How 78 Minutes a Week Feeds My Family

We all wish we had more time to do our gardening. Well, it need not need to take as long as we may think. With these handy tricks of the trade, we can grow more food for less effort; feed our family with less money and less precious time.
In this week's episode Ben walks us around his garden and show us his typical workflow; the jobs he does habitually that make his life easier. In fact, Ben reckons that in only just over an hour a week, he can cover all the essential tasks he needs to cover to ensure bumper crops and full bellies in his household. Now that's what we call efficient!
For our video on installing and using ollas, watch this next:
This Ancient Watering Technique will Save Your Plants
• This Ancient Watering ...
And here is our video on starting a pumpkin patch:
The Lazy Gardener's Guide To No-Dig Pumpkins!
• The Lazy Gardener's Gu...
Want to know more about growing perennials?
5 Must-Grow Perennial Vegetables: Harvest Year After Year... 👩‍🌾
• 5 Must-Grow Perennial ...
For more on growing berries (for free) watch:
Grow Healthy Berries For Free! 🫐
• Grow Healthy Berries F...
Want more bugs? For our pollinator special
Pollination is Important: Here's Why
• Pollination is Importa...
Or if flowers are your thing, watch this one:
These Magic Flowers Will Repel Pests and Feed Your Plants
• These Magic Flowers Wi...
And enjoy a no-obligation, completely free trial of the Garden Planner here:
www.GrowVeg.com/planner
To receive more gardening videos subscribe to our channel here: / growveg
And for your completely free abridged version of Ben's book, click here:
www.growveg.co...

[@46FreddieMercury91]

Just a shout out to Ben and appreciation for everything he does for us. The world right now is utterly mad beyond mad and this site is a much needed escape from all that madness!

[@DaisyMousePlays]

Absolutely. A little normality to keep us sane

[@fzjohnson]

Totally agree. Thank you, Ben. 😊

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much guys, that's incredibly kind of you to say. And yes, gardening is such a welcome distraction from the madness of the world around us right now.

[@stevenjohns7017]

I am always amazed when I spend a little time in the veg garden getting exercise and mental rest , which results in almost free tastey high quality food for my family. Money saved and health improved!

[@GrowVeg]

So true! :-)

[@JonathanWendt1986]

Your channel gives me everything I need to know. I needn't look anywhere else. I have your garden planner too. Keep up the good work.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much Jonathan - it's really great to have your support. Happy gardening! :-)

[@Junk_World_Templar]

I grew my potatoes in bags this year, and I had the best harvest I’ve ever had. Not a single potato lost to pests. Previous years I’ve had more holes than potatoes.

[@hoahappyhome]

I love flowers that have colors like dragonfly wings. The toad's shelter is so cute.

[@mf3610]

You always find a way to present new, unique tricks and ideas in your videos - thank you!

[@Lemonsandoranges-g9d]

My Jerusalem artichokes took over my garden 😂. I've moved them today. The flowers are amazing and great to give to friends. My grandson harvested a bucket full of the tubers with his plastic fork. Time to make soup. Thanks for all the tips ❤

[@GrowVeg]

They are stunning flowers aren't they - flowers and food from the same plant is a great deal! :-)

[@bmarybm]

For all that I THINK I know about growing food, I learn something new from you from every video. Thank you for everything you give.

[@GrowVeg]

As gardeners we are all always learning. :-)

[@bmarybm]

@GrowVeg Do you think weather change has impacted growing? I didn't have a single parsnip this year...I sowed twice. Next year, I plan to sow later. Soil is very slow to warm up!

[@carinmetcalfe650]

Love your videos! You are so positive and informative, keep up the good work!

[@patstephenso7206]

Thank you Ben it's always a pleasure to catch up with you and keep on track happy gardening 😊

[@GrowVeg]

And to you. :-)

[@lucybarnard3954]

Love the peacock impression 😆 x

[@MacLux4]

Hi Ben, congrats on the amazing content - cheers from Canada

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much - and I appreciate you taking the time to watch too. :-)

[@RawLondonGardener]

Little and often is the key for me, don't overdo it. Staying positive too!

[@GrowVeg]

A positive mindset definitely helps! :-)

[@annewright1661]

Wonderful video! Thanks so much! Now to go work in my garden!🐕🐸🦎🐛🦋

[@lorainemcguire5795]

Wow your garden looks huge and plentiful, thanks ben great tips brilliant video ❤

[@ornellaap5029]

Dear ben your videos are always very interesting and contagiusly entusiastic after the summer we had in north london i m going to plant corn like yours i did very well with sweet pepper in green house they grow much bigger than usual thank you

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for your kind words. The corn I grew was ‘Swift’ from memory.

