Should you bother with vegetable gardening?
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- čas přidán 1. 01. 2024
- Hey ya'll, I'm Jess from Roots & Refuge Farm
Welcome to a place that feels like home. A small farm with a big family. We hope you'll pull up a chair, grab some coffee and visit awhile.
There was a time that all I wanted in the world was a little farm where I could raise my family and grow our food. Now, that is exactly what exists outside my door. In watching it unfold, a new dream was formed in my heart - to share this beautiful life with others and teach them the lessons we've learned along the way. Welcome to our journey, friend. I am so glad you're here.
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I know most of you here already know the value of gardening. If so, please share your experience in the comments! I wanted to make this video so it could be found by those searching for encouragement, and shared with those on the fence!
I used to garden before we moved to Los Angeles. Here I battle with/compete with wildlife. 1 season.. I quit. 28 years later. I am praying for a way to make it work.
Truly the BEST video ever... my head is exploding with connections between things I've worked on for decades. THIS is the foundation to fundamental shift for how we relate to caring for our bodies and spirits as part of universal ecosystem.
I shared, and thank you so much for this! This has reaffirmed and reignited my desire to do exactly that same thing, inspire and share with those around me with the wonderful joy and satisfaction of connecting with life, health and each other thru growing something that nourishes and heals 🙏🏽
@@karenl7786we are all seeds, sharing and spreading for positive growth...
One of the best experiences, hands down, was taking my tween son out into our first garden and picking peas and eating them right there. It was like a light went off for him and he felt proud of his hand in what we did.
It will forever be a cherished memory.
I love these videos Jess. There are so many reasons for a garden. Love being in your camp.
Thank you for providing us with the seeds to “grow something beautiful”!
HI LUKE!! It's so nice to feel like I'm part of this growing community! You are one of my top go-to guys, luke!
If I need to know the actual facts on something it's either you or Gardener Scott from Colorado because you both have so so so so so much knowledge! Y'all make it easy to understand, too!!
Most of my seeds in my garden come from you🌱
I finally went to HOA this year and was able to talk to Justin & the rest of the Rhodes family, and a few other people that I was fan-girling over but I didn't get the opportunity to meet you or Jess this year. I remember seeing a picture of the three of you standing in a circle at HOA with your equipment, just chatting and smiling and I was wishing I could hop right in!! 😂
Love your channel and seeds too!
I was very sick for years and while I can confidently say growing a garden did not heal me, I can guarantee that learning about gardening and learning about our broken food system is what led me to healing. I remember watching your videos in 2018, living on a small city lot and dreaming about growing my own food. It seemed like such a faraway adventure, but I continued to watch your videos and continued learning and waiting.
Today, I live on 4 acres in a very rural mountain community, and I finally have that garden I always dreamed of. The best part is, I'm not sick everyday anymore. I learned how to heal myself and I can say without a doubt that gardening was a really huge part of that process. My dreams, like my garden, have grown by leaps and bounds and I'm living a life today I never thought possible. All this to say, growing a garden isn't always about growing a garden, sometimes it's just about growing the gardener.
That last statement...wow...beautiful!
My case for gardening began after my three kiddos and I had to leave a bad 20 year marriage/home lifestyle. We were essentially homeless, living in motel/hotel. I wanted food security for us!! We were hungry! I cooked a meat and three as much as we could afford...on an ironing board in an electric skillet given to us. I bought dollar store seed packets and saved those for my first "real" garden when we got a home again. I grew Rosemary and Lemon basil in the window sill at our hotel! We used those in a lot of meals. We, now have our own home and I have my first raised bed. This year I grew herbs, tomatoes, lettuce. I have a winter garden going now with cabbage, carrots, and garlic. Anyone can garden no matter how small the space. I had just a window sill, now I have the skills and room to grow more.
Congratulations to you, your story is very much like mine. Grow your garden and enjoy your self. ❤
As a kid I use to hate garden chores (big garden). Pulling weeds,picking rocks, drinking from the hose and we weren’t allowed in the house until it was done. Now as an adult I absolutely love it. It’s calming and I get a sense of pride being able to grow some of my food. I have turned my bad memories as a kid into feeling blessed to have had parents that taught us the garden ways and I thank them for feeding us good as kids. I’m looking forward to my 2024 garden. 2023 garden was beautiful but because I was diagnosed with cancer i couldn’t take care of it and a lot went to waste. This year I’m hopeful that I will be told I’m NED and I can make the most beautiful/fruitful garden ever. Cheers to new beginnings,beautiful gardens and being happy.
God speed friend!
Sending healing prayers and wishes for good test results. Gardening is the closest I've come to being with God and has definitely helped heal me.
I started with a garden... two 4x6 raised beds. That launched an adventure into backyard chickens. Then we moved and got cows, rabbits, and more chickens, plus a bigger garden. It's never "just" a garden or "just" a handful of radishes. It's a mindset that can launch a radical transformation. Bravo to all you trying to grow in unfavorable circumstances 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 🙌🏼
I have 4 raised beds, a green stalk tower and 2 kiddie pools!! Such a joy and feeling of accomplishment when you see the beautiful flowers and fruits of your labor!! I have bought 4 more green stalks for this year ( hurray for black friday & clearance sales)!!!! 😊
My father was a country boy, dog trot house and well water and all that! He always had a HUGE garden even into his seventies! I learned from a master and now am pulling from those precious memories. Still don't like dirt under my nails but love the results!!!
I am celebrating 40 years of gardening this spring.10 homes later and now having put in my raised beds (bought on clearance or built with left over materials). Now each spring I fortify my soil and garden to my hearts content.I have grown a $200 tomato, but harvest is not the only purpose. Jess is 100% correct. Do it for your soul, you'll never regret it.
