A Pumpkin PROBLEM - June Garden Tour 2024 - Gardening in Portugal

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It's the end of June down in our no-dig veg garden in sunny central Portugal. The weather has been more on our side recently and our small plants have had an explosion of growth recently. The beds are full and there's a couple of crops ready to harvest - even though it feels like the season is just getting started.
Join us for a garden update, a tour and a problem that we didn't expect to have this year! Of course we'll also show what we did to solve it and share our learnings along the way.
To see how far we've come in our relatively short gardening journey, check out more posts in our Gardening in Portugal playlist makedogrow.com...

[@ninemoonplanet]

Cats, obedient? Are you kidding? They're our owners. 😂

[@theroo3625]

The weeds (some dandelion variety) in the mulched blueberry pot have very long deep roots - unless you remove them down to the bottom, they will keep coming back. Atm you have pulled off the leaves up top but the - quite hardy - root is still happy and ready to regrow 😊

[@cindyconnour446]

Your veg garden looks wonderful

[@jamesgrover2005]

Potatoes in pots don't need to be harvested until you want them, you can put the pot on it's side under a hedge so it doesn't get wet and the potatoes stay good for a long time.

[@rudymazar5266]

We planted 10 pumpkin seeds and so far we harvested 70 huge pumpkins ..too many ..great presents for friends.

[@EnglishMadeleine]

Knowing your tendency for research, I’m hoping you already know that Blueberries only grow well in ericaceous soil - the same sort you’d use for rhododendrons, etc. In other words, acidic compost is needed. You can amend the soil with coffee granules, pine needles and the correct sort of wood chips, which I’m hoping you’ve used. The rest is all looking good, 😍

[@AbigailGerlach-zt1sh]

Take a couple of bottles of olive oil and put your sprigs of rosemary in the oil. Nice for salads, chicken recipes, bread recipes etc. Process/shred your courgettes into 1 cup baggies and freeze. They make a fabulous sweet bread. I toast it for breakfast, or serve it for tea time. They also make a nice pancake recipe for breakfast. Add it to shredded potatoes and fry up latkas (potato pancakes) serve with apple sauce or sour cream. Strawberry ice cream would be yummy.

[@the-reading-lemon]

I'm going to make a prediction: you are going to have the pumpkin version of other people's zucchini problem. Remember it is definitely totally legal to sneak around at night and drop them off on your neighbours' door steps.

[@Bdub323]

😂

[@christinetrewin9717]

Oh yes love Kylie’s signature “Bye” 💋👩‍🌾🇫🇷

[@celiasnyman2885]

Love the squares around those plants that spread much. What a great idea.

[@rachelfrees1268]

Perfect day spent with you two in your beautiful gardens. Thanks for sharing and bye bye.❤

[@madamevavra]

Butternuts are my favorite keeper over winter. There is nothing better than one roasted with large amounts of fresh rosemary and olive oil. Yum! Your potatoes are fabulous. Hopefully I will have a similar harvest this week. The strawberries will make better jam than wine. Your gardens have come leaps and bounds over the last several years. Well done!

[@shirleyrice7093]

I love butternut squash with maple syrup roasted on it.

[@shirleyrice7093]

Your garden is so neat. It is beautifully organized with the artistically laid out beds.

[@florentinalily]

lemon verbena is a menace. You will have to pot it up; it will spread everywhere and completely smothers out other plants (been there ..) It is worse than mint. I even thought of processing the kilos of it for oil. It killed a couple of roses I put in and is just so dense.. Thanks for the vlog, a joy as always x

[@machellep1]

Your are now on the cat distribution list ! Get more rooms ready.

[@jackiesaylor2487]

I noticed your potato garden is kind of shallow (maybe 4" or so) and I wanted to share another way to increase your yield. I saw another channel build a huge mound of dirt (like theirs was like cheating high, but you wouldn't need to go that high, they were in Alaska), and then plant the plants all around (not just on top) of the mound. And literally when they harvested then had enough potatoes to last for about a year and a half if not longer. I've heard potatoes like loose sandy soil.

[@cathybrewer8958]

Your garden looks so nice and neat. Looks like your going to have a great harvest.

[@JVSwailesBoudicca]

4:30 Oh my heart alive, Listen.......I can hear a Turtle Dove. I haven't heard one since we left France 7yrs ago. They are now rare & precious, you are very lucky to have them there. Thank you for a very interesting video.....I loved every minute in your garden.

