How To Start A Garden From Scratch! No Bed, No Soil, Nothing.

If you are wanting to start a garden than it is very likely that you are wondering where to start. Well the best place to start is going to be with your soil. Lets look at how to start a garden from scratch regardless of what your are growing.
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Ashley has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are KZbin, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s KZbin channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her KZbin channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners.
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[@brianseybert192]

If I knew then what I know now. No raised beds. My hard clay pan soil would have been rototilled with composted manure every fall until the loam was created. Now I concentrate on the soil biology more than anything else. Many ways to garden, none are wrong, just go out and grow something. Stay Well!!!!

[@gioknows]

If I had to start over I would have installed a Greenhouse with wiring and running water...at least 10x20 feet. Cheers from 🍁Ottawa🍁

[@VOTE4TAJ]

I moved in 3 homes in last 4 years….. last two had gardens 1 year old and this is going to be second year. Next year hopefully I am moving again but this time to a bigger yard and will be staying for rest of life. Never know what’s next.

[@thewindmillgarden]

If I was starting from zero: After soil was prepared, mulch, more mulch, mulch everything. Mulch beds, mulch pathways, mulch trees. Add mulch each year. Your 3 to 5 years for soil spot on 👍😀

[@ASpinnerASpinner]

High clay content soil here. My in-ground gardens were dug (aka tilled) with a shovel - that's it. I dug up the sod, grated the soil off the roots of the sod into a wheelbarrow using a sifter I made from wood and hardware cloth, so as to not lose that soil. I tilled roughly 8-9 inches, that's all. Most garden plants' roots do not extend more than a foot down. All my in-ground gardens produced as they should from year 1 so I don't agree with the statement that it takes 5 years. I also aerate, if not till (with a shovel and digging fork) every year about 4-5 inches. My raised beds on the other hand took 3-5 years to become productive and I attribute that with not incorporating any actual soil (aka earth) into them. I am fixing that this year by putting a few backs of topsoil in each of them as they still are nowhere as good at growing plants as they should be.

[@dismurrart6648]

I actually am starting completely from scratch. Last year, my house burned down and i lost everything except 2 plants (which are no longer safe for consumption but i love them). I have a friend coming to do a garden consult and im focusing on containers on the patio primarily. Shes gonna do a full writeup but my plan is to start small, replace this grass with a nice cover crop and over the next 5 years turn my whole yard into a food forest. I plan to replace the patio with a greenhouse and make a cute little shed

[@RealBradMiller]

🫂So sorry to hear that. Wish I could send you plant starts or seeds at least! Why are your two remaining plants no longer edible?

[@dismurrart6648]

@RealBradMiller thanks! One was in the basement where all the water and fire debri went so I don't trust it. The other is actually 3 plants that survived the back yard garden. They had all the ash and water and burning house chemicals fall on them. Ones a lemongrass that actually was the only plant from the herb patch to not get crushed so he's my little miracle baby.

[@DeRien8]

I'm having to start new this year, and as frustrating as it is how much work has to be put in, I'm loving the freedom of it. I was pretty much the only one to landscape or garden around my house as a kid, but I was restricted on projects, time, and planning. After over a decade of patio containers only or a really rough shared space, I finally have a yard space I can reclaim from prior abuse and shape it into something that really brings me joy (and food)!

[@PlantObsessed]

Thanks for all the great videos. Chipping in for the new trellis fund.👍🏼😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

So nice of you!

[@debbiebolman2705]

Thanks for being honest about roundup. I use it sparingly and responsibility with no issues

[@wildchildaffair]

I work as a forestry technician in Ontario. The science says glyphosate is no where near as bad as the public think it is. Glad to see a soils scientist confirm. We have a saying "you only need to worry if you photosynthesize".

[@elodiemercier2502]

I would say Glyphosate is worse in firestry than on farmland because it destroys the food of the fauda. Eliminated all deciduous growth, your deers have nothing to eat then. I Quebec, Glyphosate spray for forestry uses is ban and our deer populations are more well-off than in New-Brunswick where they are pretty liberal in spraying.

[@Ourse82Grizzli]

No so scared about the soil… More scared it would give me cancer… Not sure what research says about, just that there were lawsuits against Mosento/Byers about it… Anyone know what recent research says about that?

[@elodiemercier2502]

I feel my answer was deleted? So if I write this a second time, sorry I just genuinly don't see it anywhere. I prefer Glyphosate use in agriculture than forestry because the wild fauna, such as deers, needs the small woody growth as food sources. That's one of the reason sparying glyphosate on forest was banned in Quebec. And if we compare the Fauna from Quebec to that of New-Brunswick, Quebec seems to be faring better. Glyphosate /may/ not be directly poisonning the fauna, but it IS starving it.

