1/4 Acre Abundance - BEST TIPS - How to build a garden from scratch to grow a years worth of food.

I built this garden from scratch with no experience. I lost the lawn, said goodbye to the grocery store and built this garden to feed my family. Here's how I did it and you can too!

[@karryc4557]

WOW! She came directly to the point, stayed on topic and showed a few different ways and explained it all EXTREMELY well! I'm not sure if I've ever watched a video this full of information while at the same time being as simple as possible. Just, wow!

[@lj8945]

Agreed. Very informative and enjoyable at the same time!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you for your kind words! They mean so much to me.

[@markaxelgard1314]

Fun tip - I got my cattle panels from tractor supply for $1 each. They had a stack of "damaged" ones off to the side and I asked them if they'd sell them. The employee asked how much I'd pay and I offered $1 a piece. Not sure if every place would do the same deal, but if you see some slightly bent panels off to the side, it sure wouldn't hurt to ask and they'd function as a trelliss all the same.

[@katrinalikethehurricane1]

Good tip! I recall seeing a few bent ones in the past, set off to the side. I will have to remember to say something if I see them again!

[@MorganHillFarms]

That is so good to know. I am definitely going to ask the next time I go to tractor supply. The cattle panels are almost indestructible and will last forever. I love it when I can find a product that doesn't need to be replaced after just a few seasons of use.

[@authorillustratorbjlapierb61]

I got several that way too, nice 16 footers. I've gotten a lot of stuff from our local TS store. I'm there so much, I'm on a first name basis with them....lol. But I've also gotten blueberry bushes that were at the end of the season for $1, awesome bushes at that, nothing wrong with them, just end of season. I even got this awesome rooster trellis there for a third of the price because it was dinged up. TS definitely works with you, and saves you a lot.

[@Thankful_.]

What a blessing! I’m so happy for u. 😊

[@AugustaDanner]

What a fantastic idea! I know I've done that at Home Depot for wood.😊

[@ErkanYildiz]

You are a superwoman and your husband and kids are very helpful. An amazing amount of knowledge, hardwork that goes to gardening and editing these videos. Great storytelling and delivery too 👏👏👏

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you! I am so glad that you enjoyed it. It is a lot of work, and the videos definitely add to that, but it is so incredibly motivating when I get comments like yours😊

[@NateSmith-en3qn]

The garden looks very organized, thank you for sharing! Love the wood chip to cover the pathways, great value for no cost in material.

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thanks for watching!

[@HadassahHaman]

ANOTHER great video!!!!❤ I've been gardening for a few years now and have implemented sooooo many of these techniques for my garden! The raised beds, in-ground, containers, wood chips vs. pea gravel (roger is a tree guy, my wood chips are free😊). I smile when watching your videos! They're educational, clear, concise, informative and heartwarming. Thx for sharing!!!!!❤ HSTL Zone6

[@MorganHillFarms]

It's the best when you have "connections!" Nate called so many arborists in our area and I couldn't believe that he actually found someone that wanted to dump free wood chips here. We are in the process of making hardwood compost for next year from all the wood chips! It is such a blessing! So glad you enjoyed the video.

[@zionmountainfarmky8210]

I am going to tell you this has to be the number one best video I have seen out there for the size of garden that I'm looking to build. I love your breakdown. I love your layout. I love your simple yet affordable & rational approach and, It's all very doable!!! I have been racking my brain. Watching videos reading books Pinterest, Instagram, you name it and just stumbling on your video has inspired me. I have a huge garden area we grew in last year and wanted to break it into pieces and trying to figure out how to make it more market garden friendly. And accessible and fencing!!!! You really hit the nail on the head and touched on every single thing I personally have been trying to deal with!!! Thank you, thank you. This was so amazing.❤❤❤❤❤

[@MorganHillFarms]

That is so wonderful to hear! I know it can be so very daunting with so much information out there, but once you find what works, you can take it and run with it! Wishing you a fantastic garden season😊

[@lanaromanoff4420]

Love your garden!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you!

[@Amanda-cn3pk]

Love love love, your videos! How on earth do you do not have 500k followers, as you surely deserve them❤

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you so much!! I hope someday that I will have that many subscribers! It still amazes me when I see the view counts on my videos. It's crazy to me that people want to see what I'm doing...... but I am so incredibly grateful to be able to share!

