Low Expectations, High Yield

[@marysurbanchickengarden]

When the onions get about 4 to 5 inches tall give them a hair cut and do that up to a couple weeks before planting out. Trimming them causes them to thicken up and be stronger plants. It works wonderfully, I do it every year and most everyone I know who lives in the southeast trim the tops.

[@MynewTennesseeHome]

I do that too, while they're in flats I try to keep them 6-8".

[@katherinewhittenberg8919]

trimming onions causes more layers whe picked.

[@glomontero6011]

Really good to know. I’ll try it this yr.

[@villagesteader3552]

I do the same with my leeks!

[@5GreenAcres]

Last year was my first year of onion starts. Epic fail. I ended up with 3 foot thick greens and no onion bulb! I was told that it was because I need to cut them back 2-3 times. I will try that this year.

[@juliehiestand8180]

So i cook with onion everyday. Sometimes using 3. Not counting dried and freeze dried and dehydrated. Onions. I would say i need like 500 raw onions. We love onions

[@robbiedickison2005]

I hope you realize you couldn't get anything done without your beautiful little helper. Buggy is precious❤

[@jerrybrady9103]

Love The Hollars! My favorite Homesteaders😊

[@sherriballard4781]

I agree!

[@ruthannjones5873]

Vidalia onions are planted several times before final planting. First, they are planted in mass in trays. Next the seedlings are separated and planted in individual cells. Next the plugs are planted into the ground. Last they are "harvested" and replanted with more distance between instead of thinning. This makes weeding easier.

[@doinacampean9132]

It's called winter sowing and skips the "acclimating" phase. It's slower than starting them indoors, but faster than direct sowing. In your case, for example, it could be a few trays in your high tunnel. Maybe with an extra layer of protection, clear plastic bag style, I mean, every critter and their grandmother loves microgreens. In other news, is Millie expecting triplets, or is just another fat cat, suddenly loving humans?

[@JL-ym4eb]

Buggy is such a good helper with planting. She is so cute.

[@Old.gardener]

I believe you guys are underestimating your boys ! Those hard working young men will make mom proud with their gardening skills under the direction of such a knowledgeable dad . You are an awesome family . And of course Buggy will always help 💕😂

[@TheHollarHomestead]

We are pretty giving the entire garden to Brett this year, as much as he wants ❤️

[@marybrown5904]

Sitting here watching with Judah(6). He goes mom Buggy is such a big helper.

[@theresaakin2284]

i just admire your family so much and little Lilianna Faith, I have to type her name, it's so pretty. She is always so willing to get her little hands in every phase of your homesteading inside and outside. Your boys also but she's so little and not afraid to take on any chore or job Blessings to your whole family and anxious to meet that new one on the way. blessings Meg continues to have a healthy pregnancy.

[@ruthstill169]

I agree! I didn't even know Buggy's name😉 Thank you for mentioning that.

[@iamkathyo]

Thank you for the advice on the potting soil, I sure needed it... Great to see Millie snoopervising her people, again... The Brazilian lemonade sounds delicious, now I need to go shopping for the ingredients.

[@sherriudell2232]

I dice up leaks and saute in garlic and butter and put them on a steak or burger.

[@failsauceinc6291]

If your onions go lanky before planting trim them back a bit .you can use what is trimmed as green onion garnish

[@amydebty9582]

That belly is getting so big!! I'm so excited for y'all!! Buggy is a big helper!! Can't wait till she sees that baby an be your big sister helper!!

[@pamelaabettis7225]

I love the way you are patient and kind in your tone of voice (consistently) with your kids. And how consistently you take so many opportunities to teach with kindness and love. You are excellent parents. God bless your instruction in wisdom and righteousness.

[@Lauren-hc7dc]

I was happy to hear you say that you are going to plant what you have and not order any new seeds. I know a lot of you tube people order so much every year. Prices have gone up on seed prices. I love when Millie the cat makes her debut.

[@1PaJoe]

Boy seed prices have gone up - some are $5.80 a pack - I remember paying 79 cents for a pack

[@5GreenAcres]

I think it is crazy that they don't seed save. After all...isn't planting a garden part of the reason is to cut down cost and do it yourself?

