These are the HARDEST Crops to Grow for Gardeners

If you gave been gardening for more than 5 years you are more than likely an experienced gardener. This means you are probably up for a challenge. You are in luck these are the hardest crops to grow. Check out our new clothing line! http:www.freshpickedapparel.com

[@BacktoEdenUrbanFarm]

The only time I've grown a perfect cauliflower head was by accident. Somehow a seed self-planted in a weird place. The leaves looked so healthy that I let it go...even though I was 100% sure it wouldn't head, and I did NOTHING to help it along. I didn't even water it! Some time later, I walked by and saw the most perfect white head of cauliflower I've ever seen! Amazing.

[@courtneyroberts84]

Back to Eden love those accidental plants! I had accidentally pumpkins one year.

[@TvTriangel]

Cut to me ,a year 1 gardener, who will try growing cauliflower this year 🙃

[@UnnaPerlaFreyaFrida]

@@TvTriangel I'm in the same boat!

[@tinnerste2507]

i got an over winter variety and planted in march. they grew all season and should make a flower in april. they are over a yard tall and have made tons of leaves for the chickens! i hope ive got 5 big cauliflowers to harvest soon!

[@BRENDANTHERED]

Was it growing out of a compost pile by chance? The warm soil may have helped it along.

[@farmerchick3040]

When I sprout lavender I start them in seed trays and place an ice cube on top of each cell and they always sprout for me it's my easy quick stratification technique. Watermelon takes patience for sure.

[@Enchanted_Daisy]

Interesting process on the lavender. I might give it a try this year.

[@doctormichelle]

Bless you! Will try again using your method 🙌💟🙌

[@doctormichelle]

Bless you! Will try again using your method 🙌💟🙌

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

You are a genius, thank you

[@johnmiller2191]

"You have to know how to grow lavender in order to grow lavender" Quote of the year

[@danakarloz5845]

John Miller 😂🥰

[@katythriftyunder35homeowne57]

Right??

[@Lochness19]

We have lavender and basically don't maintain it or do anything. I guess I was just a good space for them. But we started them from nursery plants.

[@yavonnahannigan3306]

The best way to grow peanuts....have a neighbor that feeds the squirrels and let the squirrels plant the peanuts. I had a peanuts plant grow next to my mailbox last season! I harvested it right before our first frost and it was the perfect specimen! I gave the peanuts to the squirrels to say thank you! 😂

[@barbt.1171]

😍

[@voxintenebris6367]

I love squirrels. It is certainly in the squirrels' interest to get it right when planting peanuts!

[@herbgellis9735]

@@voxintenebris6367 Actually pretty funny, my wife was feeding squirrels with peanuts (in their shells) and sure enough we found peanut plants growing hither and yon in our grass.

[@voxintenebris6367]

@@herbgellis9735 That sounds amazing, that was a well judged investment on your wife's part!

[@lindathomas3733]

Love it. Lol I'm going to leave some out for the squirrels in my yard.

[@Jessiezamarron]

I’m from California and a cauliflower grew without me planting it! Grew in a compost pile. Still growing not dead so far 🌱

[@WMHhomestead]

Jessie Zamarron wow! I can’t even imagine that 😄

[@jeffcampbell479]

Jessie Zamarron You’d be amazed at what all does actually grow in just straight compost! I had onions, spaghetti squash and a potato plant (oh and tomato plants) all have sprouted in my bins before by accident too haha

[@ellenkuang8853]

I'm praying and waiting for this to happen to the pepper seeds I threw into my worm bin

[@hotties3v3n]

Yay!!😃

[@gretchenlynn89]

As a second year gardener, I just started my celery today. Pray for me

[@MIgardener]

Check out our growing guide for more confidence! :D

[@j.b.6855]

I will, because I am a second year gardener as well. I tried celery in my first year. It didnt turn out like what you buy in the store. It was more like a bush. But the stalks were good and my wife dried the leaves to use as a seasoning. Dont let video's scare you, just do a lot of research.I am trying watermelons this year as an example and have read and watched a ton on them. Go for what you want to try, just realize that no matter what the learning experience is what really matters this early in our gardening life. Anything you harvest is just icing on the cake.

[@danniellaboling3890]

This is my first year trying celery too. Going to have to heavily research

[@gretchenlynn89]

@@MIgardener That is what I did immediately after! I'm still scared because it seems pretty straight forward, just a little fussy, so I'm wondering if I'm missing something lol. I'm growing the pink-stemmed celery (that I got from you!), so hopefully the blanching doesn't ruin the pink. We'll see! Celery will be my big experiment this year :)

[@MagruderSpoots]

@@gretchenlynn89 Why are you scared. Don't be. You're going to make mistakes along the way, everyone does. Don't let that stop you. Most of your garden should be plants that are easy to grow as you learn and experiment with the more difficult crops.

[@claressalucas8922]

I split my gardening time between GA and AL. I have a hard time beating back the volunteer watermelons from all the spit seeds (sure, insert Southern stereotype joke here). However, after 15 years, I've only managed one sad little head of iceberg lettuce. Some of these are more about your climate zone than skill level. Love the channel!!

