandtwotablespoonsofneemoilpergallonandmixittogetherinasprayerandsprayitontheplantsurfaces,nowyouhaveDiatomaceousEarththatisstickingtotheleaves,anditcoatsthesurfaces.

Onceitdries,nowyouhavetheDEontheplantsurface,sowhentheyeattheleaves,they'reingestingthatDEandthatneemoil,andthatcandegregateorkillthepests.This,Ifound,moderatesuccesswiththissoifyouhaveareallybadinfestation,itwon'tnecessarilyreverseit.Youhavetogobacktomanualmethodwiththat,butIfindthisisoneoftheeasiestrecipesformakingnaturalpesticide.It'sabroadspectrum.Itworksonalotofdifferentthings.Lastoftheinsectsisaphids.Ladybugsarethebestthingstodealwithaphids,butifyoudon'thaveladybugs,insecticidalsoapisthebestthing.Itbasicallystickstothem,coversthemandtheysuffocate,sothatwouldbehowyouwoulddealwithaphids.

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Lastismammals.Ifyouliveinaareawhereyouhavedeer,you'relookingatfencingprimarilytokeepthemout.Ifyoucan'tdofencing,oriftheycangetthroughyourfencing,youcansprinklethingstheydon'tlike,cayenneorotherthings,onthefoliageandtheytasteitandthentheyrunaway.Youcandomotionactivatedsprinklersystemstoscarethemoff.Sometimes,itdoesn'tnecessarilytakeafence,ormaybeifyouhaveafourfootfenceabovethatatmaybelikeafiveorsixfootlevel,putsomefishinglineorsomethingandhangpiecesofmetalthatarereflective.Iftheythingssparklingandshining,theydon'tlikeit.They'renotsurewhatitisanditcanoftendeterthem,sothatalone,movement,candeterdeersothatmightbeaneffectivedeterrentforyouyoucantryifyouhaveadeerproblem.

Rabbits.You'relookingatbasicallykeepingthemoutwithfencingordispatchingthemwiththeoldtrustyrifle.Molescanbeahorribleone.Gophersandsimilar.ThebestthingI'vefoundfortheseistobasicallykeepthemaway,andyoucangettheselittlesonicspikesthatyoustickintheground.Theyhavealittlesolarpanelontoptopowerthem,andtheygiveoutahighpitched,highfrequencysoundthatdoesnotbotherhumans,butitdrivesthemolesandgopherscrazyandtheybasicallystayaway.Now,ithasalimitedrange,soifyouhaveareallybiggarden,youmayneedseveralofthese,butIfoundthesetoworkfairlywell.Theotheroptionwouldbetrapsthatyoubasicallysettoeithercatchorkillthesubterraneanpredators.

Lastly,humans.Obviously,wearewhowe'regrowingthefoodfor,butifit'spickedatthewrongtimebyanuneducatedoruntrainedlittleperson,thenyoumighthaveaproblemwiththat,somakesureobviouslythatyoutrainyourkidswhattopick,whatnottopickandwhensothatthey'renotmakingadisasterofyourgardenoracertaindropunknowingly.Allright,inourlastsectionhere.Planyourharvestsystemtobeefficient,soasImentionedearliermanyhandsmakelightwork.Thisisthefirstthingifyou'redoingabigharvestingsession,getabunchofpeoplethere.It'llgoalotquickerandwon'tseeaslaborious.Thisisapicturefromwhenourfamilywasfacingwhatweaffectionatelycalledthetomatotsunami.Sincewehadover300tomatoplantswhenwegottolateJulyandAugust,wehad

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hundredsofpoundsoftomatoescominginanditmadeitalotmoreenjoyabletodoitalltogether,todoitasafamilyratherthanjustdoingonepersonatatime,soonandsoforth.

