Our July Garden in Central Portugal - What is going well and what is not? - Our Portuguese Homestead

Previous garden tours: • Garden tours 2020
Music: www.epidemicsound.com/music/f...
Want to support us and these videos? Find me on Patreon: / ourportuguesehomestead
New here? My name is Lea and I live with my partner Maarten and our toddler Puck on our land in Central Portugal. We left the rat race in the Netherlands a little over a year ago, and moved south in our old campervan. Last year we bought land in Portugal that had been abandoned for several decades. Slowly we are cleaning the land and building our dream off-grid homestead from the ground up. This channel documents all the different jobs we have to do, and sometimes some nice footage of this beautiful country we now call home. Want to see more updates? Don't forget to subscribe!
Instagram: / ourportuguesehomestead
Facebook: / ourportuguesehomestead .

[@margaretmurphy6546]

Lea, finely crush up egg shells and place around your tomato plants for calcium to prevent blossom end rot. Epsom salt s great for tomatoes and greens.

[@Brunbrown]

In portugal theres a bible every year for agriculture. Search for "borda de água". Teaches when to plant all the crops and have tons of info. Sometimes you can find it in the villages. Castelo Branco is very dry in the summer, sometimes too much hot. Sometimes if you make friends in a small village and ask for plants, people can spare something good to plant anx can even give some advice, they love to talk, unfortunable, mostly portuguese.

[@ronaldskidmore6410]

You're doing quite well. One thing we learned in our hot dry summer (Oregon is wet most of the year, but bone dry in summer) is that plants need to be bunched together to give shade to the ground. (and in addition, lots and lots of mulch.) You might think they are crowded, but for the most part, they do fine. You don't pull up trees that you think are not producing, with the excuse that they are using up precious water. You add more and more trees, and they become reservoirs for water and raise the water table. Smaller plants too, like blueberries, etc. can be planted more thickly (keep the mulch thick). Tomatoes (and other plants) can be planted in blocks and not so much in rows. The original horizontal branches can be removed as the "suckers" start. The suckers don't need to be pruned. The more you have, the more shade you get and the more blossoms and fruit you will get. Cucumbers get bitter if they don't have enough water. I don't know if you know about seaweed powder (diluted it is used as a foliar spray). When it is used (early in the morning when the birds are singing is maybe the best time), it gives plants the ability to take up moisture from the air (if there is any, and there is usually more than we think - if Portugal is anything like Spain, which I have experienced in July/August, there is definitely humidity in the air) and thrive even in drought conditions. It also supplies all the trace elements, and increases flowers and fruit. Hokkaido pumpkins (Japanese pumpkins (Kabocha), if they are what I think they are) are green outside and orange inside, and quite delicious).

[@johngordonolson1077]

If it does well like your lettuce let it go to seed and you will always have seed and the extra seeds you can start and sell the plants. I love what y'all are doing and love your videos and how you are sharing the culture and people around you.

[@BebeSarah]

I live in the US southwest desert. Tomato growing here is completely different from the rest of the US, where I gardened for decades. Experts here say do not stake tomatoes in a dry climate! The wind and intense sun kills them when they are raised up. Places with rain and humidity must have tomatoes staked to reduce rot, but this is not a problem in the desert. So, tomatoes here should sprawl on the ground, naturally. It keeps them from drying out, and there’s no rot because of the overall dryness. This technique may be effective in your climate.

[@johnmorgan5495]

Best is to follow what local people grow and do, they have the past experience x

[@melissadushi4997]

if you don't think there are enough pollinators, you can use a tiny paint brush to cross pollinate the flowers. Tap the tomatoes flowers to vibrate them to cross pollinate the male and female parts in the flower.