[@daniandjoanna]

Thanks for the video, We just purchased an abandoned house with a 1/4 of acre land. It's nice to see what can be achieved on not so big plot :)

[@MorganHillFarms]

That is awesome! It really doesn’t take a lot of space:)

[@JaySully_]

As many others have said, excellent video!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you so much. I'm so happy you enjoyed it.

[@courtney733]

Love it! Always thought I couldn’t grow a garden, until I tried!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Now you can!

[@AugustaDanner]

Great ideas for gardening. I am in SE Kansas. I do same kind of garden only a lot small in my wee yard. I have 3 4' x18' beds, an 8 ' row of grapes/berries on cattle panels. A 20' x 8' in ground area. It's just me and my hubby so I can grow our yearly food supply. We are revamping our raised beds this year so I get to amend the soil that is going back in. Our soil here is very rocky and sandy. I do a lot of composting so I hope get enough to fill my beds. Crossing fingers.😛 Your place looks great and good luck.

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you. It sounds like you've got some great garden space in your yard. It is so encouraging to hear when people are able to accomplish these things no matter where they are! Congrats. And I am crossing my fingers as far as the compost too! We are trying to make our own hardwood compost this year so we don't have to buy any next year:)

[@frankdougherty3233]

Great video, great presentation. Clear, well-paced, concise, and down-to-earth and authentic. Be sure to hang in there because ... your channel will definitely keep growing. Thanks for the share!!!

[@MorganHillFarms]

I appreciate that! I am so glad that you enjoyed the video:)

[@susandavis6293]

This was the most educational and informative video I have watched for garden layout, raised beds, trellis's, electric solar fencing and so much more! I absoultely love to garden and have plans on extending my garden. Garden layout is so important. Thank you for going over that. I look forward to seeing more inspiring and educational videos in the future.

[@MorganHillFarms]

I'm so glad it was helpful! I learned so much from KZbin and books when I was going through the process of figuring out how and what I wanted. It is so helpful to see what other people do and why they have done things a certain way!

[@brandynash1409]

When we lived in the Ozarks, I could only do raised beds. Now that we have moved back home, we have red clay soil. So, I did a mixture of the 2. I did “raised beds” for my in ground garden. I measured off 4ft rows and 3 ft walk ways. I ran a string for straight lines and then got to work with my shovel after I tilled it. I shoveled all my walkway clay (thankfully it was dry because I did it last summer when we didn’t have rain) into my 4 ft “beds”. I then put 12-18 deep of woodchips in my walkways and put about 6inches of leaves on my 4ft beds. This way the clay soil in my beds don’t water log my veggies, because it runs down into the walkways, but my woodchips are so thick, I can still walk through it all just fine. I interplant my beds intensively so I like the 3 ft walk ways because sometimes things grow into the walkways and I don’t have to worry about my kids walking on anything.

[@MorganHillFarms]

That is wonderful! Someday I will experiment with our native soil. I know so many people are successful working with it to grow their veggie gardens. Many of my older neighbors that have large gardens grow right in the ground here and do very well. Thank you for sharing how you built your garden. And you are absolutely correct that so many crops grow over into the walkways! Mid-summer it starts to look like a jungle.

[@kenbrown438]

I tried to subscribe , but , KZbin says I have too many subscriptions !!!! Keep making gardening videos and I'll keep watching !!!! Thank you very much !!!!

[@livingtherufflife]

@kenbrown438 Supposedly you can subscribe up to 75 channels a day, so wait a day and try again!

[@kenbrown438]

@@livingtherufflife : I will , thank you very much !!!!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed the video!

[@Kay-xi9kv]

Fantastic video, thanks! I’m starting a new garden this year and have been considering raised beds vs. in-ground. Your well-organized video helped me consider all options.

[@MorganHillFarms]

I'm so glad it helped. I wish you great success this year in your garden!

[@brentjenkinsdesigns]

Love, love, love your channel! Thank you so much for the inspiration that you bring to the masses!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you! That is so kind of you to say. I'm happy it inspired you. Comments like these make me so happy to share our journey on KZbin!

[@TheJoyfulMom]

I love this so much! Beautiful!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you so much!!

[@greggmansfield2788]

Great video! Lot's of really excellent ideas and extremely well presented! Thanks!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@mel41138]

First time here 👍 thank tou so much dornall those excellent idea and tips.❤

[@MorganHillFarms]

You are so welcome!

