How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden | Grow Food Not Lawns

[@Robin.Greenfield]

For details on turning a front yard into a garden see: Rob Greenfield’s Guide to Gardening for Beginners in Orlando, Florida: robgreenfield.org/grow/ This guide is designed in particular for Central Florida where I made this garden, but it is applicable with adaptations in many regions. For more help on getting started with growing food go to my Gardening Guide for Beginners: robgreenfield.org/freeseedprojectguide A special thanks to Live Like Ally Foundation for funding the production of this video.

[@singlemomlivinginthemounta7177]

Love your blog sir...I wanna do it in my place....nice to watch your videos

[@daniellewidemond6896]

What happens to the cardboard after the mulch is on top of it over time? Like do I get rid of it later to get to the good soil?

[@pascal5137]

Dani’s Vlogs, it will decompose overtime.

[@margaretd3710]

@@daniellewidemond6896 The cardboard breaks down - it's really a form of compressed paper so, no, you don't remove it. The purpose of the cardboard is cover the weeds and weed seeds so they won't pop back up, or, if they do, there will be significantly fewer weeds than you would have had without the cardboard shield. -- I know this response is a year after you asked your question, but I hope it's helpful. Happy gardening!

[@GalaxG5]

Dude I have bricks and stones in my garden and poor quality of soil and also cold climate 25degree in summer and _5degre for five months tell me what to do with my garden, what's suitable, I love you r channel

[@OscarBoscar889]

im a kid. my family would never allow me to do that, but i love his idea and will DEFINETLY do this when i have my own home.

[@Robin.Greenfield]

Your family might let you have a small raised bed garden or a pot with some tomatoes, herbs and greens. Start small my friend!

[@cydneesledge2070]

Show them Mr. Greenfield.

[@Doopidap]

Name you dont need a whole house in my garden i have lots of small plant pots get seeds and plant them you can get seeds from lots of stuff

[@danakarloz5845]

Ask your parents and show them this video

[@myviews4u929]

An old bucket , some soil and a potato and you will be ready to start your easy tiny garden at no cost.

[@parryking5728]

You're doing the planet a massive favor man, don't ever stop.

[@typ8723]

Moron

[@Robin.Greenfield]

You can count on me to keep it up!

[@lykos832f5]

@Ahmad Qahtani That’s what you’re supposed to do with food you grow, that’s kind of the whole point

[@haharmageddontv6581]

@Ahmad Qahtani better this than wasting water on grass

[@alfonsomunoz4424]

He's doing the planet a tiny favor. If millions more did it then maybe it would be a massive favor.

[@familybroich3073]

I did this to my backyard 8yrs before it was “cool” 😂. Not joking, my friends actually made fun of me because I got chickens/ducks, took out our backyard to garden. Added Apple trees, berry bushes. I’m only 33 but being a stay home parent to two, it’s very educational for them plus healthy foods. I’d like to see more ppl my age canning, gardening. Hells we’re all on quarantine why not start a garden, it’s spring anyways. (The rustic garden aka Gary on KZbin, can teach you!)🌎❤️

[@dgirl9743]

Family Broich you’re awesome!

[@duhsunnyday8590]

Heck that's what I'm doing now with the lockdown

[@ascentengineering7892]

@@duhsunnyday8590 in lockdown you are utilizing your time in gardening that's the right way which everyone should follow, lockdown has given us the time to treat & care our nature and planet which we had left far behind , I think that after overcoming the corona disaster there should be at least one day lockdown in each month so that our planet can also have the chance to breathe in fresh air which we humans have polluted to extreme .

[@marcussimmons7003]

Gardening and Quarantining 🥬🍉

[@victoriaye4724]

I have a backyard garden with vegetable and fruit tree and two chicken😁😂

[@betted3792]

I have used this technique in Delaware. I lived in the city with a very small yard. I turned most of it into a raised bed using cardboard, cinder blocks, yard waste from me and my neighbors, and bags of topsoil. When I didn't have enough mulch I used fabric scraps (I'm a quilter) to keep in the moisture and prevent so many weeds. Watering was easy. We captured rain from the roof gutters into barrels and through gravity watered the garden. The harvest was amazing. I had an overabundance sharing with my neighbours. We were very grateful for every delicious mouthful we had and shared. Oh, the fabric scraps? Well I pulled them up after the crop was done and used again in the next crop. 😊

[@GutenGardening]

Two thumbs up! So rewarding to share your garden produce with a neighbor, family or friends. We are also on a mission to encourage more to garden and convert their lawns into an abundant Food Yarden/Garden. Cheers!

