Grow MORE Food in LESS Space (10 Ways)

Intensive gardening methods can boost the amount of food gardeners can grow in typical garden beds. High density planting, growing vertically, and providing plants nutrient-rich soil are some of the methods to make your garden more productive. Gardener Scott discusses 10 ways every gardener can grow more food in less space. (Video #269)
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[@allon33]

I think the spacing between plants was information from a commercial vegetable farming situation. One where a farmer plants about 1000 cabbages etc, and then harvests all at once. So you are right, the spacing is all messed up, and not what a home gardener needs at all. Well done.

[@blessildajoy]

Cutandcomeagain is one of the most valuable lessons everyone should learn.

[@bartmol05]

I would rather say pick and come again. Can get more, of for example letuce, by picking the outside leaves than by cutting the plant and wait for it to grow back.

[@nikkitronic80]

I just want to say that I really appreciate your videos Gardener Scott. I was addicted to drugs for most of the past 25 years. I got clean 2 years ago and in my sobriety I found that I have a deep passion for gardening. Gardening is part of my healing, my meditation, my medicine for life. It has helped me grow so much as a person. I feel more connected to myself, my community, nature and God than ever before. I have learned and continue to learn every day from your content (and others). So thank you! From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU! The work you do is deeply appreciated. ♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️🌱♥️

[@GardenerScott]

I'm so glad I could play a role in your healing, Nicole. Thanks.

[@markirish7599]

Your story is exactly like mine .clean a few years now and gardening has been the best therapy I've ever had

[@simplifygardening]

Hey mate. a great topic and great video. Sorry I have not been about I am in the middle of hospital having an op in a few weeks to sort the vertigo out I have meneirs disease and they can fit grommets to sort it. Finally. loved the video speak soon

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks, Tony. I hope the procedure frees you from your torment. We'll chat soon.

[@carladelagnomes]

Glad to hear you are getting help with this finally. Good luck with the procedure!

[@bupkus123]

Take a bag of pennies and push them all together on a table surface. If all pennies are assigned a diameter of 12 inches you have the same algorithm as cellular tower placement. If you want to mix different plants which require a slightly greater diameter you can insert nickels or quarter, etc. Now, cut out circles of paper with the relative diameters and place them on your raised garden. Plant seeds or even seedlings at the center of each circle.

[@Scott3387]

Should have done a co-op with MIGardener! Haha same topic, same day.

[@kat6084]

nice to see I'm not the only one who subscribes to both MIGardener & Gardener Scott

[@rai55]

@@kat6084 You’re far from alone, I do too and as do many others in the KZbin gardening community 🌱💫

[@adampetherick6266]

It might be for the same topic but he explains a lot of more on this ,an thaiy is no copy right to this topic at lest gardener Scott gets back to you an he also as a live podcast with Q@A,2% of all channels do not do that.an he also has experienced l growers on talk about garlic.

[@KingKoinPlays]

@@kat6084 I'm sure alot of us are subscribed to a multitude of gardening channels 🤣 it's an addiction lol

[@norseknowhow]

Thank you for another great video! I watched it just in time. I live in Norway with cold and long winter. I’m gonna plant some vegetables out in my garden tomorrow. Now I can expect a bigger harvest because of your great tips!

[@lynnchantler96]

Thanks for this great info, Gardener Scott! Well done, practical, and resourceful advice for getting the most "bang for the seed"!

[@maggiemanzke7926]

I'm all about precision planting with succession. Lots of food!

[@garynorcal4269]

Cool diamond precision planting ... I've been doing that for years and didn't know it had a title. 🙂🙃🙂😉

[@mommajscountrygardening]

Excellent, sir. I really try to use every nook and cranny

[@bartmol05]

I've done some succesion plantings last year: carrots after potato, leeks after beets, tomatoes after radish and it worked great! This year I'm trying cabbage after garlic, leeks after radish and whatever I decide later haha. Wonderfull method of getting more food

[@linsaficken9746]

Thank you Spacing for more food information does make so much sense. I’m doing it now.

