WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.254 Good day everybody! Today is the third day 00:00:03.254 --> 00:00:06.286 of my YouTube lives, and the purpose of 00:00:06.286 --> 00:00:08.693 being here is just to help you through 00:00:08.693 --> 00:00:10.929 this time, and not just make it through 00:00:10.929 --> 00:00:13.786 this time, but actually come out of this 00:00:13.786 --> 00:00:17.072 time better off than when we went into it. 00:00:17.072 --> 00:00:19.325 My hope is to be here of service, to help 00:00:19.325 --> 00:00:22.799 you think critically, think rationally, 00:00:22.799 --> 00:00:26.374 think differently about the world, and my 00:00:26.374 --> 00:00:29.106 hope is to really reconnect you with the 00:00:29.106 --> 00:00:31.514 basics of life, and try to live in a way 00:00:31.514 --> 00:00:35.079 that is more fulfilling, full of happiness, 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:37.253 health, and living in a way that is more 00:00:37.253 --> 00:00:39.336 environmentally friendly and less 00:00:39.336 --> 00:00:41.340 environmentally destructive, and today we 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:44.143 are talking about gardening! 00:00:44.143 --> 00:00:46.983 A lot of you probably saw my project 00:00:46.983 --> 00:00:49.364 where I spent a year growing and foraging 00:00:49.364 --> 00:00:52.130 100% of my food. No grocery stores, no 00:00:52.130 --> 00:00:53.704 restaurants, nothing packaged or 00:00:53.704 --> 00:00:56.201 processed, nothing shipped long-distance, 00:00:56.201 --> 00:00:58.209 literally everything that I ate for an 00:00:58.209 --> 00:01:00.601 entire year came from my gardens, and the 00:01:00.601 --> 00:01:03.243 idea of that was not to get any of you to 00:01:03.243 --> 00:01:05.802 grow and forage 100% of your food. 00:01:05.802 --> 00:01:09.748 The idea was to get you to rethink your 00:01:09.748 --> 00:01:13.738 food, question your food, and grow a 00:01:13.738 --> 00:01:16.113 little bit of your own food, even if it is 00:01:16.113 --> 00:01:18.321 just some tomatoes on your balcony, or 00:01:18.321 --> 00:01:21.966 some herbs on your windowsill, or joining 00:01:21.966 --> 00:01:23.683 a community garden, or going and 00:01:23.683 --> 00:01:26.374 volunteering at a farm, my goal through 00:01:26.374 --> 00:01:27.810 this project and through all of these 00:01:27.810 --> 00:01:29.813 projects is to reconnect you with your 00:01:29.813 --> 00:01:33.883 food. But you have to start where you are! 00:01:33.883 --> 00:01:35.362 Today we are going to go through some 00:01:35.362 --> 00:01:38.386 basics, and give tips on helping you to 00:01:38.386 --> 00:01:40.825 get started, so this is really geared 00:01:40.825 --> 00:01:43.443 towards beginner gardening. However, some 00:01:43.443 --> 00:01:45.005 of the things that we are going to discuss 00:01:45.005 --> 00:01:47.250 today are going to be useful for people 00:01:47.250 --> 00:01:48.857 who have already been gardening for some 00:01:48.857 --> 00:01:52.663 time as well, and I am going to go through 00:01:52.663 --> 00:01:55.846 maybe 15 or 20 minutes of some suggestions 00:01:55.846 --> 00:01:59.049 and some tips, and then I am going to take 00:01:59.049 --> 00:02:02.268 questions, and I might take some questions 00:02:02.268 --> 00:02:04.623 throughout as well, but mostly I will take 00:02:04.623 --> 00:02:07.585 the questions towards the end. So I am 00:02:07.585 --> 00:02:09.684 going to go ahead and get started. First, 00:02:09.684 --> 00:02:12.821 one of my number one suggestions to 00:02:12.821 --> 00:02:16.090 beginner gardeners is "start small". 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:18.199 Now, some of you 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:20.882 (drinking) 00:02:20.882 --> 00:02:23.078 are going to want to start really big, you 00:02:23.078 --> 00:02:25.067 want to change life drastically, you want 00:02:25.067 --> 00:02:26.847 to want to be done with the grocery 00:02:26.847 --> 00:02:28.810 stores, you want to grow all of your own 00:02:28.810 --> 00:02:31.012 food, that is great! And if you feel 00:02:31.012 --> 00:02:34.019 confident that you can do that, go for it! 00:02:34.019 --> 00:02:37.780 But, if you are worried, if you feel like 00:02:37.780 --> 00:02:40.235 you have a black thumb, and everything 00:02:40.235 --> 00:02:44.710 dies, and you just feel overwhelmed, 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:47.289 maybe lost, one of my number 00:02:47.289 --> 00:02:52.350 one tips is to start small. It takes time 00:02:52.350 --> 00:02:55.611 to learn, and in some ways gardening is 00:02:55.611 --> 00:02:57.867 easy, but in some ways it is also very 00:02:57.867 --> 00:03:00.496 challenging, especially compared to just 00:03:00.496 --> 00:03:02.690 going to the grocery store and buying all 00:03:02.690 --> 00:03:05.184 of your food. So what I really recommend 00:03:05.184 --> 00:03:08.486 is starting small. Don't feel like you 00:03:08.486 --> 00:03:12.860 are not being successful if you just have 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:15.555 some pots on your balcony, or you have a 00:03:15.555 --> 00:03:18.088 small raised bed that is just 3 feet by 00:03:18.088 --> 00:03:20.788 4 feet in your front or backyard. Start 00:03:20.788 --> 00:03:24.359 small, and then as you have success, then 00:03:24.359 --> 00:03:27.076 you can expand, and each season or each 00:03:27.076 --> 00:03:30.121 year, you can grow and you can grow more 00:03:30.121 --> 00:03:34.499 and more and more. So start small, and 00:03:34.499 --> 00:03:36.659 along the lines off starting small I 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:39.267 recommend making a plan. 00:03:39.267 --> 00:03:42.122 With most things in life, if you make 00:03:42.122 --> 00:03:44.590 somewhat of a plan, you are more likely 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:49.868 to be successful with it. If you know what 00:03:49.868 --> 00:03:53.298 you are doing going into it. So before 00:03:53.298 --> 00:04:00.006 jumping into it, have a plan, make a plan! 00:04:00.006 --> 00:04:02.245 The next thing to go along with starting 00:04:02.245 --> 00:04:06.804 small is to keep a journal. A lot of 00:04:06.804 --> 00:04:09.872 things in gardening, if you know when you 00:04:09.872 --> 00:04:11.724 planted something, or when you 00:04:11.724 --> 00:04:14.228 transplanted it, it is going to help you 00:04:14.228 --> 00:04:17.085 be a lot more organized and a lot more 00:04:17.085 --> 00:04:20.557 successful in gardening. Just, in your 00:04:20.557 --> 00:04:22.721 garden journal, just keeping track of the 00:04:22.721 --> 00:04:24.436 basic things, like when you planted 00:04:24.436 --> 00:04:26.739 something, when you transplanted it, you 00:04:26.739 --> 00:04:28.725 can keep track of weather, and this is 00:04:28.725 --> 00:04:30.852 also a beautiful way to connect as well, 00:04:30.852 --> 00:04:32.821 to be able to go back and look at things, 00:04:32.821 --> 00:04:34.798 and in future years, this can help you as 00:04:34.798 --> 00:04:37.674 well. So, making a plan and keeping a 00:04:37.674 --> 00:04:40.006 garden journal are just some basics to go 00:04:40.006 --> 00:04:42.388 along with starting small. Now, one of my 00:04:42.388 --> 00:04:45.469 big things is, it is really about seeking 00:04:45.469 --> 00:04:47.717 local resources. A lot of people, when 00:04:47.717 --> 00:04:50.842 they first start to garden, their thought 00:04:50.842 --> 00:04:53.345 is to go to the big box store, like 00:04:53.345 --> 00:04:55.611 Home Depot or Walmart, and buy their seeds 00:04:55.611 --> 00:04:58.816 or buy their plants, but that is not my 00:04:58.816 --> 00:05:01.180 suggestion. My suggestion is to seek out 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:05.319 local resources if you can. You might think 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:07.776 that your Walmart or your Home Depot is 00:05:07.776 --> 00:05:09.739 local, because it is in your city, but it 00:05:09.739 --> 00:05:12.450 is not local, because those materials are 00:05:12.450 --> 00:05:15.080 being shipped in from elsewhere and it is 00:05:15.080 --> 00:05:18.266 not really focused on your particular 00:05:18.266 --> 00:05:21.546 region. In permaculture, one of the basic 00:05:21.546 --> 00:05:24.143 ideas is to work with the earth rather 00:05:24.143 --> 00:05:26.204 than against it, and working with the 00:05:26.204 --> 00:05:28.988 earth means working within the region 00:05:28.988 --> 00:05:31.229 around you, not the entire earth. 