19 Things I Learned In 2023

[@scottbaruth9041]

As a single farmers market gardener, I base most of what I do against time. For instance, I set cages on peppers vs string weave methods. It's a "one and done" thing that I can do when the season is slower, and not needing to do string weaving throughout the season when i need to harvest. I use a lot of resuable plastic mulch. 45 minutes invested in a 4ft by 50ft sheet for me to insure practically no weeding. Pull the sheets and roll up after frost type project, gives you a winter project. Also succession crops are mostly weekly, biweekly, and 30 days. My last frost date is May 10th, so without spreadsheets I know every 10th of the month my 30 day planting is due. On 2 week succession, I split the month, so 1st, 15th, 1st, 15th... For me, every Saturday after market is my 7 day succession planting day. Easy on my brain. Thanks for the great videos and hard work!

[@REDGardens]

That all makes so much sense, thanks for sharing. When time is a critical factor, I can imagine setting up appropriate methods is a key focus.

[@kotukuwhakapiko467]

Yes! Go you! I just did that with the months. I'm calling it Early Feb (0-15) Late Feb (15-30)

[@Chris-op7yt]

what sort of cages? i'm always struggling to provide support for peppers, with their branching and having to support heavy load of fruit on thin stems. wish they'd be sturdier plants.

[@scottbaruth9041]

@Chris-op7yt I use the 3 ring heavy duty 52/54? Inch size cages and support each cage with a 4ft stick of 5/8 inch rebar. You want to use galvanized, concrete wire works ok for jalapeños but will leave a black mark on your bell peppers if they get against it. I use the rebar because I get a lot of wind. Also, my spacing is 2 feet in row by 3ft between rows.

[@Chris-op7yt]

@@scottbaruth9041 : thank you. mine were also doing fine, nice fruit fully grown, and wind came. not fun standing them back upright.

[@fxm5715]

What a great summary of a year's worth of learning. Your work and sharing has made a significant, positive difference in my own garden over these years. Many thanks, Bruce.

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@charlie5204]

It's the same for me. I always watch the videos and compare it to what I can do in my climate. Or check what could fit for me.

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

I love your yearly synopisis videos. Thank you Mr Context. I hope you get a lot more financial supporters this year so you can contiue the work.

[@fxm5715]

+1 "Mr. Context."

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@firefly5421]

These summary type videos are some of my favorite videos you put out, it's great to see how all of your learning is coming together and I love that you're sharing your work! Do you think you could inculde one or two "take aways" at the end of the videos you normally produce? It seems like there's always a bunch of us in the comments asking "so if you could only grow one variety, which would it be...?" type questions. And I know you have a million of your own research projects to work on, but what are your thoughts on companion planting for pollinators and things like bee habitats? With the... abundance of uncultivated land around you, it may be something you don't have to plan, but as a suburban gardener, I do think about it.

[@REDGardens]

Really glad you like these types of videos. They are great for me as well, to look back at last year, as I am planning for the next one. I'll have to think about the 'take aways' thing, it might work well. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Aigjis]

@10:20 Perlka. I dont know is it available in Ireland. It is produced in Latvia, Lithuania. The method is to mix Perlka with soil up to 10 cm deep, make it moist and cover for 3 weeks with plastic. There will be I forgot the name some kind of gas which will sanitize soil and later Perlka also is source of calcium and feeding plants. There suppose to be manufacturers information online if need more precise information, how many grams to use on 1 square meter etc.

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@srantoniomatos]

What amaizes me the most in my 6 years of gardenning is how much i disregard soil (mineral soil), the most natural and rich medium to grow plants, and how much money, work and time i spend on external inputs like mulchs, compost, peatmoss, manures, and fertilizers in general. I know that vegetal growers, specially for markets, are more demanding, but, even so, the mineral soil have been seriously underapreciated.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, soil can be wonderfully productive, especially when there is a reasonable amount of clay in it.

[@sharonknorr1106]

Thanks for this. Good luck in the new season and managing things more by yourself. Love your experiments as I was a scientist before retiring and have always run little experiments of my own in my garden. It's hard to run a really good one because there are so many different variables, but it is fun nonetheless and always gives you some kind of useful information.

[@REDGardens]

Yes, it is hard to run a good experiment. All the variables really do introduce complexity everything. I try to approach explorations like this as more of a way to understand the possibilities and issues, and not trying to answer a question. So I usually end up with more questions, for more exploration, which is always fun!