[@Tmw2861]

Nate is a lucky guy. Keep up the good work.

[@MorganHillFarms]

Nate agrees with you! But in reality, I think I'm the one that got the best end of the deal😊

[@SteveSmith-km8kd]

You’re doing a good job with your videos. Good content very useful Keep up the good work

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you! So glad you are enjoying them!

[@susanmyer1]

Just found your channel and was thrilled with the way you did your garden. I’ll be back!!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Awesome! Thank you:)

[@billshepherd5090]

I’m starting a raised bed garden now, building the beds, mulching and planning what I’m going to put where. Right now I have cabbage, collards, Tommy toes, melons, peppers and lettuce sprouting in the house. My last frost isn’t until mid April so I’m working setting up a hoop tunnel. Oh, I’ve already planted potatoes if I can keep the chickens out of them. Expanding the coop soon.

[@MorganHillFarms]

Wow! You're busy!!! I'm jealous of the hoop house. That is one thing I am dreaming of. I hope you have a fantastic and plentiful garden season. Sounds like you are already half way there!

[@leonsaquaponicsandhomegard6793]

Fantastic job 😊😊😊

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the video

[@twinoaksfarmpoultry]

Keep up the great work!!!

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you! If I survive the heat and the long days preserving, I’ll keep posting videos😂

[@twinoaksfarmpoultry]

​@@MorganHillFarms ❤

[@carebearb2007]

I love having cattle panel trellises in my garden! They are awesome! I use T Posts to attach my panels to.

[@MorganHillFarms]

The cattle panels and t-post will still be standing long after the rest of my raised beds start to deteriorate!

[@Thankful_.]

Your garden is my dream garden! It’s lovely! I constructed mine from mostly reclaimed materials, using some new things as well. I started with free concrete blocks. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to watching your videos. I’m in zone 6b.

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you so much! Gardening is definitely a labor of love. My garden may look clean and organized but I'm sure it lacks the character of yours:). I love those whimsical, eclectic and unexpected things in gardens. I was so focused on building this garden to grow food that it is definitely lacking in that area!

[@Thankful_.]

@@MorganHillFarms 🥰💜 I think you have a beautiful garden. Happy growing! I look forward to to catching more of your KZbin videos. Take care ☀️ 🌱 💚

[@8oclocktomatotalk]

Inspiring! Wonderful layout, mine is sort of a patchwork ha ha, but working each year on more productivity.

[@MorganHillFarms]

You and me both!

[@mevsm1]

You are Wonder Woman for sure. +Continued blessings to you and yours+

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you! That is so sweet of you to say!

[@amyk6028]

Great video! Very informative. I also live in SC on a large property ❤ Just subscribed

[@MorganHillFarms]

Welcome! So glad to hear you are in SC.

[@daniellewoodward4728]

Great video our garden is 50’ by 50’ and we have all raised beds we are in Florida so nothing but sand here so we filled our beds with Mel mix and it works great and then each year we top off with compost from our compost bin we have wood chips for our pathway and our beds are made of concrete blocks

[@MorganHillFarms]

Concrete blocks will never need to be replaced! That is such a smart thing to build your beds out of. I am dreading the day that we will need to start replacing our garden beds. Hopefully that won't be for a little while!

[@odeemom]

Great information ~ thanks

[@MorganHillFarms]

You're welcome!

[@JamieSantos]

Love your channel! Can you do a video on drip irrigation? I am thinking about investing in it this year after the drought we had last year. Your garden is what I would call spectacular. No hyperbole.

[@MorganHillFarms]

I will see if I can get Nate ( my husband ) to do an in-depth video. He is really the brains behind that garden project!

[@JamieSantos]

@@MorganHillFarms Thanks you in advance if it is at all possible! I have never done drip irrigation and am an elderly person so very un-technical . It looks very confusing to me.

[@robertgilkerson8517]

What an incredible garden

[@MorganHillFarms]

Thank you

[@breakdown2878]

In the Lexington area we have sand. And a lot of it. Especially towards Gilbert

[@MorganHillFarms]

It is crazy how there seems to be this line in SC where we change from clay to sand. I imagine raised beds work best for you?