00:05:31.229 --> 00:05:33.192 Once you start working with plants, you 00:05:33.192 --> 00:05:34.982 have to work with the plants that are 00:05:34.982 --> 00:05:37.829 growing in your area. So, seeking out 00:05:37.829 --> 00:05:41.632 local resources. One big one is joining a 00:05:41.632 --> 00:05:44.595 community garden. If you especially are 00:05:44.595 --> 00:05:46.502 really just getting started and you are 00:05:46.502 --> 00:05:49.303 not feeling confident, joining a community 00:05:49.303 --> 00:05:52.126 garden is one of the most beautiful things 00:05:52.126 --> 00:05:54.478 and most helpful things you can do, 00:05:54.478 --> 00:05:56.506 because you will be surrounded by 00:05:56.506 --> 00:05:59.056 community. Most community gardens have 00:05:59.056 --> 00:06:01.574 veteran gardeners there that you can 00:06:01.574 --> 00:06:03.728 learn from, that can share resources, 00:06:03.728 --> 00:06:05.679 you can see what is growing well in other 00:06:05.679 --> 00:06:07.473 people's plots and you can just feel 00:06:07.473 --> 00:06:10.174 supported. So join a community garden. 00:06:10.174 --> 00:06:13.032 Along with that, find other gardeners. You 00:06:13.032 --> 00:06:15.564 don't have to feel lost. Everywhere you go 00:06:15.564 --> 00:06:17.871 around the United States, around the 00:06:17.871 --> 00:06:20.167 world, there are people growing food. 00:06:20.167 --> 00:06:22.330 You might not know if because you have not 00:06:22.330 --> 00:06:24.327 been paying attention, but once you start 00:06:24.327 --> 00:06:26.232 to open your eyes you see that there is 00:06:26.232 --> 00:06:28.294 people growing food all over. So one way 00:06:28.294 --> 00:06:31.192 to do this is, ride a bicycle, walk, drive 00:06:31.192 --> 00:06:33.480 around your community and find gardens, 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:35.545 and don't be afraid to just knock on that 00:06:35.545 --> 00:06:37.816 front door and say, "Hey, I see you are 00:06:37.816 --> 00:06:40.642 growing vegetables and fruits, and I so 00:06:40.642 --> 00:06:43.346 badly want to learn, could I volunteer 00:06:43.346 --> 00:06:45.325 with you in your garden and help with 00:06:45.325 --> 00:06:48.715 weeding, in exchange for you taking me 00:06:48.715 --> 00:06:51.131 under your wing a little bit, and teaching me?" 00:06:51.131 --> 00:06:53.729 This is a great way to get involved and 00:06:53.729 --> 00:06:56.089 learn from someone who is local and has 00:06:56.089 --> 00:06:59.301 local knowledge. Another way to do this 00:06:59.301 --> 00:07:04.314 is to go to a local nursery. Most local 00:07:04.314 --> 00:07:06.531 nurseries are run by people who love 00:07:06.531 --> 00:07:08.791 plants, have been gardening for, a lot of 00:07:08.791 --> 00:07:11.430 the times, decades! So local nurseries can 00:07:11.430 --> 00:07:13.703 be a really great resource. 00:07:13.703 --> 00:07:15.558 And then, finding local classes. 00:07:15.558 --> 00:07:17.936 University extension programs can be a 00:07:17.936 --> 00:07:19.854 really great introduction to beginner 00:07:19.854 --> 00:07:21.864 gardening, so find out if your local 00:07:21.864 --> 00:07:26.645 university has an extension program. This 00:07:26.645 --> 00:07:28.497 exists in all 50 states across the 00:07:28.497 --> 00:07:30.461 United States, that is what I am 00:07:30.461 --> 00:07:33.748 particularly referring to with this, but 00:07:33.748 --> 00:07:36.616 there are many ways to find classes. Check 00:07:36.616 --> 00:07:38.758 to see if there are classes in your area 00:07:38.758 --> 00:07:41.653 that focus on local. 00:07:41.653 --> 00:07:45.570 Another great thing to do is volunteer in 00:07:45.570 --> 00:07:49.210 local farms. So many small farms need help 00:07:49.210 --> 00:07:51.970 and are also passionate about teaching as 00:07:51.970 --> 00:07:54.638 well. See if there is any farms in your 00:07:54.638 --> 00:07:56.493 area that you can go to, you can 00:07:56.493 --> 00:07:59.326 volunteer, you can learn how to grow food 00:07:59.326 --> 00:08:02.005 organically at these organic farms, and 00:08:02.005 --> 00:08:04.180 you can get involved in the community. 00:08:04.180 --> 00:08:05.911 A great way to do that is through 00:08:05.911 --> 00:08:08.179 WWOOFING, worldwide opportunities on 00:08:08.179 --> 00:08:13.299 organic farms at WWOOF.net, and you could 00:08:13.299 --> 00:08:16.732 do this in your area, or you can go all 00:08:16.732 --> 00:08:19.817 over the world! How it works is, in 00:08:19.817 --> 00:08:23.063 exchange for you working on the farm, 00:08:23.063 --> 00:08:25.465 generally it is about 5 days a week for 00:08:25.465 --> 00:08:28.382 5 hours, so 25 hours a week and you get 00:08:28.382 --> 00:08:30.754 your lodging covered, and you get your 00:08:30.754 --> 00:08:33.868 food covered, and you get to learn how to 00:08:33.868 --> 00:08:35.879 grow food, so this could be a really 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:37.876 great experience if you have the time and 00:08:37.876 --> 00:08:39.928 the energy and the flexibility to be able 00:08:39.928 --> 00:08:41.358 to go do that. 00:08:41.358 --> 00:08:43.924 And then also, local books. When I lived 00:08:43.924 --> 00:08:48.596 in Florida, when I started gardening in 00:08:48.596 --> 00:08:50.483 Florida to do my year of growing and 00:08:50.483 --> 00:08:52.359 growing an foraging all my food, I was 00:08:52.359 --> 00:08:54.319 pretty clueless, I had grown very 00:08:54.319 --> 00:08:56.612 little food before, I didn't know how 00:08:56.612 --> 00:08:58.712 much water a carrot needed, how much sun 00:08:58.712 --> 00:09:01.169 I needed in my garden, I didn't know any 00:09:01.169 --> 00:09:06.891 of these things, so I was feeling pretty 00:09:06.891 --> 00:09:09.565 lost, and what I did is I went to the 00:09:09.565 --> 00:09:11.709 internet and I was just searching every 00:09:11.709 --> 00:09:16.077 question I had. How much water per carrot, 00:09:16.077 --> 00:09:19.470 how far apart do you plant carrots, how 00:09:19.470 --> 00:09:21.846 much sun does my garden need. I was 00:09:21.846 --> 00:09:25.445 looking up all these individual questions, 00:09:25.445 --> 00:09:27.679 and after a few weeks, I found a book that 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:30.292 was written by someone who lived in 00:09:30.292 --> 00:09:32.594 Florida, I think it was called Fruit and 00:09:32.594 --> 00:09:34.735 Vegetable Gardening in Central Florida, 00:09:34.735 --> 00:09:40.385 it is by Robert Bowden. He was a 25 year 00:09:40.385 --> 00:09:42.938 veteran of growing food, and it had all of 00:09:42.938 --> 00:09:45.469 the information that I needed, 00:09:45.469 --> 00:09:47.906 not just for growing food, but for growing 00:09:47.906 --> 00:09:52.842 food in my region! So seek out books that 00:09:52.842 --> 00:09:54.904 are written for your region, and if you 00:09:54.904 --> 00:09:57.133 can't find one written for your particular 00:09:57.133 --> 00:09:59.494 area, find books that are written for the 00:09:59.494 --> 00:10:01.503 greater region. For example, if you are 00:10:01.503 --> 00:10:03.602 in New Hampshire, maybe you can't find one 00:10:03.602 --> 00:10:05.690 for New Hampshire, but there is definitely 00:10:05.690 --> 00:10:08.380 books that are focused on the north east. 00:10:08.380 --> 00:10:12.333 These books can be your absolute best 00:10:12.333 --> 00:10:14.416 friend in the garden, because when it 00:10:14.416 --> 00:10:17.330 comes to beginner gardening, these books 00:10:17.330 --> 00:10:21.160 can answer most of your questions. Today 00:10:21.160 --> 00:10:25.234 I will not be able to go over 99% of what 00:10:25.234 --> 00:10:28.466 you want to know, but these books can have 00:10:28.466 --> 00:10:31.708 all of that, right there, in one place. 00:10:31.708 --> 00:10:34.064 So, seeking out books. And the library is 00:10:34.064 --> 00:10:36.662 a great place to check, check your library 00:10:36.662 --> 00:10:38.422 whether it is at the public library, 00:10:38.422 --> 00:10:40.764 school libraries, see if there are books 00:10:40.764 --> 00:10:43.513 there that you can check out. 00:10:43.513 --> 00:10:45.583 I want to talk a little bit about where 00:10:45.583 --> 00:10:50.536 to place your garden. Where do you put it? 00:10:50.536 --> 00:10:53.102 If you have very minimal space, don't let 00:10:53.102 --> 00:10:55.486 that deter you. If you just have a 00:10:55.486 --> 00:10:58.729 balcony, you can put pots on there, you 00:10:58.729 --> 00:11:01.734 can use 5-gallon buckets, any container 00:11:01.734 --> 00:11:05.067 that can hold soil can be used to grow 00:11:05.067 --> 00:11:07.485 food on your balconies, and I have seen 00:11:07.485 --> 00:11:09.820 some very impressive balconies producing 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:12.196 tomatoes, and peppers, and all sorts of 00:11:12.196 --> 00:11:15.251 herbs and greens and eggplants. You can 00:11:15.251 --> 00:11:19.283 grow a lot on a balcony. You can grow on 00:11:19.283 --> 00:11:22.594 your windowsill if you have neither of 00:11:22.594 --> 00:11:25.318 those, or you have a roof that is flat, 00:11:25.318 --> 00:11:28.249 you can grow a lot of food on your roof, 00:11:28.249 --> 00:11:30.852 for example in apartment complexes. 