Make a Space You Love (Tips on Creating a Garden) | VLOG

[@a.j.r_ball]

So much fun doing the patio. Bless you guys!! It's time for a waterfall to really amplify the magic...💯🧚‍♂️

[@ssgundes1]

Yes! My dad put a huge waterfall in our backyard. Great idea!

[@rons3236]

The Land of Beulah. "Where the flowers bloom forever. And the Sun is always bright."

[@WistfulWoodsFarm]

A place to rest your soul is the most important feature of the garden. The first step in planning our new gardens was a place for rest, then we designed the garden around it. Make a place to love your space.❤🌱

[@TheCraftersVow]

I wish I could put into words the joy that watching your videos have brought to my life. You help me find gratitude when my soul is filled with tears, and grace when challenges would conquer me. We lost our house, and moved into a single wide trailer. You've helped me realize that just because I live in a trailer park, the trailer park does NOT have to live in me. Now, I have 4 greenstalks on my back deck that fill my kitchen with salad greens and herbs...cinderblock beds filled with tomatoes and peppers, and cattle-panel trellises that go between for cucumbers, melons, winter squash and beans...empty tires that fill my dinners with squash and zucchini. Flower pots everywhere, and nasturtiums that are both beautiful and edible. What would otherwise feel like a trap has become not only an oasis of peace for me...but for so many of my close neighbors here as well. We take garden strolls, and they ask about the dozens of varieties I grow that they have never seen before (thank you for introducing me to heirloom seed companies!) They laugh with me, share the joy with me, share the harvest with me. All of this literally just around the perimeter of our current home. Thank you, Jess, for encouraging me to turn this waiting room into a classroom instead of a prison. Sending all of my love, and hope for a better tomorrow and bigger dreams your way. Hugs!

[@blackrock5749]

What a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing. 😊

[@l.williams6249]

I think this is Jessica’s dream come true that she would sow seeds of inspiration that would produce fruit filled with more seeds of inspiration. Your story was just what I needed to read and take to heart. Thanks for sowing!

[@joannar9121]

That was a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing it. It is beautiful that you are creating a relaxing space for not just you but your neighbors also!

[@mneraasen224]

I’m 51 and have chronic lung disease ,since age 11. Over the winter I painted my woodwork white took down my curtains that were dark. It’s been months and I haven’t put any up. I enjoy the brightness when I wake up. I can see my garden so it motivates me more. This season I will finally have all raised beds. I work in little spurts. I’m usually not active in winter, the cold shuts me down. This season I was able to work in and off on my garden🙌🏻 I finally have the vision of how to enjoy sitting in the space. Sure I will have less growing area but I will gain time to keep my plants healthier ❤I’m so excited 😆

[@NatalieBennett]

Yes! Love how you pointed out that your garden might not be relatable but it's, in fact, *authentic.* Is it worth being relatable as content creators if it means sacrificing our authenticity in the process? Great things to ponder!

[@lanabisson2675]

Ive lived on my property for 7 yrs. I have a old victorian home. I have always been drawn to the romance of cottage gardening and now I am doing both veggies and cottage. Instinctively, I have always put chairs or benches at different viewing areas. My wood swing sits at a crest on my property, where I can look 360 at all the pretty areas. Its a place where I dream, pray, cry to the Lord, sit and wave at those driving by. it draws neighbors to come and sit. I have my coffee and listen to Gods Love language to me and watch his creations. It fills my soul with Gods love.

[@makers9693]

About 20 years ago I read an article about a gardener who put flowers in her vegetable garden. It was in awe of how pretty it was. I thought only a flower garden could be beautiful. My eyes were opened. I felt like I was given permission to make my garden beautiful. I added a few marigolds and flowering herbs and it was nicer. Fast forward several years, and I found this channel. Now my garden is beautiful with cosmos, zinnias snapdragons, climbing blackeye susans, cattle panel arbors and wooden and metal trellises and loads of veggies. I've also moved it within 15 steps of my back door. I was in it at least 3 days a week. Then I put a stool in it and now I'm in it almost every day during the growing season. My garden is less weedy, more lovely and more abundant in produce. I now journal there, enjoy quiet time there, pray there and soak in the golden hour. Beautifying it made all the difference. Thanks for the inspiration Jess!

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

I struggle with feeling unrelatable with sharing our life as well. Thank you for affirming that authenticity matters most. ❤️

[@mjgbabydragonlet]

I found such a place of peace in my back yard (my only south exposure). It is my oasis, my sanctuary, and many times my sanity. I have gone from lawn to raised beds and large containers, I used recalled cribs to create beds before I decided to spend the money on metal raised beds. I have been gifted a Greenstalk, purchased two myself (with stimulus money) I have two geo bin compost bins. My front yard has ornamentals for my Mom to enjoy. But the back is truly a space I created out of a neighborhood back yard. It has been a ton of work, but I did it as I was able. I have found friends through my passion for growing food. I was able to rent an empty lot in 2020 from my city (ten years for $1) and it turned into a community garden. A place for kids to learn so much during lock downs and pandemic school closures. And even with them returning to school, those kids are still out there getting dirty, enjoying the spaces they created with their families. We have had tons of failures, lots of lessons learned, but it has given me such joy. I reconnected with God in the garden. I still start way too many plants, but even those "extras" allowed me to give plants away to people who thought growing food was just to "hard". I literally hang my extra plants on my fence in the late afternoon, and by sunrise, the fence is naked again. Some people leave me money for the plants which I just use to buy things for the community garden . We were able to put in irrigation last spring because a kind soul left an anonymous donation. I get to see young and old working together. I have spent many years in a depression after my husband died, I spent years merely existing, now I feel like I am living again. Each day is a gift, and my garden helped me realize that, again. I built my refuge. With just a longing to grow food.