[@kayladionyssiou3636]

😂

[@wendysgarden4283]

I think it's largely about zone too. Peanuts are easy in the south. Celery gets bitter where I am, and you can grow it, but you won't want to eat it! If you're on the west coast, artichokes are a breeze. I put 20 gallons of chipped leaves on mine to overwinter them, and it's still not a sure thing they made it. I've gardened in four vastly different places, and in the Willammette Valley of Oregon, you had but to drop a seed and wait. Everything worked there to perfection, all kinds of veg. Dahlias were gorgeous, hydrangeas were twelve feet tall, roses, all kinds of flowers, every fruit but the tropicals, nuts that grow almost nowhere else, these huge blackberries called Marionberries... never a sign of disease, and no mosquitoes to make gardening awful. Sigh. So, so easy!

[@fuseileter]

Yes, exactly. I’m a total novice but a lot of things he’s mentioned I’ve been able to grow easily because of my zone and long growing season.

[@islami658]

You can grow lettuce in the winter in the south just pick a sunny place

[@rdred8693]

@@wendysgarden4283 I grew a couple of artichokes in my Zone 4 area. It took a lot of work though, lol.

[@emani_tube2598]

I honestly love this series. It inspires me to grow anything I want even though it might be a bit of a challenge. I can't wait for spring. And also thank you Luke, for helping me and so many other gardeners with your very helpful advice.

[@HarpTonya1]

My rookie mistake: choosing so many of these seeds - I had no idea they were so difficult to grow! Up for the challenge, ok with the outcome whatever = learning. Thanks for the head's up - and wish me luck!

[@gerardkiff2026]

I’m glad you were honest. So many garden channels make it “super easy” to grow anything”...HA!

[@arlarl5122]

I don’t think it’s honestly; it a need to post a video.

[@matthewmarter6342]

Because it is

[@vsk6549]

@Steve Laubach true I was so sad that I couldn't get 1 cauliflower in past 5 years of my gardening. In all channels it looks so easy to grow cauliflower. I wonder what mistake I do because I get broccoli every year

[@lidip8700]

I'm 60 y/o, and have been gardening since I was a child, (farm girl). However, I'm always learning so much from Luke!!

[@shastafog2516]

Cilantro always a challenge. Even the nobolt wants to bolt.

[@practicallyheidi8505]

The key to cilantro is growing it every year in the same spot and letting it self seed. The first year I grew the Slot Bolt it bolted very quickly. I have allowed it to self seed for the last 5 years and it doesn't bolt for me until the end of summer. It is acclimated to my climate. The seed is prescious to me now but I do share with people in my area so they can now have truly all slo bolt cilantro. Word of caution it is now in my grass and will take over a large area if you allow it. I harvest it in the grass now. 😂 Good luck.

[@danniellaboling3890]

Totally, I just plant a lot and hope for a few leaves from each plant. Trying it inside this year in hopes that I can keep it from getting too hot too fast

[@AnimeShinigami13]

cilantro is not a challenge if you let it reseed, its an all purpose plant. greens, pollinator food in midsummer (it attracts aphidius wasps, which are aphid parasites so you want them there!) and then finally coriander seeds for both next year and to eat. Cilantro will even reseed if you're in a warm enough zone, so start some early and let it go to seed, you might get tender cilantro shoots in the fall! Dill is the exact same way!

[@GifCoDigital]

Yea second for self seeding. Cilantro is like a weed in my garden takes no effort and I pull more out than i eat just to make room for other plants.

[@GifCoDigital]

@@AnimeShinigami13 Im in Canada and get -40C winters and my cilantro self seeds just fine.

[@AndreaS-oq7sw]

Haha! What I learned from this video is that all the plants I really want to grow are in the really hard category!😂😂😂

[@AndreaS-oq7sw]

@@danielc.1169 that's exactly what I'm doing. My chips have been deteriorating for almost a year but my ground underneath is still rock hard clay. Although it is moist! :-) in fact Tuesday I'm planting my potatoes in it- my first planting in it :-) -- so I'm planting into troughs of compost and rabbit manure and see what happens. The one mistake I think I made already was putting the chips too thick it's about 8 to 10 to 12 in thick

[@AndreaS-oq7sw]

@@danielc.1169 in fact I'm putting in a lot of perennials and I might make it into like a food Forest. There's a guy who has a channel on KZbin in New Jersey I'm trying to copy. He just laid wood chips down on his grass and the next spring started planting and he's got a beautiful Food Forest

[@AndreaS-oq7sw]

@@danielc.1169 I will do that! I bought giant sunflower seed just for fun but ill do that with the root. Also starting some blocking 14 comfrey for compost tea and deep roots...

[@josephhefley9701]

This is advanced. I promise there are harder plants than this to grow successfully. You got this!

[@kristinawrites238]

Actually trying Lavender for the first time this year. I've been gardening for about five years now, and it has been a learning experience. Had my first watermelon failure last year, but going to try again. Great series, and I think you're pretty bang on for difficulty level.