00:11:30.852 --> 00:11:34.171 But some basic tips on where to place your 00:11:34.171 --> 00:11:36.489 garden. First of all, where it is easily 00:11:36.489 --> 00:11:38.991 accessible. Where you are easily able to 00:11:38.991 --> 00:11:41.108 get through. If your garden is ten miles 00:11:41.108 --> 00:11:43.209 away and there is all these obstacles to 00:11:43.209 --> 00:11:45.221 get to it, it is unlikely you will get to it 00:11:45.221 --> 00:11:47.210 and it will not get the care it needs. 00:11:47.210 --> 00:11:49.267 If it is located in a place that is really 00:11:49.267 --> 00:11:52.555 obscure on your property, far away, 00:11:52.555 --> 00:11:54.865 if you have a larger property, probably 00:11:54.865 --> 00:11:56.959 you are not going to get to it. The key is 00:11:56.959 --> 00:11:58.963 to put it in the most easily accessible 00:11:58.963 --> 00:12:01.929 place, ideally where you walk past it, so 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:04.571 that even when you are not thinking about 00:12:04.571 --> 00:12:06.369 it, you see it, and you know that you 00:12:06.369 --> 00:12:08.788 should get in it. So, an easily accessible 00:12:08.788 --> 00:12:11.323 place. Also, where there is easy water. 00:12:11.323 --> 00:12:14.227 Whatever gardening you are doing, there 00:12:14.227 --> 00:12:16.475 needs to be water, so having easy access 00:12:16.475 --> 00:12:18.538 to water. And then, especially for 00:12:18.538 --> 00:12:21.510 beginners, full sun. Again, when I started 00:12:21.510 --> 00:12:23.842 I did not know the basics of how much sun 00:12:23.842 --> 00:12:26.025 and things like that, but generally you 00:12:26.025 --> 00:12:29.225 want to have full sun, and in colder 00:12:29.225 --> 00:12:32.444 climates, like the northeast or the 00:12:32.444 --> 00:12:35.527 Great Lakes region, most of these areas, 00:12:35.527 --> 00:12:39.279 you want full sun as 6 to 8 hours of sun 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:42.452 per day on your garden location. 00:12:42.452 --> 00:12:44.710 In Orlando, Florida, where I lived, 00:12:44.710 --> 00:12:46.743 where it was really hot, we could do with 00:12:46.743 --> 00:12:48.569 less than that, we would do with maybe 00:12:48.569 --> 00:12:51.574 5 hours of sun per day. So you do want 00:12:51.574 --> 00:12:54.940 full sun especially with beginner 00:12:54.940 --> 00:12:57.287 gardening. The more experience you get, 00:12:57.287 --> 00:12:59.183 there are plants you can work with that 00:12:59.183 --> 00:13:01.286 don't need full sun but for beginner 00:13:01.286 --> 00:13:06.175 gardening I would recommend full sun. 00:13:06.931 --> 00:13:10.426 Let's see, one of my biggest tips is to 00:13:10.426 --> 00:13:13.664 start with the foods that grow really 00:13:13.664 --> 00:13:16.551 easily. What I don't recommend doing 00:13:16.551 --> 00:13:19.243 is walking down the grocery store aisle 00:13:19.243 --> 00:13:21.579 and say, "oh I love pasta so I am going to 00:13:21.579 --> 00:13:24.074 grow wheat, and I love strawberries, 00:13:24.074 --> 00:13:26.740 and I love blueberries and I love 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:29.913 mangoes". Don't think about what it is 00:13:29.913 --> 00:13:32.735 that you love the most. Instead, figure 00:13:32.735 --> 00:13:36.190 out what grows so easily in your area that 00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:39.179 even somebody with a "black thumb" would 00:13:39.179 --> 00:13:41.057 be successful. Talk to those local 00:13:41.057 --> 00:13:43.654 gardeners and ask them, "what is the most 00:13:43.654 --> 00:13:45.764 successful crop, what grows well every 00:13:45.764 --> 00:13:48.088 year, what produces so much that you can 00:13:48.088 --> 00:13:52.523 never eat all of it?". For example, I see 00:13:52.523 --> 00:13:56.896 this with zucchini. It is so common, these 00:13:56.896 --> 00:13:59.718 giant zucchinis, and I remember when I was 00:13:59.718 --> 00:14:01.992 in port towns in Washington, there were 00:14:01.992 --> 00:14:05.825 jokes about how people would have to leave 00:14:05.825 --> 00:14:08.115 zucchinis on other people's doors to try 00:14:08.115 --> 00:14:10.330 to get rid of them, but nobody wanted them 00:14:10.330 --> 00:14:12.637 because they all had so much! 00:14:12.637 --> 00:14:14.719 Some beginner plants to start with: 00:14:14.719 --> 00:14:17.538 radishes are one of the easiest ones, and 00:14:17.538 --> 00:14:20.133 they also produce the fastest. A lot of 00:14:20.133 --> 00:14:23.724 radishes produce in just 30 days, so it 00:14:23.724 --> 00:14:25.752 really can be beneficial to have some of 00:14:25.752 --> 00:14:27.790 these faster producing ones to give you 00:14:27.790 --> 00:14:31.198 that boosted energy and that feeling of 00:14:31.198 --> 00:14:35.461 success. Greens can be very easy. Kale 00:14:35.461 --> 00:14:38.907 and collards and lettuces... greens can be 00:14:38.907 --> 00:14:41.067 a really easy place to start and they are 00:14:41.067 --> 00:14:43.302 very nutrient-dense, so I highly recommend 00:14:43.302 --> 00:14:47.049 starting with greens. Peppers are also an 00:14:47.049 --> 00:14:51.168 often considered beginner plant to grow. 00:14:51.168 --> 00:14:54.847 I have had easier time with hot peppers 00:14:54.847 --> 00:14:57.303 than bell peppers, but peppers can be a 00:14:57.303 --> 00:14:59.674 really easy one. And then, herbs. 00:14:59.674 --> 00:15:02.916 An easy way to start is actually buying 00:15:02.916 --> 00:15:07.020 herbs in the small pots at the store and 00:15:07.020 --> 00:15:09.510 then planting those and letting them grow 00:15:09.510 --> 00:15:12.875 much larger. Some herbs can be hard to 00:15:12.875 --> 00:15:16.622 start from seed, but some are very easy to 00:15:16.622 --> 00:15:19.003 start from seed. Cilantro, for example, is 00:15:19.003 --> 00:15:21.872 an easy one to start from seed, but herbs 00:15:21.872 --> 00:15:23.857 can be very easy to grow, you can use 00:15:23.857 --> 00:15:26.171 them at every single meal, they can add 00:15:26.171 --> 00:15:29.375 a lot of value to your life. So my 00:15:29.375 --> 00:15:32.013 best suggestions for starting are greens, 00:15:32.013 --> 00:15:36.414 herbs, peppers and then tomatoes. But 00:15:36.414 --> 00:15:38.967 there is always differences depending on 00:15:38.967 --> 00:15:41.726 where you are. As I read earlier, the 00:15:41.726 --> 00:15:43.604 people watching this right now, you are 00:15:43.604 --> 00:15:45.700 all tuning in from all over the world, 00:15:45.700 --> 00:15:48.144 and all across the United States, so it 00:15:48.144 --> 00:15:49.943 is going to be different in different 00:15:49.943 --> 00:15:52.908 areas. In Florida, where I grew, for 00:15:52.908 --> 00:15:54.941 example, large tomatoes did not grow well 00:15:54.941 --> 00:15:56.884 because it was so hot and so humid that 00:15:56.884 --> 00:16:02.584 they were more likely to get blight or 00:16:02.584 --> 00:16:05.765 pests, so we had to grow really small 00:16:05.765 --> 00:16:07.801 tomatoes, and the variety that I grew in 00:16:07.801 --> 00:16:09.529 central Florida is called everglade 00:16:09.529 --> 00:16:12.891 tomatoes, and they did extremely well. 00:16:15.851 --> 00:16:18.582 The next tip is to plant at the right 00:16:18.582 --> 00:16:22.354 time. What you can do is you can find a 00:16:22.354 --> 00:16:27.253 regional planting schedule, and you might 00:16:27.253 --> 00:16:29.572 have the questions like... Oh and I just 00:16:29.572 --> 00:16:31.542 want to say, the other really ones is 00:16:31.542 --> 00:16:34.342 radishes, and I grew daikon radishes, 00:16:34.342 --> 00:16:36.639 which get really big. Zucchinis can be 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:39.095 really easy as well. These are just a 00:16:39.095 --> 00:16:43.029 handful of the easier plants. So the big 00:16:43.029 --> 00:16:45.503 one is to plant at the right time. If you 00:16:45.503 --> 00:16:48.466 plant kale in the middle of the winter, 00:16:48.466 --> 00:16:50.629 you are going to get a hard time with it. 00:16:50.629 --> 00:16:52.892 In Florida, if you plant kale in July, 00:16:52.892 --> 00:16:54.940 when it is so hot, you are going to have 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:57.065 problems with it, so the key is to plant 00:16:57.065 --> 00:16:59.883 things at the right time, and the simplest 00:16:59.883 --> 00:17:02.757 way to do this is to find a regional 00:17:02.757 --> 00:17:05.379 planting schedule, and if you find one of 00:17:05.379 --> 00:17:07.343 these local books, they actually have a 00:17:07.343 --> 00:17:10.349 schedule that will tell you. For example, 00:17:10.349 --> 00:17:15.018 in Wisconsin you will probably want to 00:17:15.018 --> 00:17:23.168 plant your tomatoes in... you might put 00:17:23.168 --> 00:17:25.462 them into seeds in April, get them into 00:17:25.462 --> 00:17:27.835 the ground in late May or June, if I had 00:17:27.835 --> 00:17:30.244 to guess, I have not planted there. 