Starting a New Season of Growing Experiments | Huw's Garden Diaries

Today I thought I'd show you how I am approaching the start of this new growing season at our permaculture site, with a heavy emphasis on experimental gardening. There are so many questions and trends around the subject of growing food that I'm keen to find answers to, and getting stuck in is my favourite way to do so. Join me in this second video in a new, more informal, video series to share thoughts, ideas, and discoveries as close to real time as possible - happy watching!
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[@kmarshall53]

I really like this style of video with Huw. It’s more relaxed and informal, and his personality shines through more. I learn a lot from him, always, but it’s fun to see him fumble a bit, or laugh. Oh, if only I were a younger woman! 🥰

[@HuwRichards]

Hahaha awh thank you! I am glad you enjoy this style though! :D

[@lynnpurfield9430]

@@HuwRichards me too, it is lovely. I like that you are mentioning Sam a lot and whoever does the wonderful camera work. It was such fun xxx

[@HuwRichards]

@@lynnpurfield9430 Sam also does the camera work for these videos :)

[@lynnpurfield9430]

@@HuwRichards oh, he is talented !!!

[@louiseanderwin1]

I really like the feel of this video. It's just like pottering around the garden with you, chatting and looking at this and that. Good camera work, too.

[@HuwRichards]

I'm so glad! We are going to try and do something like this every week :)

[@randthor9344]

Same. It's cool just hanging in the garden with you

[@geordiemack4143]

If the albino broad bean plant goes to seed, definitely save the beans to see what plants that creates next year!

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

I’m really interested in how its beans come out!

[@julesgoh]

I really love this pearl of wisdom: You can beat yourself up about not keeping on top of things, but then you get these little surprises that wouldn’t otherwise have happened! That’s my takeaway from this loveliest of videos! Thanks Huw! 😊

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much!!

[@annmoy8932]

I loved watching this video, Huw! You seem so relaxed, playful, and enjoy being in the garden - even when you have to do lots of weeding! Keep up the fantastic job! You're such an inspiration.

[@HuwRichards]

Thanks so much! 😊Sam wanted to create a style that captured my normal side, and so simply adding a mic onme and then filming me ad-hoc helps!

[@williammaxwell1919]

Hay, weeds are just a plant that hasn't been "friended" yet and are not only a great resource, but tell us a lot about the quality of our soil.

[@knotcensored932]

Donate surplus to foster care homes to improve nutrition for kids dependent on "budget meals" (a.k.a prepared food products).

[@ingevankeirsbilck9601]

Wonderful idea! Also, unless you know and trust the staff, stay around to make sure the produce actually goes to the children.

[@AussieBit451]

This style of video is everything. While I do like the more presentation style videos, getting to see a little of who Huw is and hearing him talk about the team is so incredibly warm. Really feels like just hangin out talking about the garden. Loved it. Excited to hear more about the foodie boxes. Cheers xx

[@GreenSideUp]

I am another "no chitter" here! 50 years ago when learning from my Grandad, we would chit 6 or 8 first earlies which we would plant in pots and grow on in the greenhouse, for an extra early crop. By the time those where harvested and eaten, the rest of our unchitted varieties would start to follow from firsts, to seconds then on to the mains. Farmers dont chit, it would be just be too much space needed.The only time I will take my stored potatoes out of storage and into light to chit is if we get warm weather in late March or Early april and there are signs of little green shoots starting to sprout on the potatoes, then it is advantageous to get them into light to grow nice sturdy dark chits rather than the long thin white etiolated shoots you would get if they where left in warm storage. I also think there is a growing number of gardeners who wish to plant earlier than needed, so chitting early encourages that. The woorst thing about chitting early is filling up window sills early seasons with hordes of chitting potatoes, that space could easily and be better used starting other plants...Steve...🙂

[@Peanut04]

There also seems to be a lot of people now saying plant potatoes deep and then there is no need to earth up? Do you have any thoughts on this please as a potato grower with experience? 😊

[@PlantObsessed]

Great video. It is so interesting to see your bumblebees are different from mine in the states. Ours look like Winny the poo with a black vest on.

[@ecogarden3622]

​ @Sam Cooper I like today's way of filming much more than last time. Especially that old filmstrip effect at the beginning. It immediately brings an artistic mood to the shots. Gimbal (or image stabilization) also helped a lot. ...And great detail shots. Good job.