[@marvinmulford2536]

Thanks, I don't have one yet but was wondering if they worth the money. Just wanted to add kitchen waste year round till full.

[@leahwithheld783]

I always plant radishes directly on top of my parsnips. The parsnips are so slow to germinate that the radishes are ready for harvest by the time the parsnips are germinating. This also helps break up the soil crust for the delicate parsnip seedlings. I don’t even like radishes!

[@amysnipes4245]

Thank you Gardener Scott. Always great information.

[@heidiclark6612]

Great information! I am starting to use this type of planting more and more because I only have so much space to garden in .

[@RobReich]

Another good video, thanks.

[@mowerds33]

I'm trying square foot this year, I'm excited to see how it works. Only thing I have to worry about is to stay on top of feeding.

[@brightantwerp]

Thank you! Great info.

[@takeitslowhomestead5218]

Thank you for the information and inspiration.

[@rick6605]

I love geometry! I planted my fall garlic offset diagonally at four inches on center. Growing great! Rich soil is a must.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

Great video! Can I have a salad? 🥗😁

[@JOI2CoCo963]

So helpful thank you!

[@markirish7599]

The shopping bags made from cloth material are real cheap and lots of plants can be grown in them. Like potatoes. Peppers. Tomatoes. Cucumber..hope this helps those people trying to grow food on a budget. Best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@wascopI]

I planted my kale directly outside which I know is common but I've always started indoors, never noticed much if any difference. I plant a large bed of kale because it is a food source for my rabbits and it last all season, anyway I just sprinkled seeds thick all over the bed and I am having an even greater harvest than usual and I cut and go daily grows back quick, only way I will do it from now on. Love all the informative information.

[@kmiller6002]

WOW I LOVE your videos and learning from you Gardener Scott Thank You. Everyone stay safe and God Bless you and your family from middle GA 🙏 Kendra

[@damattice23]

I’m going to try succession planting in close proximity. Really helpful video. Thanks Scott!

[@Octoschizare]

From a crystallography perspective, that isn't called diamond, it is hexagonal close-packed and it achieves the maximum packing factor of 74% with spheres. This is how atoms are arranged in metals, except in 3D. You just need to arrange the plants in alternating rows offset by 50% and the plant positions form corners of equilaterial triangles, which would be the optimum planting distance apart. Each plant is then surrounded by 6 plants at 60-degree angles instead of 4 plants at 90-degree angles from the square grid arrangement.

[@Aaron999]

Come on, more space in a raised bed compared to in ground? Look at your walkways...2+ feet, dwarfing any little space you save in your example. Also, plant roots can extend into walkways when in ground, unlike the wooden edges of a raised bed. If you really want to maximize space, compare the growing space you have in your garden to that of a market gardener, like Dowding. It's not even close. Sorry for being harsh. I just think raised beds are way overutilized in home gardens.

[@dinacasey7034]

I'd like to see you and Charles Dowding combine methods!

[@Cordelia0704p]

I don't follow the packet directions lol but the Swiss chard example worries me they get huge

[@theelpydimension]

Awesome video, thanks for talking and teaching on this. I did this my first year back gardening (last year) unintentionally, just because I really wanted to grow more than the packets said I could. Then I discovered I wasn't so wrong after all when I saw you and other gardeners growing more. In my opinion, this is one of the best pieces of advice, grow more in less space.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

With raised beds you need at least two feet of lateral pathway just to make sure your shoes don't get stuck. in-ground i'm always planting things like radishes and garlic in the pathway itself, things that can get pulled out for a harvest before the main plants start filling in all the space. Large plants on the edges get trimmed on one side so they don't take over the pathways, as well as all the lowest large leaves so the new plants coming up get more light, or just let the plants lay themselves down in the pathways, that usually opens up a lot of space. It's usually interesting to get all the plants growing together, but we find spots for everything~

[@cbriangilbert1978]

Perfect if you don't have the space!!