[@AscheOfTheLake]

​@@Ourse82Grizzliit's got more to do with inhaling it when it's been vaporized. Just wear proper protection and it's fine.

[@elizknight8262]

The only way I would start all over is if I could start aging backwards! In that happy event I would better visualize how much shade would be cast by my little trees in 20 years. I'd still plant in raised beds because I can screen the bottoms to keep out rodents. And since I have tried sprinklers, soaker hoses, perforated drip lines, and mini sprayers, I would just stick with sprinklers. I spend a lot of time each year setting up the water system, but sprinklers are easier and the most rain like. And cheaper.

[@KathySarich]

All good, that’s exactly how I started my garden. Round Up, and then I brought out the tiller. 😂 I use soaker hoses in my garden, keeps the water more where I want it, less weeds to deal with. lol!

[@dawnteskey3259]

I love my broadfork. It has literally changed my gardening experience forever. I have very heavy clay soil and didnt realize just how compacted the beds become even though I dont walk on them at all. I broadfork the beds in the Spring and it has made a huge difference.

[@marymarymillidweeb2661]

I'm thinking about getting one but I've been told it's very heavy using one in clay soil. We've just moved here to Zone 6 in Southern Ontario and starting new beds this spring - small start for now. You don't have problems working in the clay?

[@tunatuna711]

I use just a potato fork for my entire garden, about 2/3 the size of my back yard. It's a great workout!

[@ASpinnerASpinner]

@@tunatuna711 Broad forks are a workout too, just in a different way. A broad fork still take a lot of exertion but it covers about 3-4X the area as a garden fork (aka potato fork) at a time, so you get it done faster, but you;re sill pooped out after you're done.

[@Jenny-bc5kz]

I'm in the handwatering club too with a 50x30 veggie bed and 7 ornamental gardens 🤦‍♀️ at least with perennials and shrubs once they establish you really don't need to fuss over those unless it's super dry. The veggie gardens/ annuals are divas

[@Utah_Mike]

Greatest garden advice on KZbin & any other media!

[@collinmc90]

omg yes! I bought a new place and the soil is in dire condition but I do have hope for it. I just couldn't see buying tons of top soil and redoing everything. The compaction is awful for sure but there is beautiful rich looking soil under it... other than the tombstone we found while digging lol I asked my old timer neighbor about and he said they filled in that corner of the yard with rip rap and stone from the same quarry they did the tombstones from back in the day. He said it was probably a misprint not an actual grave soooo hopefully that is the case lol.

[@CWorgen5732]

Excellent. That's where I am. Starting with a pasture and seedlings.

[@dwwcoder5048]

Get soaker hoses and run it along your rows. And a timer faucet. I did 👍🏼

[@RealBradMiller]

Finally. Finally. FINALLY installed my soaker hoses and timer. Cannot wait to have a nice garden on the west side of my house!

[@kateross4780]

Say someone did fill raised beds with potting soil…. What would you suggest doing to improve soil health and productivity? Just hypothetically 😂

[@ASpinnerASpinner]

Add topsoil and mix in well. Best way to do this is to put the topsoil in a wheelbarrow and let it dry. Then on a day that the raised bed is also on the dry side, mix the dry topsoil in. It's easy to spread around that way and much easier to mix it in thoroughly. Then water it. Days later, when that dries a bit, mix it up again for good measure.

[@trevor5290]

Now I'm exhausted just thinking I have to start all over again at this place LOL. Been doing it in containers for 4 years so that was easy but I want more than just a few peppers and lettuce at this place. Plus the garden is on a deer trail so a fence must go up, then it's move it in 2 years after some trees that are too close to the house are gone. I may have just talked myself into containers all over again 😂

[@elizknight8262]

LOL. Containers are certainly more mobile for when the trees start shading. Also impervious to tunnelers like voles, moles and gophers. Less bending over. But it's more like a hobby garden than a "feed your family" garden.

[@alex987alex987]

Stupid question, if I may? Got a place sitting on top of a cliff in the middle of a rainforest, Vancouver Island. My soil is officially classified as "rock", RO-St to be more specific. Few times I tried to dig there, I'm hitting sheet rock in 4 inches. Native plants, including some fairly impressive size trees and shrubs are doing great in it though, and there are some low spots with a lot more soil. So far I'm treating it as a strictly raised beds / containers situation. Am I wrong?