[@terryhenderson424]

@@5GreenAcres Ot seems as if they would have some cross pollination issues.

[@5GreenAcres]

@@terryhenderson424 But my farm market onion starts did just fine. Wouldn't they have been affected too? That is why I'm thinking it is not cutting them back after they reach 5-6" Thanks for your comment

[@terryhenderson424]

@@5GreenAcres i have had far fewer vegfetable gardens than all the years I have had vegetables planted ordamentally. I have had onions planted in "the scrub" areas along the edges of and in seldom weeded grass which I allow to go to seed/ flower. Bees love the flowers, especially sweet onion types. If you have more than one type of onion that seed and flower, onions will cross pollinate; at least when they're planted in close proximity like you would plant a clump of daffodils. To have cross pollinated problems, you have to have flowers from two different varieties or types of plants, thy have to be pollinated, and then the seeds planted. It is what grows from the cross pollinated seeds which cznnne a little wonky - What you are buying from the farmer's market sounds like sets which are "baby oinions" complete with a beginning bulb (actual onion) and roots. These are what come after seeds have germinated and grown enough to be starts. -- In this area starts for what are to become real sized onions seem to work best for me. I have never cut the tops of my onions like some do.

[@Rule1336]

"Bless this food to our bodies in Jesus' name" THAT'S Right!!! He Rules! Be blessed y'all. 🥩

[@horsepoor4life904]

I live in Southern California and i just went out to my garden and i have 4 volunteer tomatoes already growing with blooms on them. ❤

[@ruthgossett7281]

I am fairly new to watching your channel and must say, I am so ENJOYING IT! I started watching when Becky from Acre Homestead was at your homestead. Seeing how your family works together is wonderful. Watching you go about your days and how hard you all work makes me think back to when our children were young. My husband and I bought 40 acres that only had a farm lane to get back to the tillable area. About half of the land was woods and ravines which is one of the many things we loved about it. We built a 900 square foot building and lived in it as we were finishing it. Our kids helped every step of the way. We lived in that building for 3 years then started the rest of the house. We didn't borrow money, just did what we could with what we had. I so wish we would have documented our journey with videos. Our 52nd anniversary is coming up in June. Our children are grown and have beautiful families of their own. My husband and I still live in that house that we all built. We have several other buildings that were all built by us for our many business we have had over the years. It's seem a bit unreal at times. Thank you for sharing your journey. Life goes by so quickly, enjoy each and every moment! God Bless you all!

[@jeanineadele]

Try direct seeding a few onions as an experiment and see if they do better. Meg, you never cease to amaze me at how hard you work and always with a smile and plenty of love to go around. What an excellent example you are for other young women.

[@jenniferward5216]

Buggy just loves to get down and dirty. She makes my heart so happy just looking at her.

[@tikaanderson8186]

Those cachucha peppers are called Aji dulce peppers in Puerto Rico. I'd be happy to send you guys a pack or two!

[@TXNLaurenMcN]

Buggie is getting a lot more enthusiastic with her "Bye's." I love it!

[@StoneKathryn]

Yay, planting seeds! Starting pepper seeds. Are those the special trays from the Bootstrap Farmer? Those are good trays! Yum, onions and leeks! It's nice to see you starting seeds guys. I like the throwing of the old seeds into the garden. Limes! Juicing limes! Freezing that is a great idea. Two pints too! Cute little pork chops for dinner. Yum, pork chop gravy! Green beans and wild rice? Looks wonderful. Thanks for this video Hollar family!

[@marycountry]

So good to see everyone planting seeds. You better plant extra for one extra person. Megs feeding 2 now. 😊

[@bgmaple47232]

Meg and Ben, it is beautiful to watch you two work together. May God bless your family this year.

