How To Plant Your Own Grocery Row Garden - Complete Demonstration with David The Good

Instead of telling you how to plant a Grocery Row Garden bed, today we demonstrate how easy it is.
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Today we plant a Grocery Row Garden where the old rutabagas were, adding biochar and alfalfa pellets to get it started. Grocery Row Gardening is a permaculture gardening method that combines edible hedges with backyard orchard culture and food forest systems with annual gardening to make an instantly productive, easy-to-manage and beautiful backyard food garden.
In this video you'll learn the size of a grocery row garden bed, how wide a garden path should be, how we space trees in a grocery row garden and more.

[@davidthegood]

Check out my little book on the system and grow with us! amzn.to/3Jul6Rk

[@BecauseHeLovedMe1st]

Just ordered it and the updated composting book today! So excited, can't wait lol Have you heard of Edible Acres? Their chickens are incorporated into their garden (or maybe other way around). Very cool, but would love to see your version of it. Lol... seriously Turnips. Did not like them until my grandmother diced one (small to medium purple top) into her stew. Teeny, tiny diced up. Turn translucent after cooked. I made a pot of stew and didn't use one and it was not as good so I had to go get one and add it. Now I never make it without one. Thank you very much 😊

[@monsurbanpatch]

get the kids a cart of their own if they enjoy it!

[@davidthegood]

@@monsurbanpatch It's theirs... I'm always borrowing it.

[@monsurbanpatch]

@@davidthegood oh hahahaha I thought it looked a bit like a kids toy! I was thinking any wonder they love it so much!

[@lleestimer2547]

@@davidthegood I thought it looked alot like a little tykes wagon, it always brings a smile to my face when I see your little ones helping.

[@jeremysnaturebook8242]

“It looks like I should eat it but it doesn’t taste like I should eat it. (spits out)” The kind of wisdom that perpetuated our species!

[@freedomdirt6187]

Your commentary and humor always has me cracking up. “It looks like I should eat it but it doesn’t taste like I should eat it.” Has me rolling all day. So grateful for your channel.

[@lisa6160]

"This is a Mulberry, of some sort . . I can tell by the stickiness of it" lol . . .

[@comfortablynumb9342]

You could plant your trees on a plate or tile like people do with bonsai they want to grow quickly. They do it so the roots are flat, but you could do it so you don't have deep tap roots to dig up in case you want to dig up trees later. They ought to be easier to get out in good condition that way.

[@0anant0]

Someone had mentioned putting a big rock at the bottom of the hole while planting an avocado plant. Similar concept?

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@0anant0 I don't know why it's done with avocado.

[@0anant0]

@@comfortablynumb9342 OK, Thanks! Perhaps in clay soils, it may prevent tap root from penetrating wet soil deep down and thereby causing root rot. Maybe someone will comment on this.

[@kdavis4910]

I like your name. Pink Floyd fan?

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@kdavis4910 yep

[@bsdnfraje]

You killed me with that intro. First you dredge up memories of picking turnips and greens in the late fall with my Dad many, many years ago. But when you started singing "In the Garden", I really did bawl, remembering Daddy singing it in church, the fields, on car rides,or at bedtime. When that nip was in the air and I saw Daddy put the salt shaker in his overall bib, I knew we were gonna be picking turnips. Eating that first one fresh from the soil, just wiped clean with a handkerchief, peeled with that old Uncle Henry he inherited, and a sprinkling of salt, you knew Christmas was just around the corner. Anyway, thanks for making me cry today, sincerely.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you, friend. Good memories.

[@StarTexaspets]

Wish I could zoom forward 5 years and see this garden all grown up

[@deannasellinger8430]

I want to thank you and your family for helping me be a better gardener. I feel like I have a better grasp of it than I had before especially coming from the north and raising a Florida garden is so different. I use all of your tips in fertilizing, composting everything, I never stopped to consider all of the resources that are at my fingertip, until I came across your channel. I bought a couple of your books and I am loving them. Again thank you so much I feel extremely blessed to have come across your channel.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you, Deanna - may your garden prosper!

