What did you plant today? Garden and Farming for FOOD SECURITY.

[Abondance]

In a plant fair yesterday, I have found some interesting varieties to complete my "forest-garden".

An old japanese nashi-pear tree ( I love these fruits, more than pear). Very resistant ( -25°c), easy to grow but need a companion or pear tree for better pollinisation.

(I hope these names are correct: )

Motherwort (medicinal)
skullwort (medicinal)
Jerusalem sage ( edible flowers and good for bees)
caraway ( spice)
pineapple sage ( very tasty for tea and a lot of flowers until autumn!)

And some flowers for beauty and bees.

I have also some other seeds to prepare. I'll try sweet sorghum, quinoa and millet.

At my parent’s, I've harvested some rush for improving my pond's autofiltration ( not very easy even if my frogs seems happy and made babies this year!)

[Tigger]

I attended a ‘farmer’s convention’ over the weekend in Atherton. Interestingly, the subject of growing garlic came up. Apparently, the ideal way to start garlic at this latitude (17°16’S) is to refrigerate (not freeze) the cloves for several days before planting. Garlic responds to cooler weather in order for the cloves to sprout (I did not know this), so they must be kept cold to start the germinating process. We’re fortunate to be at a relatively high elevation (~900m) to get short, sharp winters (yes, we get pretty cold winters in the tropical tablelands), and the local farmers told me to plant garlic at the end of April instead of early April.

I traded some of my home-grown pineapples for some locally grown ‘Russian garlic’ bulbs, and some heirloom tomato seedlings. I am looking forward to my first garlic-growing season!

[Abondance]

This guy has always good tricks to grow food. Here, how to boost tomatoes flowering ( and harvesting) :

4 simple ingredients

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BKdy0rRxuwI

[RunningDeer]

Farmer’s Garden Survived a Historic Drought, Here’s How

• May 19, 2026
• Warrior Poet Society
• 1.59M subscribers

What if you could grow a productive garden in the middle of a drought — without constantly watering your beds?

In this episode of The John Lovell Show, John sits down with Mike Herbert, a regenerative farming expert with 13 years of experience in soil development, organic farming, livestock, homesteading, and drought-proofing land. Mike has built a thriving family homestead using methods that seem almost impossible at first: hugelkultur beds, deep mulch, buried wood, swales, and water-retaining soil systems that help keep the ground moist even during dry conditions.

John visited Mike’s property and was shocked by how much food his family was growing with far fewer inputs, less watering, and less dependence on the normal garden supply chain. From potatoes and ginger to livestock and family food production, Mike explains why many gardeners may be working harder than they need to — and how building soil the right way can make a homestead more resilient.

If you are starting a garden, building a homestead, preparing for drought, or trying to become a better provider for your family, this conversation will challenge the way you think about food, soil, water, and self-reliance.

In this episode:

• How Hügelkultur beds help retain moisture
• Why buried wood can improve soil over time
• How swales slow down and capture water on your property
• Why deep mulch can protect soil during drought
• How to grow food with fewer outside inputs
• What regenerative farming can teach modern homesteaders
• Why food security starts at home
• How farming can build family culture, work ethic, and generational skills

Mike Herbert is not a full-time farmer living apart from the real world — he is a builder, contractor, husband, father, and homesteader who has learned how to produce food while still living a full and busy life. That makes his approach especially helpful for families who want to grow more food, waste less water, and build practical resilience without turning their entire life upside down.

Topics covered: drought proof garden, Hügelkultur beds, swales, regenerative farming, no water garden, homesteading, organic gardening, food security, soil building, deep mulch gardening, family farming, self-reliance, growing food in drought, sustainable gardening, water retention, permaculture, and how to feed your family in hard times.

Watch the full episode and learn why John says he may have been gardening wrong for years.

Chapters
00:00 Historic Drought, No Water, Tons of Food
01:06 Meet Mike Herbert
01:55 Could You Feed Your Family If the Food Chain Failed?
2:46 Why John Is Frustrated With Normal Gardening
03:52 What Is Hügelkultur?
04:52 Digging Trenches and Burying Wood
05:39 The Underground Water Reservoir
06:18 How to Build a Hügelkultur Bed
07:41 Potatoes, Ginger, and Food Hiding in Plain Sight
09:04 Why Nobody Is Promoting This Method
09:30 Proof That Hügelkultur Works
11:18 Building Black Soil With Mulch
12:04 What Else Can You Grow This Way?
13:16 Is Good Soil Just Bug Crap?
13:29 How Plants Grow Through Thick Mulch
15:19 Moist Soil Even in a Drought
16:32 What Food Is Mike Growing?
17:15 The 100-Year Drought
17:51 How Swales Capture Water
19:14 Using Contour to Drought-Proof the Land
20:52 Why Ground Cover Matters
21:25 Growing Food, Livestock, and Family Resilience
22:35 Building Family Culture Through Farming
25:00 Work Ethic, Ownership, and Raising Capable Kids
26:21 Why Time With Your Kids Matters
27:36 Better Than Life Insurance
28:02 How to Be a Better Provider
29:44 Building, Carrying, and Protecting Life
31:09 Final Thoughts

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=oZ1Y4FXxJos