Weathering the Storms // "Garden Defiantly" T-Shirt Update

In this video we are getting hit my the Pineapple Express. A week of rain has left the homestead soaked, eroding, leaking and flooding. But we're surviving! Plus!!! I unveil the designs for the "Garden Defiantly" T-Shirts!
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Hi I'm Brian with Next Level Homestead. If this is your first time here... welcome! I'm glad you're here! If you're a longtime friend, welcome back!!
For most of my life I was a city boy, gardening in the suburbs. I was the first generation in my family to not grow up on a farm and somehow it was still there inside me. So now my wife Emilie, son Noah and I have moved to a small farm (at least it will be) and we're documenting our journey on this channel. Building gardens and chicken coops, buying a dairy cow and who knows what else lies in store. But we can't wait to take you with us!

[@NH-Barb]

Hey Brian - oh I hate to be a negative nelly, but woman gardening in a D R E S S ????? R E A L L Y??? Your re such a wonderful artist, I know you can do better!

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Ok. Ok lol.. I wondered about that. I'm going to pin this comment. Anyone else want to give a design opinion. I'm open.

[@veronicastephens8501]

Personally, I don't have a problem with the dress. I wouldn't be out gardening in one, but I would wear the shirt.

[@marthakratz7877]

​@@littlehomesteadbigdreams Can you change the woman's design to picture a woman wearing overalls?

[@NH-Barb]

@@veronicastephens8501 Oh, I’ll buy and wear the shirt however it comes out it just struck me as odd, the idea of gardening in a dress. :)

[@johndowning2231]

Hey Brian, great T-shirts! If the ladies object to the dress, how about string bikinis?

[@Brineytoes]

My grandmother gardened in a dress and an apron, and used the pockets to hold the tomato or other item she’d pick as she weeded. and an old long sleeved shirts of my grandfather’s to keep the sun off her arms, plus a large straw hat to preserve her pretty facial skin! She also wore gloves and an old pair of shoes. That was a long time ago, and now I’m 81, and I wear a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and flip flops. I do wear a hat or a sun visor because the Florida sun is very harsh. I try to do my outdoor gardening in the early morning hours, then shower and change, and return to the garden just to enjoy it in the evening, and maybe water. I harvest a lot of Meyer lemons and Key limes and loads and loads of sweet bell peppers and some sweet potatoes. I do love your new garden slogan! If I never raised a single thing, I’d grow something just in order to show defiance!

[@FloridaGirl-]

👍shorts, a racer back tank top, my sun visor, tennis shoes. And 100% sunscreen. Hey it’s FL!

[@CindyOrangeNeely]

LOVE ❤ the T-Shirts!! My mama and my grannies all gardened in dresses so I vote to keep the dress!! Give Bella and Daisy hugs and kisses for me!!!

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you! I will 🙂

[@kathleenm3282]

YES…..garden defiantly …. I quit wearing T-shirt’s after I turned 65++++ but I will proudly wear this tshirt Brian!! Blessings to you all. And I don’t mind the dress!!!

[@melindaroth5796]

I Love the dress. Grandma on both sides wore dresses. I love all your animals Brian and Emilie. ❤😊 Stay safe. Love yall ❤😊

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thanks so much

[@livefreefarmstead]

Love the shirts! its a sad time when rebel gardeners are a thing, But stand tall and stand your ground!

[@maryflint8499]

I have been wearing a dress to garden in for over 15 years. I love the new tee shirt. Thanks Brain

[@sandramorton5510]

Oh finally a garden T-shirt I love, can't wait. Water can be free, get rain barrels or repurpose something to collect water.

[@Brineytoes]

I agree! There are some great catchment tanks that those in tiny houses use. They are almost as big as their house! You could at least have free water for your home, but the garden…….meh.

[@happy2cya70]

We have one rain barrel I'd love to attach a couple more to for overflow as well as add others. We also took some large cans, added spigots to them and dump the water from our dehumidifier in the basement in them. We currently have the rain barrel and 4 cans of the dehumidifier water should we need them!

[@angietracy3046]

Look up Bentonite Clay Pond Liners. It is a clay that hardens when it gets wet. This should take care of the leaks in the pond

[@desertedenblooms]

aka cheap cat litter that makes urine harden , great stuff, add a little salt to make it harder..buy the cheap stuff.

[@lettyschlieper7410]

I love the design on the t-shirt. Can you do a V neck t-shirt.

[@ClaireBaxter]

I was going to request the same - can't wear a round neck.