[@roayaninunez9217]

Kristina Grinton I barley started growing this year first year and I put my lavender seeds in a damp paper towel or napkin and put them in the fridge for about 3 weeks and I took them out and planted it and they barley sprouted today I’m excited (good luck)

[@brandi8040]

I've been gardening only 3 years now, and my first year my watermelons were my best crops! You are absolutely right, you gotta know when to harvest them!

[@kayladionyssiou3636]

I have 1 year of gardening under my belt, plus helping my mom as a kid. I grew 2 ice box watermelons from starts last year. I'm so proud of myself after watching this! My patience paid off. They were tiny but delicious! I watched this as a what not try to grow yet. So excited for my second year of gardening!

[@ninjamom1602]

Congrats! This was 2 yrs ago, hows it going now? Any new discoveries

[@kayladionyssiou3636]

@@ninjamom1602 I think I got lucky that year with the Watermelons it's not been easy since. But I've discovered that whatever seeds itself grows best and easiest. Sorry it took so long to respond, buried in email. 😶‍🌫

[@ninjamom1602]

@@kayladionyssiou3636 Hey! Thanks for taking the time to respond. 🫶 No worries! I appreciate the update. This year is my first attempt at a garden🤞🤞💚 A lot of my squash got borers already😭 but my eggplants, peppers and tomatoes and tomatillos are doing well.... so far😅🙏🤞 and weeds! Lol those are growing great🤪💚 happy gardening!!

[@kayladionyssiou3636]

@@ninjamom1602 I head somewhere if yiu put the squash plants out a little later you can avoid the squash beetles, I wonder if that's true for the squash borers. Might be worth testing. I don't have any clear dates or times, sorry.

[@ninjamom1602]

@@kayladionyssiou3636 its okay! I planted more lol I have 0 idea what I am doing. Just enjoying doing it lol 🤙💚🤪 Thanks so much!

[@angeliquemcniff3076]

Completely accurate - all three levels. Gardening for many years and except for artichoke, which I gave as a perennial here in California, all the levels are perfect. Watermelon a bust every year as too dry, etc. thanks for watching out for everyone, Luke.

[@cadaverthehacker]

I have heavily clayey soil in eastern WA and Ive grown spearmint and many other mints in the ground outdoors from seed with no issues at all. No mulch, just a thin cover of native soil. They don't spread nearly as fast in soil with so much clay either. I wouldn't put mint in a light loam like a raised bed tho... I also did the same with watermelon. Success on the first try in native soil, I just fertilized them every week with a different mix of organic nutrients and there was alot of manure in the ground already. They had a fence to the north and to the west and plenty of ground cover and grass nearby. I had a TON of wild pollinators already too.

[@reckbiscuit6214]

*never has grown plants* *wants to plant a herb garden* *gets spearmint, cilantro, and lavender* *watches this video •_•, oh shi-*

[@ronsmith1364]

parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme 🤣

[@oOSabianOo]

youtube an herb spiral garden. They will teach you a lot and they aren't hard to do.

[@josephhefley9701]

Cilantro isnt that bad. Just have to pay attention to when it gets hot in your area so you don't start it too late so it doesnt go straight to flowering.

[@GJeo8]

I grow cilantro every year, then let it flower and harvest the seeds, which are coriander. The cleaned dried seeds can be ground fresh when needed for an even better flavor than getting the store bought spice.

[@kath_erinelara]

Cilantro grows very well on a window with at least 3 hours of sunlight

[@cqammaz53]

I'm somewhat new at gardening. I planted a few plants on the side of my garage (tomatoes, cucumber, eggplants, and bell peppers all of them were from plants that I bought from the stores) plus as a child, my sisters brother and I would help our parents in the garden mostly pulling weeds and watering the plants but this year I'm growing in my new raised beds seeds most of which came from Migardeners. Thank you I feel a little overwhelmed. I think the biggest problem I'm having the fear of failing. Not knowing when to start what seeds at what time. I thought about starting indoors but I don't have space or the lighting setup to start indoors this year. I'm hoping to be better prepared next year. So everything is going outside this year which is what my dad did successfully every year in Rockford Ill. So I consider myself more of an intermediate that going all the way. Wish of luck.

[@sarahmitchell9366]

Thank you so much for this video. I consider myself an intermediate beginner. Many half-hearted failed attempts, and then finally after taking a break, success last year with Ruth Stout gardening and plants from the garden store. This year we will see how things go from seed. Since I'm a beginner, this video helped give me realistic expectations for some of the things I've chosen. I knew cauliflower was hard, I didn't realize it was THAT hard. And with my celery, I would actually be very happy with a bush, we love the leaves. So much great advice here. Thank-you. And btw, when you start talking, it just makes me smile, your enthusiasm is infectious.