[@paulblankenship7865]

Your little helper with the glitter sparkle pants is stealing the show Too cute

[@kjpc121]

This is fantastic! Will definitely be implementing here in Maui. Restoring the land in the old sugar cane fields of Central Maui. It has a 150 year old history of sugar cane and now, the start of a brand new future with grocery row beds!

[@davidthegood]

That is awesome!

[@midkiffsjoy]

We converted the old fashion square garden plots over to 4' grocery rows last week, and they're already easier on my anxiety, keeping up with what I'm planting, how much I'm gonna plant, etc. I can garden without the overthinking, which is helping. ❤️

[@Kevs2tuff]

I love your Guerrilla gardening method! I don't know if that term has been coined yet, but that's what it reminds me of.

[@duncangrantz]

I am a classic “paralysis by analysis” kind of guy. Your videos and methods have eased my mind to stop finding the “best” way, and to embrace the practical way that fits with our family, life, and just how our property is. Thank you for putting so much work into sharing your knowledge and experience with the world.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you, Duncan

[@TheUltimateAcres]

Kiss that beautiful baby! Oh she so adorable talking about her rutabeggas. 😻

[@BaloosCluesOriginal]

Came to pluck the Rooster LOL! Great origin story of the machete. I particularly love how Adre's tomatoes are hidden from the street, yet in plain sight. That was smart thinking.

[@MartieMc]

Hearing that you're renting makes me feel better about planting trees etc where I'm at. Just signed a 3 yr lease , and actually feel pretty good about it with how prices keep climbing like crazy. We're renting the most affordable place in central Florida even with the $200 increase, I've no doubt. Especially considering we're a 3 generation household. Most landlords wouldn't allow that. Plus we're in a rural type atmosphere, lots of privacy and room to garden, yet right in the middle of everything. So I'll go ahead and plant my Thai Mulberry and burro bananas and if we have to move in 3 yrs I'll take cuttings and pups.

[@davidthegood]

It's a balancing act, but I think you're right to just plant.

[@brittrathbunwoo7370]

It is such a joy to watch your precious little bundle of love thoroughly engrossed in your garden. I love that age when everything is new & they get lost in the present moment. I wish some of us/we ? adults could get that trait back. How much less stress we would have to endure each & every day. That & excercising more faith in God! The temptation to worry & fret about the "what ifs" of the future is overwhelming sometimes. Thank you, David, for the gift of of joy you give us while we get to enjoy your children interracting with your garden, your animals & you and for the reminder of how God envisioned our lives. 😇

[@thomasthibedeau8900]

I like how the little one is helping you. I remember the days when my girl helped me in the garden. Now that she's in her 40's she said to me...I wish I would have listened to you more.

[@wpridgen4853]

I absolutely love your use of a machete, I'm a fan too. About a decade ago I was using my machete to process tree limbs into mulch, I'd grab a bunch of twigs and chop em up like an onion.. Did this for a long time until one day I lost a piece of my pointer finger..😂 the doc said they couldn't reattach it so I brought my fingertip home and put it in the bottom of my compost..😂

[@davidthegood]

Oh man.

[@wpridgen4853]

@@davidthegood it was one of those moments of clarity. Nothing brings objective reality into focus like seeing a piece of yourself fly off and land on the ground.

[@susancruz729]

Dear David, Your faithfulness is infectious. We are praying for you and yours. God bless you.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you.