[@TrixieJFerguson]

This past Fall, my husband gave me a little 12x12 greenhouse made of old windows (inspired by Roots & Refuge Farm’s greenhouse on the Arkansas property). I am in LOVE with that little greenhouse. It is HOT already and stifling in it’s humidity but it doesn’t matter … that’s where I want to be. If I am curiously absent from the house, my people know without a second thought that they will find me in my “castle”. ❤️

[@lisalink6976]

A couple of years ago I came across a concrete toad with a lily pad on its back. It is the perfect size to sit on. Little Toady is place in such a way that we can sit on its lily pad and watch the bees coming in and out of their hives and watch the garden grow, bloom and come alive. Everyone who comes over enjoys this sitting sport more than any other place. It’s also a great place to enjoy coffee, pray and and engulf myself with the peace.

[@vonniemerriam974]

One of my deeply fondest memories was spending summer evenings sitting with my mother in a couple of Adirondack chairs with the perennial bed behind us abuzz with pollinators rifling through the bee balm, crocosmia, buddleia, roses and coneflowers, while facing the house with more beds of peonies, liatris, columbine, astilbe, hosta, Solomon's seal and more. Sipping a cup of coffee and watching the hummingbirds and butterflies, thrilling over the fact that 13 species of birds as well as 4-legged critters were eating the grape jelly we set out and knowing they all called this backyard smackdab in the middle of a very busy suburban village in Central NY their "home." Most especially, we exalted over the bluebirds that had nested and raised a clutch every year in that yard since I put up nest boxes 10 yrs before! Mom hadn't seen a bluebird since she was a little girl in the 1930's and to have them suddenly raise babies in her own yard in her elder years was astounding! It took a lot of work to fight back trumpet Vine, aka Vonnie-bane, goutweed, and phragmites creeping in from the DPW ditch on the other side of the back fence, but those evenings were a just reward. But the spring that came only weeks after my mother passed away in 2017, as I went out to clear off the winter frass, I suddenly realized all that hard work on these perennial beds I had created over the years was for her! I sat down and just cried, wondering if I would ever enjoy them anymore and wondering if the work would ever be worth it again. But something happened soon after. The bluebirds returned, but NOT to the nest box out back on that fence, where they had always raised their young before! This time...literally weeks after mom passed...they built their home in a little decorative birdhouse that mom had hand painted decades before that hung ON MY HOUSE literally above the back steps only feet from my back door! They had never even come near the house before then! And this wasn't even a nest box suitable for bluebirds! How could I not see this as a kiss from Abba with whom Mom was standing smiling down at this? That put the joy right back into the gardens! Oddly enough, the bluebirds have never since returned after that season 6 yrs ago. But I still carry that warmth of those last evenings spent with her in the loveliness of the garden and I have never again wondered if the work is worth it.❤

[@anncox4445]

Beautiful!

[@GettinFiggyWitIt]

I know there are plenty of gardeners who talk about small spaces, but I think a great project would be to create a "small space" garden. Even if you just did it for a season, I think it would be hugely beneficial for new gardeners who like your style to see what you would do if you only had a smallish plot to garden in. That way it could just be a small project that wouldn't take up too much space, but it could be a helpful visual for people who want to garden but don't feel like they can due to space. Just an idea. Other than that idea, I totally agree with your suggestions here!

[@hallierasbury65]

I have to brag on my husband, he got out and set the garden beds, green stalks and the racks for potted plants where I thought would work out for good productivity for growing my garden. It's cold here and we will get everything ready for the garden soil to be placed in the beds. Thank you for telling me "you can do this". I ordered 26 strawberry plants and put them in the green stalk and I prayed for God to be in charge of the garden and those little plants look like they are proud to be in my gardens.

[@Joyfulfarmer]

“Create a space you want to be in.” Yes! So many of us, after a long day working at our day jobs, come home and find peace and refuge in our gardens. I long for the day that I can produce enough from my farm that I can focus on the beautiful, fulfilling, and hard work that is here on the property (and be able to make ends meet).

[@pattym2402]

Joining in 🙏for your dream 🙏🤗

[@Cindyd-k3e]

Im always afraid I'll hate being in my garden due to mosquitoes.

[@Joyfulfarmer]

@@Cindyd-k3e those little buggers are vicious! I use a lavender lotion in the summertime that keeps them off of me.

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

In 2017 my daughter and I built a gravel patio into the lawn under my big lemon tree. Aside from the peace sitting there has given me as I watch the birds and pollinators, it was our only socializing space during Covid and it was priceless to be able to keep in touch with friends! Now visitors often ask if we can go outside and sit in the garden.

[@jane.closeyoureyesandthink6064]

Jess, when I saw you write ‘Beulah’ as the name of your garden, I had a flood of memories Remembering ‘our’ much loved Beulah. In the 70’s we bought a turquoise blue older International - The name Beulah came to me the moment I saw her, and that’s what’s she was. Stocky and dependable. We drove her from Colorado to California to Alberta-to Arizona, our first child playing in the back…..💛💛

[@plaisirdelanglais]

I am convinced that having garden outside of my house helped me to survive the pandemic when I was stuck for 18 months inside doing online lessons. I wasn't far from burnt out and I believe the garden was the reason of not having a full breakdown.

[@claireskinner9077]

I think a lot of people had the same thought over covid as Michael. I know for us it was the final push to finally buy acreage. And we have invested all of our resources into making it the best place it can be to raise our family. And while it won’t be as well built as your current garden, especially at first, I have been taking inspiration from your last garden as well as your current one, and we will slowly be incorporating places of rest and beauty into the productive parts of our garden as we build it.

