Survive Inflation: Grow These 5 Crops

[@petereng7497]

In a city, cardboard boxes are plentiful and serve well as single-season containers. I use them more like miniature raised beds, then shred them for compost in fall.

[@GrowVeg]

What a great tip Peter, thanks for sharing. :-)

[@enocelt]

Be careful of the nasty fiberglass-threaded tapes, hard to remove anyway.

[@jaselleromero]

I'm thinking about doing that for my potatoes n garlic n strawberries

[@CilfaNieraad]

You don't have rain where you live? One good shower and the cardboard box is gone, in this country :-)

[@petereng7497]

@@CilfaNieraad I have rain. I suppose that eight hours of torrential rain would destroy a cardboard box, but it's not spun sugar. The sides will bulge after a day of rain where I live, but that's about all. In more rainy regions I'd suggest using the box as a form, wrapping a waterproof material around it.

[@vcr210]

I started a soil bag garden this year, and it saved money in several ways .... lowered my grocery costs, lower my gas expenses, and best of all, kept me active in the sun and kept me healthier!

[@GrowVeg]

So many benefits to it Robert. :-)

[@interspeciesfamily8043]

Not to mention your body's long-wave electricity being rebooted by touching garden elements. Try doing it barefoot sometimes and you'll gain even more benefits in that respect. Soooooo good to hear that others also repurpose.

[@Alyss93]

I'm not too sure about elsewhere, but a lot of public libraries here in Canada (and the USA) have "seed libraries" where you can pick up packets of seeds for free! Usually they're larger packets broken down into smaller ones (e.g. a packet of 30 squash seeds down to 5 each), which is much easier for starting a smaller garden on a budget!

[@GrowVeg]

Such a great idea. :-)

[@davidthedeaf]

Not sure where in the US that is, but it is not in Vancouver, WA.

[@ruthsmith2367]

Thanks for the video. You can ask at your local supermarket for the tubs the flowers come in. I asked our guy at Asda a couple of years ago, I told him what I needed them for as I wanted to grow some veg, he gave me loads. He said they just get recycled and was happy to give me a load. You have to put holes in the bottom but no problem. Just an idea for you all to save some money 😊

[@theclumsyprepper]

Not all supermarkets do that. I asked at my local Tesco and Aldi and was told they return them to the suppliers. Thankfully I get loads of food grade buckets from the bakery section of the shop I work in. They're brilliant for growing food in too.

[@ruthsmith2367]

@@theclumsyprepper food grade buckets are a great free item clumsy prepper, nice. Hope they have lids, I would be storing all sorts in them them and good for planting to as you say. I got the tip from a Facebook group for container growing vegetables. He mentioned Asda which is my nearest. So maybe it’s just Asda then who are happy to give away free 🤷🏻‍♀️ I am on first name terms with the guy who reduces the fruit and veg though 🤣

[@theclumsyprepper]

@@ruthsmith2367 Yeah getting to know someone on a first name basis definitely helps. Most of the buckets I get have lids but I already have plenty of them so just use the buckets for growing food instead. Also my boyfriend is a carpenter so I get loads of timber offcuts for making raised beds and for firewood too. I make my own compost as well and get farmyard manure for free from a neighbour (trailer loads of them). Getting all the freebies definitely helps to keep the costs down.

[@ruthsmith2367]

@@theclumsyprepper blimey I could do with you living near me. Your not in North Wales are you 😀

[@theclumsyprepper]

@@ruthsmith2367 no hun, I'm in Ireland.

[@melissapollard5447]

Thanks - great video. Here in Australia, the veg I would add is loose leaf (‘cut and come again’) lettuces. Lettuce has been incredibly expensive here this year - up to $10AUS for an iceberg lettuce. Every time I look at my garden, I feel like a millionaire!

[@GrowVeg]

Up to 10 dollars for a lettuce?! That's astonishing!

[@MamboDogFace]

@@GrowVeg For an iceberg no less! Nearly all water and slim nutrients :(

[@genevievebarker943]

@@GrowVeg Some were $15!

[@earthwatchmoon8390]

Here in New Zealand a punnet of cherrie tomatoes use to be around $6.00 ( only last year) now $11.00.

[@tangobayus]

Growing food is like growing money. You can eat it, gift it, trade it, or sell it.

[@pabf2745]

Pimientos+tomates, remolacha, kale, frejoles, calabaza/calabacin

[@nancytabor8302]

I get good sturdy pallets from my roofer friend, my woodchips from my tree service, horse manure from a Bible study friend, and card board from a local furniture store. Oh. And coffee grounds from S_____! So many people love to support growers!

[@GrowVeg]

I find that too - if you ask and smile nicely you often get for free!

[@Beaguins]

I love how you take serious topics like inflation and potential poverty and get us smiling and laughing. Thanks so much for the encouragement. For me the list would be very similar. I would just change kale to cabbage (they store so well!) and beets to potatoes (I love beets, but they don't grow well in my garden).

[@lsmith992]

Kale has lots of oxalate which is detrimental to the human digestive system. Cabbage is far better and can be turned to sauerkraut, increasing its preservation and vitamin c and k content.

[@da1stamericus]

hi beaguins. try starting your Beets indoors. then transplanting once they come up. also make sure to water them often. and tada.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks @Beaguins for those suggestions. Yes, the list will be different for different people. I so wanted to include potatoes, but the maths didn't work out. But obviously they are MUST in any garden! :-)

[@da1stamericus]

@@GrowVeg mine too. Especially the yellow ones. They work Soo deliciously for any roast.happy gardening from the Netherlands.

[@Mrbfgray]

Maybe just me but I never do zucchini. You couldn't give it away in my childhood neighborhood, everyone always accidentally grew TOO MUCH of it, and mom and others made everything from it. (which I love and respect) But I got my fill. Far prefer crookneck or any more substantial flavor, quality, density slower growing types.

[@flowerheit4512]

friends in hot climates! instead of struggling against the heat to grow the usual varieties of spinach or other greens in the summer, this year i started some malabar spinach along a section of chain link fence in my yard. It's really taken off! It took a little while to get going initially, back in March, but once the weather started getting really hot in May the vines started growing like crazy, and in my area i can grow them as a perennial! Fresh greens, even in the hottest part of the year, when most of my garden is unproductive!

