How I Became Self Sufficient in 3 Years (almost*)
Summary
TLDRThe video script details a gardener's journey from a struggling beginner to a successful grower, providing a 10-step guide for growing one's own food. Key elements include securing space, designing the garden, understanding sunlight, and employing various gardening methods. The importance of garden security, animal integration, composting, watering systems, seed starting, and harvesting are highlighted. The video also showcases the installation of a high tunnel for year-round gardening, emphasizing the exponential growth and learning that comes with experience.
Takeaways
- 🌱 The gardener started with a challenging experience but has now achieved self-sufficiency in vegetables and some fruits for his family.
- 🏡 Space is the most significant variable in gardening, and creativity is key to utilizing it, even in urban settings.
- 🌳 The garden has been designed with a mix of inspirations, including a Japanese-inspired entrance, an orchard, and a pollinator garden.
- 🔒 A deer fence was a crucial investment for garden security, also serving as a trellis for vining plants.
- 🐔 Chickens provide both eggs and natural fertilizer through their bedding, which is composted for use in the garden.
- 🌿 Composting is essential for garden health, with the gardener using a three-bin system and incorporating food scraps and wood chips.
- 💧 Watering systems can range from passive to automated, with the gardener using a drip system and rainwater collection for efficiency.
- 🌱 Starting seeds indoors is a cost-effective way to ensure a continuous supply of seedlings for planting throughout the seasons.
- 🍎 The garden's productivity has increased exponentially over three years, leading to a significant reduction in grocery bills for produce.
- ❄️ A high tunnel is being constructed to extend the growing season, allowing for year-round cultivation of cold-tolerant crops.
Q & A
How long did it take for the gardener to transition from struggling to successfully growing vegetables?
-It took exactly 3 years from the start of the garden for the gardener to be able to harvest most of the vegetables his family eats.
What was the initial challenge the gardener faced with the rooftop garden in Brooklyn?
-The initial challenge was that the rooftop was covered with beer bottles and trash, and it required an investment of $1,500 to transform it into a mini garden.
What is the significance of the deer fence in the gardener's setup?
-The 8 ft tall deer fence is significant as it prevents deer from jumping over and destroying the garden, and it also serves as a trellising system for vining plants.
Why did the gardener choose to create a mini orchard in the center of the garden?
-The gardener chose to create a mini orchard because of his love for fruit, the high cost of fruit, and it was a dream to grow a lot of it.
How does the gardener enhance pollination in the garden?
-The gardener enhances pollination by creating a winding path with a sitting area and planting more local native wild flowers to attract pollinators.
What is the role of chickens in the gardener's ecosystem?
-Chickens provide natural fertilizer through their manure, which is mixed with wood shavings to create potent compost, and they also offer homegrown eggs.
Why is composting essential in the gardener's garden?
-Composting is essential as it recycles organic matter into nutrient-rich soil, reduces reliance on external compost sources, and is a key component of a self-sustaining garden ecosystem.
What is the advantage of using a drip irrigation system in the garden?
-A drip irrigation system is advantageous because it delivers water directly to plant roots, reducing evaporation and water waste.
Why does the gardener start seeds indoors?
-Starting seeds indoors allows for control over temperature and early cultivation, ensuring a continuous supply of seedlings for planting throughout the seasons.
How does the high tunnel extend the growing season in the garden?
-The high tunnel uses the sun as a heat source, retaining warmth to protect crops during cold months, allowing for year-round growth of cold-tolerant vegetables.
What is the gardener's goal regarding the harvest from his garden?
-The gardener's goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetables and gradually increase the percentage of homegrown fruit, aiming for 90% of his produce to be grown in his garden.
Outlines
🌱 Starting a Garden Journey
The speaker shares their gardening journey, which began three years prior to the script. Initially, they struggled with growing due to pests and poor growth but have now reached a point where they can harvest most of the vegetables their family consumes. They plan to detail a 10-step process suitable for any gardener, regardless of size or experience. The first step is space, which varies greatly depending on one's situation. The speaker emphasizes that even in urban settings, with passion, one can find a way to grow food, sharing their own experience of starting a garden on a rooftop in Brooklyn. They then discuss the transformation of a 1-acre suburban property in Long Island into a productive garden, highlighting the importance of space utilization and the countercultural aspect of gardening in suburban environments.
