I have a 1/4 acre regular, awkward pie-shaped suburban yard on a caul-de-sac. The most sunny corner grows over 60 grow bags plus three large, raised metal beds with trellising. We had to cut down a 50 year old rotted oak tree last year and were able to fit a greenhouse and an in-ground, mostly tomato garden. I also have two GreenStalk towers used specifically for peas/beans. Last year, I grew over 300 pounds of fresh produce. Haven't bought an herb or canned tomato in years. The garden is the best job/gift I've ever had. God willing, I will never go back! Small, but mighty for the win. Happy Gardening everyone. Thanks Ben!
@@alissahoke9215we have an HOA but one that is old school and friendly. We also have acreage and are grandfathered in as a ranchette. What kind of restrictions does yours have to hold you back for growing? Just curious.
@ we can only grow in the backyard and it has to be basically not visible from the street. I have zero backyard. The back fence is literally on my back deck. I currently have my gardens on the side, but if I wanna grow anything like potatoes or anything likemelons or pumpkins, there’s just no room for it.
There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of growing your own food! It’s so rewarding to see your hard work turn into something fresh, healthy, and delicious.❤🌱
During the glut of tomatoes, I often roast two trays of cherry tomatoes and any tomatoes with chunks taken out of them with garlic and some peppers and then freeze all of it. When I want a sauce, I thaw it and run it through my food processor. Sometimes I’ll process it before I freeze, but sometimes I like the tomatoes to be more whole in the dish. At the end of the season, I harvest my green tomatoes and do the same thing.
Thank you for giving thorough guidelines for growing 80% of your vegetables. It is very helpful to me as I am setting up a larger garden at my new home.
This was such an insightful video! I started a handful of seeds about about a week ago, thinking I might have started them too soon. After watching this, I’m going to be starting a bunch more cool weather crops asap!
Hi Ben, I have sixteen raised beds of various sizes, three GreenStalk Towers, a 10ft x 20ft herb garden, a small orchard with eleven fruit trees, two compost bins, a few odd pots for spearmint and peppermint, and chickens. I need more chickens! Between the raised beds, and GreenStalk towers, I have about 275 square feet of growing space. I am able to cheat the number of plants I grow by growing vertically on trellises, and vertically in the GreenStalk towers. I have three of them, one leaf tower with forty-two pockets, all planted with Seascape Strawberries, and two five tier towers with thirty pockets each. That gives me planting space for one hundred and two plants in fifteen cubic feet of soil. Deduct that, and I still have two hundred sixty square feet to plant in. From a novice standpoint, that doesn’t sound like a lot of space, but it is, and that doesn’t include my herb garden. I grow a lot. To do it, timing is critical, one crop comes out, and another takes its place, and it may happen on the same day. I’d like to say I use every square inch of planting space, but I don’t. My fullest garden is spring into summer. I use every bit of space then. In the fall, I may have between one and five raised beds resting, depending on how full my freezers are, and how much canning I want to do. Yesterday we got snow in my area, followed by rain mixed with snow, then more snow. Tonight’s forecasted low temperature is 23F. All that wet ground is going to freeze solid, but not my garden. I need to check on my last broccoli head, and maybe harvest it. My carrots and parsnips are ready to pick. With all this cold weather, the starch is converting to sugar. They are going to be sweet. Carrots taste best when harvested with snow on the ground. Maybe I’ll pick them today? More likely, it will be tomorrow. My chickens already got their treat for today, so no carrot tops for them until tomorrow. I’m still getting 2-3 eggs daily from three hens. My Speckled Sussex should start laying any day. My book launch went as expected for Exiled From Earth, but organic sales were much higher than I expected. In four days, I launch NASTI business. I am already getting sales for it too. I started writing Net Zero Asea last Thursday, and stayed up late last night working on cover art for the next few books. I need to decide whether to use one or two characters on the covers. I made images both ways.
Just an all round great video it’s a deep learning experience not only about the garden but out patience and determination to keep learning and growing.
I'm a Brazilian and I love to plant my garden vegetable. Here now is summer, very very hot, but I keep taking care my garden vegetable! Thanks for your informations!!
