The Keys to Unlocking A Successful Gardening Season for Beginning Gardeners

Peace and blessings everyone. Welcome back to the humble servant homestead. Today I am out here in the garden guys. Now I just want to come on in real quick to talk a little bit about the gardening because I know there is quite a bit of beginners, new gardeners that are coming in and starting to get ready to start a garden. And yes, if that is what you are doing, I am super excited for you. Simple reason why, of course, here on our channel, we preached all the time about getting on outside and starting yourself a garden. But before I get into this video guys, I just want to say a big thank you for all of our subscribers that has been following us and just on this journey since we began. I just want to give you all a big thank you. Remember, go ahead and share these videos to anyone that is out there that is thinking about doing a garden because yes, our whole goal here guys is to get everyone outside to start a garden. Because of the times that we are in, get yourself out of that microwave mentality because once they pull the plug and you can't put your food back into that microwave, what will you do? Okay. So for this year, we want to go ahead and bring a couple of different perspective on how to do a lot of things. If the grid were to shut down or if there was no electricity or if something were to happen, okay guys, don't let that be too far away from your mind because we can see the signs and the things that are going on around us. So I want you all to definitely don't throw that out your mind. Okay. One of the thing is, yes, if you all also know that we, my wife is a real estate agent guys. And if you all are looking for property or anything of that nature, property, selling your home, you know, we would love to work with you guys. So if you are looking to buy property or to sell your home, just go ahead and drop a link down below in the comment box, and we will reach on out to you. All right. So no further ado, what I want to go ahead and do right now guys is to talk about the key to unlock the door for gardening. Okay. So we're going to talk a little bit about what you need to do to have a successful garden for this year and for the years to come, because if you apply these skills in your garden for the years to come, you won't go wrong with your garden guys. Okay. If you all notice, I'll give you all a shot right here. This is where we have our cover crop up here at the top garden. And also right here, I'll pan you on around. So what we have behind me right here, guys, is some purple top turnips that we planted in the fall. And yes, they're still producing. Okay. So one of the things, like I said, the key to unlock the door for a successful gardening. Okay. So just kind of want to talk a little bit about the things that you will need are the things that you need to do in your garden to make sure that you are getting the most production out of your garden guys. Now what we're going to do, we're actually going to go ahead and walk and talk. So now we're leaving from up at the top garden and we're going to pass through the orchard. Now, real quick, if y'all remember, we talk about the new year guys. Okay. Now listen to those birds. They're just a singing. They're chirping. Some of them is calling for their mate, calling for their friends. And that is the beautiful thing about the springtime or the new year. Cause like I said, yes, the new year, there is nothing new in December guys. All right. Nothing, but the trees have no life. There's everything is withered up. So now we're now in spring. And as y'all can see, there is a lot of trees now starting to put on blossoms. Of course, to me, I think it's a little bit too late, too early for these trees to put on blossoms. Okay. So right here is also where we have our apple tree that is already putting on blossoms. I was just talking to my wife and she said that we supposed to be getting down into freezing temperature pretty soon. And so that is one of the things that worries me here with our fruit trees, because I'm going to show you, look at that guys. Now that right there is our plum tree. And as y'all can see, it is blooming away, but stay tuned because what I also want to do is to come on down here and do a separate video on our orchard. And the reason for that is because we had a subscriber said, Hey, I want to see what your orchard is looking like. Once you get all your trees pruned up and they just want to see how it's looking. So we'll come back on down through maybe one of these days and do another video. But also right here, guys, is where we have our blueberry right there. And as y'all can see, that's blooming, full blooming as well. And just keep on going the way how it's going. We are probably not going to end up with any more blueberry like last year. Okay. But it's one of those things I'm going to let nature go ahead and do what nature does. Okay. Or the lock there off with them messing with the weather. Hey, but Hey, none of the less. So back there at the top garden, bring it back to your remembrance. I said, I am going to talk a little bit about the key to unlock that door to have a successful garden guys. Okay. Now right here behind us, what you're looking at is some brassicas. We have some red Russian kale that is just super