00:17:30.244 --> 00:17:32.208 But, you don't have to figure this out, 00:17:32.208 --> 00:17:34.142 because these calendars do that for you, 00:17:34.142 --> 00:17:36.110 and they will basically give you a range 00:17:36.110 --> 00:17:39.119 of time of when you can plant them, so 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:41.540 these regional planting schedules are 00:17:41.540 --> 00:17:45.623 absolutely key, and there is one at the 00:17:45.623 --> 00:17:53.255 national gardening association. Everything 00:17:53.255 --> 00:17:55.716 that we are going through right now is on 00:17:55.716 --> 00:17:57.376 my guide at 00:17:57.376 --> 00:18:03.647 robgreenfield.org/freeseedprojectguide 00:18:03.647 --> 00:18:05.808 and most of these things will be on there, 00:18:05.808 --> 00:18:08.554 as well as links to resources. That 00:18:08.554 --> 00:18:10.962 information is there so if you miss 00:18:10.962 --> 00:18:13.328 something don't worry about it, there is 00:18:13.328 --> 00:18:15.831 a good chance that it is in that guide. 00:18:15.831 --> 00:18:17.987 The next thing is the question of 00:18:17.987 --> 00:18:20.464 "How far apart do you plant things, how 00:18:20.464 --> 00:18:23.108 deep do you plant things, do you direct 00:18:23.108 --> 00:18:25.434 plant the seed into the ground or should 00:18:25.434 --> 00:18:28.660 you put them in pots first?" And again, 00:18:28.660 --> 00:18:32.146 the best way to decide that is through 00:18:32.146 --> 00:18:34.602 these regional planting, finding 00:18:34.602 --> 00:18:38.744 this local information. For example, kale 00:18:38.744 --> 00:18:41.454 is on average, depending on how you are 00:18:41.454 --> 00:18:44.003 growing it, about 6 to 8 inches, to 12 00:18:44.003 --> 00:18:46.954 inches apart, but you can follow the 00:18:46.954 --> 00:18:50.845 guidelines on seeds. On the seed pack 00:18:50.845 --> 00:18:53.474 it has these informations, and in these 00:18:53.474 --> 00:18:56.251 books , it has this information. There is 00:18:56.251 --> 00:18:58.728 hundreds of different plants, and also, 00:18:58.728 --> 00:19:02.353 on my guide, I give the basic idea. 00:19:02.353 --> 00:19:04.912 There are basic ideas of how far you plant 00:19:04.912 --> 00:19:08.610 things apart. As far as directly planting 00:19:08.610 --> 00:19:11.829 in the ground, or planting in pots and 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:13.800 then bringing them out, the answer is 00:19:13.800 --> 00:19:15.912 both. It depends on the scenario. 00:19:15.912 --> 00:19:18.968 If you are in the colder climates, if you 00:19:18.968 --> 00:19:21.652 want to get the earliest start possible, 00:19:21.652 --> 00:19:23.743 planting inside can give you a 6-week 00:19:23.743 --> 00:19:26.250 headstart, by getting your plants to be 00:19:26.250 --> 00:19:28.487 large and putting them in the ground 00:19:28.487 --> 00:19:32.811 already 6 weeks ahead of schedule. 00:19:32.811 --> 00:19:34.949 I want to talk a little bit about pests 00:19:34.949 --> 00:19:38.480 now, and I have a big disclaimer here, and 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.873 that is that pest is a human-made concept. 00:19:41.873 --> 00:19:46.149 (drinks water) 00:19:46.149 --> 00:19:50.358 Nothing by nature is a pest. That is just 00:19:50.358 --> 00:19:54.546 a word that we decided to give different 00:19:54.546 --> 00:19:57.947 species and different creatures. So much 00:19:57.947 --> 00:20:01.520 about gardening can be about rethinking 00:20:01.520 --> 00:20:07.589 the way that we think about basic things. 00:20:07.589 --> 00:20:12.491 Some of my absolute keys to reducing 00:20:12.491 --> 00:20:15.687 "pests" and having a healthy garden. 00:20:15.687 --> 00:20:19.614 Number 1, diversity. You have probably 00:20:19.614 --> 00:20:23.349 heard the term monocrop. Monocrop is when 00:20:23.349 --> 00:20:26.596 you plant just one species, for example, 00:20:26.596 --> 00:20:31.598 corn. When you drive past acres of corn or 00:20:31.598 --> 00:20:35.038 soybeans, that is a monocrop. Monocrops 00:20:35.038 --> 00:20:37.549 are very susceptible to pests. Just 00:20:37.549 --> 00:20:39.760 imagine, you have one plant here, one 00:20:39.760 --> 00:20:41.575 plant here, one plant here, one plant 00:20:41.575 --> 00:20:43.803 here, the bugs can do the same thing. 00:20:43.803 --> 00:20:45.775 The pests can just walk from one to the 00:20:45.775 --> 00:20:47.569 next, to the next, to the next. Now 00:20:47.569 --> 00:20:49.523 imagine with diversity. If you have a 00:20:49.523 --> 00:20:51.841 hundred different species, in your garden, 00:20:51.841 --> 00:20:55.362 those different insects want different 00:20:55.362 --> 00:21:01.474 plants, so they can't go out of control 00:21:01.474 --> 00:21:05.799 if they don't have that one specific 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:09.907 plant, so the more diversity you have, 00:21:09.907 --> 00:21:12.110 the less likely you are to have these 00:21:12.110 --> 00:21:16.048 plagues of insects. The plague of insects 00:21:16.048 --> 00:21:19.372 is the reason we have GMO foods, because 00:21:19.372 --> 00:21:23.883 designed that way, no crops, well, some 00:21:23.883 --> 00:21:29.416 will, but most food crops, especially 00:21:29.416 --> 00:21:33.505 annual crops will not work if you have 00:21:33.505 --> 00:21:38.039 them as monocrop. Having as many species 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:40.237 as possible in your garden is one of the 00:21:40.237 --> 00:21:43.957 keys to success, and along those same 00:21:43.957 --> 00:21:47.008 lines, imagine if you have one tomato on 00:21:47.008 --> 00:21:49.077 the north side of your garden and one 00:21:49.077 --> 00:21:51.242 tomato plant on the south side, and one 00:21:51.242 --> 00:21:53.441 on the east, and one on the west, what 00:21:53.441 --> 00:21:55.530 happens is that you would be amazed at 00:21:55.530 --> 00:21:57.756 you might get the tomato hornworm on one 00:21:57.756 --> 00:21:59.817 plant, but it does not make it to the 00:21:59.817 --> 00:22:02.051 other ones, whereas if there is one next 00:22:02.051 --> 00:22:03.995 to each other, they will just walk from 00:22:03.995 --> 00:22:06.617 one to the other, so diversity also allows 00:22:06.617 --> 00:22:09.069 you to spread the different plants out, 00:22:09.069 --> 00:22:11.839 so intercropping is a big part of that. 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:14.104 Planting different species next to each 00:22:14.104 --> 00:22:18.406 other, that can work together and create 00:22:18.406 --> 00:22:22.041 diversity. Another really great thing is 00:22:22.041 --> 00:22:26.875 beneficial insect attractive mix. At 00:22:26.875 --> 00:22:28.912 Johnny's seeds I buy something called 00:22:28.912 --> 00:22:31.179 the beneficial insect attractive mix. This 00:22:31.179 --> 00:22:33.779 is a mixture of about different flowers 00:22:33.779 --> 00:22:37.648 that bring in beneficial insects, and what 00:22:37.648 --> 00:22:40.454 a beneficial insect is, is these are 00:22:40.454 --> 00:22:44.593 insects that eat the other insects that 00:22:44.593 --> 00:22:47.292 you don't want or compete with them to 00:22:47.292 --> 00:22:50.192 keep them out. For example, aphids are 00:22:50.192 --> 00:22:55.973 a problem for a lot of people. Ladybugs 00:22:55.973 --> 00:22:58.552 actually eat aphids, so ladybugs are a 00:22:58.552 --> 00:23:02.308 beneficial insect. A lot of caterpillars 00:23:02.308 --> 00:23:04.971 that eat your plants, one thing you can do 00:23:04.971 --> 00:23:07.687 is, you can bring in wasps that eat those 00:23:07.687 --> 00:23:10.720 caterpillars, or parasitic wasps that lay 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:13.035 their eggs in those caterpillars so that 00:23:13.035 --> 00:23:16.695 when they hatch they eat these 00:23:16.695 --> 00:23:19.531 caterpillars. So wasps are actually really 00:23:19.531 --> 00:23:21.460 beneficial to have in the garden. 