Thank you *so* very much for this video, Ben! I'm in "coastal" Northeast Ohio (actually, we in the Great Lakes region, especially those of us close to the coastlines, speak of the "North Coast"), just less than a mile as the crow flies from Lake Erie, and it does have an effect on frost dates as well as overall ambient temperatures, but that's something a gardener deals with: doesn't always match up with those charts on seed packets. Also, my garden's on either an old beach head or an old stream bed, but whichever, I'm gardening in sand and every day of my gardening year I'm grateful to the gardening couple two owners before me who worked so determinedly and devotedly with this soil because they made my gardening life so much easier. Another gardening guru also recommended not turning up one's nose at the idea of hybrids precisely for the reasons you've given: they may perform where or when beloved heirlooms don't and even if that happens just one gardening season out of five, well, the gardener still gets a harvest of that crop even if it's not the variety he prefers. It never hurts to have some back-up. I'm always looking to increase productivity through timing, succession planting, interplanting ("companion planting" or "shared" space), or growing up rather than out, "getting a jump on" by starting some seeds indoors, and practicing some season extension. Eventually, we'll be able to use every bed well into winter if it's under cover. Doing some germination tests on slightly "older" seeds (onions, leeks, some common beans and some Greek Gigantes beans) just to see if they'll sprout for us and if they do we'll just grow them on; if they don't, we'll buy some current stock for those few varieties/crops. Normally, though, leek and onion seeds for me are sown around the first or second week of February because that last frost (I know: these don't mind a bit of chilly weather) date isn't as early as we're promised, not ever. Thanks again for this video, I'd been feeling a little bit...isolated, I guess, as most of the other gardeners near me seem to be gardening on the old suburban models of "Memorial Day to Labor Day (or, Hallowe'en, and then they're done.)" To them asking this kind of performance from a garden or from the soil is...just weird. Much gardening love to you from Northeast Ohio! 😊💚💚💚💚💚😊
I find it really hard to balance early plants with our long winters, short springs and long Summers here in Southern Ontario. I've got a small unheated greenhouse but again a fine balance between what can handle the cold nights and be ready to go into the ground once the ground warms up enough that you can work it. Our weather can change drastically from year to year in that late winter/spring. I've started to try and take advantage of switching some crops to fall although my late summer cabbage last year wasn't ready to be harvested late fall so I lost it to hard freezes. Got to move their starting days earlier yet. I've already got my onion seeds started and some dwarf lettuce popping up on my grow shelf. Hoping I can move them out to the greenhouse once they get big enough. Ah...the joys of learning to garden. Just when you think you have it figured out...
Weve covered a lot of this in our meetings, we have a lotta good ideas bouncing around so yall come on board! BTW speaking of effective planting what ru growin in ur gutters on the shed 😂😂😂
Yes, 8 weeks from last frost date generally. Which means I have to wait until first or second week of March to start my tomatoes. Now, the hot peppers... I do those 14-16 weeks out due to the shorter growing season. If I don't start my peppers in January/February, I won't get a harvest worth anything before frost. At least I get to play with soil & plants with snow on the ground. 😊
How crazy the world is right now and it potentially can get worse, I've decided this year I'm focusing my garden on production and less to experimental and less productive crops.
hey Ben! You look like Santa with that coat! I'm behind on your vids but from what I can see you used a torch to de-weed your beds. If so, where did you get it? I had one from harbor freight and it lasted about an hr before I just had to trash it. Tempted to get another one from there but I may go to Tractor Supply. Just wondering...
What diameter and length pvc pipe did you use for your bed hoop houses? And what mil thick plastic sheet did you use? Thanks My plan of using tarps is not working out as well as I thought it would.
During the glut of tomatoes, I often roast two trays of cherry tomatoes tomatoes and any tomatoes with chunks taken out of them with garlic and some peppers and then freeze all of it. When I want a sauce, I thaw it and run it through my food processor. Sometimes I’ll process it before I freeze, but sometimes I like the tomatoes to be more whole in the dish. At the end of the season, I harvest my green tomatoes and do the same thing.
I have a 1/4 acre regular, awkward pie-shaped suburban yard on a caul-de-sac. The most sunny corner grows over 60 grow bags plus three large, raised metal beds with trellising. We had to cut down a 50 year old rotted oak tree last year and were able to fit a greenhouse and an in-ground, mostly tomato garden. I also have two GreenStalk towers used specifically for peas/beans. Last year, I grew over 300 pounds of fresh produce. Haven't bought an herb or canned tomato in years. The garden is the best job/gift I've ever had. God willing, I will never go back! Small, but mighty for the win. Happy Gardening everyone. Thanks Ben!
