Make your first vegetable garden

[@helloallyouppl]

Algorithm suggested your videos and I have been very much enjoying them for their straight to the point simplicity and great information

[@growitbuildit]

I'm happy you found me M.S.

[@deborah820]

Amazing video, thank you for such detailed information. There’s nothing worse than going to a gardening channel for a specific topic only for the person to digress to other subjects that are irrelevant to the topic at hand. Thank you for making points, expanding on those points and staying on track. I just shared this video to my gardening group and I’m off to your video playlist! Thanks again from a 4th year gardener in Oklahoma!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Deborah! I'm very happy for your comment because I try to do exactly as you said. And thank you so much for sharing it!

[@seamus6994]

Joe, I would like to add a piece of information here for your viewers. You've mentioned that you belong to numerous Forums for Gardening. I have a lot of Hobby's besides gardening, prospecting, metal detecting, bottle collecting, camping etc. The Forums I belong to are for Veterans with PTSD, I'm a Veteran also. (Where am I going with this)? Years of studies have shown that people with Depression, especially Clinical Depression, feel so much better after working in a garden and getting their hands dirty. Many years ago a Bacterium was discovered in soil that actually mirrors the effects of Prozac. The Bacterium is called, Mycobacterium vaccae. It's believed the Bacterium stimulates Serotonin production, which makes us feel happier and more relaxed. A lack of Serotonin production is believed to be one of the causes of Clinical Depression. Of course it's best to not wear gloves if possible so the Bacterium can move into any small cuts or under the fingernails etc. So Joe, when you make great gardening videos like you always do. Remember, your not just teaching people how to garden. But your helping many people that have emotional problems and terrible depression..... to feel good and happy. Be proud of that too!

[@venicelight1320]

Great step-by-step vegetable garden tutorial, thank you! Coincidentally, four years ago I made a fence just like yours with a "carabiner gate" just like yours, for a flower garden fence gate (lots of visiting deer), and it's worked absolutely perfectly!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Venice! Great minds think alike on the garden gate!

[@callikohl7603]

I have gardened for a long time, but it's very nice to get new ideas for how to do things. Thanks.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Calli!

[@flowerpixel]

I don't even have room for a vegetable garden but there are a lot of good tips in this

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Holly!

[@T-Mo_]

I made a 22'x22' garden this year. So much work the way I did it. Used a 40 yr old front tine tiller over the whole thing. And then because my soil is so hard I would till a row, then shovel it out, and repeat that 2 times and then shovel all the loose soil back to make a raised row. Made 4 rows. Free exercise! Put 2 layers of cardboard down on the walkways between rows. Worked well for weeds. And added lawn clipping around plants as mulch. Also kept the weeds down. I'm starting your leaf mulch process this fall.

[@growitbuildit]

Wow - that was definitely some free exercise! Wow. Cardboard does wonders for weed suppression. I think once your leaves get 'settled' in you will have an excellent gardening season next year. Good luck!

[@T-Mo_]

@@growitbuildit thanks! Good video and channel.

[@MarySmith-ry9cu]

Boy I really appreciate you going over this. Especially the ways to kill grass! Super helpful. I will be checking out your other videos. Thanks!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Mary - I'm glad you found my video helpful.

[@bqgin]

The most useful channel on youtube. Thank you.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! That means a lot to me.

[@spir5102]

I am so glad I found your channel. You are to the point, don't waste a lot of time going off topic, you don't worry too much about the aesthetics, like me. Some channels worry so much about their garden looking perfect rather than focusing on what the plants need. I skip those videos. I see your channel as a real, down to earth, give the facts and stay on topic channel. I really appreciate that. I have subscribed.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you so much - that really means a lot to me. I strive to make clear, concise, but informative videos with a focus on the information. And I do everything based on my learned experience, and showing what I do. So, ift will work for many people, but perhaps not everyone. Thank you again and happy gardening!

[@elsalynn9823]

oh thank goodness - I've been looking for a video like this for WEEKS - thank you so much!

[@growitbuildit]

Glad I could help you Elsa!

[@sphillips6357]

Great video, as always. Wish I had good soil to start with like in this video. Mine is so hard and rocky it takes a backhoe to break through the top 6 inches. So what I did was just to create a raised bed veggie garden. Home depot sells bricks that wood can slide into for the sides of the bed. So no tools needed to construct the bed and the bed is however long the wood is that you get. I put a layer of hardware cloth or metal screen on the bottom, then stacked the bricks and wood on top, then filled with a combination of soil and cow manure I got from a local ranch's cow-feeding pen area. No gophers can get into it from underneath, and I made it 30 in high so no rabbits jump up into it and I don't need to bend over to work it. And at 20 feet long and 4 feet wide it should provide a good quantity of veggies, I hope. Just thought I'd share one other possibility for making a veggie garden. It's my first vegetable garden ever and I just completed it a few months ago. I look forward to planting it this spring as soon as the freezing weather is over. I'd put a picture of it here but U-Tube won't allow me to insert pictures.