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:25.927 Ladybugs, honeybees, all bees. All of 00:23:25.927 --> 00:23:27.906 these are beneficial to have in the 00:23:27.906 --> 00:23:30.066 garden, there are many different creatures 00:23:30.066 --> 00:23:32.373 that are beneficial to have in the garden. 00:23:32.373 --> 00:23:34.687 So, planting beneficial insects attracting 00:23:34.687 --> 00:23:36.773 mix, and also creating evironments to 00:23:36.773 --> 00:23:40.027 bring them in. Along those lines, frogs, 00:23:40.027 --> 00:23:44.462 snakes, lizards, these reptiles or/and 00:23:44.462 --> 00:23:47.764 amphibians are really beneficial as well. 00:23:47.764 --> 00:23:50.980 If you don't want rats in your garden, 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:53.097 then snakes are great, because they can 00:23:53.097 --> 00:23:55.429 eat the rats and the mice, so these are 00:23:55.429 --> 00:23:57.446 great to have in the garden. A lot of 00:23:57.446 --> 00:24:00.120 people are afraid of snakes and frogs and 00:24:00.120 --> 00:24:02.536 toads, but those are your friends as a 00:24:02.536 --> 00:24:06.388 gardener. The next thing is healthy soil. 00:24:06.388 --> 00:24:10.029 You have to have healthy soil. If you only 00:24:10.029 --> 00:24:12.195 focus on the plants, the plants are less 00:24:12.195 --> 00:24:14.420 likely to be healthy. The key is focusing 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:16.683 on the soil. Healthy soil creates healthy 00:24:16.683 --> 00:24:18.726 plants. I am not going to go into the 00:24:18.726 --> 00:24:21.635 depths of healthy soil today, but it is 00:24:21.635 --> 00:24:23.560 just something really important to keep 00:24:23.560 --> 00:24:25.754 in mind. Another big thing, and this is 00:24:25.754 --> 00:24:27.717 one of the biggest things in all, is 00:24:27.717 --> 00:24:30.014 perspective, keeping in mind that insects 00:24:30.014 --> 00:24:33.262 deserve to live as well, and I am not 00:24:33.262 --> 00:24:35.941 saying that I don't kill insects. I do, 00:24:35.941 --> 00:24:37.993 and I actually don't have any problem 00:24:37.993 --> 00:24:41.399 killing caterpillars on my tomatoes for 00:24:41.399 --> 00:24:43.462 example, in order to make sure that I have 00:24:43.462 --> 00:24:45.491 food. I believe this is one of the 00:24:45.491 --> 00:24:47.503 standard parts of the circle of life, 00:24:47.503 --> 00:24:49.634 and if we are not doing it, the reality 00:24:49.634 --> 00:24:51.850 is someone else is doing it for us and we 00:24:51.850 --> 00:24:55.645 are just not seeing it, but perspective, 00:24:55.645 --> 00:24:58.329 just realising that the insects, or the 00:24:58.329 --> 00:25:00.645 other species, deserve some of the food 00:25:00.645 --> 00:25:02.810 as well, and it is okay for them to eat 00:25:02.810 --> 00:25:06.712 some. If you plant abundantly, then you 00:25:06.712 --> 00:25:08.855 don't have to worry so much. I remember 00:25:08.855 --> 00:25:11.233 my first time planting, when I had very 00:25:11.233 --> 00:25:13.486 little growing, it was so much bigger of 00:25:13.486 --> 00:25:16.677 a deal to me, when some of my food was 00:25:16.677 --> 00:25:19.528 getting eaten. But by growing abundantly, 00:25:19.528 --> 00:25:21.648 you have enough, and you don't have to 00:25:21.648 --> 00:25:24.062 worry about that. Another thing to keep in 00:25:24.062 --> 00:25:26.632 mind, aphids for example. A lot of times 00:25:26.632 --> 00:25:29.492 aphids are not that damaging to the plant, 00:25:29.492 --> 00:25:31.763 but people just don't like the aphids on 00:25:31.763 --> 00:25:34.955 there. Aphids are basically another 00:25:34.955 --> 00:25:38.441 healthy, well, healthy... you have got 00:25:38.441 --> 00:25:40.818 to listen for another second here, healthy 00:25:40.818 --> 00:25:43.155 extension to the plant, and what I mean is 00:25:43.155 --> 00:25:45.992 healthy to you. Aphids suck the juices out 00:25:45.992 --> 00:25:48.320 of the plants, and then those aphids are 00:25:48.320 --> 00:25:51.106 just as edible and healthy as the plants 00:25:51.106 --> 00:25:53.368 themselves, so don't worry about eating 00:25:53.368 --> 00:25:56.462 some aphids at all, they are plenty 00:25:56.462 --> 00:25:59.341 healthy. I eat aphids almost every single 00:25:59.341 --> 00:26:02.342 day. I ate aphids today because I am 00:26:02.342 --> 00:26:04.571 harvesting stinging nettle in the wild, 00:26:04.571 --> 00:26:07.485 and there are aphids on there. 00:26:07.864 --> 00:26:12.983 Another tip for dealing with pests that 00:26:12.983 --> 00:26:15.497 you don't want in the garden, and this is 00:26:15.497 --> 00:26:17.414 especially if you are trying to keep 00:26:17.414 --> 00:26:19.354 things organic, and that is really 00:26:19.354 --> 00:26:21.321 connecting with your garden and being 00:26:21.321 --> 00:26:23.239 out there every single day. If you go 00:26:23.239 --> 00:26:25.528 through your garden and walk through every 00:26:25.528 --> 00:26:27.589 single day, you will see when problems 00:26:27.589 --> 00:26:29.895 start to arise, and you can deal with them 00:26:29.895 --> 00:26:33.099 early on. Imagine, if there are 10.000 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:35.408 caterpillars, you are not going to be able 00:26:35.408 --> 00:26:37.772 to deal with that, but if you start to see 00:26:37.772 --> 00:26:40.007 when there is only a handfull on there, 00:26:40.007 --> 00:26:42.046 often you will be able to pick these 00:26:42.046 --> 00:26:44.083 caterpillars off before they start to 00:26:44.083 --> 00:26:48.808 exponentially grow and multiply, using 00:26:48.808 --> 00:26:51.078 your hands. And the beautiful thing is, 00:26:51.078 --> 00:26:52.969 this is just a great way to 00:26:52.969 --> 00:26:55.135 get down in the garden, get down on your 00:26:55.135 --> 00:26:58.834 hands and knees, or your belly, and 00:26:58.834 --> 00:27:01.912 really connect with that. So that is 00:27:01.912 --> 00:27:04.557 another tip with pests. And again, 00:27:04.557 --> 00:27:07.574 healthy plants. The healthier your plants, 00:27:07.574 --> 00:27:11.006 often when there are pests it is not a 00:27:11.006 --> 00:27:13.344 matter of treating the plant, it is a 00:27:13.344 --> 00:27:15.413 matter of figuring out what the problem 00:27:15.413 --> 00:27:17.992 was in the first place. Why are there 00:27:17.992 --> 00:27:20.533 pests on these plants? And often there is 00:27:20.533 --> 00:27:22.506 something to do with them not being 00:27:22.506 --> 00:27:24.877 healthy. For example, are they getting 00:27:24.877 --> 00:27:27.384 enough sun? Think of how we have an 00:27:27.384 --> 00:27:29.456 immune system. If our immune system is 00:27:29.456 --> 00:27:32.104 down, we are more likely for a bacteria or 00:27:32.104 --> 00:27:34.537 a pathogen or a virus to be able to take 00:27:34.537 --> 00:27:36.894 over enough, to make us sick. But if our 00:27:36.894 --> 00:27:39.318 immune system is great, we are able to 00:27:39.318 --> 00:27:41.707 resist that and fend off, and the same 00:27:41.707 --> 00:27:43.715 goes with plants. They don't have immune 00:27:43.715 --> 00:27:46.079 systems but if they are weak, the pests 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:48.140 are able to take over. If they are strong 00:27:48.140 --> 00:27:50.580 and vigorous, they are more likely 00:27:50.580 --> 00:27:52.583 to continue and fend that off. So healthy 00:27:52.583 --> 00:27:54.961 plants, and that again comes down to 00:27:54.961 --> 00:27:58.179 planting at the right time and planting 00:27:58.179 --> 00:28:00.436 hardy plants, planting plants that are 00:28:00.436 --> 00:28:03.357 are designed for your area. Another one, 00:28:03.357 --> 00:28:05.673 and this is where I am going to end, and 00:28:05.673 --> 00:28:07.571 then we are going to go on to some 00:28:07.571 --> 00:28:09.430 questions, and that is focusing on 00:28:09.430 --> 00:28:13.362 perennials. Perennials are so much easier 00:28:13.362 --> 00:28:15.785 to grow than annuals. Imagine a plant that 00:28:15.785 --> 00:28:17.955 you plant once, and it is there for you 00:28:17.955 --> 00:28:20.775 year, after year, after year. In colder 00:28:20.775 --> 00:28:23.446 climates rhubarb is a perfect example. 