[@nancrist7022]

@@ClaireBaxterme either. V neck pls❤

[@josephschaumberg4136]

Continue with RADICAL gardening 🧑‍🌾

[@diannasgardenmenagerie967]

You could add some large boulder on the side of Daisy’s coral to give it a little more support and then plant that deep root grass. I did that along my creek side and it worked really well.

[@venarivera1825]

I like the dress design. I garden in a sun dress with pockets. It’s more comfortable when it 100 degrees. And humid.

[@whitestone4401]

I love the shirts, and love both designs.

[@debbiep7419]

When I was a kid during an el nino, we lost a good chunk of our backyard into the storm drain ditch behind us due to water pouring through a gopher hole. Glad you guys are surviving OK.

[@lissathornburgh2221]

Would be honored to have one of your shirts, Brian. Cannot wait for Sunday's video because I so look forward to watching you, Emily, and all the critters on this channel, and as a Master Gardener here in southeastern Arizona, anytime I learn something new to pass along, I'm grateful! Keep up the excellent work. Hopefully, all will be fixed soon and continue just being you!

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you!

[@christinej2358]

I think both designs are cute! Women in the past had no choice to wear a dress to garden in. It’s a sign of strength in the garden, but yet still feminine. Great job!

[@RJack1915]

Yeah my Grandma did it, Aunts did it and I have seen pics from the 1800s and of course they did it. Imagine what their legs looked like. Mine would be toast. Thick and nasty.

[@GrantStreetGarden]

I agree, I still garden in a dress although culottes are my usual go to in the summer. Still dress like and comfortable.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you

[@cheriedoughan5583]

GMO tomato seeds. Great something else they will use us as Guinea pigs. Can’t wait to see nutritional value and price.

[@user-mc3tp5sd2z]

$20 for 10 seeds.

[@daviddunagan4185]

We had ground hog issues one time. My dad stuck a hose on the exhaust pipe of his truck, stuck the other end in a hole, and ran them out. The dogs took care of them when they ran out.

[@GrantStreetGarden]

We tried that one time with gophers, it didn't do a thing, the tunnels were so vast, maybe using ten tanks of gas something might happen, but who can afford that these days? We use Gopher Hawks and Cinch Traps.

[@hollynelson543]

The shirts need to say NEXT LEVEL GARDENING AND HOMESTEAD ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡❤

[@joannekeith9430]

My favorite way to garden is in a dress!

[@lyndiyj1104]

LOVE the tees. BOTH of them. If you listen to the comments that say, “no 👗” I’ll be very disappointed. Maybe I don’t garden in one, but it’s a bit of gardening nostalgia for the older than dirt crowd. I’ll probably buy one in every color! Loved everything about the video except it was too short.

[@gardengatesopen]

Water Always Wins I too, have a 2 day limit for staying inside. Day 3 and I'm going stir crazy to get outside! If I can't go out bcuz of a 3 day freeze event is visiting, the S.A.D. starts kicking in. This is one reason why I don't live up North! I would never make it through a long snow season.

[@marthakratz7877]

The t-shirt designs look great. Please be sure to let us know if they are a 100% cotton or something else so that we can take that into account when deciding what size to order.

[@zibbielanham]

Now will be a great time to figure out where you need to put simple drainage ditches, to guide excess water away or around critical yard features.

[@blackbones15]

I'm not good stuck inside either. So, I also have crafting projects to keep me sane. Currently making a dragon baby crib mobile for my son in laws sister's baby girl. Please pray for this little one. She was born at 22 weeks and 2 days. She is doing really well but has had a few scary moments. Just started opening her eyes to look around just the other day. Her current weight is 435 grams. .979 of a pound. Yep, that tiny. Thanks for including her in your prayer time. 😊

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Oh wow! That is tiny. We will be praying for her 😊

[@kerrycarter9428]

❤🙏 for little baby girl

[@karlakloves2garden]

Praying for your little one!

[@michelleuk676]

We're still drying out from December here in the UK!! Feeling your pain being stuck indoors with jobs piling up, roll on spring🌈☀️🌱💚

[@teresaf.6009]

Love the shirts!

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thanks

[@jeanninecollins1434]

Love the T-shirts. Looking forward to seeing what colors they come in.