[@anguledazo]

Thank you for this video. I grew up in a small town in the northeast of India where every single home has a vegetable garden. So when I moved to the big city to study and find work I found it really hard to cope as I was used to in growing my own vegetables. What I did back then was that I started growing collard, coriander and other herbs on our university lawn and for almost 7 years I enjoyed my own vegetables and saved money. My point is we can all contribute a tiny bit to make life sustainable.

[@-whackd]

Guerilla gardening on the university lawn, I love it

[@trueword247]

May God bless you

[@bextrekks8354]

Rob, great video! We are in Ottawa Ontario Canada and last summer I changed my lawn into a garden and this year will be implementing the rain harvesting / drip irrigation. Unfortunately, our immediate neighbours HATE the changes to our yard and have stopped talking to us and put up a large screen on their front porch so they don't have to see it/us. We have had quite a few other people come up to say how excited they are to see what we are doing so this--and videos such as yours--keep us inspired and reminds us that we are all in this together!

[@Olhamo]

what a shame, when neighbours are not in synch with this goodness! Maybe they will change their minds. These times are waking lots of people up. Keep sending them good energy, for them to be very happy, and well. Maybe they will decide to move..and find a place that makes them happy, and you will attract like-minded neighbours.

[@vintagejaki751]

Did they say why they hate it?

[@lykos832f5]

@@vintagejaki751 Probably just because it doesn’t fit the aesthetic of what they think a picture-perfect neighbourhood should look like.

[@Chris-fb8bw]

If living in close proximity it is important to get along with your direct neighbors, I find. Just bc of the energy we all put out. How about you plant the most beautiful, butterfly and hummingbird attracting flower bush right next to their window? They'd be concentrating pretty likely on the wonderful life those fliers present and the rest of your yard-garden would lay a bit hidden. And of course sharing ones harvest always helps changing people's minds.. Good luck and blessings.

[@clintlewis1715]

It's pretty awesome that you are able to do this in your neighborhood. Most neighborhood settings have HOA's that would not allow that, since to many people that would fall under the lines of not well maintained or unsightly. Unfortunately, many cities also have ordinances along the same lines. I actually know someone, that got fined for their fenced in backyard garden, because someone that would have had to look over the fence to see it, made a complaint to the city. They received multiple warnings first, siting that the city required yards to be well maintained and they kept explaining that it was a vegetable garden. Honestly, it was well maintained, but they had a lot of large tomato plants and it's get really hot in our area, so tomato plants always look kind of bad in mid summer, but still produce well.

[@YukiTheOkami]

And i thought we germans got issues. U literally csn fine someone here for having s fence to tall But our garden are always pretty as long as they are taken care of even the ones that apear chaotic at first sight.

[@jayde6873]

if any one is facing this issue: look into having your gardens/yards registered as wildlife haven! if this is an option where you are, you can sometimes get around the rules of the HOA and city ordinances

[@CHLOCHLOLP]

i dont think most have HOAs, only the ritzier ones in my experience.

[@markbond08]

@@CHLOCHLOLP almost all new construction in my area is HOA. That being said, I’m glad none of my neighbors do this because it looks like shit in the front yard.

[@CHLOCHLOLP]

@@markbond08 is it an upper middle class area? If so then that is probably why. Most lower middle class ones dont which is where most people live. Though i think ive seen some upper ones without them. My friends live in this neighborhood that is pretty mixed between little bugalows and big 2 story houses, rent is lik $1500+ in the area so i would say its verging on upper middle, they have no HOA, their neighborhood is so gorgeous full of huge live oaks and bio diverse ground cover, they dont need an HOA its just so naturally beautiful, it would be a shame to have regular lawns there. Maybe its just a Florida thing though for them to not be as common, idk. Edit: nvm florida has the second largest # of HOAs lol and the highest density it seems, so if i can find a place without them im sure you could. Unless maybe you live in Winter Park or something lmao.

[@son333ful]

It is very good to see how, many developed countries are also coming back to the basics of growing their own food. In my hometown almost everyone has a vegetable garden, small or big. When there's any space, there's always some herbs or vegetable patch.

[@SuperPenguin5495]

just remember this takes 2 years. got my mulch in 2017 and just now it's amazingly broken down and golden

[@Robin.Greenfield]

It took 3 months to go from a lawn to more greens than I could eat. But, to get to the point you see in this video it was about 1 year and 8 months. However it was producing heavily long before that.

[@DJ-vz3xe]

I pass by your house on my way to work everyday. Love how your yard is flourishing. Great sight see before I start my job!

[@goddess131]

you are an inspiration, I hope in the future there are no more lawns and instead diverse gardens.