[@jesusislord2457]

I learned the hard (expensive) way the difference between potting soil and potting mix. Potting soil is great for mulch. 😒 I bought a 20# bag of the stuff, last year, to start seeds and use the rest to amend my soil in a flower bed. I too sifted the potting soil to get the chunks of wood out. I even found some rocks in it!!! Never again! Laura, at Garden Answers, did a video explaining these differences. Bummer it was after I had wasted money on potting soil. But, it does make good mulch... Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of EVERYTHING I like to learn! 🤜 Big hugs and big love! ✌️💝🙏

[@heathernotzdaniels6350]

Meg's Shirt!!!! OMG, I know what my next spurge purchase is :)

[@juliehiestand8180]

I am opening 500+ boxes that were brought back to our house after our fire. I am pretty sure i saw my heirloom tomorrow seeds, and if you want to try them, I'll send you a few. Now these are huge, 1 slice will cover an entire slice of bread. But here is the best part.... the flavor is so amazing. It is the only ones i will plant. I got the tomatoes from a lady whose family have passed them down for decades. Let me know if you want to try them

[@terryhenderson424]

Sir Ben, you need to build a planting table top for your black dump wagon. 2 halves, each big enough to hold a see tray, and an open spot in the center big enough to access an opened bag of potting soil. Put the ooened bag of soil in the wagon innthe center, add your table top halves, put a seed tray on each table top half. Youll still have to stoop a little but not clear to the ground. Swish any fallen dirt into the wagon and recoup it when the bag is emoty.

[@jeanetteholtz1848]

Yum

[@jeanetteholtz1848]

Sorry about the silly yum entry above! I found it's way there as an error! But I do love your family a lot and pray often for you

[@beverlystauffer2489]

As someone with a bad back I appreciate this idea so much!

[@janw491]

Wrap slices of ham around a parboiled leek and cover with a simple cheese sauce and some shredded cheese and bake at 350 till nice and brown

[@Smithpolly]

The leek became a national symbol of Wales after the Battle of Crécy when Welsh archers fought against French soldiers in a leek field in Northern France. The leek was worn in the caps of welsh people to remember the bravery of the archers which became an annual tradition on St David’s Day

[@karynbrown7519]

What a beautiful little girl. Such innocence, such passion for helping. Just gorgeous! ❤

[@carolcalf2032]

Little Buggy helping with planting. Wonderful. Thank you all for allowing us have a glimpse of your lovely family. Love from UK 🇬🇧 ❤

[@maritheleneaanaas2436]

I plant tree onions together. They will be stronger when they grow. Sorry my english, i am an old Norwegians woman

[@jenbear8652]

You meant plant 3 onions together? A British gardener, Charles Dowding, plants 3-4 onions, leeks, radishes, beets, turnips, etc in clumps like that.

[@beverlystauffer2489]

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who says "grow!" when planting seeds.😊

[@katisme5137]

For sure, Buggy is going to have a sister to play with and shares her new room. every video I watched, Meg's face is glowing.

[@allysonmurray1731]

Sweet Buggy always wanting to help, she does well for her small self.. Meg has the pregnancy glow. Boy, girl or twins? ❤

[@patshirey6190]

I think twin boys

[@jenniferr2057]

She already did that once!

[@irmibullinger1421]

Nice surprise to have a video today! I thought we wouldn't get one till Friday. Lilliana is helpful with anything she desires to do.

[@TheHollarHomestead]

Our plan (if it works out) is to do our regular vlogs Tues-Thurs but the end of the week video (Friday) will be a build recap for the week.

[@angelawilliams8401]

I was waiting for you guys to drop a video today. Have to get my fill of the Hollars. ❤ love from Oklahoma

[@sandyc6569]

WooT WooT Okies in the house!! 🥳🥳🥳

[@dorriwaldera3081]

That's what I'm doing today, starting onions in those same trays, with Happy Frog potting soil! Nice!

[@petrosros]

On the germination of seeds front, you do not need light, actually they do better in the dark as long as the temperature and humidity are OK. They can stay in darkness for a couple of days, once germinated, no problem. And it helps if you but some kind of weight on them too, depending on the plant, put another empty seed tray on top with a small lump of wood on it to spread the load, that will make the stems very strong, and you will be amazed how they push that weighted tray up.