00:28:23.446 --> 00:28:26.279 this can live for 25 years! You plant it, 00:28:26.279 --> 00:28:28.473 and every year it will come back. The 00:28:28.473 --> 00:28:30.592 snow and the ice go away, your faithful 00:28:30.592 --> 00:28:33.638 rhubarb comes back. Strawberries, 00:28:33.638 --> 00:28:35.873 raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, 00:28:35.873 --> 00:28:38.221 these are all perennials. Fruit trees like 00:28:38.221 --> 00:28:41.523 apples and pears and plums, or down south 00:28:41.523 --> 00:28:46.677 mangoes and seagrapes and white sapote, 00:28:46.677 --> 00:28:50.689 black sapote and mamey sapote. Fruit trees 00:28:50.689 --> 00:28:54.185 are all perennials. Most of fruit bushes 00:28:54.185 --> 00:28:56.394 are perennials, but there aree is also a 00:28:56.394 --> 00:29:00.414 lot of perennial greens. If you watch my 00:29:00.414 --> 00:29:03.849 video I released this week on foraging, 00:29:03.849 --> 00:29:07.433 most of these are perennial greens. You 00:29:07.433 --> 00:29:11.473 can grow perennial greens and you can grow 00:29:11.473 --> 00:29:13.778 self-seeding annual greens that just keep 00:29:13.778 --> 00:29:16.297 coming back year, after year and this 00:29:16.297 --> 00:29:18.038 drastically reduces your work. 00:29:18.038 --> 00:29:21.180 The thing about perennials is that they 00:29:21.180 --> 00:29:23.825 are generally more resilient to pests, and 00:29:23.825 --> 00:29:25.903 often they need less nutrients, they 00:29:25.903 --> 00:29:28.287 don't need the tilling of the soil, so I 00:29:28.287 --> 00:29:31.067 really recommend perennials, and one 00:29:31.067 --> 00:29:33.109 video that is very helpful that I released 00:29:33.109 --> 00:29:35.803 recently is "How to turn your yard into 00:29:35.803 --> 00:29:37.770 a garden and it is right here on my 00:29:37.770 --> 00:29:40.643 youtube channel, and you can watch that. 00:29:40.643 --> 00:29:42.092 If you go to 00:29:42.092 --> 00:29:48.845 robgreenfield.org/freeseedprojectguide 00:29:48.845 --> 00:29:52.446 that has a lot of these resources. Also, 00:29:52.446 --> 00:29:56.182 if you go to robgreenfield.org/grow, 00:29:56.182 --> 00:29:58.568 that guide is specifically for central 00:29:58.568 --> 00:30:00.668 Florida, where I did my year of growing 00:30:00.668 --> 00:30:02.780 and foraging all of my food, but also has 00:30:02.780 --> 00:30:05.815 a lot of great information and resources. 00:30:05.815 --> 00:30:08.858 I did not go through a lot of the basics 00:30:08.858 --> 00:30:10.970 because there is so much that we could 00:30:10.970 --> 00:30:13.225 go through, but there are amazing channels 00:30:13.225 --> 00:30:16.521 for that. I really like Epic Gardening 00:30:16.521 --> 00:30:20.777 Kevin, and Niki Jabbour. She is actually 00:30:20.777 --> 00:30:23.802 in the colder climates. She is a great 00:30:23.802 --> 00:30:26.824 resource. Kevin is in San Diego, California 00:30:26.824 --> 00:30:29.064 but he is a great resource for across the 00:30:29.064 --> 00:30:31.482 country. There is hundreds of amazing 00:30:31.482 --> 00:30:35.889 gardening channels on youtube, on social 00:30:35.889 --> 00:30:39.890 media, websites, books, so find great 00:30:39.890 --> 00:30:43.019 resources because this has the information 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:45.934 and you can have it right there at hand. 00:30:45.934 --> 00:30:48.975 Those are some of my tips for beginner 00:30:48.975 --> 00:30:51.701 gardeners to really help you get started. 00:30:51.701 --> 00:30:54.886 Again, remember that starting small is 00:30:54.886 --> 00:30:57.215 great. You don't have to feel bad about 00:30:57.215 --> 00:30:59.422 starting small, or growing just a little 00:30:59.422 --> 00:31:01.588 bit of food. A little bit is a lot more 00:31:01.588 --> 00:31:04.209 meaningful than none. Remember, this is 00:31:04.209 --> 00:31:06.384 about community, it does not have to be 00:31:06.384 --> 00:31:08.382 alone. Connecting with other people, 00:31:08.382 --> 00:31:11.092 volunteering at farms, volunteering with 00:31:11.092 --> 00:31:13.380 other local gardeners. One of the best 00:31:13.380 --> 00:31:15.747 ways to make friends with a gardener is to 00:31:15.747 --> 00:31:17.725 pull their weeds, because almost all 00:31:17.725 --> 00:31:19.968 gardeners need help pulling their weeds. 00:31:19.968 --> 00:31:22.698 Do this with community, seek out local 00:31:22.698 --> 00:31:24.922 resources and enjoy this! 00:31:24.922 --> 00:31:29.241 Gardening is work, but if you love it, if 00:31:29.241 --> 00:31:31.408 you are passionate about it, if it is 00:31:31.408 --> 00:31:33.455 making you healthier, it is getting you 00:31:33.455 --> 00:31:35.553 outside, it is connecting you to your 00:31:35.553 --> 00:31:37.769 community, sure it is work, but it is also 00:31:37.769 --> 00:31:41.494 life. It is living the life that you want. 00:31:41.494 --> 00:31:43.517 So I am going to take a handful of 00:31:43.517 --> 00:31:45.871 questions, and you can ask questions that 00:31:45.871 --> 00:31:48.707 are more exact, and I will see if I have 00:31:48.707 --> 00:31:51.432 an answer to them, or more general. 00:31:51.432 --> 00:31:55.674 I will say that I have grown quite a bit 00:31:55.674 --> 00:31:59.038 of food now, but there is so much that I 00:31:59.038 --> 00:32:01.493 have not done, so there are a lot of 00:32:01.493 --> 00:32:03.491 questions that I will not be able to 00:32:03.491 --> 00:32:05.663 answer with exact things. My experience 00:32:05.663 --> 00:32:07.479 is limited to the few places where I 00:32:07.479 --> 00:32:10.175 have grown food, but ask questions away 00:32:10.175 --> 00:32:15.216 and I am going to answer some of them. 00:32:17.887 --> 00:32:22.734 Okay, let's see. 00:32:38.165 --> 00:32:41.014 Melissa says, "Are seeds that are about to 00:32:41.014 --> 00:32:44.271 expire still okay?" Yes. Absolutely 00:32:44.271 --> 00:32:47.726 A lot of seed packs will 00:32:47.726 --> 00:32:50.496 have an expiration date on them. There is 00:32:50.496 --> 00:32:52.661 nothing that says that the seeds are bad 00:32:52.661 --> 00:32:54.778 after that, it is just that some of the 00:32:54.778 --> 00:32:59.037 seeds will not sprout, they are not viable 00:32:59.037 --> 00:33:02.141 anymore. But generally when you buy seed 00:33:02.141 --> 00:33:04.109 packs, the idea is they want to have a 00:33:04.109 --> 00:33:07.467 viability rate of, say, 90%. But each year 00:33:07.467 --> 00:33:11.928 all that happens is that some of the seeds 00:33:11.928 --> 00:33:15.120 become not viable anymore. One second, 00:33:15.120 --> 00:33:17.270 there is a dog that wants to come outside 00:33:17.270 --> 00:33:19.611 and I want to make sure it does not so it 00:33:19.611 --> 00:33:22.263 does not make noise. 00:33:25.326 --> 00:33:30.350 [birds chirping] 00:33:33.458 --> 00:33:35.754 Okay, so yes you can absolutely use those 00:33:35.754 --> 00:33:38.231 seed packs, and what happens is, if the 00:33:38.231 --> 00:33:41.493 viability rate is down 50%, it just means 00:33:41.493 --> 00:33:43.797 that you need to plant about twice as many 00:33:43.797 --> 00:33:48.303 seeds. Or, you can check the viability by 00:33:48.303 --> 00:33:51.123 putting them in a wet paper towel and 00:33:51.123 --> 00:33:53.115 letting them sprout, and seeing what 00:33:53.115 --> 00:33:55.268 percentage of them sprout or just planting 00:33:55.268 --> 00:33:57.256 them and see what percentage of them come 00:33:57.256 --> 00:33:59.561 out. So absolutely, you can use those 00:33:59.561 --> 00:34:01.667 older seeds, a lot of times they will 00:34:01.667 --> 00:34:04.943 still be good 3, 4 years past those dates. 00:34:08.093 --> 00:34:10.038 Let's see. 00:34:20.027 --> 00:34:22.864 One thing I want to say when I am looking 00:34:22.864 --> 00:34:25.258 through these questions is, don't feel bad 00:34:25.258 --> 00:34:27.532 if some things die. If you have not killed 00:34:27.532 --> 00:34:30.293 anything, you have not grown anything. 00:34:30.293 --> 00:34:34.185 It is part of life. Don't worry about some 00:34:34.185 --> 00:34:36.624 failure, don't worry about things dying, 00:34:36.624 --> 00:34:39.708 but also, realize that even if you do the 00:34:39.708 --> 00:34:42.854 right thing, plants are going to die, that 00:34:42.854 --> 00:34:46.378 is how it works, so don't be overly 00:34:46.378 --> 00:34:48.606 worried and overwhelmed all the time with 00:34:48.606 --> 00:34:50.540 plants dying, it is just a part of 00:34:50.540 --> 00:34:53.043 gardening. Plants are going to die in 00:34:53.043 --> 00:34:55.296 order to have plants that are living. 00:35:01.617 --> 00:35:03.602 Okay. 00:35:06.081 --> 00:35:08.322 "What herbs are good to grow at gome, I 00:35:08.322 --> 00:35:10.534 don't have a balcony or a garden". 