[@Boo-hu5zu]

goddess131 that is what is happening now ! And I’m sooooooo happy and excited for it !! We all should be 🤗🤗

[@twdjt6245]

Yea right lol. As if that will happen. Us humans are too stupid and will continue to view more aesthetically pleasing useless lawns and palm trees as more important than growing edible plants. Many of us here in the states are too lazy to even cook at home much anymore, (and half of those who do grocery shop mostly buy a buncha processed crap) what makes you think we will start taking it a step further and start growing our own fresh foods more? Furthermore, look at the trend that housing is taking, we’re going more and more for bigger indoor spaces and smaller front and back yards, making potential gardening space for more and more people smaller and smaller....And most of newer houses built these days are in HOA-run communities, rather than free standing houses on individual plots of land......no way in hell can I imagine any HOA in a residential-only community allowing gardening of this magnitude/type on front lawns. Eventually, affordable homes in decent neighborhoods where people don’t have to answer to an HOA will be very hard to find.

[@Boo-hu5zu]

Jen Tuesday you are saying “us” when it’s really YOU ! Projection is a hell of a thing. I know the energy is crazy right now and the illusion of doubt may be strong for SOME but how one feels for self should be just that .. for SELF ! Everything you stated is how you really feel about yourSELF which you shouldn’t feel anyway. Don’t let what you see keep you in that mind frame. Be that difference!! Be the one to change everything you stated. Get with people who feel the same way you do about this ! Not everyone is under one umbrella! If people are buying smaller yards let them ! All you can do is tap people on the shoulder and try to make them aware but it’s not our job to convince anybody of anything because everyone’s path and journey is different and that should be respected regardless 🤷🏿‍♀️ all that matters is what are YOU doing for yourSELF and loved ones and community!! Because while they may not know YOU DO ! While they may not have YOU DO ! And when that time comes to share do just that ! This is not the time for separation or pointing fingers and name calling ! It’s a time to STEP UP ! And be for those that may not be able to be for themselves. Sending you Love Light & Blessings 🙏🏿👏🏿💕💕 in NO way is this to “attack” or anything negative. Just hopefully this opens up your mind that’s all I promise !! lol

[@twdjt6245]

@@Boo-hu5zu I'm not sure why I even need to explain this to a grown adult that obviously can read and write the English language......but when I said "us", I meant us as a collective human species...….on AVERAGE, hence responding to the original comment that stated they hope there aren't any more lawns and instead diverse gardens.....which insinuates a growing trend.....when it isn't growing....it's shrinking. So unless you're an alien or you typed that up from Titan, then "us" includes you as well as myself, since we are part of said species, Dr. Phil.

[@solfeinberg437]

Dig this: 1. I'm driving around looking for dumpsters with cardboard, driving along behind buildings, I find a loading dock with trucks and literally pallets full of cardboard. So some time later I'm looking again, drive back there, talk to some guy smoking in his car, he says I dunno but I'll ask a manager. Guy comes out - he's fucking happy to load that shit on to my trailer to see it be put to a good use. Happy that I asked first. And says come back any time. So I now can get a couple pallets loaded onto my trailer for me. Best if you can find very big pieces - makes using it much easier. 2. I see a tree company doing work in the area, I run over, talk to the guys, tell 'em they can dump that right here in my yard. I get one guy doing work in the area, and he says how much you want. I say 10 trucks full. (I have 2.6 acres and want to cover a small fraction of it). He starts coming in with multiple trucks a day. I'm like shit I might have to tell him to stop. I've been using it lately. Anyway I've got my woodchip problem solved and I've got a source for cardboard. I should've been more careful to get the guys name and number. But I can go back and ring the bell on the dock. So, not only is shit out there, people might be delighted to give it to you. Worst that can happen is they say your weird and tell you to fuck off. Best case they can do your work for you and it doesn't cost anything. Small scale you can hop in a dumpster which is okay, but this is so much easier.

[@littlesnarf]

At a previous community garden I worked at we did the cardboard and woodchips. We almost had an issue of the tree service dumping too much. I think they thought they could just keep coming and we ended up with quite the pile. It all went to use, though.

[@solfeinberg437]

@T҉w҉i҉z҉d҉e҉d҉ L҉i҉o҉n҉ Crazy how one man's trash is another's treasure. But it also shows how disconnected and unsustainable we are. Crazy how the waste stream is actually an incredible resource. If we did more small scale farming with people actually doing work, and growing a lqrge variety of things. Thjan the animal manure would of course all be composted, for instnace rather than being a pollutant. I love permaculture for swhowing us a better way and then showing us how to implement it and not wait for it to happen generally - like we can help ourselves now even in times where people think everything comes from the store. Trying to add more and more perennial and annual food productions. We'll see how ti goies.

[@backintimealwyn5736]

in my country they forbade any buisness to give cardboards for free:( it's forbiden to give, without paying taxes.

