Midsummer Food Forest Tour - our permaculture plot at its most beautiful

[@_SunRa_]

Beautiful Food Forest and I love the Pergola structures too !

[@matthewbrick7539]

You are fantastic remembering all these plant names in English.

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Matthew - I do mess up occasionally as you probably have noticed in the video ;)

[@briedubbels8690]

Your English is so perfect that I didn't realize for quite awhile that you weren't American, lol. Your garden is so impressive. I'm learning a lot. Thank you!

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Brie, that is a great compliment 😊

[@muqtadirbubere2686]

Good thanks for life of earth

[@ashleyhall6287]

In regards to your hickan nut tree- I live in South Carolina, USA, zone 8A. We have very mild winters (very brief periods of -4 C at most) and we grow pecans and hickory nuts very easily. I can’t imagine that lack of cool temperatures would pose a problem. I love your videos! Thanks for creating and sharing your content. I always learn so much!

[@joannesherwood3562]

Your food and flower forest is so beautiful, I feel inspired to do something similar. Your joy is contagious 💗

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Joanne! The garden is one of the bog joys of my life, at this time of year especially :)

[@amandaj2888]

Your garden is an absolute joy 💚

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks Amanda! All I want to do these days is walk around, pick berries and observe the wild life :)

[@thepeculiarcat6086]

Lovely garden, lovely person.

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! It is a beautiful time of the year!

[@thepeculiarcat6086]

@@GrownToCook I agree. Keep on inspiring people.

[@DerogatoryMess]

new concept for me, I like it.

[@janp2320]

Beautiful and you have inspired me

[@sowenchantedirishkitchenga8282]

Vera it’s beautiful 💚 it greats better each passing year 💚💚💚

[@GrownToCook]

It does! It's such a joy to see it developing into the garden I envisioned when we started :)

[@margielavarias1490]

I love your passion for gardening and also I think your red, long skirt is beautiful! It matches so beautifully with the lovely garden.

[@rowanwhite3520]

What an amazing garden! I hope you keep doing videos to show how your garden progresses!

[@GrownToCook]

Hi Rowen, thank you so much! if you'd like to see a more recent video of our food forest there are several on my channel!

[@pamelag.4417]

Thank You for the inspiring tour. A great example what a well thought out food forest can look like. You're spreading the joy around in a wonderful way! It's beauty is shining!! I like the example of how you do weed management. That has been a learning curve for us. Also the names on the screen was very much appreciated. Keep up the good work!!

[@airemay]

My yard is full of perennial weeds. I'm slowly but surely getting rid of them. I was able to shortcut the process in one small area by doing clearance mulch for a few months this winter/spring and then going with a polyculture like in your book, the one with all the different greens and other veggies. All the edible greens are preventing a lot of weeds!

[@jan10-l]

Thank you for your videos! I love all the information and inspiration. Thank you for including the name on the screen and a close up of the plant and flower, so we can understand better what you are talking about. Beautiful garden! Phoenix, Arizona USA

[@kaarekolstad2193]

Beautiful , joyful.

[@gordonsmit3396]

Awesome... 👏🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@gregwmanning]

What a beautiful garden, a pleasure to watch.

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Greg!

[@anthonysinclair5721]

That makes sense that you're such a good gardener , I travelled in rural Czechoslovakia in the early ninety's and everyone had such unbelievable gardens , which I imagine was an absolute necessity especially when stuck under Russian control!

[@GrownToCook]

My parents had a little vegetable garden when I was little but these days I am the gardener in the family and I keep putting plants in their garden that don't fit in mine :) Here's a video tour of their garden in the Czech Republic if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6vXfaBoZp58bpY

[@anthonysinclair5721]

@@GrownToCook Thanks for the Czech video tour , that takes me back! 😎

[@simon250505]

Wonderful, I'm a new viewer to your channel and your videos are a joy to watch 🙂

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much for watching, it’s lovely to hear you’re enjoying my videos!

[@jamesalanstephensmith7930]

Beautiful

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, James!