00:35:10.534 --> 00:35:18.719 Well, an important thing I have to point 00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:23.160 out is, all the plants need light. These 00:35:23.160 --> 00:35:26.734 plants photosynthesize so they need to 00:35:26.734 --> 00:35:29.127 have sun. If you don't have sun you need 00:35:29.127 --> 00:35:31.667 to have artificial lighting. I don't have 00:35:31.667 --> 00:35:33.859 any experience with artificial lighting, 00:35:33.859 --> 00:35:35.919 I know some people do that, but I only 00:35:35.919 --> 00:35:38.140 have grown food with sun, so if you are 00:35:38.140 --> 00:35:41.375 going to grow herbs at home, they need to 00:35:41.375 --> 00:35:44.244 have sun. What herbs are easy to grow? 00:35:44.244 --> 00:35:46.324 Some herbs that are very easy to grow 00:35:46.324 --> 00:35:51.807 would be rosemary, cilantro, thyme, dill, 00:35:51.807 --> 00:35:57.040 basil, those are just a few that come to 00:35:57.040 --> 00:36:02.858 mind, but there is way more than that. 00:36:02.858 --> 00:36:06.730 Also, you get past these popular herbs 00:36:06.730 --> 00:36:08.620 and there is actually thousands of 00:36:08.620 --> 00:36:13.691 different herbs out there. Jaypee lip 00:36:13.691 --> 00:36:15.955 says, "What are your thoughts on growing 00:36:15.955 --> 00:36:18.152 in the southwest?", my thoughts are find 00:36:18.152 --> 00:36:20.430 local resources for the southwest. I don't 00:36:20.430 --> 00:36:23.622 have experience for the southwest. I did 00:36:23.622 --> 00:36:25.934 grow a little bit of food in San Diego, if 00:36:25.934 --> 00:36:28.089 you want to call that the southwest, I am 00:36:28.089 --> 00:36:30.161 thinking more like Arizona, New Mexico, 00:36:30.161 --> 00:36:32.205 things like that, but my thoughts for the 00:36:32.205 --> 00:36:34.750 southwest are that plenty of people grow 00:36:34.750 --> 00:36:37.805 a lot of food, seek out local resources 00:36:37.805 --> 00:36:40.176 and you will find out how to do it in your 00:36:40.176 --> 00:36:45.587 area. Bruno asks "Can you speak a little 00:36:45.587 --> 00:36:47.324 bit of French?" 00:36:47.324 --> 00:36:50.907 No, not really, my French has been majorly 00:36:50.907 --> 00:36:55.041 unused. But, I am going to do a French 00:36:55.041 --> 00:36:59.106 live video with Christophe, who I am 00:36:59.106 --> 00:37:01.292 staying with, and he is going to 00:37:01.292 --> 00:37:03.871 translate, so we are going to do that. 00:37:07.786 --> 00:37:10.250 Noah says "Rob, how did you get this 00:37:10.250 --> 00:37:12.658 natural background from a green screen?" 00:37:12.658 --> 00:37:14.830 This is not a green screen, this is the 00:37:14.830 --> 00:37:17.951 real world. Okay, Anna Lopez says, "Do 00:37:17.951 --> 00:37:19.864 you know of any online permaculture 00:37:19.864 --> 00:37:21.721 classes you recommend taking?". 00:37:21.721 --> 00:37:24.073 Geoff Lawton is an amazing online 00:37:24.073 --> 00:37:26.004 permaculture class. If you go to 00:37:26.004 --> 00:37:30.217 permaculture.org.uk, I believe it is 00:37:30.217 --> 00:37:33.987 one of the best permaculture sources that 00:37:33.987 --> 00:37:38.593 exists out there. That is focused on the 00:37:38.593 --> 00:37:41.469 UK but it is really their permaculture 00:37:41.469 --> 00:37:48.593 across the world, and if you go to 00:37:48.593 --> 00:37:54.361 robgreenfield.org/coronatips, one of my 00:37:54.361 --> 00:37:57.287 tips in there was to take a permaculture 00:37:57.287 --> 00:37:59.746 design course, and that is in there. There 00:37:59.746 --> 00:38:01.833 are so many permaculture designs 00:38:01.833 --> 00:38:04.127 certificates though, and so many of them 00:38:04.127 --> 00:38:07.171 are absolutely wonderful, but those are 00:38:07.171 --> 00:38:10.379 just a few resources. I also really like 00:38:10.379 --> 00:38:12.631 permaculturewomen.com 00:38:12.631 --> 00:38:17.044 That is a great resource, it is a 00:38:17.044 --> 00:38:20.886 wonderful group, a wonderful organisation 00:38:20.886 --> 00:38:23.700 run by women and designed for women in 00:38:23.700 --> 00:38:25.911 permaculture. 00:38:29.921 --> 00:38:31.046 Okay. 00:38:33.873 --> 00:38:36.339 So the question is "Is it okay to grow 00:38:36.339 --> 00:38:38.548 hydroponically if you don't have land to 00:38:38.548 --> 00:38:40.669 plant on?", Is it okay to plan grow 00:38:40.669 --> 00:38:43.319 hydroponically? Of course! If you want 00:38:43.319 --> 00:38:46.952 to grow hydroponically, go for it. 00:38:46.952 --> 00:38:50.138 It is not my choice, I prefer land, and if 00:38:50.138 --> 00:38:52.498 I don't own land, which I don't, then 00:38:52.498 --> 00:38:55.723 finding land that I can grow on, talking 00:38:55.723 --> 00:39:00.343 to a neighbor, finding an unused lot, 00:39:00.343 --> 00:39:02.642 joining a community garden, figuring out 00:39:02.642 --> 00:39:04.896 a way to grow on land. That is for me. 00:39:04.896 --> 00:39:06.956 I don't have experience with growing with 00:39:06.956 --> 00:39:08.995 hydroponics, so I can't give any 00:39:08.995 --> 00:39:11.129 experience there, but there is plenty of 00:39:11.129 --> 00:39:13.119 people who do grow with hydroponics, 00:39:13.119 --> 00:39:14.677 it is not my choice. 00:39:16.662 --> 00:39:18.942 Mike Jordan says "Did you ever have issues 00:39:18.942 --> 00:39:21.913 with voles in Florida?", I did not have 00:39:21.913 --> 00:39:24.535 issues with voles in Florida, so I don't 00:39:24.535 --> 00:39:31.778 have experience there. Brandon says "Hi 00:39:31.778 --> 00:39:34.093 Rob, I am starting a garden and I have 2 00:39:34.093 --> 00:39:38.117 pallets and a cherry tomato plant I have 00:39:38.117 --> 00:39:41.124 started composting, now what do I do?" 00:39:41.124 --> 00:39:45.404 Now what you do is listen to this last 00:39:45.404 --> 00:39:48.279 half hour of advice and go to that guide. 00:39:48.279 --> 00:39:51.433 Now what do you do? You have got to start 00:39:51.433 --> 00:39:56.556 a garden. I don't know if I can give a 00:39:56.556 --> 00:39:58.514 good answer to that. 00:40:02.230 --> 00:40:04.530 "Rob, do you have any good tips for 00:40:04.530 --> 00:40:06.713 having a garden while there are pets that 00:40:06.713 --> 00:40:08.812 might dig it up? I have a dog that I am 00:40:08.812 --> 00:40:10.744 afraid would mess up my garden and 00:40:10.744 --> 00:40:12.296 raised beds seem wasteful." 00:40:12.296 --> 00:40:14.724 Yes, keep the pets out. Building a fence 00:40:14.724 --> 00:40:16.752 around it, whatever you have to do 00:40:16.752 --> 00:40:19.021 to keep them out. You have got to keep 00:40:19.021 --> 00:40:21.039 them out if they are going to be digging 00:40:21.039 --> 00:40:23.328 it up, and they can be a nuisance. I have 00:40:23.328 --> 00:40:25.944 friends whose dogs run freely around the 00:40:25.944 --> 00:40:28.594 garden. It depends on your garden. 00:40:28.594 --> 00:40:31.190 I don't think raised beds are wasteful, 00:40:31.190 --> 00:40:33.717 there are many ways to build raised beds 00:40:33.717 --> 00:40:36.104 out of secondhand materials. You can find 00:40:36.104 --> 00:40:40.315 fences, brick walls that are falling down, 00:40:40.315 --> 00:40:42.432 a lot of urban environments have whole 00:40:42.432 --> 00:40:44.456 brick buildings that are falling down, 00:40:44.456 --> 00:40:46.678 you can make raised beds out of that. You 00:40:46.678 --> 00:40:49.081 can find wood, you can take old logs and 00:40:49.081 --> 00:40:52.022 just make raised beds out of that. There 00:40:52.022 --> 00:40:54.249 is plenty of ways to build raised beds out 00:40:54.249 --> 00:40:56.681 of secondhand materials. 00:41:00.230 --> 00:41:02.222 Kathleen says, "How long after grass 00:41:02.222 --> 00:41:04.392 killer is applied can I use the ground to 00:41:04.392 --> 00:41:06.632 replant edible food to be safe? Killed my 00:41:06.632 --> 00:41:08.954 pineapple chives, onions and radishes with 00:41:08.954 --> 00:41:12.697 grass killer. The answer is that there is 00:41:12.697 --> 00:41:17.599 no definitive answer to this, but you have 00:41:17.599 --> 00:41:20.318 to also question the food that you are 00:41:20.318 --> 00:41:22.233 buying at the grocery store or the 00:41:22.233 --> 00:41:24.306 restaurant. Do you think that there has 00:41:24.306 --> 00:41:26.538 been no pesticides used there whatsoever? 