[@chompers11]

Reminds me of old things.. like VHS lol. Adjusting the tracking to watch movies

[@alexengland-shinemercy]

Love hearing your voice just talking casually. I live in Hannover, north Germany, but I come from mid Wales (Montgomeryshire) and recently got into gardening, got a Kleingarten (german allotment with a little cabin) and was looking for help with ... how to have a garden, pretty much. Your advice and content are exactly what I needed, so I've been following along for a while. I'm starting to get the hang of it, and the joy of the whole project just grows and grows. And as a bonus, every word you say sounding like the people I grew up with makes it all very easy on the ear. Sometimes I don't watch what you're doing, just listen to you talk. I'm still learning though, right? 😊

[@helenchupin6550]

I’m Welsh and living abroad, too, so I absolutely agree that it’s a real pleasure listening to Huw.

[@patriciamoore3166]

This was a lovely chatty session, showing off your fun side! Good to have the chats!

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you Patricia!

[@tristyquesadilla]

"speaking of pride, I should really cut this grass" lol 😂

[@HuwRichards]

Hahahaha!

[@morgan0598]

If your chef could then one day make a book based on those seasonal weird things like you were talking about that would be great. There is so much to make from the garden and I have already learned so much but I want to learn more about the things that are edible but aren't normally eaten. Like the flower shoots I just feel that there is so much more for me to experience and in turn it is more sustainable and cheaper to use more of the plant. I love your content and I'm so happy to be able to watch you continue.

[@borntomay1]

I wonder if you are interested in doing a trial of trench composting? I have a tiny growing space, with lots of tree roots, and I reckon burying kitchen scraps directly very quickly adds to soil structure. I also leave bags of coffee grounds with a hole in, on the ground. That's the easiest worm farm I ever made. Once the compost worms are really going inside the bag, I take hands full of coffee and worms and place in the centre vege growing pots and gardens. It's, and takes very little energy to create an amazing resource from a waste product. I wonder about trialling that as well?

[@sherylwhited7380]

Every season in the garden is a science experiment for me! 🤣

[@lysmalls658]

Huw I Like your Diary Series

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you that's very kind. We are just trying something a little different☺️

[@TheAllotmentGardenandKitchen]

Some great ideas Huw. The Willow compost bin is great and I like the little pistons on the Cloche. Keep up the good work. Kind regards. Gary

[@stephaniebryant2958]

I'm pleased to see your willow compost bin, I thought what a great idea, I've got a lot of willow to plant as I thought they would make good building material. Can I ask about your polycarbonate greenhouse, can I ask if you have done a video on the good and bad points and the company who did it for you please.

[@debbiehenri345]

I like that compost bin idea too. I have a steeply sloping garden - a very rocky, steeply sloping garden at that. So every single bit of levelling I have to do involves spending almost all day walloping the ground with a full-size mattock while wearing safety glasses, and then wondering what on Earth I do with 2 tons of rock. But, if I use this 'shove sticks in and weave other sticks through' method to 'create' a level on the slope, that's going to be such a gamechanger for me. Now I just need last year's Salix viminalis to get cracking this year and put on some decent growth. It did okay-ish last year. It grew, but nothing like Huw's (very thin soil here, so I probably have to wait a bit longer before such projects really get under way).

[@juanitaglenn9042]

@@debbiehenri345 all my gardens are made with Willow wattles. I wove them to make terraces in my sloping yard. They work great and look very cool but I have a ton of slugs so not sure if that is contributing to the problem or if the slug population will level out somewhat as I establish the garden and murder the little gluttons incessently?

[@williammaxwell1919]

Love your wicker compost bin; lots of aeration, containment and a subtle eurythmic elegance

[@elainehutchinson753]

Gardening is one big adventure! It's how I approach my allotments, gardening lovely to see what nature does

[@ferniek5000]

Cilantro/coriander keeps really well if chopped or blended then mixed with oil and frozen. I do mine in LG ice cube trays and blended with basil, mint and chive with sesame oil and they are perfect for Thai soup.

[@chompers11]

Awesome tip

[@lukitupi8643]

I'd love to see a trial that compares growth on beds with pure compost to ones with biochar compost! Thanks for your videos, they're part of what got me into gardening & being close to growing most of my food by now. Greetings from Germany!

[@BeverleyW]

I absolutely love this format Huw, it's really fun and adhoc and works well. As always, I'm feeling very inspired by your enthusiasm and cannot wait to continue turning my own garden, which I took on last year - it was an overgrown, unloved, bramble-filled, junk pile .. my daughter and I are slowly transforming it. We are both very grateful for your videos. 🌷

[@jeanhelliwell8160]

What a really great video, so interesting. Really enjoyed it. Thankyou.