[@jamesgrover2005]

9:27 I'd love to see you making essential oil 😊

[@lorimontcalm9086]

As always I am impressed by your hard work. Gardening is rewarding and frustrating simultaneously. Hugs from 🇨🇦

[@andreacrashe9894]

*Kylie & Guy, your garden looks amazing. 🙂 You both have put in a lot of hard work to get it where it is today, from when you first started. 🙂nz*

[@glenyscallaghan1195]

Well you certainly are not going to be hungry, great harvest and plenty following on.👋👋⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@kylieharrison3782]

You need to sow your seeds using toilet paper. Simply do a long row of toilet paper (on a table). Then spray with water. Put the seeds, spaced as needed. Then fold toilet paper tape in half. You can fold the wet and seeded paper tape up and place in a zip lock bag or glass jar with lid on. Once the seeds start growing lay the tape out on the soil where you want to grow. Wet tape again. Then put soil layer on top.

[@alidabotes6264]

Excellent tip!! Thanks.

[@user-ho3dk4pg8y]

Oh wow! Genius!

[@nickfosterxx]

Looking forward to the development of courgette wine v2.0. Was impressed by your reaction last year, been trying to persuade people to give it a try.

[@nickfosterxx]

When I can get hold of enough rosemary, I put it on the barbecue coals so the sweet smoke can add a bit of flavour to lamb kebabs. Or just burn a little as 'incense' as the fire dies down.

[@ArtofHosting]

What I learned about parsnips... they like to grow where they choose. Not where you like them to grow - IF you have one, let them go to seed, and then see what comes up next year.

[@dawnfitzgerald2951]

Really enjoy spending time with you both. Strawberry jam is the hit at my house.❤️🇨🇦

[@ctmaizurah]

I like watching people gardening. Btw what happened to your previous cat?

[@kerrylynnparsons7879]

Gorgeous gardens!!! 🥰🎶❤️🎶🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@isobelkirk6602]

The garden is looking great. Well done.

[@leonieandrewsart4137]

Please, just put a tarp down and upend the pots. It's really much easier to remove heavy weed infestation than way than trying to dig them out of the top of the pot.

[@nickfosterxx]

Incredibly impressive potatoes. When you can harvest them with your hands you know you've cracked the no dig method.

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

The "big bluey-greeny one" was probably a Hubbard squash. 💚

[@Aotruba]

Veggie beds look lovely! I love your vegetation and your property! ❤ Kitties are so cute! 🐈❣️🐈🌟❣️

[@vickihoneycutt456]

Wonderful ,lots of work but so rewarding when you've canned and stocked up the pantry. I miss the garden and fresh vegetables. For years my husband and I grew our own food including meat,we had pigs,steers,chickens, so forfeeling

[@tomrichardson3107]

Strawberry wine is awesome. Made some many years ago. You have to let it age. 😊

[@PawelGonera]

Rosemary probably doesn't need raised bed in your climate. In Croatia I saw it growing everywhere.

[@christopherstinnett1234]

@ the 29 mark (Kylie talking about the club), is that your house in the background? I know there are some neighbors but not sure how close they are to your property.

[@janlafournaise6505]

The soil in your garden is gorgeous.

[@GerdaVB-m3n]

I never throw away the radish leaves. I use it in the same way as spinach in potato stew. The foliage contains many minerals and vitamins, and it has a nice taste (not as spicy as the radish itself).

[@aldag5514]

Make strawberry jam and strawberry sauce for strawberry shortcake 🍰

[@nf3959]

Have you thought about planting artichokes?

[@user-ho3dk4pg8y]

Beautiful garden! You put a lot of work into it, that is evident.

[@marthamaeda8257]

Good job your garden is thriving well❤

[@davefout5548]

Don't be too aggravated with the cats getting into the garden. They just want to add a little fertilizer

[@SuperHaptics]

hi lovely people. I have a question since you like answering our questions. My grandparents lived in a village, so I have seen a fair bit of old school farming and gardening. I do not recall seeing a raised bed ever in the village. Apart from raised earth for growing tabbaco plants, when they made 40cm high 40cm wide long rows of raised earth and planted tabbaco on top. For vegetables, there were only rows of plants (e.g. tomato, aubergine, cucumber beans) separated by little shalow ditches between these rows for water to flow when watering, since those days you would water with the hose in the evening and make little pools of water in those ditches. Plants were growing amazingly good. So my question is why put all the effort and cost for raised beds if you can plant directly in your nice soil which is already there and waiting for you? 😊

[@carolvanrooyen4929]

Ooh those potatoes look yummy! Thanks for sharing your garden!

[@maeveskelly4686]

Our indoor/outdoor cat miaows to let us know he wants to go out- usually followed immediately by him setting up a racket outside the kitchen window to either get back in, or for food (he will already have been fed). This theatre production happens daily and has prompted our older outdoor cat who was previously fairly silent, to start raising her voice too - obviously never too old to pick up new tricks.

[@suzannegerstner2841]

I think you would do well with watermelon, cantelope, or honey dew- maybe take some of that squash space. Garden looks great!

