Spring Planting & Soft Fruit Collection | Huw's Garden Diaries

[@HuwRichards]

Get my soft fruit bundle: directplants.co.uk/the-huw-richards-potted-soft-fruit-bush-and-plant-collection-by-directplants/

[@John.Doe-OG]

Huw, most of the links to your website give a 404 not found error.

[@HuwRichards]

Sorted - thanks!

[@ArtemisSilverBow]

I've bought your seed starting trays and seeds, which are awesome. So glad you offer curated products 😊

[@mizsparkie5479]

For your posts: in the US, gardeners will put a mailbox on a post in the garden as a place to keep hand tools like trowels and secateurs. If you are walking around with a coffee (or a beer) and see something that needs snipped or dug, you don’t have to go all the way back to the shed to grab a tool.

[@connormurphy3085]

Huw, you should put bee houses on top of 4 of the poles so you can add more nesting sites for mason, leafcutter, and other types of bees that nest in holes

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

I was thinking hummingbird feeders, too!

[@sandraconner6968]

People thought I was crazy when I included flowers and dwarf trees into my veggie garden, but it works, and it's beautiful. The addition of ornamental is inviting to people and pollinating insects!

[@MB-co6qj]

For the kitchen, hang a rack there with some hooks to attach kitchen stuff to, like mugs :)

[@christinamoxon]

And maybe a few hanging pots of herbs that make good tea.

[@jennythomas4607]

This Place just makes me happy. Well done.

[@patriciamoore3166]

I love that you are positively giddy in this video. The amount of giggling - you are too cute! Love to see all the progress you and the team are making!!

[@SiljeMeum]

I totally agree! Life lacks lustre if you have to contain your giddyness! We are all alowed to enjoy are passions and should do in all ways :D

[@PL-wi8rd]

I had to chuckle about your voice reaction to entering the garden! Now I know that I am among a like minded master gardener! Interacting with our gardens is supreme!!! I love your emphasis of having fun and daring to experiment creatively! Thank you so much, you jus uplifted my whole day😊

[@Gardeningchristine]

I was just about to hop in the shower and needed something to listen to. Perfect timing. I’ll actually watch later. But lovely soothing voice!

[@tammyyoung5279]

For the posts that you have, have you thought about attaching a rain gutter planting of strawberries? Or herbs? You could attach the rain gutter close to the top, so the strawberries and the underplanting could get lots of sunlight?

[@Gardeningchristine]

@@tammyyoung5279 you put this as a reply to my post. Might also want to post it right in the comments so he might see it.

[@darinbennett3638]

Huw, I am really enjoying the new videos with both 'relaxed Huw' and 'Professor Richards'! Seeing your gardens at this time is very inspirational for all of us as we near 'go time' in most planting zones. As always, happy for you and proud of you.

[@jeanfrancoisfauveau7046]

Lov this format ! Way more natural and so warm and personal. Kind of a private tour with you !🤩

[@christinamoxon]

If you're looking for more decorative ideas, those posts would look lovely with solar lights on, or a string of them or bunting between. Not very practical, but pretty 😊 I love the huge amount of progress you're making Huw. You and your team are going amazing work. Thank you for helping those with small growing spaces to make the most of the space to grow. It's a huge benefit for us all. Looking forward to seeing the David Austin roses. I love mine. Xx

[@misssummer6387]

I agree it might look nice but unfortunately light (light pollution) really messes with a lot of insects, so please look into this and consider the impact.

[@guylamullins3602]

I love the plotting bench. Good idea. I have metal poles left from the need to move a satellite dish. I could remove them but I use them for planting strawberries in hanging baskets to keep the neighbor’s dog and chipmunks out.

[@ButterflyLullabyLtd]

I'm with you Huw with regards to the peas. My Dad used to grow them in our garden 🏡. As a child I loved to forage for them. Freshly grown peas you can't beat the taste.

[@winslowschoolofdance]

I love the idea of a plotting bench! I must create one how fun and ingenious is that because one does need a place to sit and Hutch new ideas with a visual of the garden. Brilliant!