[@Robin.Greenfield]

Wonderful to hear this Sol! And for those looking for cardboard and wood chips in their community, here is my guide that includes how to find it: robgreenfield.tv/grow/

[@adoxartist1258]

@@backintimealwyn5736 That is truly tragic. 😭

[@brem5980]

I hope one day I'll be able to do this to my own property! But for now I'll try with a few pots on my apartment balcony. You're such an inspiration!

[@kaylynivey3220]

If you are renting try really hard to use grey water. I had issues with my landlord over my little garden because of water usage.

[@sharoncourt75]

use a little kiddie pool

[@GutenGardening]

Awesome! Starting is the first step. We started with a small raised bed and now we have more Yarden than Lawn. Cheers!

[@gangadas7034]

It is heartening to see more and more lawns turn into gardens. Finally the western world is coming close to the Asian culture.

[@GutenGardening]

Oh yes, we should grow more of our own food when we can!

[@mamasufino]

I made a banana circle ( BC ) in early 2015. Since then I have been harvesting compost from it. My BC is 1 meter deep and 2 meters in diameter. I harvested the compost every 15 to 18 months. I also have a chicken coop of which I lined it up with leaves and branches of the trees that I have in my yard. This also is my source of compost. I also raised Tilapias and Pangasius under my porch and half half duckweed Azolla trench attached to the fish tank.

[@gardeningwithjp1721]

My goal this year is to become more self sufficient in food production, I think it’s more important now more than ever to have alternative food sources. This video is a great tool for achieving that. Thanks Rob!

[@WildFloridian]

I love that you talked about the Victory Garden! It is such an important part of our history and a way we can learn from worked well in the past!

[@milkweeddreams8828]

I'm in central Florida too, my converted sand lot is now lush with fruits n veggies...new to this neighborhood 3 years ago, my neighbors thought I was crazy laying cardboard and mulch everywhere, but now when I'm out in the yard, they stop by to gaze in amazement and maybe grab a banana or starfruit...hopefully avocados this year too, life is good for this 70 year old hippie...!

[@Robin.Greenfield]

Way to go!

[@Green.Country.Agroforestry]

Another thing that can be done (which I am doing!) is to add mushroom spawn to the mulch as you are applying it .. Winecap and oyster mushrooms grow well in straw, leaves, or woodchips, break the mulch down faster, feed the earthworms (which feed your plants), and produce yet another edible crop for you to enjoy.

[@meemo32086]

Great idea!

[@gerrylavelle8433]

Moved to Port Charlotte from Colorado in August. Turning the backyard lawn into fruit trees and bee, butterfly and bird friendly bushes and perennials. I also have a mounded veggie garden going. Love it that I can garden in the winter here. Week by week the sandy, sterile soil is getting fertile by adding leaves and compost. Tomatoes and peppers are finally taking off after false starts with the sterile soil. I stack the lawn chunks I scrape off upsipde down onto yard debris such as palm fronts and oak leaves. I have a 50 ft long berm of this material composting at the back of the yard. And just noticed this week that monarch butterflies have been laying eggs on the butterfly weed patch I planted and the caterpillers are feasting on the butterly weed -- awesome.

[@alun5903]

I recently put all my saved cardboard boxes into the recycle bin. As I was breaking them up and folding and compressing them, I kept feeling like I was wasting something useful. I see now I was. Well, now I know better.

[@dixieraindrop3499]

ty for this vegetable garden ideas. I am buying the book. I am 63 and need perennial garden for retirement.. This will save me money and make sure we eat.. I am so excited by this.

[@scanjet1000]

This is awesome. If I ever own a home, I will do this in honor of you! Your message is really amazing and I hope you spread it across the world!

[@GutenGardening]

Yard to an Abundant Food Yarden... Our Dream! Thanks for sharing.

[@jeus2528]

This guys name is ROB GREENFIELD, he was literally destined to be an environmentalist

[@Womynxx]

Isn't it weird how that works out sometimes? I used to know an ob/gyn whose name was Dr. Bean. I feel like this is a phenomenon that actually happens a lot lol.

[@Robin.Greenfield]

Sending love Isaac!

[@danakarloz5845]

soos 😂🤓 his middle name is probably “earth to give back”

[@ronaldolech643]

I thought that too!

[@apeshitclothing]

Womynxx too funny. A lot of last names came about from occupations. SMITH (blacksmith), FARMER (tax farmer/collector -just found this out), MILLER (someone who owned a mill)

[@liquiddevil7396]

The house we bought had a concrete pad for a backyard. We sledged it out and put in 110 5 gallon buckets of topsoil. Planted a lawn, cherry blossom tree, and blackberry and blueberry bushes. 8 years later the tree is almost 30 feet tall.