[@breakdown2878]

@@MorganHillFarms luckily I’ve found a lot of crops like loamy sandy soil. I just hand till and mulch. Build great soil on top the sand. So the top layer holds moisture and sand drains amazingly but still stays moist. And allows roots to spread. I’ve had great beats, radishes, sweet potatoes, and even carrots when I can get them to germinate

[@arielleurig]

Love your set up! Watching your video gave me some great ideas of improvements on my garden. Thank you for sharing! Would you be able to tell me what brand or were you bought ur irrigation system from? I love ur setup and I’m having a hard time finding something like urs.

[@MorganHillFarms]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. My husband purchased Hunter irrigation controllers, Rain Bird Valves, and Hunter drip line. He purchased everything from Ewing Supply. Any irrigation supplier should carry those or something similar. Hope this helps. I don't have a ton of knowledge on irrigation, since he took care of most of this project for me. If you have other questions, let me know and Ill pick his brain for you:)

[@meanqkie2240]

Glad to be the one who moved you to 667! 😉

[@MorganHillFarms]

😊

[@bukuroshja_shqiptare]

I have a raised bed and an in-ground garden.. I started another in-ground garden because I feel like when im walking in it I'm really "in" the garden, whereas in my raised bed garden I feel like im "amongst" the garden lol. Just a different kind of feel

[@MorganHillFarms]

I love the flexibility of having both. I'd love to add a strawberry patch and a corn patch this year.

[@cathykillion6544]

Enjoyed the o

[@MorganHillFarms]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching!

[@Rosethatwantstomove]

A little way to save little bit of space between raised beds is have to have 1 side of the bed 3ft and the other side maybe 2ft. Still have access to the beds with a wheelbarrow just one the 1 side.

[@MorganHillFarms]

That is a great idea. Thank you for that advice.

[@moomoocho1196]

I would love to know how you do your hair? Looks so good 👍

[@MorganHillFarms]

You are too sweet! It is sort of a take on a half French twist. If you have a big clip, pull your hair back in the middle of your head like you are putting in a pony tail. I then twist it and loop the top over, and clip it. ( I'm sure that is as clear as mud!). Then you just fool with it but loosening the hair from the clip so it's not so tight to your head, and then style the hair that I coming out of the top of the clip. I hope that helped! Not sure it did though😁

[@kristinmaiorana9334]

Beautiful garden. I was wondering why you used the dog ear fencing? I usually use cedar boards but they are expensive. Just wondering about the difference. Thanks

[@MorganHillFarms]

I used those because they were 3.98 each. The cedar boards were more expensive and I was trying to be as frugal as I could:)

[@heidiw8406]

Six years ago when we bought our first cattle panels they were $16.00 each. Now they are $28.00 each. I think in the south, water is the most importnat thing in the garden.

[@MorganHillFarms]

Inflation is crazy. It is the worst tax on the American people. And yes, without water, you'd be hard pressed to grow much.

[@markpiersall9815]

Consider installing a Screech Owl nest box. Owls eat rodents which host ticks and attract pit vipers.

[@MorganHillFarms]

We are surrounded by owls! Sometimes in the nights during the summer, they wake me up! My husband and son built one at our last property. It was so fun to watch on the game cameras. I think I'm going to take you up on your advice😊

[@Growinggroceriesnc]

I am definitely not doing the wood chip thing ever again. I hope y’all really research

[@rachaeloverman7848]

Any tips on getting the weeds under control in the in ground garden? We did a garden just like yours with the 30" beds and 18" paths. The first year was great. Last year was awful with the weeds. I felt like starting over. I think i am going to tarp it this time a couple months before planting. Any other tips?

[@MorganHillFarms]

If I have an overgrowth of weeds in my walkway, I will cover it with cardboard and then lay woodchips over that and the weeds will be smothered. In the planting areas........that is a bit more time consuming. I usually just pull the weeds. You could tarp certain areas if you have a silage tarp. Sorry Im not more help. Weeds are tough.

[@oldfarmshow]

👍

[@MorganHillFarms]

👍😊

[@6Heartson6Acres]

How do you remulch those long rows?

[@MorganHillFarms]

We either use a wheelbarrow to bring the mulch in and dump it very carefully, or I have the kids use 5 gallon buckets to fill with mulch and dump them in exactly where we need them. Either way, it’s a lot of work:)

[@haleyfink6325]

Did you add a gate or something to your fence ??