[@mj1294]

Yes Michael, we could call it a revelation in fact, let’s call it a “REVELATION”👏

[@ForOurLegacyHomestead]

Jess, you are my soul sister and you don't even know it 😂 when you speak about your space and even about cleaning your house and getting distracted by something else, I'm like YES that's my bestie! 😂 thank you for sparking that joy for the garden. Anytime I feel "stuck" and watch your videos, it refreshes the passion I have for my garden. I wait for the day where we can get our property and grow our forever space. 💚🌻🌱

[@justgoodness333littlehomes5]

Hahaha, me too. Lol.

[@ForOurLegacyHomestead]

@Just Goodness 333 Little Homestead 😂 I just want to sit and talk to her and pick her brain without hyperventilating lol I met her last year at her book signing. She's amazing in person too

[@jessicapabon2105]

I remember just when you first said that you should always put a chair somewhere in the garden they're good. And that year I bought myself an outdoor weatherproof rocking chair from Lowe's and I love it! I put it in a spot that's in a cozy area of the yard or gets mostly shade where I can watch the birds bathing in the bird bath in the bird sanctuary and turn my head and look at all the raised garden beds and enjoy the vegetables growing together with the edible beautiful Blooms of flowers. I love the songs of The Birds early in the morning. And the quiet or I get to spend time talking to God or singing to him or just being quiet and still.

[@deloreswalcott8161]

Thanks for sharing. I’m currently living in an condo community for 55 and older in which each of us can garden around our unit. I have an end unit which means I have garden space in the front, the back and on the side. You broadcasting seeds in 2.5 seed starter pots, was a game changer for me. I now have a variety of flowers and some vegetables to plant out in the spring. Thanks again. Delores

[@deniahenderson7178]

A spot where you can sit and ENJOY THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR!!! Nothing is more gratifying then being able to celebrate the joy of the vision you began with. REJOICE says it all! Your pavilion is perfection❤ Thank you for all the positive inspiration!

[@DragonflyenAmber]

The favourite garden I ever had was one my daughter designed for me. When I was at work one weekend she recruited her dad and they built in ground beds, lay some walking stones and planted a bunch of stuff for me. I came home to the most relaxing, calming space. Some day I will have another one like it, until then my balcony garden will have to do.

[@Wildevis]

I am NOT a natural gardener and have to create spaces for me to enjoy doing gardening and I realise I do not have spaces like that so for me to garden is a chore and a mission and this year, I must change that. So since winter just barely started here, I am now not only planning my autumn and summer garden but also my lovely space that I want to go sit in. So thanks for the inspiration

[@marysidle5132]

Love your videos Jess!!! My take is the garden is NOT a chore, rather a feeling of peace and calm. Even the daily maintenance is calming and oh so therapeutic. Years ago I started the garden to give my family good food, and to be alone, (nobody is going to come help pull weeds). I soon realized how healed you feel once your hands are in the dirt.

[@ForOurLegacyHomestead]

I'm anxiously waiting my garden to explode so I can spend every waking second in it 😅

[@growingaHome]

Agreed!

[@maryellenwilson6075]

Hands in the soil is so healing to the soul. ✌🏽❤️🌱

[@robinweir64]

Right now, this is the goal of both my husband and myself. We are putting our time, effort, and finances into our home to make it our special place instead of spending that energy elsewhere. Thank you for putting into words what we are feeling is important in this time for us as well. It makes it feel like we aren't the only ones striving to make our space a sanctuary.

[@stephaniekilpatrick1028]

We love making our garden a bright, exciting place to be in. It attracts the kiddos and makes them want to be in the space and it's lovely for us to walk around in and enjoy the growth each day. Definitely a great idea to make it a space you love so that you're excited to go out and be in it.

[@bettybrancato635]

I can't build what you have, but I can glean ideas- and you give us all permission to dream. Thank you. Love you guys!

[@RKmarie2011]

The first time I heard your advice about the resting spot in the garden I immediately got a chair to place in my garden. It made so much sense to me and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t done it sooner. It has made the garden feel like less work while also getting it more attention. My garden has been happier with a chair and so has my time spent there.

[@tamiejones8368]

I have gotten so many ideas from watching you all build this new farm. I live on 60 acres in Middle Tennessee with a 1 acre garden space, so much of what you are doing applies to me. Having just come out of a 7 year divorce that caused so much depression. Watching your videos has helped me remember that my happy space is the garden. I have a camp chair set out there to sit and have my coffee. It's a place where I can dream, plan, and envision the lush summer garden full of flowers and food. My kids and I have been working on rebuilding the garden for the last 3 years. Thank you for giving me inspiration and showing us that garden spaces hold magic, we just need to discover it. 💜💜

[@pamelacooper6916]

I love sitting on my swinging chair and looking out over my vegetable garden. Seeing the plants that I have nurtured from seeds grow into food for my husband and I. Of course I always have too much but it’s lovely to give to friends and family.

[@Holly_at_gypsyhollergardens]

I think anyone feeling your space is not relatable should look into the gardens in the UK ❤ They view their entire property as "the garden " ! It seems to be very natural process in older countries . We do have gardens of historical value here , but I feel this cultivation of sacred spaces is becoming more sought out in our country and moving away from "landscaped lawns" . I think your space is a perfect match for your passion and purpose 🪴🌱🌿💐 just last night in prayer I thanked him for fulfilling this for you 💙

[@RootsandRefugeFarm]

I love this, and actually I think my love for this type of garden is rooted in my love for English literature

[@maryellenwilson6075]

❤🌱✌🏽🌱❤️

[@josdantas9739]

LOL love the “winter gardener” thinks one way and the “summer gardener”one may not be aligned that was hilarious and describes me and probably many others😂

[@growjoyfullyhomestead]