[@almachapman5409]

Just love watching buggy get her hands dirty. Millie cat is so cute.

[@stephanieg5195]

Buggy’s shirt is perfect for today Valentines Day! She loves to help y’all which is so sweet to see! I wonder how many of your viewers now tell their seeds to “grow”?! I have caught myself saying it, lol

[@RobinL4715]

Fun to watch the seed starting and lime saving. In regard to Azure fresh fruit…I think the further you live from the origin of the truck, the less likely the fruit arrives in good shape ( I live in FL).I ordered the pears, and pickling cucumbers, but they arrived moldy or not usable. Azure always gave a credit. You are such a good steward of your food!

[@janegallardo4731]

So happy to see youtuber who says the grace, letting you know that they are Christian🙏🙏🙏

[@cherihabegger9856]

So much to like about this video! Starting seeds, Buggy helping, pork chops. 😊

[@marywells1197]

Hi Hollar Family! Hope all of you are well! I will be starting some seeds soon. Last year I planted corn, peas, roma tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers. All of them did pretty well and am hoping I will have good luck this year.

[@mamat5264]

I never get tired of watching your videos. I tell everyone I can about your channel. You are doing the things, not just talking about them. Love you all❤

[@AZJH8374]

Try Jimmy Nardello peppers 🌶 Not just Farmers swears by them. I'd love your thoughts!

[@Coetzeefamilystead]

I can't believe our leaves have already started to turn colour this side of the world😲

[@mrphoto776]

Your youngest is so sweet. I remember when our kids were that little.

[@roseeckstein6534]

Your daughter is the cutest little girl. Love how she wants to be involved in everything. So sweet!!

[@gailbrault9251]

Ben, I love a good brown mustard with horseradish. Your pork chops looked wonderful, and then green beans. A perfect meal.

[@371508129]

Cattle also love leeks. If you get another dairy cow don’t let her find the leeks as it makes the milk taste really funny.

[@kathrynkidd7828]

After juicing limes I freeze the left over carcass and add to cooking rice for extra flavour. I also freeze whole and halved limes. Also, zest limes and freeze for later use and freeze the zestless limes. Ditto for lemons. ❤

[@francrawford3246]

Even after having just eaten dinner, those pork chops made me hungry again. My parents had a lime and lemon tree in Florida. Mom would juice them, freeze in ice cube trays and plop one in a large glass of water for a cool summer drink.

[@lorrainecostanzo9092]

Gosh your little girl is so cute, my kids were always helping me too, it brings back such good memories watching your lovely family xo

[@peterrowellranson8649]

❤ Morning Hollar homestead I wait with baited breath for your first video every week to see what you are up to and you never disappoint love that buggy and milley all get involved a family effort goody love you folks Pete cape town south Africa looking forward to seeing you soon 😅

[@patriciahusk3428]

I just downloaded your cookbook Meg! Those pork chops looked so good💜! I can only dream 😅of having the cooking savvy that Meg has🤗! Hope those seeds grow abundantly for y’all this gardening season🥰🥰!

[@teenajohnson1688]

You might consider going to a local hardware or feed store and buying bunches of onion sets or bulbs. They are usually very successful growers.

[@TheBeacker1]

Ever thought about building a seed starting box. Something about the size of a large closet, lined with foil clad foam board? Maybe even a small building/garden shed. It would get it out of the house.

[@readtheword3]

Buggy loves to help love her .

[@dennisbentson823]

I slice my limes and dehydrate them and they are so good to drop into your water pitcher!

[@sandrarhea2328]

So exciting to start seeds. And your so right. Gardens are different from year to year.

[@staceybert1975]

Meg have you tried Brazilian lemonade? You need limes, water, ice and sweeten condensed milk. It's wonderful 17:52

[@TheHollarHomestead]

Oooh that sounds good!

[@paintedpilgrim]

Love Pork Chops. A favourite way is to cook the chops and then let them sit under the grill with a topping of cheddar and apple sauce....until it's all melted and golden....

