Whizbang Gardening

04/27/2024

My Old Collinear Hoe Gets "The Rub"—
This collinear hoe is my most cherished garden hoe. I haven't used it in the last 7 years because I've been doing Minibed Gardening. But I've planted my onions this year in conventional garden rows, and this tool can't be beat for easy, fast, routine shallow soil cultivation. The ash wood handle really needed the beeswax preservative and I made myself a few tins. You can learn how to make hoe handle rub in this video: https://youtu.be/slLxsG4Jwn8?si=Ds9Hm...

04/26/2024

https://youtu.be/4ALgAoRMlfA?si=cCdwd_sEH9HyjKUd

In this video I tell you how to never have any quackgrass in your garden.

04/25/2024

https://youtu.be/TA94MLxdQd0?si=gbVhcHTuJ_o0y88N

This is the Lee Reich design. It's a lovely and practical garden compost bin!Link to Lee Reich compost bin article: https://www.finegardening.com/article/bui...

04/11/2024

Another Hammer-Planting Video 🙂

Here's an idea well worth trying.Link to my previous Hammer-Planting video: https://youtu.be/PzmLOYbklvU?si=iIcIzU6ymfDHopg-Link to my Short-handle hoe evalu...

04/10/2024

Minibed Gardening Update—
I'm now into year 8 of the Minibed experimental garden. I'm thinking that after 10 years I'll have enough experience and results to put a book together. No rush. 🙂

This gardening experiment continues. Here's a Minibed Gardening infrastructure report as I head into my 8th growing season.The Minibed Gardening Trilogy PDF ...

04/09/2024

Soaking Pea Seeds—
It is time to plant peas here in my Central New York State garden. I have soaked my pea seeds overnight to speed germination. And I am using pea and bean inoculant to boost yield. The inoculant has been in my fridge for 2 years. I hope it's still good. I plant the pea seeds close. Real close. Almost touching. In a furrow about 2" deep. Pea seeds are notoriously bad at germinating. Do you soak your pea seeds overnight? Do you use inoculant? I'd like to know about your insights and experience planting peas. My varieties: Extra Early Alaska, Tall Telephone, & Super Sugar Snap.

06/13/2023

https://youtu.be/Xjq9kHfdpKc

I have planted an experimental strawberry bed that does not require cultivation, watering or w**ding. It should produce for years with no maintenance. This v...

06/12/2023

https://youtu.be/SQrW96a8HU4

This is not just another bird bath...Amazon affiliate link to the bird bath pans: https://amzn.to/3J9JGci

06/04/2023

Part 1 of a new garden project/idea...
thttps://youtu.be/RubDAKSb2go

If this idea will hold a 28-pound rock, it will hold all kinds of other things that you may want to mount on top of a T-post. Mail Boxes. Bird Feeders. Use y...

05/27/2023

https://youtu.be/EhUwBM5hNi4

I've been doing this for years.

05/24/2023

The Newest Whizbang Gardening Product...

After 8 years of all-weather testing, this little beauty is ready for prime time! You can buy or make your own Whizbang-inspired windvane. Full details here...

05/12/2023

https://youtu.be/fjjydLFzEWU

It's getting redundant, but an update on this experimental gardening idea needs to be made as I go into my 7th season of gardening. If you are not yet famili...

05/03/2023

Loctose-fermented carrots from my garden are a real treat. And they're easy to make in Mason jars. Read the story here.

It is May 3 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. I have planted spinach, onions, peas, and beets in my garden. The garlic I planted last fall is nearly a foot tall. Although we had a few d…

04/07/2023

More Spring Minibed Carrots—
I dug up three more Minibed clamps of carrots here in early April, as you can see in this picture. They are in excellent condition. I discussed this keeper of an idea in this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/GQjhlvuMeuM The wood-and-wire tote you see is one I made some 12 years ago. A great tool. I have two of them. Directions for making the totes are in my Planet Whizbang Idea Book For Gardeners, which is available here: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/gardening

03/16/2023

The trellis span Y-holders I make have been out of stock for nearly a year. But I've just completed a production run. They can be purchased here: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/gardening If you are not familiar with the Y-holders, this YouTube video tells and shows what they can do in your garden: https://youtu.be/LnqT5ARfe_0

In this video, Herrick Kimball shows and tells about his 'Whizbang Y-Holders" and the remarkable garden trellis frames you can make with them. You'll be hard...

06/05/2022

Growing plants is kind of like raising children...
https://youtu.be/GYuI_MSnNXM

I've used these simple cloches for over 20 years to get my squash & cucumbers off to a great start.Links mentioned in this video...How To Cut Out Tire Sidewa...

05/30/2022

8% Food Inflation is The Beginning—
If you need more incentive to plant a garden, read what is coming in a few months...
https://www.theepochtimes.com/looming-price-hikes-on-food-set-to-hit-americans-this-fall_4498663.html?utm_source=News&utm_campaign=breaking-2022-05-30-2&utm_medium=email&est=Ip1aAxHPz9d%2FQzwm49yhlgEydIizw5ZsOilLN%2B89vIn8DBywi53aOE0cmgLRhf76uxEnaA3a

In its effort to contain inflation, the Federal Reserve has launched what many expect to be an ongoing ...