Our youngest son built me a garden shed several years ago. Well, this garden shed has evolved into a small greenhouse and my favorite place to be. Our youngest daughter and I go out there every morning that we can even in the winter. We try to keep it heated a little bit to keep our favorite plants alive. It has big windows on 3 of the sides and small windows on the 4th. I turn on either Gardner's World or a couple of our favorite little shows that evolved somehow. The importance of this space cannot be overrated. It provides a a mental haven, a place of hope, and a place to dream. Thank you for sharing your beautiful space. I'm happy to see your success. I loved your little garden in Arkansas as much as this one, but I'm glad to see that you are recognizing your wildest dreams.❤

[@ashley-fayme3919]

I started my dream garden space last year and she is coming along beautifully. 🥰 i’m still planning on where my sitting/loving space will be, but just now I decided on what her name would be…. Glory is her name 🥰🥰🥰 Thank you Jess for guiding me through my waiting room into my wildest dreams! 🥰

[@lynnsorensen503]

I absolutely love sitting in the garden & watching the baby garter snakes slither up the cucumber vines, the bumblebees feasting on zinnia pollen, the butterflies flitting from flower to flower, and as I sit quietly, the birds that come to forage. I even love the ravens, even though they steal my strawberries!!!❤️ I feel a part of this beautiful planet we call home, & if I can make it a little better, let it be.🥰

[@leewillis2908]

At our last house,I decided to build my garden around our outdoor dining area. We built a fire pit in the middle of it. I spent much more time in that garden than the one at the previous house, that was back in the corner. Consequently, that garden got more attention and thrived. An added benefit was that it became a literal space of healing for me, through some difficult health issues, even with back surgery that prevented me from gardening, I had many quiet times in that space that drew me ever closer to The Master Gardener. Now I always save a space for my Abba to join me in creating with His Creation, or just to enjoy basking in it together.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

My garden is in my view morning, noon, and night. I take so many pictures because it is truly beautiful and feeds my soul every day of the year. The garden space completes me.

[@alexishumphrey7568]

Jess I know I’m not alone when I say I don’t watch R&R because I want the same garden as you. I watch for your joy and passion. ❤ I watch because you teach. I watch because you’re an artist.

[@katiesan865]

This was such a great video. When our sweet dog of 14 years passed, we added remembrances of him in the garden. When we’re out there, it feels like he’s laying there enjoying the space with us. It’s such a soulful, connected space aside from just where we harvest food. It really is good for the soul ❤

[@sherrywilbourn4605]

Hi Jess! Following your advice back in your Arkansas Farm days, we worked to make our garden space a place we love to be in...even when picking hornworms off out tomatoes... before giving up & spraying with BT. A big part of loving our garden was making our garden as self-sufficient & easy as possible (in our 60s) with raised beds, water drip lines operated from an app on our phones (handy husband), deer fencing with a hot wire along the bottom to keep animals/destruction out....painting the t-posts fun colors. We replicated your garden door, painting ours red & instead of roses over the entrance, we have grape vines.....lots of cattle panel arches for vertical gardening & beauty. I love looking out the window in the early morning watching my husband with his cup of coffee walking through the garden talking to the plants....never thought we would love our garden this much! And by the way, I had to quickly learn how to preserve all the harvest...canning, fermenting, tincturing, dehydrating, etc:). I’m grateful to everyone on You Tube who have shared their knowledge & failures! Thank you Jess for all the inspiration & knowledge!! PS, our grandkids love our garden! **Legacy!

[@litag6143]

Very inspirational, Jess! Your garden is beautiful! I love all that space! I live in town, unfortunately. I'm a senior citizen. I worked at a greenhouse for 14 years until I had melanoma & 2 surgeries until they got it all. The next 10 years I spent inside. (Thank goodness I work at a quilt shop & have an embroidery machine that keeps me creative!). Last year my son converted the beautiful greenhouse he had built for me several years before into a chicken coop & bought me some chickens, which I had wanted all of my life. Those chickens got me back outside! I got 3 meat rabbits to go with my rescue bunny & suddenly I couldn't get enough food growing for all of them! I bought a tiny greenhouse & started a garden in pots. I really did do pretty good for just throwing it all together just before the summer heat hit. I put a lawn chair under the pear tree in my backyard where I could sit in the evenings & survey "My Little Kingdom". I watched the birds & prayed & thanked God every day for my beautiful part of His world. Over the winter I have doubled my garden space & I am so excited to be back gardening, which I have done since I was a toddler. I bought some Mary Washington asparagus seeds like my grandmother grew. I had the Jersey hybrid, but it died out slowly during the years I hid inside. After seeing your asparagus, I knew I had to plant more! I don't have the money for flagstone & my garden fence this year is free pallets to keep my dogs out. It's not beautiful like it used to be, but it's the best garden I can create for now! I only work a couple of days a week, so it gives me plenty of time to spend out there. Thanks again for the inspiration, & God Bless!

[@apiecemaker1163]

I love your story. I am a quilter and gardener. Both things are a joy to me. I’m happy you are getting back in the garden. Pretty is definitely in the eyes of the beholder. What can be prettier than growing veggies and flowers. 👩‍🌾💚🥬🍅♥️🌸☀️🌹

[@litag6143]

@@apiecemaker1163 Thank you! Yes, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder! Our owner of the quilt shop likes modern colors. It seems like everything is the same colors now. Nothing traditional. I'm trying to see the beauty in the designs & not focus on the colors, but even the patterns she picks are "out there". I teach machine embroidery & luckily I get to choose "my colors" & "my projects" myself. Same with my garden. It winds up a hodge-podge by summer, but just one little volunteer growing somewhere unconventional gives me such satisfaction! Even when I wasn't "gardening", I had lots of pots of herbs & flowers. I guess I couldn't completely give it up! And in a couple of weeks it will be time for us to put out the hummingbird feeders! God is good! Keep gardening & quilting! God Bless!

[@rachelweber8038]

My garden journey started in a community garden, which was great because I learned a lot from others who knew more than I did. I did that for a few years but found toward the end of each season, going there always began to feel like a chore. I decided to pour my energy into making a garden at my home instead. Because of our space, we have to do container gardening but it is so nice being able to walk outside whenever I want and water, harvest, or just sit in the garden that was previously just concrete.