[@gavinbrinck]

rob, you are amazing. thank you for your dedication and inspiration. your humility and humanity is glowing ! :)

[@Kristy_not_Kristine]

Old moldy straw is great, too, for mulching. We've done this for years and I love that I can weed an entire 1/2 acre once a month for maybe an hour! It's a game changer!! And we use a lot less water, too.

[@farrahkhan6101]

I "invented" a drip irrigation system cos I hated to see waste. At work, we have silicone tubes which come as part of a kit, and they typically get thrown out after one use. Aaaaaargh! I rescued a bunch of those, attached them end to end and laid them from my air conditioner dripping thingy all the way to the garden bed. All that drip-drip-drip was killing me, watching that perfectly good water go to waste. After this DIY, I didn't have to water the garden all last summer. Yay! Now in an ideal world, I wouldn't use air conditioning, but the family would revolt if I suggested it. Baby steps...☺️

[@OfftoShambala]

That’s awesome... however, if everyone wanted to give up ac, San Diego would become over populated real fast

[@tamarabrown8787]

You can use your gray water also

[@yahprays]

Maybe you should make a video. I’m interested to see how you did it.

[@elephantsong7782]

Youbeither use alot of ac or your garden bed isnt too big..wouldnt work for my garden but glad its working well for you,smart way of doing it..kudos

[@joycebryan2175]

Kudos to that kid! Kudos to him who teaches! Kudos to me for learning!

[@kiraward1125]

Thank you I have been making plans on turning my entire backyard into a garden and this is most helpful information.

[@etiennelouw9244]

Here in Cape Town, South Africa, there are no wood chips available, so I dug up the grass in the place I wanted to start my veggie garden. I am a pensioner with only a little capital so I used concrete slabs and cement bricks (had that already) to cordon off the area. I covered the spot in cardboard, bricks to hold it down. I cut holes in the cardboard and inserted "grow tubes" (soda bottles cut into tubes) in the holes and planted in the grow tubes. I use a soda bottle with a hole in the lid to water the plants inside the grow tubes as we almost ran out of water 2 years ago. I had no compost, but I have harvested quite a lot so far and started a compost bin and now a second one. 2021 has been a good year so far as my garden goes.

[@forsak3th]

Rob thank you for the content. I have a suggestion. Could you possibly in the future do a time lapse of the set up process. It would serve us well.

[@lizxu322]

I have th exact same type of soil near Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Great advice. The problem is now convincing my dad to turn his dead lawn into a veggie garden - i dont know why he hangs onto his lawn, he doesnt water, fertilize or do much with it. Most of the year it's ugly or dead.

[@naturecalls174]

I live in Jacksonville and you have inspired me with many techniques I enjoy every video you post Keep it up Rob you’re incredible

[@kristopherbichsel9230]

Check out "eat your yard Jax". I'm I Callahan doing the same thing.

[@naturecalls174]

@@kristopherbichsel9230 thank you so much for the invitation I just went to your channel and subscribed

[@weimgv]

Diamond, I am in Jacksonville - are you doing this here?

[@rianajansevanrensburg2444]

I so enjoyed your video.I am in South Africa in a urban garden and started with very poor soil. I have done as you and removed 80% of our lawn and mulched every year to now have much better soil. You learn as you go. Next dor me is drip irrigation

[@michaelbadger1005]

I don't know if you are planning on this, but it would be sooooooo cool if you did a similar project in Wisconsin. Love your content, keep it up!

[@Robin.Greenfield]

I will.

[@iteerrex8166]

@@Robin.Greenfield Awesome, I'm in Colorado a cold climate, and thinking of doing something like this. So a lot to learn. Well you incorporate a green house for the winter months?

[@deejaykay1975]

And I'm in southern Spain! Any tips would be most welcome...

[@freda7503]

@@Robin.Greenfield Australia?!

[@pang-ngiavang1956]

I am so jealous of your papaya and banana trees. Beautiful contents and thank you for sharing.

[@twootters7433]

This is a great idea! If the law let's you. I turned my small front yard into a garden years ago. I was fined $250 and ordered to tear it all out. Find out the codes and laws in your area first. I also got into trouble for saving rain water into barrels for watering my garden.

[@allthingslovecollection9677]

Seems like the government don’t want us to be self-sufficient beings. Just sad

[@kevartje1295]

I work at a flower shop, we had lucky bamboo to use in bouqets but we'd only use the top, (it had a curl on top) the bottom we would cut off. So.. I collected all the bottom pieces, put them in 2 glasses of water and now I have 10 beautiful lucky bamboo plants. And it's easy to multiply them, you just cut them in half, put them in water, and they start growing again after a few weeks :)

[@myviews4u929]

Growing your own food will meet your daily needs during the crisis that will follow Corona virus.

