Fall Garden and Hydroponic Epic Fail Updates – Adventures In Ineptitude

Heirlooms And Hybrids And GMO’s, Oh MY!

Heirloom Seeds

As we move into fall,  vegetable gardening is going to slow down in many parts of the country, so I’m going to have to dig deep to try and come up with some subjects to keep you reading. With those long, cold nights and short days ahead, I’m going to spend some time addressing several of the questions I’m most frequently asked. I’m also going to address some of the rampant misinformation and over complication of topics I see repeated, especially on social media. We will cover topics as varied as soil improvement, composting with worms, best (and worst) fertilizers, seed companies, aquaponics basics, hydroponics for beginners, seed starting vs. buying starter plants, and more. I hope you’ll stick around and join the conversation.

I want to begin with a subject I’m very sensitive to and passionate about. I’m going to tackle heirloom vs. hybrid vegetable (and fruit) varieties and where the whole GMO fits into the discussion. If you look through the archives you’ll see that I have addressed this question more than once, and have done so fairly recently.  I plan to tackle it in early spring in a You Tube episode, but wanted to touch on it one last time this year. It’s probably the most frequent topic I’m asked about, because there’s a lot of confusion about what those words really mean.

In full disclosure, there are some ‘purists’ who are going to disagree with my conclusions and our practices here in the ‘burb, and that’s ok. You get to grow your garden in line with your own philosophies. What I want to be really clear on are the definitions of terms and what that means to the backyard and beginning gardener.  I want to demystify and simplify gardening for you so you can be as successful as possible, regardless of your experience. Let’s start with some definitions.

Heirloom – An heirloom variety is nothing more than one that has been stabilized and consistent for an extended period of time. The catch is, there’s no set time table on when a variety becomes an heirloom. Is it 50 years? 100 years? 7 generations? The jury is still out. A pepper breeder/farmer may define it differently than a tomato grower.  For my purposes, the key is knowing that the seed will produce consistent plants, fruits and seed season after season.

Hybrid – a hybrid is typically a deliberate crossing of two varieties to try and create a new variety that has some of the (best?) attributes of both parents. I’m going to use peppers as an example. In many ways this is an oversimplification, but it will suffice.

Let’s suppose I want to cross a Poblano with a Jalapeno to create a spicier Poblano. I plant them next to each other and do what I can to ensure the plants cross pollinate. There is no indication I’ve had any success in that first year. The Poblano plant will produce ordinary Poblanos and the Jalapeno will produce Jalapenos.

The next step is saving the seeds from some of the Poblanos that were cross pollinated and plant them the next year.  The fruit from those plants will be hybrids. Some will be spicier, some may be mild. Some may look more like Jalapenos, some more like Poblanos. Does this make sense?  It’s kind of like breeding a German Shepherd with a Beagle. Their offspring will be all over the place in size and shape. That’s a hybrid. It takes several generations of breeding to stabilize a hybrid so that it breeds true.

GMO – A Genetically Modified Organism, is dramatically different than a hybrid, because a. it has to be done in a laboratory and b. it’s crossing characteristic or types at the DNA level in ways that would not happen in nature. (Think, placing resistance to a pesticide into the DNA of corn or soy. Or, even more dramatic, splicing a protein from the Golden Orb Weaver Spider into the Embryo of a milk goat embryo (which has been done) with a goal of producing the desired protein in mass for various medical and scientific purposes).

The science is marvelous, though there are still long term ethical and environmental issues that are unknown.

My purpose here is not to debate the ethics of GMO, but merely to demonstrate the difference between a GMO and a hybrid. I prefer to call GMO plants and animals, ‘Chimeras’, but that might give away my biases.

Open Pollinated – Amusingly, many companies use ‘Open Pollinate’ as a synonym for Heirloom, or even as a separate kind of natural, trustworthy seed. Most of us have seen ads that say, ‘we have only heirloom and open pollinated varieties.’ The fact is, open pollinated is really a description of how the parent plants were pollinated. They are pollinated by whatever happened out there in the garden, be it, bees, breezes, wasps, birds, human contact. There were no controls on the pollination. An open pollinated plant in a back yard garden may very well (and probably does) produce hybrid offspring.

