This is the third year of our vegetable garden, and the first time that our full three-field system is completely in place. We are planning to grow root vegetables, beans, and save seeds in the fallow bed on a three year rotation in each bed, so that the full garden rotates each year.
We started by preparing the root vegetable beds. These had been mulched heavily with hay over winter, so we pulled the mulch back to reveal beautifully rich, weed-free soil.
After a light till, we sowed directly into the beds, covering the seeds with a thin layer of compost. We sowed parsnip, yellow-white carrot and white beetroot; all historical varieties and saved from last year’s seed. We had so much seed from last year we decided to sow quite thickly, in case the slugs were bad this year.
Once the seeds were sown and watered in, we had a dry, windy spell. So I decided to make a very early hay cut. The meadow is extremely fertile, and I am in the process of regenerating it back into a workable hay meadow. If I can get three cuts this year, I hope this will help to weaken the dominant grasses and tussocks, and allow more diversity in the form of wildflowers and light grasses, which would make cutting much easier and more efficient.
My scythe blade is new, and I attached it to a straight snath, as per Early Medieval examples such as the depictions in the Utrecht Psalter. The blade is attached to the snath with an iron ring and fixed in place with wedges. The straight snath takes some getting used to, but I like the feel of it. I am looking forward to peening the blade so I get a sharper edge and better cut. At the moment, I am having to cut quite high to avoid burying the blade in the tussocks, but I hope that these tussocks will reduce over time and as I increase my blade’s sharpness and scythe efficiency and skill, the meadow will reflect the improvement!
The cats enjoyed the freshly cut grass as they were able to explore fresh new hunting grounds, and Romulus has followed Remus’ example, becoming a hunter too!
Romulus and Remus had also taken the vegetable patch as their territory, enjoying the hay mulch and the sun. I was pleased at first as I hoped this would keep any mice away. However their constant wrestling and latrine scratching now threatened to scrape up all my freshly planted seed. It felt like out of the frying pan into the fire; with the cats offering protection against mice, but inevitably destroying my seedlings before they even came up!
I covered each bed with blackthorn brash from the freshly laid hedge. This worked extremely well as a historical form of ‘cat netting’, serving to keep them from fighting and scratching over the beds and protecting my seedlings. Although it didn’t stop the little savages from throwing each other into the thorns like greek wrestlers!
I resowed some of the beetroot and parsnips, simply broadcasting over the top of the bed, in case my originally planted seed had been too disturbed. I was glad of our huge seed surplus. I also transplanted a few parsnips and carrots that had self seeded in the field bean bed, which had previously been fallow with root vegetables left to seed.
Sina and I turned the hay regularly over a couple of days until it was nicely dry, then gathered it up to be used as mulch on the beds. We would like to get some livestock very soon, at which point the hay will of course be used for feed, and the dung used to fertilize the beds. But for now, the excess and spent hay makes excellent mulch, and no doubt historical peoples would have done the same with their waste hay and straw.
After a very dry start to the spring, the April rain finally came, and was welcome! I am praying for enough rain to keep the well and stream running this summer. After a heavy rainstorm, I took advantage of the soaked ground to mulch the seedlings, now that they were large enough.
Ironically, both my originally sown seed and the secondary broadcasted seed came up, so my beds were now full of seedlings. I took this opportunity to transplant some of the beetroot into a new bed, to make the most of this extra food potential.
I weeded and thinned the seedlings in each bed, before a thorough watering and mulching thickly with hay. Mulching is very important to help the soil retain water and provide steady fertilization as the mulch breaks down. Protecting the soil from drying out too much also helps to retain the fertility and soil structure.
The winter beans I sowed have done very well, and as they reach hip-height I pinch out the heads, to avoid black-fly, collapse and so the plants can focus on bean production.
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40 Comments
Hi all! Thanks for watching, and you can turn on subtitles and read the description for much more detail!
If you like what I do and want to support me further, consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/gesithasgewissa/
This has been truly fascinating watching the progress! I enjoy seeing care and respect for nature and balance.
What is the wooden structure sitting off by the waist high plants?
Gz dude on geting a wife.
…your cat (invasive species with devastating impact) has just killed what appears to be a native field mouse. That's really sad
Damn looks like he brought home a wife after years of war
This is like the 2001 video game Cultures!
Awesome video as always sir! Truly wonderful stuff. Really enjoying watching the household grow and expand with Romulus, Remus and Sina getting more camera time.