Very curious what kind of tomato is $200!!
I have been a “weekend” gardener for more than 30 years. It’s been a source of calm in the craziness of a full time job with 3 kids. Now, after becoming disabled in 2021, it’s my sanctuary. I can sit in my garden and rest, while having a visual of what I have been able to accomplish with my compromised abilities. Gardening provides therapy, pride in accomplishment, nourishment and security. I will be a gardener in some capacity for the rest of my days.
Jess. I am so eternally grateful you started this channel!
My Dad had a garden here when I was a kid (we now own/live in my childhood home). When he got sick, all the pretty flowers and garden went to waste because I was just a kid and my Mom had zero interest. 😞
I had the desire to grow gardens but never had the opportunity to until I bought a house, which was just 9 years ago. I was 34. First garden of my own was 2-2' long planters on my front porch, because, come to find out, the back half of our little yard flooded. It didn't give us much, a few salads but I was proud (I had learned about cut and come again by this time)
Fast forward 18 months. My mom passed away and we made the decision to move "home". I started with 2 old fiberglass bathtubs, then added a little every year and now we're up to appx 1000 sqft (raised beds), 12 trees, 12 fruit bushes. I've learned how to dehydrate, can, and make a dinner out of the things I found outside. It's been a beautiful journey but not without discouragement. I often wonder what Dad would think of what I've done with the yard. He had said he was going to turn it into his own "Garden of Eden".....ironically, we found the first snake on our property last year....near an apple tree. lol.
Honestly, the garden is my safe haven, even with the pests. It's my #1 favorite place to pray, to figure something out or to just "be". It's why when my cousin got bone cancer, I kept his garden going as a contribution to his fight.
Gardening is where hard work meets satisfaction and solace. I feel so human stewarding a space, designing it, and caring for it. It’s an outlet to be creative and witness tiny miracles. I love it so much that my passion for growing has started spilling out in sharing it with others. 💚💚🌱🌱
I love taking my morning coffee out in the garden. Talking to the tomatoes, finding the zucchini and squash blossoms that need pollinating, checking on seedlings and digging out and squishing cutworms that killed in the night..... Did I mention talking to the tomatoes?
So true, there are tiny miracles to witness daily in the garden, so lovley!!
Don’t forget to mention flavor!
Home grown veggies have so much more flavor!
My dad had a big garden when I was growing up, so I grew up with home grown food. My parents and grandparents showed us kids the value of growing our own food and I am so thankful. Now as a mom I get to teach my kids the same. I also feel very connected with God when I'm in my garden because that's how he intended us to live, in the garden with him. Thank you Jess for always being real and sharing your wisdom! Thankful for you and your channel! 😊
I always say I'm never closer to God than in my garden ❤
The older I get the more I realize it's not so much about the produce but the peace and sanity it brings to my life. Just like you Jess, I check on my seedlings 3 times a day and run my hand across the top (did I just admit that in public). And when everything is planted in the garden, I go out and sit next to my beds and go into a meditative state. It literally lowers my blood pressure and stress is non-existent. Every year the garden is different and will have successes and failures. It doesn't bother me. I'm just grateful for whatever I have and the sense of accomplishment and pride that goes with that. If I have too much of something, I share it with friends and it brings even more joy to my life. You are right, gardening is way more than just growing food or flowers.
I spend large amounts of time checking my plants, talking to them and spending time with my Savior in awe of what one seed can produce
Dear Jessica, thank you for sharing your videos. I have been following you since the very beginning of your CZcams career. I followed you because your love of tomatoes made me feel like we were soul sisters from the start. I’ve learned a lot from watching you and our paths have seemed to be in step as my family and I have waded into the homesteading arena and are growing more and more of our own food. I started gardening because I had a love for the homegrown tomato. The more I grew the more I fell in love with gardening. Through failures, good fortune, and success alike I’ve continued to garden simply for the love of it. As I’ve learned more and more about our broken food systems I’ve been comforted by my families lessening dependence on the system. I have a small garden space of 96 square feet and the most I’ve produced from that was 140 lbs of produce in one summer. I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished with it. I can confirm everything you’ve stated here as 100% truth. Fear is a poor motivator. It’s exhausting and short lived. Anytime I’ve focused on fear my motivation has dropped and my stress level has increased. As I refocus on thriving, the love of growing things, passing on that love and those traditional skills to my children, watching them experience the love of growing things, the motivation comes back year after year. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge. Even though we’ve never met, I count you as a friend and am grateful to you for sharing your life experiences with us. Blessing to you and your family in the new year!
Yes, love this Jess! I am an apartment balcony gardener, some of the ways gardening blesses me - it helps me in my cancer recovery journey, it is a potent source of nature therapy, it helps me feel connected to my elder family members, lineage, ancestors, & community, it gets me outside, it helps me feel closer to God, it serves our beloved pollinators, beautifies my city neighborhood, it set me on the deep dive into permaculture, and seek solutions embedded in all the problems...((sometimes)) I even get the benefits of food and flowers 😅.
I found your channel during covid. I had a lot of time so I started a garden, in buckets. Thankfully you kept saying "turn your waiting room into a classroom". But I kept going in buckets thankfully. At least two hurricanes and a couple no named storms that flooded my entire yard(salt water) but everything in buckets survived! All buckets are up on tables waist high and the chicken coops are built waist high. They have homemade ramps to walk out, down to the ground. No more bending to tend and no salt water damage! 30 chickens and 80 containers of veggies 👩🌾
I would be so depressed if I couldn't grow my vegetables. I'm so used to the fresh foods. My garden is my peace area, my thinking area, and my mentally decompressing area.