[@soulspaces]

This resonated so much!!! My husband and I created our business a few years ago and it’s called Soul Spaces. We design and Creat spaces in nature where people can rest and their soul can shine. In 2020 we found a 10 acres piece of land in North Idaho and we named it “Soul Spaces” we are in the process of creating little pockets of intentional spaces, gardens, cabins, tree houses etc all over the place for people to come and enjoy. We don’t have a ton of money to pour into it yet but we are super creative!! It can be done. Like Jess said, where there is a will there is a way! Have HOPE my friend. Your dream will come true. We even started a KZbin channel to document our journey. The kids love it and it’s fun to have people follow along and give suggestions. Jess you keep doing what your doing. People really trust and listen to you and this world is getting brighter by the day. Well done. And blessings to all of you reading this. ❤

[@AlisonV362]

Thank you for the “insurance against yourself” talk. My winter self needed that! 😂 As for relatable, having seen where you came from, your garden now is so rewarding to see as it shows our garden dreams can come true. Also, you have taught how to grow out of a solid bag, a kiddie pool, raised beds and in ground. I love your authentic self!

[@dawndawn6946]

Good for you, Jess! I love that you follow your dream. I’m not a homesteader, but I love following along with you. The thing that drew me to you is your conversations with yourself, us, and God are the same conversations I have in my garden! It was so awesome to find someone else with my interests and a heart for others and God.💖

[@bethanydohrman3475]

I have to say, Jess, that's why I keep coming back every week to your channel. You are definitely authentic and honest. Thank you for that.

[@nicolemiller3436]

Aw! Fern I'm right there with you momma! My due date is tomorrow March 19th! Waiting on the little guy to make his entrance into our world!! I pray all goes well for fern and her calf delivery! Jess your garden space is truly beautiful!! You are a beautiful soul! ❤️ Because of all your inspiration we have added a deck into our yard/ garden space and a 80 ft. tunnel for growing year round!! I just love everything you aspire for with your garden! Can't thank you enough for all the wisdom you impart and the inspiration you share!!! God bless you and your family!! ❤️

[@ginnysulya9805]

Praying for you dear, tomorrow is my husband’s 62 birthday! ❤️

[@nicolemiller3436]

@@ginnysulya9805 Thank you very much! Happy Birthday to your husband! Hope he has a wonderful day!

[@ginnysulya9805]

@@nicolemiller3436 Hi Nicole, waiting is challenging! Praying your little guy has made his entrance into this life! Praying for you and your family! God bless! 🙏❤️🙏

[@nicolemiller3436]

@@ginnysulya9805 Thank you for your prayers! He hasn't arrived yet, we are still waiting! He is definitely worth the wait! 🥰 God bless you!

[@gardenhoe1000]

I grew up poor so my parents garden was our food source. I was made to work in that garden then go into the un-air conditioned kitchen to preserve the harvest. I hated it as a kid but I am so thankful for those skills. I am not sure I ever thanked them for those skills. Now our garden is still our food source, but also our respite and happy place.

[@michellewelch6013]

Yes! My garden is finally becoming mine, a place thats not in the back part of my little yard. Instead my garden IS my yard now. No guilt. No worry that kids wont have room to play. My yard is small but I am going to make it work for me! Hubby suggested last night to build a green house for Pete’s sake since the birds have now eaten all my herb seedling AND my tomato seedling leaves. Ugh. Learning. Im designing a place to sit and relax in my garden too. I have a little metal garden chair that is cast iron, has roses in the design and its pretty. I enjoy sitting on that chair. I love talking to God in my gardens. Its peaceful, and the life there is inspiring as the life of the garden changes day by day. Great content. Thank you!

[@debbiep7419]

When I was a kid, our garden was a chore place. But somehow I still developed an appreciation and love of gardening. As an adult, the garden has always been my happy place though I've only really been successful at it (in my mind) for the past few years. But it wasn't until I found your channel and heard things like "every garden needs a chair" and "the best medicine for the garden is the gardener" that I truly found joy in my garden. I put my first chair in my previous garden and my "reward" for working in the garden in the morning was to sit in my chair and enjoy its beauty when I was done. I'm in the process of building the garden of my dreams and it will have a chair (or 2 or 3) and arches and decorations. I'm excited because there is an outside wall outlet that I plan to put a table and chair near so I can keep my coffee on a mug warmer! Happy days ahead.

[@sandybryan7126]

Last year we sold our home and moved into a 16 x 70 singlewide mobile home with our oldest daughter, her husband and baby boy. They had purchased land and the "plan" was to all move onto it and homestead, living together in the mobile home while they built their dream home. Here we are a year later..... all still together with another baby on the way. I say that to say this. We live in SE Georgia and I work from home. We have a 7 x 14 enclosed trailer. This enclosed trailer is my office, my craft room, where I spend 10 plus hours a day. It also holds my husband's cherished dirt bike. I love this space. Sounds strange, but it has a temporary back wall with a glass storm door and a window AC (we are installing RV windows in the sides next month so I have more light). I have a desk, laptop, printer, 2 totes with all my planting supplies, 3 bins with my garden seeds, a camp chair that my husband sits in when he gets home from work, and my 1939 Singer sewing machine, rolling cart that serves as ironing board and cutting station. I have sewn 3 quilt tops in this trailer. This is my sanity. You are so right about making a space yours. It can be anything, anywhere. Whatever brings you joy! Your excitement about your garden and space also brings me joy! I have learned so much from you. Thank you.

[@charmainemrtnz]

I love it! Every plant I plant becomes almost like an extension of myself. I can tend it, love it, care for it, nourish it and then have it nourish me in return. Even if all I have is a few plants in pots/containers, it is as rewarding as a large plot garden. My soul is always refreshed when I spend time in the garden.