For example, if I’m growing dark green zucchini in one row, and Italian ribbed zucchini in another row 50 feet away (or my neighbor is growing it), open pollinating may allow the varieties to cross. I’d never notice until the next year if my seeds produced some interesting hybrids.

I know my definitions will drive some geneticists nuts, but they work for me in a broad brush sense.

One last point; I don’t know of any GMO seeds being made available to the general public or backyard farmer. No seed catalogs offer GMO corn or soy or potatoes. There are no GMO green beans, cabbage or sweet basil. There is zero danger to you of getting any of GMO varieties.

In conclusion, you don’t have to be afraid of hybrid varieties unless you are a seed saver. I grow some every year. My favorite zucchini and cucumber are both hybrids. I grow some hybrid tomatoes every year along with my heirloom ones. There are lots of great hybrids out there. Fear not.

Later this winter I’ll explain what I do to protect my heirlooms from cross pollination if I want to save the seed. For now, I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion. If so, please consider giving us a like and  sharing with your friends. Oh, and join the discussion by posting your comments and questions. I love to hear from you. After all, we’re in this together.

 

Burn, Baby, Burn! – My First Hot Sauce. Back Story And Review.

This guy needs a shave!

Those of you who are long time readers know that I love heat. In my world, spicy food rules. Whether it’s salsa for Mexican food, ketchup for meatloaf, Cajun delights or Indian Curries, as far as I’m concerned, the hotter the better.

We started growing our own peppers about the same time we started this blog, back in2009. Since then, we’ve grown dozens of varieties of hot (sweet, too) peppers. Compared to some of my Facebook Friends, I’m a rank amateur, but I’ve learned a lot about growing and cooking with peppers.

My love affair with all things spicy began the moment I ate my first Jalapeno when I was about 10 years old. It changed my life. For years, I put hot sauce on everything.  I was content.

Life changed again in the eighties, while living in the United Kingdom, when I was introduced to Indian food. Oh my g6osh, what a revelation in spicy living. Vindaloo became my go to dish for several years, until I heard of a dish called Chicken Phall (or Phaul).

Phall is frequently called the spiciest dish in the world. It was actually created in England, not India or Pakistan.  Originally invented to encourage young, drunk Englishmen to leave the restaurant at closing time, Phall has become a staple dish in many parts of the United Kingdom. It really will put hair on your chest.

I make it all the time, and truly love it. Habanero Peppers are a primary ingredient. Chicken Phall is more than just scorching heat. It is full of flavor and depth.

Mash ready to puree

Over the years, I have upgraded from Habs, to Jolokia and Moruga Scorpion Peppers. I have yet to make any with the legendary Carolina Reaper, but it’s just a matter of time.

As the years have passed, and I’ve done more cooking with peppers, I’ve used less and less hot sauce.  At the same time, because I grow so many peppers, My stock of frozen and dried peppers has come unwieldy. The supply just keeps growing and my long suffering wife would like to have some freezer space back for other produce and meat.

Simultaneously, I’ve watched the Chili Pepper boards on facebook come alive with news from Fiery Foods festivals and I’ve witnessed the introduction of many new sauces. As, someone who loves both to eat and to cook, all these new creations have made me want to try making my own hot sauce. Finally, this year, I decided to make it happen.

This first sauce, I’m calling, “Pastor Sam’s ‘Altar Call’.” (Regular readers know I use the “Pastor Sam’s” moniker for all my BBQ sauces and marinades.  At its base, Altar Call has one pound of peppers. There are 4 types of Habanero (Orange, Red, Chocolate, and Peruvian White), Jolokia (Ghost), Moruga Scorpion, and a few Carolina Reapers in the mash.  I aged mash for 6 days before turning it into a sauce and bottling it.

I was really surprised by the depth of flavor, after only 6 days.  The heat hit about two seconds after the flavor. At first, I thought I was going to be disappointed by a lack of heat, then two other things happened. A strong habanero flavor suddenly comes through after the first heat wave and made me think, ‘Yum. And to think, I made this all by myself.”

It was at this point, the Jolokia and Reaper peppers came into their own. What started as a slow burn, continued to grow into some real heat. It was mouth and lip heat more than back of the throat, but it kept growing for several minutes. What a pleasant surprise.