I'm going to become a gardener this year.😊 We will be doing containers and other options as we rent our house. I'm looking forward to having an herb garden and then anything else I can grow.
My deepest joy is seeing those teeny seedlings break through the soil, and nurturing them until they're sturdy enough to go into the ground. They give that flash of instant gratification that sustains me through the season and on to the next. Those seedlings. Magical.
In 2020 my first garden consisted of 4 x Wood Crates from Michael’s… lined with burlap fabric and filled with soil and plant starts. I watered the garden by hand and produced greens, peppers and tomatoes. We now have 15 raised beds and 3 GreenStalks… growing veggies and cut flowers in our backyard. I love being a Gardener and the garden has helped me get through a lot of difficult times. I’m excited for all of the new Gardeners out there… and, thank you Jess for all of your encouragement!! 🌻 ❤ 🌻
Thank you! Not the first time I’ve watched you share and experienced tears of joy. My favorite quote of yours is “turn your waiting room into a classroom “. Hearing you share and feel like I was looking in the mirror touched my heart. I experienced debilitating anxiety and agoraphobia after a tragedy broke me. I’ve wanted to live in the country since I was knee-high to a duck and at 62, I was a breath away from that dream come true, when it slipped through my fingers like sand. So my classroom became my current 1/4 acre in a SC milltown. As I approach 64 this year, what I call my joyful responsibilities has not only blessed us with affordable food on retirement funds, but God has been healing me in my garden. I do still have to listen to worship via Bluetooth while out, but I am out in my community again and found joy in helping with the community garden last summer.
In my first apartment, my landlord had given the previous tenant permission to put up plant hooks on the balcony, so I asked if I could put up some more and he installed them for me. I had 6 handing baskets of vegetables, three cherry tomatoes, two green beans, and one snow peas. Then on the side that got the most sun I had a trellis that went all the way up and planted green beans. I had those window boxes that go over rails and in those I grew lettuce, radishes, green onions, basil, thyme, parsley, dwarf oregano, and dill. It always felt so good to cook with the food that I had just plucked from the balcony. There is nothing that tastes better than food that was alive less than an hour ago. You can't beat food that fresh for flavor. And even though it was a little balcony garden on the second floor, I would sit out there with my plants and I would feel at one with nature while I read my book and forgot for a while that I was having extreme morning sickness. It was a sanctuary. All of my gardens, except the aeroponic one have been sanctuaries.
In my second apartment the back was shaded completely by trees and the front were there was full sun was where the cars were parked, so we got an Aerogarden and grew lettuce and herbs inside. We didn't live there long, only a few months, partly due to the fact that I couldn't garden. After that we lived in houses and I could plant whatever I wanted without restraint and that was so joyful, because I didn't have to constrain myself, other than to the space as I carved it out each summer and added more. It is not just about the food. It is about putting my hands in the dirt and grounding myself to the most simple thing in life, what sustains us. We are meant to nourish the land so that the land can nourish us. I can feel that when I touch the soil. Too many people have gotten so far away from that, they've lost that connection. Gardening brings it back. Plus, the food is yummy.
Oh wow, I really needed this today - Jess your timing is impeccable, thank you! Here in the Southern Hemisphere it is the height of summer, I have been working my butt off in the blazing sun for too many days in a row and I am done. Sunburned despite my best efforts, bone tired of being sweaty and hot and overwhelmed by the amount of work yet to do.... and harvest season hasn't even started yet. But today dawned cool, misty, wonderfully cloudy, and as I sipped my first coffee of the morning here comes Jess to remind me of my "why".
Should you bother with vegetable gardening? Do you want the opportunity to feel stupidly pleased with yourself for something as simple as a head of broccoli, basket of tomatoes, vase of fresh flowers ......? Utter satisfaction. And while I had a wee tired cry when I went out into it yesterday, today I am looking out and feeling it, completely satisfied and stupidly proud of myself. :))
Pride justified! You have earned it! Blood, sweat and tears, earned it!. You... are growing a GARDENER! When the rest of the world whines about empty shelves, you and yours will have provision because you ARE a gardener! So proud of you! Blessings on your day Kiddo!🌻🐛Carolyn in Ohio (US)🌼
I'M SOFA KING PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!! Thank you, Jess for talking about reality!!!
Thanks for this video. I do appreciate the encouragement. I'm not a new gardener but my garden the last few years has been causing discouragement by lack of end product. I'm looking into that and not giving up. My time outside in the fresh air, listening to the birds, saying hi to my neighbors walking by, and working with my hands, alone is a benefit to my life and soul. Lord's blessings to you!
I have wanted to garden for the past few years of watching your channel. I finally moved to Northern Idaho where friends of mine have land, gardens, chickens etc. While I live in town in a condo...(in summer I can do patio gardening), I have asked my friends with gardens to please let me come and help them at every stage of their garden...from seed catalogs, garden planning, seed sprouting, grow lights, greenhouse, compost...all of it! My hope is that I can learn from their experience, their already established gardens, and my sweat equity and sharing of the work load, will yield me vegetables that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to grow.
You can grow in your condo.My mother always had pots of small veggies and herbs in our small apartment when I was little. Inside today, I have tomatoes, jalapenos, and lettuces producing. They are in small kratky systems under lights. I pre-make the hydroponic feed. I also have houseplants in pots, which could easily be food plants instead. I CAN grow outside during winter though, so I have chard and brassicas outside. I have my inside growing mostly for microgreens, lettuces, tomatoes, and peppers. It does not need to be more than a plant or two to grow some food for yourself.
This year I was sick all of spring and barely planted anything. If I had set out this year to feed my family from the garden I would have been devastated (and I am grateful that I am in a position to not rely heavily on the garden). I see my gardening as supplementing our diet - sometimes more, sometimes less, but hopefully as time goes on, more and more. I have planted enough perennial food and flowers that there were still things growing to cheer me along, still bits and pieces that I could harvest to add to a meal so there's always something coming from the garden, even if it isn't the entire plate.
