GROWING AVOCADO | MULBERRY | CABBAGE | TOMATO | DUCK | VLOG

In this video, I give you the best avocado tree growing conditions and tips plus I "fill-you-in" with a VLOG on what's been going on over the past several days on our acreage homestead property.
Kookaburra video: • Kookaburra Struggles T...
Support me on Patreon: / selfsufficientme (the top tier $25 AU enables mentoring from yours truly via an exclusive VIP email where I will answer your questions etc ASAP).
My second channel: bit.ly/331edDu
Using the links below also helps support my channel:
Help support the Channel and buy a T-shirt/Merchandise from our Spreadshirt shop: bit.ly/3lmqMkr or Teespring bit.ly/3neEYO8
Go here to get Birdies Raised Garden bed in the USA: shop.epicgardening.com/ and use SSME2020 for a 5% discount (unfortunately discount doesn't apply in Australia or UK)
Check out www.gardentoolsnow.com/ for tools such as the Prong I recommend to use.
Shop for plants or garden equip on eBay Australia: bit.ly/2BPCykb
Blog: www.selfsufficientme.com/ (use the search bar on my website to find info on certain subjects or gardening ideas)
Forum: www.selfsufficientculture.com
Facebook: bit.ly/2Zi5kDv
Twitter: / sufficientme
Subscribe to my channel: goo.gl/cpbojR
Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :)

[@Selfsufficientme]

G'day Everyone, the link to the kookaburra vs tree snake video mentioned in this video is here kzbin.info/www/bejne/hom8eamhr56fgKM Cheers :)

[@KanyiriGrows]

I edited my comment and lost your love eye..please show me love again.😓😓

[@TheOriginalDeckBoy]

Hey Mark... I'm down the road in Karana Downs... we have a very red clay soil on the slope which hits the alluvial soil lawn... found the same issues and thanks to you don't have to make the same mistakes, so thanks pal.. Question.. If one was to get a digger and bore a hole in the clay, fill it with a good sandy deep loamy soil, they do the raised bed and get even better results? like a trench in your case?

[@Selfsufficientme]

@Fratele Everglade Thanks for your concern Fratele (and I'm not getting any younger) I hope to make it easier to move soon. All the best :)

[@aaronh6050]

Hi Mark, have you looked into Clonal rootstock for a more tolerance to wet soil and disease? We use one called Bounty in Nz but think it has a one off royalty payment.

[@budgetfpv92]

What about a French drain style idea underneath if raising them up doesn’t work.

[@jezackr3500]

The fact that I can spend my day listening to the man on the other side of the world talking about his garden is nothing if not marvellous.

[@neesargon3497]

Couldn't agree more, Jezack. He's such a nice bloke and full of common sense and good ideas. I'm an old lady in London. Which 'other side of the World' are you on?

[@Argentvs]

And I reading you while doing the same in the other other side of the world in Argentina.

[@MrJosephX100]

I agree, he’s filled with such great energy. I feel like his voice raises my own vibrations. Thank you Mr. Mike! 🙏🏿

[@katespencer3938]

Try to never miss one of this gentleman's videos. In apartment in America.

[@gardengatesopen]

And I, in Texas, marveling at how the world CAN BE a wonderful place indeed! ♡

[@TheSkypeConverser]

mark is a savage, he gets free stuff and he doesn't hesitate to give honest reviews and say he never uses it 😂 love the content!!!

[@Listenclearly1979]

Aussies don't like to waste peoples time, so we say things straight up🙂

[@NMW80]

jenny-lee greer exactly straight out is the only way to be.

[@darrenmanser2847]

Was thinking that very same thing. Thanks for posting it 😊

[@FarmLifewithKids]

Agreed!!!! He’s so amazing! 🙂

Ladies take note: Get a man who looks at you like Mark looks at his tomatoes!

[@NMW80]

😂

[@timmafee0]

best comment

[@japphan]

Mark's wife: I wish I could share him with you, but there is only enough for me.

[@traceycole5300]

The look of sheer joy on your face showing the beetroot haul was delightful.. so authentic. Love your work. So great, so organic.

[@fredguts8288]

To garden all year is amazing, watching things grow is so calming and beautiful.

[@glenbarke7406]

Mark let Nina know that it is easier to destem mulberries using nail scissors. Just poke the scissors into the top of the mulberry near the stem and cut the stem. I use a glass of water to rinse off the scissors periodically. We have had a fantastic mulberry season this year. Mulberry jam, mulberry cobbler and water bath for using later in the year. Love learning from you. Thanks for putting in the effort to bring us great down to earth videos that are practical and useful.