Pastor Sam’s ‘Altar Call’ Hot Sauce

Finally, in true Jolokia tradition, the pain hit my gut. Of all the hot peppers, Jolokia’s hit my gut the hardest. This one packed a pretty good punch.

As a first sauce, I am really happy with it. I would give it a solid B. It has plenty of heat combined with decent flavor. In future, I will age it a few more days, and I might try it with a hint of garlic, but it’s pretty darned good, as is. I can’t wait to add some to my burrito tonight.

I’d love to hear what you like in a hot sauce. Do you make your own? Please add your comments and questions, because it’s more fun when we share. After all, we’re in this together.

 

Three Crazy Secrets To Your Best Fall (or Spring) Garden Ever. And they all start with M.

Fall Squash. P.S. it’s even bigger now.

Optimizing results for the small space backyard gardener is what we’re all about here in the ‘burb.  One of our major goals is finding ways to make healthy food affordable for ordinary families, whether buying it or growing it.

Those of us who grow our own food are pretty much constantly on the prowl for tips and tricks to achieve healthier plants and increased yield from those plants. I want to spend just a few minutes sharing three almost magical tricks that will turbo charge your garden, whether fall or spring.

1. Manure – Well, surprise, surprise, surprise. With all the fertilizer and supplement products available at your local garden center, it may come as a shock to you that old fashioned aged manure is still the best thing you can do for your garden. The real Miracle Growth comes right from the processes God built into nature rather than those coming out of chemistry set.Manure is best used, with one exception, aged for a few weeks. Here are my favorites.
2. I’ve found that I get my very best results by using some of the modern products built on a foundation of the best natural processes used since Eden.

1. Rabbit (one of the few that can be used without aging, but I still age mine when possible). Rabbits are prolific poopers and the pebbles they leave behind are worth their weight in gold.
2. Chicken – should be aged for several weeks to allow the ammonia to burn off and cool down a bit.
3. Duck
4. Quail
5. Guinea Pig
6. Cow
7. Horse or donkey
8. Goat or Sheep – These can be tougher to get if raised in a pasture rather than a pen or stall.

My recommendation is to pile up the manure and let it age for several weeks then put some or all of it into worm bins. In my experience, Rabbit manure is the fastest ageing option. Some people actually place their worm bins directly beneath their rabbit cages and allow the droppings to go straight into the bins. I prefer to wait a few days for the ammonia to burn off.

Poultry manure on the other hand takes the longest. I like to let it age for several months before adding it to the worm bins or directly to the beds.

I’m growing quite a bit of zucchini and squash in my fall garden this year. Fall squash has fewer bug problems than those in the spring/summer garden. Some of my squash is in containers with good planting mix and fed a diet of regular watering with a combination of organic, sea weed based nutrients. Some others are in containers loaded with aged rabbit manure as well as the planting mix.

All of my fall squash looks great, but the plants in the rabbit manure containers are twice as lush and productive as the ones without.

1. Mulch – I was slow to catch on to the benefits of mulch. Frankly, I was afraid it would just contribute to weed growth. Now I’ve learned differently. I have discovered, (finally), the benefits of moisture control and weed suppression that mulching provides. Besides mulching beds after planting, a great practice is to add a thick layer of tree, leaf or straw mulch to the bed before overwintering. (I can’t even describe the difference this made in my strawberries. Wow.). Over time, the mulch will both help suffocate weed seeds and slowly compost from the bottom up, adding valuable nutrients to the soil underneath. Before spring planting, simply rake or push mulch aside, plant your starter plants, then put the mulch back in place, along with any top up mulch you need to apply. It’s awesome.
   1. Tree Mulch is versatile, abundant and often free. Call some tree removal companies and you’ll be surprised how many will simply give it to you. I have two big truck loads aging right now that didn’t cost me a cent.
   2. Leaves are also an excellent mulching option. When you rake your leaves in the fall, instead of putting them out for the trash man, use them in your garden. (Tip) if you have extra bags of leaves, put them in a black plastic trash bag and set them in a sunny place to overwinter. The winter sun will warm the bags and begin the composting process. By spring, they will be great to add to your garden beds, saving you a ton on compost and fertilizers
   3. Straw is always a go to option. I cover my strawberries with it in October or November and forget about it. In the spring, the berries grow up through it. The straw composts providing excellent nutrients. It’s so easy. (Tip; use pine straw for blueberries, blackberries and other acid loving plants).
   4. Grass clippings are also popular. They are my last option. I still have a weed fear from grass clipping. I prefer to leave my grass on the pastures and lawn to mulch them. I’m not a fan of bagging grass from the lawn. I’ll explain that another day.
2. Magnesium – This little micronutrient may be the best kept open secret in gardening. Mg is like a mega vitamin or tonic that boosts every part of plant growth. The simplest way to add magnesium is by mixing some common Epsom Salt with water and applying it either as a foliar spray or using a hose end feed sprayer when you water your garden. Mix one tablespoon per gallon of water. I do it weekly. Some other people feed Mg bi weekly. It’s an inexpensive way to boost plant health and crop yield.