[@jswhosoever4533]

I've been gardening for about 15 years and tried Ruth stout for my potatoes last year. It was my first attempt and I over watered, I think but the SPIDERS grew great in that organic straw! Lol. Imma try it again this year😆

[@eriklane4808]

Great series, Luke! This is my 4th year of gardening and this year I’ll be trying a few of your advanced options. With your growing guides in my corner, I got this... I think 🤔

[@hotties3v3n]

I LOVE onion in everything so even though I know nothing about gardening, I MUST learn that.😁

[@faithcarr4482]

Thanks Luke! Grew peanuts successfully last year in eastern WA. They weren't very prolific because our season was too short but they produced nontheless. Gonna try my hand at cauliflower this year.

[@babc4323]

I'm in Benton County myself and this will be my first full season. Been buying lots of different types of seeds. Have peanuts but by the looks of it, will have to hold off. Any suggestions?

[@ericakusske3321]

@@babc4323, compost, balanced fertilizer, water. Be heavy handed with all of these. You're in deep sand with amazing drainage. But it doesn't retain nutrients very well. Lots and lots of compost will help. Oh, mulch. It will help to reduce evaporation from the soil and hold the water that didn't drain away so that the wind doesn't dry it out too quickly. I'd consider laying drip line or soaker hoses to make watering easier, because you may find yourself needing to water every morning.

[@Neonravekid]

I had the smallest mint plant I'm talking like a twig and it's literally a bush now. It's HUGE. And we've tried to contain it too we didn't let it go wild. Luke isn't kidding when mint will take over.

[@meganmh6253]

I'm so glad all the things I have trouble with were on your list! Now I know it isn't just me! Thanks :)

[@Victoria-lr5pm]

I grew watermelon on my first try last summer. I chop it up to beginners luck. I moved it from the ground in my backyard because it wasn’t growing to a container in the front yard. I got one watermelon while in the container. I than moved it out of the container into the ground and got two more watermelons.

[@Audio017]

The Spearmint part was interesting, I bought starts so it has only been a plague to me. Good lord how these plants propagate.

[@beautyforashes2230]

Every type of mint does! I grow peppermint, but only in containers, else it gets all over the place.

[@PlantesPotager]

Haha! Yes it spreads. I love it so much!! You know you can do a lot of things with it? Not just minth tea but you can also put it in salads, smoothies, taboulé, etc! Have you tried chocolate minth? It's sooo good! 😁

[@markwalker3499]

@@PlantesPotager My great grandmother used to put the sheets and pillow cases out on her mint patch under the redwood trees in her back yard when we were going to be staying at her house. When we went to bed at night they smelled so great.

[@PlantesPotager]

@@markwalker3499 oohh! What a nice idea!!! And what a lovely grandmother! ☺️

[@erikasmith2885]

@@PlantesPotager yes! Have you tried watermelon blended with lime & mint?? So delicious! I happen to LOVE the chocolate mint in that

[@chrissy9876]

My very first year of gardening, in the dry desert of Las Vegas, I grew so much watermelon we couldn’t eat it fast enough! We had the personal size mini watermelons and I was so proud of myself! It was sweet and juicy and wonderful! That was about 6 years ago. I have never been able to grow watermelon successfully again! 😂😂😂 it was a nice confidence boost though!

[@palillo2006]

Watermelon needs really hot summers to heat up the soil. It also needs a kinda sandy soil to get the tap root to travel down deep. I can't grow watermelon at my place because I have clay soil, but it grows great at my parents house across town with lose soil.

[@wendysgarden4283]

that's good to know. I'm trying them this year with clay soil, so I won't be crushed if they won't work!

[@TalkingThreadsMedia]

Hey, Palillo and Moi... Yes, it helps to have loamy soil...but you can also coax things along with a little "heat-loading". Paver stones and black weed fabric near the roots. The paver stones heat up during the day and then dissipate the heat during the night. It's not a lot, but it is enough to help me get Honeydew and Watermelon to reach maturity in a cooler, "marine" climate. Kate in Olympia, WA.

[@shastafog2516]

Spearmint is a great plant to share. All mints are crazy giving. That's Georgia.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Watermelon plants are incredibly easy to grow here in North Carolina, and I have learned when you grow them on black weed barrier, they stay pest free. The barrier gets too hot for cucumber beetles to come around, and the melons love the heat. However, they are awful to harvest. I always lose track of them and they usually wind up overripe. I think in two years I’ve only properly harvested a melon once. They’re a challenge, indeed.

[@kathrynknowleshwy101farm4]

Started gardening in 1975 and while I agree with you except everyone of your hard to grow veggies are hard to grow because of were you live .just about everyone of your hard to grow veggies grow easy and wonderful on the west coast Oregon zone 9. With no problems ..ive grown in Calif Oregon Colorado and now in Kansas .and all those veggies grew without any trouble in Oregon 1 mile off the beach..by far the best growing I ever experienced..

[@Te0L0ser]

Seems location is what determines the difficulty for some plants. Course my only successful plants were tomatoes, basil (rip), Swiss chards and a radish and I live in southern Texas.