[@chultampala7143]

I love these videos. I sometimes imagine I'm witnessing the evolution of a sustainable, ecological friendly corner of Utopia.

[@gesahihi5024]

Regarding the posts, you could use them to hang some insect hotels. They‘d love your veggies’ blossoms and you‘d get more hard working polinators. 🐝

[@lydiabond5393]

U are so right! If you hang out more for fun you will see and do more. Having mobility issues at moment but just sitting outside near my raised bed and enjoying the weather lets me see the small weed i otherwise would have passed over.

[@AlexBowers]

For the posts against the polytunnel, growing some espalier apple trees and pear trees could look really good on there. Have it go about 2/3 up the post and connect wires between the posts and then train the fruit trees to grow only along them. RHS Harlow Carr had some really good examples of this

[@HuwRichards]

Great suggestion thank you so much!!

[@marijeb278]

great one! Those step-over kind of espalier fruit trees are so lovely, and if you can keep them out of reach of rabbits, produce quite good harvests! Keeping the post nearest the entrance of the poly tunnel long, with a few hooks and/or a basket on it is also quite handy. When I'm out and about in the garden, I'm always in need of handy places to put clothes, gardening gloves, seed packets and such.

[@sarahtrew9331]

Was also thinking maybe adding some bug ‘hotels’ or something for birds; but love the tree idea 😊

[@ellenkracikhoffman9530]

I was about to comment with a similar idea, only using grape vines on the wires. I love the espalier idea too. Maybe both could be used in tandem. :)

[@LeahLovelessWasHere]

It might be kind of magical to hang some solar lighting from post to post around the tunnel.. maybe some other areas throughout the garden as well. I love lighting around my gardens at night.

[@misssummer6387]

Please don’t do this or at least limit the time you have the lights on as the artificial light really messes with insects. Please look into the effects of light pollution on wildlife!

[@derek-press]

your videos are so relaxing ,I've got all my potatoes planted and my peas are looking so green and healthy about 6 inches already,chard and onions looking great,I love gardening!

[@Evangelon]

About the posts near the pollytunnel. Run wires and plant steps over apples or grapes.

[@hikerlindacanadianrockies8478]

I did a potato tower a few years ago, and it did quite well, production wise. This was in Calgary, Alberta Canada, season was end of May to end of September.

[@lauraburger8378]

Interesting concept. Did you have to fertilize the potato tower regularly? I’m from a town west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 😊

[@sallyweiner4180]

Love your channel. Thank you. Here in Chicago we are twiddling our thumbs with impatience for the weather to get just a hair warmer!!!

[@marking-time-gardens]

Amazing progress at the new gardens! So excited to see how the new season comes out! Blessings on your day Kiddo! 🥰🌻🐛💕

[@jenniferlroberts5994]

Yes! Beautiful functionality. I have a "Camelia Corner."

[@rowanwhite3520]

The garden is turning out amazing! I would be careful with Hops next to the Japanese Maples. It will ENGULF everything! I have been trying to get rid of it in my garden for years now. It spreads like crazy underground!

[@tigercasey1554]

Love your gardening - especially the plotting bench😅

[@fletchybabe6172]

Lovely Japanese Maples, my favourite trees, however, they will get hammered by the wind being out in the open 😕🌱☀️

[@emillythomas9161]

Love your enthusiasm ❤

[@7zerobakes]

Strawberry towers going up the posts, with maybe a small solar light on top of each. 🍃🍓🍃

[@rowanwhite3520]

Keep the posts and maybe plant some Clematis at the base of each one. They would be amazing with the David Austin Roses.

[@francescopping3810]

There is no such thing as an unacceptable amount of peas! lol. There's nothing better than freshly picked peas!

[@hoosierpioneer]

For the poles, hummingbird feeders.

[@Uainebmd]

I love Leonbergers. I have had Bernese Mountain dogs for years, but if I want to change large breed dogs the Leos would be it. Enjoy!

[@lynnpurfield9430]

Lovely vlog. So impressed with the hot bed 😮😮😮😮

[@peterfrance702]

Hah! I too invested in a Magnolia 'Susan' this year and a few Japanese Maples.) Also experimenting with 'taters. OK, back to the video,

[@lynnpurfield9430]

The food serving area looks so smart Huw.