[@TheKrispyfort]

Yay, I'm not the only fmr researcher who experiments with my garden beds 😅

[@glassbackdiy3949]

I know the Soil Food Web School would recomend a soil soak AACT for the fungal issue, with additional spraying during the crop cycle, the problem would be accessing a known good source of starter compost to brew it without a microscope etc. (I only know 2 sources in the UK) NOTS is running Johnson-Su compost courses all over Ireland, maybe they can supply a few ILbs to get you going (2lbs per acre!). I recently attended a seminar with Johnson & Su presenting one of the lectures, if a full size bioreactor is too much hassle you can do one 2.5ft dia with only 1 air tube in the middle, the key is following their recipie/instuctions as closely as possible, dried greens for starting and maintaining 70% water content/watering lightly every day for >1 year can be a bind, I put mine next to the chickens that I had to see to every day anyway but it still became a chore. You mentioned tomato/cucs stringing with J hooks took a lot of your time in an older video, have a look at the Qlipr system, one of the market garden presenters in a recent seminar said he could do a 100ft polly tunnel in an hour using this system, which got my attention! Love these summery vids, nice work Bruce, cheers.

[@REDGardens]

I do want to try a bioreactor! Not sure activated compost will deal with the spores of the verticillium wilt though. Would love to set up a trial of different methods, but doesn't know where the spores/infection areas are in the soil, if they are spread everywhere or only in certain locations (for now). The key issues is there is no easy way to test for the disease, apart from growing some susceptible plants and waiting to see if they get it, and if they do, then I have just repopulated even more soil with the spores. If I can't find a way around that, then my tendency to set up a trial won't work, and I am really hesitant on just trying something that 'might' work.

[@TheKrispyfort]

​@@REDGardens MacGyver an autoclave to pressure cook the affected plant matter.

[@SeekingBeautifulDesign]

Thank you for providing rigour to small scale gardening. Many sources are hearsay or guesses couched with certainty. In a way I have an opposite issue to yours and it may be helpful. I'm developing a permaculture property to support those living here. Lots of upfront work, but I see that soon I won't need to do much...except that science in the last decade is discovering a great increase in the benefit of regular cardio and weight training. Permaculture setup and annual gardening can cover that if you run everywhere while gardening. So, rather than going to a gym, I've been trying to help neighbours with an hour of intense work daily because I'd have to do it anyway, and lifting iron creates nothing but iron filings while gardening creates so much especially outdoors. However, this is middle America and there is not enough interest from neighbours to stay fit and I have a small, but real fear of getting shot should I approach more. But Ireland is not N. America. Perhaps there is a fitness conscious local crowd that exists or could be created that you could enlist to give cardio, strength training and nature exposure, possibly food. Cycle to the garden, squat, lift and carry heavy things around. Honestly, it's a bit hard to schedule a full hour of such things, but you operate on a larger scale than I. And maybe the crowd will accept a bit less intensity for a bit more fun and community. For me large hand dug earthworks projects can provide lots of exercise and are big enough and simple enough to provide consistent chunks of exercise without a lot of messing about. Ironically, skilled work is not what's wanted as it's hard to build a poly tunnel well and safely while keeping your heart rate above 70% of max.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, it is the skilled or careful and focus work that I would need the most support with. Occasionally there are big labour intensive and simple tasks, but I have found ways around a lot of those from my growing spaces.

[@SeekingBeautifulDesign]

@@REDGardens Thanks. Your response kind of makes me sad. I haven't found a way to do annual gardening that gives enough exercise. It's all the skilled/careful/focused work. Even the exercise staple of double digging seems contraindicated given what we know about soil systems/no-dig. Again, activity outside is good, but benefits do jump up after certain intensity levels.

[@pierrerestoux7360]

Hi there, I have found that using mesh for cucumbers was a lot easier to suport them as they will attach themselves. Only sometimes I have to run some cheap cotton twine across to keep them against it. For the capsicums, this year I tried the sweet capsicums banana which are a lot smaller but incredibly prolific (30 to 40 on the bush all the time, I just cant eat enough of them and they are just in containers), they also only need one stake along the main stem to support them. I also had that soil disease and it took me 2 years to work it out.. I did solarisation and planted tomatoes again to see if it worked (FYI I'm located in Sydney Australia). I love your videos, you must be very busy to manage this veggie garden!

[@REDGardens]

I should try the mesh for cucumbers, thanks for the suggestion. Glad to hear you had success with solarisation. Not sure if it will work here in Ireland with our general lack of sunlight!