[@nseetin]

This video was fascinating to me. I think I'm a intermediate gardener (or advanced beginner) and I was struck by the mention of cold stratification for lavender. I have a row of (still somewhat small) lavender plants behind my mailbox that are the result of a series of fumbling early gardening efforts. I grew the plant from seed with no difficulty, it got huge and after cutting it back I attempted my first propagation from cuttings. I had not intended to propagate the plant when pruning it, I was just cutting it back for space, but all but one of the (randomly sized) cuttings rooted in solo cups, hence my growing lavender hedge. I did not stratify those seeds, and I definitely followed the instructions on the seed packet. I had no difficulty with germination. However, since then I have failed in every single attempt to germinate seeds of other plant that requires cold stratification. I have tried a multitude of ribes (currants, gooseberries, etc.), haskaps/honeyberries, parsley, hardy orange (poncirus trifoliata) ,and more. All have failed. I've tried in different ways: with some period in the freezer before the fridge, in soil blocks instead of paper towels, for varying periods of time, and I have never gotten a sprout. I guess I'll consider myself "leveled up" when I can nail cold stratification. Looking back it's amazing I had any success with an "advanced" level plant as a noob. Beginners luck, I suppose.

[@girlontheorangebike3214]

I love this video. I’ve watched it many times, and tried to figure out why cauliflower is such a challenge for you. I really think it’s all about climate. I plant cauliflower plants in October-November ( I live in the redwood forest) and essentially set it and forget it. I do apply Sluggo, as slugs love the leaves. Anyways, the comedic factor of this is, I cannot seem to grow radishes, one of the “beginner gardener crops” 😂

[@x2100]

This is my first year planting in the grow bed. I find that the new seed packages have if the plants are container friendly or frost tolerant, etc and I found that really helpful. Maybe skill level can be added in the future. Thanks for all the great info!

[@karstachura]

Concise and to the point, plant what your zone allows for the best harvest, which will feed your tummy and ego💚

[@margaretdavis5695]

I bought cauliflower plants instead of seeds, and then used row cover to protect them from insects. I used only organic products and fertilized them with seaweed extract, and manure tea. Then I just tied up the leaves around the head when they started getting large, so that they blanched. They turned out fine and delicious - no petroleum taste from sprays that are used on ones sold at our grocery store!

[@jeradlarkey390]

I grew Purple of Sicily Cauliflower last year and will forever be a staple from here on out. Trick was I started them in early January indoors. And then when you start seeing a head bring up your green leaves and loosely tie them together. This keep most pests off as it heads or bulbs up, and also keep the sun scald from messing with you color.

[@TDAEON]

Heh heheh...2nd year gardener and yeah I have broccoli and caulis in the patch. We shall see what happens. Zone 9b so it is just getting cool enough for them to grow and should stay that way until harvest in Feb/March. First time trying so fingers are crossed. If all else fails and they bolt, the bees can enjoy the flowers. Also had great success with iceberg lettuce for trying the first time this year, too. Harvested the first round in Oct. I admit it was still a bit too warm when I planted so used a shade cloth (over a fine net to keep out the evil leaf sucking buggies) for most of their growth time. Second round is in and now it is at a nice low to mid 60s so hoping they will be even better. Whatever happens I will be glad to learn something from it so I can get better at growing veggies. Thanks for this series!

[@maurastp]

Cauliflower is so easy...I grow it all winter. Mine went through 3 snow storm this year and was the best I've had. Cool weather takes care of any bug problems. I grew broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage all winter at 4200ft in California. They all did excellent. Still harvesting in March...planted in August.

[@Polywogger]

I started my spearmint germination with the rockwool medium for our airoponics living wall in our home basement, needed mint for over winter months. It ended up germinating within two weeks. And producing small hair like roots, gave it a seedling nutrient for 3 days then once she had 4 nice little tiny leaves I plunked her into my airoponics living wall. She thrived like super crazy over the winter, had to prune her back several times, including g her root system so she did not get to big for the airoponics pipe. She flowered indoors ,and I just transplanted her to my outside garden pot a couple weeks ago. She did get a bit of frost, but is already showing signs of good recovery. Our tarragon came back, even though it over wintered out in a little plant pot, on our deck, Through -45C winter conditions. In Manitoba Canada we have long harsh cold winters. Nice to see some plants are hearty enough to even survive our winters!

[@kelseyscantland1988]

I feel lucky, I tried to start my spearmint in my aerogargen and have a great plant now. Who knew it's an advanced seed!

[@deborahandrews9728]

Stevia is another toughie, at least it is for me. Any tips on that one? Great video btw. Thanks!

[@joannemurdaugh501]

I am so glad to see this video. I have had such a hard time with all those plants. Last year, I grew a celery stalk from bottom cutting, and it grew about a foot tall, but was all scattered and skinny. Good to know that there is something to that. Also, I tried cauliflower and broccoli from plants, and thought it all died out. When the heat became brutal, I let my garden go to the weeds, then fall coolness came and I went to clear out the weeds...woohoo, had a huge, beautiful head of white, white, white cauliflower underneath it all! Have not been able to do it since. hahaha

[@jswhosoever4533]

That's awesome☺️

[@OfftoShambala]

Someone else in the comments had a similar experience growing cauliflower. Very interesting.

