In this informal family‑farm vlog, Victor Justin Rhodes and his crew demonstrate how they fit 36 strawberry plants into a 2‑square‑foot area using a custom vertical stacking system with built‑in drip irrigation. While the main house is under renovation and the family has been displaced from a guest house, they continue to grow food, tend to livestock, and manage farm projects. The video walks through the assembly of the stacked planters, explains the water‑line fill method that feeds each tier, and shows the planting process with kids helping. They prepare soil by mixing homemade compost, worm castings, and optional potting mix, discuss compost concerns (carbon‑nitrogen balance), and add fish fertilizer. Alongside planting, the vlog captures daily farm chores: burning brush piles with a skid‑steer, caring for a new calf, handling a broody hen, and fixing a picnic bench. Product mentions include a coupon code (Rhodes10) for gardening supplies. The tone is conversational, instructional, and enthusiastic, highlighting resilience and self‑sufficiency despite ongoing home remodeling.
Chapters
Happy day, y'all! We're planting 36 strawberry plants in just 2 square feet today. Our main house is under construction. We got smoked out of our guest house. That leaves the tiny 100-year-old farmhouse. El jefe is the key. Well, we were supposed to go stoke that burn pile real quick. He's got his heart set on these training wheels. He woke up, he got right up and went right to 'em. We're getting— let's see if your pop's over here. I had a place for it and it was in it. Hey, calf's getting our milk. That's a new calf, but we let the calf be on her 24/7 for the first 2 weeks, even if she does get all the milk. But I don't think she will. He's ready for the training wheels. You want to bring them to him? You bring them that, I'll bring them pump. It's so fun, little kids. Doesn't take much to make them so happy. Hey, we gotta oil that chain too. Some WD-40 around here. You ready? Dude, he's done! What's out? Fire. I need to move my hand. Can you come up here and see? There's some— I actually see a flame. Can that be scooped up and put on this? Which do you think would be easier, dumping the rest of this little stuff over the ravine or getting in a pile and burning it? Wow, this burnt pretty good. This was a green pile, meaning it was just, just cut down, so it wasn't dried out and it It burned all the little stuff, didn't it? You can only burn so much of the big stumps. Is it a big pain to put it all in a pile? Well, I'd want to use the skid steer, so— okay. He doesn't know how to use the brakes. You gotta steer away from it. Pedal, Henry. He thinks he's got it, but he's on a hill. Oh, help him. One more thing to do before we start planting these strawberries. Is that her? That might be the broody hen. We had a broody hen yesterday. I don't see her. Is that her? Is that her? We don't know. And he broke her of it. She's gonna hate you. Oh yeah, she is. She floats. We got a couple of poopy eggs. And did you see that? We got a dead rooster just in time for the pregnant mom. A little extra protein. Dead lamb yesterday. I don't see a trace. I thought we were taking this to the field because it's wet. Here, I got you, I got you. Come around, come around. Don't go over the milk bucket. Let's give them a little, uh, RC Gold. Okay, this RC Gold is a probiotic. Hold the camera for me. Thank you, you're a little cameraman. All right, thank you. These guys a little alfalfa. These little ones are growing, need to be trained. The big ones are lactating.
What do you want to say?
No, we're remodeling, we're moving, but we're not gonna let that stop us from growing our own food. Oh, two of them. Oh, remnants of strawberries in there. There's six. On each level. I could have swore I thought there was 36. 3 there, that if that went on top of that one, 4, 7. I'm gonna see if this will take one more. One more I could put on here. These are cool in that I guess you could stack it really as high as you wanted to. And this is my top. And what's cool about this, so you fill the water up to this line And this goes down through here and waters everything. That's 6 rows, 6 each, 36 plants, one layer off at a time. I'm seeing how this works. It comes down into these trays at every single level, the water, and then it's got these little holes in it that have been And it's angled down to those. And then that drip irrigates these plants. Alright, come on, let's go.
Let's go plant some strawberries on the Henry Road show. What's your name? I a big boy. You're a big boy today. How old are you? Tell the fans how old you are. You three. He's a big three.
Y' all grab a shovel real quick. There's kind of a medium one if you want to grab that one. Okay. You got a shovel? You got a shovel? One of these bays needs soil, so we're gonna get some of our homemade compost. Did you guys go stir that pile yet? Pile it up. Yeah, fill soil to the top, but we gotta leave room for planting. Now it's been used for maybe a season or two, so we're gonna add some worm compost— worm, worm castings. You joining us?