[@anthonysinclair5721]

Nice garden tour especially from your co-presenter! lol😁 I'm pretty much a rookie gardener and I've been saving my seeds , the second generation of all my saved seeds have been much better than generation number one. Peas , several types of tomatoes , pumpkins , squash , carrots , peppers probably a few more , although not in anyway done in laboratory conditions it's pretty cool to get a nice harvest with free seeds. 😎

[@ginapaquet909]

You are learning and that it what counts. If you have access to egg shells, dry them and grind them into powder form will help with blossom end rot on your tomatoes. Also, bananas peels fermented in water (2-3) days, has proven to be a wonderful natural liquid fertilizer.

[@angieabraham5690]

Hi Lea, also try different pumpkins, maybe some varieties will do much better in your climate. Trial and error. Also, maybe work on soil quality, that would help tremendously for quality crops. Check out Charles Dowding. He does great raised beds, no dig methods. You are doing great. I wish you and your family well. Keep up the good work.

[@flemingsburgfarmscommunity6390]

the more you work the land the better it will get keep up the good work

[@hollyjane4835]

I think for your first year the garden is doing well. It’s trial and error figuring out what grows the best for your conditions. Your garden will continue to improve as you work the land. So nice to see your special assistant make an appearance. Hello from Texas.

[@sandrascotland3639]

hopefully you can catch the rainwater off roof structures higher up to bring down to a pond to gravity feed your garden :)

[@-sstevens5444]

The learning curve is so high on new land-- what works, what doesn't work so well. This year has been out-of-the-ordinary on so many fronts. Doing well. I enjoy how you are accepting the successes and you are seeing when you need to rethink. 💚💙😎 Doing well.

[@margaretshaffer6713]

Plant close together! I have a small space to grow in Southern California and normally it is hard to water as we are almost always in drought. I grew everything VERY close together, so that every plant has its feet shaded. So around the base of every tomato, green beans are growing. They provide shade for each other, less evaporation, happier plants :)

[@margaretshaffer6713]

Grow Sungold tomatoes! They are a beautiful and prolific cherry tomato. Try San Diego Seed Company. San Diego goes months without rain and they have amazing seeds that excel in extreme conditions. Lots of heat, low rain.

[@sanjirodarylsan9096]

Most vegetables prefer cool soil, but seedlings don't like cold feet. They have a hard time until the soil gets warmer. One can start vegetable seedlings in a greenhouse early in spring and move them out when it's warmer. Gets several weeks head start on the growing season.

[@chriss.9060]

When I was in a garden near Algarve, the owner took a lot of effort in creating/excavating 5 x 5 x 3 m holes in the ground, in order to collect rainwater starting in the September-rain-season. it is a good idea, to keep the rainwater in the hills, not in the valleys. the water from the deep-well had more iron in it than useful. when planting on hills, there was a small 1m diameter horizontal area to collect the water. maybe You find the books and YT videos of Sepp Holzer helpful. Your garden looks great and promising.

[@danielasanchez8252]

You should get a couple bee hives , it will help with the pollination of your garden and give you some honey too.

[@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife]

Such a great tip , definately bees are the way to go

[@dannyg8130]

Portugese walking sticks grow awesome in heat. It's like kale without the oxcilate acid. They can grow up to 20ft tall.

[@manuelrodrigues6083]

You are a brave couple, starting a new live where Portuguese people leave the land to go to the coast. I think you can get some help interacting with your neighbors and take a look in what they grow, I am from the north, Guimarães, and had that same problems of growth eight years ago when I start. My conclusion is, if we want to guarantee production for a long period, we must control the weather and the soil in a greenhouse without that we grow lettuce and when it is ready to eat everybody have lettuce to sell, so it is too cheap.

[@shahannagrey8427]

Zucchini are so very thirsty. I worked on a farm during picking season and if you missed the ones that were the ideal size for restaurants, the next pick they where too big. We picked then had a day off and when we came back we were walking in mud. That’s how much water the farms poured on these plant, and they were 5 times the size...oh they were the green ones. Chokos, look them up . Hardy and not as thirsty. Hi from Australia.