[@renel7303]

This Californian thanks you for your recommendation. 🙋‍♀️👩‍🌾

[@no-one-u-know]

just an fyi - the leaves are very "mucilaginous". if you do not like 'okra slime', you won't like malabar spinach either. don't waste valuable garden space & growing time on it if you aren't a fan of those kinds of textures/mouth-feels...

[@adriennefloreen]

That's the best advice. I love that plant too, it is also safe for people who are allergic to oxalic acid in spinach or people with kidney stones. You can buy seeds online, just search for Malabar spinach. It is a totally unrelated plant that tastes like spinach. There are actually a few Asian "spinach" plants and even a "Spinach Tree" grown in places it is too hot for American spinach. If you live in an area that hot you should look into other Asian vegetables you can grow there that will love the heat, try "Pea Eggplants" that in hot climates grow on a tree that lives years, can be eaten cooked or raw, and have been in viral videos by food travelers with millions of views.

[@tsugima6317]

@@no-one-u-know Southerner here, a shot of acidity like vinegar helps cut the ropiness. Okra is best fried,or in a mix of tomatoes, peppers and onions,(try cutting up an ear 🌽 of corn in it. A teeny bit of butter and salt and pepper is a given. My sister pickles okra.

[@no-one-u-know]

@@tsugima6317 also a southerner, and have tried okra near bout every way possible, and it's just not fittin to eat, for me. But I love me some brussels sprouts, and most people gag over those the way I do over okra 😁 I have heard tell of people using ground okra seeds as a coffee substitute during hard times in the great Depression, but I have not been that hard up, yet. Something tells me we're fixing to go into another one though, so it could be that I will eventually develop a taste for okra one day, out of desperation!

[@alanshrimpton6787]

Cucumbers do it for me. Pickled for the winter when very expensive

[@Sam-lj9vj]

I remember many years ago I was with my mum and the dogs out in the forest having a walk. At some point we passed a tree where two stacks of plant containers were just left. Almost a dozen of them ranging from 1 gallon till 5 gallon or so. Good quality thick plastic. I saw they were priced for at least 10-30USD on the pricetags. I still use them to this day.

[@StuWright]

I found some big garden pots 30cm wide being thrown out in a skip about 6 yrs ago, I still use them now! theres about 12 of them

[@Sam-lj9vj]

@@StuWright Oh that is great. Yeah it is such a waste to hear the amount of stuff that goes to waste. If you'd have to pay for such pots, you'd pay a lot of money for sure.

[@soniavos8065]

Haha. Some one grew some weed out there. Got lazy and didn't clean up. 😪

[@Sam-lj9vj]

@@soniavos8065 Well whatever they was growing, it saved me a lot of money.

[@soniavos8065]

@@Sam-lj9vj I'm always on the lookout for free pots or anything useful. Rethink reuse recycle. I reuse all my weed containers. 😆 🤣

[@lexington476]

11:27 in the United States at least, some public libraries also have seed libraries where you can get free seeds. I've never used them, but I know they exist.

[@michellezevenaar]

Very cook idea to copy in our community center!

[@renel7303]

Years ago some of the seed company reps, when they pulled the old product off the store shelves, dropped them off at the local Master Gardener office. Those got shared with many people. Another time I was outside the grocery store when the rep was outside putting the pulled seeds into his van. It was stacked with boxes of seeds. I asked what happens to them. He looked around, no one else in area, and pulled out several boxes for me to paw through. He let me have a couple dozen. There were thousands of packets.

[@debbiehenri345]

We have local seed swap events advertised in our local supermarkets here in Scotland.

[@prunechat8401]

I tried to start a seed swap in our North Yorkshire village in the spring. Not one person asked for seeds that I had carefully listed in a newsletter that also included Ben’s tips on how to check that seeds will still germinate (damp kitchen paper). One lady kindly gave me her huge collection of ageing seeds to offer to neighbours, these went unclaimed and in the end I donated lots of flower seeds to a volunteer group that grows flowers for a local cemetery to make it more welcoming to visitors. No idea why the idea did take off, it was very disappointing ~ perhaps we have too much spare cash in this corner of the country and so don’t want to save a few pennies…..

[@michellezevenaar]

@@prunechat8401 we did a seedlings and cuttings trade day and that went rather well. I think that if you announce it in January that it will be in April or May you will have more luck. People always sew to many plants anyway so they are happy to trade the ones that are left over for things they may have never grown before them selves.

[@rosalindhb]

I'm growing kale, beets, swiss chard, radishes, bok choy and sweet potatoes in containers. It's still 95 here in 8b. So hopefully they will survive.

[@mousiebrown1747]

Hello there! I’m in 8b but in Louisiana, 50 miles north of New Orleans! I’m not growing plants right now - knees are wonky. Where are you and what are you growing?

[@gloriajackson3739]

Hey from BATON ROUGE growing Lettuce garlic collard green mustards green green onion kale have a mulberry tree will be transplanted in ground soon and cabbage

[@americafirst9144]

Kale, bok choy and radishes grow well in restaurant bussing trays.

[@GrowVeg]

@Rosalind - Hope the weather cools off for you soon. That's still very toasty!

[@FelixTheAnimator]

@@mousiebrown1747 I'm over a bit west of you in East Texas, it's too late to plant them now, but I've got sweet potatoes going!

[@albertawalters3731]

Thank you so much! Just planted my winter garden - kale and chard ( a few varieties) thyme and arugula..I live in Albuquerque, NM and it remains quite warm into the winter!

[@GrowVeg]

Hope you get a great winter harvest Alberta.

[@jordanmaris1641]

Also if you can grow basil in your climate, it complements tomatoes well, not only cause it tastes good together, but also because the basil and tomatoes protect eachother from their respective pests

[@slomo1716]

Ben, you crack me up, so humorous and entertaining when sharing your wealth of knowledge! Love it! I've grown tomatoes and peppers for years, this year was my worst year yet, due to lack of rain. But I did try gourds, green beans and peas. My gourds for decorative projects were great, the green beans are only now producing and the peas were a fail. Instead I went to my farmers market, bought tomatoes and beets for canning, and corn for freezing. There is always next year. Thanks for another WONDERFUL INFORMATIVE VIDEO with a giggle here and there!