🏡 Garden Design and Security
The paragraph discusses the importance of garden design, which the speaker finds to be a creative and enjoyable aspect of gardening. They stress the need to not be too attached to the existing space and to start from scratch, shaping it according to one's personality. Understanding the sun's impact on the garden is also crucial for creating microclimates. The speaker shares their experience of designing their garden, including installing a deer fence for protection and to create boundaries, and incorporating elements inspired by Japanese architecture. They also mention planting an orchard, vine fruits along the fence line, and creating a pollinator garden with native wildflowers. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the importance of garden security to protect the harvest from local wildlife.
🐔 Gardening Methods and Livestock
In this section, the speaker talks about their gardening methods, which are a blend of inspirations from various gardening creators and books. They describe their garden as having a James Perion-style food forest with no-dig garden beds, focusing on soil health through compost addition rather than soil disturbance. The speaker emphasizes the importance of organic matter and diverse planting for a healthy garden ecosystem. They also discuss garden security, particularly against deer, and how their investment in a deer fence has paid off by protecting their garden and even doubling the growing space. The paragraph also covers the role of chickens in the garden ecosystem, focusing on their natural fertilizer rather than their financial viability. The speaker shares their method of using chicken bedding compost to enrich the garden soil.
🌿 Composting, Watering, and Seed Starting
The speaker delves into the importance of composting for every garden, describing their simple three-bin system and the benefits of using homemade compost to reduce reliance on external sources. They discuss different watering methods, from relying on natural rainfall to using an automated drip system, and the use of rainwater collection for gardening. The paragraph also covers the process of starting seeds, highlighting the cost savings and the importance of having a controlled environment for seedlings. The speaker shares their setup for seed starting and the benefits of growing seedlings year-round. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the exponential growth of harvests as the garden systems improve and the gardener gains experience.
🌨 Winter Gardening and High Tunnels
The final paragraph focuses on winter gardening and the use of high tunnels to extend the growing season. The speaker introduces Todd, who is setting up a high tunnel that uses the sun as a heat source to maintain a warm environment for crops during cold months. They discuss the benefits of having a high tunnel for year-round gardening, the types of crops suitable for winter growth, and the importance of season extension for homesteaders. The paragraph also touches on the construction and features of the high tunnel, including its durability and the ability to regulate temperature. The speaker expresses excitement about the potential of the high tunnel to be a game-changer for their homestead operation. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to get inspired and start their own gardening journey at any level.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Gardening
💡Exponential growth
💡Space
💡Compost
💡Permaculture
💡Garden security
💡Chicks
💡Drip system
💡Seed starting
💡High tunnel
💡Harvest
Highlights
Gardening journey started with challenges but led to a successful harvest after three years.
Space is the most significant variable for gardening, and creativity is key in limited urban spaces.
Investing in a rooftop garden in Brooklyn transformed a neglected space into an urban oasis.
Gardening in a suburban environment is a counterculture practice that can be fulfilling.
Designing a garden allows for personal creativity and should consider sunlight for microclimates.
A deer fence not only protects the garden but also serves as a trellising system for plants.
Incorporating fruit trees early in the garden plan is essential due to their longer maturation period.
Creating a pollinator garden with native wildflowers is crucial for a healthy ecosystem.
Utilizing wood from a fallen tree for lumber and creating raised beds for the garden.
Building a mini vineyard with grapevines to produce grapes, showcasing adaptability in the garden.
Gardening methods are a blend of inspirations from various gardening experts and personal style.
A no-dig garden bed approach focuses on soil microbiology and adding compost annually.
Garden security is vital, with a deer fence being a significant investment for protection.
Raising chickens provides natural fertilizer in the form of composted bedding and manure.
Composting is essential for garden health, and a simple three-bin system can suffice.
Watering systems, including drip irrigation and rainwater collection, are crucial for garden maintenance.
Starting seeds indoors can save money and ensure a continuous supply of seedlings for planting.
Harvests increase exponentially with improved gardening systems and experience.