[@susanolds4127]

my favourite gardener thanks Ben for another informative video

[@agulusek]

Thank you Ben for all great and helpful information and for your book ❤❤❤❤❤

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much for your kind comment. Happy gardening! :-)

[@jackieo8693]

I'm jealous of your corn!!! The Japanese wineberry looks invasive!

[@okseekoba719]

Thanks a lot for the free abridged book! Will make a useful autumn/winter reading 😊

[@Meganeirian]

I really really enjoy your videos, so informative and full of life. Thank you :)

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much. Happy gardening! :-)

[@scullerymaid]

Thanks I appreciate your teaching it’s like watching PBS! (public broadcasting station)

[@TRIPPLEJAY00]

Thank you for giving me the love of growing food.

[@GrowVeg]

That’s so lovely to read, thank you! 🤩

[@hevchip741]

I use the leaves of the brocoli and sprouts through the winter too

[@sooya_jixsoo]

That looks delightful! ❤

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Just love watching your video's and garden tips. Was amazed how you stored the re-freshed compost/potting soil in a bag for next season. That was brilliant, no bugs can crawl in to over winter!! Where there is a willing heart, things happen. Thank you for sharing, have a beautiful day.

[@GrowVeg]

And you! 😀🌱

[@carolinejackson9405]

I installed a solar watering system in my poly tunnel & asparagus bed in August - saved me so much time, I will be investing in more for the rest of the allotment & the garden.

[@henrikhaas6980]

Japanese Raspberrries are one of the very few fruits that can be in the freezer and taking nearly no harm from that. My mom harvests most of them and freezes them instantly, just for some delicious fruity cake with glacing in the middle of winter. Alwaays a little wonder for all of her guests!

[@ChrisJohnson-pd4hh]

Regular raspberries freeze well, as do blackcurrants, gooseberries etc

[@JubilantGardener]

Ben, you have consistently great videos! Clear, succinct, and I ALWAYS learn something valuable. In this video, I particularly appreciated the focus on perennial veggies and your use of the ollas (did I even spell that right?). Keep up the great work!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much for your kind words. And yes, you spelt ollas right! :-)

[@jaynekennedy8469]

I used to have a cat who loved chewing sweetcorn stems.

[@renel7303]

I have 2 that go after the corn silk.

[@Wendy-i1i]

Another great tip , I can’t believe how many potatoes you harvested out of one Pot Ben .Fantastic tip.I got myself a large Trog basket recently too.Can’t wait for a summer harvest to use it! .All the digging in a garden with Potatoes you get double the harvest in a pot. Then you reuse the potting mix !Cheers Ben from Australia 🇦🇺 Just love your tips 😂

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, I found the containers to be really very convenient and definitely lower maintenance. :-)

[@jaimuszunner8773]

You’re awesome, Ben :)

[@MANNY100123]

G'stuff! I think this year has been pretty good for my garden! :)

[@prunechat8401]

Another really useful video, many thanks. Growing purple sprouting broccoli for the first time, my plants went into the ground a couple of weeks ago, they make yours look like exhibitions specimens but seem to be settling so I’m hopeful. For the first time my spring sown courgettes did nothing, just too wet and cold I think. As I had seeds I sowed again in August without much hope but those plants are amazing, still growing and cropping beautifully. So called summer fruiting raspberries are only now forming berries so will be interesting to see if they ripen before the frost arrives. Really hope that next year is kinder for gardeners but at least we can always find motivation through your weekly videos to keep us trying. Thanks again for all of the advice shared.

[@GrowVeg]

It has been a bit of a tough year. Next year will be better I'm sure! :-)

[@LifeHomeandGardenwithAnaRica]

So many great ideas! Thank you

[@carolinejackson9405]

Cape gooseberries / Physalis peruviana over winter well in the poly tunnel. A rich source of vitamin c for the winter 🙂

[@Firevine]

I found a decent little Sun Joe chipper/shredder at a thrift store. It's been great for compost and mulch. My jerusalem artichokes gave me about 20 gallons worth. Next year I'm planning on growing corn and sorghum and shredding the stalks in that thing. Not too bad for $25 USD and easier than whacking them with a shovel. 😁 I've stopped bothering with a compost bin. I just chuck kitchen scraps in grow bags and top them with soil, or I send bigger stuff through that chipper. There's going to be a lot of canna lily and moringa going through it here in the next few weeks I suppose.

[@tessabio679]

love your channel !

[@karendora1]

love your videos!