[@LorrayneHam]

I am 63 and I built my garden right outside my front door, because I realized that as I get older I was going to need to have it be easy…! Out of sight, out of mind…. That is something I did not want to happen. So I get to look out into a beautiful lush space… winter is a little drab but summer is glorious…!!!

[@lanabisson2675]

My biggest lesson I learned last season... I garden on terraced beds as well as other beds, my veggies were coming along nicely, soil was beautiful. lots of work went into. We had a sudden hard hard rain that water from up the road came down so fast it found its way to my terraced garden and collapsed and buckled both my terraced garden and greenhouse and washed away plants and tubs full of compost sitting on the floor level. I was devastated. I tried to clean up, salvage what I could. I fell to my knees crying to God, not why me, just crying and telling him this hurts so bad and to help me get over this loss. Later that day, he spoke gently to my heart..God told me....."You never invited me into the garden" I was so busy in the spring prep, that I forgot to invite him to "our Garden" After all, he is the Master Gardener. As much as that hurt, I cherish the lesson I learned from it. From now on, I ask his blessing and protection and for him to be with me in our gardens.

[@diannamc367]

Thank you for your story and for the reminder 💖🙏🏻

[@marking-time-gardens]

Amen!💕

[@judysherrill2871]

I just got myself nice chimes to put outside my little greenhouse. It was expensive but the sound is amazing. Like a soft song. Oh yes, it has a Roo the rooster on it. Feeds my soul. It's the little things....

[@lorrainejones759]

Beulah is my great grandmothers name. She was the most beautiful soul! Such wonderful childhood memories of her! I wish you a lifetime of wonderful memories in your gardens. 🥰

[@noranature]

Hey Jess. Today I listened to your podcast “for the love of food” and I never had to frown, but sometimes I cried a little bit because you are so right with all you have said. thank you for inspiring me to cook my own and make a garden with love and passion. It's so nice to know where the food comes from and how valuable nature is. All the best for you and your family ❣

[@mikkileon6380]

I just had to pause the video to again tell you how you and your family are living my dream!!! My ex-husband and all five of my kids would have loved living this dream with me. Now I’m 60 and my health definitely has its challenges. I never got to live this dream, and I never will. Yet all my children are alive and well, I do have a little garden and I get to live vicariously through a family that I truly love and respect. OK I adore you all too hehehehehe ☺️. So thank you for helping me to fulfill my life long dream❣️🙏🏼💐

[@ChaoticCountry]

It’s 30 degrees outside and I want nothing more than to go outside and work on my garden. I’m trying to create my garden into a “haven” this year and I’m struggling to create it currently but you got me inspired to get out there and get to work. 😅

[@LittleHomesteadOnHinerPond]

I love your space, and I am striving for a space of beauty and function and experience like yours on a much smaller scale.for our suburban lot. It reminds me of a landscape book I read years ago where it says look at a place in nature that you love and inspires you (say Denali) and then bring the colors or shapes or smells to your own garden so it’ll remind you of that great place in nature. For me, what I take from your example will be a water feature, places to sit, abundance of colors, food in raised beds and in the ground, trellises, and whimsy, and dreams. Those things can fit in my smaller space 🥰

[@apiecemaker1163]

I would love a field trip to see Michael’s space he is creating for his family! He reminds me of my son. He looks like a lumberjack/gangster and has a tender heart, beautiful thoughts, gentle soul, and is what I call my gentle giant. Michael seems to be cut from that same fabric. These two men are so talented and true artists. I can’t wait to see the rock after it’s finished. My garden has definitely been my sanctuary and a place I meet with the Lord. It is a place of healing for my body when I was so sick, for my emotional well being when I was troubled, and my spiritual growth when God needs to deal with my heart. Amazing that I can still feed my family and friends from such a place. 👩‍🌾🌺🥬☀️🌹♥️

[@a.j.r_ball]

I cracked up when I read this!!😂😂 the lumberjack gangster!!😂 this made my day. Blessings!!

[@apiecemaker1163]

@@a.j.r_ball awww thank you. If you saw my son, you’d understand. Lol He is 6’5” and weighs about 285. Size 15 shoe, long hair, and a heart of GOLD. My sense of humor gets me in trouble sometimes. Glad you got me. 🫣😂🤣😁👩‍🌾

[@apiecemaker1163]

@@a.j.r_ball 😳 OMGoodness I just realized who you were. Now I gotta go look up your channel and subscribe. I didn’t know you were a KZbinr. 👩‍🌾👏👏👏 just made my grannie heart happy.

[@angiesheirlooms]

Absolutely have to have my coffee in the gardens every year! I've always placed a table and chairs in every area of the property where I'm growing my gardens. A little bistro set by the fruit trees, grapes and berries patch. A patio set with table, 4 chairs and umbrella in the middle of the raised garden beds and a full patio table and chair set under a big walnut tree down by the creek and main big vegetable garden.

[@Greens5511]

I love hearing his story about making spaces for his children!! I feel so much like that with my grandkids!!!

[@nanapamdoggiedaycare7212]

Beulah! Love it! 💖💖💖

[@jenipiechocki6925]

Authenticity radiates from all your videos in my opinion, and i feel like so many can get inspiration from all your gardens! Yes the exact same farm may be unattainable for alot of us, but your spaces you create are so inspirational! Thank you! And your tiny asparagus has given me the push to finally start some , planning for the future! Which is very hard for me.

[@Mamakate2382]

Lovely vlog. I placed tiny statuary around my yard/gardens that represent my sweet kitties and doggies in heaven now, reminding me they’re still around, still walking and sitting in the garden with me. Brings me joy. I’ve copied your Greenstalks, arbors, and a sitting place in the garden, by the way. Thanks!