[@yourdude4life885]

I forget you are going into summer while im going into winter

[@chbr1188]

I checked the date to see if it was old. Ha. I had a moment.

[@esaydrifter808]

Same

[@angela99procent68]

Yeah here to!

[@paintcrazyola1542]

love the huntsman spiders looking after your cabbages. :)

[@mathieuvossen]

Hey Mark, how are your Advocado trees doing these days? Love your channel! Such an inspirational lifestyle!

[@yessir863]

Just grow on a slope , perfect natural drainage, mine are huge grown in 400mm of soil with clay base

[@Mrbfgray]

Not everyone has a slope to work with and mounds seem to do the job.

[@meganwatson3732]

Bo McGillacutty not everyone has a mound. Slope is a good and doable idea.

[@nweasels]

I don't think he has slope to work with.

[@Mrbfgray]

@@meganwatson3732 Your solution is to move across the nation to live on a hill? Sounds reasonable.

[@meganwatson3732]

Bo McGillacutty oh shush you

[@TanjaHermann]

Those gotta be the prettiest tomatoes that I have ever seen! WOW, bet they were delicious.

[@aishaexo-l611]

I have follow you for years and you just never aged. Truly proud of what you do and your channel, greetings from Puerto Rico!

[@Eat_My_Brick]

Just got a link to this video today. And i gotta say.. this is some amazing content. I'm blown away at how little dislikes are on this video too. Completely wholesome side of KZbin i never thought existed. Keep it up 👍

[@NANGSGARAGE]

1 million subscribers just round the corner mate 🏆

[@joyous5507]

LMAO !! I loved the facial expression with the ' rush of ducks' (12.00m) 😂😂😂👏👏👍😘❤️️

[@soapsoilandsunshine3241]

The little bug that flew off your tomato was a green stink bug looking thing. I rewound and looked. LOL.

[@tracylf5409]

Another wonderful and enlightening video. Ta, Mark! From WA. xx

[@riffhurricane]

"I was walking...thumb up bum.." I'd never heard that expression before & it cracked me up! Sounds uncomfortable.. Nice to see your Mulberry trees (& those tomatoes look spectacular!), I've bought some mulberry seed to plant next year & am impatient to get them going.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Yes, it can be uncomfortable mate... :) All the best with your mulberries!

[@steviebee1989]

Rafe Harradine Mark was too polite to say it but trying to grow mulberries from seed will make you a patient man.... one hopes... growing a tree from seed and waiting for it to bear fruit will take a few years if and only if it produces anything. Seedlings are hit and miss with being productive. Get a grafted/cutting grown mulberry and you’ll have fruit within two years if your conditions are good.

[@riffhurricane]

@@steviebee1989 Yes I know. :) I'm impatient to get them going though I know I'll have a wait for any return from them. That's fine though, they're for a small garden orchard I'll be planting here. There's a ton of work going on here rebuilding the farmhouse, & the landscaping etc. comes after. They probably won't reach their final destination for a couple of years anyway. If I get half a dozen saplings from the pack of Black Mulberries I bought I'll be more than pleased. If not then I can buy 2 year olds from the nursery down the road. At £40 a pop for a 1.5 metre tree though its an expensive way to fill an orchard!

[@SayHelloToOblivion]

There’s the same saying in Spanish, actually. This is the first time I’ve heard it in English. There’s also a similar saying “finger in your nose”. 😂

[@chrishewitt4220]

"... and brain in neutral!"

[@elizabethveness7340]

you are a very generous man to give us all this content for free... i was looking into the future to be a patreon supporter but that will have to wait until work picks up again. cheers from Melbourne

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you Elizabeth! It's great to see Melbourne dropping CV cases hopefully you guys will be able to get back to "normal" soon. I appreciate you considering my Patreon but for your info, I do get a share of ad revenue through KZbin, and I make some money through affiliates such as the Prong tool etc so technically I still get some pay for doing what I love and that's sharing content with lovely people like yourself. All the best :)

[@rabit818]

I grew an avocado tree in Atlanta by accident from a seed. I’m not sure it will fruit. Nice haircut!

[@ilive4anime.]

Yaaaaassss a mulberry vid!!!! Mine is fruiting for the second time this year!

[@mmablaster]

I can’t wait to plant. Awesome tomatoes!

