Organic Hydroponic Fertilizer Experiment Nov 2013 mhpgardener 2014-02-09 | I'm trying a new fertilizer in my hydroponic setup. This is an organic product derived from duckweed. See how it did in comparison to the 4-18-38 tomato formula that I have been using for quite some time.
Adjusting the Watering Schedule in Dutch Bucket Hydroponics mhpgardener 2020-08-17 | I guess asked all the time about how often you should water your plants in a Dutch (Bato) Bucket Hydroponic system. In this video, I talk about how I adjust the timing based on the needs of the plant.
Hydroponic Green Beans in a Kitchen Sink mhpgardener 2020-08-04 | Once in awhile you try something new just for fun. In this video, we're growing Strike Green Beans.... using Masterblend fertilizer.... in a kitchen sink. This is so simple, so easy...that anybody can do it.
Gardening in a Drought and Homestead Tour mhpgardener 2020-07-27 | With all the Covid virus stuff going on, a lot of people are getting into gardening for the first time. There are many issues to deal with. In this video, I show you how we deal with drought and lack of rain. As long as you have a good supply of water, you can still make a great garden in spite of the heat and dry weather. Also, we take a look inside the greenhouse and some other things going on around the homestead.
Huge Monster Cauliflower with Dutch Bucket Hydroponics mhpgardener 2020-04-30 | This is amazing. My first time trying to grow cauliflower in a dutch bucket style setup was a HUUUUGE success. These things are excellent for hydroponic growing, with results far exceeding my expectations. I turned a snowball into a basketball !!!
Growing Tomatoes in a Trashcan - Dutch Bucket Hydroponics mhpgardener 2020-01-24 | For everyone interested in Dutch Bucket Hydroponics, please pay attention. The container of choice is virtually irrelevant. What you need to focus on is the overall process of fertilizer and water distribution. In this video, I'm using a 5.5 gal waste basket to grow a First Lady tomato. Pick whatever container suits the plant you're trying to grow, and have fun.
Amazing Backyard Christmas Display !!! We Made the Local Newspaper !!! mhpgardener 2020-01-04 | After seeing our backyard Christmas display, we made page 2 in the local newspaper. This is a video that my wife Susan put together so that everyone could enjoy what so many people in our community have seen in person. As Susan always says, I hope it helps.
My Biggest Pumpkin Ever - Hydroponic Finale mhpgardener 2019-10-31 | Just in time for Halloween, here are the final results of my hydroponic pumpkin grow. Nothing to brag about for sure, but it was the biggest pumpkin I've ever grown. So, from that standpoint, I'm satisfied.
Hydroponic Pumpkin Update - Switched from Kratky to DWC mhpgardener 2019-10-17 | Here's an update on my first hydroponic pumpkins. I started this process using Dr. Kratky's method, and then switched to DWC. The plants were consuming way more water than I had anticipated. It's been a real struggle with the high temperatures, but we're finally getting some decent pumpkins to form. Hopefully we'll have a few nice ones for Halloween.
Underdog Prevails as Kid Refuses to Give Up in Mudbog mhpgardener 2019-10-15 | Never, ever, give up...this kid could barely see over the steering wheel, taking directions from what appeared to be his dad. Other trucks got stuck and had to be pulled out. But not this kid....he refused to give up. And the crowd appreciated it !
Dutch Bucket Hydroponics - Growing Cucumbers, Tyria and Iznik mhpgardener 2019-10-10 | If you're looking to grow cucumbers in your Dutch Bucket setup, it's a good idea to find some Parthenocarpic varieties so you don't have to worry about getting help from bees for the pollination. Two varieties I like are Tyria and Iznik. Both are very productive and perform well in a greenhouse environment.
Like Craft Beer ? Lets Grow Some Hops ! mhpgardener 2019-10-08 | If you like craft beer as much as I do, you probably would like to save some money and brew your own. I prefer a hoppy IPA, so I decided to grow some hops, Chinook and Zeus. This is my first time growing hops and it's been a lot of fun watching the plants climb a 12 foot trellis, in a hurry. The next step is to harvest the hop clusters, get them dried out, and start brewing...I think ?
Free Tomato Plants from Suckers for a Fall Crop mhpgardener 2019-08-29 | After pruning some Big Beef tomatoes, I rooted the suckers in jars of water. The goal was to get some plants ready to go in the ground in early July. With some extra care and attention, the plants are producing very well.
Can a Horse Win with No Rider ??? mhpgardener 2019-08-29 | During a recent trip to Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent, Va we bet on two horses, the 4 and the 7. Watch what happens when the 7 loses it's jockey.