Fall Peppers Still Bursting With Color and Still Producing

These three Ms – Manure, Mulch, and Magnesium with absolutely revolutionize your vegetable (or flower) garden. Next week, I’ll share two more underappreciated inputs, but these three will make you the envy of your neighborhood and will fill your pantry with extra nutrient dense vegetables and fruit.

What are your favorite tips and tricks for improving plant health and yield? I’d love to hear from you. After all, we’re in this together.

 

What We’re Doing To Preserve Leftover Seeds For Future Use

It’s getting to the time of year when gardeners and homesteaders in many parts of the country are trying to figure out what to do with their leftover seeds or seeds they’ve saved from the summer.

If properly preserved, seeds can last many years. While there are urban myths about seeds from King Tut’s tomb that have germinated, those ‘ancient grains’ stories are all unconfirmed. There is, however, a documented date palm seed discovered at Herod the Great’s palace in Masada that sprouted. This date palm is roughly 2000 years old. How cool is that?

My point is, seeds can remain viable for a very long time. Chances are, you need to keep yours for somewhat less time than Herod’s Date Palm seed and the very best way I know of, is in an ordinary freezer.

I recently ordered a package from  The Seed Guy to be used for long term emergency. The seed packets are already in a Mylar bag, so I will simply write a date on the bag and stick it in the freezer. Simple.

Similarly, as soon as I have finished planting my fall and winter garden for this year, I will go through my leftover seeds and put them into labeled envelopes. I will place the envelopes into Mylar bags like the ones in the photo accompanying this update. I will label and date the bags and into the chest freezer they will go.

If you don’t have access to a freezer or Mylar bags, I recommend wrapping your seed envelopes or packets in aluminum foil and putting them in a tote, tackle box or even shoebox to keep them from being exposed to the sun.  It’s not rocket science and doesn’t have to cost a ton of money.

Sometimes, seed companies offer end of the season sales that can save you a ton on the ever rising cost of seeds.  By storing them properly you can have a great head start on you future gardens.

Finally, in 2016, we’re going to start saving our own seeds. In the past, seeds have been cheap enough that I haven’t wanted to put in the effort. In recent years, however, some seed prices have gone through the roof.  Careful planning and storage can help stave off impulse buying in January when all the catalogs start hitting our mailboxes.

One last tip before I go; check out deals at your local feed store. They often have fantastic prices on bulk seeds. I’ve saved a packet over big box stores by purchasing certain seeds from our feed store.

What are you doing to preserve seeds for future use? I’d love to hear from you. After all, we’re in this together.

DWC Hydroponics Squash Experiment 12 Day Update. You Won’t Believe The Progress.

 

It’s Not Too Late For Your 2015 Garden. Not By A Long Shot.

Over the weekend, I had a couple of people ask whether or not it’s too late to plant some things like squash, tomatoes and pumpkins. Someone also asked about lettuce. I was able to advise them to ‘go for it’ (although here in Georgia, I’d wait until September for the lettuce). August is a great time to plant a second harvest of many vegetables and in some more northern areas it’s time to get your fall crops in. Here in the south, we’re just getting started. August and September are both fantastic month for planting. I did some research and came up with the following list of crop ideas, depending on what part of the country you live in. The list is not exhaustive by any means, but should give you a good start. Don’t sit back and say, ‘Darn, I have to wait until next spring for my garden.” Heck no. Go get some dirt under your fingernails TODAY.

Remember, we love feedback. Please send us your comments, questions, suggestions and idea. Remember, we’re all in this together.