[@lucylou5766]

Fun fact about Mulberries, or more specifically the stains they leave on your hands... just rub with the juice of an unripe mulberry and it comes off. Omg, those tomatoes are spectacular! Your growing season in the sub tropics is so early, compared to temperate areas in Oz. Here, the plants haven’t even been sown yet. We won’t harvest until mid to late summer.

[@kathleenconte3360]

Omg why did i not have this info when a child! After going and eating mulberries i would stop at the sheeps trough and scrub like a lunatic to remove the stains. They did lighten but never completely went away. I was found out each and every time. Mum wanted mulberries for jam, and i wanted fresh as i didnt like jam or pies or tarts. Ive got black mulberry in back yard and eagerly waiting for them to be ripe.

[@elainebates6967]

Also, mulberry leaves get the stains off your hands and face.

[@lisajohnsonno1]

Your channel is awesome!

[@SonnySkye]

Love the show and the snakes, spiders and bugs as well!

[@plantsoverpills1643]

A “rush” of ducks indeed!!! 😄 That was one persistent spider and a very hungry kookaburra. Didn’t realize they could take on a snake that size. It earned its supper!!!That snake must have been biding its time, waiting for an opportunity to get at your fowl. “Fouled again!!”

[@JVASB1]

I hate spiders, and that thing was a definite no go. Get myself a flame thrower for that one.

[@jackpitt8316]

Its only a baby

[@lucasberard]

I have three avos that I've had to raise TWICE now. Pretty sure they won't survive a third, so here's hoping. I always find a bit of inspiration in your vids. Really appreciate that.

[@colinsavill3459]

What an inspiration. Love this guy, love his positivity and the obvious joy he gets from gardening.

[@LogHouseFarm]

I wish we could grow Avacado here - the first time I saw a live Avacado tree was on a trip to Hawaii.

[@kit2130]

I just watched an ad that went on over 2 minutes about a butt deodorant to support this channel. "Lume" I don't need you for my junk, thanks anyway. Haha I have to add here that I love that word you used-whipper snipper!! We call it a weed whacker in the states. Funny!! Oh also ducks don't always do well in with chickens. They do kill chickens by grabbing their necks. The chickens just hunker down & the duck just uses their bill repeatedly. Maybe just the drakes do this, I'm not sure. I had to separate mine. Anyway those tomatoes looked delicioso! Love your videos!! ❤️

[@user-qg8fe9hw6h]

this is like watching an adult play school. thanks mark for making my night :)

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi..... Thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍

[@zacandmillie]

We just bought a new place with some land up at Cooloola Cove. It has an established vegi garden and I intend to spend my retirement playing and relaxing in it. Your videos will be my mentor. Oh and I'm ex army like you with 2 ETs for digging !

[@Selfsufficientme]

Those ETs will serve you well! All the best with your new place and "retirement" - backyard veggie gardening will keep you fit and eating the produce not only keeps you healthy but it gives such satisfaction that you really have to do it to understand what I mean. Cheers :)

[@karleneblake6722]

Hey Mark. Waah gwaan (From Jamaica, lol) You have been such an inspiration to me, a new gardener trying to "grow a green thumb" lol Thanks for those pun man! Your wittyness is a real plus, motivation to make us wanna watch as well as grow. Keep doing your thing man Cheers :-)

[@titustheman1]

You threw me for a six when you said "let's get 'straight' into it" Didn't see that coming 😆

[@jodychapple5351]

The tomatoes look gorgeous. I've had so many this year that they pulled the plants down with the weight. Still harvesting them and just did 2 jars of fermented tomatoes. 1 with garlic and dill, the other with garlic and cracked pepper...got jars with the new rubber nipple style.

[@ElkinsEric]

Mark your almost to that 1,000,000 spot! You definitely deserve it man. Keep it up, I’ve learned a lot from your vids

[@BioGartenReich]

Love your videos. Our few mulberries got eaten by the birds ... I will have to protect them somehow. You're such a likeable person that it is fun to watch you gardening. :) Thank you for your work and nice greetings :)

[@ripperdipper5238]

I live on a balcony and did this in a pot with a dwarf lemon tree. There growing beautiful lemons

[@Talk2drew1]

When are we going to get a ton of mangos video? What about an update on your citrus or apples? Love your videos!

[@shaneburns4349]

I saw this a long time a go, and have a very small back yard with clay at Corinda. I built a raised garden bed to grow a tree. It is going gang busters. thanks bloke.