[@MissMary1012]

Thank you for teaching me how you get weeds up😉 That's New to me, as I ofte pull and brake them😂

[@kolokithas7865]

12:40 "I ll try to remember that later" I feel you 😁😁 Could you try to do a test between mycorrizal vs yeast ?

[@one_field]

Could you plant root parsley and scorzonera, skirret, salsify and balloon flowers to show home scale growing of root crops? It seems like everyone knows of carrots but no one knows how to grow anything else, even if the others are way more pest resistant. It would be awesome to see how they perform in your raised beds.

[@debbiehenri345]

Ah yes. I love the Salsify and Scorzonera for being so wonderfully pest resilient in my pest-packed garden (pretty flowers too). I haven't actually eaten any Skirret yet, bought a wonderfully cheap set of undersized tubers last year to grow on and reproduce to make a better crop this year. In addition to your list above, I bought some Oca for the first time last year too. Now, I know they're not hardy and you need to store next year's tubers indoors - but no pests seem interested in them either. It's such a relief to find pest-proof veggies (because I'm at that age when I'm forgetting vital bits of information regarding what and what not to plant together...as follows...) Having a bit of trouble with Asparagus. I don't know why, but I could grow them just fine in England, but can't in Scotland. 'Something' eats them. Nope, not Asparagus Beetle. I have a 'weird-ish' method for 'diverting' that particular pest (you're not going to like it). Drop a dead, smelly mouse in a bucket of water and let it rot. The beetles fall over themselves getting at said mouse and drown in the process. (Told you you wouldn't like it. Oh, mind you, just saw your account name, so apologies. I judged wrongly. It's a method right up your street). So the beetle isn't the problem and, thinking it's got to be either mice or slugs, I've put cut down plastic cordial bottles around the crowns, dressed the soil surface with sharp river gravel, dressed that with ground pumice - and then planted garlic around it. Totally forgot that you shouldn't plant alliums around Asparagus (so now I have to pull them up again in a minute), looked up more suitable companion plants - can't plant a single one of them. Pests will get almost all of them, Lavender dies almost as soon as it's out of the shop, let alone in the ground. Grrr. Maybe I should have my garden cursed.

[@saltburner2]

Almost three quarters of a million subscribers! Well done!

[@abbi_page]

I always appreciate your American translations for things like boot and strimmer

[@nickolico]

I’ve been following for a year or so and enjoy every video. That said, this stands as my favorite style of your videos so far. Well done.

[@robinmc0628]

I love this style of video diary, Huw! Wonderful! And I can't wait to watch how that yellow broad bean turns out! Thank you for sharing so much information!

[@stonewallsfarm3105]

It must be so fun - and daunting - to have this much space!! So happy for you all.

[@AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard]

Thanks again for the tips and tricks! 😎👍

[@anniinglucksdorf960]

Thank you Huw for making these experiments! It is very interesting! I study agriculture and it is true that there are only very few studies about growing small scale. And there are definitely different variables to it!

[@777-To-Inspire.]

God bless you for your hard work & helping the Community🙏💛😊✨

[@Wings91]

Looks so much fun! And the smile says it all 😊

[@bbales2305]

LUV watching your journey Huw👍👊😊

[@user-nt6xu1rl3y]

What a gorgeous bumblebee, I love watching your videos,so very helpful and such a lovely garden. Thank you Huw!

[@thatgirlthatgrows]

Love this style of video and everything in it! I’m really interested to see how the experiment beds turn out!

[@1024laf]

Your gardens are always so beautiful, no one can ever deny the fact that you are a true dedicated person to all your hard work. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

[@steveryan8639]

Great to listen about experimenting... we all experiment since each garden has its own unique environment. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@debrabray8855]

I always learn something new from you. Thanks😊

[@maureenc174]

I planted cilantro (coriander) in the fall last year by accident and the plants were huge and usable by spring like you said even though mine were outdoors. It was a great surprise and now I think I will plant cilantro that way next year on purpose! Love your videos!

[@williammaxwell1919]

Cilantro pesto... yum

[@maureenc174]

@@williammaxwell1919 Absolutely! It's great on chicken!

[@jwalker7888]

You inspire Huw! Love everything you do. And you are funny and made me laugh. Keep up the good work.