[@Garykoi625]

It's always a good watch, Ben. I think this growing season has come to a sudden end.😢 But the potatoes in the greenhouse are flying.😅 It's been too wet for my raspberry they've got mould 😢 cheers, my friend 👍 🐟

[@GrowVeg]

Glad the potatoes are flying at least. 😀

[@andreaeyzaguirre6208]

Greetings from Chile, South America ! New subscriber here and starting to enjoy all your videos! Hope using some of your tips as well, lol

[@ronframpton691]

It also helps if you have a huge garden !!

[@GrowVeg]

There's lots you can grow in pots and containers too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIKxo5mDiZ13ntksi=6nn3h8zczHIdR9Jz

[@Ramthian-q8v]

I love it 😻 😊!.

[@oliviamusselman8491]

Unfortunately, Japanese wineberry is a major invasive here in Eastern Pennsylvania :( someone planted it on our property years ago and it's such a battle to get rid of it!

[@Beaguins]

Good video as always! Someday could you do a video on how to keep rosemary alive indoors over winter? I've always had it die.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for the suggestion, will certainly consider this. Rosemary is very hardy though, so may grow best outside. So long as the soil/potting mix is well drained.

[@Beaguins]

@@GrowVeg I could give it a try, but I've never heard of a rosemary that could survive a climate as cold as mine.

[@cherylwhite1920]

We make Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations out of our corn shocks--and then compost them later.

[@GrowVeg]

What a fab idea. :-)

[@Kitchenlabofficial]

Hello brother 👋 very good 👍

[@GrowVeg]

Thank so much. :-)

[@tenners3258]

All good stuff as ever , mate. (Except that for my physical ,and more especially ,mental health ,I need to spend as long as possible in the garden!........If work commitments are too much...work less! Childcare commitments?....extra hands in the garden!) Best Wishes..

[@GrowVeg]

Get them helping in the garden, definitely! :-)

[@BillRowley-e3i]

I enjoy your videos. American viewers should know that wineberry is probably not the best thing to grow in their gardens. It is a highly invasive non-native species in North America that easily escapes cultivation and displaces native species. It is actually illegal in parts of the Northeast. (reposted bc prev was from work account - oops)

[@dustyflats3832]

What I realized after cleaning our freezer is we don’t need to grow so much anymore. I have identified many varieties of our favorites that do well here and concentrate time on those vegetables only. I definitely hit the best bean varieties this year and had to finally let them go after over a dozen harvests. As far as storage, it’s getting increasingly warmer and for longer into end of season and finding a cool space is non existent. This year’s harvest was ready 2 weeks earlier also.

[@tomas2803]

4:25 good one ben

[@shoshanahcrookes4406]

Ooh Ben so good but I have 3 questions. Hope that's not too many! I have just got 3 pallet collars. Did you treat yours and if so what with? Or did you just leave them untreated? The 2nd is the wine berry. I dug my raspberries out because they suckered all over the place. Does the wine berry sucker do you know? Finally your potatoes you placed in the shed. How do you know if there are any rotten ones? Thanks Ben. Love your videos and tips, Shoshanah

[@GrowVeg]

No problem. :-) I didn't treat my pallet collars - they just went in as they are. So far the wineberry hasn't suckered, but the stems it throws out are very long and pretty epic! So probably a bit more brutish than raspberries on balance. But very vigorous and plentiful. With the potatoes, it's really just trusting that they'll be good to be honest! You won't know till you empty the bucket. But my potatoes rarely last that long as we go through them quite quickly.

[@shoshanahcrookes4406]

@GrowVeg Thanks Ben for taking the time out to answer my questions 😊🥔🍆🍅🌽🥒🥬🥦

[@ChrisJohnson-pd4hh]

78 minutes and plenty of land!

[@GrowVeg]

You can grow vegetables in very compact spaces also of course: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIKxo5mDiZ13ntksi=AESkq_W4FWAAu2-1 and kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXXOq2t3fLeMZtUsi=63R7LVgSunqjZjZW

[@ChrisJohnson-pd4hh]

Yes you can grow veg in compact spaces. But to feed a family I would have thought something akin to an allotment would be needed?

[@janohdegroot989]

Toads don't live in water constantly. Only in spring they mate in the water. After that they live out of water. So I'm not sure that toad can climb out of that deep plastic olla. I would take it out of there, or make a tiny toadstairs of a plank or so..

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for the heads up. I popped in a rock for it to use as a ladder to get out. When I returned he was gone! :-)

[@janohdegroot989]

@@GrowVeg that's great!