[@Evie170]

Haha, loved the Alice In Chains reference...We were such moody teenagers in the '90s! And now we're middle-aged gardeners! :D

[@mjk9388]

I read Grocery Row Gardening a few weeks ago and loved the book. David's writing is concise, but humorous and always a delight to read. I can attest to David's Grocery Row Gardening Method as I've used a the same principle here in San Antonio, TX for the last 8 years. I used 6 ft between the trees, but I would recommend David's slightly wider spacing as it gives the trees more breathing room, even when trimmed. I use a mixture of Red Clover, Alfalfa and Chicory as my perennial ground cover between the trees. Have fun! The system works extremely well and doesn't require hardly any effort.

[@davidthegood]

Chicory is a great idea.

[@mjk9388]

@@davidthegood good for sautéing and good perennial food for rabbits and chickens. The purple flowers also bring in the bees.

[@RestorationAcresTN]

Do you end up with enough to preserve? I really want to use the system but my concern is not being able to grow enough volume to can food for the off-season.

[@mjk9388]

@@RestorationAcresTN I have a 2100 sq ft garden and have a endless supply of perennial edible greens, however, I don’t try to preserve them because I don’t have the time for it right now.

[@heatherk8931]

Does the ground cover keep weeds down? I've been over run with tall yellow flowered oxallis. Which I'm allergic to

[@rhondahicks4569]

Directly in the earth is how my grandmother and mother did it! My grandmother was the gardener and loved plants of any kind! I v'e watched videos on the potatoes some have grown in buckets and they used organic soil etc, but I couldn't see how the cost of the dirt justified the amount of potatoes they got!

[@pattypuser2459]

That soil is gorgeous! I can only think of how much my neighbor’s cats would love using it as a litter box!

[@Biophotogenesis]

Such an adorable little quilt vest! I love it. And Love Ya'll. Thank you for sharing this amazing information, Brother.

[@GrimbolTheDruid]

Suuuuuuper excited for Broyler. 😂😂😂 🤘 Keep up the great work man. You are hilarious and an inspiration to watch with the fam.

[@UninstalledLeague]

I love the simplicity if that bicycle tire hand plow. It's really cool.

[@greenhousefun3235]

Omg that little farmer is too precious. God bless this baby.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you

[@cynthialfreeman6475]

Thank you so much for this, this is exactly what I need. I will buy the book and get started.❤️🙏

[@TheLoreHunter]

Started a Grocery Row garden at the end of last year's grow season here in Vermont and will be expanding it this year. It's a really exciting concept to explore! Just wanted to pop in and remind you that at the end of last season, I believe you said you wanted to increase the pathways to 4' because you felt the okra was growing a bit taller than you thought it would. Could have been a throwaway comment, but thought I'd mention it in case you were planning to increase and forgot.

[@davidthegood]

I think the cassava need it, but maybe on my next property.

[@barbioliver4542]

I've more or less been gardening like this for the last couple of years. There's a couple of things I'll fine tune. Thank you

[@jeanettecollis5653]

I love your videos. I actually live in the UK, so different climate and seasonal stuff altogether. That said, I've learned a fair bit from watching. I have a small allotment. One side has a tiny orchard, the other side has fruit trees and all sorts. I had to work hard on the soil, but this year got fantastic compost. I also use the chop and drop method. My neighbours don't like it, as it looks untidy, but my crops are much improved so I don't care! 😁 I wish I could have chickens, but sadly not allowed.

[@bigdig1927]

This is kinda how iv always grown it all just kinda evolves to this lovin rows for organized production but stil hav them in my permaculture style

[@terry_679]

Beautiful family, and teaching them skills that are important while making it fun.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you.

[@jodibellamy2713]

0:27 seconds, one of my favorite hymns! 💕🎶🎼✝

[@kimnenninger7226]

Revisited this video. I made a Terra Preta(?) garden. I dug in three feet and across three feet. It would have been a great idea but the new soil didn't make up for the horrible location. Something that I should have really thought through. Now I am moving my trees to a tree friendly location and doing "grocery row" style gardens. I have one done of the eight that I have to install. This land is totally un-farmable but I am not giving up hope

[@C6903]

Thank you David and family, you are a big help to us know nothing's.