[@richfiryn]

Your idea of ordering and sharing seeds among your friends is a great idea. You can also learn from each other what is working and what is not. Communal harvest lunches and dinners are nice too !

[@davidford694]

My daughter's in laws are Portuguese. The best gardeners I know. Ask the locals.

[@alexandercove1194]

You look beautiful in your dress. So living on the land and looking great too...you are very organized

[@mikerhodes9198]

We grow our garden here in Texas which also has very hot summers. We struggle because the heat is very hard on the plants. Some years they grow better but some plants just can't take the heat. We are getting ready for a fall planting in hopes the fall is cooler and will produce before winter temperatures. Try contacting locals to see what works well for them.

[@adrianasofiasantos]

Tip: Try to plant under the trees and water only at dawn and at night. In Portugal we have a climate of extremes. You have to guide yourself through the seasons

[@debrandw246]

Tomatoes have blossom end rot on them. Too much water will cause it. Your worst plants look better then mine. We have only had about a week of proper week of sun then rain and wind. I worked very hard and didn't get much. Love your video. It's a beautiful garden. It's done very well. Thank you. X

[@ElleCappuchino]

Great to be able to learn from your experiments!

[@PxssyGalore]

That tickled me when you said "Don't judge me"... I agree with you. You do what works for you! To heck with what anybody thinks. I was going to say the same thing. My family has always just let tomatoes grow wild in bush form. I have never heard of them being tied up. Unless you're talking hydroponics. Awesome video!!!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I never realized how many opinions people have about gardening until I started sharing my garden on here... The goal is to grow food, not to do gardening perfectly. Funny you’re watching this video now, was just editing a tour of how the garden is looking now :)

[@paulagrey8055]

We are thinking of trying some Hugeljuktur gardening in our hot and dry garden in Australia

[@Nils_Hammarsten]

A happy and proud girl. 😁

[@RickLarsonPermacultureDesigner]

I grow pumpkins that grow in trees. If they want more shade they'll stay on the ground, if they want more sun they will grow up in the trees!

[@soniak2865]

take a look at "Companion Planting" or "three sisters planting" / Used by Native Americans. tomatoes need watering every other day and Epsom Salt can help the soil. Are there many bees and beneficial insects in your area?

[@andreewert1142]

keep the Faith..great shade cover for the Pumpkin plants..

[@arturjcrebelo3275]

Lamego is a City with a lot of heat in the summer 40ºC and we need to adapt and plant early than in other regions. One exemple, some regions we collect the grapes for wine in middle of August, other in September and even some in early October. Depend the soil (more sandy or less) depend of the weather more hot or less. Portugal can be a small country but we have a very diverse climate, sometimes less than one hour away. One example the climate of Fatima, North of Lisbon (with a lot of fog and cold) compared to the climate from Palmela South of Lisbon (very sandy land and very hot that make a great sweet wine called moscatel de Setúbal). You and your husband, are doing the things very well. Both very intelligent and acquire knowledge very quickly. In 3 years you both know the same or even more than any Portuguese farmer. One advise sometimes the PH of the land can be impossible to some plants/crops grow properly.

[@rockydaniel7073]

Keep going-we’re all loving the posts

[@rogerbonilla1951]

Thank you for sharing your garden and your precious time. ALL.........MY LOVE FOREVER 💙💜❤️

[@ambersaphirarose2063]

It's good to see you having fun in the garden.

[@mabakermama8646]

Beautiful young lady it gives me the impression that all of your garden could fit in half of the space it now occupies.

[@elmamelo1492]

Have you try to dig the grand to seek for water? There is a simple method of doing that, if Google you will find out how easy it is. Your baby boy is very sweet and seems to be a very good baby.

[@noorzaidi220]

# your sun shade is towards north to south , while the sun rise is from east to west so even you apply the sun shade, the sun still past thrue the plant , you got to fix it accordingly , * i suggest you dig the soil a bit deeper about 6 inch , so that when you water the plant the water will flow around it ! it will keep the soil always wet !