[@jojow8416]

Oh my goodness, you read my mind / needs with this video. My husband and I purchased a house with a large yard covered in Zoysia grass. This devil's grass is meant to stay. I has thick roots that all wind and weave around each other creating a thicket of weeds below the surface of the soil. I almost break the handle of my thick pitch fork when I attempt to loosen the roots. I have decided to place layers of cardboard over the devil's grass, add decayed logs from the surrounding forest with lots of leaf mold, ages cow and chicken manure and compost. The final structure will be a raised garden in order to keep the zoysa grass out. I am concerned about purchasing a load of soil due to some of the suppliers in this area of Massachusetts selling soil that includes city compost and they do not disclose this practice. What is your opinion on my plan and do you have any suggestions on dealing with devil's grass.

[@Marina.mimi133]

We pulled an old cedar hedge 4-5 years ago. I haven’t grown ANYTHING in that bed. Surprisingly not one weed has grown either. Which it makes me think that soil is so depleted from nutrients. I want to grow potatoes in that bed this year. Any tips on how to rejuvenate the soil?

[@donadams2419]

Where we live, everything is built on rock. So, if there is any soil, it was trucked in, spread over the building lot at about one to two inches deep. … We dug two 20 x 10 x 2 foot beds. Screened out all the rocks. … PS, Would have started a compost bin and worm bin if we started over again.

[@casshavoc5838]

I'm about 2.5 years into my garden and my clay soil isnt there yet. I put garden soil in my big makeshift raised bed, which is my sons old baby pool, and it gets so compacted. I've added in potting soil and perlite to it. I made a new in ground bed last year, and Im getting rid of everything on my side bed that is fill dirt. Then im trucking in 3 in of soil for that bed to do all my vining plants.

[@tinat-l2150]

I also started in clay ... twice. Added sand, manure and Peat moss. And now everything grows well - especially the weeds !

[@Nik.No.K]

Wow still snowy up there huh? We’ve had a super mild winter here in MI. Looks like summer is already here. Nothing close to freezing in the next ten days so I’m getting everything outside!

[@fitzluna7264]

Thanks for this great video! I have some new plots I started getting ready this last fall so it’s good to get your ideas, always lots of great info. I tilled my new bed area in the fall, & mulched the area with leaves. The snow is just starting to clear, the leaves look pretty broken down already, so I plan to till them in, plus solarization in a couple of weeks. I’ve got my old boards ready for the paths and my various weeds and fish fertilizers fermenting away. I’ve got my winter cleared saplings piled up and ready to put through the chipper for the paths. My Christmas presents this year were all drip irrigation supplies. I feel ready! I just need to figure out some cheap/clever solutions for supports for some low tunnels I plan to set up.

[@321zeno]

I get what you're saying about glyphosphate but there are studies out there linking it to genetic and nervous system defects in animals, some types of cancer etc. I would probably spray it to clear weeds off the pavement but why take the risk on an area where I'm going to grow veggies?

[@DrPrepper72]

What about a good dose of vinegar. Kills my weeds🙂

[@user-os2qq4hu9h]

I started a new garden just as you suggested, roundup, then rototilled the next spring. It was an old cattle pen (20 years ago) and was thick with stinging nettles. It grows beautifully, including LOTS of stinging nettles! However, the beets, radishes and potatoes are scabby. Any idea how to fix this? I plan to send off a soil sample this spring once the snow is gone and it unthaws (Manitoba Interlake Region.)

[@shawnalumgair8900]

Thank you for all the great information and encouragement! I really enjoyed hearing you speak in PA this past weekend. A tiger torch is next on my purchasing list!!!

[@blacksmithden]

No to raised beds ? Just wait until there's another 30 or 40 years on your back and knees kid. You'll LOVE 2 ft high raised beds. LOL.

[@ASpinnerASpinner]

I hear ya. I love in-ground gardens for how well they grow/produce but the older I get the more I keep thinking about turning my in-ground garden into a raised bed garden little by little while I still can.

[@79PoisonBreaker]

I liked starting with large pots(15-20 gal) as they gave me a place to have success wile I slowly reclaim compacted clay thistle infested ground. I seeded spinach in my pots this week as they thawed and bent 1 fork trying to see if ground was thawed yet lol. when it gets warm and spinach goes to seed the pepper plants will replace them in pots for the summer.

[@teac117]

That 3-5 year thing is real... so much so, IF I HAD TO START FROM SCRATCH, I'd just pave the darn thing and grow everything in grodan slabs. Kidding.... almost - perennials are 'special needs' and they get that, but annual garden veg get trellised up from slabs. They just work.

[@irelyndadams8272]

If you had a space where you planted flowers every year from the store and wanted to do veggies instead would you still rototill it? Very new to gardening!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Annual flowers I would assume? If that’s the case it would depend on soil quality but it’s possible if when you dig it is hard. I’ll do a video on what soil should look like prior to planting in the future. Watch out for that

[@CWorgen5732]

What if I WANT raised beds?! 😭 I know it's going to be a tough year, but I was planning to grab cow pies, chicken coop, pond scum, cardboard, and leaf mold to make some great compost for next year to top-dress the trucked-in yards of soil. It's not perfect, but it's a start.