beautiful, especially with this coolness that is getting those greens taste so sweet guys, whenever we cook them. So I'm going to talk about the things that you need to do as a beginner gardener. That is you're fresh. You're coming in. You're just starting out with your garden. One of the thing is that you want to make sure that when you're getting ready to start your garden, you want to go ahead and find a spot, a beautiful spot where that, you know, you get good sunlight because that is one of the key component with having a garden guys. You don't really want to go ahead and put your garden underneath a shaded area, which would be underneath a tree. Even though this garden right here have a few trees around it. I paid attention to where the sun is coming from. Of course it's from the East. So it do get that good morning sun in the evening. It do get a little bit more sun as well. So the things that we're planning over here do really well. So that is one of the things that you also want to make sure you go ahead and do is to get out in the morning, check the area, and just to make sure that you're getting good sunlight wherever you're planning on putting your garden. Now, if you're going to be planting directly in ground, like you see right here, or you're going to be doing raised beds, that is all up to you. That is a choice that you would have to make. Now, if you don't have tillers and all that different kind of stuff to work the soil, a raised bed would definitely be the way to go. So you can also look into that raised bed. And there is a few videos that you can go ahead and refer back to on how to build a raised bed, and also how to fill that raised bed. Now talking about filling a raised bed, guys, that is also one of the key that you will need to unlock that door. Filling a raised bed. You want to make sure that whenever you get ready to fill your raised bed, you want to make sure that you're putting soil in that is going to be good for whatever it is that you're getting ready to plant. Whether that may be compost, because yes, it is very vital to make sure you have good soil health for your garden. So whether you're coming in with compost, that may could be stuff that you may pull out of your garden and compost it yourself, or you going to the store and buying bags of compost, guys. Because yes, you can do it that way to where you go to the store and buy bags of compost to use in your garden. And if you have animals, which may be chickens or goats, you can absolutely use that in your garden. Because what it is, it's just good organic matter that you will put back in your garden. So to me, that is a key that you will need to open that door. So yes, make sure that your soil health is very healthy. Now, what do you mean about your soil health being very healthy? If you're using the right stuff to fertilize your soil, you will keep your soil healthy. You will keep good microbes, good bacteria, and good fungus in your soil whenever you come on in to feed your beds. Whether that may be with organic fertilizer, like I stated, goat manure, chicken manure, that is a good source for fertilizing. Now right here, I'm going to pan you on up. Another thing that we use here on the homestead, guys, to make sure that we are feeding those microbes and also those bacteria in the soil, then in turn, feed your plants. What you're looking at right here is some compost tea that we use on these veggies right here. So fertilizer is a key thing for your plants that will help to bring in good beneficial fungus and all that different kind of stuff for your plants, guys. So yes, fertilizer is also a key component for good soil health. And also, pest issue. For a beginner gardener, you want to also make sure that you are controlling the pests in your garden. So you would want to get on out there and find some organic source that you can use, organic pesticide that you can use in your garden. Not only that, it's going to be beneficial for your plant and your soil anyway whenever you use it because it won't be harmful to the soil. So you have your Bt that is good for caterpillars and different kind of insect of that nature. And also, you have your neem oil, guys, that you can use on your plants to control bugs. And also, there is another one out there that is called Azera that you can also use. I think you got the pyrethrum and compress neem oil in it to help with pest control in your garden. So for a beginner garden, that is one of those things that you want to go ahead and make sure you have on hand before you start your garden. Because one thing is whenever you do see pests inside of your garden, you want to go ahead and jump on that. Not wait until they damage your plant, then you come in and start to treat them. I know you have your whiteflies and also, what's that other one? Aphids that come in and sometimes they lay up underneath the leaves. And so sometimes you cannot see them until you go in and start inspecting your plants. Then you can see that you have aphid issues. And you want to go ahead and also take care of that because what that will do, what they will do, they will suck the life out of your plants. And one of the things is you want to make sure that any leaves that are turning brown on your plants, you go ahead and take those off because that right there is showing weakness of that