[@jennenegludovatz3364]

Hello from British Columbia Canada put some of the chicken manure around your plants, plant beans they are great nitrogen fixers. If you plant sunflowers the bees will come they luv luv sunflowers.Well done it is a lot of hard work but well worth it. Really enjoy watching your videos thank you for doing this!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I just planted some sunflowers this week, excited to see how well they will still grow :) You're welcome!

[@sarapulford5957]

🇬🇧 Tomatoes can suffer from blossom end rot and need plenty of calcium. Keep all your egg shells, grind them to powder and put it in the bottom of the hole when planting. Plant deep as the bottom branches will become extra roots. I think Golden Gem marigolds/tagetes and basil are supposed to repell pests. I don't know but I wonder if you might do better planting the same toms the locals do. Bees like blue flowers so sow some blue cornflowers. Think I've seen corn grown in connection with a trench but can't remember if they were on top or in it. Think they were in it. Take Care.

[@marcoandmaria2023]

One thing I've learnt is irrigation pipes make a world of difference & they aren't very expensive, plus they use a lot less water.... Up until now I've not wanted to invest in a system as I'm in rented accommodation but when we finally buy a place that's my first requirement in my garden xxxxx try buying it second hand, you'll save it from landfill xxx

[@Jaynes-Path]

Zinnias are super easy to grow and save seeds from. I've had them for years and only purchased seeds once. Same for Astor's, which are very similar. When the bloom is spent (starts to die) cut it off (deadhead) and let it dry. A new seed will form at the base of the petals. Sometimes I just lay the deadheads on the ground and when dry I push the seeds under the soil to start another in that spot to keep blooms there all season. When it becomes cold, i place the deadheads or just the seeds into a paper bag. As long as the seeds do not get bugs or accidentally wet, they will grow come spring. It's best to remove the seeds when the bloom is 100% dry and discard the rest as tiny bugs seem to find their way into the bag or were hiding in the bloom when it was cut.

[@adrianasofiasantos]

The beans take at least 3 weeks to grow up. Keep calm it takes time

[@bijoubug6535]

Heirloom tomatoes sometimes have funky ends like a belly button - those are okay. The ends with the brown on it are usually blossom end rot and your plant needs more calcium. Hope this is helpful. Thanks for the great videos.

[@athena7042]

If so, would egg shells help?

[@tamaratharpe8189]

Great dress Lea! You are learning so much this year. Can’t wait to see next year’s garden!

[@sgrvtl7183]

When I tuned into this video, my very first thought was NICE DRESS!!

[@kimmurphy6864]

It’s time to start planting seeds for the second season garden. We have enough time before frost to plant a second garden.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

It's quite hard to get things started right now, through direct sowing at least. As mentioned last I have started some fall crops like cabbages in the shaded greenhouse. They're coming up well for now :)

[@fgg45g]

Watch your neighbors i'm from near, years ago my mum had lots of vegetables, one time she as 50Kg pumpkins. And good luck with your garden 😉👍

[@wardmizell4749]

I would love to see a series on different meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and fun snacks for the family.

[@thisorthat7626]

Nice video. Your challenges are similar to what I am experiencing in California. Too hot for heat loving plants during the day. I put up shade cloth and may leave it up for a few weeks as the plants are doing better with midday shade. "Oversummer" that's a true statement, LOL. This summer seems difficult for the plants, even with a lot of water.

[@sanjirodarylsan9096]

We're too tropical for typical garden vegetables to be happy and healthy without TLC. Better to grow tropical vegetables like chayote squash and jicama and be carefree. I'm in San Diego County. Check out Morag Gamble and the Permaculture Institute's videos. They are in northern NSW, which has a very similar climate to SoCal.

[@xaralhoninhou7210]

Gardening is a precise balance. I Have no idea how to go about it🤔. So many variables to consider and manage. Good for you and Marteen to learn as you go. Being an urbanite can be challenging when a sudden rural escape happens. Thanks for sharing you experience and accumulating knowledge.