[@louiscaston9692]

Had my first year of gardening, just past. I'm enjoying your videos!

[@goaterruns4959]

I must have accidentally had good timing as I grew iceberg last year and it was beautiful. Tasty. Crisp. I was so surprised. Hope it works out again. I should have taken notes.

[@valh9858]

Thank you so much for this video. I truly did not have a clue about lavender and stratification. I just bought a bunch of lavender seeds from you to plant around my driveway and I would have been so bummed when they didn't germinate. I just watched your lavender stratification video. So helpful. I agree with cauliflower. I did get some nice but small heads of cauliflower last fall. I have learned that cauliflower is a total waste of time in the spring in my area. They get purple blotches from the sun and are devoured by insects. Now I only plant in the late fall and then I cover them with plastic into the winter. They seem to love that and they remain white and I have no pest problems. They are also heavy feeders. I need to do a better job of feeding them this fall.

[@samjpipitone6458]

I've never had much problem planting..Most of the things I've put in the Michigan soil grew. I have noticed micro climates and amount of water played big parts in gardening. I do think the lack of snow in Michigan for the past 10 years will change the planting abilities for some. I feel it will change the nutrients and water tables of the State. Now I live in Miami.

[@myhellonearth23]

Oh no I've just started onion broccoli and celery and now I'm worried hahaha

[@tasgardener7923]

I don't have a problem growing cauliflower where I am. When the heads form we pull the leaves of the plant together and tie them over the head so the heads don't get discoloured by the sun and remain white

[@ParagonRidgeRanch]

Thank you for such great information. You have inspired me over the past year to start a LARGE raised bed garden and was even able to get my seeds from you!! I have even started my own channel to share my homesteading and gardening in 2020!! Thanks so much for all you teach!

[@kennaoconnor4633]

I'm from the Salad Bowl of California, the Salinas Valley. Celery, iceberg, cauliflower, broccoli, artichokes all grow there. 75° average. Lots of fog every day, so not the sunniest place. I'm now in the Sunniest city in the U.S. I'm going to try all of these and hope for the best.

[@alinapung5155]

I'm a beginner level gardener and these videos are helpful for understanding why I haven't had success with crops like Brocolli. I've just put in cauliflower seedlings into my garden bed 😂

[@bertsmith5569]

Hey Luke! I just purchased a bunch of seeds on your website what a great selection you have! I wish you would plug your store more often on your videos 99 cent seeds?! Cmon thats awesome! You take paypal which is great too. Keep up the great work bro you are changing the world.

[@jperiksen]

Luke, I've had extremely good luck with the cauliflower varieties called Rober and Amazing. Grown side by side with more common varieties 100% of the Amazing and Rober produced large to massive heads while most of the others produced small to medium heads at best, many failed to produce unappealing heads.

[@70washington]

I use 1 of 2 methods to blanch my Cauliflower, 1 way is to use twine or what you would prefer, to tie up the leaves. Gather them up and tie at the top checking every few days until ready to harvest, 2nd method is just bend and bust the center of the stem folding all leaves over the developing head and checking every few days until harvest. With the 2nd method you might need to put something that can weigh down the leaves as they will try to go upright again. I suppose you could try a blackout cloth of some sort though a light colored one might be best.

[@Happy2Run4Me]

Boy have I had to re-learn timing after having moved from zone 6a to 8b!😳I feel like I’m starting over lol. Everything grows differently here!🌱It’s cool but time consuming and very humbling. There are new crops I’m trying I’ve never thought about growing before just because I want to see if I can do it here! 😂I’m loving that I can grow more heat loving almost tropical crops here. What an adventure!

[@courtneycullen6289]

Oh! super fine mist bottle is an absolute must for spearmint. And all of this for a plant that once it hits outside will crush your garden.

[@AZWings]

There are definitely some strong regional differences here. In Phoenix, artichoke, lavender, and melon are easy.

[@danniellaboling3890]

Yikes, trying a couple of these tough ones this year. I've been gardening on my own for about 10 years, but we move often so it really hinders my ability to get to the expert level stuff. This will be my first year using a grow light and starting onions from seed. Fingers crossed! But this year we are in a good growing area. Finally more than 3 months long!

[@linalocricchio7722]

You are awesome narrator. I get inspired every time I watch your videos. You cover all sides of growing. Really appreciate your approach to gardening. Thank u

[@CTR6067]

Thank you so much for the series! Very informative. Maybe you can touch upon cold hardy vegetables for your next series. I’m in MN and finding what I can grow can be daunting.

[@TheHope4abetterworld]

I started celery this year by buying 6 pack. Unfortunately the tag doesn't say what kind it is, so it's an adventure haha. Years ago I used to feed the Blue Jays raw peanuts and they planted them for me Everywhere. I never really tried to harvest them but pulled them up all the time, some of them with lots of peanuts underground. I've tried growing from seed in the past too, but didn't have success, I find starting with bulbs works fine.