[@edwardallen527]

Awesome video! You've got me searching the internet for plants all the time! I just bought your book too. You're so full of knowledge!

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much for buying my book, Edward! Would you please consider reviewing on Amazon? It helps a lot!

[@laralichtgroen2956]

"Another part of thr garden that I love..." Zo herkenbaar. :)

[@GrownToCook]

Het is moeilijk kiezen welk stukje nu het leukst is :)

[@luciefialova3005]

You are awesome so cute and the garden is really wonderful

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you so much!

[@dramatriangle]

7:32 such a picturesque vista!

[@rishiagrawal3798]

It is my dream to have a garden such as yours .. I m a huge fan

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much, Rishi!

[@JoColours]

Dank je wel, Vera. Weer wat geleerd. Happy gardening!

[@GrownToCook]

Dank je wel, insgelijks!

[@nengolsen4203]

Beautiful garden i loved it

[@Noor-fx1dx]

Leuke tuin! Ik wil zelf beginnen met het houden van bijen. Dus ik zit nu geschikte bloemen te zoeken en tuin video’s. We hebben zelf nu alleen gras en een paar bloemen struik stekjes en bramenstruiken. Leuk om te zien dat je zo blij wordt door je tuin.

[@sandrah583]

I'm impressed, it looks like much larger than 1/4 acre.

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks! You can fit in lots :)

[@lepotagerpiments]

Great vidéo making guild for growing tree is a really good idea you also have the border forest effect looking you from Paris bye

[@GrownToCook]

Merci, Yannick! I'm planning to make a video on designing a fruit tree guild but there's always too little time :)

[@Katydidit]

Oh ... please do!

[@TIERRAYLOMBRICES]

Your garden it's amazing.

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much!

[@TessyTest19]

stunning ❤️

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you!!

[@AlisAllotment]

Got to admit the Silverbell tree is unfamiliar to me but it is so fascinating! Really enjoy uploads from your channel!

[@66REDD66]

FANTASTIC ❤️

[@viddachan8940]

How do you deal with mosquitoes and their larvae in the pond?

[@Katydidit]

Love your red skirt... you are a kindred spirit, my friend, I can tell fair well. Your garden is beautiful.!! I aspire that one day my garden will again be so wonderful. I lost my garden to floods, 2 years in a row. Look forward to hearing about your Hickory-Pecan experiment!

[@GrownToCook]

So sad to lose your garden - I'm sorry to hear that, Kate!

[@sunlight8299]

Harvest that rain. Try a hugel/mound see if the logs will hold the water. You can also introduce a swale or three depending on your space and the heaviness of the water. You could also introduce a pond

[@sharmeenakbar8990]

Top

[@lilspittin313]

InstasubbeD!!

[@louiseanderwin1]

Your garden is beautiful.

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks so much! It gets better every year :)

[@melstill]

Beautiful. And now I can honestly say I know some Dutch, one word anyway. Your videos are always educational in ways I don't always expect. Keep it up and I'll keep watching. ; )

[@GrownToCook]

Thanks, Mel! You know John Green writes in one of his books that Dutch is not so much a language as an ailment of the throat? ;)

[@melstill]

@@GrownToCook LOL! I'm impressed by your skill in multiple languages, at least three perhaps more, I guess. It's a talent I unfortunately lack but I admire in others.

[@SimplyGarden]

Thank you for sharing. The flowers mixed in really makes your garden unique. How cold fo the winters get for you. We live in southern New Hampshire. Sometimes it gets down to-10. Take care and have a great day!

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! We used to get temps down to -15 (5F) but it has not happened in some time. The winters are getting increasingly mild and we are getting few frosts. But they tend to happen in spring which is a real problem because by then lots of trees are flowering and the blossom is damaged. Our lowest temp this year occurred in May! That being said, many of the flowers we grow are quite hardy and will survive lower temps than what we get

[@SimplyGarden]

@@GrownToCook thank you for your reply. I watched a report on KZbin recently from a group of scientist's and new studies about the sun solar flare activities and sun spot changes are soon to cause major cooling off the earth over the next 50 years. If you go back in history over a couple 1000 years and there is a pattern of Major cooling off of the earth. They are seeing new activity on the sun indicating that this is about to happen again. I wouldn't doubt it as nature tends to have a pattern. I guess we need to enjoy the mild weather as it's not going to last much longer. I hope you have a good day. Great talking to you again.