[@ashbash9103]

Can I suggest an experiment with onions? There are 2 factors to the way you can grow them, that I'd like to understand better. One of them is early sowing, the other is multi-sowing. General advice is that multi-sowing produces better yields, and rational is that earlier sowing could produce larger onions. My theory is that multi-sown onions don't need early sowing because the limiting factor on their growth is their spacing, while single-sown onions will produce a better crop if sown early, because the limiting factor is their time in the ground. If you're interested in that experiment I'd love to see the results from a 4-way split trial (early+multi, early+single, late+multi, late+single).

[@REDGardens]

Interesting way of thinking of it.

[@TheKrispyfort]

Can you define "multi-sowing", please?

[@ashbash9103]

It's when you put multiple seeds in the same module, and plant them all as one unit

[@tobyusa15]

Three sisters methods work best, in my experience, with with varieties of corn that are more similar to corn that Native americans grew: su corn types (dual purpose) with smaller winter squashes (acorn) and corn field beans (climbing shell beans which grow "knife like"/pointy) which can be picked regularly for green beans but may need to be snapped & strung.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, I think you are right.

[@f1freek321]

I continue to learn so much from your videos, and very much appreciate you spending the time to put them together and share your knowledge.

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@TheKrispyfort]

Pumpkin vine and strawberry patches get along very well. The pumpkin vine helps deter birds and the strawberry plants act as a living ground cover for the pumpkin. Next growing season I am going to see how well strawberry plants and melon plants coexist with alliums.

[@sandrinakeffufal6008]

I would have thought that the pumpkin would shade out the strawberries?

[@TheKrispyfort]

@sandrinakeffufal6008 I'm in Australia. The strawberries aren't complaining about that. Pumpkin partial shades the strawberries and the strawberries partial shade the pumpkin vine-stem

[@BalticHomesteaders]

Great reminders and advice, thanks for your work and this summary video Bruce. I must look out for some netting like you have there, I haven't much if any at all butterfly netting here or at least in big/long enough rolls like we need. I may resort to scaffold netting which is a little on the heavy side.

[@REDGardens]

That netting has been great for our brassicas, and some other plants that had issues with birds.

[@barrybridgeford530]

I've also had recurring powdery mildew affect my squash and cucumber plants over the years. Diluted milk spray has provided some control of it. This winter I picked up on some news that silica soil amendment may provide systemic resistance to mildew for these particular plants. So, I'll be applying some to most of those crops' raised beds. I may leave a few square feet untreated and observe them as a "control". I may be trying diatomaceous earth as a source of silica. My only concern is that the silica may not become accessible to the plants until it is absorbed by the soil microbes that process mineral nutrients and in turn feed the vegetable roots, thereby delaying the hoped for benefits.

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting. Worth look gin into. Thanks.

[@angelad.8944]

I can totally understand the issues surrounding the organization of people to work around you. No one can see your vision, not really. I discovered that I needed a person that wasn't necessarily an in depth gardener but more of a task oriented organizer as a partner. The person I work with, keeps me moving and any helpers that may come by. They are task oriented and can focus on those details while I get to work. Of course, the person is also working along side me but it's ok when they are not because they are dealing with getting others on track and are able to delegate and train people really well. This will leave you to do what you do best and still gets you the help you need, when you need it. Food for thought. I guess it is kind of like a project manager but different. ☺

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting. I guess with my friend I was looking for someone who could more or less replicate a lot of what I was doing. Perhaps I need to look for someone to do the a subset of the jobs.

[@TheKrispyfort]

Oh, you definitely have a project manager. A must for every Visionary.

[@TheKrispyfort]

​@@REDGardens divvy up the chores, and have faith in their abilities.

[@TheKrispyfort]

3 SISTERS METHOD Your biggest problem I can observe was the regular spacing of the individual corn plants. Sow the corn kernels in clusters of four (4), with regular spacing between the clusters. Sow four (4) pole/climbing beans around each corn plant cluster when the corn plants are a hand-width in plant-height. Train the pole bean plants around the cluster, like a living green binding, in an anticlockwise direction. Sow the squash seeds at 2/cluster at about the same time as the pole beans.

[@NVH83]

Please share which sweet potato variety may do better in colder climates. I live in the Netherlands and there are no slips to buy, so I have to raise them myself from store bought tubers and while they start off ok, they simply won't grow large and produce no roots to eat.