[@jetsillinizoufan-3321]

Mulberry is a weed where I live in Illinois. It grows everywhere along chain link fences. My daughter absolutely loves them when they are ripe. We pick whole pints worth a day at peak harvest.

[@julipolito7761]

Rush of ducks? Lol! You nut! Thanks for sharing, as you, most kindly, do. Juli in Tucson, Az, USA 🌵🌵🌵

[@cchurch5037]

Loving the smug “check out these tomatoes” cheesy grin - classic stuff 😂👍

[@SayHelloToOblivion]

Best of luck to your avocado trees! They’re gonna do great this time! 🙏Much love from the U.S. to our Aussie brothers and sisters. ❤️

[@talkingrabbit5489]

Hey mark, you may want to consider of planting grapes😁 the tree can last for 100 years, give the fruits in all seasons, it grows well under sunlight.

[@GardenTronics]

This is #gardentastic! Thank you sir for an awesome video! 👍🏼💕🌿

[@markbd5]

I genuinely enjoy listening to your advice its more real world advice not just gardening hacks or waste of time bulls!#t I'm in the UK but still helped me sort my tomatoes for perverse videos two massive green 👍🏻👍🏻

[@KA-pq3yz]

You got very nice life with those plants and trees 👍

[@naomimartinez7395]

The best, and biggest avocado's we ever got were given generous amounts of rabbit poo. They were over 2 pounds, and the insides were like butter.

[@herodotosofhalicarnassus1002]

The spider also loves cabbage lol

[@chance1986]

Love the update. Even the snake.. .OK, maybe not so much. But I really enjoy your channel. Thanks for sharing.

[@soccerlegend9780]

You always inspire me. You're the best.

[@tabethapacion7137]

im so happy to know that the advacados dont do well in clay soil i live in southern arizona and we have nothing but clay soil. thanks so much i realy appreacate it. love from united states

[@timisaac8121]

In San Diego, CA: Avocado capital, they plant 6 meters apart: They say avocado will 'attack' other trees any closer. Nevertheless, I love your channel and your attitude!! TY for all you do.

[@lljl5310]

@11:45 lol...that's like me sending my dogs from the indoor corral section to their beds in the night time to go mimis!!😉😉😉 great video thank you.

[@JonathanWellskcender]

Like the haircut. I'm looking forward to the mulberry recipe. I'm hopeful the four plants I have might start producing next season.

[@elonstusks8109]

I love your garden and your work!

[@steveruby2120]

I knew a guy that couldn't grow melons because of clay soil. He dug an 8 inch post hole 4 feet deep filled it with good soil and planted melon seeds in it and grew great melons that way. I don't know if that would work with an avocado tree though, but it might. I used to make white mulberry wine in my younger days, everyone liked it.

[@BenjiSun]

big big big thumbs up for the mulberries~

[@MadFrenzy582]

Love the Kookaburra! I've been binging on their videos for weeks now. Hilarious little birds!

[@tamaracoba]

This is my all time favourite channel. It fits well with my needs because although I don’t live on an acreage I live in Brisbane so all of his practices I can relate to given the sub tropical climate. Love how he ends all his videos on a cheeky note: “hey where did that come from”.

[@charlesbryson7295]

10 subscribers to meet 1M. Congratulations.

[@social3ngin33rin]

I never would have guessed that huge avocado trees don't mind because my close to other trees adjacent to them

[@ozr2mus]

I love your videos & look forward to the new ones. You have a great voice ,are very easy to listen to & a varied & useful gardening knowledge. Stay healthy, safe & always entertaining

[@trifilovarvato]

Hello my name is George . I have an avocado plant ( from seed) it is in a container and about one year old all its leaves have dried and most have fallen but it looks alive. I live in Greece and being able to see it grow would make me so happy. I wish someone could help me. Jose, hold on, my friend, I will take care of you. love nature, plant trees.

[@kraaazychef]

Thanks for another awesome vid, Mark! I was thinking... I would absolutely love to see a drawing of your entire property layout straight down from the top. Also interested in your thoughts on how you would layout everything if you had the change to start from scratch. Would you move some things? Grow some things differently? Thanks again!

[@bronazlin4955]

You're a legend!!You are one of our faves on KZbin 😁 keep up the awesome work!!!🌞

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you! :)

[@bronazlin4955]

Our absolute pleasure !!x

[@sudhac1384]

Awesome video!!