00:41:26.538 --> 00:41:30.383 If it is USDA organic, it is about as 00:41:30.383 --> 00:41:33.014 little of a guarantee as you can hope for. 00:41:33.014 --> 00:41:36.329 You know who runs USDA, the current 00:41:36.329 --> 00:41:39.190 administration does, and who ran it before 00:41:39.190 --> 00:41:42.120 that? Other administrations. Not organic 00:41:42.120 --> 00:41:47.294 gardeners. If you are worried about 00:41:47.294 --> 00:41:49.670 something in your yard, I would think 00:41:49.670 --> 00:41:51.908 deeper about the food that you are eating 00:41:51.908 --> 00:41:54.569 as well. For me, personally, if there was 00:41:54.569 --> 00:41:57.365 some chemical sprayed in my yard, and I 00:41:57.365 --> 00:41:59.755 wanted to start my garden, I would start 00:41:59.755 --> 00:42:02.149 my garden, absolutely. The chemicals in 00:42:02.149 --> 00:42:04.423 there are gonna be probably minimal 00:42:04.423 --> 00:42:06.552 compared to food that youare buying at 00:42:06.552 --> 00:42:09.693 the store, and I just don't try to avoid 00:42:09.693 --> 00:42:12.233 all chemicals, because the reality is 00:42:12.233 --> 00:42:14.787 this. When I ride my bike down the street, 00:42:14.787 --> 00:42:18.443 I am breathing toxic fumes from cars. 00:42:18.443 --> 00:42:20.703 So many things that we are doing, we are 00:42:20.703 --> 00:42:22.957 exposed to it. I don't worry about that 00:42:22.957 --> 00:42:26.965 very deeply, and plants don't accumulate 00:42:26.965 --> 00:42:30.470 tons of this. It is just a thought on 00:42:30.470 --> 00:42:32.022 that. 00:42:34.952 --> 00:42:38.409 Gaia says "Where can I find heirloom 00:42:38.409 --> 00:42:41.659 tomato seeds? In Ecuador the tomatoes are 00:42:41.659 --> 00:42:43.444 very unflavored." 00:42:43.444 --> 00:42:45.489 I don't know how you can find them in 00:42:45.489 --> 00:42:47.818 Ecuador, but local seed companies. If you 00:42:47.818 --> 00:42:50.443 go to my Instagram page, just a few days 00:42:50.443 --> 00:42:53.627 ago I did a post all about local seed 00:42:53.627 --> 00:42:56.357 companies, and on my website at 00:42:56.357 --> 00:42:59.859 robgreenfield.org/freeseedprojectguide 00:42:59.859 --> 00:43:01.993 I list some local seed companies, so 00:43:01.993 --> 00:43:04.038 find local seed companies. Go to the 00:43:04.038 --> 00:43:06.874 internet, and type in "heirloom seeds in 00:43:06.874 --> 00:43:09.708 Ecuador" on a web search. Search for 00:43:09.708 --> 00:43:12.410 Facebook gruops, find local gardeners, 00:43:12.410 --> 00:43:15.437 find community gardens. Seek out local 00:43:15.437 --> 00:43:19.513 seed cmopanies, seek out local nurseries. 00:43:19.513 --> 00:43:21.972 Find gardeners in your area that will be 00:43:21.972 --> 00:43:24.613 able to share seeds with you. 00:43:30.504 --> 00:43:32.703 Michael says, "Do you know of any less 00:43:32.703 --> 00:43:35.083 popular plants that are worth trying out?" 00:43:35.083 --> 00:43:38.115 It depends on where in the world you are, 00:43:38.115 --> 00:43:40.137 the key is growing what grows in your 00:43:40.137 --> 00:43:43.392 area. So absolutely yes, but it really 00:43:43.392 --> 00:43:45.716 depends on where in the world one would 00:43:45.716 --> 00:43:47.297 be. 00:43:48.771 --> 00:43:50.885 Let's see, I am going to answer two more 00:43:50.885 --> 00:43:54.887 questions, and then I have to get going. 00:43:56.559 --> 00:44:00.090 Lauren says "Can anyone eat 100% out of a 00:44:00.090 --> 00:44:02.907 garden, because of pasta, bread, we need 00:44:02.907 --> 00:44:05.324 cereals so it is hard to do it by itself". 00:44:05.324 --> 00:44:07.437 Well, you know what pasta and bread are 00:44:07.437 --> 00:44:09.914 made of, they are made out of grains, and 00:44:09.914 --> 00:44:12.151 many people grow their own grains. You can 00:44:12.151 --> 00:44:14.204 also make pasta and bread out of 00:44:14.204 --> 00:44:18.586 dehydrating tubers like potato and 00:44:18.586 --> 00:44:21.357 yamm, and yuca and making that. All foods 00:44:21.357 --> 00:44:25.231 are made from a food from the earth, so, 00:44:25.231 --> 00:44:28.816 yes that is possible, absolutely. I did 00:44:28.816 --> 00:44:31.650 live 100% for a year of food that I grew 00:44:31.650 --> 00:44:34.430 and foraged so that shows that it is 00:44:34.430 --> 00:44:36.601 possible. It was not just from the garden 00:44:36.601 --> 00:44:39.700 but yes, absolutely possible. 00:44:46.145 --> 00:44:48.396 Kay Malvin says, "I appreciate the content 00:44:48.396 --> 00:44:50.606 and questions, is it possible to have a 00:44:50.606 --> 00:44:53.372 home vertical garden or greenhouse in the 00:44:53.372 --> 00:44:55.476 north and grow tropical fruits?" 00:44:55.476 --> 00:44:57.738 I would highly, highly recommend against 00:44:57.738 --> 00:45:01.192 that. It is just really difficult and the 00:45:01.192 --> 00:45:03.679 odds of getting much are slim. You are 00:45:03.679 --> 00:45:05.961 much better off growing blueberries and 00:45:05.961 --> 00:45:08.093 blackberries and raspberries, and there 00:45:08.093 --> 00:45:11.557 is papas, and pears, and plums, and 00:45:11.557 --> 00:45:14.453 nectarines, and peaches, and apples, 00:45:14.453 --> 00:45:17.035 cherries, there is so much to grow in the 00:45:17.035 --> 00:45:18.918 northern climates that grows really 00:45:18.918 --> 00:45:20.920 really well. I highly advise against 00:45:20.920 --> 00:45:23.095 trying to grow things that are extremely 00:45:23.095 --> 00:45:25.910 difficult, in areas, especially as this is 00:45:25.910 --> 00:45:28.968 focused on beginner gardeners. 00:45:30.791 --> 00:45:33.092 Peter says, "What is the most abundant food 00:45:33.092 --> 00:45:35.762 in cold climates?", Hundreds! 00:45:35.762 --> 00:45:37.673 Hundreds of different things. Everything 00:45:37.673 --> 00:45:39.688 is abundant in cold climates except the 00:45:39.688 --> 00:45:41.702 things that don't grow there, and the same 00:45:41.702 --> 00:45:43.749 goes for tropical climates. The things 00:45:43.749 --> 00:45:45.822 that are abundant in cold climates don't 00:45:45.822 --> 00:45:48.105 grow there, so there is so much that grows 00:45:48.105 --> 00:45:51.394 in cold climates. Any idea that any of you 00:45:51.394 --> 00:45:53.715 have that food does not grow in cold 00:45:53.715 --> 00:45:56.917 climates, get that out of your head. Get 00:45:56.917 --> 00:46:00.441 it out of your head now! Food grows in 00:46:00.441 --> 00:46:03.762 true abundance in cold climates, it just 00:46:03.762 --> 00:46:06.545 has to grow during the growing season. 00:46:06.545 --> 00:46:08.825 You don't grow it when there is 4 feet of 00:46:08.825 --> 00:46:10.914 snow on the ground, you grow it during 00:46:10.914 --> 00:46:13.035 the summer, and for people that live in 00:46:13.035 --> 00:46:14.978 the colder climates, you have to grow it 00:46:14.978 --> 00:46:16.714 during the summer, harvest it and 00:46:16.714 --> 00:46:18.912 preserve it through the winter. So any 00:46:18.912 --> 00:46:20.905 idea that food does not grow in cold 00:46:20.905 --> 00:46:24.662 climates, I don't know how it is so deeply 00:46:24.662 --> 00:46:27.768 so many people's minds, but it is wildly 00:46:27.768 --> 00:46:30.249 incorrect. There are thousands of species 00:46:30.249 --> 00:46:33.250 of foods growing in cold climates, and I 00:46:33.250 --> 00:46:35.273 really do like to focus on the bigger 00:46:35.273 --> 00:46:37.486 philosophy. There are lots of gardeners 00:46:37.486 --> 00:46:39.767 out there that go through the details that 00:46:39.767 --> 00:46:42.036 can help you with that. For me, my biggest 00:46:42.036 --> 00:46:44.855 benefit that I can have to you is just 00:46:44.855 --> 00:46:48.720 to rethink your food, get out of these 00:46:48.720 --> 00:46:51.954 social constructs and these boxed ways 00:46:51.954 --> 00:46:53.958 of thinking and just see that it is 00:46:53.958 --> 00:46:56.522 possible. Connect with your local 00:46:56.522 --> 00:46:59.923 resources, connect with your community, 00:46:59.923 --> 00:47:03.637 use these basic tenets and ideas, and 00:47:03.637 --> 00:47:08.543 start! Start growing some food. Starting 00:47:08.543 --> 00:47:11.149 some is a lot better than doing nothing. 00:47:11.149 --> 00:47:13.194 Some is going to die, remember that that 00:47:13.194 --> 00:47:15.654 is okay, that is part of becoming a 00:47:15.654 --> 00:47:18.365 gardener. When you become a gardener, you 00:47:18.365 --> 00:47:20.915 become a part of death and a part of life 00:47:20.915 --> 00:47:23.313 and that is the way that it is. 00:47:23.313 --> 00:47:28.143 I love you all very much, I really enjoyed 00:47:28.143 --> 00:47:30.339 this time here with you, and I hope that 00:47:30.339 --> 00:47:32.559 this was meaningful to you, I am going to 00:47:32.559 --> 00:47:38.527 do five deep breaths to end this, and you 00:47:38.527 --> 00:47:43.211 are welcome to join me, or watch, or just 00:47:43.211 --> 00:47:46.265 get right into that garden, or do your 00:47:46.265 --> 00:47:48.418 five deep breaths in the garden, or the 00:47:48.418 --> 00:47:50.419 woods if you can. 00:47:52.456 --> 00:48:34.455 [Breathing deeply] 00:48:38.502 --> 00:48:39.981 Alright, I love you all!