[@growitbuildit]

Sounds like you've got a good system there that is inherently protected from various animals that regularly plague/trouble most people's gardens. That is also cool that you were able to fill it for free. My soil was not nice 5 years ago! I regularly used a digging bar to go 6" down, and have pulled enough rock out for several fire pits. There is one strip, about 5' wide that runs through my whole backyard (I think) that is 90% rock. But the years of leaf mulch have really made a difference for me.

[@lahuertadeltiomeno2009]

thanks friend for all the information you are my inspiration to make my garden

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome! Good luck on your garden!

[@brenda8010]

I use the cardboard method. works great, free, composts itself, and easy. Thanks for the videos.

[@growitbuildit]

I couldn't agree more Brenda! Cardboard is the best.

[@mariaryan3522]

Thank you!!!! I already have a place where I want my garden. Luckily is the dog pen, the dogs don't use it & I thought it'll do for my garden. Definitely I'll use the cardboard method, much easier on my back. My zone is 9b, Orlando, Fl. Once again thank you for such an informative video.

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Maria! Good luck starting your garden. And yes, the cardboard method is by far the easiest!

[@roots2agarden857]

Awesome video, thanks for giving plenty of information. I'm in the city, got lots of rabbits, birds, squirrels and possums to worry about getting to my vegetables. The gadget I purchased to scare them away 😂😂 it's just that, funny and a waste of money. Thanks for sharing.

[@growitbuildit]

I've grown vegetables in gardens without a fence before, and found that using Liquid Fence worked well to keep everything away. I would make a perimeter around the plants and spray on the leaves directly. It seemed to work keeping the rabbits/deer off the plants.

[@amongoaksandowls]

Amazing video, thank you!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm very happy you found it useful. Good luck!

[@pamelacorsi]

I need to discourage groundhogs from digging into my veg garden so I bury a few inches of chicken wire around the bottom edge of the garden fence. If they get so bold as to climb over, I then loosely attach some chicken wire to the top creating an unstable situation for climbing. Deer don't jump over my garden fence but they do in my mother's garden. Rabbits are also an issue but the chicken wire on the bottom helps. The only critters I can't stop are the chipmunks!!!

[@growitbuildit]

That is a good idea to keep groundhogs out. I've not had to fight them, even though there are a few around here. Thank you for sharing that Pamela.

[@amycignetti2936]

I’m wondering if you didn’t touch on silage tarps to kill grass because because of size & cost? One 25x100 silage tarp could make 4 nice-sized backyard gardens if you split it with friends.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Amy - I did not touch on that method due to cost when it is compared to cardboard. But that is a good suggestion if for some reason you couldn't or didn't want to try to scrounge up cardboard/newspaper.

[@amritagill1680]

Thank you so much !!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Amrita - good luck!

[@lunabeta3516]

How'd I not know there's a difference between compost and mulch until now~ Better late than never. I learn something in each of these videos. New subscriber here. We have clay. Uhg

[@growitbuildit]

Excellent - I'm glad you are enjoying it Luna. My soil may not be 'clay', but it drains like it. Hopefully you can have some success transforming your soil too.

[@Peikaboo]

Thank you so much for the video. My mom and I are building our first garden and trying the cardboard and mulch approach. After we mulch the cardboard, how long should we wait before we start putting plants in the ground? My mom was also considering just adding dirt on top of the cardboard and planting above it, is this a good idea? I am leaning towards more of what was shown here, but she thought the cardboard would make a good barrier to keep out slugs and other insects that would get to the plants. I kind of thought the roots wouldn't have anywhere to go. Thanks if you take the time to reply. 😊 you have the best gardening videos thanks so much! we are also getting into composting!

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Peikaboo - Mulch would be my suggestion. Plain mulch that isn't dyed. It would probably be the most economical. Make a 3-4" layer (minimum) if you can. Otherwise, you could add topsoil on top too, or even straight compost or leaf-mold. The cardboard is great for killing the grass, but doesn't necessarily do anything for the bugs. They can find their way around anything. You can plant through the cardboard so the roots have somewhere to go. I thought I described it in the video, but just use a knife and cut an 'X" in the cardboard where you want to place your plant. Because of the 'X' you can fold back the cardboard triangles exposing the grass. Dig out a hole at this spot deep enough for your plant. Add a bit of compost (if you have any) and then backfill. Then, unfold the pieces of cardboard so that now the only thing poking through is your vegetable plant.