plant, guys. Even though of course as the plant grow, those older leaves, they will die back. But if you notice a lot of times whenever you had your aphids come on in, most of the times you're attacking that yellow leaves and then eventually they'll go ahead and spread to the rest of the plant. So making sure proper management for taking out those yellow leaves on your plants is good practice. If whenever you come in to clean up and you don't see any bug issue, you can simply take those leaves off and drop them back inside of your garden bed so they can break back down, in turn feeding the soil all over again because it is, yes, a cycle, guys. So keep that in mind. Okay. And another thing for our beginner gardeners, weed control is a key thing that you want to make sure that you are managing when it comes to your garden. Weed control. Now, before I leave this area here, I just want you to go ahead and take a quick look at these beds right here, guys. If you notice, I keep them fairly clean. At least I try to. Okay. As we go on down here, you will see a spot where that I do have some small, a few amount of weeds coming up, but hey, I will be taking care of those shortly. All right. But what I want to go ahead and do is talk about weed control because I know for a beginner gardener, one of the thing is weeds. Sometime we'll get on out there and we will get discouraged because of all the weeds, but I'm here to kind of help you on how to go about combating the weeds in your garden, guys, so you can enjoy your garden. That is one of those things, getting out there and not having to pull weeds all day, every day. Okay. So weed control. One of the things that you will see right here is that I have a tarp spread all out on this bed. Now, if you go back, we have a video that we did maybe about a year or so ago, talking about tarping, the area that you're getting ready to plant to control weeds. Okay. So with us coming on in with this tarp right here, what this tarp is going to do, it's going to solarize the weeds that is underneath this tarp. So whenever the sun gets hot, it's going to burn it. And once you get underneath there, you won't see any weeds and you'll be ready to start planting. What this tarp also does do guys, is that any seed that is in the soil, this tarp, because of the heat will help those seeds to start germinating. And once they germinate, because they have no sunlight and they have nowhere to go, those seeds will start to get solarized as well. Yes. And that is the beautiful thing about putting a tarp down. All right. So that is why you will see a majority of our garden is being tarped now, because yes, even though I keep my garden clean, I don't really like to come on out and pull weeds. So keep that in mind. If you were big in a garden and you find that spot on your property where you want to go ahead and start planting, go ahead, grab you a tarp and go ahead and tarp that area. So you can start killing out the weeds. And then once you kill out those weeds, you can come on in and start cultivating. Or if you're using raised bed, go ahead and control those weeds, guys. Right. Because I'm telling you, we do not like weeds. Absolutely not. And also another great benefit for using a tarp inside of your garden. Say, for instance, we're getting a lot of rain right now. What the tarp will do will help from our soil being corroded while it's not being used. And what I'm actually going to be doing is we're going to be coming on in with wood chips. Actually, I just walk on a road that have wood chips in it right now. But we do have some more rows here that we need to come on in and start to fill up down here. OK, but as you all can see right here, guys, look at this. That right there, yes, is our Georgia collards. That is also another beautiful thing for our beginner gardeners. Whenever you start your garden, don't forget to save seeds, guys, because yes, next year is coming. That will be another year that you will, yes, have to eat. And so by saving those seeds, you will be able to plant back next year. OK, so right here is that bed that I was telling you about that I do have a little bit of weed coming in. But what I am doing, I am monitoring those weeds to make sure that they're not going to seed inside of this bed right here, guys, because if they start to go to seeds and I leave them, what's going to happen? I'm going to have to deal with that problem all over again next year. OK, but right in here as well, as you all can see, I came on in with some tarp to cover or some black plastic. It doesn't necessarily have to be tarp. It can be some black plastic. And what I did, I go ahead and cut them so that way I can cover up individual rows, guys. So that is also what you're looking at. So definitely, definitely keep that in mind. Go ahead and tarp your garden and get rid of those weeds. OK, so real quick, something that I want to show you all. Look at that. You know what that is? That is Romanesco broccoli. Now, this right here has been a broccoli that I have been trying to grow for probably about two years now. And I did put a couple of seeds last fall and I planted them. And finally, I got me a beautiful head of Romanesco broccoli. Now I would go ahead and let that broccoli go ahead and go to seed, guys. But because majority rules, we only have one Romanesco broccoli