I used to think that if I didn't plant X seeds by Y date, it was too late, and so it would be really disheartening if life got in the way of planting for whatever reason, if I fell behind in planting, or if some seedlings didn't make it and I had to start over - I felt like I had missed the window to get things done. After being here for five years, I know that's not actually the case. In Australia the "right" time to plant tomatoes is around the beginning of November, but I know that where I am, tomatoes will pop up now in January and will keep pumping out fruit into June.
So, to lose a season was a bummer but it wasn't a disaster. I'm direct sowing things urgently to see what I can squeeze out, including things that I am fairly sure won't be terribly successful, because they definitely won't be successful if I don't plant them at all. And to balance out any failures, lots of flower seeds all over the place - because walking out and seeing colour and having cut flowers in the house makes it feel like I am succeeding, even if I wasn't able to grow all of the veg this year that I would have liked to. For me it is definitely about the process... the harvest is a bonus.
Thank you for this. I bombed out last year and was thoroughly depressed with my garden. We had such a drought and I took on way more than I could handle. We recently moved and I was overzealous starting new garden. I was getting too much negative feedback that it wasn’t worth it. Everything costs too much. The weeds were overtaking my berry patch. Now I’m feeling more centered again and planning better for next season. I’m happiest outside and truly love gardening. I wish they would teach it in school as basic life skills. No matter where you live to know how to grow food if needed indoors and outdoors.
If you get a good 6-8 inches of mulch around everything before spring weeds come. It will save you so much work.
I agree that gardening is a skill that should be taught in school. The closest I ever remember coming to it, is planting a marigold seed in a plastic cup for Mother's Day!
To my experience, you get much more out of a SMALL garden as you are able to better take care and do not get overwhelmed. That then is fun not burden.❤
you, my dear "Teacher" have helped to make me a Gardener. Covid and being my fathers caretaker and watching your channel lead me to a since of pride and accomplishment that I have never felt before. I have so much broccoli, salad greens, collards, onions ,ect,,, my goodness I am a Gardener !!!!!!!
My parents always were gardeners, so I gardened too. I have always "loved getting my hands in the dirt." and here I am looking tward my 64th trip around the sun, and still looking forward to !Spring! and learning a bit more each season. Thanks Jess, from a follower just living less than an hour drive from your old garden.
I grew up with gardens in Louisiana with my parents. I didn't get back to it until I was discharged from the Navy in the mid 80's after an accident left me partially disabled and somewhat disenchanted with life. I have been gardening ever since. The garden feeds my mind and soul more than it gives me a sense of security. It helps me stay sane.
For new gardeners, start out small at first. If you go crazy and build a large garden at first, you will get overwhelmed and quit. You can always add more gardening space in the future.
Having a source of genuine satisfaction in our lives is underestimated. The garden, cooking, and preservation give me a sense of peace and well-being I've never experienced before. It's huge.
I'm going into my third year of gardening and I was worrying I was getting too cocky because I feel so calm and unafraid of planning the garden this year so it's good to hear it's not just hubris. I actually really like that gardening takes time and that there's so much outside our control - it's good to be reminded that not everything comes in a flash, and that sometimes things will work out or they won't, without much impact from us. Practising being okay with that has definitely helped with my anxiety.
❤ love this video!! My favorite part of gardening is the just the joy of being out in the nature and seeing things bloom and grow. Just playing in the dirt is grounding and peace.
This will be my fourth year growing a garden. I will soon be 61 years old. I have had my successes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, loofah, herbs, okra and beans to mention a few. But I also have had my failures. I have not been able to grow carrots, corn, cabbage, sunflowers, mostly because I still live in the city and rabbits and squirrels are very prolific around here. I have tried covers but my rabbits and squirrels are very clever, they get under it, through it whatever it takes they overcome. If I had the land I wouldn’t mind sharing, but I ask them every year to give me a chance. So far they just laugh at me. But one year, I will come up with something that will work for me and I won’t quit. Just keep trying is the best advice I can give. I pray that everyone who tries will have wins and learn something❤❤❤ best of luck to you all this coming gardening season😊
The most valuable words you have ever said to me are, "Grow a gardener." Every time I grow I remember that and I NEVER fail. Gardening has become my peace, my joy, my passion. I LOVE growing beautiful things and I'm better at it today than I've ever been. Thanks Jess!
I am the same with the anxiety. When I go into one of my gardens, be it flower or vegetable it grounds me. It’s a miracle when a tiny seed produces beautiful food and flowers.
I grow lettuce, dwarf tomatoes, peppers and herbs INSIDE my tiny apartment. Currently looking for a property in S. Carolina. I am a single mom wanting to reduce costs, but gardening helps my mental health so much. New to your channel, but very much enjoying your videos. ❤
This is me, looking at high-tunnels and greenhouses, and raised beds, sourcing soil and mulch, and looking through my numerous seed packs, planning everything out. I WILL be a gardener, this year, whether I have anything to harvest, or not. The latent gardening genes that my mama passed on have been encouraged by your vlogs, and I am ready.
Because of you, I do not want to ever have to purchase a tomato in the store again. This is my 3rd year and because of you, I am discovering more and more about gardening and how to nurture the soil; about life in general and the peace that comes with all of it. This is a great video. Thank you and your beautiful family for teaching an old dog new tricks. It can happen and you are the proof. God Bless You!
my kids love cherry tomatoes. Purchasing that little container of $6 cherubs versus picking fresh off the vine was priceless this year. I did a raised container bed with rotting wood at the bottom, promix soil with composted worm castings, and little else. My cherry tomato plants were crazy in production. It will be interesting to see how this year yields in year 2.