[@raydel5732]

Thank you, David. God has blessed you with a beautiful family. --Ray Delbury Sussex County NJ USA

[@davidthegood]

Thank you, Ray!

[@1Melody1963]

The song you sang at the beginning is one of my favorite. Love to see your garden, chickens, kids . Thank you for a very informative video and for sharing your knowledge and life with us on here. Hello from Hillsborough NC

[@davidthegood]

Thank you

[@envirocat]

Little helper. Adorable

[@kathleensanderson3082]

Love your little helper!

[@thomassmith6344]

Hello Kathleen

[@jeremydonnelly7910]

Love the marker-foot print. Will be sure to use as I plan out the gardens!

[@davidthegood]

Hand tools and foot tools.

[@breaking_bear]

Great system! I can't wait to get a property of my own to do this!

[@patriciaserdahl5577]

I so enjoyed this video n your kids out barefoot with you working absolutely love it. The Comfrey you planted going to get wide n tall I know the bees Love it so happy I found you from Ice Age Farmer 👏 😊 💕 🙏 Blessings to you n your family n gardens

[@davidthegood]

Welcome, Patricia!

[@wonderforadventseason8128]

Doing a mash up of the grocery row concept and the permaculture style in my 1/3 acre east coast fl. Can’t do the trees in the row and still get enough light, so I have a fence row of coconuts and fruit shrubs, yams, chayote and my “permanent” items in the grocery row next to it are pigeon peas, amaranth, tomatoes etc. So far the design concept is nice for a yard and the yields are better than ever.

[@ctea8168]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING

[@tamararoberts9307]

I'm an artist, like you. I garden, sing, craft ,sew,crochet, etc. I'll be 60 next month. I have 4 children, 13 grands and 2 greats. Love your videos ♡ I'm a big fan , js 😉 . You are a true ARTIST and a great guy all around

[@tamararoberts9307]

I believe you would flourish and thrive anywhere

[@tamararoberts9307]

Thx for sharing your experiences with us

[@davidthegood]

Thank you, Tamara. Wonderful.

[@tamararoberts9307]

I just added alfalfa pellets and biochar and compost to my gardens yesterday! Woohoo! We're on our way! I'm in Indiana but we're on the same page

[@WilsonIBMath]

Thanks for the great video! It's also nice to watch the little one's in the garden. Blessings to you and the family ❤

[@thomassmith6344]

Hello Wilson IB Math

[@mandywinter8871]

Reminds me of what Mark Shepard does, but on a garden scale instead of a big field

[@takeitslowhomestead5218]

I love it. Thanks for sharing your gardening inventions. I’m devising my personal plan for my first grocery row.

[@ArkansasWoodcutter]

Love the wash/weigh station with record keeping. Was watching another guy talk abou setting up a harvest station

[@ArkansasWoodcutter]

I’m finding my elderberry makes great path mulch, why have I not been planting elder every where

[@davidthegood]

Great idea.

[@kristihicks3170]

That's interesting about Burnt Ridge. I'm originally from Washington state, been 37 years in NC, but I get my trees from Burnt Ridge.

[@idahoduckhunter]

Dang the alice in chains reference and the makeshift song was epic. Spoke to me as a 90s butt rocker.

[@ellendavis9940]

Love the grocery grow garden.

[@billydawson229]

The wife I have one just like it from my granddaughter she Is 26 yrs old and it looks just like your they don’t rust

[@richardkelly419]

Got in enough 2yr old shaving from a Turkey farm to make a growing area on top of 2ft deep hard core. It covers about 40ft by 60ft 2ft high ,anyway i decided to track it with a small track digger, did a lovely job but then realised that the hydraulic oil was leaking. Not sure how bad but I'll try it anyway

[@wilderfarmstead]

I love the lense for the camera you guys are using, the picture reminds me of the documentary 'Happy People.'