Turning Nematodes into Hydroponic Pumpkins using Dr. Kratkys method mhpgardener 2019-08-08 | For the first time, I'm dealing with root knot nematodes. They pretty much wiped out the tomatoes in our small greenhouse. I've done a soil drench with Azagard to get rid of them. In the meantime, let's try something new...growing hydroponic pumpkins using Dr. Kratky's method...just set it and forget. It's still early, but things look promising.
Webcajun - Saying Goodbye to a Legend mhpgardener 2019-08-01 | youtube.com/user/webcajunhttp://thebayougardener.com/smf/index.php#1Time to Relax youtu.be/zCzkVCCdcq0 The Grandfather of Youtube gardening has passed away, leaving behind an amazing legacy. Millions of people around the world are better off because of the efforts of Donald Ducote, aka Webcajun. He will be dearly missed.
Can Gardeners and Critters Coexist ? mhpgardener 2019-07-27 | If you're a gardener, you know it's true...the Struggle is Real. Between the bugs, the weather, and the critters...you're in a constant battle. Today, it's raccoons in the watermelons. Yeah, they're cute on somebody else's video, but not so much when they're in YOUR garden. And so, the battle rages on !
Simple Trick for Japanese Beetles mhpgardener 2019-07-18 | For gardeners and plant lovers in general, Japanese Beetles can be a never ending nuisance. There are many ways to deal with these despicable pests. Insecticides, traps....they will help. But if you have a few minutes to spare around sundown each day, you can get rid of a lot of beetles without spending a dime. Just water and a bucket. It works for us.
Forget Waldo, Wheres Bobby ????? mhpgardener 2019-07-18 | It's a beautiful country we live in. So many incredible sites to see. Many of them are in your own backyard, just waiting to be enjoyed. In this video, you'll see a few locations that my wife and I have visited. The views and landscapes are often breathtaking But, how many do you recognize?
Growing Corn in Raised Beds -Tips and Suggestions mhpgardener 2019-07-16 | For those with smaller spaces, raised bed growing can be very productive, and a lot of fun. If you'd like to grow your own corn, this video covers a few things that will help you be successful. We've done corn in raised beds for several years, and it works out well.
Weeding Okra - Its a Breeze mhpgardener 2019-07-12 | If you're gardening, you're weeding...fact of life. But there are ways to make it a bit more enjoyable. Today, we find out how to make pulling weeds a breeze....sort of. :)
Happy Birthday America !!! mhpgardener 2019-07-04 | The roller coasters at the end are awesome, but this is all about the fireworks. Hope everybody has a great July 4th holiday. Thank you to all the veterans out there who have served or are serving at this time. It's folks like you that allow country boys like me to live the good life. Your sacrifices are much appreciated.
Big Beef Tomatoes 2019 mhpgardener 2019-07-02 | There are hundreds of tomato varieties, but for me, one stands out..Big Beef. It's disease resistant, productive, and true to it's name..BEEFY. I've grown it for years, and it always comes thru. Give it a try, I think you'll like it.
Hydroponic Lettuce in the Gazebo mhpgardener 2017-04-28 | Using Dr. Kratky's method of growing is a piece of cake, anybody can do this. Here is some lettuce that was put in place back in March during a warm spell, followed by some really cold weather. I chose to put it in my wife's gazebo thinking the greenhouse would be too warm. I was wrong, but things still turned out ok.
Community Kitchen Garden Tour - Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden mhpgardener 2017-04-24 | The people at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden are doing a great job with their Community Kitchen Garden. They provide fresh vegetables to several groups around Richmond, Virginia. The garden continues to improve each year. This is a walk thru tour of what they have growing right now. We'll try to go back in a couple months and get an update of the progress.
Purple Podded Peas - To plant, or not to plant ? mhpgardener 2017-04-12 | Should you plant something that's pretty? or something that's good to eat? Purple podded peas are pretty, so we decided to give them a shot. But when it came time to eat, the Thomas Laxton Peas were much better. Just my opinion, of course ;)
Greenhouse Carrots - Purple & Orange mhpgardener 2017-03-31 | Many times people struggle with growing carrots. Probably the most important thing is the soil. Make sure it is not too compact so the carrots don't have to work hard to get a decent size.
Dutch Buckets with Store Bought Tomato Plants mhpgardener 2015-07-04 | A lot of people have trouble with seed starting and would like to use store bought plants. So I tried a few store bought Rutgers tomatoes in a dutch bucket setup to see how they'd do. The results were pretty good.
Landscaping - Saving Money at Lowes mhpgardener 2014-10-28 | If you're thinking about buying some shrubs, trees, or flowers, now is a good time to check out the big box stores for some really good deals. We found 2 Lowe's stores in West Virginia with 75% off sales. Of course, we loaded the truck !