A high tunnel extends the growing season, allowing for year-round food production.
The video aims to inspire gardeners at any level to start their own food-growing journey.
Transcripts
so I started my garden exactly 3 years
ago and early on it was terrible I
couldn't grow sh things were getting
destroyed by bugs eaten by animals or
just not really growing well in general
but gardening is a journey about
exponential growth and exactly 3 years
to the day I started I am now harvesting
pretty much all of the vegetables that
my family eats and some of the fruit and
today I'm going to be breaking down
exactly how I got there and a really
simple to follow 10 step that process
where no matter what size Garden you
have or what level Gardener you are if
you follow along on this process you
will optimize your
Harvest all right up first is the
biggest variable by far which is space
you're going to need space to have a
garden or grow your own food which is
going to vary dramatically depending on
your situation now I'm sure a lot of you
are living in an urban setting and space
is very hard to come by but I will say
one thing if you are p passionate enough
about growing and you have that itch you
will figure out a way to grow food point
being I was living in my apartment in
Brooklyn 10 years ago the building had a
rooftop that was exclusively used for
throwing party covered with just beer
bottles and trash I invested $1,500 to
start a little mini garden up there and
transformed what was a pretty shitty
roof into an Urban Oasis at least for me
it was a little piece of heaven at that
time now was it dramatically lowering my
grocery bill absolutely not but it got
me in the game I started connecting more
to what I was eating learning how to
grow food for the first time and most
importantly it got me dreaming of bigger
plans like getting a space like this
which is the current Garden I've been
building out for the last 3 years a lot
of you have followed this journey this
is 1 acre in the suburbs of Long Island
and I would say about 50% of the
property is growable with the sun and I
am slowly using every piece of space
possible to grow food which I'm sure my
neighbors are slightly confused when
they walk by but gardening and growing
your own food at least in this country
will always be counterculture to some
degree not many people are doing it
especially in a Suburban environment but
do not let that stop you growing food is
as natural as it gets humans have been
doing it forever all right so you have
your space where you want to Garden the
next logical step is designing that
Garden which to me is one of my favorite
parts of gardening because you can
really let that inner creativity just
shine now one thing I've learned is it's
important to not be too attached to the
existing space whatever was there we're
trying to create something special from
scratch that's really just like a
Showcase of your own personality and
it's also important to get at least a
decent understanding of the way the sun
works in your environment cuz it's going
to create little microclimates and the
more you understand what's going on the
less changes you'll have to make later
on in your garden so I was basically
starting from scratch in this Garden
outside of one existing plot that they
were growing in this was the sunniest
space on the entire property but it was
completely overgrown so I ripped
everything out I weeded it I brought in
a bunch of compost and some wood chips
got some beds in there and started
planning right away the next thing I did
was put in a deer fence for protection
which also created some nice boundaries
in the garden and gave me the ability to
create a nice entrance and I love
Japanese architecture so I went with the
sort of Japanese inspired her
immediately after that right in the
center of my garden I put in a mini
little Orchard because I love fruit and
it was always a dream to just grow a ton
of it and fruit is very expensive so I
have all different types of Asian pears
apples peaches nectarines and then on
the perimeter of the garden I planted
some cherry trees and some pons and then
Vining fruits all over the fence line
and it's vital to get those fruit trees
in as soon as possible because they're
going to take at least 2 to 4 years to
start producing next there was an
existing area with a ton of w wild
flowers and I wanted to amp this area up
a bit so I created a little winding path
with the sitting area and brought in a
ton more local native wild flowers with
the idea that this space would be
dedicated to bringing in pollinators to
the Garden which is super important next
there was a big walnut tree in the
garden that had to come down because it
was leaning towards the house oh so I
ended up slicing that up for lumber
which is finally dry after 2 years and
my dad has been already making some
incredible furniture with it but the
Milling process destroyed a big part of
the front area of the garden so instead
of just growing the grass back that was
there I built four raised beds and I
brought in wood chips to fill in the
entire area and after a year I saw that
the grapes on my property were growing
very well so I ended up building a very
mini little Vineyard planted a bunch of
grape Vines which should produce a ton