August Planting Ideas:

CENTRAL U.S./MIDWEST REGION
Arugula
Basil
Beans
Beets
Broccoli (Transplants)
Brussels sprouts (Transplants)
Cabbage (Transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (Transplants)
Cilantro
Cucumbers
Kale
Lettuce
Mustard Greens
Peas
Parsley
Radishes
Rutabaga
Spinach
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Winter Squash

NEW ENGLAND + MID-ATLANTIC REGIONS
Arugula
Basil (Transplants)
Beans
Beets
Brussels sprouts (Transplants)
Cabbage (Transplants)
Calabrese Broccoli (Transplants)
Carrots
Cilantro
Collards
Cucumber
Kale
Leeks (Transplants)
Lettuce
Mustard Greens
Parsley
Radishes
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips

NORTH CENTRAL U.S./ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
Arugula
Beets
Carrots
Cilantro
Dill
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Parsley
Radishes
Rutabaga
Scallions (Transplant)
Spinach
Turnips

PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION
Arugula
Beans
Beets
Broccoli (Transplants)
Brussels Sprouts (Transplants)
Cabbage (Transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (Transplants)
Cilantro
Collard Greens
Dill
Kale
Lettuce
Mustard Greens
Parsley
Peas
Radishes
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips

SOUTHEAST/GULF COAST REGIONS
Arugula
Basil
Beans
Beets
Carrots
Cilantro
Collard greens
Cucumber
Dill
Eggplant (Transplants)
Southern Peas
Bell Peppers (Transplants)
Okra
Pumpkins
Summer Squash
Spinach
Tomato (Transplants)
Watermelon
Winter Squash

SOUTHWEST REGION
Arugula
Basil
Beans
Beets
Carrots
Cilantro
Collards
Corn
Cucumbers
Dill
Kale
Peppers (Transplants)
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Tomato (Transplants)
Winter Squash

 

 

 

Sneak Peek At My Latest Hydroponics Experiment

Full Disclosure: I was trying to figure out how to keep my YouTube videos from being letterbox. The good news: it worked. Stay tuned for more hydroponics information.

http://tinyurl.com/qfy83jp

 

 

Some Crazy Tips For Shopping Organic On A Budget. Yes, It’s Possible To Do That.

Last week I was speaking with a young couple who are trying to get serious about living on a budget and eliminating debt. Hooray for them. I’m in their corner. I wish everyone would get serious about such things (and maybe buy my book about that in the process J ).

During our conversation the subject of groceries came up, as it always does in budget talks. These two young people are passionate about eating well and are very conscious of eating organic and grass fed. As parents of two small children, they want to make sure those kids are eating healthy, whole and natural things. How awesome is that?

The need to be on a tight budget for a while, though, means they may have to make some compromises in their food budget, so they wondered what advice I had on matter.

I thought it might be a good idea to share my thoughts on this issue with all of you, as well. Especially since it comes up in conversation all the time.

First, what usually happens is a family either, A. gives up on organic entirely, saying it’s just not affordable or B. gives up on the budget because they can’t bring themselves to make any sacrifices at all on their eating plan and can’t make a budget work without sacrifices, so they choose to keep steering the ship towards the rocky shoreline of debt.

Yikes! I don’t find either of those choices appealing; or wise. Let me suggest a better way.

Most people don’t get into financial difficulties because of their grocery shopping. It’s usually because we make poor spending choices across a wide spectrum of categories. I know this is going to sound harsh, but most of the time, we get into debt crisis because we selfishly want what we want and we want it NOW. We don’t want to think about things like, ‘delayed gratification’. We want our big house, our nice car, our fancy vacations, toys and clothes, and to heck with those who counsel moderation.

When you add in student loan debt and medical emergencies, and many of us are in a heap of hurt. I feel deep empathy for anyone in that situation. My wife and I have been there. I feel your pain. The tough truth, though, is there’s no way out of debt without sacrifice and compromise.

I can’t begin to count the number of individuals and couples who are just not willing to pay the price to gain real financial freedom. But…that’s another topic for another blog.

Since this is food post about groceries, I’ll stick to that issue so that this article will not become a book.

What do we do when our desire to eat right collides with our desperate need to live on a budget and eliminate debt? Does one category have to lose?