[@GrowVeg]

Glad to have raised a smile! Next year is always a place of great promise - it will be an amazing growing year I'm sure. :-)

[@cecilysabino3475]

Great video , could you also include that growing your own saves on unnecessary use of plastic packaging . Since I started growing my own I haven’t bought a bag of lettuce or a wrapped lettuce . Trying to reduce single use plastic is so important . I love all your videos and your enthusiasm is infectious . Keep up the good work 💐

[@GrowVeg]

Very good point Cecily. :-)

[@andersonomo597]

Another great video - THANKS BEN! I would also add loose leaf lettuce - so easy to grow and very productive if you keep picking the outer leaves and you only need a few plants per person. I hate to think how much money I've wasted on lettuce that sits in the crisper too long! Secondhand tools are easy to get at flea markets and I think there's something nice about using a tool that's gone through many hands before. Thanks for turning frugal into fun! Oh, and more Rosie please - she's adorable!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for that - yes, flea markets are a great opportunity, and I agree - a tool with history to it is so much more appealing.

[@MamboDogFace]

​@@GrowVeg I have many tools of my father's in my garden and workshop and I collect vintage tools. The feel of an old trusted and well used tool is a special kind of magic!

[@MamboDogFace]

That's abundance! This year I have 14 tomatoes, 8 from seeds of last year (had 24 seedlings! but gave away most of them for space reasons), 2 volunteers and 4 from the nursery. 8 basil plants were rescued from the produce section as (nearly dead) live plants. Purple and Thai basil. Lots of nasturtiums and marigold, carrots from seed packets, 3 kinds of potato from the shops, red and white onions from seeds.

[@andersonomo597]

@@MamboDogFace 2 years ago I rescued a pot of very sad looking parsley for 50 cents (normally $4). I split up the little plants whacked them into my good garden soil - and ended up with SO much parsley I was giving to anyone who'd take it. That was fun! Like you too, I planted 8 sad looking potatoes which were destined for the compost heap and ended up with about 3kg of yummy fresh potatoes. Gardening can be disappointing but there's lots of fun and rewards too! Cheers!!

[@RileySheai]

Tip; check with your local farmers, they often have lots of old wood that you can make your raised beds out of. Thats how we made ours last year. We're also able to pick up free compost here, as its a program from our city. So make sure to check with your city hall if there's a similar program. This year however, we're using big bins for our veggie garden (those big ones used in construction to mix cement) they're super sturdy, last for years, and don't break during heavy storms. You can often get those for free as well! Try to save as much seeds as you can from things you've eaten, like tomatoes, pepers ect. So you save money on buying seeds for the future :D So how we do it - buy seeds, harvest crops, save the seeds from said crop, replant next year. -Ps, sorry for bad english

[@GrowVeg]

Some great tips there, thanks so much for sharing! And your English is perfect. :-)

[@newbatling4194]

I'm planning to use some of the blue ikea bags, put some holes in bottom, fill with compost (put some cardboard or rotting wood in bottom to bulk out and save on compost/soil, I have some sacking to wrap round the blue bags then they look a little better and it protects the bags from degrading with the sun.... idea from another gardening KZbinr..

[@GrowVeg]

Sounds like a great idea. :-)

[@b-b-bianchi4148]

We made our raised beds out of leftover wooden fencing that was mostly rotten out when we got our house. We're also going to be building some cold frames from windows we've seen on the curb now and then! Great video as always!

[@GrowVeg]

What a resourceful way to make your raised beds - genius!

[@alexandraathay]

Only problem is, fencing panels and posts are often heat treated with rat poison as a preservative so be super careful if using these with edible foods.

[@hollyashton7009]

We just had our first frost (zone 3b 🇨🇦) so I won’t be planting anything more till next year, but I’m excited to try growing winter squash in 2023. My summer zucchini produced wonderfully! Thank you for your joy & enthusiasm! Inflation & high food & gas prices are real downers but this put some pep in my step.

[@Seriouslydave]

Dang, already!

[@GrowVeg]

Glad to've put a pep in your step Holly. :-)

[@mandysplottoplate9410]

Love your videos. I am a seasoned grower but you can never stop learning. My tip which I have just discovered is to salvage an old porcelain toilet cistern they have holes in the bottom are fairly deep and sturdy you could grow a couple of peppers carrots or flowers very versatile and they come in all colours the older ones like the avocado colour perfect to blend into your garden. So there we have it my newly discovered tip.👍🏻

[@GrowVeg]

Great idea!

[@unknownkadath1289]

5. Squash (Pumpkin) / Zucchini 4. Beets (Roots and leaves can both be used so it's a 2 for 1) 3. Kale / Cabbage / Chard 2. Beans 1. Tomatoes & Peppers Bonus: Herbs

[@valoriegriego5212]

Good-day Ben! Great post that will help a lot of folks out.👍Small suggestion: folks with limited space can grow small winter squash vertical at end of planting bed. There are several varieties of small pumpkins and other winter squash. I grow in totes and large pots...they grow very well for me in containers. 😃 You haven't posted one video that I haven't gotten something good out of...thanks!😃 Hey to Rosie!🐕‍🦺

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much Valorie, appreciate that. Really great tip on the vertical growing of squash - good point. Rosie says 'woof' back.

[@WandaKiwi]

Thank you for using seasonal references to guide us, rather than months as so many vids do...so much easier for us on the other side of the world. Your enthusiasm and knowledge is so motivating too. Love you and your vids. 😆

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much. :-)

[@maureenhall2705]

I live in Canada, on the west coast, BC. To buy peppers in the store you can pay $6 a pound. One head of cauliflower was $7.99. So I will be putting a veggie garden next year!

[@kolafoltin]

Build it now so you are ready to go in the spring!

[@GrowVeg]

Wow, that is expensive Maureen!

[@maskedfoxx7173]

I just recently bought some supplies for a garden the other day and I've been learning everything I can before I get started. I love your videos so much! Your positivity and production are phenomenal and I'm learning so much. I have five veggies to start with but bell peppers are a great idea so I might have to grab some seeds for those before I start my plants. So excited!

[@GrowVeg]

That's really super to hear. Starting is indeed exciting - enjoy every moment! :-)

[@Pixieworksstudio]

Love it Ben! The stats bought home to me exactly how much I have saved! I did a full meal last night in the wood stove, it didn't cost me a penny to make as they wood stove was lit anyway, and the only things I added was seasoning, alternative milk, flour marg and sugar. Just really loving it!