[@REDGardens]

I only have one option around here (called 'Orleans') from the one supplier, so have no idea if it is useful or not - yet.

[@michelemarble6799]

As a backyard Maine USA gardener I really enjoy your videos. I was fascinated by your discovery that hybrid peppers might grow better in cooler climates. Also you mentioned solarizing a piece of ground to get rid of perennial weeds. Does this also kill the microbes in the soil that feed the future plants you grow there? I have been reluctant to solstice for that possibility.

[@REDGardens]

I want to solarise/steam the soil to kill the fungal spores that spread the verticillium wilt (not the weeds). And yes that will kill pretty much everything else in the soil that can't migrate down or out of the way. But I can reintroduce the microbes and other useful soil biology, and that seems to be easier than it would be to continue to grow with this persistent soil based disease.

[@Chris-op7yt]

time is money. i had a calcium and potassium deficiency crash this year, but mostly recovered quickly after finding it and applying. for fast results with potassium i applied foliar potassium acetate, which is much more available than potassium carbonate liquid from garden store. to make: 1:1 ratio of the potassium carbonate liquid with double strength (8%) vinegar. seems to help with fungal stuff as well, as a bonus. seems that calcium and potassium leech readily and in high demand during warm season cropping. i'm still trying to work out if additional dripline runs between existing 3 foot (90cm) spaced rows, will help, as the dripline watering doesnt spread much moisture at all, in my soil/climate conditions.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, time is money, and I am learning that sometimes the best option is the fastest!

[@panagiotisprg9184]

great video,i learned many things,thank you.i use 3 or more layers of cardboard for the weeds(pathways) mostly 2 layers to have some flow from the ground.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, I think 3 layers is probably a minimum.

[@sandrinakeffufal6008]

Yes, the problem with the cardboard is that it wasn't thick enough. It depends if you want the rain to be able to penetrate the soil. You can also put hay/straw/dried grass at least 30cm thick and that will stop the weeds from growing, but it will need topping up as it decomposes.

[@berniemods]

Great content. Love the channel. Great work and inspirational as usual.👍

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@RominaJones]

I love trying different beet varieties. My favourite are the touchstone gold. They just taste the best to me. Interestingly enough, at the farm-stand it's the red ones that sell first and fastest as I think it's what people are most used to. Even the cylindrical varieties sell slower. It's come now the golds are mostly for me and the reds for everyone else.

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting, I didn't like the taste of the Touchstone Gold plates that we grew.

[@RominaJones]

@@REDGardens Well, there you go. Everyone's taste buds are different. Maybe I'm the odd one out.

[@TheKrispyfort]

The greens are edible

[@sandrinakeffufal6008]

Thanks for reminding me that I can grow sweet potatoes with a trellis, that will be my experiment for this year and give me something to grow on the trellis I used in winter for snow peas :)

[@herbertclaasen1423]

There is so much value in the work you do!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@robinvanschie9675]

Thanks again for sharing your information! Do you have a list of companies in Europe to buy seeds from? I am strougling to find good variaties for some crops.

[@REDGardens]

I buy a lot from Bingenheimer in Germany

[@jonnybell]

Exactly what I'm doing with my container grown potatoes using drip irrigation it will save a huge amount of time. It will remove inconsistent watering fingers crossed for 2024

[@bradcarby3765]

I have always been a "do it myself because it will be done right" kind of guy. It took a return to farming to realise that asking for help is the way to go. Farm machinery is so fkn heavy, to do it all yourself would cause a lot of injuries. Now I realise that asking for help when its not a big job makes things way easier too. Only took me forty years.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, I am that kind of guy too. And I also am not great at managing other people, but I need to learn to ask for more help!

[@2010katak]

For your verticillium wilt, have you tried peroxide? Might help.

[@REDGardens]

I haven't, but something to look into.

[@seanykeating]

Hi just wondering what varieties of sweetcorn grow best outdoors in Ireland??

[@REDGardens]

I don't know yet, only tried the one variety.

[@Willow_and_Sage]

Passive solar greenhouses may help in extending your crop. I have seen it improve an area by several growing zones. May help with your hot loving crops.

[@REDGardens]

I would love a proper greenhouse!

[@Willow_and_Sage]

@@REDGardens @Arkopia is the KZbin channel, he is growing tropical in -30 c up here by me in Sask.