Sieva Butter Beans - An Excellent Pole Bean mhpgardener 2014-10-15 | I like to eat butter beans, but I don't like the back breaking chore of picking them. So the answer was to find a pole butter bean, something that would climb a string and allow us to pick them while standing. We found some Sieva Butter Bean seed online and planted them in the greenhouse as a test. These things are amazing. They are very productive, excellent eating, and they made beans even thru 100+ degree heat. If you get a chance, give them a try.
Hybrid Volunteer Tomatoes - Yes, You Can Save Hybrid Seeds mhpgardener 2014-10-09 | When it comes to seed saving, people generally want an heirloom or open pollinated variety. The reason is simple, you want to have some idea of what you're going to get at harvest time. But it is also possible to save seed from hybrids and use them. You won't know for sure what the outcome will be, but more than likely you'll be able to harvest something from your efforts. In this video, we have a bunch of volunteer tomatoes growing where I've grown Big Beef a few times. The size and shape of the tomatoes was different from Big Beef. However, they still produced plenty of tomatoes.
Growing Green Beans - How to Get Good Production mhpgardener 2014-10-07 | My favorite variety of green beans is Strike. The are very productive, excellent tasting, and easy to grow. In this video, I'll talk about what I do to get them to produce so well. Here is how Susan cans green beans: http://youtu.be/iajHOJOW0Ec
Buying Premixed Water Soluble Fertilizers mhpgardener 2014-10-04 | I have received a lot of questions in regard to buying the 4-18-38 fertilizer already mixed with Calcium Nitrate and Epsom salt. Is it the same product that I use? What is my opinion of it? I'll tell you this.... I do NOT recommend mixing the 3 ingredients and storing them for any length of time. It is much wiser to mix them as needed, or mix them with water.
Redneck Pet Carrier mhpgardener 2014-10-01 | We're having some fun at the fair today. This is a one of a kind pet carrier. I hope you laughed as much as we did. :)
Sawdust in the Garden - Not a Good Idea mhpgardener 2014-09-25 | To conserve moisture on last years garden, I spread sawdust around some pepper plants. It worked well as I had plenty of peppers up until frost. To get ready for this years gardens, I tilled the sawdust into the soil. Was that a good idea? Absolutely not ! I'll show why and also tell you how to correct the problem.facebook.com/mhp.gardener
Failed Again - Organic Hydroponic Fertilizer Experiment mhpgardener 2014-09-23 | I'm trying an organic fertilizer being developed by a friend of mine. This time, it's a more concentrated product and I felt much more confident about the results. However, when using it in a hydroponic setup like I did the first time, I was disappointed at the results. Like most new ventures, this fertilizer is a work in progress. So I'll be waiting for a revised version to give it another try.facebook.com/mhp.gardener
Our Best Garden Pea mhpgardener 2014-09-20 | I've tried to grow early garden peas for several years without much success. So this year, we planted 3 different varieties ; Thomas Laxton, Little Marvel, and an improved Thomas Laxton called Progress No. 9. In a side by side test, we had a clear winner and we will be growing that variety in the future. And to learn the best way to can the peas, here is Susan's video: http://youtu.be/wMLFaom6WJA
Greenhouse Beets mhpgardener 2014-09-17 | It was a good year for beets in the greenhouse. They get planted in raised beds and always seem to do well. This year we planted 2 varieties, Detroit Red and Pacemaker. Both were similar in size. To store beets long term, an easy way is to can them for Pickled Beets. If you want to know how to can them, here is Susan's video: http://youtu.be/bbESMAB7zAMfacebook.com/mhp.gardener
2014 Garden Plans mhpgardener 2014-09-13 | It's time for catching up on this years videos. This is a summary of what we hoped to accomplish this year, along with a look back at last years gardens. In the next few weeks, we'll see how things turned out.facebook.com/mhp.gardener
Dutch Bucket Tomatoes - Pruning, Stringing, and Pollinating mhpgardener 2014-04-30 | The Big Beef tomatoes are off to a great start. It's time to prune the early suckers and do some pollinating. And since these are going to be grown single stem, they need to be put on strings using the trellis clips. Here is the link to Susan's video showing how this was all set up : youtube.com/watch?v=VYRe_XLnp7o
Super Italian Paste Tomato Update mhpgardener 2014-04-22 | Susan's Super Italian Paste Tomatoes are kicking in high gear and it's time to do a little maintenance. We're removing some of the smaller suckers and trimming off the lower leaves that are making contact with the soil. This is a good way to lessen the likelihood of fungal diseases. Also, we're putting the cages around them. Aside from keeping them watered and maybe a quick side dressing in a few weeks, they should be good to go for awhile.