[@caw952]

Hello, I love watching your videos. We are in south of UK so your experience and advice is very relevant to us here. I can't find the varieties you mention in our shops here. I think one day I will go to Netherlands and find all your garden centres and stock up. Thank you very much.

[@GrownToCook]

Hi and thanks for watching! Southern UK is our favourite vacation destination :) Yes, I believe the climate is very similar to ours. Many of the varieties I grow come from specialised nurseries (not from the average garden centre) and I think a lot of them ship abroad too. Though things might have gotten more complicated after Brexit! One quick tip: nursery Lubera has lots of interesting edibles and though they are Swiss, they have a webshop for the UK: www.lubera.co.uk/ Here's a video from when we visited the nursery: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6WWnn6Cjqd3fLc

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

In my food forest I will go with backyard orchard culture system to keep fruit trees to about 2.5m high for easier harvest.

[@Katydidit]

As I plant out trees, I will do the same. I have heard that planting them closer together also often creates a more beneficial environment!!

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

@@Katydidit didnt know that. That's interesting.

[@GrownToCook]

It depends what you want. I planted my apples on dwarfing rootstock a little further apart than necessary, in order to allow sufficient light for a diverse herb layer. They're also interplanted with currents, so that I have several layers of plants

[@baukevandelaak1298]

Love your books and KZbin content. You mention having mint as an understory. How do you manage it and prevent it from spreading through the whole garden? I love mint and am starting a foodforest at my new home, but I am hesitant to plant mint in the ground.

[@davidthescottishvegan]

Put a container with compost buried in the ground then dig holes where you need to put the plants and the mint should remain in the container. If the plants are already in a container dig a hole to put the container in the ground and cover with soil making sure you don't cover the plants with soil/compost.

[@Louisianapermaculture]

The point of a ground cover/understory is to take over.. just plant it in the ground. What if your grass took over??

[@sherylgreen3238]

Your food forest is so gorgeous. I really enjoyed your vlogs. I am now planning my own fruit tree guilds and would be very interested to know what variety your large white sage is. 💕

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you! It's clary sage (Salvia sclarea). It's a biennial but self-sows reliably

[@sherylgreen3238]

Thank you x

[@Katydidit]

Just gorgeous, I do agree!!

[@thomascallaghan5988]

Great video

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Thomas!

[@martijnaalbrecht8522]

Hoi Vera, Mijn Burton staat 7 jaar en is nu een meter of 2 hoog. Hij geeft nog geen vruchten, maar heeft het na een paar moeilijke jaren heel erg naar zijn zin. Ook de schade na een late vorst is veel minder dan in het begin. Kortom komt vast goed!

[@GrownToCook]

Dank je wel, Martijn! Goed om te horen! Heb je meerdere rassen van pecan en hickory? Ik was vrijdag bij kwekerij Esveld waar een mooie 25 jaar oude hickory stond, maar ze zeiden dat de vruchtenproductie nog steeds heel laag is en de noten niet goed gevuld. Cor van Gelderen vermoedt dat kruisbestuiving zou helpen (ook als de bomen in wezen zelfbestuivend zijn)

[@martijnaalbrecht8522]

GrownToCook ja ik heb 4 verschillende variëteiten staan voor kruisbestuiving. Zoals je denk ik wel weet geven de bomen van Ton bij de Smallekamp al veel noten en deze staan volgens mij 15 jaar, maar daar is er uiteraard volop kruisbestuiving.