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We have a whole bed of melons … that’s what is in bed 7 😀

[@louiseupton3363]

Your garden is looking amazing 👏 Well done!!

[@kgrand62]

Good morning. If you want to save seed, be careful saving squash, pumpkin. If they cross pollinate and you save the seed you can get poisonous squash. Google toxic squash. The tomatoes with the funny leaves are just a "potato leafed" variety.

[@paulan5989]

Kitchen garden is looking great Re: courgettes, we purée them as a creamy base for soups. Healthy and delicious!

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Do you can or freeze them as purée?

[@paulan5989]

@@MAKEDOGROW we chop and freeze them in portions for each soup batch. We purée them with a hand blender.

[@kimevans5742]

Home grown pickled beetroot is the best. I would definitely be putting those blueberries in the ground.

[@dianeleirer9878]

Your rosemary is amazing! Oh to be able to literally grow a rosemary ‘bush’ here in Zone 6b-only in my dreams😌.

[@ADuckie4u]

I recall early on you had a lovely cat who got into many of your videos on various projects just wondering if you know what happened to her?

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We had two cats that we brought with us from London, unfortunately neither are with us. The first one, Stasha the black/white one, got sick and we had to let him go. The other one, Coconut the tabby one, went missing about 6 months ago 😕

[@nicarazzi]

Love your gardening videos.

[@padimills1494]

I plant basil on either side of each tomato and pepper plant. The strong smell keeps the pest away and you can freeze the basil. You can't eat marigolds.

[@RobynCollis]

That was so charming and relaxing ! Thank you for showing us your garden 🪴

[@bluturtles4205]

I couldn't remember whether you built/renovated a swimming pool in your garden? Wasn't it next to the Well? IF so do you use it often?

[@MAKEDOGROW]

We don’t use it … the tanks leak and the water is way too cold

[@Cymindis]

Strawberry and Rhubarb wine is lovely.... also yes, bu-bye is a Thing.

[@miachambers830]

One of my biggest ‘envies’ is of the Rosemary bushes that grow in Portugal. I would love one OR MORE of those in my herb garden, which pretty much needs a real ‘intervention’..! 😔🤭🤷🏼‍♀️

[@cferguson3368]

Many types of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, & melons will vine upwards of a trellis, netting, or fence....makes them easier to contain.

[@suenunn9099]

Try making strawberry jam using figs and strawberry jello. It's great and you can't tell the difference.

[@margaretkeay97]

Hi from Australia!🇦🇺 🦘 With regards to your pumpkin problem, haven’t you thought of growing them vertically similar to the way you do your Lufas!? Lots of people over here make an A frame and grow them up and over them. They also grow them over an arch which makes them easy to harvest. It also keeps them off the ground so they don’t rot from the moist soil. 😀 Good luck with them however you do them. 😘

[@christinetaggart2715]

Mmmm pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, pumpkin loaf etc. etc. etc plus all the usuals. Enjoy, cheers from Australia 🇦🇺🥮🥟🥧🍯🍹🎃

[@Nedwasbored]

The reason you don’t have marigolds is because you have cats. For some reason, known only to TS Eliot and Eleanor Abernathy, cat’s absolutely hate marigolds and will deliberately destroy them.

[@clarainesescovarposada8008]

Hi, if you want to keep seeds of your “pumpkins” you have to be sure which kind you have, cucúrbitae pepo, moschata, máxima, etc. otherwise, seeds will be useless if come from a crosspolinated fruit.

[@JikuDas-b4d]

You told us, both of you are from IT background. Then, how both you learn new skills like farming, house building and other chores etc. Is it from youtube searching by on specific categories??

[@susanfabian1521]

If you don't want so many pumpkins, why not pinch off some of the flowers? It'll make what pumpkins you do grow bigger & healthier.

[@shelleycorcoran9514]

Love you guys! Fabulous channel. Just a heads up, I was told that happy, healthy lemongrass can be a bit like mint and take over the world. Recommend planting it in a pot! 😅❤

[@royking7298]

My marigolds didn't germinate either. I have gigantic corget plants and no corgets. :( giant tomato plants and no tomatoes. Peppers are coming along as well as other misc items. And wow! Such a big garden you guys have. Must be tons of fun. I don't know how you do it.

[@VisionaryGardener]

Harvest your mature potatoes in that bed, amend the soil, and put in the pumpkins. I'd pull the mystery squash/pumpkin things and focus on the ones you have intentionally started.