[@MikeSchoon]

Testing a combination of sugar cane as a center with brassicas down the sides for one of our late winter beds in Texas right now. Also contemplating morninga with artichokes, since I've heard morninga responds well to agressive pruning and artichokes can take some shade.

[@AaricHale]

You always do amazing job on your videos ! Your a lot more creative then I will ever be .This going to be my first year using biochar and i'm excited about using it . I 'm going use it in our big garden that I haven't put any compost in it in years . I have always had good luck with triple 13 and urea to get a good crop but that soil is missing more life in it . We got a 2 acre back field that we haven't planted in like 12 years that we might do something with this year as well just in case stuff gets really bad . Thank you for sharing and have a great weekend !

[@davidthegood]

2 acres would rock!

[@StubbsMillingCo.]

“Feels like your a man in a box!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 am I the only who got that?????

[@jhost0311]

😂 love your Alice and Chains impersonation. You should do a whole song 👍🏼

[@chamsa1556]

Man what was I waisting my time with other youtubers...exceptt from some of them...thanks to Christian from Ice Age farmer who led me to your channel. God bless you.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you - that is very kind of you.

[@DeepwaterHomestead]

Yeah!! A new video! Just in time!

[@evw6486]

Got it live! Hurray!!!!

[@josanders4051]

Cant wait.

[@reginacarroll8149]

Great lesson!

[@dorothyrhodes4657]

Those turnip greens are good w a little bacon ?

[@davidthegood]

Yes, but I turn them into chicken instead. We have lots of greens, and I like to give the hens good nutrition.

[@jmjdickey]

You are so lucky to be able to go barefoot in your yard! I live in Arizona. We can't do that here. OUCH!!

[@briankFF247]

Alice in Chains!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and the gardening was cool too!

[@johnmilligan4260]

Great video David! I love the flexibility inherent in the Grocery Row Garden concept, have you ever considered espaliering the trees in the system? I know it's more work to begin with, but do you thing it could work in the long run with some tree species?

[@davidthegood]

Yes - I have thought of it. I think you could run a wire right down the middle and train all your trees to it.

[@NickEnlowe]

Can't wait for Broyler!

[@joshuagreenslade8942]

Hey there. Love the channel. You were singing “In the Garden…” do you love Jesus?

[@davidthegood]

Yes

[@bigdig1927]

It just finally has a name

[@GardenKatt]

I planted the wrong type of turnips last year. Mainly i want the greens not the turnips. I am hoping I got it right this year. Just in case i am planting 3 different kinds. I mix them with my other greens for deliciousness in a pot.

[@WILLITGROW]

ok this will be interesting to follow along.your not worried that those sticks will cause to much shade?

[@lovemachining]

"It's a tool. It's not something you put babies into and drag around the yard." Proceeds to put baby trees into it and drags around the yard... David is so cute at that age. 🤣

[@DeeDee-dl7sl]

I pray that one day, you will have your "owned" land, you deserve it. Then you would not worry about where to plant your trees and your land would be your teaching garden 😀

[@user-ic2ug8ys1z]

I like turtles. 🐢🌱 It makes sense now, the origin of your new music video. It does have a 90s grunge feel to it. When do you trim your mulberry trees? I have one I am shaping to grow low and wide with bricks tied to weigh the main limbs down and one I'm just letting it grow. David I really enjoyed your Grocery Row presention. Your children have your sense of humor. 😁🏅🎸

[@davidthegood]

I prune mulberries for shape in late winter, and I cut them back to reduce vigor in mid-June or so.

[@dans3718]

My ISP dropped 23 seconds before premiere started :( Only got a glimpse of that seed potato, but it made me feel a lot better about the ones I just got done planting. They were from last year's crop, been sitting in my pantry, and all sprouted. But if they don't show in a month, I'll just poke in some sweet potato starts in those rows. Still have a few left, guess I can poke them into my beginning food forest. Those beds are well mulched.