of grapes in the near future so that's
been 3 years of progress in the main
growing area and I've got a lot more
that I'm doing and things that I want to
do but before I get into that let's talk
about something very important which is
your gardening approach or your method
or your style which is so massive in the
success of your garden now I'm not a
gardening expert there are other YouTube
channels dedicated to that and what I'm
going to do is tell you some of my
favorite that were extremely
inspirational for me and really getting
up and going and developing my own style
we've got James perion epic gardening
Hugh Richards Charles Downing the
millennial Gardener these creators were
the biggest inspiration for me and it's
just like getting into cooking you find
a few creators you like they all have
different styles and then you pick the
pieces that best suit your needs so the
gardening methods that I'm using are
kind of a mash of all the things I've
learned from them plus books that I've
read of course there's thousands of
amazing gardening books out there but I
would say overall my garden has that
James persion Style Food Forest where
you've got a ton of fruit trees working
in tandem with garden beds producing a
lot of vegetables but all of my garden
beds heads are a no dig style where I'm
not digging up anything I'm not
disturbing the soil microbiology I'm
just adding compost on every year to
feed the soil and when I first started
gardening I will say I was extremely
frustrated with growing vegetables
nothing would grow and what I learned
was that my soil just really wasn't
alive at that time over time as I added
a lot of compost and organic matter the
bug started coming the microbiology
really started to thrive and that's when
things started to grow as well as really
just enhancing the diversity of things
that I'm growing and this Garden is
completely organic I'm following as many
permaculture rules as possible trying to
mimic a really diverse ecosystem that
you would find in nature giving you the
most healthy and flavorful vegetables
and fruits possible all right so the
next thing I want to talk about is your
garden security because you are about to
plant and all you can eat buffet for
every animal and every Critter in your
local environment and of course you're
going to be sharing food with a lot of
them automatically there's no way to
keep everything out I mean the deer in
my area are out of control and they've
only gotten worse since Co so one of my
early Investments my biggest investment
in the entire Garden is this thing right
here this big deer fence this is 8 ft
tall high enough that a deer won't jump
over because they will pop right over a
standard 6ot fence and I looked at
cheaper non-permanent Solutions but I
ended up just biting the bullet invest
in this Fortress and it was one of the
best decisions I ever made and I know
that because I've opened this fence or
left it open a few times a deer has
wandered right on in and just decimated
my garden in one night that's all it
takes now this deer fence was a bit of a
double whammy cuz instantly it opened up
about double the amount of growing space
because as you can see in my garden I
use it as a trellising system for so
many different plants anything Vining
I'm growing on on this fence pretty much
every single square inch of growing
space is taken up by grapes or berries
or tomatoes or melons so obviously your
security system doesn't have to be this
intense but I will say if you're
thinking about a fence try to think
about how it can be multi-purpose so you
can actually use it as a growing space
as well all right let's talk about
chickens or animals in general in your
garden or your homestead or whatever
you're doing so of course you don't need
animals you don't need chickens to have
a proper working Garden I was lucky
enough to inherit this entire chicken
coup now in that time I've also raised a
bunch of chicks from babies a lot of you
followed Along on that Journey so I've
got a decent amount of experience over
the last few years with chickens and to
answer the main question that most
people have are chickens financially
viable versus just buying eggs in the
store and the answer is 100% no they are
not it is a much better deal even to buy
really high and eggs at say a farmers
market for $10 a dozen vers raising your
chickens between the cost of upkeep of
the coup and feeding the chicken you're
never going to win that game with a
backyard flock of say five to 10 hands
but there's one thing that most people
completely Overlook when it comes to
having chickens in their Garden which is
their natural fertilizer AKA their
so I put bedding or just wood shavings
in my chicken C the chickens sleep there
they poop on it and then every week I
clean that out and pop it in a separate
compost pin right next to the coup this
mix right here you've got the nitrogen
in the poop and the carbon in the wood
chips is all you need to break down into
some incredibly potent compost now if
you have a deep bedding system in your
Coupe you don't need to do separate
compost for this it just breaks down in
the coup but I'll just mix this up every
few weeks and after a few months I can
sprinkle this in my garden and I can say
that my vegetables didn't really start
growing well until I started adding this