[@alliejones9864]

If you are unable to grow vertically, Is it possible you borrow some of the roadside around your home in your verges, both you and the neighbours could benefit and it would look quite interesting, I know we always end up giving away so many each year anyway (nz)

[@svrooyen]

Strawberry Wine is great. Ferment out dry, stabalise or pasteurise, then back sweeten with a strawberry syrup. Or Make it better by adding blueberries. Made a batch of strawberry and blueberry wine 2 years ago, and it didnt last long. Dont even manage to keep a bottle to fully age it was that good. Strawberrybon its own is very much like a rosé

[@nicolebury2743]

You can make some rosemary tincture, Essential oil, and drying some to mix with oregano, parsley etc.

[@sonarsphere]

I'm curious as to why don't you plant your pumpkins, etc. in empty spaces around your garden? Just dig holes, throw some fertilizer and compost in there and that's it. Don't need to make beds, put bark, use a ton of compost.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Access to water … we only have water in the veg garden or on the deck. It’s very dry here in the summer so we’d have to water with a watering can (and we simply don’t have time for that)

[@sonarsphere]

@@MAKEDOGROW I see. You have too much on your plate already.

[@ArtofHosting]

take care from 'wild' squach: always taste before cooking. If it taste bitter, don't eat them. Patatoes with no leaves will not grow more, so good to take them out.

[@ronguille9721]

You didn't harvest the potato bed too early, the plants were done and would not longer size up the potatoes. The ones in pots can stay until you need them. Just don't allow them to get soaked with water, turn the pots on their sides or store in a shed etc. in their soil until needed. The Butternut squash that I have purchased the past few years in the stores have no flavour at all. New varieties? I wish that I could still go my own. Nice gardens guys!

[@lauratohome]

You have so many vegetables maybe try a plant based eating plan, Dr John Mcdougall has written about it.

[@TheZsuZsa123]

Rosemary is tough and likes a good trim. Did you know rosemary oil helps hair grow thicker and encourages hair growth on balding heads? Pest animals do not like it because it leaves a oil on their fur.

[@BandoftheTime]

There is an app flora incognita from the University which is very good to find out what grow there. It is in many languages . Pls look for that i use it 4 years in my garden. 1:04

[@KelpsSousa]

I need to find more time to do some gardening. In the previous house I made a raised bed on top of the gas cylinder shelter and we planted some herbs there. But since we moved, there hasn't been any time to plant anything yet. But we'll get there. One thing about your beds that I don't think I would get used to is that they are on the ground. I know that raised beds take a lot more time, but I would make them that way to be more comfortable to plant, tend and harvest. Just seeing you on your knees while planting or harvesting makes my back hurt... BTW, it was an expect surprise to have the carport build mentioned. That was so cool! I've had very busy weekends since I posted about the carport and not much progress since then, but it should be back on track next weekend.

[@sallyrobinson3469]

Don't know if you have slugs but they just love marigolds

[@VisionaryGardener]

If you let your radishes go to seed, you can also eat the seed pods when they're young and green. I actually like the pods better than the radishes. Very tasty in salads.

[@delphine88313]

I heard be careful of parsnip leaves.Some people break out in a rash on arms when harvesting.

[@potagermalo]

Superbe vidéo A bientôt

[@gecoimbra3612]

Cola in portuguese = glue Strawberry Jam , the best

[@ricardolandsman9465]

Lemon grass likes well drained soil and grows great in a pot. Give it space and it will do what grass does. Take over.

[@elisaferreira7244]

I add a bit of sugar to my raw strawberries and use an emerge hand brender to make a sauce than I frize it and use it as a pancake or waffles syrup, it also goes really great on vanilla ice cream

[@mulherbarbada9385]

What about that other cat that was your original cat, Coco or something?

[@jackiesaylor2487]

Are corjets, squash?

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Yes. Sometimes also called summer squash or zucchini

[@alidabotes6264]

Yes

[@juliemillar4394]

Those long rosemary twigs make excellent BBQ skewers

[@jeanhawken4482]

Pumpkins are such fun love pumpkin soup.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Strawberry wine is everything you hoped it would be.

[@CarolLoch-ww7po]

Our strawberry wine turned out like champagne all bubbly xx

[@kentishbunyip6081]

So did ours but not before the demijohn air bung was forced out very early on, covering our kitchen in dripping sticky goo. We made 6 bottles with what was left, each then exploding at various intervals until we were left with just one. When finally opened, it fizzed so much, we had to pour it into a jug until it had subsided. We were finally able to enjoy some beautiful strawberry wine. (Never again!)

[@elisekuby2009]

I love radish leaves in stir-fries. Not so much in salads.

[@livinginthealgarveportugal3357]

I still have a P bucket 😹 great vlog good to see your variety

[@MickeysMice]

Pumpkins need lots of food. So put them on the compost heap!

[@deborahbasel184]

Why don't you show your chickens?

[@josefamelanialeonor]

Your garden is beautiful 😍