[@davidthegood]

Sorry to miss you.

[@Kinjo2008]

*As always excellent content David. My girlfriend sprouted both peach and plum seeds in the fridge thanks to you. Transplanted into pots last night. She two Questions for you lol. Would you bury the seedlings fully with about an inch layer of potting soil being they were like that in the dark fridge or allow a little bit of the green to stick up? Also would she place outside now for warm of sun in North Florida or grow lights? Thanks in advance!*

[@NopeAndYep]

Awesome stuff!

[@ibkcraze1481]

Hi! The video is posted in February, I was just wondering if that is also when it was filmed? Thank you. (Love your videos. Thank you so much!!)

[@davidthegood]

Yes

[@lonniemoors7958]

Try this experiment. In a previous video, you were having problems training cucumber to climb a string. First, make sure string is natural fiber. Secondly, you were wrapping the plants in the wrong direction. Yes, it matters. According to the right hand rule, point your thumb in the direction you want your plants to grow (up) and then close your right hand. The rotation of your fingers (counterclockwise) is the rotation you want while training the plants on to the string. If you ever see a vine or plant that rotates clockwise while growing up from the ground, I would like to know.

[@whitefeather572]

Got apricots and mulberry in ground...waiting to get stuff in the ground!!

[@catholicbeforeamerican4889]

Thanks for the video I can tell you miss the tropics

[@davidthegood]

Sometimes I do, but I love the people here.

[@marycampbell4160]

Awesome thanks for sharing

[@NoLongerLukewarm]

Can you explain how to store root vegetables in the south? I've seen people do it in a box of sand in dark place but are there other ways?

[@davidthegood]

Most we just keep in the ground until we are ready, or put them in the fridge. Sweet potatoes cure on the porch, then get stored in a box in the pantry.

[@dianeirvine1384]

Wow I did that and didn’t even know that’s what it’s called. Ha ha so I can now say I have a grocery row in my orchard. Ha ha

[@davidthegood]

Awesome

[@latosa18]

Love the barefeet in the garden! Everyone should feel the earth between their toes!!

[@lukewilson3271]

Hey David, I know you talk about field corn being a survival crop and sweet corn not being one. So, do y'all just not eat sweet corn, or do you harvest field corn in the sweet stage, or do you just grow both?

[@HappyFlamingo8535]

Just an FYI, corn has no nutritional value unless it has been nixtamalized. This is what the native Americans did to survive with corn as their main grain crop. Civilization actually died from malnutrition when corn was brought from America and the nixtamalization process was not. It was not understood that it was necessary and most settlers did not like the taste.

[@davidthegood]

We eat grain corn in the "milk" stage, instead of eating sweet corn. I like it better.

[@lukewilson3271]

@@davidthegood Thank you for the answer.

[@kgur]

🎙 You know he ain't gonna dieeeeeeeee

[@bobertcronos8433]

Bought some amaranth seeds to cross with my native species. Also got a plot at the community garden becuase I ran out of room at my house.

[@davidthegood]

That is awesome - that amaranth should rock.

[@TheMoeShun]

nice.

[@shantaylong4162]

I haven’t planted the trees for a grocery row garden, should I wait until next year for the trees, or go for it?

[@jhost0311]

Wish I could grow turnips like that in Florida.

[@davidthegood]

You could. I'm only 4 miles from the Florida border.

[@jhost0311]

@@davidthegood yeah I think my soil needs more work.

[@riverunner9978]

I’m very limited in zone 3!

[@thomasreto2997]

Great stuff😃🌈🤙

[@daaara]

1:26 nice

[@thatguychris5654]

Need alkaline soil quickly and easily? No problem! Save and use your potash! Careful with the goji berries though, they tend to spread when happy.

[@victorenecahill9013]

David you can steam the tops and freeze or can them. Might think of giving the chickens a third.

[@davidthegood]

I just don't have any more need for greens, but thank you.