[@mrsclfb9697]

Beautiful Garden!! I recently came across a book describing how to prune fruit trees to keep them small and manageable in a limited space. It seems like something you might like to try. “Grow a Little Fruit Tree” by Ann Ralph. These do not have to be dwarf tree varieties. Also, it’s my understanding that pecan trees need both male and female trees to produce. Your hybrid may not need both. I want a food forest!! Thank you for all your hard work and making it look so easy and beautiful. 💐🙂

[@powrxplor69]

What a beautiful garden you have, congratulations! Also, don't know where you are located but here in Florida we have about half a dozen species of native hickories plus pecans that do well down into the mid part of the state, so I'm thinking your "hican" (spelling?) should do well. Hickories and pecans are very closely related too (all from the carya genus) so maybe the flavor of the hican wouldn't be too different from a regular pecan..?

[@GrownToCook]

we're in the Netherlands, in Europe and it's difficult to say how the climate compares. We'll have to wait and see :)

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

Funny you mentioned the dutch word for garden. Its literally in my last name. 😀

[@GrownToCook]

That is a good name to have :)

[@gardenerinthesand]

Great idea to use biodegradable fabric. Do you have a name/brand? Thanks

[@Amatterofsound]

Houtsnippers als mulch en 'groene mulch'...kan ik de groene bladeren (rabarber, smeerwortel) over de houtsnippers leggen? En: wat ziet je tuin er prachtig uit en zoveel variatie :-)

[@michelemarble6799]

You are my incredible. Do you have a book of your knowledge and recipes. I am starting a food forest in Maine USA. How do you water your food forest?

[@GrownToCook]

Thank you, Michele! Yes, I have written a book called Edible Paradise: amzn.to/3t0d4ZY I do not water the food forest except after planting new things. The thick mulch prevent evaporation and the plants create their own microclimate, si it's pretty low maintenance

[@haroldgolden5437]

Curious to know the climate where your food forest is growing. What cold hardiness zone are you in? How much precip do you receive each year?

[@GrownToCook]

We're in something like zone 8 but our summers are probably cooler then what they'd be in this zone in the USA and our annual precipitation is around 31 inches (though summers are getting increasingly dry and there's a long term water shortage). I want to do a video on the importance of mulch if I get to it :)

[@debrapowers7555]

how does the rainwater get to the soil when you have all the cardboard? i put a lot of cardboard down around plants then i noticed the water could not get through, so i pulled it up around the plants. what a mess i made.

[@sunlight8299]

Wet the cardboard before you put it down then it'll be more porous. Keep watering it if it dries out. It should start rotting down eventually and help keep moisture in the soil. Stay away from cardboard which has a plastic layer

[@suhir5210]

Such a stunning garden! Very inspiring. I am also located in the Netherlands but the north. Where abouts are you located?

[@I.Toverheks]

www.tuinsmakelijk.nl. is her Dutch website. (she has a Dutch yt channel as well) She lives in twente according to the website. ;-)

[@nancyfahey7518]

That yarrow is redder than your dress. Amazing. We have a white one that survives in Florida, it would be great to have that. I'll research it.

[@GrownToCook]

The variety is called 'Pomegranate' but there are many great varieties and if you can grow the white variety, they should do well for you too!

[@MEANJEAN2U]

Yes! Did the red yarrow make the dress pop or vis versa?!I have not seen a yarrow quite so vivid red, I too will be researching the variety and if we can source it in the US. Thank you Vera-- videos are always beatiful and informative and inspirational!

[@MEANJEAN2U]

"vice versa"

[@csgowoes6319]

We have loads of the white in our garden, it's basically a weed, I never planted it, but I leave it for the bees, didn't even know there were other colours!

[@songlyon7795]

You say you have a walnut tree. I have black walnut trees. I would be interested in how you manage you plants and the juglone issue.

[@GrownToCook]

Our tree is Jutland regia, not Jutland nigra which you have and that means it’s much less allelopathic. I have not noticed any issues so far with anything I planted under it. My parents have a much bigger tree and it seems lack of light under it is more of a problem than juglone.

[@adruvitpandit5816]

Malhamdulillah.

[@mdijharulhaque768]

Maim you which types of fruits plucked

[@maryhoffman9551]

Do you find that the pond causes a mosquito problem?