[@adampetherick6266]

Omg thankyou,for explaining this alot of channel ,s explains but not the Y an you do both thankyou

[@elisataylor556]

I have my cherry tomato plants 2 to a 5 gallon bucket and they're doing great. Same with my cucumbers. My biggest issue this year is finding enough 5 gallon buckets. I think everyone has the same idea in my area to do container gardening.

[@Gkrissy]

Thanks Gardener Scott. Love the grow bags. I am expanding to using them since one can move them around. Stressing the plant tip for tomatoes is essential and replenish your soil with nutrients.

[@ecologytoday]

Thanks for another great video. It is one of my goals to use as many of these techniques as I can to maximize my harvest. By planting intensively, I also do far less weeding and watering than conventional garden beds. On occasion, I will take a few different types of seeds (eg radish, lettuce, carrots) and mix them and broadcast sow in a defined area to get great results.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. You are right. Less weeding and less water needed are some great advantages.

[@kmiller6002]

What state do you live in? I'm curious about that can you explain? Please and Thank you 🤗.... Kendra

[@ecologytoday]

@@kmiller6002 Are you speaking to me or Gardener Scott?

[@kmiller6002]

@@ecologytoday you 🤗🤗

[@ecologytoday]

@@kmiller6002 I reside in southern Ontario, Canada, near the Great Lakes.

[@Angie-ci1lp]

True!😳😍

[@FloridaGirl-]

You are a genius! Love the vid!

[@leslienichols5268]

Thanks Gardener Scott.

[@royalicing8603]

Great ideas Scott! You're a natural teacher! Thank you!

[@zedia97]

@Gardener Scott Thanks so much for the informative and well thought out video. (as always lol) Another way to increase the amount of food you can grow in a space is also to use worm castings (vermicompost) there have been numerous academic studies proving that by adding the worm castings the size and health of the fruits and vegetable increase significantly. P.S. Can we get an update on how your worm bin is doing? maybe even a video of you implementing the casts into the garden, or even how to propagate them into a new bin? Thanks with Peace and Love

[@GardenerScott]

Worm castings are great. I've expanded to two bins and they're doing great.

[@chandraramnarine6447]

Good morning gardener Scott,this morning I went in my garden and I noticed my Swiss chard that came back from last year has a tiny white pest under it’s leaf do u have any idea what pest is that and how to treat it naturally,also I have a little patch of young arugula I saw like a tiny black fly boring holes on the leaves,any idea what’s the pest and how to treat it,thank u much in advance.

[@GardenerScott]

There are many things it could be including aphids. You can try spraying them off with water. Lady bugs and other predators often show up to eat them.

[@marvinmulford2536]

I would like your opinion about the tumbler composter. Are they good to use during the winter?

[@GardenerScott]

They may be good in winter but will still require turning to aerate the material and keep the heat up. Once the material has decomposed and the temperatures drop, it can freeze in cold areas. That's not a big issue but it can be difficult to use the block of frozen compost until it thaws.

[@angelsinthecloset8714]

excellent content!! whats going on in that HUGE grow bag??

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! I'm making leaf mold. Here's my video about that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYTLZZ-qrLKFgM0

[@ryanwinfield8582]

Hello sir Scott... This topic sounds like high intensity planting. My question relates to root crops. If you plant root crops close together, will/won't they be immature?

[@GardenerScott]

If the root crops are too close together they can be smaller. They still need space to grow but maybe not as much as the row spacing on seed packets.

[@ryanwinfield8582]

@@GardenerScott thank you for the advice 😁

[@blustardave]

Interesting vid. I always thought the spacing between rows was for hoeing in between and getting the weeds out without disturbing the plant roots.

[@GardenerScott]

That is a big reason and one still talked about by old gardeners, but it's crazy how few weeds there are when the plants are growing closer together.