@@carolyncourts6510 Me too! Jess always gets me ready to start planting and tomatoes are always first! I’ve learned a lot in the past 2 years so I’m hoping this Spring will be better than ever.
I’ve grown up with gardening and canning and preserving food as a huge part of life. I raised my kids with the same mindset and to eat on during the winter months as well as training the next generation.
However, it wasn’t until I saw you on CZcams for the first time that I got inspired to grow the gardener not just the garden.
Thank you.
Jess, you have been such an inspiration. Today, I feel so sad... Went away to visit family for Christmas for 10 days and got back today to a 75% dead garden... it was extremely hot, and the person who was supposed to water did not give enough (and often enough) to keep it alive... 5 months of work (and lots of TLC) down the drain. I am so sad. Not only for the loss of so much potential food but for the joy my garden gives me every day. And to see it in this state... so sad!
Well, luckily we have a very long growing season here in Cape Town, guess I'm starting over.
Here's why I like to garden. I lose track of time. I get out there planting and shoveling and picking and planning and watering and just completely lose track of time. I'll think I've been at it for a half hour, and when I go in the house, 3 hours have gone by. It's one of the very, very few activities that just absorbs me in that way.
Like you, I struggle with anxiety. Gardening has greatly helped my anxiety. The main reasons I garden are because I like knowing how my food is grown, and it brings me peace!
To those who may be thinking about growing a garden for the first time, as Jess always says, if you never start!, you have zero chance of growing something. If starting from seed seems too intimidating, then buy some plant starts and learn how to grow those plants.
Yes! It helps with m anxiety too!
Alpha-Stim for anxiety
Thanks to your channel I have gone from growing three tomato plants in a pot to a small 200 ft2 garden in which I grow different veggies, herbs and flowers. It is mostly a joy, some hard work, rewarding harvests with disappointments here and there, but also pleasant surprises and a lot of awe. Besides his immense help building the compost bins, moving soil, caring for seedlings and tarping garden beds when needed, to my surprise and delight, my husband has grown to love going out to the garden to check on the plants and harvesting his favorites. We have both come a long way in learning about, creating and reaping the rewards of a garden. Whenever I get discouraged, I turn to your videos for inspiration and encouragement. Thank you for that!
YES! The deep joy that comes from gardening. From spending time where God intended us to be!
I planted my first garden fifty years ago. We were living in Hawaii at the time, renting a cute little house in a small town and my husband built me a raised bed. I planted it with lettuce and carrots and they all wilted and died in the hot tropical sun. We had no idea what we were doing, read a few books and watched the Victory Garden on PBS every week. A bit later we moved to Illinois and bought a house with a big garden area and some established rhubarb and horseradish plants. We put in a garden and though it wasn't totally successful, most of it was growing at least some food and it made us feel good. Then we moved to our permanent home in central NY and eventually had 12 raised beds, 4x20 feet, and it was glorious - a wild but productive place full of vegetables and herbs and flowers. Yes, joy. And then, we moved again 12 years ago to be with our daughter and left that wonderful garden behind and started over. And now I have a new garden in a very different kind of place and I am still learning, still failing sometimes, although my definition of failure has changed over the years. Just ordered seeds and am laying out my garden for the coming year. Are we self-sufficient in food? No, and not likely to ever be. But I do have a full pantry and if we get snowed in for a week or two, we will still eat well. There is something magical about putting your hands in the soil (I keep trying to wear gloves, but most of the time take them off) and that never changes. So don't give up, keep learning (I still read my Victory Garden books every year and a whole lot of new ones, including Jess's), keep a journal so you can remember what worked and what didn't, just put your hands in the earth, plant some seeds and see what happens. I guarantee that something will happen, maybe not what you expected, but something that will enrich your life in some way. Happy New Year to everyone!
It never ceases to amaze me how God has made a tiny seed to use soil life, air, and water and turn them into food, or trees, or anything else that grows on the land. That's just one of the ways the garden keeps wooing me back every season. I've had to take a couple years off due to bad hip and knee. But with surgery coming up soon, I cannot wait until I can get back out to the garden. In the meantime, I can grow hundreds of starts indoors for others to have in their own gardens and feed their own families.
We started our garden planning in 2019. We just felt we needed to. Then the C happened. The garden fed us, our animals and our neighbors. Being the first home at the entrance to our neighborhood and on a 3 way stop, I’ve had MANY people stop by for tours and tell me how our garden inspired them to follow.
It chokes me up when I think that our efforts may have resulted in hungry bellies being fed or someone finding their healing and peace by working in the soil all because we did. And we did because Jess did.
Thank you. And on behalf of our neighbors … thank you!
There is great value in the "slow" progress from desire to seed to harvest. (Then it feels like it happened overnight!) A garden can teach us so many things, if we're willing to slow down and listen and pay attention.
Yes, Jess! Thank you for continuing to share your heart & desire for everyone to learn to garden. It's such a valuable skill that can be practiced on many levels. So often, your motto, "Turn your waiting room into a classroom," pops into my head in many situations, not just gardening.
My husband used to say to our son when he would say he didn’t know how to do something, "You're not going to learn any younger". After I used on him when he said he didn't know how to wash his clothes, I haven't heard again! 😊
❤ I look on gardening as a science experiment. Yes I want to grow food but I also want to learn & push myself. I want to develop not only useful skills but have peace of mind in my little sanctuary. I am the weirdo that gets excited over seedlings pushing up & plants starting to bloom/start to develop fruits & veggies. Proud of my weirdness & I never want to lose that simple joy & excitement over the little things. I have a very small space & getting the stuff & things to grow is a challenge in itself. Gardens are so much more than growing food.