05/28/2022

https://youtu.be/oXT3a1IbcnY

Rye can be a great cover crop for the home garden. But it can also be a regrettable cover crop. In this video I explain the problem with rye as a cover crop ...

05/21/2022

My Newest Video—
The world is in a serious financial situation. Inflation is here. Supply lines are breaking. The window of time for proactive preparation is closing. Plastic is one of the best investments there is, as I explain in this video. Please share with your friends and family.
https://youtu.be/y4p_yoFz7I0

Here's a downright practical investment idea, with my thanks to the late Thomas E. Doyle. Links mentioned at the end of this video...1971 Mother Earth News A...

05/20/2022

How To Plant An Asparagus Bed—
I planted an asparagus bed 5 years ago this month. This old video shows how I did it. Some people questioned just laying the crowns down in a trench and not positioning them over a mound at the bottom of the trench. I did what the seller recommended. It was easy. Real easy. And we have harvested a LOT of asparagus. If you have put off making an asparagus bed (like I did for years), just do it. You'll be glad you did. https://youtu.be/JlZhunQRPno

Show and tell about planting an asparagus bed.More Details About Herrick Kimball and This Agrarian Life—I live in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. ...

05/19/2022

Whizbang bucket irrigation kits are a hot item this year.
https://youtu.be/Q-PtIibObdo

Here's a closer look "behind the scene" at Planet Whizbang, with some advice for down-to-earth, small-scale, hands-on entrepreneurs who want to bring a new p...

05/18/2022

https://youtu.be/iMNu8izHsRA

60mph wind and hail are in the forecast. I have Minibeds with vulnerable young plants. Fortunately, I'm prepared! For more details about Minibed gardening,...

05/16/2022

https://youtu.be/gUE9uafGMl4

This video shows how I use the 5x7 planting stick to sow lettuce hills in a Minibed. You can learn more about the Minibed gardening system at this link: http...

05/15/2022

https://youtu.be/vd6m7r6w7ec

Every large project, when broken down into smaller pieces, is much more manageable and satisfying. That's part of the Joy of Minibed Gardening.For more detai...

05/14/2022

https://youtu.be/u8EOI-xYXhY

In this video I show how I prepare and plant a Minibed with peppers. I explain tried-and-true best practices and explain a couple of new things I'm doing whe...

05/12/2022

https://youtu.be/qS_dgFoT-mI

I bought a bunch of short handle garden hoes 4 years ago and have evaluated them in my garden. One hoe is better than the others, BUT it has one serious flaw...

05/11/2022

I ❤️ Winter Rye—
This new video shows how I harvest my cover crop of winter rye off my Minibeds. After several years of experimentation, I have winter rye planting & harvesting figured out to my satisfaction. https://youtu.be/inTESj0ZckQ

Here's another "high-culture" technique for simple, successful Minibed gardening. More details here: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/gardening

05/10/2022

Another Whizbang Wheel Hoe—
I stopped selling wheel hoe kits last year but I still sell the plans and the spring steel blades. This homemade wheel hoe picture was sent to me today from Lora in Texas. She wrote... "The wheel hoe was put into commission on Mother's Day, and it works wonderfully! I have a large garden and this will save me a lot of time w**ding, while giving me lots of exercise as well. I am really enjoying it!" Blades and plans available here: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/whizbangwheelhoe

05/05/2022

6th Year Minibed Poly-Mulch Update—
I am now into my 6th year of Minibed Gardening experimentation. Part of the experiment was to see how long the permanent poly-mulch and the wood frames would last. I can report that the mulch shows no signs of degrading. It has been physically damaged in some spots and patched. The wood frames are holding but definitely showing decay. I think I can get a couple more years out of them. Maybe more. 78% of the garden area is poly-mulched. Instead of needing to cultivate and w**d that 78% I just sweep it clean with a stiff broom every so often. In the picture below I have pulled some w**ds out of the Minibed on the left, which didn't get planted to winter rye. While I do mulch the beds with w**ds, I don't use all w**ds. If I think the fresh-picked w**ds might take root, I simply toss them onto the poly-covered walkway and let them dry down. Then I use them for mulch. You can learn all about the Minibed Gardening system at this link: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/gardening

05/03/2022

❤️ Dandelion Mulch ❤️ —
One of the high-culture things I like to do in my Minibed garden is mulch the beds with w**ds. Instead of putting w**ds in a compost pile, I put them right to use as a mulch. Today I harvested a bunch of big dandelion w**ds from around my property outside the garden and I used them to mulch a garlic bed. I placed them root-end-up, like you can see in one of these photos. Dandelions "mine" minerals from deep in the soil. Those minerals are slow-released to the minibed plantings as the w**ds dry down and decay. I have done this now for several years, but this bed is the first one that I've mulched with nothing but dandelions. I picked off any flowers or flower buds so they didn't continue to grow and go to seed. But even if a few do go to seed, it's no big deal. Weeds in Minibeds are easily managed with light cultivation and mulching. And there is never any w**ding needed in 78% of the garden area around the Minibeds because it is covered with a permanent poly-mulch. If you are not yet familiar with the Minibed gardening system, details here: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/gardening