[@zolaannebelanger7850]

I like that kid! We need to stop mowing all the lawn...Just a few metres of tall grass produces so much more oxygen. Rob has the best attitude! Lots of information passes through your hands and connects us all-through dirt! Keep up the good work and be proud of your roots during these hard times. North Americans are a friendly lot and support all farmers worldwide! All Life Begins In The Garden!

[@111-x5x]

This video was highly informative Rob. Here in Switzerland we have enough land, more than enough water but less sun that say Florida has. But we have have wonderful food markets so eating organically is no problem whatsoever.

[@HelenRullesteg]

For those that can pay for it. My family can, but organic produce here in Switzerland can be very expensive, so the more people that can/would grow their own the better.

[@Stoffmonster467]

I'm from Bavaria. I try to grow my own food: no trucks to the supermarket needed.

[@111-x5x]

@@HelenRullesteg Swiss can also apply for a community garden to grow things. I shop at local open air markets, Migros and Coop. Am very particular about the quality of my food. I am on a good Swiss pension and in fact find living in Zurich very good. Although ZRH is expensive, I still feel I live cheaper here than say in London and New York. The fantastic transport system, safety, respect people have here and also the politeness. Anything for me is also better than living in Zimbabwe or South Africa. I am European ( not African). Very happy to be a Swiss citizen for the past 28 years or so. Wishing you a good week and happy gardening for you now that Spring and summer soon will be on the way.

[@mrspogadaeus]

I have a guy bringing wood mulch to my yard starting soon... I'm so excited! Food forest, here we come!

[@willn8664]

This is great for those that live in a suburban area during the COVID - 19 epidemic.

[@GutenGardening]

Agreed! Gardening can be very therapeutic. Cheers.

[@samrienghudson7493]

You are greatest guy teaching peoples how to service ( that where I came from ) love Avery words you teach. God bless ✝️🙏❤️

[@peleringo535]

In just a year or two, the cardboard rots and makes great soil. I also used layers of newsprint, but the neighbour’s cat would scratch it up. It works, but cardboard is better. You plant right over the paper, into the soil or mulch (I had no soil, so just planted in the composted manure mulch.). It builds up your soil awesomely. Then repeat again in a year or two.

[@glomontero6011]

Thank you for all this useful information. Im working and learning. This is my 3 year but I feel I know nothing. But after ur video i can see how much I have learned. Please do step 2. Special how to treat problems like dusty mold.

[@gretakittok9512]

Thank you for all of your videos! Now I am trying to make my yard a garden.

[@GutenGardening]

Awesome! We just converted our front yard into new veggie garden (a.k.a Yarden)

[@boonhinglim6670]

u are a star,specially now the corona time,people are forced to be self-subsisting when they have less money to spend and ur blog is very useful to them. god bless u, from malaysia

[@TheFarmDream]

Thanks for the tips and tricks. I love the mulch idea!

[@taliahbrooke]

I found your channel last night and can’t get enough. The whole idea of sharing blew my mind, which is actually crazy that it did blow my mind. My dad has half an acre but I’ve always viewed it as HIS. I’m at his house at least 3 times a week, I’m going to now propose that I help him with the garden and can both eat from it. Thanks again for all your effort into these videos, absolute legend. From the land down under, AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺

[@GutenGardening]

He is will happy to share, go for it!

[@denisestone8491]

Great video! I would also love to see a video on your biomass gas grill/oven/stove! The cardboard layering is what I did when I started my first garden and my compost area. Doing some winter sowing to start my seeds germinating and harden them off. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Keep calm and grow on.

[@longarm1161]

your the type that brings down the value of homes gezzz

[@curt6829]

It's always been a plan of mine to grow food in my garden, now that I have more insight from this video I'll be hoping to get started soon, thanks Rob and keep up the good work 👍🏻😁

[@GutenGardening]

It is greatly rewarding to grow and harvest your own food. Be encouraged to give it a try!

[@2Mushy]

I love all that this is about! It's more than growing your own food, it's about the impact your personal garden has on the world! Thank you for this

[@louispedron3034]

Nice tips, thanks! I like this type of video when you explains how do things :)

[@NormanAllan53]

Loving it !Worked on my back yard garden for a year and finally getting close. Now if I could get rid of the squirrels and rabbits....

[@DaniElle-di4ho]

Allan N. Oakley we have a front yard garden that rabbits stay out of, I assume due to proximity of passing cars

[@loxleybattle2591]

Dogs love to “protect” their yard from squirrels and rabbits!

[@anniemae3858]

Have you tried ammonia?