[@debbiehenri345]

Just started using my wood stove a couple of days ago, so will be using the top to begin cooking lots of winter meals again too.

[@Pixieworksstudio]

@@debbiehenri345 wonderful!! I'm doing what I call a red stew on mine today. It is tomato sauce based, but things like peppers, chopped tomatoes, chopped squash, kidney beans and aduki beans. Then I'll put cheesy herb dumplings on the top. I'm becoming anti electricity now 🤣

[@GrowVeg]

Loving your resourcefulness Amanda-Jayne. Those types of meals are the best - and so satisfying to make and eat!

[@Pixieworksstudio]

@@GrowVeg And much more fun😃

[@46FreddieMercury91]

Don't forget, the wood ash is a great, potassium rich fertiliser. Nothing going to waste!

[@deannastevens1217]

My late husband and I have dumpster dived for fresh tile they pulled up because they screwed up. Plexiglass that was thick and long and was a stupid display. Bricks. Specialty Yarns that were tossed at the end of season. UGH....!!!! IT'S NO WONDER MY NATION IS IN DEBT.!! Love the videos. Keep making them AS VALUABLE AS THEY ARE!!!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks Deanna. I think there are some great finds to be had from dumpsters - the stuff people throw out!

[@flamingdonut9456]

Hi, Ben. One thing I'd recommend, is your videos! Have helped me a lot with my first year of fruit and veg. Seeds from shop bought produce is a great money saver. Grown tons of tomatoes, (now started pickled and making relishes), a few peppers and even a pumpkin! Managed to get lots of free pots from a nearby potting shed clear out, but built a simple planter from a fence panel that blow down earlier this year! Also bought loads of cheap seeds, as shops clear out space for Christmas. Can't wait until next year to get sowing! Cheers for all the help, and will stay tuned for more handy tips, ideas and advice!👍

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much for watching, it's appreciated. Glad you're managing to get lots of free goodies together. :-)

[@MamboDogFace]

Oh happy day (or) first year of harvest! Which plants did you grow from shop produce and what from seed packets? I try to always save my own seeds when they've produced well, from whatever source. Gardening is about growing in more ways than one

[@flamingdonut9456]

@@MamboDogFace Hello. 30 tomatoes, giving away 9, due to space, 3 bell peppers and 2 pumpkins were all from shop bought. I gave my brother three of the tomatoes, one pepper and one of the pumpkins. The seeds did better than expected, and have limited space. He was very happy and interested in growing his own next year, too. He ended up buying six varieties of herbs, all seeds, (giving me some. So I now have quite a herb garden). I bought cucumber, which didn't so well. Ben did videos on "last chance to sow" carrots and beetroot, they're all doing well. A couple of weeks ago, I went into wilkos, spent just over a pound on radishes, (sowed a few, doing well), iceberg & mixed leaf lettuce, runner beans, peas and the beetroot. Plus another 3 quid on a pack of 6' bamboo canes. All ready for next year! Took strawberry runners and raspberry cuttings from a friend, too. Nearly evrything is grown in 9" pots, from the potting shed clear out. Oh, and trying a potato from a pack of shop bought spuds. Anothe of Ben's "last chance" videos for inspiration! That's in a large pot from a neighbour's garage clear out. Managed to save another four massive pots, which will be for the beans, peas and more potatoes, (from the shops!), next year. Still picking them, but so far have picked almost 12 kilos of tomatoes! May well try some hotter peppers next year, too, plus any othe produce I buy, will be checked for seeds! Kept some pumpkin seeds from this year. Have collected several dozen jam jars from friends, family, and freecycle, for pickling. Which is also a first for me! Including relishes, chutneys, straight up pickling and locally sourced blackberry and elderberry jams! Sorry if a bit long winded, but you did ask! Hope you're gardening is going well, too. Have you tried any seeds from shop bought produce? If so, how did you get on?

[@patriciatinkey2677]

@@flamingdonut9456 I just wanted to say I enjoyed reading about your garden, & please "matter on" anytime. You use words well! 😄🍀

[@flamingdonut9456]

@@patriciatinkey2677 Thank you.

[@LauraStepney]

Peppers would definitely be the best cash-saving crop for us here in BC. Peppers are upwards of $4.50/lb in my local grocery.

[@GrowVeg]

Wow, that's pricey!

[@bobbun9630]

If you can get them established then mushrooms might be even better. Once you have them established in your mulch something like wine caps or oysters are likely to produce for years and they aren't even competing with your garden veggies when grown in the same space as they're feeding on the mulch and don't need bright light. A pound of mushrooms at my local grocery (different type, but they're still mushrooms) costs over $5/lb.

[@LauraStepney]

@@bobbun9630 Totally! I'm hoping to add mushroom logs on the north side of my house this year. Surprisingly basic mushrooms like white button aren't expensive here right now because the city where I live produces a ton of mushrooms commercially.

[@mariacrochet8379]

One of my favorite perennial herbs is chives. They start early in the season and add flavor to many dishes. They have a beautiful purple summer bloom and continue on through the colder fall temps.

[@GrowVeg]

It's a real stunner of a herb Maria, agreed.

[@adamkhan7234]

1.squash (summer e.g zucchini /Courgettes, winter e.g pumpkin) 2. beets (or potatoes) 3. Kale 4. Beans 5. Peppers or tomatoes

[@mikki3961]

I advise to go to or call first the bakery section in the supermarket and ask for the frosting buckets. They always oblige and they are absolutely free and are five gallon size, We swap seeds with neighbors as well. Great Video Ben!

[@GrowVeg]

Great tip, thanks for sharing!

[@wrongwayconway]

Oh I like that painted pallet idea. I ALWAYS pick up items on our neighborhood trash day! In the spring and fall lots of people throw out their "old" pots and I collect them and clean them and use them in my back garden.

[@Gardeningchristine]

I’ve got a tractor supply company very close to my house and they get large parts in some very large heat treated wooden crates. I’ve brought several home, for free, and they are perfect for raised beds!

[@Beaguins]

Interesting...I have a Tractor Supply Co. nearby...