[@casayana]

Hey! I was wondering if you save your own seeds... and if you do I was wondering if you were willing to sell some to me because locally grown seeds are always better than store bought :)

[@nicsim7469]

Have you already done a video on tayberries?

[@GrownToCook]

Not yet! Maybe I should do a video on the different hybrid berries we grow (tayberry, boysenberry, loganberry..)?

[@nicsim7469]

@@GrownToCook Great! Thankyou.

[@I.Toverheks]

@@GrownToCook you should! loved your bessenhaag in stadsstuin video on your Dutch channel a couple of years ago. it inspired us to expand our berry collection with several new kinds. (yellow, black, summer, fall, boysen, Logan, tay, japanese wineberry) I keep on recommending it to people that need inspiration or information for their berries. would love to see more about your berries now.. and the newer kinds you've planted since (or hadn't mentioned in the previous video)😎👍

[@katrindorrie9000]

Hi Vera, thanks for the informative video! Could you tell me the name of the nursery specialised in nut trees that you mentioned? I'm looking for a particular nut tree and I haven't found a supplier yet... thanks!

[@GrownToCook]

Hi Katrin, it's called De Smallekamp: www.desmallekamp.nl Where are you from? Germany?

[@katrindorrie9000]

@@GrownToCook HI Vera, yes, I'm from Germany. Any recommendations for nut tree nurseries here?

[@ceili]

Amazing garden! Have you ever grown yarrow?

[@nancyfahey7518]

That red flower @ 5:30 is yarrow.

[@GrownToCook]

Yes, indeed! we have different plants, some named varieties and also the wild form

[@chococat9685]

Don't mosquitoes lay a lot of eggs in the pond? Whenever I have standing water, I feel it attracts mosquitoes.

[@GrownToCook]

It’s not really a problem because the other wildlife in the pond eats the mosquito larvae

[@donnalivermore591]

Great video, thanks Vera. Question - Do you get water running off the cardboard and not soaking in? Do you need to separately water the trees that have the cardboard underneath?

[@GrownToCook]

Hi Donna, no, we do not water the trees at all. The cardboard prevents evaporation and keeps the soil underneath moist even during long dry periods. You might water initially but afterwards (once everything has rooted properly) it shouldn't be necessary

[@donnalivermore591]

GrownToCook great, thanks!

[@pradeepsenanayake1202]

Please can you upload new video clip of your garden.

[@GrownToCook]

I'll try to fit again this year, once the garden gets going!

[@hugelpook]

When you spread the seed did you protect from birds?

[@alwaysbabytime]

how do you control the pest? like snails and aphids.

[@GrownToCook]

My main strategy is to attract natural predators. For example, as I say in the video, the pond attracts frogs and they eat slugs, do the slug population doesn’t get out of hand. Many of the plants you see in the herb layer (for example the yarrow) attract beneficial insects like hoverflies and lady bugs that eat aphids. There’s a video in the archive with more info on the different plant functions if you’d like to see more!

[@alwaysbabytime]

Thank you. May i know the title of the Video?

[@zerowastemama843]

Can you tell me the name of the red flower growing next to the cherry tree?

[@GrownToCook]

It's Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) - a wonderful cut flower!

[@zerowastemama843]

@@GrownToCook Thank you so much! I'm a big fan of you!

[@GrownToCook]

@@zerowastemama843 Than you, that's so sweet!

[@debrapowers7555]

i am new to your channel, where are you located?

[@Frieda_Kamstra]

The Netherlands

[@tinachxx110]

where are you located?

[@GrownToCook]

I'm in the Netherlands, close to the German border. I've recently made a video about what our climate is like:kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGG8lX6Fd8anaq8

[@JasonSmith-tv2zw]

The Summer Solstice is the beginning of Summer, not the middle

[@anthonysinclair5721]

❓

[@cheryldenkins1597]

The summer solstice is the longest daylight hours of the year. This occurs mid June. Then the days gradually get shorter until winter solstice.

[@sulawesixxx129]

If you need some new fruit trees/shrubs i can recommend some old polish verieties, thay are very hard and tasty, maybe only less productive.