[@emkn1479]

I’ve been thinking of using gallon jugs from vinegar (I go through a lot 😅 and they’re pretty hefty) and sinking them in the ground or in beds, with holes drilled through, and retaining the cap. My thought would be to water into the jugs and let the water soak into the soil slowly. Do you think it would be worth the effort? Would they just clog with roots?

[@Nocare89]

I think a better option could be ollas. It's a much more passive way of watering. If you go the plasti route, figure out if the vinegar plastic is safe and then use a needle to make the holes. Then a matter of experimenting with how long that takes to drain. The jug of water is going to just constantly push water out at a reducing speed because of the water pressure against that hole. Its a good way to do a cheap drip-irrigation but if you sink it in a bed you might be kind of just using up a lot of space. Also most water would be concentrated lower and your high roots would be missing out.

[@seaglass8940]

Don’t use vinegar bottles use water bottles vinegar is a herbicide.

[@kendravoracek3636]

💚💚

[@joanneandrea7298]

I would love some advice. I have a small area of ground (about 15 ft x 20 ft) that used to be a chicken run (about 3 years ago). Now it grows Canada thistle like a champ. I want to grow in that area this year. I was going to use roundup to kill anything that might be lurking and then at the end of may, plant some tomatoes and squash. (blue hubbard, spaghetti, acorn, etc. Tomatoes,- san marzano, coyote, and queen malinalco tomatillos). Does this plan sound good? Should I scrap it and plant potatoes instead? How would you prepare the soil and what would you plant?

[@gcarson]

Hi Ashely, I have a question about soil for containers you mentioned at the 1:16 mark. I don't have access to land, so I'm in containers only outside on a balcony, but I have those 15 gallon geo fabric pots for gardening. Would it be beneficial to use real soil in these containers or would they be considered too small? I'm currently using something called sea soil container complete which is mostly organic. From your other videos I got one of those soil testers and ended up adding some dolomite lime and some potash fertiliser to improve things for this year.

[@79PoisonBreaker]

I wonder what impact water logged ground freezing has. Do we in the frozen land have an advantage of frost helping reduce compaction? as the ground freezes the water freezing should expand and fight compaction as long as we dont disturb it as it thaws , or am I wrong?

[@glendas2906]

If I drop a rock on my ground it bounces. I am talking large very heavy rocks. If a car drives over it it sinks underthe wieght and bounces back up as the wieght moves. What kind of soil does that.

[@dwwcoder5048]

It’s blowing 55 mph where I live right now and I can’t do anything on this day.

[@donadams2419]

Starting over: 1) I would have mixed the native soil with the purchased Super Soil & Sheep Manure, 2) would not rototill the grass etc. into the garden beds, 3) Learn more about the plants I am growing.

[@michaelbeard4883]

i just use a turning fork and pull up the entire grass layer in large squares then add amendments

[@Maria-uv9pd]

That's kinda what I did this past weekend. I used a square shovel though and shook as much soil off the roots as possible. I didn't add any amendments - just a 4-4-4 fertilizer. I have a bunch of incompletely composted chicken bedding and leaves that I can utilize next year.

[@yesterdayseyes]

I LOVE that you tell the unpopular truths! We need more of that, on every topic.

[@killercorbett7413]

Where’d you go to school

[@Batchat2352]

Getting so scary im worried someone will jump over my tiny fence and stole my trees ;-;

[@MushroomMagpie]

Pro tip: rent a community garden plot and trade soils! Just joking, please don't hate me :)

[@edoyster4120]

Just observe carefully n you'll learn said Charles dowding n tat has worked for me.. it's true as too much science or theory can be confusing

[@kayta5946]

Wait I thought in another video you said water every. single. day. .??? Now you’re saying every 5 days?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Just in the beginning (only if the soil is moist from spring) so May till about mid June . After that you’ll need to pick it up. If you have sandy soil or containers though every day is a must.

[@RealBradMiller]

I guess Round-Up in home use is safer than the commercial usage. The over spraying is crazy! Who are you and what have you done with Gardening In canada?!?! *Puts on tinfoil hat*

[@wesh388]

May whoever stole your trellis forever suffer from lack of abundance in whatever they grow. Shame on them

[@cuznclive2236]

See ya, and your position on the use of glyphosate. One less sub.

[@anishinaabae]

see? you unsubbing lol.

[@PlantObsessed]

Gravity... It's a rule. I'm going to try to figure out the whole irrigation thing this summer. Baby steps.🪱😁👍🏼