[@Gardeningchristine]

@@Beaguins mine has a special place in the back they put the ones they want to get rid of. You definitely want to ask permission before you take anything off their property. They do reuse some, but if they get a little damaged, they will put it in the reject pile.

[@renel7303]

I'm a regular TSC customer. Next time we do curbside pickup I'm looking into this. Curbside is in the back. Thanks for the tip.

[@carolavant3778]

Excellent video, Ben! Don't forget us folks who grow larger, in-ground gardens, though! Best tools for us: Single tine cultivator for weeding tight spaces, single or double wheel hoe (game changer!), and a buried drip-tape watering system with a fertilizer injector. There are shorter handled versions of the single-tine cultivator for raised beds, and the drip-tape watering system can also be adapted for raised beds.

[@GrowVeg]

Great tools there Carol, thanks for sharing those.

[@marksallotmentplot]

Brilliant Ben. Hit the nail on the head with this one. Prices are rising so fast at the moment and this could help a lot of people out 👍

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers Mark. I fear inflation may get worse again before it gets better. Scary times.

[@melissacasey9233]

Clear berry punnets make great windowsill mini greenhouses!

[@LauraTeAhoWhite]

For indoor seed starting I recommend grabbing a bag of 70:30 coco perlite mix. You can usually buy this online or from any garden shop that sells hydroponic supplies. This mix is sterile and provides a good ratio of water retention and drainage. Using bagged compost can introduce pests like fungus gnats indoors, which will negatively affect plant growth. Save the compost for the outdoor garden bed or the greenhouse.

[@edemyre8993]

You say Herbs, I say Erbs. You say tomahto..... Ok, you get it. Once again, I could just listen to you all day. Cheers!

[@GrowVeg]

And cheers to you for watching Ed!

[@lexington476]

11:45 I was out running in the neighborhood probably 4 or 5 years ago and I found a wooden slotted box someone had thrown out. Take it home, the box was an absolutely brand new condition, Texas still have the label on it. That box is now the box I keep all my potatoes in after I harvest them 🙂.

[@GrowVeg]

Love it - what a great way to repurpose. :-)

[@alexriddles492]

Speaking of runner beans, I hang a "cattle panel" from the eves of my house and train them on that like a trellis. I get the beans to eat, shade the brick wall on the south side of the house, and make my house look like an ivy covered cottage.

[@lynnlamont3485]

That is a good idea. See my post above as to how we made an arbor. 😊

[@GrowVeg]

What a great idea Alex!

[@jessicapearson9479]

Also, peppers are awesome as the are actually perennials and can be over wintered in side in the cooler climates!!

[@carolyn9547]

Thank you Ben... So exciting to get this season started!

[@LiliansGardens]

I must agree with yougrowing potatoes is not for people with small potato consuming capacity. I would grow kale and tomatoes, peppers, beans and onions. I will actively add more beans and beats next year. thanks.

[@stephenhope7319]

Great tips Ben. The best tip, if a gardener should pick just 1, is COMPOST!! Its like free gardeners gold. I have only one 90 gallon compost bin that I started using in 2015, now in 2022 I add daily and take compost out daily, such a great way to get basically free fertiliser, and because it is open to the bottom on a stainless screen, free worms too. ( The stainless screen stops rodents getting in.)

[@GrowVeg]

It is indeed a number one tip - compost just keeps on giving!

[@hithere8753]

How do you manage with the smell? I am open to this but worred about attracting pests and having a nasty smell wafting in my yard.

[@stephenhope7319]

@@hithere8753 Never had any obnoxious odors. Mix browns and greens and water. My compost bin is open at the bottom but I installed it on a stainless steel 1/2 inch mesh so rodents cannot gain entry. It has a lid and a bottom door for extraction. I sometimes get fruit flies on top but then I cover with shredded paper and they go away. Layering is key. What also may help to know is I usually do not turn this compost. When I dig from the bottom, I replace 1/2 the worms to back to top, rest go in my beds.I am in zone 9b Sacramento, Ca. Very light frost, last frost day is early March, first frost day in usually mid December, by my calendar. Thanks.

[@hithere8753]

@@stephenhope7319 Thanks for the info! Do you have a brand I can take a look at?

[@ZenTeT]

i just got back into gardening i will look up seeds at stores and learn things i never tried before i also bought a container to properly hold all my seeds

[@lynnlamont3485]

Food prices are going up like crazy. I am a firm believer in planting edibles everywhere! I have fruit trees, pecan trees, all kind of berries, grapes, I highly recommend Japanese persimmons. They are non astringent and very sweet. I also have three Asian pear trees. These are excellent. I have two lime trees and two lemon trees which I overwinter in the house. Next on my list is a mandarin tree and a grapefruit. 😊. Klaus Schlob and Bill Gates are not going to control me through food nor entice me to eat bugs.

[@paulinepentland8267]

What kind of climate/soil do persimmons like? I am based in southern France.

[@lynnlamont3485]

@@paulinepentland8267 I live in the US in the south. Raintree Nursery online probably has all that info. Do you know your plant zone?

[@lorrainerichardson3280]

I love comment communities where people are sharing their ideas. It's brilliant. I would add spinach / swiss chard to the list as they are so packed with goodness and can be used in so many dishes. I'm in New Zealand and am in my garden daily bringing in produce to preserve and now I'm going to look into what I can grow Autumn / Winter. I have really got into seed sowing this year as I could see there would be vege shortages possibly happening. My 2 year old grandson loves 'helping' Nan in the garden lol.

[@GrowVeg]

That's really lovely to hear Lorraine. I bet your grandson is a great help in the garden! You'll certainly be inspiring him. :-)

[@riverstun]

Chard gets leaf miner where I live.

[@kendo2377]

Great video! Radishes and green onions are good herb additions since they can be grown in almost every season and they crop fast.

[@benjobling6861]

This is probably your best video yet !! Covers so many points

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers for that Ben, really appreciate it.

[@lexington476]

11:35 OMG, I think you just found a solution for me and organizing all of my gardening implements.

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased you like it. Check out this video for how to make it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npnKnamwgK2eqKc

[@xzed3545]

Thank you so much for making this video. Some towns these days put pressure on the common people to discourage backyard gardening, especially front yard gardening or sidewalk gardening. This is so hopeful to see. Thank you

[@Chris-gy2qb]

Thanks for these videos Ben, every little bit helps cut our food bills and at the same time reduce those food miles. It's all more important each year.