[@Peikaboo]

​@@growitbuildit Thank you! Yes you did say cut through it, and I tried to tell my mom we should just follow the video. Thanks a ton for taking the time to help us!

[@unchainedthinking9151]

Very helpful video. Thank you for posting it.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed it.

[@NevadanHunter]

Would be mentioning Silage Tarps for removing grass.

[@naomiledger1374]

Joe, do you practice crop rotation with your veg? With only the one large bed, is it still as effective as rotating using multiple veg beds? It's something that always comes up especially when talking tomatoes. 😊

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Naomi - I actually don't rotate very much. I pretty much keep the tomatoes in the same spot, year over year. My reasoning is that they are tall enough to shade other plants, so they kind of need to be kept in the back NE corner. Every year, my plants will get blight, but I think every year I've ever gardened anywhere (and all gardens I've ever seen) the tomatoes get blight by September. Most of the diseases they warn you about are ubiquitous. The spores or bacteria are pretty much everywhere. I can understand crop rotation from the perspective of allowing yourself to add nutrients back into the soil. But if you make enough compost or do a heavy leaf mulch, you will be feeding the soil with more than enough nutrients. I'll put it this way. This particular garden has been going for 8 years now, and the tomatoes have been in the same place each year. Since I started leaf-mulching, the plants have gotten huge each year and make tons of fruit. We've had more than enough to can in all years except 2023, which was a ridiculous drought and my tomatoes and all my neighbors suffered. My plants will produce until October, when the frost approaches and I put the garden to bed so to speak.

[@naomiledger1374]

@@growitbuildit Thanks for your reply Joe. Makes sense too. Sometimes you just need to put things into practice to learn, even though it can take precious time to figure stuff out. I've begun my composting piles now, and I'm all over them, tending to them like a new mother! LOL So hopefully my ground will be rich with nutrients soon too. 😊

[@OohMilitia]

Question: Will laying a tarp over a fresh tilled garden area kill the weeds if left for about 2-3 weeks in the sun? Thanks!!

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Militia - it usually takes a bit longer than 2-3 weeks to kill it, but yes, that can work. Some people use clear plastic for a month or more in summer, and that will 'cook' the grass/weeds. While others just use black plastic, and it smothers the grass for a couple of months or more.

[@OohMilitia]

@@growitbuildit Thanks!

[@JaredBanz]

Very helpful video, thank you! ... How deep do you put your posts? We live in MN and are considering a similar garden as yours.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Jared, and you're welcome. I try to go 2' deep on posts...and I would recommend t-posts. My fence is 4' tall, so I buy 6' posts. My fence used U-Posts, and while most are perfectly fine, they are much weaker and less sturdy than T-posts. This past Fall I nearly doubled my garden size, so had to expand my fence. My new posts for the expansion were t-posts.

[@JaredBanz]

@@growitbuildit You answered a couple of my questions. Thank you!

[@ImRicWooo]

Thanks for the video. I found your channel today. Im just your basic garden guy. I have land and grow in the land without raised beds or all that BS. I have found that a basic in ground garden is nowhere on KZbin and everything is raised beds. In ground is the cheapest easiest and quickest way to grow. Anyway thanks for trying.

[@growitbuildit]

I agree with everything you say on in-ground gardening. And I like your profile pic! WOOOOO

[@katiecannon8186]

We want you to start a new mixed flower garden. 😍.

[@growitbuildit]

I'll have to do that sometime. I've got a lot of flower gardens right now!

[@cmburns2606]

Great info. Do you grow any fruit?

[@growitbuildit]

I've got a number of black raspberry vines. I also have a few Pawpaw trees, Persimmon, and Apple that I started from seed within the last 4 years or so. Nothing bearing yet - but hopefully in a few years.

[@cmburns2606]

@@growitbuildit Wow that’s awesome

[@youngbuck5009]

I have a theory that the more stakes/tposts in the garden, the better. Deer see it as a hazard. I’ve had success with a 3.5’ fence thus far and the deer opt to hop a 5’ farm fence instead of passing through my garden

[@growitbuildit]

You could very well be right. If it is working for you - keep doing it.

[@huntersmoon2351]

Groundhogs😡 been fighting one every year. I started putting ground cinnamon around my garden she steers clear. Tried catching her in live trap but she's too big and fat to go in🐖. Trust this video bc he's absolutely correct.

[@growitbuildit]

I feel so fortunate not having to battle groundhogs. There is one or two around, but I've never seen any in or near my garden. I actually didn't see any until our 5th year at this house.

[@amycignetti2936]

electrified poultry netting with a sizable charger will work so long as they can not push under it. Groundhogs are the worst, I feel your pain!