[@theeffete3396]

When my brother bought his house about 18 years ago, the yard had poor drainage and would result in swampy spots or sinkholes. We ended up installing a curtain drain all around the house, feeding the gutters into it, then digging a 70 ft trench to run a pipe out to the curb. Leveled off the low spots and gave the yard a slight pitch toward the road and he hasn't had any issues since. Your yard is MUCH bigger though, so a project of that scale might be beyond what you (or your budget) can handle, so you may want to look into installing a dry well. It would give excess water a place to pool so doesn't erode so badly. Great video! Glad I found you.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you

[@kensij1986]

Yes! I am excited! And I like the woman's tee-shirt. It's very cute! I don't garden in a dress, but there are women on KZbin who sometimes do garden in a dress and it seems to work fine for them.

[@gloriajean2226]

Oh how my husband and I can relate from our years in Valley Center: gophers that get smarter, slab leaks(!) we had to repipe the whole house or the insurance company would drop us; septic and leach field issues every few years; overwhelmed gutters; not enough rain or torrential downpours that took down the biggest trees. Ya gotta take the bitter with the sweet. It was worth it. Now we’re living in beautiful NC and focusing on the sweetness of being near family and ignoring, as much as possible, the bitter AKA mosquitoes and humidity in the summer. It’s such a pleasurable thing to watch the evolution of your dreams. Thank you, always.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you

[@suzanalbright8670]

❤ I have been eagerly waiting to learn how you and your family fared through the storm. Very relieved to see that you and your animals are all safe! Sorry it caused so much damage, but as my mother used to remind us when there were troubles “it could have been worse.” I love the way you explored and learned new things about your property. I look forward to the t-shirts (love the lady with the skirt!) and to the upcoming series. ❤ Bravo!

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you so much!

[@diannasgardenmenagerie967]

The gofers and voles in my area drive me crazy!!!!!!!!!! I feel like Carl Speckler in Caddyshack!

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Definitely!

[@zannaB60]

I love the shirt design! Can I get one in Purple? One of My neighbors will be so jealous when she sees that shirt! He he he!😁

[@angelalucarelli649]

Love ❤️ the shirts! I will have to get a couple.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Great!

[@WalkingBackwardsIntoTheFuture]

Plant white sage, and other native shrubs, elderberry even those roots are 3 times the size of the plant itself.. if you look at the mountains in Southern California with no landslides they’re full of sage brush,, the places that slide are all grass hills

[@michellecjackson4956]

About the defiant gardening, I ran across a quote of St Francis. Someone asked him what he would do if the apocalypse came. He said he would keep hoeing and planting his garden. As found in “Songbirds,Truffles and Wolves, an American Naturalist in Italy’

[@SilkiesPb]

Ok that’s a dope shirt design!!

[@acninmdn]

Love the t shirts!! Can’t wait to get one. And can’t wait for the series on Next Level Gardening!!!!!

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you!

[@kaymill5565]

There is something so satisfying in watching these animals wait on you to feed them. It's so sweet.

[@darla123]

Love the tshirts! Sorry you are having issues due to the rain, but happy it was not worse

[@moogoomoogoo5990]

Love the shirts

[@judymckerrow6720]

I usually garden in a tank top and shorts but your T shirts are lovely ! ❄️🫠💚🙃

[@laurapote2254]

love the t-shirts!!! can't wait to order!!

[@sharonromero128]

I like the T-shirt design just the way it is. They are great!

[@theresakelly3747]

I like the shirts awesome❤

[@TerryeToombs]

YES! I can't wait to buy a tshirt!

[@Carol32547]

The love of your animals is so obvious. Ty for your videos so peeps like me can enjoy farm life I dont miss gophers

[@PilarFrancisco-Saguil]

I like the women's t-shirt, I think it says it all, Daisy is cute and Bella is so sweet

[@karenroot450]

Nice garden t shirt. Glad you are double checking design and quality. That matters a lot. Great video even if the gophers tunnels are getting to you. Hopefully they’ll be flooded out and Move. Ha ha

[@Carol32547]

Yes!!!!!! Garden Defiantly.movement and T shirts

[@diannasgardenmenagerie967]

OMG love the t-shirts, girl style and colors?????

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Yes we will have different styles and colors

[@angietracy3046]

You must be sure to get unscented clumping kitty litter without any additives like baking soda. You simply line your pond with the correct amount of sodium bentonite for your pond size and then cover it with sand.

[@fraserkdm]

I love the shirts Brian❤.

[@gregalexis6698]

You're a trooper other parts of your area has gotten worse,as you know.Good luck.The animals look in good condition.Waiting for your next video

[@vallerymartin2474]

Love the T-shirts but I wear jeans to garden lol but I’d still wear this T-shirt. Any ideas on how to get rid of MOLES! They are destroying my yard everywhere. Looking forward to the next video.