and we have probably right at about, let me see here, quite a bit of Georgia collard seeds in this area. So I'm going to go ahead and let the Georgia collards go to seed so we can have some seeds for later on. OK, so I pray that I did kind of touch on a little bit of things here for you all. Pretty much the key to unlock the door for a successful garden for beginners. Because, hey, like I said, I want all of you all that is watching this channel to get on outside and get in the dirt and start planting your own food, OK? In a way, I do not care what it is that you're planting. Long as it is something that you can eat, that's all that matters. Because yes, guys, I am telling you, we are now in a time where that it's a lot going on. I don't know if you all can see the changes that is going on right before our eyes. Pray that you all are opening up your eyes so you all can see. So you all can see that way you don't get caught with your pants down. Because trust me, it's hard for you to run with your pants down at your heels. So one of the things is I want you all to get on out there and start preparation, start preparing your garden to start planting something, starting your seeds. Now, that is also another thing right there that I could have talked about unlocking a door for a successful garden is seed starting. OK, make sure that you all are practicing on how to start yourself some seeds, because I am telling you just even today, one of the things as a gardener, you always whenever you go to those big box stores, you like to stop and see what it is that they have for sale at the time. And so I went ahead and I stopped by. And guys, I'm telling you, even the price of seeds or not the price of seeds, but the price of plants are starting to get very expensive. I remember it was about $3.50 for a six pack of plants. Now they're going for right at about $6. So you're pretty much paying a dollar a plant. So make sure that you're starting yourself some seeds to be able to plant on out. It's not really as hard as you think it is. You know, we do have a few videos on starting seeds, guys, so you can go ahead and check that on out as well. Just get into the archive and scroll and you will see quite a bit of videos that are there that can help you for in the long run, because like I said, these skills, you don't want to learn them when stuff gets crazy. You want to start learning them now. So start learning on how to start seeds and how to plant those seeds. Okay. So that way, when the time come, you will be ready. Okay. If you notice, we have some broccoli here as well. Now quite a bit of stuff is starting to bolt here on the homestead guys. And what that is, is because of when I planted them, I planted them in the fall and they were able to go through that cold winter. And so now it's getting warm and that's what's causing them to start bolting. Now, what do you mean by bolting? I'll go on up here and show you and talk a little bit about what bolting is. Okay. Bolting is pretty much one of those things where that once this plant is given up producing, it will go ahead and start to bolt. This is what bolt is. If you see where this was going on, it's a long stark coming up. So it is bolting. And when it bolts, what happened, it go ahead and put out seeds. Okay. So that's what that is. Typically right here is what your collard greens should be looking like. Okay. But now that, because it's bolting, which is starting to put on seeds, that's what bolting is. Okay. And so look at that. All right. That does not mean that you cannot come on in and still go ahead and get those real nice tender leaves that is on this plant. You go ahead and simply pluck those tender leaves right there. And you leave these right here because this is where your seeds are going to be coming from. And you get all those leaves and leave this right here so you can go ahead and produce seeds for you. All right. So that is pretty much it right there, guys. When it comes to your plant bolting, that's what that is. All right. If you notice, we have another one over there. It's quite a bit of them. If not, all of them is in that process to where that they start bolting. All right. So I pray that I touch on quite a bit for you all today to give you all a different perspective on, you know, starting a garden. All right. Definitely, it is a, it will be a great start for you guys. Now, why would that be a great start? Hey, because you will be able to eat. Okay. And then not only that, you will be taking control of your own food because that is where I want to get you all to start taking control of your own food, guys. All right. So nonetheless, that right there is pretty much it. Just want to say thanks to each and every one of you all out there for stopping by the Humble Servant Homestead. And as always, peace and blessings to each and every one of you all out there. Remember, you keep a smile on your face, you be happy, you be cheerful, and you be blessed. Guys, until next time, we will catch you all in another video. Happy gardening. Now, remember, you like these contents that you are getting, go ahead, throw that thumbs up, like, share, and subscribe. Send these videos on out there to your friends and family, guys, because yes, getting a garden together is going to be the key to open up that door. All right. Stay tuned.