Happy new year everyone!
“Grow a gardener not a harvest!” LOVE this!! What a great reminder…. Thanks for this!
Gardening has brought me closer to nature, the seasons, childhood wonder, spirituality, and peace. It's truly made me feel more myself.
The amount of peace I get to sit alone and pull my seedlings apart is unmatched. You are the reason I perused my garden 6 years ago. Now it’s second nature and am always inspired every season.
This is so important. I almost feel silly, but watching this brings tears to my eyes. God never intended for humans to eat lifeless, poisoned food! Thank you for having this conversation with great depth and informed perspective. All of these points are definitely valid!
I am going into my 5th year gardening in Northern Wisconsin. my advice for cold climate gardeners is to focus on soil health. We have a short grow season and I have really found that I should have invested into the best soil from the start, my yields would have been so much bigger for the last 3 years. Last year I purchased local organic compost and for the first time I really got overwhelmed with the harvest. 2nd piece of advice- don't believe social media posts about adding whatever trick into your garden for a better tomato or whatever, having the best soil is all you need. 3rd and final- grow something lovely. make room for flowers because this aids to the relaxation and prayer part of the garden. I grow all the weird colors of food and I love that too, but I also found a lot of joy in growing flowers that is just to woo my heart as Jess would say. I'll be planning my garden this week and I cannot wait! ❤
My grandfather, she had his love of gardening with me when I was just a small child by digging in the dirt and planting potato pieces that had eyes growing on them. every child loves to dig in the dirt but just imagine getting something to eat from playing in the dirt!!!! We didn’t have our own home. We were rather poor and lived in a 3rd floor apartment. By grandfather used to take care of the owners yard and flower garden so she let him have a small area out of the way to plant potatoes with his granddaughter! When I got married and bought my first home, helped me start MY own garden! That was back in 1974. I was so excited . For the most part, it was a hobby till I retired 5 years ago. I looked for more areas in my yard to grow food. And I found you!!! What else can I say, except thank you!!! ❤
Thriving is beautiful. Getting fresh air, watching birds and even trying to listen to the plants grow... what's there NOT to love?
Every year in spring when I’m starting the garden my mantra is “ seeds want to grow”. I got directly from you , Thanks Jess.
I am 75. I was a single mother most of my life. I have survived. My body is slowing down. Now I am growing myself lovely. Gardening is part of that.
My daughter and I spent New Years Day talking for hours with my 89 year old mom about gardening, canning and raising chickens. Her perspective and experiences as a child are incredible. She is our inspiration and at the age of 89, still living in her own home and takes no medication. The proof is in the pudding! And most importantly, they did NOT live on a farm! They did it all on the acre their home sat on!
This will be my third year to garden. Each year I have a little more sucess and have learned a lot listening to your teaching. Thanks so much for inspiring us to grow something beautiful!
"Whoever controls your food controls you." -- my personal mantra when people ask why I spend so much time gardening. Usually with a Cheshire cat smile!
This sings to me. I am a teacher in a difficult school in Australia. My vegetable gardens are my grounding, they help me be mindful and refill my emotional cup. Stressful days I cannot wait to get home to either just sit or work in my garden. The produce for my family is a bonus. Being able to be present, emotionally aware and balanced for my family are the important things. My garden gives me this.❤
We raise beef cattle and have a large garden every year. It's been my joy to teach my grown children how to make homemade spaghetti sauce, how to make jam, and how to preserve our harvest for their families. I know in my heart that my grandchildren will be blessed with food, and the passed on knowledge of how to do these things. My joy is in the knowing that I have the grace from God to grow food, and share with love.
Very true Jess. I started my garden on a mini balcony in the middle of Munich with traffic around 30 + years ago. People thought I was nuts and warned me of the traffic toxins while I asked them about the toxins on their supermarket food. Many made up their mind and agreed it couldn't be worse on my tiny balcony😊. Now I am a full time hobby gardener on 1600 square meters, walking daily through my fulfilled dreams, harvesting kale today for chips and parsnips for a cheese gratin in January 😂.
Great vlog Jess. People need to hear this message and to take your words of encouragement to heart - gardening will become a passion one success at a time. I kill stuff all the time in my attempts to garden. I don’t give up because my ancestors didn’t. Their has to be a gardening gene that needs to be stimulated so I learn to nurture the plants on their growth cycle. Lol😂
This summer I should be in a new home (God willing) with more outside space. I’ve been container gardening for years but it has been a shade garden so the variety has been limited. I have very limited space and back issues so I built a raised wicking garden 5 years ago and have been accumulating Greenstalks for the past three years. I will never have the size of garden you have, but I can dream. Victory gardens were a thing for my parents and grandparents. We did grow things in our city house backyard when I was a child, but I remember my grandparents garden as the gold standard. I’ve been watching some really interesting videos this morning about hydroponic and wicking gardens . I want to find ways to control water use since I currently have to pay for water and that may not change in the future. I have heard that some towns/cities are restricted water collection from roof and other sources. I found a site that shows how to create a wicking system using a collapsible rain barrel (easy end of season storage), downspouts, a float system like on your toilet and cotton rope. It doesn’t require electricity and is self regulating. You need to use the right ratio of plant food in the water, but your plants are in potting soil so in my opinion foods come out a bit tastier than straight hydroponics. I’m so looking forward to building this contraption in the spring to see how it works. Thank goodness this old girl took a wood working way back in 1976. If I can find a way to encourage one person to become a gardener and look at options to garden I will certainly try.
Would you please share what you found. SW Missouri was so dry last year I could hardly keep my plants watered.