Especiallybecausewe'repickingeverycoupledays,thistookalotoflabor,alotofeffort.Havegoodcontainerstoputyourcropsin,especiallyifyougotalot.Whenwehadthetomatotsunamicomingin,weusedquiteafewdifferentcontainers.Weusedsmallercontainersforcherrytypes,butthelargerones,thebestonesthatIfoundareones...Really,youwanttohavesomethingthathasairflowthroughit,becauseifyoucan'tgettoitimmediatelyandyoudon'thavetherightstorageconditionsforittobein,alackofairflowcanleadtomoldorrot,soyoudon'twantthat.TheblackcrateontheleftthatyoucanseeisactuallyaproducecratethatIgotfromalocalmarketinRoanoke.It'slikeanethnicmarket,andtheyhadabunchofthesethattheyreceivedthevegetables,andwhenthey'redonewiththem,theyjustcollecteditup.

Iboughtthemforabuckapiece,andtheyworkreally,reallywellsincethey'redesignedforvegetablestorage,andtheyalsostack,sothat'sagoodthing,especiallyifyougotalotofproducecominginlikewedidthisyear.Theotherthingyoucandoifyou'regoingoutandyou'reharvestingforameal,andyou'renotharvestingallonecropallatonce,butyou'repickingavarietyofthings,oryou'reonlypickingabigarmfull.Whatdoeseverybodydo,right?Youstickyourshirtout,andthenyouputallthetomatoesoralltheproduceinthereandyoucomeinwithyourshirtallstretchedout.There'sagreatsolutionwefoundofagardenapronthatbasicallyhasapouchbuiltintoit,soyoucanbasicallyputyourproduceinthere.Thisisespeciallygoodwhenyou'regoingouttopickstufffordinner.

You'repickingsomebasil,tomatoes,peppers,saladstuffandputitallinthere.Whetheryou'redoingthatoryouarepickingalargecrop,whenyou'redone,thewaythisisdesigned,it'sbasicallyachutesothatyoucollectitinthepouchandthenyoutakeoffthelittleties,andthenitcomesoutthechuteatthebottom.Youcanactuallyusethisforweedingaswell.Youcanbasicallyputalltheweedsintothepouch,andthenwhenyou'redone,godumpthem

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outwhereveryou'regoingtodumpanddeposityourweeds.Thisisagoodsolution.Attheend,I'lltellyouhowyoucangetthese.Weactuallyselltheseonourwebsite.Ifyoufindyourselfina...Letmesaythis.It'sbesttoplanaheadhowyou'regoingtoprocessyourharvestbecauseifyou'renotcareful,whatyou'llfindiswhatourfrontporchlookedlikeatpointsduringthesummer,whichislots,andlotsandlotsofproducetoprocess.

It'sgoodtohaveallofyoursuppliesinplaceandhelplinedupifyouneedittobeprocessingthingsforpicklingorfreezing,orwhateverelseyou'regoingtodo,howeveryou'regoingtopreservethatcrop.Otherthanfresheating,makesurethatyouhaveeverythingyouneedforthatlinedup.Thisispartofhavingefficientharvestsystemsishavingeverythinglinedupsothatasthestuffcomesin,you'regettingintoaformthatcanbepreservedwithoutlosingcroptorottingorlosingnutritionalqualitybecauseit'ssittingaroundfortoolong.Ifyouhavecropsthatareabletobeputinstorageforalongtimewithoutpreservation,orwithoutcanningorfreezingorsomethinglikethat,thingslikerootcrops,havethestuffyouneedtobeabletodothateffectively.Wehavearootcellarinourbasement,we'vegotpotatoesandonionsstoredupinthesereallycoolstackingtotesthatIgotfromafarmerfriend.

Thesearegreatbecausetheygivenecessaryairflow,buttheyalsostackwellandyoucanputawholebunchofthemandtakelessspacesothatyoudon'thavetohavethemallhorizontallysituated.Theycanbeverticallysituatedforstorage.Thatwrapsuptheharvestsystemssection,andactually,that'smylastpoint.Justtowrapup,Iwantedtosayhopefullythisglimpseintoourbackgroundandthelessonswe'velearnedaswe'vescaledupourvegetableproduction,ourgardening,uptoaboutaquarteracrenowhasbeenhelpfultoyou,andasthesunsetsonthispresentation,Ihopethatyoufoundithelpful.Ihopethatyoucangiveusathumbsuponthispresentation,sopleaseleaveyourratingforthepresentationbelowthevideoifyouwouldandanycommentsorquestionsyouhave,pleaseleavethosebelowaswellandwe'llworktomakesurethatweanswerthoseforyouorrespondtothem.