[@GrowVeg]

So true Chris.

[@antoniocorbachomatthes1629]

This channel it's just the gold/money worth we can save with our crops. 😍 Thx!

[@saiorsecaldwell6221]

This is a timely video! As we wind summer down, I was just writing notes on the most economical things to grow with emphasis on what was most productive. Onions are cheap here in Oregon so I won't grow them. I'm going to try potatoes in pots as I've seen other KZbinrs do. I planted my first ever winter crops a few weeks ago and they're coming along great! I chose quick growing/maturing and frost tolerant varieties of finger radishes, spinach, and broccoli raab. Need to add Kale and carrots!

[@patriciatinkey2677]

Onions are cheap, but I've enjoyed fresh organic green onion 'stalks' in my salad for 2 years off of 1 window box planter. Not a bad return for a no-fuss plant that resists pests!

[@saiorsecaldwell6221]

@@patriciatinkey2677 Are you referring to scallions? Those, plus chives and shallots, I am DEFINITELY growing! Great value there and you cannot beat the taste of home grown.

[@GrowVeg]

Some great winter crops there Saiorse. :-)

[@46FreddieMercury91]

Fast forward to February 2023, news is saying farmers will be growing fewer potatoes due to rising costs in seed, fuel and labour. Plus other vegetables will go up in price. I have a book by the late, great Peter Seabrook " the complete vegetable gardener". I've had it since 1983 and in the introduction he talks about how the current economic problems ( this is the late 70s) have brought the importance of growing your own back to the forefront. Seems history is repeating itself. One crop I'd add to that list: parsnips. Require little attention and are very prolific plus they can be left in the ground throughout winter. Cheap seeds: usually about August, stores sell them off at huge discount ( got 70% off mine from Wilko). You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge to prolong their viability. Great video Ben as always. Thousands of us appreciate everything you do 👍🏻

[@GrowVeg]

I think history is very much repeating itself. I fear this is just the beginning of shortages. I would say growing your own is significantly more important today than in the 1970s!

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers for the kind words by the way. :-)

[@madjockmacsporran]

Excellent video Ben. I like the way you have quantified expected harvests and cost savings. I wonder if you might consider creating a similar video for fruit? One of my top suggestions for this would be Victoria Plum. I planted two trees, on rootstock that keeps them to around 3m in height at most, in 2017 and have done nothing to them since. Now, every year, these are reliable heavy croppers giving me around 200+ plums per tree, and I live in the Isle of Lewis, north west Scotland, where our growing conditions are among the most challenging in the UK. The fruit is so much tastier than anything you can buy in the shops and the plums can also be frozen whole with no preparation needed. Making plum gin is another great way to 'store' excess fruit! 😁

[@GrowVeg]

That's a great idea - and will certainly consider it. Well done on getting such a good crop of plums on Lewis. I've had some great holidays up in the Western Isles, but it sure is windy!

[@ashleevandewater6087]

Hi Garden Ben! My five year old, who watches these videos with me, loved when you popped out of the garbage can! We too use a lot of recycled pots for planting in, or putting under our pots to prevent water from pooling. This year we recycled a couple of new things. First we repurposed a barrel to make a rain barrel. We also cut down some dry bamboo from a neighbors house (it's invasive where we live) and used it to construct our own trellis for our vining plants, it worked superb! Then the best recycling of all is with our chickens. They eat the plant waste from the garden, and we use their droppings as fertilizer. And they even hatched some of their own this year, so we have more chickens to contribute to the garden next year! Plus, we have very few trees on our property, so our kind neighbors let us have their leaves when they start to fall and we add them to our garden. Thanks for all the helpful tips we love watching your channel and using the garden planner app!

[@GrowVeg]

Great recycling Ashlee! Please say a big 'hello' from me to your five-year-old. I'm glad she liked me popping out of the garbage can. What you didn't see is when I went to get out of it, the bin pivoted on the wheels and threw me backwards so I cracked my head on the wall! Luckily no long-term damage (I hope!). It's great you have your daughter getting interested in gardening, it's a skill that's so important in the modern world I reckon. :-)

[@umiluv]

We made our raised beds out of concrete blocks. We get a lot of rain here in East Tennessee so I don’t have to worry about them drying out too much. I even plant small herbs in the holes of the concrete blocks. I have green onion, chives, thyme, celery, alyssum, nasturtium, and carrot growing in the holes. The holes are also really great for setting up posts in them to make trellises. I use cattle panel trellises to make arches between my beds. We’re also going to use the holes to help with setting up covers so that we can have crops through the winter. They’re pretty cheap too. Right now they’re about $1.50 a block and I think we only needed 28 blocks to make a 4x4 sq ft bed. We have clay soil so we needed to do at least two rows high. If you’re soil is good below too then you likely only need one row which is 8” tall. There’s tons of videos on how to fill tall beds on the bottom with other stuff so that you don’t have to spend so much on potting soil. We did the hugelculture method of putting logs and sticks on the bottom, then greens like grass clippings, then browns like leaves, and then the soil on top for the top 8”. It’s like building a compost pile underneath the potting soil. Top off with compost as the bed shrinks.

[@renel7303]

It works for large containers too. My 3 gallon containers got twigs and small branches, stinging nettle (green) which has invaded parts of the yard, and partially decomposed leaves left in place last winter. Worked surprisingly well. Our extreme heat was my undoing.

[@umiluv]

@@renel7303 - that’s brilliant! I hadn’t considered doing hugelculture for my large grow bags! Thanks for the tip! Yah the heat was brutal! It was 97F feels like 107F with humidity where I was for like 2 months - June and July. I had to use shade cloth and a patio umbrella for my container plants that weren’t in the mint family (they loved the hot humid weather!). I’m surprised my plants even stayed alive… The peppers didn’t produce anything in the summer and are finally producing peppers now that things have cooled down. But it sucks because now it’s going to dip below 50 at night this coming week which peppers and tomatoes don’t really like. The extreme weather has been rough this year.

[@GrowVeg]

What a superb way to make a raised bed - very creative. :-)

[@laurashore8865]

I’m in Knoxville-hi, neighbor! I’ve looked into this type of bed but haven’t gotten any further than that. How do you protect from deer?