[@tommyandpeter]

Your garden looks gorgeous, we love it 😍 We're also in our first year and it's fun learning everything as we go 😊 Your tomato plants look fun! We use the standard stick method but our fruits are only green now since we live in a colder climate compared to you. Your pumpkins look great! We made a mistake planting ours in the middle of grass and we're learning now that the soil is tired and exhausted from the grass so they're small and don't want to grow much. Best of luck with everything!

[@jlfm33]

If you use dripping irrigation in one hand you have extra plastic but on other hand you minimize the spending of water. Using the dripping irrigation covered with straw is very efficient in terms of the water you spend you just need to be shore that everything plant has his own dropper in the pipe to drink from. ❤️💪

[@deltonviera2051]

Love your videos 😄

[@ronsmith1364]

Suggest lime amendments for the garden beds. (extra Ca will help prevent BERot) Heatwave is a red tomato cultivar that can withstand hotter temps than most varieties & still keep fruiting. Okra & tomatillos are heat tolerant veggies that will produce during hot weather. The deep mulch beds are going to help retain moisture & produce food as well as organic matter over time. One possible issue is if the straw/hay has been sprayed with a herbicide this may carryover & kill seedlings. Source your mulches organically to prevent this. permies.com may have a european chapter & could provide local contacts for seeds, & husbandry knowledge. The comment about checking with neighbors gardens is on point. Best Wishes for a sustainable homestead

[@jamesrichey]

Wonderful to see that you are finally producing some pumpkins and watermelons! My pumpkins did not fare so well, but I've started a new set and hopefully I'll have something in late October or November.

[@germaineludik]

You should try water saving growing like wicking beds, hydroponics or aquaponics. Also hugel kultur growing

[@nelliefarr1540]

you can make onion and tomatoe smoor and bottle it when tomatoes are not available .you can even make tomato sauce and bottle it.

[@back2paranormal]

Nice, thanks for sharing. We're living in South Spain at the moment and recently bought an old house in the countryside in Galicia, want to get up there soon to do some repairs before moving in permanently, and get away from this "pandemic of panic" happening at the moment. We looked at buying in Portugal before but were worried about the language and schooling for kids, but seeing the situation now, maybe we should have. Anyway good luck and I think you have made a wise choice.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Thanks for watching! I'm sure there are also plenty good aspects to Galicia, good luck on your move :)

[@tonyhussey3610]

Galicia is a lovely place too, I thought of moving there too.. I bet you will have a great growing season..not too hot in summer with a bit of rain and loads of Sun..I have always liked my visits there..Also not too touristy which is a plus..Still a good choice in my mind.👍👍👍👍

[@catherine2281]

Lea always love your content. I know you are probably too busy for watching videos now....just wanted to mention the channel of an interesting guy in the tropics.....jon jandai life is easy.

[@onul]

Though I live in apartment which is far from gardening life, it is one of my dream that I can raise a big garden like you. Thanks for sharing 😊👍

[@onul]

@neuralcircuit Yes, I am. Oh, I have heard of thar program before but never watched it. I will try that show next time.

[@onul]

@neuralcircuit Wow season1 started from 2010, 10 years already. I could see many familiar faces. They are heroes at my ages 😊

[@onul]

@neuralcircuit It might be. I wonder country life at my country, so this will help a lot. Thanks for your recommendation 😊

[@MartinCanada]

You're on the right track: experimenting with varietals and methods, and adapting your plans for next year. Heat stress really is an issue affecting some plants, which can reduce yield. Roma tomatoes are okay when cooked down for sauce, but are not that juicy/tasty for table eating. Happy gardening with your sidekick!

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I'm thinking of trying some of those special sauce varieties, because even in sauce I feel like to Roma don't have much flavour.