[@MichelleBrooksonamission]

Hey Meg & Ben Great video! Could you do a storytime video.The day you realized new additions was 🍼 on the way. How did the kids take the news? How was your first three months of your pregnancy? How are you doing at this point of your pregnancy? Please Stay Hydrated.

[@mitzideluca6427]

I just got done cleaning and disinfecting the small back room in the basement that has now become the seed starting room. We keep a couple blankets across the entry to keep the warmth in. We have a thermometer hanging so we can check the temp. And I bought 2 small/medium size heat mats last year and one small/medium grow light. The other lights are standard basement work lights that I think we bought with a softer color for the grow room. Plastic stack cheap shelving. I would recommend to anyone to get heat mats because they made a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE starting peppers, eggplants and what not. Most of my other seedlings are not grown with a heat mat, but the peppers and a few other things really do benefit. They weren't that expensive, as you really dont need to get expensive ones. I only spent about $10 on seed for this year, because I bought more last year, not knowing what this year would hold - and I saved seed. Keeping my fingers crossed that my saved seed germinates - would be a plus since I dried them patiently and packed away correctly. 400 onions is nothing when you think about it, liek you said. And if you can relish or bread and butter pickles, etc that use onions in the recipe, that 400 onions will go fast.

[@terriwhite6273]

To check viability you can wet them, place on a paper plate with a wet towel or in a ziploc bag. In a few days they will sprout. Saves time if you think there are a lot that may not germinate

[@TheFamilyFarmstead]

Oh my, Ben please make a multi plug dibble with a bunch of 1/4 in dowels for your onion trays. I’d say 2 rows on a 2x4 as wide as your trays. 😂

[@shaunm3206]

Leek and potato soup is one of my favourite soups. Its a great combo in itself but cheesy croutons on top is the chefs kiss to finish.

[@loriy7532]

Always fun to start some kind of seed...Happy seeding.Meg , make sure you wear gloves before you handle lots of limes , or you will burn your hands...A little late for the comment ,I hope your hands are ok.

[@mgtmoffat8411]

Hardly wasted day! You had progress to show for it. 💕💕🌻🌻

[@lesliesmith6586]

not sure if you have other ideas for the lime skins - chop up a little bit a fill a jar half to 3/4 full then top up with honey and let sit on a bench for a couple days, burping as needed. this is lovely in hot teas, or iced teas, or with fizzy water. I also like to just eat a tea spoon of this during winter for when your feeling a bit blah, like a vitamin c booster. its also nice to zest the rinds and freeze these for use in chicken marinades or salad dressings etc. if space in freezer is tight, dry the zest and powder it for same uses. :)

[@wheaties1435]

Oh thank you Meg….I don’t really like starting seeds either, I’d rather just plant the plants. Good to hear I’m not the only one…

[@sandyoklahomatransient8557]

I had no idea Azure would sell from the trucks on items returned/not pickup. I'll need to keep an ear out when picking our stuff up. It's possible were early in the drop and there hasn't been a return/failure to pickup. It's nice to know they do this, thanks Meg. Your small pork chops looked gorgeous, and tasty. I haven't made pork chops in years because they seem to dry out once cooked. I'm obviously nit cooking them right. I've found a pork steak, similar to a chop. It's thin, has bone, fat, and cooks nicely (doesn't dry out). We enjoy those.

[@melindawargowsky8176]

When using the “squeeze juicer”, put the lemon or lime in upside down. I think you’ll get more juice😊

[@patriciaherman6499]

Meg, i agree i always dislike starting seeds, i was lucky my neighbor had a greenhouse and I'd buy some starters from her I also agree some things are faster doing by hand than a machine say like an appke peeler quicker to peel by hand.😊. Try a pork loin rub honey mustard over it then put Montreal steak seasoning rub all over, preheat heat oven to 500 bake 15 minutes then lower to 350 bake for 20 minutes. Delicious. Ben, can't wait for the build. Glad you didn't get hammered with the rain. Blessings to you and the family.😊🇺🇲

[@sharonbrown2352]

Those pork chops look amazing, I'm going to have to make them!