[@HuwRichards]

I appreciate that - thank you :) !

[@gabrielsgrovepottery]

Really love this kind of video! It feels more personal. I love the other videos too, but these are kinda fun :)

[@shirleyfyfe]

Thanks for another inspirational video Huw - I love how your videos capture your living and breathing garden just as it is - the perfect and the imperfect which is just the way mother nature is herself 🌏 I'm looking forward to seeing the development of the experimental garden beds over the coming weeks and months 🤗

[@johnbradshaw5891]

Another lovely and inspiring video, Huw. The marvel of KZbin instruction videos and I must admit to having watched dozens in the last couple of weeks. Now 100% hooked on no-dig and multi-sown seasonal veggies.

[@zoeward4555]

What a lovely bimble around the garden 😊

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you Zoe!

[@Rielsufficiency]

We had coriander flourish through -12c temperatures this winter, I never knew it was a winter crop either! I always thought of it as a tropical plant, was so excited to see my little green bushes all through the winter! 🎉

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

love a garden experiment, i like to compare things that we grow, like doing different styles of bed and seeing what. happens

[@CindyOrangeNeely]

HUW❤LOVE LOVE LOVE❤ this video diary!!! Here's a question about your poly tunnel (poly crub?)...can you go into more detail about the day to day life inside? Such as...do you leave the doors open all day? Do you close the doors at night? Do you get rodents in it? If you close the doors at night, do you make sure all the bees, etc are out? I would love to see a video about the day to day details of the poly tunnel life. Guess I had more than one question! LOL! You are such an inspiration!

[@michelleadams2997]

Excellent ideas huw, love the twist on interesting foodie box scheme - really enjoyed the diary aspect. Also think frozen meals is really good idea for community

[@gaynoroverton25]

Oh my gosh I would absolutely love to start up my own veg box service! I’m Sure you will do fantastic!

[@livechangechallenge]

I loved this video, more like this please 😊

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much!!

[@alysoffoxdale]

Ok, those pistons on the little hoop house is one of the niftiest things I've ever seen in a garden! As an aging person in poor health, these little details make such a huge difference for me.

[@sheilahamilton2568]

Oh my, I had an all yellow broad bean also. I transplanted it outside and it died about 2 weeks later. I was sadden because as a chemist I wanted to study the plant. Please keep your gardening family updated. Sheila

[@TheRosangela9369]

Crossing my fingers, next time I will start a longterm workshop for kids and teens (youth welfare service Landau Pfalz).😊 At my job interview, I found some permaculture books on the table, I was asked, if I know some of these...hey and one of these books was written by you! Amazing! I said, oh I'm loving Huw Richards, he's great! I hope to start quite soon with digging in the dirt, building highbeds, and so on with the kids!❤

[@rjb6919]

Going to be great to follow your experiments this year. Would be good to see some comparisons of compost v different types of organic fertilisers, and a mix of both. Maybe a row of different crops in each to see if different crops react differently.

[@annettemartensson4523]

Looking great, so glad you can do this… will be o great exemplary in the future for others… I try every year to do one experiment to learn new things about growing vegetables 👩‍🌾

[@noellecuisine8912]

Lovely as always! Here in our family we drink so called ‘Green Smoothies’ everyday , when looking at your gardens even in winter I see plenty that I would use !!! It’s delicious and healthy! Cheers from the Netherlands ❤

[@victoriawalsh8423]

love the sharing

[@alicecoppers8980]

people don't know how to prepare healthy foods. Food banks should teach cooking and then reward the participants with food baskets fresh from garden. Also encourage tiny gardens and container gardens. A seed bank for heritage seeds.

[@chrishobsonwhalen5238]

So great to work with your sister, love it when you are able to do things together. This garden is going to be so cozy and charming. I love what you do in your garden but it's great to see some smaller spaces too.

[@HuwRichards]

My sister? 🤣

[@zoewhite7705]

I'll bet money that was meant for Laura at Garden Answer ;)

[@j.reneewhite915]

If I remember correctly Dock helps take the sting out of a nettle injury to the skin. It's all vague memory but you break the stem and put the milky substance on the sting.

[@debit8919]

Love the compost bin built from willow. Have made a video on building one from start to finish, including planting the cuttings?