The answer is no. We can win at both, but sometimes, when we’re taking the long view, we make some short term sacrifices for a lifetime of happiness and health.

Chess players know that occasionally a piece on the board has to be strategically sacrificed to set up a winning plan. Military strategists are familiar with a ‘strategic retreat’ in order to gain a long term advantage and victory.

Keep in mind, when eliminating debt; many of our most extreme sacrifices are short term. Once we’re debt free we’ll have more expendable cash to invest in our healthy diets, so I recommend getting focused and getting the tough job done as quickly as possible.

When we’re on a tight budget, we are going to stop eating out, or at least seriously curb the practice. We are going to buy cheaper cuts of meat and have a lot more casseroles rather than surf n turf dinners. It’s just part of the process.

There are going to be some foods we will have to eliminate for a while or choose traditional rather than organic options (remember it’s temporary).

There are some things I would recommend NEVER compromising on, if at all possible. Those would be root vegetables and soft fruits. This is because they are most susceptible to transmitting chemicals to you and your children.

Root vegetables, like potatoes, carrots, turnips, etc. sit in the soil and soak up all the chemical soup that is sprayed on them, whether fertilizers or pesticides. For those kinds of foods, I would not eat conventional, even if the conventional options are considerably less expensive. The risk is just too high for my tastes.

The same is true for soft fruits, like berries, apples and peaches, etc. Those fruits are sprayed like crazy and the chemicals are absorbed into the flesh of the fruit. This is not as true for things we shell or peel like nuts, bananas melons.

Most veggies, like, lettuce, cabbage, peppers, etc. we can wash thoroughly and be ok with for a period of time, while we get ourselves on financial track. Root veg and soft fruit, though, I’d adjust my budget to account for.

I also recommend growing your own, when possible. It’s pretty cheap to grow carrots, turnips and potatoes. You’ll save a ton of money, get some exercise working in the garden and home grown food just plain tastes better.

(Side note: I did an experiment with purple potatoes this spring. I planted 4 seed potatoes in a small garden bed and got ten potatoes for every one I planted. That is a terrific rate of return by anyone’s standard. If I’d planted earlier, I would have had an even BETTER return. Think about it.

For the record, this is the same advice I give everyone who says organic is just too expensive. It bears repeating one more time. If you can only spend a small amount on organic food, start with root vegetables and soft fruit. Later you can begin adding other things. And, of course, growing your own is always a win/win.

Remember, I crave feedback. I’d love to hear your tips on how to transition to a healthier way of eating while on a budget. Also, feel free to send your budget questions as well as your gardening ones. Send them via the comments section, or email me. Please follow this blog and recommend it to all your friends and family. After all, we’re in this together.

We’re Still Here And We’re Still Changing

It sure seems like my posts are getting further and further apart. You have my humblest apology for not keeping you better informed, but my silence has been due to many changes and perceived changes around here.

First, we thought we were moving across the country, but that didn’t happen. Still, I had shut down most of the operation in preparation for selling you, so there wasn’t much to write about.

Now, we are staying put here in NW Georgia, but we’ve gone through a rethink of all of our operations, and lifestyle. These changes will dramatically affect East of Eden Farms and Our Edible Suburb.

As for the farm, we are going back to subsistence farming/homesteading, which means a big reduction in livestock and garden. Over the next few months we’ll reduce our flock of chickens to less than a dozen and our rabbit herd to around 6.  The quail are still in the testing phase, so their future is uncertain. We plan to add a pair of dairy goats back in next spring, but only a pair. The pigs will all be processed this fall. We may add a feeder calf in the Spring, or we may just barter pasture land for meat. Stay tuned.

The garden is being transitioned into a testing and education space. I’ve become passionate about helping people feed themselves and want to create different kinds of experimental soil, hydroponic and hydroponic growing systems for observation and learning. I intend to develop some gardening coursed along the way. I’m especially interested in growing methods for developing countries that require minimal inputs yet produce maximum results.  Eliminating hunger and malnutrition matters to me. And doing so using methods that enhance the environment rather than destroy it also matters. So watch for more information on these subjects, too.

Because I hope to document my experiments on video, you should look for more of my updates to be found here and on my youtube channel, “Our Simple Sustainable Life”

Thanks again for not giving up on me. I’m looking forward to getting the fall garden in place. Let’s do this!