[@garyhunter6030]

I love mulberry fruit. They make great jam or jelly as well as wine. We have the in the states also. You are doing great on your gardening. Good luck with your avocado's. Great video, really enjoyed it.

[@kash5192334]

Very informative!!

[@JT-hw6mq]

Love your work, Mark. Thanks for sharing.

[@mattm00ey]

Good stuff. Thank you.

[@roberttamez9945]

Loved this video mark!

[@stewartthomas2642]

Love your stuff kick on love it

[@fry9000]

Love the vids Mark. Keep it up 👍

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

My mulberry tree is doing great, had some mulberry’s today 😊 it’s in a pot and I prune it back to my head height every year as it gets into spring (it stops growing in winter down in Adelaide) it’s slowly getting nice and bushy and the fruit is at a good height for picking, it’s one of my favourite trees to prune, coz it’s easy to selective prune each branch and gives fruit twice each growing season 🥰

[@annandrell7626]

I'm in Coffs Harbour hinterland,not as cold as Adelaide but colder than the coast. When should I prune mine without sacrificing the fruit? It's fruiting now but not many on it and is getting quite big so it needs a drastic prune.

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

I prune when I see the new shoots forming, from tiny buds to an inch long normally during that time, that way I can cut back to a node that is the direction I want the new branch to go, maybe best to wait till after this first fruiting, they normally have a second flush of growth... or just wait it out till late winter next year and cut them back fairly heavy. I’m not 100% sure with mulberries but if u do a very heavy prune u might not have a huge amount of fruit the season straight after that, but the following season should be fantastic. It’s what I’m doing with my orange tree this year coz that was desperate for a good prune... I have a feeling the mulberries would still do a bit better than the citrus. But yeah main thing wait till u can see new growth/buds forming for leaves/branches and cut just above the one u want to be the next main branch... hope that makes sense I’m better at showing how to do things than explaining it 😬😊

[@annandrell7626]

@@JakeDogg-RIP Aha,I think I get it now. You did a good job of explaining that,thanks heaps😁

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

Ur very welcome ☺️ good luck with ur pruning, but I’m sure it’ll turn out great 😊

[@loobird1156]

I had trouble with avocado too (temperate climate) found seaweed to be an excellent help, burying it around and spraying with seaweed tea to protect from frost, now I've got a huge 10m avocado that produces heaps, best tip I ever got. 😉

[@ORACLEREPTILES]

Mulberries are considered an invasive species here in South Africa. They grow absolutely everywhere where I live in Durban.

[@DonPandemoniac]

You're doing great, very nice to see.

[@jmfineart2263]

Awesome!!! Love your tips and garden! ❤❤❤

[@Querenciatv]

Incredible Work 👍

[@Mrbfgray]

That's a good look'n spider, love to see my little garden friends like that.

[@odonnellsaussiehomestead8257]

1000000 is close doing well my friend. 🥰👍

[@kathrynwhite8482]

Looking good 👍

[@collinolguin5772]

Appreciate all the content and your help with the environment keep it up man

[@zacjohnson1500]

Nearly a million subs mate smashing it well done

[@paulpagotto1846]

Great videos Mark really good info. Cheers

[@jeanetteburgess4649]

Wow, those tomatoes had me salivating! 😍

[@StarDust95300]

I wish appartment buildings came with private garden spaces 😂 looks nice to live like that. Not complaining. Managed to grow some amazing mini tomatoes and cucumbers last year. Sadly they did not survive the dark winter. This years seeds are still tiny sprouts so it will be interesting to see how that goes. Love these videos. They are educational, fun to watch and those tomatoes made me hungry 😂 love from Norway! Good luck on the avoes 😄

[@johndavis7992]

Thanks for showing your video.

[@celticfiddle7605]

So impressed with your garden and your abundant produce!! Those tomatoes!!!!

[@chrispedersen6999]

Thanks Mark. Great video. 👍👍

[@jb4496]

I enjoy your videos. Always so interesting thanks

[@renestewart1663]

Thank you very much for the mini tour. I just love “visiting” your garden. Those tomatoes look delicious. Take care and stay safe.

[@markwarren8003]

Your a champion mate

[@chronold1246]

This video was very informitive, I didn't know how picky avo trees are and explains why mine died in sub tropics, free drained soil but very wet and full direct sun

[@khmerguidinglife1349]

Look at those mango trees full of flowers Very good tomatoes too & thank you for sharing

[@Will-uw2tm]

What a legend you are!