[@emilystorey2218]

Tarmac rake!! Brilliant! I've broken two in the last couple of months 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@mandytaylor1008]

Love watching you Huw thanks for making so many videos I have followed you for about 2 years now. I have been growing all my life really but only no dig and poly culture style for last 3 years so I am learning lots of new things. Thankyou for showing me new ways. I have started a KZbin channel havnt a clue how to do it really I just make videos and put them on. It makes me feel like I belong to a group and have lots of friends. I don’t know if I get comments as don’t know where to look🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣take care👍🙋🏻🙋🏻🙋🏻

[@Cheriesgardenvegplot]

I planted a little pot of supermarket coriander and it has gone right through the winter and I've recently planted some hairy supermarket spuds in a big pot.

[@MB-co6qj]

Lovely video!

[@nathanthelizardmccomb8650]

You’re an inspiration ❤ great video 👌

[@VebjrnHaugstveit]

I really enjoyed this video! inspiring:) Thank you!

[@HuwRichards]

You are so welcome!

[@BumblebeeAdventure]

🐝Thanks for the great video🌻

[@HerbHillFarm]

Man you are in flow. 🙂👍

[@jackstone4291]

Would you maybe do winter sowing of a load of different types of plants ? (In their own transparent recycled bottles and/or won mini greenhouses by putting plastic recycled pots/tops of bottles and anything container-shape and see through over them at least a month or more before their outdoor spring instructions) …?

[@shawnueda8909]

I've always been told that carrots need to be direct seeded. Starting carrots in module will only lead to forked, crooked, misshapen carrots. I've seen lots of carrots starts in modules being sold at nurseries lately. Like to see a result of module grown then transplanted. The ones at the nursery, the carrot tops were good 3 inches/7.5cm tall and module depth was around 2 inches or 5 cm. Love this format. Very casual, relaxed the way how I think gardening should be. Thank you!!

[@kathleensanderson3082]

A question I've often seen asked is, "How much space do we need to grow all of the food our family eats?" Obviously that's going to vary considerably depending on climate and diet, but it seems like something that would be worth working on finding answers to. It would need to include some kind of animal protein, eggs at the very least, so food for the chickens and/or other animals would need to be included. Getting answers to this question would be helpful to people who are looking for a place to buy where they hope to be able to grow at least a good percentage of what they eat, and it might encourage people to better use what they've already got.

[@one_field]

Seconded! It's absolutely feasible to grow all your food at home on a tiny plot of land, but we need demonstration gardens and educators to showcase the plants that actually provide important nutrients. You can't live on lettuce. How much land do you need, if you want to grow all the carbs/starches and protein the family needs? Assume you aren't going to purchase bags of grain and flour and such; what should you grow? How many potatoes or chestnut pollards or hazelnuts or yams, etc, do you need to feed one person year round?

[@debbiehenri345]

Years ago, I read a book on Forest Gardening that said '2 acres' are required to grow sufficient food and provide enough firewood for a family of 4. I've seen variations on that estimate ever since that time (both greater and smaller), and that doesn't surprise me in the least. Estimates vary because everyone has different preferences on what they like to eat most. Some foods are just more land-hungry for less nutritional benefit. For instance, I don't grow that many greens because my climate is colder, wetter, greyer, and favours the old slugs and snails. I can waste lots of land growing greens that are hell-bent on letting me down and producing a feeble harvest every year. So, I generally don't bother growing my own leafy greens any more. Pointless with a capital P. In fact, after 20 years of cursing into the midsummer gales - I've only just discovered a strange way to grow courgettes (by finally following advice from by a delightfully eccentric and jolly Californian lady who lives in an environment that is the absolute polar opposite to my own. Yet her advice worked for me in grey, wet, humid Scotland! Nobody else's advice could - because my local climate is sadistic). However, my garden (2.75 acres. 2 acres of food growing ground. 0.75 acres of woodland) is an absolute gem for fruit growing. Fruitarians...go green with envy. Yummy apples, baskets of plums, cherries so dark and fragrant you can smell them from an open window, popping great Hazelnuts. I had a stone-grown peach produce its first fruit last year - simply heavenly (a totally different creature from the 'thing' you buy in the shops). Damsons, Amelanchiers, sloes, rhubarb, all three colours of currants, all three colours of gooseberries, raspberries (in red, yellow, black, purple and peach), tayberries, a loganberry that has set its sights on world domination (those things are 'wild' and will tip-layer the moment you turn your back), thornless blackberries, blueberries, honeyberries, Aronias (oh, yum), and a whole crowd of other fruits that haven't yet grown to fruiting size. As for our vegetables - meh... They're okay. I guess. Well, no. I lie. They're not. Not for the work I put in. Again, climate. If I sow broad beans, I'll get around 5 times as many back. If I sow peas, I'll get about 20 times as many back. Potatoes are okay, not as good as harvests I had in England though. Tomatoes - they'd sooner die overnight (and like a serial idiot, I bought 2 more young plants today). Lettuce - they sacrifice themselves willingly on the alter to the molluscs (same for Brussel sprouts, kale, caulis, in fact all the brassica blah blah blah). I do grow edible Lupins rather well (way more productive in this environment). And boy, are they yummy? Like edamame beans. Sort of a creamy rather than a beany taste. Wonderful raw...you know, I think they'd make a fine base for vegan ice cream. Try 'em sometime. But I have to grow them in pots off the ground on the driveway - because of our expertly acrobatic slugs and snails (worth the trouble though). So, it's hard for anyone to pin down exactly how much land you will need to support a family. Huw here could likely support Family Anderson on less than an acre - judging by that deliciously deep soil he's got there. However, on my kilt-flapping, sheep-shivering, dog-drenching, Wuthering Heights-like climate on 2-3 inches depth of soil clinging like a mountaineer's fingernails to this steep terrain - well, you're looking at buying a minimum of 3-4 acres and a crate of tissues while you're at it, because you're gonna be doing a lot of crying along the way.