[@annettevanderklippe1653]

Those posts would be handy for tying a rope across to keep the exuberant plants in a bit. I would put either solar lights on top or maybe birdhouses! You and your gang are really creating something lovely!

[@janecosh3590]

Depending on the aspect - how about a grape vine on wires between your larch poles? or train stepover apples?

[@anyat8115]

Your mini poly-tunnel for tomato seedlings is brilliant!

[@ninemoonplanet]

I finally found a blackcurrant bush this year, so now I have 2 varieties, white and black. Plus raspberries, all in pots. Mint, I have Corsican mint, so tiny but very truly a mint. I found an English mint perennial, and have already spearmint and peppermint. Corsican mint grows laterally, with a height of 4 cms. Herbs are the one thing I can grow because they are able to grow in pots. Just for something different, maybe use pots on a spiral rock or earthen hill and interspersed with low growing flowers. For some reason children love spiral paths to go up higher. Fun things like that add whimsy.

[@carlyfischer1425]

Huw, when you have say new gardens are they parcels of land you aquire, parts of your own land you decide to utilise or say a community project garden, how many do you have? find your videos very inspiring, we're just getting started, i'm watchin gall these videos in awe and trying to absorb all of this knowlege. we purchased our property nearly 2 years ago, we have two acres for our horses, and the back parcel of land is .8 ac so we will split it into 3 alpaca grazing/duck,geese and hen enclosure, then the back 1/3 our veg patch, we have spent all this time reclaiming land from overgrown brambles and all sorts, have finally made some raised beds, put up the greenhouse we bought a year ago and made compost enclosures, we're a bit lost on where to place everything 😵‍💫🤯

[@juanitaglenn9042]

Nice! Ruth Stout method potatoes. I tried that last year on our clay soil and it was great! I had a bare patch of clay by my greenhouse so I just took my storebought potatoes that were sprouting/chitting and layed them right on the hardpack clay and just mulched them. I didn't water, weed or hill...just threw leaves, grass clippings, etc on it over the summer. Not a huge harvest but it grew potatoes. 👍

[@alexandraderry7086]

I have seen people trellis peas through a twine weave between poles like that, you could keep them and plant peas along the edges of the bed, - what is your plan with the bed on the outside edge of the high tunnel?

[@spoolsandbobbins]

Awesome Huw!!!!!

[@TheVeganicGardener]

Acers are so beautiful but they suffer terribly from wind burn so becareful of yours in such an exposed area 🙂

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

thats a lovely size pollytunnel, i love the little seed area i thinnk thats ingenious

[@CamperVanTango]

You could put wires along to connect the posts by the polytunnel and grow espalier fruit trees it would cover the sides of polytunnel a bit and give blossom flowers and fruits

[@lysmalls658]

I’m loving the Vision and Visuals Huw

[@user-lr7cd8vn8p]

Hi! Huw Richards good moruiug.

[@anafd25]

I am amazed by your garden every time again I see the new video 🥰 My idea of perfect garden is similar to your garden - raised beds with various vegetables, herbs, soft fruits, flowers and flowers everywhere 😍 This week we just built some new raised beds so now I have 14 in total, although it is only three of us in the family 🤭 And also, I love peas - and am one of the few who enjoyes the process of peeling them🤗 Best regards from Croatia 🙂

[@saltburner2]

Your enthusiasm is infectious!

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much!

[@smallurbangarden]

Red maple is very often on my mind - it is growing right in the middle of my very small urban yard and is the only non-edible thing out there. I have planted it 4 years ago when I had no idea what I want from that space and now is right there in the middle 🙈 am so tempted to relocate it into a container and move it elsewhere 🙃

[@Crina-LudmilaCristeaAuthor]

That's a great bundle of plant beings!🤗💛🤗

[@valeriehowden471]

Almost ready to plant some cool crops in the garden. Thanks for showing the spring growth cause I'm a little inpatient this year. Note to self - plant more peas! Gorgeous dog! What breed?