[@dushyantjat7517]

Never give up.

[@GutenGardening]

@@DaniElle-di4ho we just started a front yard veggie garden so hopefully they stay away.

[@pinkrosevlog477]

Thank you Rob for sharing im now have an idea to turn my full of weeds yard into how to grow food. I've subscribed to you a while ago and i watched pretty much all your videos.

[@jakeofalltrades7980]

Hey Rob. Really great informative video. I like what you say about weeds, I am starting a small sustainable gardening company in Auckland and I find it difficult at times conveying the importance of composting weeds to clients. Your banana circle is awesome! At times I deal with invasive weeds such as tradescantia and convolvulus that you really cant just leave to rot down in a compost pile as they can grow and reproduce from the tiniest of cuttings. What I do is bag them up in old/second hand plastic bags and store them in a dark place for 6 months minimum. By that time they've sweat and rotted down to lovely compost. Have you had to deal with invasive or noxious weeds yet? I'd love to hear about it if you have.

[@saashathomas3100]

Thank you so much! This was just what I needed and was straight to the point for starting out a food forest from a lawn!

[@charlesz8531]

Excellent video! So glad you didn't even mention pH and stuff like that. This is something big companies don't like. They want you to be dependent. Growing your own food in your yard is a powerful tool, good for your health and good for your soul and good for your wallet too.

[@meganclark-hutchings7464]

Thank you so much for posting this! I moved to Clearwater from TX a year ago, and excitedly attempted a garden in my backyard. IT. DID. NOT.WORK :( That sand!!! This is just what I needed to figure out how to be more successful on my limited budget!

[@peterg6638]

Good video i live in the northeast and i stopped watering my grass years ago. I now have white clover growing and it looks great and the bees love it too.

[@Gauche69]

Need a Canada version of this

[@kumara5492]

Wow, I always learn something new from these videos. Thank you so much about sharing facts about useless lawn in front of the houses.

[@IamSam1980]

Questions: What happened with the cardboard boxes? How long does it take to prepare the gardening space? And how do you protect from possums and cats? Thank you so much for this video!!

[@GutenGardening]

The card board will degrade and add organic matter to your soil. Here in zone 5, on a smaller scale, the card board was completely degrade in just about 2 months.

[@SandcastleDreams]

Possums: Dinner Cats: Rat and mice control!

[@rohanimk1069]

I like the positivity in you...good job rob. Keep your good work

[@freddynajar3334]

Thanks for all of your great material Rob! Any advice for rat control? I have some pretty dry backyard landscape and would like to lay out some compost on it so that it can start turning the soil into something useful. My only issue is rats coming in and lay their poop everywhere. I don't think that would be the healthiest for my soil and using it for plant compost. Thanks!

[@junapelo4870]

nature will thank you for what you are doing

[@lifereceiver3661]

The least that all of us can do is to throw the seeds of fruits that we eat onto soils of public land. We can upturn the weed and instantly put the fruit seeds on the upturn weed. The upturn weed will slowly become mulchy soil. The fruit seed will slowly become planted by natural rain and sun.

[@LucasOliveira-fl7tt]

What a complete yet concise video! You’re sharing such valuable information here. Thanks very much and congrats!

[@alinavanmode]

One of my goals in the next 6 years is building affordable housing for refugees and war victims in Colombia who have been displaced from rural areas to cities. This would mean so much for them, a little bit of what they already know.

[@tomorrowpie5425]

wow beautiful goal! I have a similar goal for my home country of Burma

[@rikhikang4140]

I'd love to do that all over the world

[@jadenbroadway173]

I’m in the panhandle of Florida glad I found this Chanel

[@acmoreira9228]

love it! i am trying to grow 20% as a start:)

[@Robin.Greenfield]

Great start!

[@edseljaygavino7670]

I'm a simple man i see Gardening Vids i liked, subscribed & comment!

[@MrsWill-wd3mb]

Could you do a video on potted and indoor plants? We're likely moving into a condo so outdoor plants and compost isn't possible. 😥

[@Robin.Greenfield]

This is not something that I have much experience with. For more help on getting started with growing food go to my Gardening Guide for Beginners: robgreenfield.tv/freeseedprojectguide Also, check out the Epic Gardening channel: kzbin.info/door/SbyncU597LMwb3HhnAI_4w

[@chrisheady6145]

I was hoping you would mention Victory Garden. Bravo! This was certainly inspirational.

[@mikehendrix6558]

The most Important part you failed to mention is, In order to add vegetables to your front yard you have to check City Codes because alot of Cities throughout the United States DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO PLANT GARDENS IN FRONT YARDS.