[@blustardave]

@@GardenerScott Thanks for commenting back :) It's funny how I now realise I am an old gardener. I guess I am :) I have been allotment gardening for 20 years now on my plot, and learnt alot from my allotment neighbour who is 84 years old and still digging his plot. I understand where you are coming from but if I wanted I would sow radish in between my potato rows once they are eathed up for an extra crop as they are quick growers. I'm from the UK by the way and we have totally different weather etc.

[@noahleno]

Another great video. So much useful information. For someone who is brand new to gardening, do you have advice on how to plan for an occasion week trip away from the garden? Is it best to choose crops that need less watering or installing irrigation? Thanks so much.

[@GardenerScott]

While irrigation on a timer can work, I prefer to ask or hire someone to water the garden when I'm away.

[@noahleno]

@@GardenerScott Thanks so much!

[@bananamonkeyful]

..

[@ttb1513]

Great set of tips. What are the limits people have found on close spacing for tomatoes that are trellised and pruned to a single stem? I grew 8 tomatoes in a 4’x8’ bed last year, each on its own string. This was easily enough spacing. But I’m curious how many more could grow in that space. Experiences?

[@todd4406]

Last year I grew my toms in a 3'x22' bed. 24 plants. I used the Florida weave method for trellising them up. I pruned the bottom leaves of the tomatoes and planted basil, cilantro, and lettuce in between the plants. All the plants were happy and I got a wonderful yield

[@ttb1513]

@@todd4406 Thanks. That’s a little less than 3 square feet per plant, better than the 4 square feet I used last year. Good to know.

[@GardenerScott]

I space my tomato plants about 15-18 inches apart when pruning to a single stem.

[@marynellschwindt4130]

What is Swiss Chard?

[@GardenerScott]

It's a type of plant with long leaves.

[@secretchef0801]

Where can I find a list of the vegetables to grow in the different seasons? I really enjoyed this video. Helped me alot. Thank you.

[@GardenerScott]

There are a number of sites that have a general guide for planting. Try doing a search of "gardening calendar".

[@secretchef0801]

@@GardenerScott thanks I will.

[@gardenineden]

One place to check is a free app called “From Seed to Spoon. Very helpful for me.😊

[@secretchef0801]

@@gardenineden Thank you. Never heard of that one. Will definitely check it out. Thanks

[@gardenineden]

@@secretchef0801 - You are welcome. Hope it helps.😊

[@therevelation19]

Interesting fact, You are talking about inch and use the centimeter side of Your ruler! What about that?

[@GardenerScott]

I used 2 cm to represent six inches on the figure so it would fit on the page.

[@therevelation19]

@@GardenerScott ,thanks for claryfication, was just wondering.

[@charlesstock64]

Great video, I was able to eat salad greens all growing season using cut and come again method last year. I will try using other plant shading this year to add more growth. I used low cattle panel hoop houses with shade cloth that I could control how many hours of sun and shade the lettuce/greens got. It worked well. I also found that the same hoops and shade cloth cut down my physical moving of seedlings when hardening off (given the air temps which might make me move back in). Those low cattle panel hoops you showed are the most versatile tool in the raised bed garden. I am harvesting broccolini, kale, lettuce (and cabbage soon) as they acted as little green houses during late winter/early spring here in NH. Thanks!

[@poojapurohit5177]

Good topic . I wonder if I grow Raddish and Carrot in single container will there be any cross pollination?? ( Hmm 🤔 pollination happens ? No idea in my mind) I hv many containers and one bed so far .. This year I’m into container gardening and growing tomato , carrot , marigold in single container as they make good companion. If Raddish makes good companion with carrot I would like to grow them too .. please let me know.

[@GardenerScott]

They are completely different plants and won't cross pollinate.

[@poojapurohit5177]

@@GardenerScott ok Thank u soo much I gonna plant them together.