[@MartinCanada]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Roma's a likely not worth the effort to can or freeze for future use, but it depends -- better some than none. We split and dried Roma's one year, and the resulting "sun-dried tomatoes" had the form and feel but no intensification of flavour. But then no single plant has all good qualities: consistent germination, vigour, heat/drought tolerance, yield, disease resistance, tastiness, etc. So, we now use Roma tomatoes principally in salsa -- with fresh garden herbs, onions, vinegar, salt, sugar (!), a little oil -- yet they definitely take the back-seat.

[@andrewstrathdee1469]

That was really interesting, Lea. I’m glad that your getting something to eat - it is always scary starting off from scratch not knowing if anything will grow. I laughed at your courgettes planting so many. I think that your water investment policy looks the best way to go. I am pleased to see that Puck is obviously thriving as well - she is growing up so fast even across the period you have been making videos! Look forward to the next tour! Andrew

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Well in some sense it was good, because I at least have some that are producing. Would have been a shame if I only planted a few and they were all not doing well. But it's time for some of them to go ;) She's growing like crazy! Everytime I look at her I swear she is two centimeters taller.

[@lisagaedike741]

I planted one of my squash in a soil bag of not fully composted compost and it’s doing so much better than my other ones in just regular soil with little bit of compost, I also don’t have to really water it, but we do get very day around 30C or higher, but probably more rain (Chicago)! My grandfather always grew his pumpkins in his cold compost. Next year I am also planning on using way more compost because my cucumbers in my raised bed look exactly like yours! Great tour! Thank you!! ❤

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

The pumpkin in our compost was doing great for a while but I think something came and ate it. Will use more compost and manure in the garden next year

[@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife]

I will definately try out your grandfathers way

[@alissasmith177]

I'm wondering if you've researched square foot gardening. There's a lot of great info about successive planting. The method was designed to maximize space which isn't a problem for you but the method might help a lot with watering. It also has information about how many plants per person is best for full production. I utilized this in Las Vegas Nevada where we only get 3 inches of rain per year and high summer temps of 40°c-45°c. My tomatoes did not do well at all (I think they needed shade), but my cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, and strawberries did very well as did sage, rosemary, thai basil, and oregano. And the sunflowers I planted everywhere for color and fun attracted aphids and other pests with no harm to the flower or seeds. Your video's are great, your calm demeanor draws me in, and your little one is living her best life. 😁

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I know of the method, but I haven’t researched if it would work for us. I just planted some late sunflowers :)

[@athena7042]

@@ourportuguesehomestead Sunflower sprouts are delicious and nutritious

[@saeedandalusi7579]

Take us to meet the locals and snoop around their gardens..... Could be helpful 😁

[@petersoakel3406]

newlysubscribed here, liking your story, good luck to all three of you, Pete, UK)

[@Another534]

Loved this video, really good walk through of everything youre doing.

[@rouman7]

Your doing well iam in Spain (almeria small village called berja gets very hot too in the summer infact it stays warm mostly all year I have bananas lemons , oranges . My fave gooseberries peaches apricots. Pommagantes ... have to water every day as well ... love Portugal but find there winters to cold ...

[@haram2163]

I am living between Penha Garcia and Monsanto, so will be interested to have a look through your vids. I have also been experimenting with watering a little. Last year started off with drip hoses under black plastic, but these were blocked too easily and not visible due to the plastic cover. This year I have tried using plastic bottles dug into the ground to give a deep watering, but filling these with a hose is ridiculously time consuming. The trenches I tried became overgrown with weeds very fast. This was mainly due to not mulching so may be an idea again. Cheers for the vid.

[@olddaphon]

everything looks as beautiful as you. the homestead is looking great.