Just wondering, where are you storing the silage when it is dry? I assume you don’t just leave it in the field or it will grow mouldy but as you don’t yet have a barn or granary set up would you have to keep it in the house or is there somewhere else you are able to keep it?
Anyways as always I love the videos and can’t wait to see what happens next <3.
500 years ago, a peasant. but he lives like a King by today's standards
Interesting video as per usual and the explanation expands what's not obvious so that we learn extras. Thankyou.
It's grand to see the garden expanding over the years. So now the questions:
Did your 'Good King Henry" plant survive and seed so that you have easy perpetual nutritious green when you are both too busy to forage?
2/Did you research 'skirret' and consider planting it? As it's a perennial it is a forever root vegetable similar to your white carrots and would continue to grow if the family had to flee, go fight or suffered illness during spring planting. Trying to fit into the shoes of that time and it just makes sense that perennial plants would be part of the resilient garden?
Thanks again.😊
Was there any type of marriage ceremony back then.
How can you find a wife who follow you with this crazy idea. Like Wtf
The young 7th century land owner now has a young lass in his life to help with building a kingdom! Well done! May your homestead prosper!
Always glad to see a video Alec It's also good to see you and Sina are doing good along with Romulus and Remus. Stay safe out there
Good to see you all!. People and cats. Nice work you put in. Looking forward to following videos, to track the progress.
How the heck are your beans that high already lol. Well done. Nice to see you nipping the tops out to reduce the risk of black fly. Direct sowing my climbing beans tomorrow. Dont you just love the start of spring. Happy Beltaine.
11:49 oh to be a garden cat napping in the shade
I must say I really like your videos, but I need ask this question. Why did you call your cats Romulus and Remus? I mean they are really cool names but not much in common with the Anglo Saxons. 😏
5:40 woah almost surprising to see a cat actually do its job for once, nice!
i would be careful about transplanting carrots and parsnips, it will greatly increase the chance that the root will fork
You definitely Need to make a rake soon
Ġewīsċe þē sǣliġ.
I wish you both many years of peace and joy.
Nice
Better times
i cant beleive its been four years now,ive got a few questions,
whats day to day life like on the homestead/off grid
did you purchase land in the uk or is this saxon northern germany?
also i trully am inspired by your work-the craftsmanship of these peacefull calming videos eases my mind and soul and deeply motivate me to try do the same
,i must ask do you trully live in the hut you built or do you have a house on site too?
i want to begin doing what you do,as in living off the land with a deeply rooted reality as i know you have seeing as your current hut is where the anglo saxon tribes used to live (im guessing theyre your ancestors)
Do you have any advice for a begineer?
Beautiful video, once again. I love the cats!
I worked in agriculture for most of my working life, it is the tranquility of the moment when you pause to take in the animals and the raw beauty of all that surrounds us that makes the work worth enduring. Thank you for linking us to our past.
outstanding work! thank you!
The real question is, when does he break it to his girlfriend that he plans on making his fortune buy cutting weeds and transplanting cabbage on YouTube…. All with her help!!!!
Cat
Looking good! The garden is lovely. Best of luck to you all 🍀
there was no handles on the scythe back then ?
I also really appreciate the small views on the local wildlife : bees, flowers and so on.
Was this region fully christianized by the 660s? It would be interesting to see your interpretation of Saxon pagan worship even if it is a minor part of a video.
After having lost a lot of horse feed and hay due to rats and lazy, overfed barn cats, that mouse catch was great to watch.
It's fascinating how many similarities there are between what you do, and what we do on our mostly hand-mantainted, eco-friendly allotments! I'll have to suggest using blackthorn branches to keep the pigeons from eating our young brassicas!
So is there any plan to add a canine to the farm anytime soon? We know dogs were a big past of farming, even back then.
Love your videos. I'm a blacksmith so I'm particularly interested in seeing all the different tools you’ve been using. Do you know how much these things would have cost (as I imagine they're high value items, a scythe for instance), and what would people have traded in payment? Ps, if your in need of a particular tool, give us a shout
I once read that placing a layer of fern leaves under a haystack can prevent (or reduce) vermin nesting inside the haystack, especially rats.
Make that hay while the sun shines…..
Awesome video, looking forward to the next one!
¡¡¡¡¡Excellent video, Sajon. Have a great life and much peace¡¡¡¡¡