[@carolthomas770]

Beautiful, bountiful garden, love your dog!

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you! Figo is my colleague's dog☺️

[@joanweightman2275]

Wires across the posts for thornless brambles or rasps, train them in

[@heatherpfeil2939]

On the posts you could hang pots for strawberries or flowers.

[@Pixieworksstudio]

Hi Huw - the posts... you could put a piece of wood across the top of each pair and hang baskets of something on them. Strawberries, or yellow and red tumbling tom maybe?

[@livechangechallenge]

I love Huw’s garden diaries 😊

[@samanthavazquezsanmartin498]

Borage can be eaten as a vegetable as fritters, sauteed, boiled stalks... you can check Spanish or Italian traditional recipes

[@Om_garden]

There is no such thing as an unacceptable amount of peas 😂 they are my favorite garden veggie

[@themrmanguy7912]

2”x2”x10’ sticks to make a “makeshift” lid for that ‘mater grow house would make the caring for them easier next year. Just a thought. Everything is looking awesome man!

[@TheRosangela9369]

Between the poles, maybe dwarf trellis fruits near the polytunnel, like a lifted hedge or a fence? Height approx. 1,2m... You are not planting only peas, but peace too!

[@meadows.simplicities]

Good Morning 🙂 🌱

[@salsakrs]

at 6:00 min you can see a fruit tree in the background, probably newly planted (or last year). Needs definitely pruning to get into shape!

[@The_heirloomgardener]

For the posts.... espalier grapes could be a fun addition ...or garden lights .. like string lights or maybe solar lanterns ...no real use for them I guess ..but it would look pretty 😊

[@mompuff]

I love your videos!! Learning so much from you!! Blessings from Kentucky 🙌🏻🐎🇺🇸

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you!:D

[@robynstone4049]

Maybe put sweet peas on the posts near the poly tunnel

[@MrHorserider15]

8:37 You could have solitary beehives, ladybird towers attached to the posts

[@jayneteal-jeffery6283]

Love the fruit collection♥️

[@ausfoodgarden]

Japanese maple flowers are edible. Only use the young ones though as they become very fibrous later. They are used in a number of cooked Asian dishes and are nice in small amounts in a salad.

[@Randeb86]

Wow, what an incredible talent you are, your videos are so informative, I see you have daffodils blooming all over, here in the southern USA we had them blooming a month ago, most pollen is finishing up, my peas are blooming and climbing well, I have three chickens in my garden working and fertilizing as I speak lol, thanks for your videos for us rookie gardeners.❤

[@derek-press]

your peas are blooming already? wow mine are just starting ,about 6 inches but nice dark green healthy

[@Randeb86]

@@derek-press I’m in Georgia, temps in the high 70s and lows in the 40s , hopefully I will have some pods soon, where are you located?

[@derek-press]

@@Randeb86 Hi Hubert ,we are in Germany about 30 miles south of Frankfurt am Main,just in the last week we finally have night temperatures above 4 to 5 deg C so we can hopefully this weekend get our tomatoes outside,they are taking up half of the conservatory,and are already about 30-40 inches ,we went a bit crazy on tomatoes sorts this year and have about 10 varieties ,potatoes are already planted and the onions and chard,happy gardening Hu..edit oh our day time highs now are hitting 15 deg C so everything is springing to life! :)

[@lesliekendall5668]

Sure you can. Maple leaves are edible. There's even a little Asian gal who sells them tempura at her little cook stand.

[@michellecape8136]

Magnolia is a food tree, the flowers and buds can be pickled

[@jeanettebot193]

Esparcette is a very nice perannual and good for bees

[@mariongeib821]

I love this video. I can't walk in the garden without planning what to plant in every available space. I love that dog!!! What's its name. Can you have her/he in more videos? I can't wait to see the rose garden. David Austin roses are my favorite.

[@eternalmistress]

I would plant some type of thornless caning fruit and use the poles for wire.

[@verasohnikratochwill6314]

Looking good!

[@melinda3196]

Omg...I want to try that potato method!