[@waterbug1135]

Tying up tomatoes is really only for small gardens, greenhouses. You have the space, so no need. Tying them up is also kind of an internet thing. Planting different kinds of all vegetables is a good idea imo. It varies each years which will do well. Any plants that survive the heat I'd try a few years. Try different shade amounts by using trees for shade. As you've seen in that heat shade is so important. You won't find people understanding this or info. I live in Phoenix AZ and 40-45c is common. You could try starting some new plants in late Aug. Keeping plants alive through the summer with hopes of them taking off in fall can be disappointing. Generally I find they don't recover. Some cold frames can extend growing for warm season crops. Basil does really well in the heat. Also purslane. Also Portulacaria afra but in pots so you can protect them in winter. Not sure how cold it gets there.

[@kimmurphy6864]

Glad you posted. I was just looking for ya hahahahaha

[@NicoTime]

I love starting my day, watching a video of a little bit of your journey in Portugal. Thank you for sharing this time with the KZbin world. It's fun, inspirational and really makes me want to get out there in nature and live a more sustainable life. Hey everybody, has this his video, left you really craving a freshly picked garden salad? :)

[@afrlala3593]

Great job you guys have accomplished a lot. Composting is a good method. Always wishing you the very best.💓

[@campers4440]

Hi, great work, Im so impressed. I use the sludge from my fish pond to fertilize my garden. I wondered what you did with the sludge from the well. That would help your garden alot. Also it is dry in the summers here, so i make a depression around my plants so they can catch the morning dew. Also I catch the dishwater and splash on my plants as a natural insecticide. I dig little holes and compost directly in the garden. Your garden looks great.

[@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife]

Such great tips , i ll definately try the dish water splashing

[@brianballa3086]

thanks for sharing hold your heads high

[@shehriyarkhan7551]

Thanks for sharing keep it up

[@kimmurphy6864]

Wow you have so many tomatoes growing 😃

[@openureyes]

fantastic i admire you

[@mariopastor2635]

You are an inspiration! thank you for sharing your hard work! Cheers!

[@faithrada]

Many this year are learning by experimenting. Thank you for sharing your successes and challenges.

[@faithjaleco6062]

Hello!!new subscriber from philippines 😊love ur vlogs, godbless🤗🤗

[@kimmurphy6864]

Girl with the heat and your size garden along with your watering method.... you are doing great!!!!

[@stephenmoss9842]

Great to see your garden is flourishing. It's always a learning curve growing in a new climate. Flying out to Portugal tomorrow morning and back to our Quinta 😎😎🌳🌳🌳

[@feel7251]

Your plants generally show signs of lack of nitrogen which is not surprising in your area , you can buy liquid sea weed fertilizer which is nearly pure notrogen , diluted and watered into your garden once a week your entire garden will respond you also need to mulch very much heavier two to three inches thick , you can use even sawdust for this but anything dead and broken up to very small peices will do , lots of luck.

[@johnsonr9]

Those who say you can grow everything in Portugal probably haven't done it (or at least in your area). Your homestead has more advantages than disadvantages though. Secret is to concentrate on the crops best for your area and you'll figure it out. Lettuce is impressive for your heat. Congrats on the garden and subscriber growth!

[@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife]

That is so true , we ve tried so many veggies, some do well one year and then the next we hardly get a thing.

[@michaelkyrie6836]

a tip : you can watch series at flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching loads of movies these days.

[@leosamir8840]

@Michael Kyrie Definitely, I've been watching on flixzone for months myself :D

[@jaimerichard3681]

@Michael Kyrie Yup, I have been using Flixzone for since november myself :)

[@zaynegrey2219]

@Michael Kyrie definitely, have been watching on Flixzone for years myself =)

[@davidford694]

There are a huge number of variables that affect the performance of every garden. Vegetables have been bred to act like thoroughbreds, and they are just as finicky. If you use a drip irrigation system, you are controlling one of those variables very tightly, and it is the most important one. And of course you use a lot less water than if you pour it into a trench. Watering by hand is laborious and tedious, and a bit of exploration with a trowel afterwards will reveal that the result is very uneven, and often very inadequate. A huge extra benefit is that the drip irrigation timer never forgets! While I understand that you need to use plastic in a drip system, the amount is very small if you amortize it over the length of time it is used. I have half inch lines that are 15 years old and still work fine. I flush them out at the beginning of every season. If one of the emitters stops working it is very simple to put in a replacement.