Someone wise once told me: Turn your waiting room into your classroom 😘
I live in an rv with a 10x8 yard that my pup needs to use. So I am practicing my gardening in pots and small tubs, knowing that the more I practice now the more I will be ready for bigger gardening when I have the space.
Thanks Jess ❤
For me there is a joy and a peace in watching a seed turn into a plant. I love observing how the seeds I plant change everyday. It's fun, and I feel like I've become more appreciative of the food I consume and more connected to the process. It gives of depth to how I think of food and I savor it much more. This is after 3 years of growing.
You forgot to mention the mental health aspect of gardening, it can just make you happy in so many ways!!❤
When I finally bit the bullet and allowed myself to garden, I came alive again! Really it moved my heart in a way that I hadn't been moved in so long, I felt true freedom and peace in the garden work and felt more secure and happier. My mental health improved, I felt a sense of purpose in that peace and it further connected me to The Father ❤ the food was a bonus I got and it tasted like freedom!
Gardening brings me peace and sheer joy. I was first introduced to it by my beloved grandmother. Thanks for this video Jess, I couldn’t have said it better ❤
Gardening was the first step I took when dealing with intense anxiety and depression. At the time, I was unable to even touch my face without panic over contamination. I was fearful of food. OCD is wild. I am now entering my third year of gardening and am so thankful for everything it’s provided me. I can now touch my face. I throw my hands right into dirt and compost. I enjoy the peace it brings me as well as the flowers and food. ❤ your videos have helped me so much during this journey. Thank you!
I enjoy putting my hands into the soil and creating a garden, watching it grow into plants that produce food I can use. I like using it and learning to do new things with it every year. The constant learning curve that goes with gardening and storing the food I grow is satisfying in a way I can't explain. I am almost 70 and still like the sun on my back as I lean in to check on my plants. It just makes me feel alive. I hated it as a youngster forced to work from before sunup to after dark on our family truck farm. I also being terribly shy hated going door to door to sell it. It took me many many years to overcome that starting with herbs and gradually doing it my way in my own time getting the joy back that I had forgotten in the toil of the past. I am glad I did, it was worth getting back the part I enjoyed. Will keep doing it as long as I am able to as now it gives me so much. I now enjoy working at it because I can stop when I want or leave it on bad health days for a day when I feel better. Enough gets done to produce a garden and use the produce. That is all that matters.
Jessica, I found YOU during the pandemic, while grieving due to the loss of my only niece, my father, my only sibling, and my dog of 13 years. All within 19 months of each other....
You inspired me to start a garden to relieve stress, and the anxiety I had developed during this time. I now have a jungle and a stray cat that comes to visit me every day! ☺
Thank you for the inspiration and helping me during my healing journey. ♥
It’s our third year this season! First year was a bust in regards to my expectations.., really spent most of the year clearing space and throwing together a garden. Second year was more rewarding simply because of how beautiful it all was but we didn’t feel the burden of the harvest. This year we’re expanding our garden to have enough to share with our community. It’s a tall order for two adults, a teenager and a wheelbarrow but God willing we’ll get it done❤ Thank you for the encouraging videos!
I’m a city girl from fort worth tx. One day a thought of gardening came , and I thought to myself no way, I’m a single mom with a full time job struggling through life and just trying to pay my bills and keeping the kids safe and trying to give them the best I can. I never gardened before and do not know anyone who does. So I gave it a shot, because this thought just won’t get out of my head. I been doing this for about a year and I still have no idea what I’m doing, I can’t get fancy or buy anything to expensive, but it is very satisfying. I have everything in pots right now because it is very expensive for me. My dream one day is to just have a quarter of the garden you have or even less, I just want to learn how to do it right and have a good crop one day. You inspire me to keep going and I know God doesn’t want me to give up. Thanks
Monnica
I suffer from depression. To the point that some days I just cannot get out of bed. But I can go into my cheap portable greenhouse for just 30 minutes and put my hands in the dirt and it changes my whole mood. I feel so revived and capable.
Garden is my daily devotion and therapy. Expanding into a hoop-house and planting an orchard this spring ❤
I found Gods creations all over the Garden🌱🙏, his perfect handy work. I find Peace and Joy in the Garden not to mention amazing Harvests. Its a joy, a getaway. You xan make it ypur own, experiment. I absolutely love it. This Channel is definitely been my inspiration, Thanks Jess❤
I started Gardening in 2021 I Definitely feel more confident and have learned Tons. I rent so I garden in Containets and grow bags, pots. I made videos on Gardening while Renting. Also starting Community Gardens🌱🌱🌱
I've been gardening, off and on since I was around 5 years old. In late 2019, I had already found Roots and Refuge on CZcams and quickly absorbed as much information as I could. Survivalism has always been a part, but I remember sitting in my living room, pausing the video that was playing and telling my wife, "We need to start growing food. We're going to see supply chain problems. " I spent several years of my late teens in the grocery business.. A normal cold and flu season made things a change for the grocery workforce. So, I added two 32 sq ft beds, burying every stick and tree limb I could prune for a year. It took 3 years, but we have gotten to the point where we have had a few bumper crop successes and enough failures to know how far to push the limits of plant life. Chickens and trees are my next goal once we leave suburbia.
I'm a long time viewer who dipped out of growing and watching after illness following Covid. What followed was a long three years of darkness. I hadn't realised how much disconnecting from gardening had negatively impacted my health until recently. Now I find myself, as spring beckons, standing on the edge wondering if I can find the strength to start again and then this video popped up on my feed. Thank you Jess, for being that light of hope. My garden is small, but it is better to do something small than not at all.