[@fjalar4856]

Vegan hotbed👏👏👏

[@marijeb278]

with regard to the posts: since you want to use the bed for pollinators; perhaps you could use some of the posts to install a few insect hotels?

[@postbump4085]

Great video huw! How about espallier grapes on wires between the posts?!

[@mandytaylor1008]

That’s a really very long leek but then you would expect that in wales🤣

[@MyFantasyHomestead]

Looking forward to the rose garden! Are you going to do single colour scheme for them or just throw all the colours in? 😊

[@HuwRichards]

Signle colour scheme for the walkway and then multiple colours for the archway section :)

[@MadameMuerbs]

​@@HuwRichards I missed the roses, in your garden and I m curious how they will be doing. I have several Austin roses in my garden in south Germany, they are very popular here. sometimes they re behaving a bit like princesses, don t like too sunny places in our hot southern summer, but never mind, their Beauty is worth the effort. David Austin has inspired so many rose breeders, also German like f. i. Kordes who created wonderful roses following the David Austin "path" adding beauty and scent to the typical north German hardiness of their roses. Everybody should plant at least one English Rose in the garden to honor David Austin. . Thank you!

[@winslowschoolofdance]

How about sunflowers planted in with your barrage along the tunnel. I have found that they received even though they're not perennials and they attract mass quantities of bees.

[@RachelWarren66]

What about putting big houses on a couple of the poles?

[@anndean6817]

I believe honey berries need a pollination partner so having only one in the pack won't produce fruit.

[@HuwRichards]

No they still produce fruit, it just won't be as much.

[@DomFurlong]

Avoid anything in the garden centres with 'Kamatachita' in the name, they do not self pollinate, look for varieties that came from the university of Saskatchewan, the more varieties the better. I got mine from Stewart Arbuckle, Dundee.

[@emilybh6255]

That's a great idea for what to do with an over-abundance of mint which has taken over two raised beds and crowded out things I wanted to grow. I was just wondering how I would get rid of it. I'm going to dig and pot them up and put then in cardboard boxes in a corner of the yard until I can give them away.

[@HuwRichards]

Excellent I am glad that hgas helped solve an issue! :)

[@ritalr15]

Can you show how the ibc tanks are set up with the posts at the 15.25 part of the video

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Hi, great video, love to see all those new growths on your vegetables! How come there is not single snail or slugs in your beds? How do you control them?

[@susanamal7418]

Looks amazing but could you also explain garden size, I live in London and space is an issue?

[@tristyquesadilla]

The hydrangea is pronounced (pulls out notepad) "oh-no-mama-petrol-heiress", got it, thanks lol.

[@raymondkyruana118]

Dude here in the US they would try to sell that honey berry for $30-40. Today I saw tiny little (non-select variety) paw paw seedlings for $99. I couldn't believe the absurdity that these nurseries are somehow getting away with. It's actually disgusting! I dug up some much healthier paw paws for free, started some from seed, and also paid about $10-20 from some small scale farms a little further from the city. Wish we had something like Direct Plants here in the states. Online prices are pretty absurd too SMH

[@cannymoose]

When they get big, can you tap for maple syrup?

[@sallygiles132]

Great videos atm. And what a gorgeous dog Huw 😍😍🥰. What breed is he please ?

[@daphne7897]

❤

[@elzbietabiernacik7682]

🌞

[@oliesbw]

How many honey berries do you have? I have one in the garden i put in the first year i was here and wondered why it only produced three berries. apparently if you grow a second and maybe third variety in close proximity you get a deluge. I planted another one a month ago and it has a few flowers. fingers crossed there is some cross pollination happening. I also took about 20 cuttings last season and have many honeyberries to hand out to friends this year. Hopefully next year i will be able to do the same with the other one so they too have mixed varieties.

[@DomFurlong]

I have Giant Hearts, Aurora, Strawberry Sensation, Blue Treasure, Boreal Beauty, Boreal Beast and Boreal Blizzard. They are the best varieties for the UK climate. The more varieties the better. Purchased from Stewart Arbuckle Dundee in 2018. I am not exaggerating, they are truly amazing.