[@one_field]

@@debbiehenri345 You might like to consider tree salad options; linden, white mulberry, etc. Even things like malva sylvestris (garden mallow) make excellent potherb greens without being so tempting to your aggressive mollusks. I know that the answer to any "how much space" and "which species" question will of course be dependent upon soil and climate. Personally, I live in zone 7a (both for heat and cold), on almost pure clay with very little soil on steep terrain that has >80% relative humidity through most of the year. Many things rot rather than grow here, and the heat dooms cool plants like runner beans and yacon, etc. Still, basic species and planting guidelines can give a good sense of the range needed. For example, if I plant half an acre of hazelnuts and alley crop between them with sunchokes and groundnut vine (apios americana), in a temperate climate and average soil, will that yield sufficient calories for a year for one person? If I know that my soil is below average, I can then take that information and plan to plant more space to make up for the deficiency of my conditions (or work longer to improve my soil first with more cover crops). But if no one discusses the baseline concepts, then I may have no guide for whether I'd need to plant half an acre, a quarter acre, or 5 acres. That kind of uncertainty can paralyze someone from even getting started! So I think it's a critical subject to cover on fabulous gardening channels like this one.

[@williammaxwell1919]

Veg to try... perennial Madagascar (perennial) beans, I have grown this in Temperate and Sub-Tropical climates. These last for 5 to 7 years (I'vehad some for 10 years) and got 2 crops off them a year. Young M Beans can be used like green beans and the dried beans seeds (dried on vine) can be soaked overnight for a great vegetable protien base for soups, sauces etc

[@richardosborne8570]

Very enjoyable vidéo thank you. Talking seems to pass the time whilst weeding!

[@IndianaJesus84]

Would love to see you try out some living mulches. Seen them from a few other gardeners, but always in a very different climate to my own, so I'd love to see your experience with them. I love the idea of using clover as a mulch on some of my beds but worry about it just turning into a pain in the butt weed problem.

[@joanneroachfoodies]

I’d love to see the difference between onion seeds sown in modules, onion sets sown in modules, and onion sets sown direct. Also we grow loads of varieties of squashes and like to save seed, but there’s obviously issues sometimes with crossing causing bitter inedible offspring. But I don’t find it super often and just tend to try a small piece before cooking. So if there’s room for an experiment sowing last year’s saved seed from different squashes to see what proportion are grown with issues, that would be ace. I also don’t know whether a poorly crossed plant produces ALL inedible squash or whether you can have inedible and edible ones on the same plant. Thank you as always for this video.

[@sinntax1647]

Wondering if you’d be interested in testing out that wetting technique for thawing? Jackie French mentioned it in one of her books. She said that it’s not the frost that kills, it’s the thawing (I guess that’s because it explodes the cells right?!) Also another cool thing to test out would be smoking. Lighting fires to create something of a smoke dome or micro climate to keep off frost. Anyhow I know this isn’t applicable to myself (as I don’t get the slightest bit of frost here!) but I thought other people would find this useful or at least a little bit interesting! Xx

[@lydiabond5393]

I like the idea of the potato experiment very much. Does chitting really make a difference?