[@TheBrickPerspective]

"You have to know how to grow lavender to grow lavender" :p HA! That laugh made me smile. Great info in this video, thanks!

[@OfftoShambala]

Interesting about watermelon… years ago before I knew about growing food, a friend of mine who wasn’t into growing, said she grew watermelon once growing up and she said it was the easiest thing to grow… I am thinking she did it in Yuma az (an area favorable for agriculture) but it could have been Phoenix… maybe she’d had an experienced adult guiding the process? I might have to give her a call and ask. And spearmint! Glad to know! I thought I’d done something really wrong because I thought that would be easy! And when I first got started growing from seed, I thought tomatoes would be hard, but those have been consistently easy peasy. At any rate, I appreciate this because now I know I’ll have to step up my game on watermelon and spearmint!

[@dannmann777]

A few additional crops I'd like to know more about and would love to see you discuss.........squash/pumpkin, garlic, and berrries. Berries in themselves are probably a video on their own with all the types that can be grown.

[@kayladionyssiou3636]

He has growing guides on berries.

[@JamesBrown-jv4bw]

I live in Idaho and have raised a garden for most of my life this year I have ordered or purchased onion seed , water melon , lavender, celery artichoke for my garden to try but after this video maybe I am tryin to many items this year I have about 5 acers to play with and have about 200 line items for my garden with 5 or more types of items with different harvest time for my family as in harvest time I hope that I can make this a great garden like both of my grandparents did when they were alive but our weather and water and tractor work are working against me for the time to get all started and ready then my mother which was going to help just broke her leg love your videos'

[@RichlandJoey]

Oh no! Furiously working to get a raised-bed garden set up to plant this spring and starting seeds indoors. Thought I would have a good shot at success after watching a bunch of videos, especially the MIgardener ones....until this one. Literally, the first seeds I started 2 days ago - spearmint!!! Guess I'd better hope the garden-gods are watching over those seeds!

[@50Street21]

Here on Vancouver island, I have peanuts growing in the oddest of places in my yard. In fact, they are coming up right now. I didn't plant them--the local squirrels were hiding them. Initially, I didn't really pay much attention until I noticed a peanut shell attached to the base of one plant. Always enjoy your show. Darryl

[@amandaevans7386]

Loved the series! I am 5 year in ground gardener but have been growing things since I was a teenager. I'd love to figure out watermelon as my boys could live off it alone! Glad you confirmed it is difficult!!

[@HegenerHomestead]

I grew cauliflower well last year because we got so much rain and it wasn't super hot. Its definitely finnicky! Haven't had much luck with broccoli, peppers(other than jalapeños), beets, onions, winter squash, and parsnips .

[@jendehaan]

Wow now I’m proud of growing spearmint from seed in my year 2! (Although I started full tilt - up to 30 raised beds on year 2 to fill!). I probably seeded 50 though, 2 managed to make it and are now flourishing in my mint tub. I thought I sucked, but now smiling :) I’ll never do mint from seed again though 😂

[@hopeking3588]

I tryed the huge pumkins not succeful on patio so the next year I did the tiny mini one,successful! Yes some of theses things are hard I did parsely,basil,parsley,, success! Also I got success with sunflowers! Sunflowers grow smaller in pots, I buy my mint already grow

[@t3mptr3s]

I don't know if it's because I research everything to death. But everything I've seen that is "tricky" I've had success with the first time and for several years now.

[@WMHhomestead]

TeaThreePO that’s amazing!

[@Z1gguratVert1go]

You do your homework, that's why.

[@jeffcampbell479]

Been gardening for about 8 years I believe? Each year I definitely get more knowledgeable and experienced - last year was my 1st attempt at growing cauliflower - planted 5 or 6 plants and I actually got 1 to form a decent enough size to eat - the others didn’t do so well. I am going to give it another try again this year - also going to give it a shot at growing seedless watermelon for my 1st time at growing any type of melon - I live in southern New York at almost bordering PA - wish me luck! 😊👍

[@MichaelHanson-vo3sl]

Trying califlower and brocoli for the first time. now that I have a large garden space. Cristina Moser

[@ppainterco]

I didn’t have issues growing cauliflower, but I had broccoli nearby and my cauliflower cross pollinated with the broccoli. I ended up with green broccoli. Onions for me are like weeds. I keep getting new onions every spring in a bed that I’d like to plant something else in. I think that I finally got the onions eradicated and I got carrots planted this season. We’ll see if I end up with onions and carrots in the same bed.

[@walterp1028]

so I start all of my seeds in damp paper towels. I put them inside a ziplock bag that I fill up with air, wrap it in a blanket and put it on a heat mat. I've never had problems starting seeds this way. usually 90% or more germination rate. from shallots, to celery, to leafy greens, to root veggies, etc. I've done it all.

[@celestekittie]

I bought a lovely chocolate mint plant that was perfect for my garden.. until I saw this and now it's going to be in isolation on the porch. Can't wait for my new seeds order to get here. Hope all is well.