[@josiebridges3583]

Thank YOU for your company and knowledge, Ben.

[@r.perkins2103]

If you are short on compost, dig a bucket sized hole and fill with your richest compost and plant squash into that. Worked well for me. I love parsnips - blanch then freeze. I started a community plant pot recycling scheme with help from the council. Saved almost a thousand from landfill and gave them to local schools for them to use too. I would rather grow peppers and buy canned tomatoes. Next we're looking for a small farming CoOp in Spain or France to buy from direct and import for our community. Supporting smaller farmers.

[@GrowVeg]

What a fantastic scheme you're running! :-)

[@gamermaykittygames1055]

I got a twin bed still in plastic wrap out of garbage 30 years ago 🙃 and I needed it

[@mikeybyrne5806]

Lettuce would be my number one. Those mixed bags of salad are a pound a go. But If you get a packet of mixed salad leaves for about a pound then you have mixed salad leaves pretty much year round. They will save you lots of money. Might not be the most calorific food but it’s good for you.

[@BSUF303]

Not the most calorific but really expensive for what it is and very versatile! My cut and come again lettuce patch has provided me with lettuce for salads, sandwiches etc all year, all for the price of about 3 quid for a few packs of seed

[@GrowVeg]

Very good point. Salads in bags are crazy prices!

[@amikatz8439]

Thank you so much for your videos. They are so helpful. Much appreciated from Texas.

[@gardenfairygodmother1893]

Ben popping out of the bin, was the funniest thing I've seen all week!

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased! I managed to fall out of it on the way out, banging my head!

[@ghostwalkerairsofttech1947]

One raised bed solution I have found on the cheap is fence pickets...at about 2.00 per picket you can build quality raised beds very inexpensively. I dont like pallets 1 for the labor required to deconstruct them 2. Because often they are treated with harmful chemicals that will leech into your soil. As most gardeners will say...always get your materials from trusted sources so you know what you're using and where it came from..

[@GrowVeg]

What a great idea. 😀

[@oliviafox6745]

Actually my best find on free cycle was rabbit poo. It's a great fertilizer. The second were asparagus plants. Thanks for your info.

[@GrowVeg]

Definitely good stuff!

[@diablominero]

Rampicante squash can be picked green and used as a summer squash, and then when you get tired of harvesting it you can leave it on the plant until it ripens into winter squash.

[@shannonbrice8012]

The price of lumber was too expensive for us to buy so we made our compost bins out of pallets. It was easy, economical and we could add as we needed. I saved over 200 dollars planting my own tomatoes this year and habenaros would have cost over 100 dollars in the store. My garden saved me in total about 500 dollars (I live in Canada) and it cost 60 dollars to buy the plants (for some reason, I kill anything I grow from seed).

[@GrowVeg]

That's a huge saving Shannon - nice work!

[@tD-oo2ox]

this is a fab video. My love of growing started 50 years ago when as a very small child I'd help my mum in our little London garden. She would grow for exactly this reason, it was unaffordable to buy. It is appalling that the cost of living is so high but a tiny silver lining is I hope it will introduce more people (and as such little children in the family) to growing. This video shows how accessible it can be, and fun! Well done Ben.🙂

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much. It's essential we get more people interested in growing their own.

[@micahsmom1883]

This was such a good video, it helped me to realize that I could start small and have some decent success with it and actually save money for my household. I have a small area that I can dedicate to growing food, I thought my area was to small but I realize from this video that I can do it in that small area. Thank you for your time and the effort that you put into your videos.

[@GrowVeg]

You're very welcome - thank you for watching. :-)

[@heartsong111]

This is my favorite video of yours. The recycle bin shot cracked me up. Good info!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much. :-)

[@timebong8366]

I have so many tomatoes this year it's crazy. They grew out of control what I'm doing with him is making salsa and then most of them I'm making a sauce that I can use for either pizza or pasta or whatever just add some protein.

[@GrowVeg]

Great job making salsa and sauce with them. I need to get on and process mine - so many!

[@timebong8366]

@@GrowVeg thanks for the video

[@alanjesus-believingchristi5870]

I built my entire home and veg garden from rescued materials that would have been destroyed! There are just so many things being thrown away that there really is no need to buy very much at all. Glad that you're promoting this Ben, and enjoying your videos. God bless!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for watching Alan, appreciate it. Yes, so much unnecessary waste - but helps us out I guess!

[@alanjesus-believingchristi5870]

@@GrowVeg Yes we didn't wish for people to be so wasteful, but we can at least rescue and use what we can. :)

[@danyoutube7491]

Another good thing about growing herbs rather than buying them is that they are good for the health of the soil and nearby plants. They're there pretty much anytime you need them (whereas, in my experience, pots from the supermarket will be overloaded with little plants and die off after a few weeks) and if they get overgrown you can trim some off to use in compost or in compost 'tea'.

[@GrowVeg]

Very true - they certainly help to attract beneficial insects.

[@that_auntceleste5848]

They are good for the bees too! My Italian oregano flowered beautifully this year and the bees were all over it

[@asaphjohnson1496]

We have a brother who, over many years, has about a dozen old freezers all the same depth. We plan on having an expert drain them of freon in exchange for most of the motors. Recycling.

[@prunechat8401]

In the UK pound shops can be useful for cheap gardening basics like pots, troughs, twine etc. I no longer buy seeds, bulbs or plants from pound shops having discovered that often these are well beyond their best use by period, sometimes heat damaged, sometimes just old. Great for other stuff though, it is amazing how expensive things like canes and twine can be otherwise. Black buckets, bought for £1 each, make great tomato or pepper containers with a few holes for drainage added. Much much cheaper than an equivalent sized plant pot (plus you get a handle 😂).

[@vanessaeden8174]

Bare root roses from the Pound shop plus their £1 shrubs, are brilliant value too.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for sharing that. Yes, pound shops are very handy for the basics.

[@jenandmark895]

We used to dumpster dive before we had our kids. We had found orange juice jugs with broken lids (but the seal under was still intact), cases of spinach that was one day out of date and still good, flower pots and boxes, bags of potatoes with one bad potato in it...loads of stuff. We were actually just thinking about starting it up again to feed our pigs next year.

[@GrowVeg]

It's shocking what people/companies throw away. If it can be saved, then brilliant.