[@dignit1620]

Buggy is so adorable!

[@perijetton9275]

I was just thinking what are The Hollar’s up to! 😂

[@tammyvaughn6662]

BuggY is so enthused by gardening.

[@shadegarden7375]

Buggy’s fine motor skills are excellent for her age!!

[@robinsilvers362]

I swear i could almost smell those limes as you were squeezing. Mmmm

[@Thørkil84]

food is my love language too^^

[@hardenmama1800]

Great video! I love having citrus juice cubes in the freezer. I freeze the zest, too.

[@Cthomas5678]

My favorite meal especially in the summer when I lived at home growing up was fried pork chops fried tators and a garden fresh salad with oil and vinegar dressing and it’s still my favorite. Oh and I love chops with the bone in❤

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

I tried growing seeds from my Mexican market Guajillo chilis...totally worked! Probably the smoked chilis wouldn't be that successful, though. 😄 Maybe Brett can take over more of the garden this year? 💚

[@katehassen6021]

Hey to y'all. I have grown a year's worth of onions from seed every year for a few years now. One way I have found to get strong onion starts is to trim the tops back when they get about 4-6 inches tall. I trim back to a 3-4 in height. I trim them back again later. Trimming makes the bottom part of the onion get bigger. I also do apply organic liquid fertilizers a couple times.

[@corabankston2244]

Meg your makings us hungry. Mom taught us to cook porkchops like your doing. Home canned green beans with little red potatoes. Saved all her pork drippins and 1 scoop in the beans for season. Always home made biscuits. Mom bought fruit from ffa and did like you on her juices in jars. Did alot of jelly. Called stick to your ribs meals. Blessings

[@MrsPink64]

We use a lot of onions. One per day, I’d say. Leeks are my favourite. I grew up with them. So good in pea soup and potato leek soup. But also in chicken fried rice…yum.

[@indianacryptid6020]

when i lived in my birth town there was a tavern I'd visit. the owners last name was evans. am not sure what their nationality was but the made a macedonia sausage with leeks in it. it was tasty. they also made a pickled cabbage that had a strong but good garlic taste. it went well with beer, lol. just thought i would share this memory

[@diannemiller4754]

Leeks are definitely tasty. I remember my brother and neighbor boys ate wild leeks as we walked to our county school. The teacher wasn't impressed she sent them home. 😅😂 Planting seeds are one of my joys. Here in Michigan it gets my hands in dirt😊joyful i am starting seeds within a weeks time. Im still tapping trees. I am pushing the weather to be warmer 😊 Lol frying your pig in some cow😅😂😅😂😊 Hey Meg, on fermented February there is a video on fermented mustard. I started mine two days ago. I sneeked a taste today. Oh my goodness is it ever tasty. BTW I love ❤️ your shirt.

[@deborahgilliland1804]

To get a little more juice plus to make it easier to juice them, pop some in the microwave for a short time before halving and squeezing

[@angelacollins1343]

I just saw Laura at Garden Answer starting her onion seeds today. She mentioned you can trim the green parts if they get too lanky in the seed trays

[@justme5544]

I love seeing Meg cook!

[@mcpack3258]

Charles Dowding has a very good technique with germinating veg especially onions. Hope you get to watch his video.

[@r.m.podlewski1887]

Onion seeds are known to lose viability after one year. Some will germinate, but You do best to order new onion & parsley seed every year. (FYI: from Farmer’s Market bedding plant grower in Minnesota) (if you save seed then use it the next year)

[@DrLarryAnderson]

Another quite fabulous episode! During my "down time" between making my "Luxury Lazy Susans" (shoot! I thought I had retired from a career of university-level teaching and administration. Alas, my woodshop chops came charging back a couple of years ago and folks will not quit ordering products from me....I'm booked up through August, yet it's only February. Retirement?), I have been binge watching Hollar Homestead videos, beginning with 4 years ago and coming forward. Sooooo intriguing! ~Dr. Larry S. Anderson • Tupelo, MS (birthplace of Elvis!)

[@jeanineadele]

I looked on your channel. They are nice.