[@mrslsix]

Last year, my granddaughters painted stepping stones for me for Mother's Day. I placed them on the path on my way to my garden. They bring me so much joy as I walk to my garden where I have 2 chairs and a small table. My gusband doesn't garden, but he comes and sits while I garden. Sometimes, we just go and sit with a snack and cool drink. I'll continue to add things that bring me joy and peace.

[@littlemichiganhouse1655]

You have to walk a path to my garden and I love it. It’s like this secret space just for me.

[@marlaherrington5320]

You are such an incredible inspiration to me I love watching all your videos, now if I can just get my finances and my old body to cooperate

[@beealll3475]

“Beulah” is the perfect name! She is your earthly paradise that you love, cherish, share and where you meet and talk to God. I love it🙏

[@FiveCanadianAcres]

I found one of those 80's fold up beach lounge chairs at a thrift store. I love to bring out a book and set it up in the middle of the garden and enjoy a few hours of reading 😄 I may have a nap or two sometimes as well, lol. I love that that you named your garden, what a great idea!! I do find every garden has a unique feel and 'personality'. Mine is a little wild and unruly but is super productive. I will be watching my garden this year to see what name speaks out to me 🥰

[@stacyk.3402]

It’s relatable to other crazy plant people 🤣… totally love your garden and the goals you have shared. Plus if you have any workshops or gatherings it will be a wonderful place for people to wonder around and give others joy

[@staceyv8754]

OK, now I really want to see Michael's space! Field Trip! Will he give us a tour? His work is beautiful in your space and you both inspire me to make my garden productive AND beautiful. I believe you can pretty much turn anything into an artistic expression. OK, and watching on, I have an extremely small house/backyard and obviously I can't create what you're creating, but I can most definitely take inspiration and I do and I feel like that's the whole point - not for people to copy what you're doing, but to take something, an idea, from it.

[@a.j.r_ball]

Definitely would. Shoot for summer so the plants are established and green.👍

[@jphoenix7883]

You inspired me almost three years ago to start dreaming of my garden. We lived in an apartment but this year it is finally coming to fruition in the house we are in. I cannot wait to put all the knowledge I have gleaned from your videos into action! 🥰 thank you for planting the seed in me ❤️

[@erin9710]

Hey Jess, I absolutely love your garden space, and I truly enjoy watching you build your space. I get so much inspiration from all that you do and show on your channel. With that being said, I have a very small property in the suburbs, and my space will not look like your space. (It couldn't. it's my classoom, lol) And I say this with a glad heart and peace in my soul. You see, even though my space will not look like your space, I believe that I have captured the inspiration you have offered over the years and I am able to create a space of my own that will fit my property. The only reason I am even writing this is because if anyone comes along and feels like what you're doing, may be "unattainable" in any way. I would like to encourage them to take in the inspiration but apply it in a way that works for them. It does work! This is what I have been doing, and it is working! In fact, I have fully adopted the idea of turning my waiting room into a classroom. This has helped me work through the pains of developing my dream of having a small farm but not being able to just scrap my current life, buy a chunk of land, and hope for the best. Developing this life does take time and is not an overnight change. And I'm confident that I will have a fully running homestead of my own, and if I do this right, it will be one of a kind. It won't look like yours or anyone else's, (I wouldn't mind having something like yours. Yours is absolutely stunning!) and that's a good thing! This year is the first year I am comfortable referring to my home as a (mini) homestead! I am excited to have a beautiful garden of my own, I am now grinding wheat berries to make my own flour, I'm getting to know local farmers in my area and I am doing and learning so much more! I'm confident that when the right property comes along, I will be equipped and ready to create a small farm of my own. And I couldn't have done it without first experiencing the inspiration and garden devotionals you were lead to do. My life is forever changed because of you, and I can't thank you enough! ❤

[@simonehaughton6685]

I love the green dot that looks like a seed. I started my garden three years ago and I come home every evening and I am in the garden until sun down ❤❤

[@MrsPink64]

I love to sit in my bright blue Adirondack chair on the patio out my back door. I bring my tea, Bible and my gardening gloves. Devotions and gardening go hand in hand. 💕🙏🏻

[@flipflopgardener6629]

I call the visit to my gardens, "toodleing about". I never go out with an exact plan. I know there are lots of chores waiting. I happily wait for the garden to tell me my list for the day. I love how you share your love for your space❤

[@karenm5681]

Nice! I call it “puttering”.

[@KM-nq7ez]

To be honest with you, I totally cannot relate with what you folks are doing there because and only because financially it’s soooo out of my possibility HOWEVER I can relate to the vision….. it’s just so lovely, so serene, that my goal is to “ shrink/downsize” that vision until it IS “ doable” for me. Perhaps it will only be a 6x10 ft space, but it’s going to be my 6x10 ft Sanctuary. 🙏♥️🙏

[@louise2209]

My garden isn’t small for the U.K. but it’s not large (like a fraction (1/2, 1/4, 1/8) of an acre, not even close!) Still, it’s been evolving over the last few years, based partly on what was here when we bought the house, into sections. For example, there was already a patio outside the back door and now there is a veg garden at the bottom of this that stretches across the middle creating a divide and beyond that is a grass section for the kids and a mini orchard with a few trees, fruit bushes, strawberries and a grapevine. Not much is producing yet, but it will. The veg garden includes a lovely new greenhouse this year and is already full of seedlings and vegetables. Then I have a side garden which is currently for flowers, the area is lined with holly trees, a self-seeded cherry and a small part lends itself for woodland planting. There also is a small pond which we inherited with the house, which I’d like to whip out and either relocate or expand. There isn’t currently any formal seating, but in the future, I can imagine sitting amongst the trees or sitting up at the pond in a pebbled beach like setting with wispy grasses, as well as where I sit on the patio on summer mornings with a cup of tea.