[@lewisgardner1660]

How many do you feed from your garden? There are only two of us but we often make up a veg box for out daughter, any left over we take to the local food bank

[@GrowVeg]

There's just three of us in our household. The garden doesn't suppy absolutely everything of course, but keeps us well stocked with plenty of fresh veggies and fruit. :-)

[@staceymorris5003]

Hi Ben I'm new to gardening and hoping to start a herb garden next year and I was wondering what herbs are perennials in the uk

[@milkweed7678]

Great video, as always. That was a very interesting and surprising little planting of corn. How many plants were there? How wide were the rows and how far apart in the row? What variety was it? Thanks!!

[@GrowVeg]

They were roughly 35cm (14in) or so apart in both directions. I think there were around 25 plants in total.

[@Phraeyah]

Another amazing guide to sustainability! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🍀🫶🏻🌻

[@jessicag630]

0:47 to 1:41 It seems that planting them in buckets makes it easier to harvest the potatoes. I saw some neighbors planting non-root vegetables in planters instead of directly on the ground. They put the planters on the ground. Is there any point of doing so ?

[@GrowVeg]

It could be worth it if the soil was compacted or hard to plant into or something. But generally, I reckon it would be best to plant straight into the ground for non-root crops like that.

[@frustrateduser9933]

Are potatoes worth it compared to buying relatively cheap ones? Even many uncommon varieties at farmers markets aren't that expensive.

[@TheLazyDutchGardener]

Maybe not as a money saver, but I think the ones I grow are much better taste wise.

[@GrowVeg]

Definitely not worth growing potatoes to save money, but a very satisfying thing to do and the taste is always better. :-)

[@waynewalterfisher]

Thanx man. I am specifically interested in the Japanese berry you talked about, similar to Raspberry. I’ve never heard of them but would love to plant them in my garden. I am in Canada in Zone 6b Do u think I could grow them here?

[@GrowVeg]

I could likely grow where you are, yes. But exercise caution. In a lot of the US it is banned as it's very vigorous. I don't know what the situation is where you are in Canada - but I'd definitely check. :-)

[@martinpayne2934]

Where was all this rain and dampness you mention? Spring was rather damp here in London, but summer was almost completely dry and I wasn’t able to provide plants with the water they needed.

[@GrowVeg]

Definitely wetter where I am (Cotswolds).

[@karenholt9744]

Great tips, but @11:36 YIKES! Looks like the very invasive Asian wineberry that's a real pain in my yard. The birds eat the seeds and these brambles pop up everywhere, very much like I've heard the British talk about blackberry patches. Be careful!

[@dustyflats3832]

I wondered the same about wine berry. We have an area that spread a picky low growing, spreading mess. I have come to the conclusion it is some kind of wild wine berry after research. It’s awful!! The neighbor doesn’t take care of their acreage and the wine berry and buckthorn I battle and the other side buckthorn and black walnut trees. It’s a Battle! Those wine berry leaped across a path and the rhizomes are racing everywhere! Maybe I should send my brush killer bill to both neighbors🧐.

[@karenholt9744]

@@dustyflats3832 Wineberry was brought to Pennsylvania, USA from Asia in the 1890s to for hybridization with cultivated raspberries. I believe it when you said they leapt across a path. I had some the birds planted under the shade of my saucer magnolia, and it grew at least 10 feet of cane weaving in and out of tree branches to find the light. Geez. I don't have any wild yards next to me and have been having luck cutting, digging and/or regularly mowing to control the wineberries I've worked on so far. I, too, have problems with black walnuts, but at least they're native. Squirrels hide and forget about the nuts in the worst places and as you know one chop doesn't keep the tree from coming back. I'm in Maryland, USA, and don't have buckthorn that I know of, but I found that's non-native too, so sorry about that! Good luck with the battle!

[@GrowVeg]

I think the wineberry is less of a thug in my climate, but I’ll definitely keep a close eye on it!

[@whitemusk7691]

Please honestly tell when you harvested these many veggies at the end of September??😊 I took all my green tomatoes indoors by the dnd of August 😅.

[@carolinejackson9405]

My tomatoes are still ripening in the poly tunnel (South Bucks). It is going to get colder next week, so I'll probably bring the uprooted vines into a shed to ripen over the winter. 👍

[@GrowVeg]

This was filmed maybe two weeks ago. Still stuff growing but it’s slowed down a lot in the last week.

[@whitemusk7691]

@@GrowVeg thanks 😊 it makes sense.

[@ruthmuller8611]

Thank you! Quick question: why are you removing the roots from the soil before removing? Wouldn’t leaving in the roots add additional compost/nutrients? Thank you for your answer!

[@GrowVeg]

I’m not sure why I did that. Generally leaving the roots in place - like I did with the spent corn - will help to add additional organic matter, you’re right.

[@ruthmuller8611]

@@GrowVeg Thank you so much for your response! It is much appreciated!