[@cptbob100]

Glad I watched this, I bought some lavender seeds at the store and it didn't say to cold stratify ☹️

[@KLRJamz]

This is about my 5th or 6th year now. Always a challenge but always something to learn and good to know.

[@brianhall4182]

I'm a beginner gardener. I only started it up last year or so down in Florida. I've had no trouble getting Spearmint to grow at all, really. I have a whole container full of the stuff. My biggest issue with is actually keeping it alive. Leaf miners love tearing into it, I get unknown black spots on leaves, and some of them turn reddish-brown and don't look healthy at all for some bizarre reason.

[@someguy43210]

I have issues with those black spot in Florida, less so in mint and more in basil. It should look like a star. It look like a fungal disease, but it's a worm growing in between the leaves, and the pesticide can't reach it. I ended up just growing my basil indoor.

[@pattysherwood7091]

I have a college textbook of vegetable crop production which covers many details and different growing situations, such as field production or smaller home gardens. I also use other gardening books. They are so helpful. I am glad I can read. And I can tell you, mint is like a wave of terror lurking beneath the soil with vey healthy roots that run and mat. I am using a pitch fork right now every day to lift those roots and remove them one foot at a time, to reclaim some of my garden.

[@EskimoInAlaska]

Thank you!!! I didn't know some of those would be harder to grow!! 👍👍

[@kertmelinda]

My first year gardening what was one of the first things I've bought? Mint seeds 😂 Tried about 3x, nothing came up obviously, but I'm trying again this year 😂

[@MatthewSherriff85]

I am a beginner gardener and have started a pot is white wax onions,some have sprouted

[@lghtngblt]

Live in Alabama and I grew watermelon vines in a pot. The vines did really well until we hit the hottest days. Then we would wake up to them dried and droopy until we gave them a TON of water. We even had water bottles turned up in the soil to keep the plant watered and it would drink the bottle dry. Ended up with one watermelon that survived but the plant was so root bound that the watermelon had barely any pink flesh. We ended up having a great time growing it even with the challenges because we didn't know what it was at first. My toddler dropped the seeds in the pot we think because she saw a video on KZbin. Can't wait to try again.

[@andreahajduk2143]

Really good synopsis of difficulty. I have and a garden of my own since 1982 and still learn. I can say the difficult ones really are and I always wonder how a farmer can make a living what with weather and temperature fluctuations, and that before global warming was even considered. Thanks for your extremely informative videos on so many issues facing us home and small holding gardeners!!

[@torianne5548]

My first year I grew sugar baby watermelons and I actually waited too long because I was afraid they would be white inside. Here’s hope that this year I’ll get it right

[@jiaunmew878]

The mint part crack me up. Sounds like they are more worst than the pampered princess throwing a tantrum. LOLL

[@christiensgarden3325]

Awesome video and yes totally agree with several of them... watching this helped me realize I didn’t fail alone...

[@briehoblin8478]

Haven't watched the other two videos in this mini series yet, but this one seems very accurate. I had a community garden a couple years ago where a beginner gardener had planted mint and Jerusalem artichokes, and then abandoned the garden which was rototilled!! Needless to say, the mint choked out the onions completely, the Jerusalem artichokes took over everything, and all I did was weed, weed, weed. If I had known ahead of time, I would have solarized or tarped the entire garden. Anyhow, sunchokes are clearly for more advanced gardeners too, for similar reasons to mint. Not hard to grow, but a nightmare to contain.

[@rebeccaburdette3114]

When you said thump test for the watermelon, I literally heard it in my head.

[@cindyq52700]

you have to cover cauliflower with sheer cover to protect from pests and use the leaves to keep them covered from the sun yellowing

[@Emma_Bunnell]

We planted watermelon the day this video came out, but I just found this channel last night, and finally, after three months and a whole packet of seeds, we got three watermelon sprouts (so far)

[@MB-zg1sk]

I was able to grow watermelon from seed in my second year of gardening with no problems. And educated myself with the wonderful world of google on when to harvest. They were delicious. I also grew cauliflower from seed on my 4th year gardening, and they turned out fine. I’ve been looking for cheddar cauliflower seeds but can’t find them. 😔 I’m in the 10A zone so maybe I got lucky?

[@VeiledRider115]

I'm not exactly "new" to raising plants. I've been raising marigolds and tomatoes with mom for years (but we got tomato starts). Last year was my first "gardening" year for me when I branched out and started stuff indoors for the first time. Dont let hard stuff deter you! It teaches you. Anyway my funny watermelon story. I planted four vines in hills last year but...the spot was dappled shade all day. I didnt know how important direct light could be. Anyway, some vines started forming melons but then they end rotted. Late in the year one vine formed a whole melon....that was maybe the size of a football. So not the full size. I left it on the vine until September when the stem dried up and I knew it wouldnt grow anymore. Brought it inside and cut it open. Perfect pink and so tasty. I'm never forgetting that experience and I honestly wouldnt trade it for having perfect melons my first year. This year I'm definitely putting in a sunnier spot!

[@stephanieray6587]

These three episodes were incredibly helpful, Luke; thank you so much. P.S. Love the artwork on the wall.