[@hotmalm]

Thank you!😊👍

[@David-xh9cw]

Verticillium wilt is so common I'm finding. Patches of it all over allotments for absolute sure. I've just taken ownership of a 3/4 acre garden and I swear I'm brining in nothing soil based that isn't sanitized, beautiful mature garden and untouched soil I'd never forgive myself if I ruined it. Everything garden-tool related is getting very thoroughly bleached twice before we move from the allotment and I'm throwing out my "allotment" shoes. They're breeding pts lol. We learn so much from them though :) Biosecurity and disease management if nothing else lol.

[@DDGLJ]

I used to babysit my neighbor’s basil in my greenhouse when she was away on business, but no more. I think I’ll just surprise my friend with a basil plant I personally grew, to head off disaster and preserve good neighborly relations.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, I am starting to realise how important biosecurity and disease management is.

[@jeffmartin693]

Off topic but do you grow any berrys or other fruit there?

[@REDGardens]

Yes, there are a bunch in the surrounding landscape, but not part of this project.

[@growingskyes5327]

We eat the sweet potato leaves! They are my favorite leafy green!

[@dollyperry3020]

I didn't have luck with the 3 sisters either. Great list!

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

Thanks for a very (helpful video Bruce. I think that you should get some help this year to reduce the load on you and perhaps mentor someone else. Not sure if the local kids get involved in growing food or visit the RED gardens project? Seems to me like a live biology and science class sometimes. All great for learning.

[@REDGardens]

One of the big issues for me is the extra workload of keeping someone else busy, and making sure that they have all the info and stuff to do the job, and to schedule around them (and the weather). For me, that was the more significant downside of regularly working someone, and with having an intern or providing a learning environment. It is great in ways, but pulls away from the stuff that only I can really do. And my introverted self is enjoying having more time to myself and fewer things to focus on and schedule around. But I need to find a way to get around that.

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

@@REDGardens Hi Bruce, I understand what you are saying. I’ll be 69 years old shortly and work two small allotments with my wife near my home in Burghead. We enjoy it very much.I’m always trying to think of easier ways to lighten the workload as the pain in my back becomes a bigger problem. It’s an ageing thing. I’m just thinking how your experience and expertise is passed on and spread. You are a great inspiration and teacher. I watch most of your videos at least twice to apply the learning from them. Kind regards - Michael

[@willbass2869]

Nice review. Good luck with the garden in 2024

[@joman104]

What usda zone would Ireland be?

[@REDGardens]

I don't know. We don't use that kind of zoning in Europe.

[@angelad.8944]

The United Kingdom lies in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6 through 9 with some variations across regions and seasons.

[@Qgal5kap123]

I tried the three sister in the Norwegian inland 2023, and it failed spectacularly. The squash did well though, but the beans and corn struggled. We had early draught, followed by mostly rain for 2-3 months. Not my best season. 😅

[@KALSINFILMS]

grafted tomatoes peppers and eggplants are solution soil desieses.

[@REDGardens]

I will look into that.

[@NjabuloDee]

Great video 💚💚💚

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@TheKrispyfort]

7:02 sweet potato greens are edible

[@gailthornbury291]

Would you consider adding some perennials to reduce workload? Asparagus? Fruit bushes or canes? Fartichokes?

[@REDGardens]

It would be nice to grow some more perennials, which makes a lot of sense if I was just growing food for myself. Though as this is a research project, my workload is directly related to the range diversity of different things that I want to explore, so adding perennials would just add more things 😂

[@gailthornbury291]

@@REDGardens some years ago when my five children were young and I was working a stressful job which included nights and weekends fruit bushes and rhubarb and a few salads were all I could manage.

[@that9blife465]

Sweet potatoes do not perform well in good soil. To much nitrogen will make loads of greens witch are edible but less potatoes

[@REDGardens]

Good to know.

[@RoyHolder]

You could try Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) to sterilise and oxygenate the the soil to get rid of the wilt.

[@REDGardens]

That sounds like an interesting option.

[@that9blife465]

Use flowers and crop rotation to help with disease. 3 year minimum rotation. Zinnias are a great flower. Maybe cover crop with a legume as well.

[@REDGardens]

Do they deal with verticillium wilt?

[@that9blife465]

@REDGardens I can not say for certain but a cover crop of some hot variety of mustard greens does kill off many different things. I followed my cover crops with onions wich help with pests

[@GGeloRob]

Should organise a weekend of visitors from your subs when you need a workforce

[@REDGardens]

That would be interesting, and probably very useful! But the thought of organising so many people doesn't appeal to me. 😁

[@pinballwizard6906]

✌️😎