[@tamararoberts9307]

You are an intelligent, poetic, sentimental, spiritual and beautiful soul Jess ✨️ so refreshing ❤️

[@tamararoberts9307]

And creative!

[@scandimama]

Yes! Over 14 years ago, we planned our very first garden to be beautiful. I knew that if it wasn't a pleasant place to be, I would not spend time there. The last thing I wanted was a big patch of dirt to weed. So, we collected rock from near our home and built stone raised beds in a pretty design with walking paths and an orchard along with.a swing to sit and enjoy the space. I didn't know of anyone else doing such a thing as we didn't have the online resources to make it common.I only had a few books. Although it has changed over the years, I have never regretted making a pretty space to be while working or resting. God meets me in the garden, and I'm forever grateful.

[@vmiller811]

My husband calls my garden, "Your canvas in the outdoor studio." He's a good man that 'gets' me! Though my time in my indoor art studio has given way to the all too important role as caregiver for the past few years, my garden fills my soul and creative spirit!

[@TheDirtyRoots]

I was so captivated by what Jess was saying and then I saw the roots of those tomato seedlings 😳 and I instantly thought good Lord those roots are huge! 😲 that was a #squirrel 🐿️ moment 😂

[@robintranchina6588]

My garden is my lifeline! It’s where I talk to my loved ones who have passed on, where I see life goes on, pray and talk to God & Jesus, celebrate life, create joy that keeps on giving. I love the quote from, I believe, Audrey Hepburn, “to plant a garden is to believe in the future.”

[@pammcbride9691]

Oh my heart be still...the stonework for your pavilion is breathtaking!!! We actually created a sitting place when we first moved to our property in 2006 that we named the Sunset Garden. We used logs from a tree we downed to make a crude bench and the leftovers to create a border around the space. Such a beautiful place to sit and watch the sun set. I love your vlog, Jess!

[@candicecullengrowcooknourish]

I spent many years gardening in the back corner of my yard. I would purposely go out there to work in the garden and barely sat and enjoyed the spot. I have almost no pictures of that garden spot. After many years I created a kitchen garden just out my back door with a seating area, pond and meadow garden. I can spend hours out there watching the garden and all the little garden visitors. I now have thousands of pictures of my garden. Creating a space that I loved not only made it easier to get out there and tend the garden, it pulls me out there to enjoy the space, find peace and joy and marvel at what my family built together.

[@Mimzy_Springdale]

Today I heard a sermon on preparing your home/garden ready to receive God and welcome guests and spend time with family celebrating the Lord. Awesome that you basically had the same message today. Not a coincidence. 😊

[@crissytuttle2132]

A couple years ago, I heard you say to create a beautiful space in the garden. So, I found a couple old metal yard chairs at an estate sale, a base of an old concrete fountain for a table for my coffee and voila!; I had a beautiful space. After my hubby saw it, he took some old bricks and laid a small pad for them to sit on. I truly love my space. Thank you, Jess for encouraging me to make the garden beautiful! ❤

[@dustyfuller5632]

I love the raised beds and arched trellises.I get excited when I see what I've planted grow. We're expanding this year!!

[@alanapavuk5401]

Instead of a pandemic puppy, I got a pandemic garden, and it has been so lovely to walk through it each day, say hello to the flowers, check on the snap peas, smell the clematis, nod at the Hellebores, smile at the tulips, watch the birds, feel the tall grasses, smell the anise hyssop. A joy to all the senses. A wonderful juxtaposition to my work sitting and staring at a computer for 8 hrs a day.

[@naynerboppers5254]

I'm in the process of building raised beds in my front yard..... And seeing it transform is already so encouraging that, for the first time in years, I am doing hard work every single day with my husband. I am disabled so we are creating a beautiful space that is also easier on my back. I started gardening last year so that I could be forced to be more active outside and to learn how to grow the seeds amongst our basic prepping supplies. I fell in love with it and there is value in making it look beautiful. I have already inspired a large number of my neighbors to give container gardening a try (including those in apartments) because they thought it looked so beautiful. Already, the people that walk by (I'm in a major walking route and near a regional park with trails) regularly are so excited to see our progress that it encourages them to get out and walk more often. Hearing this brought me such joy. I cannot wait for them to see all the flowers I'm adding, including the start of a memory garden for my aunt that died last April. Sunflower Steve's beautiful Van Gogh's Fantasy and Lemon drop varieties are going to be the star of the show. My aunt is the reason for my love of sunflowers. I look forward to making the space even more beautiful each year!

[@coldcountryhomesteaders]

This was a much needed reminder for us as we build both our farm and our home! It’s easy to get overwhelmed and face creative burnout, but just watching this reminded me of the dreams I made for beautiful structures in the garden that have been put on the back burner until we finish our home. It’s invigorating to think about beautifying the space!

[@tdleitch]

I absolutely love the idea of “enclosing” the space or walling it off as you say. As a child, my favorite book was The Secret Garden. Your garden in Arkansas brought back those whimsical little girl feelings and was nearly exactly what I pictured the secret garden would look like. A grown woman’s hiding space from the outside world. A place where she can retreat to her childhood dreams of wonder. ❤ I’m building my first raised bed garden this year and I’m striving for even a sliver of that same whimsical secret garden feeling you shared with me, in my own space. I love seeing how this new space evolves and blossoms under your touch. Thank you for giving me that feeling of awe and wonder back Jess.

[@laurad7439]

I am in awe of your goals, Jess. I am a small gardener, just bought my first 10-in-1 modular vego to add to my grow bags. It is just my hubby and I. He loves cherry tomatoes and snack peppers. I just want to try other things which is why I bought seeds. I like the challenge of trying to grow something. I may not have the best green thumb, but every year it gets a little more green :)

[@elizabethpayne6844]

The arches would make it feel more like a hug from the garden, comfort and peaceful. Hope I said that right.