[@julipolito7761]

Omg! The tshirts are great! 👍👍

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you

[@dawn8507]

Love the T-shirt! Can’t wait to see the colors you choose!

[@pjsviking]

Yes, yes, yes to t-shirts and, I garden in a dress/skirt, especially in summer, as I'm sure many women gardeners do :O) Glad to see your rain/flooding damage was minimal (relatively speaking) especially after hearing on the news about California's 'historical rain falls.' Hear you about the plumbing situations, sigh, some of the drawbacks of rural living - still worth it isn't it? GMO? More control by conglomerates? Keep dry and thanks as always! 🇨🇦

[@deborahhuss9579]

I love the Tee shirts. Guess I don't always take things so literally and it does look old fashioned. I'll buy a few regardless. Hope all the rain brings beautiful spring wild flowers. I remember all the wild California poppies that would appear after a rainy season many yeaars ago out in your area. I am so looking forward to starting a garden from scratch. My raised beds need a remodel. Thanks for all the work it takes to make these videos

[@sonyahogan5673]

Can't wait for the tshirts!!! Thank you!❤

[@MrRiffyriff]

WANT A SHIRT DUDE! ❤ Preferably green, and 100% cotton

[@963janet]

Yes! Cotton and green, but mint green, not shamrock green. Now we’re getting picky!

[@MrRiffyriff]

@@963janet Any green is fine by me... Though Mint is awesome.

[@simplyme_inTN]

I love the designs! Gives nostalgic vibes. You can't please everyone who's offended.

[@steveegbert7429]

You do project a good attitude Brian, despite the adversaries you can't control. The GMO seed thing is a slippery slope that I will not go down. Save seeds folks.

[@lvc_on_call]

Bonjour from Quebec! Too cold right now to pick up the dress and do some gardening 😉, but I’ll definitely buy a t-shirt or two no matter the final design (Pls make shipping to Canada available).Thanks a lot for sharing all that you do!

[@BestCaseForRealEstate]

Zone 9b norcal. We got hail. And my 6 lazy girls just started laying about 2 a week.

[@anetteridleyrodriguez]

I'm so sorry about your bathroom, that can be miserable. I love the shirt!!! I'm so buying one ☺

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Awesome!

[@diannasgardenmenagerie967]

I think the erosion around pond is good right now because when it all settles and drys out you can make the adjustments as you go. Pond evolution🌸🌸🌸

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Very true!

[@purplethumb7887]

Daisy is so stinking adorable! If I had the space, I'd want 10 Daisies!

[@valoriewion3932]

You got it two days after the Sacramento area - hopefully u don't get the winds that we did. My co-worker said at least 70mph at times.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Oh wow!

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

That new wood fencing looks amazing wet. Have you decided about sealing - staining - preserving? It's driving my OCD nuts. LOLOLO.

[@deewinston5651]

Wow, lots and lots of rain. Thankful y’all were safe. ❤️✝️🙏

[@cajunchef35]

If you don't mind a suggestion, you may need to line your pond first with coated hardware cloth for gophers, a layer or clay, and then a pond liner to stop those leaks long term.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you. I will need to do something when it’s time to build

[@nadaferris5928]

Rain here in the east bay hills of SF Bay Area had rain daily from 1/31/ to 2/7. Sleet then hail on the 7th. Several days of deluges…on a break for a week. Total of 8.5”, so much less than the rains of winter 2022 which gave us 13” in 5 days.

[@lindasoaft9303]

My 36 week old chickens are laying every day! 2 buff Orpingtons and 2 Barred Rocks! I wonder if it’s just because they are so young? Looking forward to the fermented feed video! Thanks, love the new T-shirts! Hope it comes in different colors.

[@Muffy.from-Oz]

We are copping the rain over here in Oz too. Makes the cucumbers and pumpkins boom but kills everything else. We are in subtropical Rain forest and I use only tank water and creek water (yes I had to buy a tank and pipes etc!!!) so that is free. So sorry about the Gopher-assisted erosion, but at least you're finding out about your block before you commit. Good luck with the plumbing. Cheers, Muffy from Oz.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you

[@camicri4263]

You got more rain in a few days that half a year worth! You should of had the the chicken coop as a back drop to an old english cottage garden! I really don't care! It' s probably not in my size anyway right now! Happy you guys are doing good! Blessings 🙏💞

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you!

[@dennismoore8351]

I want one of the shirts.

[@lmckenzey5932]

THERE YOU GO AGAIN-MADE ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO! Pushes me to get out and work my homestead, small as it is. My next project is building an outdoor kitchen area made from garage sale and thrift store finds to use whenever Texas decides to have one of its many power failures😁. I have a long way to go but I have to say, you inspire me.