I am.
Okay, water real quick. Now look, you said the cabbage isn't coming up, but is this not cabbage?
That's broccoli. Here, the cabbage did come up. Look at that.
Came up overnight.
Came up over the weekend.
We have to have lots of cabbage.
Because I want to ferment it.
I actually eat cabbage.
Why?
You can just buy Bubbies.
So we can be away from the grocery store.
Or we can't order Bubbies?
We could. What happens if I tried to make it as good as Bubbies? It's just salt and cabbage.
You're right, if we're gonna quit the grocery store—
I gotta ferment our own stuff.
Look at you, you're like, what is he doing? Is mine that bad?
No, Bubbies is so good.
It's one of those store-bought things that you just can't replicate. That's our one crux. It's the one only thing we don't get that's not organic. Bubbies might have to be my cheat. There's not much on my menu, dar. You done with the track loader?
Almost.
We're just getting started. Okay, tell the boys when you're done. Now then, let's smoke that pile. We've been dislocated to this— I'm saying 700 square feet. She's saying 900 square feet. South is there, so it makes sense to put it right here, babe. It would make sense for the boys to bring down this tree. Do one layer at a time. Let's rinse things as we go. I've locked these caster wheels. We don't need it to move. This drain, it'll go out into the grass. That's nice. I think we have one big one. It'll go on the bottom. Pretty sure you can mix and match whether you want big ones or short ones. See the difference?
Let's water it.
Okay, together. Good idea.
Let's plant them in and then we're gonna put— I think there's a scooper or we'll handful it around the— all right, the things. Just a little bit.
Probably pretty dry, huh? Or did it soak in?
Oh, it's a little wet right there.
We're getting the soil moist because it's gonna go through a shocker. Hey, these strawberries are a bonus. We didn't think we'd be able to do strawberries this year. Now then, what, a scoop of—
and then we'll put it around.
Wait. Hold on. And there's going to be virtually no weeding. He's holding it from you. Oh, you know what I want to do with these? Fish fertilizer back. Okay. Oh yeah, that's why we got to do it before we take it out of— don't take it out of the plastic. Hold on, hold it, hold it there.
Let it soak it in.
See, hold on, let that soil get really wet. They like to help at this age. We're gonna give these guys the best chance they got. Got one down. That feels good, huh? Yeah, you're gonna fix our picnic table. Sure, you're handy. Putting a second layer on without squashing the existing plants. The drain's already working. Jonah to the rescue! He's fixing up our jacked up table out here. What's your plan to fix it?
I'm gonna flip it over so that there's no weight on it.
I think this brace is rotten. Uh, Momma Dee says our compost ain't gonna work. It thinks It's one thing to put it on top. It's too mulchy, she says. She's afraid the carbon in it is going to tie up the nitrogen, which— touché. How is it, Beck? Better?
Oh yeah.
For those who don't have compost and you want to do this, you just get some potting soil in a bag at your local store. How many potting soil bags you think? 3, maybe?
I think it's on their website.
Oh, it tells you. Okay.
I'm gonna leave a link for that down in the description if they use the code Rhodes10.
Oh, they get 10% off, don't they?
Don't get 10%, they get $10.
$10. It's called Rhodes10.
Rhodes10 is our coupon.
Good call, I forgot about that. It is not enough. Go all the way up to the line.
It's like been watered so much.
Now we can know how— yeah, it's going right through it. And then you turn it on.
Um, it's going right through it.
Lily, you made everybody breakfast? Yeah, this is a real quick, a real favorite from the farm breakfast Fritos. You guys want to see down in our laundry room? It's the old root cellar. Why they put it on the south side, I have no idea. This is your, uh, happy place. At least you can stand in here. I mean, that's why I don't do the laundry.
You gotta come over here. I want to put the boards over there. Okay, I'm just getting you ready for Ashley. Okay, because imagine this.
So, Ashton, you owe me This house has never been so nice.
It's definitely getting the royal treatment. Austin and Ashley.
Austin is our editor, soon to be moving in here. We make some epic videos together. They won't have to worry about setting anything up.
No, I mean, all they're gonna have to do is like come in.
Hey, you getting our bench ready? We got one bench, we have another bench, and then these two chairs on the ends, and then we're gonna be set up, aren't we? You done down in the dungeon? Oh, just the cleaning.
Yeah, I still have lots to do.
Hey, we'll be done once he completes that bench. We've set up.
I think so.
Your table turned out nice. Benches on either side, singles on both ends. Happy day.