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AsIsaidatthebeginning,ifyouwaitaroundtotheend,we'vegotasurpriseforyou.Myfamilygrowsalotoffoodforourselves,butwetrytodowhatwecantosharewithothersaswell,sowhatabouttheseeds?OurfamilyseedbusinesscalledSeedsforGenerationsisreallybasedonavisionofsharingthegardeningandexperiencethatwehaveasafamilyandbringingheirloomseedsfromourfamilytoyours,soourkidsareinvolvednotjustinthegardeningandtheharvesting,buttheseedprocessing,thepacking,theorderfulfillment.Astheygetolder,I'mgoingtobringingthemintocontentdevelopment,doingtrainingvideos,writing,workingonthewebsiteandwritingemails,andallthesekindsofthings.We'reintegratingthisbusinessverymuchintoourhomeschoolingandtrainingofourchildren,andwewanttoofferyouaspecialoffersinceyouspenttimewithusduringthispresentation.

We'dlikeforyoutoentertowininourseedgiveawaythatwe'rehaving,aswellasget15%offofyournextorder.We'vealsogotabunchofhelpfulresourcesonourwebsite,bothplantingcalculatorsthatwillhelpyoufigureoutwhenyouneedtoplantyourcropsandgettherighttiming,aswellasotherresourcesonourwebsite,andyoucangetallthosebyclickingthebuttonortheimageonthepagebythevideo,orgoingtoSeedsForGenerations.com/HGFS.ThatwilltakeyoutothepagewehaveforyouwithalltheseresourcesandgiveyoualltheinformationthatyoucanfollowuponthethingsthatImentionedinthispresentation.We'llalsogiveyouanopportunitytofollowourfamily'sjourney.Ifyouwanttosignuponouremaillistandcontinuefollowingusandwhatwe'reupto,we'dlovetohaveyoujoinusforthejourney.

Onceagain,myname'sJasonMatyas.Mywife,Shannon,andIandoursevenchildrenwouldliketothankyousomuchfortakingthistimetobewithmeandtoshareinthelessonswe'velearnedthroughourgardeningovertheyears,andspecificallythefivekeyfocusareasthatwe'velearnedwhenincreasingyourgardensize,andhowwelearnedthoselessonsfromtriplingourgardeninourfirstyearonournewhomestead.WelookforwardtosharingmorewithyouinthefutureaswecontinuetolearnandgrowhereinthemountainsofVirginia,andlookforwardtosharingthatwithyou.Thankssomuch

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againforhavingme,andwelookforwardtohelpingyouandyourgardeningfriendsinthefuture,sopleasetellothersaboutusandletusknowhowwecanhelpyou.Lookforwardtobeingintouch.Thankssomuch.

Marjory:Okay.Sothereyougo.Andifyouclickonthatbuttonontheright,you'llgetthosesurprisesthatJasonpromisedyou.Andyouknow,definitelygooverthereifyou'reneededsomeseeds.Gocheckouthisseedcompanyandpickupsomeseeds.It'sawonderfultimetostarttryingsomenewthingsoutIanddefinitelywouldloveyoutosupportourpresentersthatway.SoclickonthatbuttontotherateandthatwillgetyouconnectedwithJason.Andthendownbelowthatisthebutton,ifyouclickthat,youwillgettoownthispresentationandalltheother30somethingpresentationsthatarecomingwiththesummit.AndyourpurchaseofthesummitreallydoeshelpsupporttheworkoftheGrowNetwork.Ifyounotice,wedon'thaveanyotheroutsideadvertising.AndsoyoursupportissuperimportanttomeandalloftheGrowNetwork.ThisisMarjoryWildcraftandlet'sgettogetheronanotherpresentation.