[@subtropical_greg]

i d love to see a series of videos on how to create your own F1 hybrid varieties.. and possibly your own heirloom ones after 50 years;)

[@antonmonreal1194]

Can you try soil blocks and compare them to propagation in seedtraces and how the different plants perform when transplanted

[@delani447]

I think veg boxes with surprises are great idea. I would be interested to see and taste what else different from standard vegetables and fruits can be grown, which parts of them can be used in cooking, how can it be preserved. Also Iam very interested in learning about different types of british only local plants which are generally considered weeds or are not very popular and can be eaten not only by humans but by animals as well so that if people decide to grow them they will do it for sake of nature as well. It would be very interested to see more about herbs both local and foreign and to gain understanding how best to grow them, look after them and multiply throughout the year if possible.

[@timenslow7520]

What about adding in wild natives to beds? I've noticed some of the native "Weeds" are actually good trap or sacrificial plants. The best part is they are free and grow well all on their own.

[@bpots717]

Such an exciting time of year everything beginning to grow 😁🪴

[@tamrahawkes3170]

The thing that surprises me the most about all the channels on KZbin is that they plant whole potatoes. Here in Northern Alberta most of us cut ours, try to leave at least 2 eyes. Honestly I’ve never not had a good crop and you buy far less.

[@kathleensanderson3082]

We've always planted potatoes the same way, cut them into pieces with at least two eyes in them (although, if I'm short on seed potatoes, I'll plant pieces with only one eye and most do fine). My dad and grandpa raised potatoes on a small commercial scale about 100 miles south of Fairbanks, Alaska when I was small, and always had good crops this way.

[@zoewhite7705]

Would be interesting to see Huw do an experiment on this!

[@HuwRichards]

We are on it!

[@fareebug8439]

Wow 😳 yellow albino broadbean 😮

[@mandytaylor1008]

I think it’s brilliant sharing with community. If we all done this across the globe it would have a big impact on starvation especially poor countries but here in uk where it shouldnt be there are families going without and some wouldn’t know how to cook certain veg and fruit

[@williammaxwell1919]

"Huge a ount of coriander"... makes great pesto!

[@NannaCarlstedt2]

Hi Huw, Thank´s for sharing; got to slow down a bit though...

[@jennyhulett5403]

I love this video! Could you consider doing a trail of beans for drying? A great source of cheap food for the winter in these current hard financial times. I love growing beans to dry but some are certainly better than others. Climbing or dwarf? Saving beans for seed aswell. Maybe a different take on the three sisters.... Thank you Huw (P.s.Have you done a companion plant experiment? )

[@ginavalcke8162]

Experiment: coffee grounds as growing medium. 🤪🤪 I grew potatoes in a mixture of coffee grounds and sow dust, they were doing great but frost killed them. I am repeating the experiment this spring, and so far so good. If it works I would love to understand the reason; neither the coffee grounds or the sow dust are fully broken down to provide the nutrients potatoes need.

[@minkevorstenbosch]

Thanks for all your inspiring video's! I love watching them. I have a edible rooftop garden myself and since I don't have space for a compost bin, I use bokashi. But I'm always wondering wether it works/helps the plants/soil life. Maybe that would be an interesting comparison for your experimental garden. Bokashi-Compost-no additional nutrients?

[@tassiegirl1991]

Huw, i think it a good decision to diversify, you love growing veg, why not start bringing in some income from it, and provide yummy fresh food to others. Maybe give a recipe card in the box when including unusual items so people know how to use them. Wish you all the best with the next adventure in gardening.

[@annteather8391]

Another interesting video; thanks Huw! I looked through your playlists and cannot find anything on watering seedlinds. I would like to know any tips for keeping pots and module trays moist when going away for a few days. They dry out so quickly and i don't have any irrigation. I have been experimenting with a couple of emply plastic drink bottles but cannot see they would work very well with multiple trays/pots in various stages between un-germinated and seed leaf and first true leaf stages. Please will you give us some ideas Thanks

[@Freckledcupoftea]

I have a small garden where I can only do potted vegetable and flower. It would be great if you could see if the shape or materials (ceramic, plastic, wood), of containers affects the growth.

[@fareebug8439]

I thinking potting potatoes grow for 2-3 wks then put out if far better than the typical "chit". Also would love to see potatoes grow in leaves or other substrates!