[@elliottmanning]

Saw the Dog, Dad & Pluck way in the background...

[@coppertone711]

There are so many great garden tips out these days. I think your trench was very sucessful! I visit a lot of garden on the internet and much is written about tomato diseases . I add egg shell and compost and hope to try lime and some others. I keep a journal, just one book I use year after year to keep track of my trial and errors

[@LoveladysGardeningProjectsMore]

Having the same problem here with the heat, and fruit. My frost is in November too! Trying to get through August as well. Blessings zone 8b Texas.

[@m.j.debruin3041]

Try to grow your vegetables underneath the trees. And the soil probably need some nutrition.

[@CarlJones14]

Are you considering canning and preserving. Saw one guy in Canada thinly slice his courgettes, salt them and dried them in the sun and then he jarred them. I realise it's a lot of work.👍

[@stephenlodge3864]

Hi Lea, Just love your honesty and your video's. A good idea when planting corn is to plant 2 seeds in every hole and remove one if both germinate or use it to replace any that don't shoot.

[@MartinCanada]

Maize/North American corn is wind pollenated, so planting in a few long rows sometimes doesn't work out so well. Instead of a 2 x 20 planting a 5 x 8 planting can significantly increase your yield. N Am aboriginal plant husbandry: plant a corn, a bean, and a guord/squash seed in each hole. The bean will help fix N (maize is a heavy feeder) and climb up the corn stalk; and the corn and beans will help shade the squash through the summer heat. Also a grid planting will help to conserve moisture.

[@user-kp6tx4th7t]

Good morning 🌱🌻

[@Steven-wb3yt]

Hello from Portland Oregon US. I love your updates on your life in Portugal! I usually grow early girl hybrid tomatoes because they are heavy producers and tasty. Along with them I always try different heirlooms. It is very green here and I often have to top my tomatoes because they grow taller than I can reach. I could be better at pruning. Sometimes it hard to cut if I see blossoms. Any blossom end rot is usually on the first ones where they're not getting enough calcium. Keep up the great work! 😀

[@ldh10647]

Invest in garden trap. keep weeds out, preserve moisture in the ground and allows moisture in.

[@kimmurphy6864]

The PURPLE CHEROKEE tomato is out of this world delicious! You ought to try it this fall growing season

[@athena7042]

Purple tomatoes! Too bad you can't post pictures.

[@seriouslyjoking2]

Lea, consider a fish pond. Use the water from the fish pond to water your plants. Composting is a great idea. You can start with the tomato stalks when you are done with them ;).

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

We'll be digging some ponds in the winter, don't worry ;)

[@seriouslyjoking2]

@@ourportuguesehomestead AWESOME! Can't wait to see them. We live in Massachusetts & we used feeder fish...and they overwinter with no problem. My plants love the pond water. It supplies alot of nitrogen. You, also, have alot of dead brush which may unbalance the NPK.

[@tamaratharpe8189]

I don’t know if you can get them in Portugal, but my dad grows a tomato called Parks Whopper. He gets seeds from the Park’s Seed Catalogue. They are hardy, delicious and very meaty. My grandfather also preferred this variety.

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

I’ll have a look next time I do a seed order, thanks for the tip!

[@HA-bc4pc]

Hi Lea Just found your videos today. Very exciting and wishing you the best..... Living Your Dreams. In the UK I've used the No Dig technique (Charles Dowding). Uses a compost layer e.g. 5cm deep. It means less watering as it retains the moisture. It definitely works in the UK. Might work in Portugal too if water is scarce. All the best

[@ourportuguesehomestead]

Hi! I know of this method but I'm not sure it would work for us, you need a lot of compost for the scale we are growing. We're composting our own stuff now, but buying compost in large amounts is not really a thing here. So we make our own and work the soil. Will all get better in time