Seed Starting Help - Get Some Light mhpgardener 2014-04-15 | One of the biggest problems people are having with starting their own seeds is leggy seedlings. The cure is really quite simple. Get some cheap fluorescent shop lights and get the light as close to the seedlings as you possibly can. Do this, and your seedlings will develop much stronger stems and you'll have much better results in the garden.
Planting Pecan Trees mhpgardener 2014-03-25 | When planning for the future, you have to start somewhere. So today we planted a couple of pecan trees. It will be several years before we get any pecans to make a pie. In the meantime, we'll enjoy watching them grow and become nice shade trees.
Planting Tomatoes - Super Italian Paste Tomatoes to Make the Best Tomato Soup mhpgardener 2014-03-24 | It's time to start planting tomatoes in the small greenhouse. This year we're planting Super Italian Paste tomatoes. This is a variety that Susan has grown and it makes the best soup we've ever had. We start by adding compost and fertilizer, then tilling it into the soil. Put the plants in the ground, add t-tape for drip irrigation and some wheat straw to conserve moisture and we're all set.And if you want to know the best way to make tomato soup or can vegetables, here is Susan's channel. She is an expert. http://www.youtube.com/user/imstillworkin
Antique Corn Sheller mhpgardener 2014-02-23 | I planted some Dent corn last year to be used as chicken feed. To speed up the shelling process, we bought an antique Buckeye Junior corn sheller. This thing does a great job of shelling corn.
Bell Peppers - Two Years of Production mhpgardener 2014-02-14 | After 2 years of growth, the bell peppers have produced enough. I planted these in early 2012 and they made a ton of peppers over the 2 year period. To get thru a second season, I cut them back to about 18 inches tall and over wintered them in the greenhouse. With a fully mature root system, the second years production was amazing. So if you have an opportunity to over winter some pepper plants, give it a try. I think you'll like the results.
Greenhouse Pollination without Bees mhpgardener 2013-12-05 | I get asked about pollinating plants in a greenhouse all the time. So I decided to take a few minutes and explain the process. It really is quite simple. And as you'll see, bees are not necessary for a home gardener to have success with growing in a greenhouse.
Fall Garden and Hydroponic Cabbage Update mhpgardener 2013-10-29 | This is a an update on the raised bed fall garden that I planted in late August. The cabbage, kale, and broccoli are doing very well. The plants growing inside the greenhouse are doing pretty good too. As for the hydroponic cabbage in the IBC tote, they have used about 80 gallons of water in the first 60 days and are doing great. The dutch bucket tomatoes are right on schedule too.
Frequently Asked Hydroponic Questions & Answers mhpgardener 2013-09-18 | I get asked a lot of questions in regard to hydroponics and how I do things. So I thought I'd get some help in doing a Q & A session going over the most frequently asked questions. Susan (imstillworkin) is my co-host in what turned out to be a very fun video. She asks the most common questions, and a couple that were not so common.Topics covered were:1.Where do you get the square buckets from? And can you use round ones?2.What is the part number for the grommet that goes in the bottom of the bucket? 3MPL8http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Rubber-Grommet-3MPL83.Where do you buy the perlite? What alternatives can be used?4.Gardens benefit when good bacteria is added to soil through compost. Do you add anything like that with hydroponics? If so, what do you use? If not, how's everything working without it?5.Where do you buy your hydroponic supplies like Rockwool and net pots?6.What size rockwool cubes and net pots do you use?7.Can you use the Dutch buckets outside?8.How is it possible to grow plants in a hydroponic setup without using an air pump?9.What variety of lettuce do you grow? Where do you buy the seed? Can you use any type of lettuce seed?10.Which hydroponic setup would you recommend for a beginner? And do you take requests for one-on-one teaching sessions?
Hydroponic Update ~ Dutch Bucket Tomatoes and Kratky Lettuce mhpgardener 2013-09-16 | It's time for a progress report on the Fall crop of Dutch bucket tomatoes. As I have for a couple years now, I'm growing Big Beef. Things are off to a good start. The first blossoms are starting to set fruit and we should have tomatoes all the way up to Christmas. Looking inside the small greenhouse, the Kratky boxes are doing great. Butterhead lettuce, Romaine, and Tatsoi are looking really good. And the Pak Choi in the floating raft setup is ready to start picking. If you've been having trouble growing leafy vegetables, look into hydroponics. It's a neat way to grow, and very productive.Explaining Kratky hydroponics: http://youtu.be/oDYeffYcVkY