[@MorganHillFarms]

I have an opening but right now it is just a cattle panel that we sort of bend open when we want to get into the garden. We hope to put in a more permanent fence with a real gate in the future:)

[@brandynash1409]

How many raspberry and blackberry plants do you have? When you say for the year, is that for fresh eating or are you freezing too? We are putting some in this year and we are a family of 6. Do you have blueberries too?

[@MorganHillFarms]

We have 18 raspberry plants and 20 blackberries. The blackberries definitely produce more than the raspberries so you could definitely get by with less. When I say for the year....It allows us to have berries for fresh eating, for making a years supply of jam, and then the rest get frozen for later in the year. We use those for smoothies, pies, toppings for oatmeal etc. To get the most from you raspberries, buy "everbearing" varieties ( I like Heritage Red). They will fruit in summer and fall, however, each winter, I prune them back to the ground. This stops the older canes from producing the summer crop in June and focuses the energy on the new canes that will emerge from the soil in the spring. You will get a huge harvest from early August until your first frost. I like to get a bigger harvest so that I can do large batch preserving instead of just bringing in a few berries every day.

[@MorganHillFarms]

Sorry that was such a long response! 😊

[@liberatedlioness6478]

Impressive. How costly is this process?

[@MorganHillFarms]

It can be pretty expensive depending on how fast you want to get your garden built. My soil alone was 3600$ and each raised bed costs around 40$ give or take. Irrigation can also cost quite a bit!

[@liberatedlioness6478]

@@MorganHillFarms I figured 🙏🏿

[@mariamartinez-rr5ss]

How often do i water the gardenbeds from seed to they grow.?

[@MorganHillFarms]

I have the irrigation set to 12 minutes once a day. If I am planting seeds directly into the garden, I will use a hose until they germinate. I also water in new transplants the first day or two!

[@mariamartinez-rr5ss]

@@MorganHillFarms thank you so much! 🙏

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Raised beds take the backache out of gardening; I’m puzzled why yours are half full?

[@MorganHillFarms]

They were full when we put them in. When we initially filled them, we started with logs and leaves etc. As these have broken down, the soil level has receded. I definitely need to amend them for this coming season so I'll be adding in some soil! I know my back could sure use a break. 😊

[@MyCapeBretonRetiredLife]

I'm not going to tell you how to run what you do, but... all that waste of wood material and labor makes no since. When I had my garden I did it the easy way, fence off small sections and put pigs on it to till up and fertilize the ground then cover it with tarp moving pigs to next section then the next. Let rest for one year cut holes in tarp for the plants (no weeding) then use the same garden year after year rotating crops! Easy and cheap!

[@MorganHillFarms]

I completely see your point! You have some wonderful ideas. When we built this garden, I was in a panic. In 2020 I went to the grocery store and the shelves were empty. My freezer was almost empty as well. We moved to this property specifically to grow our family's food, and I wanted to be able to do that as quickly as possible. If there were food shortages, I had the goal that we were not going to have those shortages in our home. This gardening / homestead thing was never anything that I had ever thought about until 2020. Using pigs is a fantastic idea. I unfortunately was very focused on getting it done and doing it quickly. We also had never had animals at that point! Thank you again for your comment😊

[@shaunnichols8170]

Hey! Where in SC are you? We might be neighbors 😊

[@MorganHillFarms]

We are in the upstate, not too far from the NC line!

[@shaunnichols8170]

@@MorganHillFarms nice! We are out in the Gaston area. I'm looking forward to keeping up with yalls journey. We are just getting started :)

[@juliewilbur647]

I find all these garden videos so frustrating....... Still have 2 ft of snow.........

[@MorganHillFarms]

That is frustrating. Move here to SC. We are full but could make room for one more gardener! You'd have a really long season if you can handle the heat!

[@juliewilbur647]

@@MorganHillFarms what a wonderful offer!💖 don't be surprised if you find me at your door one day!!😊

[@michaeltodd813]

Your garden is still too far from the house. Think permaculture zones.

[@MorganHillFarms]

I have a great permaculture book that I absolutely love. Ideally, I'd love to implement more techniques but I got a bit caught up in aesthetics of the property. I wanted to keep everything really "clean and organized" by the house so we set the garden a bit further away. I know it could be beautiful to have everything in more of a permaculture layout, but when we built the garden, I was so focused on my goal of growing food the coming season, that that overshadowed other things.

[@JamieNowicki]

I should own stock in cattle panels 🤍

[@MorganHillFarms]

We all should!😁