Hi Jess,
I'm entering my 4 th year of watching your channel, which has encouraged me to patio garden. I'm excited to start my seed selections and growing plants under my humble growlights. I have cancer. Gardening takes me to a place of peace and joy. I watch, very closely, what I eat to ensure that I'm giving my body a fighting chance. Making my meals with my own vegetables brings me a sense of wellbeing and much joy. Oh, and savoring the flavors is priceless. Thank you for your channel. ♥
You have been my biggest sincere inspiration for many of my passions, gardening, photography, and experiening the beauty in all areas of life..
I've become an incredible Gardener and Growing my Passion to share with others. Thanks Jess
A Blessed Happy New Year 🎉 💫🙌💐☕
I've grown gardens for many yrs but really became a passionate Gardener when I started learning more from Jess and her @roots_and_refuge way of gardening.. Did her and Jill's @whisperingWillowFarm Growing Gardeners VIP Course three yrs ago along with a WA State Master Gardeners Course.. Built a glass window greenhouse that was a rustic replica of Jess 's Arkansas one. My garden has fed my family, my son and me, for many years almost year round. . I have 8 cattle panel Trellises growing vertical, doing mostly no till bermed beds with some drip tube water system.. Have 4 cattle panel rows for tomatoes & peppers..
My fave is having fresh food spontaneously as a bad planner for meals.. I just make it up as I go 99% of the time while cooking... Jess, you are my biggest mentor. And loving your new Cooking channel. The Farmers Table.. I've been so motivated more than ever to be my best with HIS PLAN for me! Love you! A Blessed Happy New Year to you and all here!❤️
Deb in North Central Washington
Bravo Jess! I have been gardening for years and at one point I lived in rental homes but still had a garden at a friends farm and/or in small spaces. I have always wanted the comfort in knowing what I was eating and the closeness to nature that having a garden brings. Sure, I had the neh sayers that believed that I could buy it cheaper. But I persevered because of the value it produces, as you mentioned. But fast forward to this year. I decided that I was going to do a costing of what I produced. I figured out my cost (including time) and weighed everything I brought in from the gardens. At the end of the season, the tally revealed that I harvested 2584.256 pounds (1172.196 kg) from my approximate 5000 sq ft gardens. I then compared as best as possible to a local store and determined that at the end of the day, i saved myself $2,583.04 CDN (1938.22 USD). And $3,271.71 CDN ($2454.98 USD) savings when compared to buying from farmers market. I then turned this all into over 800 jars of preserved product, saving me $1343 CDN ($1007 USD). I documented this on Friends of R&R. Point is that although there are the benefits you highlighted, it is a lot of work and sometimes disappointment. But at the end of the day, there is monetary gains to be had as well, even at a small scale. The benefits the garden provides are for the most part immeasurable but to put a value to it, my 2023 garden saved me over $3926 CDN ($2945 USD). Great video!!
My husband just said~ I think there should be a hybrid…”Surthrival” yes, we’re surthriving!
Also, I learned to listen and talk to God in the garden. ❤️
Jess, i have been gardening for almost a decade, from corn potatoes cucumbers tomatoes as much as 12 varieties in 1 year. Black berries grapes zucchini squash strawberries onions carrots okra peanuts peppers ground cherries even kajari melons. In 23 raised beds 2x10 and 4x4 beds. And let me say each year is different and with lots of hurdles to find ways to mend my beds and inventive ways to weeding. 1st year was not like last year at all. Teaching my 9 yr old how to prune tomatoes and growing tons of flowers. Making those memories are priceless. And the lessons are unforgettable. And having a meal that all come from the garden is a special feeling. Everyone should experience that once in there life. Thank you Jess! Truly a fan!
When I grow things the waiting and getting to see pollinators enjoy the growing plants helps the weight! The joy of seeing them thrive too
I garden because not only does it feed me but it feeds my soul. I keep a garden year around. I have a sitting area in my garden to relax and marvel at what I’ve grown.
The garden has taught me to fail and still believe that I am successful. We learn as we tend the garden and I do believe we were created to tend the garden. I find so peace in the garden and I see God in every aspect of gardening. He is just so apparent to me in the garden. Who else could cause the soil and seeds do do as they do??
I learn so much in the garden and no two years are the same.
Jess thanks for encouraging others to be the best they can be.
I’m a SAHM of two, soon to be three, small children and believe it or not, I don’t get my life’s greatest fulfillment out of wiping butts 🤪
Gardening and preserving the harvest allows me to feel industrious which is so critical to my overall mental health
Funny this video popped up as 2 of our Grandsons are sitting around my table circling their choices of what they want to grow this spring. In OUR family garden. God is good. I believe, it is 1 of the most important things you can teach your grandchildren.
What I've learned in the past year growing in pots and the Greenstalk planter is: you can literally wing it and things will still grow. YOU WILL BE OKAY!! And I have experienced Jess's wise words that, what you don't gain in produce, you gain in experience!!
If the infrastructure is used for multiple years even the savings of growing food IS real! There will always be negativity. I love when you said," Will your life be worse for growing a garden? No it won't!" 🎉
When in doubt- GROW!
Thank you Jess for the peptalk about thriving and surviving ❤. I've been gardening for 30+ yrs, but watching your videos since 2018 encouraged me to do more than a "Summer" garden. Bless you dear❤
The April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak left us with no power for a week. Fortunately my mom had always had extra food in the pantry which was something I also do now. We were ok but it really woke me up. I had gardened off and on for years but not consistently. After a health issue 10 years ago (that I continue to deal with) I started researching. Everything. I decided in 2022 that it was time to start the garden on purpose. I deal w dizziness as the primary health issue but I started anyway. I figured if I fell at least I would be in dirt or mulch. My garden has been therapy for me and the things I've learned watching you and others have made a huge difference. I do believe we need to be prepared for the crazy things happening in the world and being prepared can lessen a lot of fear.