[@korcommander]

During the limber shortage i bought cinder blocks and made a raised bed out of them. Its about $15 in material.

[@FaceEatingOwl]

Cemented together? Or just laid down?

[@fredericmalesevic3456]

@@FaceEatingOwl I myself just put them several inches into the ground flush next to eachother. No bonding necessary, the soil and the other blocks will hold together. It’s been 2 years and still going strong.

[@FaceEatingOwl]

@@fredericmalesevic3456 Nice one mate 👌 that's what I thought. Thank you for that 👍

[@Al........]

We grow enough spuds and onions to last 6 months, because they store well and start eating them when ready. Chillies as they are expensive and freeze whole, no prep and easy to chop when frozen. Squash to a homeless shelter and pumpkins for friends children. We grow fruit and salad stuff which go to the shelter, friends and neighbours in a glut.

[@parisasun2541]

Thank you - this is for next year? We are in September , summer being over. However I planted kale and chards starts.

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, most of these will be for next year now (assuming you are in a temperate climate and it's autumn where you are). I am, like you, planting more chard and kale though.

[@maxibake9323]

This is Great, & so true, you don't need much space, & you can always grow upwards. Don't forget the Microgreens you can grow indoors too, extra Nutritional value. TFS GV, take care & stay busy everyone. ❤🙂🐶

[@Stettafire]

1# potatoes - Full of calories (and that's a GOOD thing!!!) And full of nutrients. Easy to grow and get a good crop.

[@JH-fv1gq]

Your new look US Homestead channel is awesome. Dollars, Beets, and Pumpkins indeed 😜

[@GrowVeg]

Just trying to be understood by as wide an audience as possible. :-)

[@Neutrioms]

Thanks for the tipps, but I think you missed the cost of water from the calculations, and it can be a huge part if you don't collect rainwater.

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, that is another point to consider.

[@wcoastgardener209]

Ooo love the pallet idea for gardening tools! I have ton of pallets and I’m going to make one. Thank You!

[@GrowVeg]

Here's the video on how to make it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npnKnamwgK2eqKc

[@stoverboo]

In our area, we're not allowed to park on the street during winter, but it's completely legal during summer. So, we do a lot of our gardening on the driveway. We place the pots and buckets into kiddie pools to minimize watering efforts. The black asphalt heats up better than either raised beds or in-ground beds, so, even in our cool climate, we grow large crops of peppers, tomatoes, and squash on our parking space.

[@GrowVeg]

What a great move to get that extra warmth!

[@taleandclawrock2606]

Pet shops often have free polystyrene boxes, great size for a mini herb garden, worm farm, or lovely small shrubs, a deep one will even be fine for a dwarf fruit tree for a year or 3, as long as you dont move it while filled and heavy without a rolling platform, ( the foam can crack out the sides.).

[@GrowVeg]

Great tip, thank you. :-)

[@graftedingrace6594]

I'm not sure how much produce costs in the store in the UK but here in Australia you would save much more than the prices listed here, likely many times more. Also, this produce is grown without pesticides or chemicals so really you would compare to organic prices which are much more expensive. Great tips for what to grow too.

[@GrowVeg]

Yes indeed Becci. I wanted to compare against 'cheaper' crops grown conventionally, to drive home the point that you can grow superior food, organically, for less than 'normal' veg that people on a budget might buy. Looking at Aussie prices they do seem a lot higher, but I wasn't sure if that's because I was looking at off-season winter prices or not.

[@carolynsteele5116]

My best find is by following a landscaping company. After a job they throw all the empty pots into the dumpster, and I’ve retrieved loads of them in every size. The pots left over from planting trees are fantastic for container crops!

[@GrowVeg]

What a find - good job Carolyn!

[@lazydrunk1022]

I feel I may be responsible for this video. Exactly what I was after. Thank you

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased to have served up the goods!

[@BridiesMammaG]

My fave crops are baby tomatoes 🍅. I dry them in slices to snack on. Use them for tomato and chilly chutney for Xmas. This yr am going to half dry them and do them in jars as Sun dried in olive 🫒 oil. Then of course the salads and finally with sugar and balsamic as a little twist cooked to go with English breakfast

[@GrowVeg]

Sun dried sounds fantastic - yum!

[@lexington476]

Okay let's see from your list I do have summer squash and zucchini everywhere, especially the community garden. Also at home I've grown and am growing a ton of potatoes for the winter. I also have bush beans everywhere at the community garden, I actually have to go tomorrow and pick them, I checked them on lunch on Friday, yeah there's a lot of beans to pick 🙂. I've never really been a fan of kale, just not something I eat. And of course I have tomatoes, if you have a garden you have to grow tomatoes 🙂.

[@GrowVeg]

Do try the kale in smoothies or wilted down in stews or curries - really lovely stuff! Sounds like you're growing a lot already - good on you. :-)

[@honeybee3317]

One can dry the zucchini and powder them and use spoonfuls with flour for added nutrition.

[@alexlindstrom9971]

You know Western civilization is really going well when these videos are not just useful but necessary for thousands of people.

[@Nitecrow314]

All part of the plan.

[@happydillpickle]

Well there are plenty of wasted green spaces to cultivate: even for those who live in high rises, there tends to be a lot of open grassed area surrounding such structures. Anyone living in buildings like that could get together to make a community allotment. Definitely worth a try. Where I used to live, nearby neighbours in a block of flats used the garden and surrounding green area to grow beans, tomatoes, potatoes, courgettes: you name it, we swapped seeds and veg all year round. It was brilliant until they fell out and it went to sh*t! 🤣

[@alexlindstrom9971]

@@happydillpickle It's a good idea but in America at least and I think generally in atomized western society, people are just exceptionally bad at working together communally.

[@MultiSoftE]

Let alone near impossible for most to even accomplish

[@lolazal1]

Nice sarcasm 👍

[@karenlebron-morales8672]

I love your enthusiasm about gardening.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks Karen. :-)

[@annagriffiths717]

Great advice as usual 🤗 I grew all of these and this year (apart from my peppers 🫑) and has made a huge difference to my shopping bill, I also would add onions and garlic to this list which I start in October and I am still feasting off them now and will continue to do so in winter (the best growers were in my pots) so I shall do the same again 😋happy growing all