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you

[@karigo-i1x]

My septic system also got flooded so no showers, laundry or flushing for 3 days. Did dishes in a pan and threw the water out the door.

[@andrewhammill6148]

Cool. I'll get a T from ya.

[@johnlord8337]

Well you can always be up here in SanFran. We had rain, then 2 days of weekend Sun (and cold), then rest of FEB is saying rain and showers ... This is relocated coastal Tillamook, Oregon weather coming down to us all the way from Portland/Vancouver latitude. Just as long as we don't (ever again !) get that Guadalajara heat dome coming up in Summer !

[@julzb6047]

I LOVE the sound of the rain! And the trickling water sound is quite delightful; it's just too bad it's not on purpose and caused by destructive little #%@#! We are getting MORE snow today in Colorado.... I'm over it. I can't WAIT to get out in the garden! I DID start some seeds indoors, and I have to laugh at myself because I get SOOO excited like a kid at Christmas when a seed sprouts. I can't help it. Praying for you and your leak issues! Can't wait for the shirts! ❤

[@judymckerrow6720]

Your grass is so pretty, I love the greening up in spring. The sky was so blue and the grass so green I’m jealous. I hope you can solve your water problems. Your T shirts are lovely the way they are, as I have said before you will never please 100% of the people 100% of the time, IMPOSSIBLE. ❄️🫠💚🙃

[@blackbones15]

Thank you very much for praying for her, it is very much appreciated 😊

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

You are so welcome

[@gourdsbyjm]

If you leave her soiled straw and hay and continually add to it she will eventually build up the barn floor.

[@daisyguerrero3650]

Your videos are easy to listen to. My husband who is not a gardener also enjoys listening in on your videos.

[@PaullaWells]

I love the shirts! I need an XL, please. 🤣 GMO for home. Nope. Not for me. Oh! How are you going to get free seeds? I'm very. curious about that part. 🤣 Ok ok. I guess I am a little on the ornery side today. LOLOL

[@diannevaldez8670]

You are too funny!! Yes, its not free if you dont have any. You may need to buy clothes if you dont have any! 😂😂😂

[@craighalle7892]

I like the idea of growing defiantly. That is what we will all have to do going forward. Better than my idea "Growing bigger and better and greener for your health and security." I was worried you would get mud slides, so I'm glad that didn't happen. Keep on growing Brian, bigger and better. May the Lord keep blessing you and yours.

[@rhondahooker9016]

Love these videos. Your calf is so cute 🥰

[@littlehomesteadbigdreams]

Thank you

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

I'm thinking some sort of french drain / stone bottom creek to control that flowage. I had to do one on my property. Maybe a culvert too. It'll be fun to see you tackle it.

[@SandiKL]

Daisy is the cutest little creature ❤️😍

[@kerrycarter9428]

Love the t-shirt designs. My grandmother and her sisters gardened in dresses. They grew up on a family farm. My aunt Lula wore a hat like that. She gardened well into her late 90s, still canning tomatoes at 95! Very nostalgic design.

[@michellecjackson4956]

Perhaps you can find a way to ‘pave’ the erosion channels with rocks and pebbles and make them permanent and useful, but, yeah, the gopher gotta go. I LOVE the tshirts

[@joycebovee5818]

Oh my goodness, I love the T-shirts! Beautiful! And our children grow up so fast, so everyone needs to enjoy their children while they’re young before they grow up to be adults which my two children are at that point they are adults.

[@sharonromero128]

I’m so glad the damage you have suffered is minimal, except the house problems, that’s always miserable. I hope everything is repaired quickly. I’m really looking forward to the gardening from scratch segment Sunday. Chin up, there was a rainbow and the sun is shining. Better days soon. Many, many blessings

[@carolleenkelmann3829]

❤ the designs. A definite NO. NO. NO to the overalls. I'm a woman who gardens and it all depends on the weather and the type of gardening I'm doing as to what clothes and footwear I am using. I am so tired of seeing women depicted as replicas of men. This T-shirt is a very welcome sight. 😊

[@MichaelRei99]

Thank you!!

[@stephanie7352]

I'm writing another comment because I read some of the comments about your t-shirt design. Them saying they can't picture a woman wearing a dress while gardening, it's old fashion but my grandmother or great grandmother would have been wearing one. And I think plenty of women today would. Just saying. Have a great day everyone. Oh yeah I like it so maybe 2 styles for women 😅😁