[@nickg505]

I'm def no expert, but I heard you never want to use night shade soil on other plants, as they harbor things they can handle, but others can not. You might want to use that soil only on tomatoes/potatoes.

[@lemonyskunkketts7781]

Can the potato plant be repotted to produce more after you take away the potatoes?

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, you could certainly reuse the pot, though I'd caution reusing the potting mix, unless the potatoes are pristine, in which case you could try, perhaps refreshing it by adding some organic fertiliser to restore the nutrients lost.

[@stephenwestmacott2177]

Thanks for the video. Notice you appear to be using Sylvagrow compost - how do you find it? I've found it awful! I've done a number of vegetable, herb and flower seedling/ growing on trials comparing it to Fertile fibre general purpose peat free compost and in every single case the difference is massive. The fertile fibre produces haelthy vigorous plants but not the Sylvagrow, I think it's down to the moisture absorption. The FF sucks it up within a couple of minutes when watered from below but not Sylvagrow.

[@GrowVeg]

I'm not that impressed by Sylvagrow. I use it as it's what's sold in my local garden centre, but I do think I need to look at alternatives for next year!

[@cassieoz1702]

I also grow pretty much everything too but I qualify it as "how I feed my family - vegetables", and vegetables are only a portion of what we eat, although i see a lot of YT titles like yours. I dont grow any grains, and no longer milk my house cow (because we're both getting on in years) although I am privileged to raise our meat and eggs. Clearly my veg garden doesn't completely "feed my family"

[@GrowVeg]

No, you're right. The garden supplies many of my veggies and fruits, but that's it. Would love to grow grains and keep chickens some day. :-)

[@Gardeningchristine]

What are the green fruits hanging in your greenhouse on the lower left side of the screen when you are talking about Ollas? Next to the watering can.

[@GrowVeg]

On the left-hand side of the greenhouse I'm growing cucumbers and also lemongrass, planted directly into the borders. There are also a few aubergine/egg plants in there, and some potted peppers. :-)

[@Gardeningchristine]

@@GrowVegmaybe it’s green eggplant. There are 7 green fruits hanging down and I thought it looked like a citrus tree, lemon or lime maybe, but I’ve never grown them so I’m not sure.

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

Do you buy the seed potatoes every year or did you self save them? I self saved them this year...... worst harvest ever!!😅

[@GrowVeg]

I by them new every spring, though I have one bed of volunteer potatoes that comes up time and again!

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

@@GrowVeg Yh I saw that lots and lots of poeple saved their own tried it... nope!

[@trishbishop3923]

When do you like to cut your asparagus back?

[@carolinejackson9405]

I cut mine back when the stems have gone brown.

[@GrowVeg]

The stems are cut back later in autumn once the stems have completely yellowed/browned.

[@nazimchowdhury7307]

Hi Ben, what seed catalogue do you use?

[@GrowVeg]

I tend to browse catalogues online. My go-to seed company is Kings Seeds for value and quality.

[@francesherman9083]

What's the name of your general purpose fertilizer that you put back in the dirt if you don't mind? Thank you

[@GrowVeg]

It was just blood, fish and bone - a powdered organic fertiliser that's widely available. :-)

[@francesherman9083]

@@GrowVeg thank you

[@aussieallrounder6018]

Can anyone tell me why at 00:20 Bens legs are the most formidable things I've seen all day?

[@GrowVeg]

Really?! 😱

[@aussieallrounder6018]

@@GrowVeg Haha.. Yes!! Have a look at that flex....

[@melusine826]

Having land helps

[@MissFeFe808]

Can anyone tell me how you deal with foxes and grey squirrels?? I want to plant more, but foxes and squirrels dig or munch everything 😢

[@carolinejackson9405]

try black pepper, should work for the squirrels, not sure about the foxes

[@Ramthian-q8v]

❤🙏🥰😻

[@TheoCollett]

why cut down corn when it can provide a canopy to protect the soil over winter ????

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, you could do that, but I wanted to clear the ground for my sprouting broccoli plants, which will need the extra space and light.

[@TheoCollett]

@@GrowVeg fair enuff

[@anthonyparkinson1056]

What was the sweetcorn variety?

[@tenners3258]

I always do well,even in poor summers with F1Swift.

[@anthonyparkinson1056]

@@tenners3258 I must have sown about 3 lots first didn’t even germinate 2nd lot got eaten and 3rd lot grew but not enough time for the cobs to form

[@GrowVeg]

They're Swift F1 from memory. :-)

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

Pea aphids? Grow vetch.

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

"Compared to recent ones at least " That's a poor comparison 😕