[@_Chessa_]

Darn system trying to control how we spend our time and money. It’s crazy what us humans allowed to have happen. HOA fines and city fines can be fought back if its on limits with eating the food! :)

[@maizuagthao9359]

Love your papaya trees, banana tree, and cassa trees.

[@sarahk4047]

We use this method in Australia too

[@dylansimpson7831]

Canada too!

[@ajlampa7810]

Rob greenfield you are an inspiration

[@vicky8864]

Around 2 years ago, I watched a news on TV📺 there was a house in Florida which planted vegetables in the whole front yard, was that you?

[@elizalee8781]

Vicky 88 could be anyone! Here in Jacksonville, Florida theres a guy a few miles from my house with his whole yard a garden.

[@Robin.Greenfield]

I only moved to Orlando in December 2017, so if before that it was someone else. But I've been on the news plenty since then.

[@MageSkeleton]

i highly recommend doing a PART TWO where you explain "how to deal with the existing/preexisting sprinkler system".

[@badboybootz8]

This is how you fight the government

[@thedude5740]

For a short while, then a new tax is introduced! 😂

[@badboybootz8]

@@thedude5740 true

[@davidhutchinson5233]

No, it's how you fight frankenfood.

[@aquietplace5832]

@@thedude5740 so true! Where there is greed there is a way.

[@daytonagreg8765]

badboybootz8 LOL... I don’t think there is a need for a fight but it’s rewarding to provide for yourself even though it takes a little bit of work. You’re maybe less reliant on anyone including the Government. These days there’s more support by local governments of a self sustaining lifestyle.

[@realstatistician]

Great video! One thing you might want to mention to your viewers is that there might be city codes that require a certain amount of their front or back yards to be grass. Don’t want anyone to get into trouble or have to rip their garden out. I live in Utah and there are several things that would be a little different here, but the general principles are great! (We used to not be allowed to collect rainwater! But that has changed, now you just need a permit if it’s over 100 gallons.)

[@margielulu1366]

Be careful many states don’t allow gardens on the front yard. Also mulch bring termites depending where you live. So be careful

[@vincentbrk]

Thanks for being a great earth buddy Rob ! #savesoil #growfoodnotlawns

[@LiLoTech]

Does anyone know how long after putting the cardboard and mulch down, before you can plant? I'm afraid I'm too late at this point for this season.

[@Robin.Greenfield]

You can plant right away by pulling back the mulch and cutting a hole in the cardboard where you are planting. Or by having rows of soil you can plant right into those.

[@Dessy9418]

@@Robin.Greenfield Am I just supposed to leave the mulch on top of the cardboard so that it just provides nutrients for the compost? And does the cardboard stay under the mulch and soil for the entirety of the duration, i.e. - the mulch and compost never interact with the sandy soil? Even with rows of soil, am I to cut rows in the cardboard too?

[@chanelandmika]

You are a huge inspiration, we agree and follow many of the same ideas and understandings of earth and our impact on it being as full circle as possible. Thank you for spreading the word

[@johnchase4408]

Unfortunately, *most* neighborhood ordinances and probably ALL HOA's don't allow turning your front yard into a garden.

[@willn8664]

How about backyard?

[@yogiyoda]

Wow, very useful video! I hope more people follow your example here. Thanks for your work!

[@sleddy01]

Let us know when the township sends a violation letter.

[@releventhurt]

Rob stole hearts and minds of the township, hopefully

[@MaxItUpwithMarta]

Hi Rob, I am in Miami, Fl. I have my back yard as an abundant food garden but my front yard is grass and flowers. I now want to have my front yard produce more vegetables, herb and fruit.

[@pjanoo6973]

Its unrealistic but if everyone did this food would be cheaper and 90% of starvation could be solved.

[@nancyfahey7518]

This is the greatest message.

[@bonniehoke-scedrov4906]

Thank you so much for this informative video! I got so much out of it. You are an exceptionally good teacher. You speak with enormous clarity, digesting your message down to the simplest most salient points, and you give a very compelling reason why one should do what you have done with your lawn. Bravo! Really great work. I’m really looking forward to more great content from you on many platforms, I hope.

[@hungyos1482]

Inspirational! everytime I turn into your channel, makes me to get up n do something ,otherwise so depressing right now.

[@ronaldolech643]

I've used the cardboard method successfully in the north too. It helps to start in late winter/early spring before the grass has started. I only used about 4-5" of mulch because I had good soil under the grass. After two seasons of planting, the soil became looser. This is my 5th season with a front yard veggie garden. Don't feel like you have to do the whole lawn the first year. I did 2 small beds the first year and expanded until I filled my space. I grow most of my greens and herbs, plus onions, potatoes, peas/beans, tomatoes, and peppers in a 10 ft x 25 ft space. Be sure to leave room for flowers!