nitrogen rich compost to the Garden
things just started exploding and it
really showed me the importance of
animals in your garden ecosystem so yes
the Homegrown eggs are incredible they
blow away the standard Supermarket eggs
that is one Element but the fertilizer
is just as important in that cycle of
life and overall chickens are really
easy to raise the most important thing
to know is that every other predator in
your area enjoys the taste of chickens
just as much as humans so your main job
outside of feeding them is keeping them
safe so making sure when you do invest
in your Coupe it's got to be secure and
there's plenty of detailed videos on
YouTube on how to do that but take your
time and do it right all right so we've
made it over to the composting area to
talk composting which is essential for
every Garden at some level because the
thing is composting can be a little bit
overwhelming you can take composting to
the highest level and have systems that
are heated and break down in one month
or you can do lazy composting which is
what I do I just have a three bin
composting system where I throw in any
organic matter and vegetative growth for
my garden whether it's weeds from the
property or dead plants it's all going
in the compost system and I do my best
to balance the green nitrogen stuff and
the brown carbon stuff I do my best I'm
not great at it which is why this
compost doesn't get hot but if you just
throw everything in a bin it will break
down over time and turn into what looks
like soil that you can throw back on
your beds to feed it now over here I
have two plastic bins for all my food
scraps and the plastic is to ensure that
animals don't get in because they will
come for those tasty food scraps and I
just take bins of my food scraps throw
them in the compost and then to balance
out all that nitrogen all that fresh
stuff I take these wood chips right here
Pine shavings and I throw that on and I
just sandwich them in between and that
breaks down into this over here which is
beautiful compost that I can throw on my
garden to give it more nutrients and
life the beautiful thing about making
your own compost is that you're less
reliant on bringing in compost from
outside so sources which is a big money
saver and really closes the loop in your
own garden ecosystem so I would say in
your garden at the very least just one
of these bins just start making compost
it's really simple and it will open you
up to wasting less so let's talk
watering and just like composting a lot
of different ways you can go about
watering your garden simplest way is
just let Mother Nature do its job and
when it rains your garden grows but
ideally you have some type of automated
system system to have more regulation in
your garden and also to do less work I
have a drip system that's set up to an
automatic timer connected to my hose
this Waters the entire garden and I love
drip style watering because it goes
direct to the source you get less
evaporation less water was but I will
bring in sprinklers from time to time if
it's really hot or I need to germinate
seeds that I planted and I recently
about a year ago got this big jug right
here 1,000g rain rain collection which
is hooked up to my gutter collects the
rain fills this thing up and then
ultimately I put this back into the
Garden in some form now right now I just
have it hooked up to a hose and I just
water things that are dry around the
garden but I would like to build this
system out to the point where I am
watering my entire garden with rainwater
because rainwater is a much cleaner
Source than the municipal hose water cuz
it's not treated it's gone through the
filtration of the sky which is magical
and it's why your garden looks so
amazing after it rains so stay tuned and
we'll see how I continue to develop my
watering system in my garden all right
we're in my basement in my seed starting
room to talk about something very
important which is starting your own
seeds probably the easiest way to save a
bunch of money right up front because if
you go to nurseries you will get crushed
by buying little seedlings the cost adds
up quick I've been there many times to
the point where I'm like I'm done with
this I am starting my own seeds so I
bought this three tier indoor grow
system because seeds do not like
temperatures that are really cold or
really hot so you need to create an
environment that they're going to thrive
and in the summer when it's super hot
this environment is controlled and where
I'm starting seed and also nurseries are
generally going to be stocked up on
seedlings in the beginning of Spring and
that's generally it but if you're
serious about growing food you want
seedlings in the spring the summer the
fall the winter we want little seedlings
ready to be planted at all times and the
only way to do that is to do it yourself
now that setup could be as simple as
putting them in a window that gets a
bunch of direct sun or you set up a mini
little Greenhouse outside whatever it is
buy yourself some seeds or save seeds
get yourself some trays and start
growing your seedlings for massive cost
Savings in the garden all right speaking
of saving a ton of money let's talk
about these juicy harvests so a lot of
the stuff I've talked about before is
investment in systems to really get your
garden operating now let's talk about
the payoff and for me in the first year
maybe year and a half I probably had a
25% success rate with my greens my soil
life just wasn't developed enough I
didn't have enough diversity in my
garden so things got destroyed by
insects and animals and I just didn't
know a lot about gardening but as you
invest in your systems as you improve as
a gardener the Harvest start to come and
they start to come big let me tell you
it's kind of exponential it's not like a
slow increase it's like every year seems
like an explosive growth compared to the
year before I am officially at the point
where I can go into my garden every say
3 days and treat it like my own personal
Farmers Market I see what's fresh I pick
it and I let the produce decide what I
am cooking for that day so in just about
2 and 1/2 years with some early
struggles I am eating about 90% of my
own vegetables and maybe 10% of my own
fruit at this point but I think that
number number will dramatically increase
every year to the goal of getting 90% of
my fruit as well obviously I can't grow
bananas yet I do have some ideas in the
backyard for that so again it was a bit
scary investing in the garden early on
cuz it doesn't feel like it's quite
giving back to you but once the system's
there gardening is almost free if you
complete that Loop if you're composting
yourself if you're saving seeds growing
your own seed Lings all you got to do is
put in work at that point and I love the
work that's at least in the growing
months you might be thinking what do you
do in the winter and that brings me into
winter gardening we're going to head out
to the Garden to talk to Todd who's
setting up a system that can help me
grow food all winter long yo Todd hey
how's it going good How how how are you
doing enjoying the the nice weather
since yesterday it was rainy so just
getting this thing ready for the cover
how close are we to the plastic cover uh
very close so we're doing some wind
supports and some you know some snow
supports and then we're ready to close
off the end walls and then we cover it
with the top a high tunnel uses the Sun
as its heat source so as the Sun hits it
it gets warmer in the structure and the
structure is closed off in a way where
you're playing a game you're trying to
hold as much heat as you can in the dark
parts of the night until you reach
morning and Sun can hit it again and
that keeps your crops alive through the
cold months I can be growing in here all
winter long you're not going to grow
tomatoes and cucumbers in the winter
you're going to grow carrots beets kale
various salad greens spinach those are
the things that like cold weather so
you're going to kind of work with the
season there and then what am I growing
in the summer in this the main crop
grown in high tunnels believe it or not
is tomatoes because you can plant the
tomatoes so much sooner than you
normally would cucumbers as well they
like to run up trellises and you can get
a lot of cucumbers and yeah that's what
you do in the summer why would this be
good for a homesteader or just a home
Gardener so being able to grow as much
of your food as possible having a high
tunnel or you know just some form of
season extension is absolutely vital
because you'll be able to grow all year
round and and have some form of fresh
crops to supplement storage crops like
you know onions garlic and all the the
winter squashes our structures are built
to last heavy gauge large diameter steel
tubing for the main supports you know
you got some big big tubes the
intricacies of the members we have
running the full length for wind that
can help support weight for snow high
quality end wall material you know it's
really really heavy duty so it's built
to last we have YouTube videos for
almost every single step of the process
Todd's also a YouTuber I do my best you
know because these are DIY kitted anyone
can build them but the videos make it a
lot easier the high tunnel you're
building is a 14 and2 a wide structure
it comes with a few special features
that will help you grow all winter two
layers of plastic it's going to be
inflated as an extra layer of insulation
hard plastic on your end walls that's
also insulated it's double layer and
you'll also have roll up sides so if it
gets hot in there because when the Sun
hits this it does warm up even in the
winter you can easily roll up your sides
and without electricity ventilate and
let that hot air out so you'll be able
to grow all winter you know in the
summer and also keep the temperature
regulated nice well this is going to be
a game Cher on this Homestead operation
I'm excited to get this thing up and
going can't wait to get this thing
covered look what we have here we've got
row already in place I've got seedlings
from the basement I'm ready for some
winter planning this is just super
inspiring coming into this warm space
feeling like I've got opportunity in the
cold months total Game Changer but for
me the goal of this video was to spark
inspiration at any level of gardening
the key is just getting in the game so
you can start learning and connecting
with what you're eating if you want more
Garden videos check this out right here
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