Wow that exactly describes my home. Plus I have an HOA so so
E added restrictions.
@@alissahoke9215 We are so grateful not to have an HOA! Not sure the neighbors felt the same when the shed/greenhouse combo was built.
@@alissahoke9215we have an HOA but one that is old school and friendly. We also have acreage and are grandfathered in as a ranchette. What kind of restrictions does yours have to hold you back for growing? Just curious.
@ we can only grow in the backyard and it has to be basically not visible from the street. I have zero backyard. The back fence is literally on my back deck. I currently have my gardens on the side, but if I wanna grow anything like potatoes or anything likemelons or pumpkins, there’s just no room for it.
There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of growing your own food! It’s so rewarding to see your hard work turn into something fresh, healthy, and delicious.❤🌱
During the glut of tomatoes, I often roast two trays of cherry tomatoes and any tomatoes with chunks taken out of them with garlic and some peppers and then freeze all of it. When I want a sauce, I thaw it and run it through my food processor. Sometimes I’ll process it before I freeze, but sometimes I like the tomatoes to be more whole in the dish. At the end of the season, I harvest my green tomatoes and do the same thing.
Thank you for giving thorough guidelines for growing 80% of your vegetables. It is very helpful to me as I am setting up a larger garden at my new home.
Glad to help!
Your videos lately are on point!! I mean they always have been, but you're preaching lately. Love it ❤
I am on a mission! 😉
This was such an insightful video! I started a handful of seeds about about a week ago, thinking I might have started them too soon. After watching this, I’m going to be starting a bunch more cool weather crops asap!
That's the spirit!
Thanks for sharing
You're welcome!
Excellent talk. Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Hi Ben,
I have sixteen raised beds of various sizes, three GreenStalk Towers, a 10ft x 20ft herb garden, a small orchard with eleven fruit trees, two compost bins, a few odd pots for spearmint and peppermint, and chickens. I need more chickens! Between the raised beds, and GreenStalk towers, I have about 275 square feet of growing space.
I am able to cheat the number of plants I grow by growing vertically on trellises, and vertically in the GreenStalk towers. I have three of them, one leaf tower with forty-two pockets, all planted with Seascape Strawberries, and two five tier towers with thirty pockets each. That gives me planting space for one hundred and two plants in fifteen cubic feet of soil. Deduct that, and I still have two hundred sixty square feet to plant in.
From a novice standpoint, that doesn’t sound like a lot of space, but it is, and that doesn’t include my herb garden. I grow a lot. To do it, timing is critical, one crop comes out, and another takes its place, and it may happen on the same day. I’d like to say I use every square inch of planting space, but I don’t. My fullest garden is spring into summer. I use every bit of space then. In the fall, I may have between one and five raised beds resting, depending on how full my freezers are, and how much canning I want to do.
Yesterday we got snow in my area, followed by rain mixed with snow, then more snow. Tonight’s forecasted low temperature is 23F. All that wet ground is going to freeze solid, but not my garden. I need to check on my last broccoli head, and maybe harvest it. My carrots and parsnips are ready to pick. With all this cold weather, the starch is converting to sugar. They are going to be sweet. Carrots taste best when harvested with snow on the ground. Maybe I’ll pick them today? More likely, it will be tomorrow. My chickens already got their treat for today, so no carrot tops for them until tomorrow. I’m still getting 2-3 eggs daily from three hens. My Speckled Sussex should start laying any day.
My book launch went as expected for Exiled From Earth, but organic sales were much higher than I expected. In four days, I launch NASTI business. I am already getting sales for it too. I started writing Net Zero Asea last Thursday, and stayed up late last night working on cover art for the next few books. I need to decide whether to use one or two characters on the covers. I made images both ways.
A lot of common sense in this video that I needed to hear! Thanks!
I try to keep it simple.
Just an all round great video it’s a deep learning experience not only about the garden but out patience and determination to keep learning and growing.
That is the key to a good garden.
I'm a Brazilian and I love to plant my garden vegetable.
Here now is summer, very very hot, but I keep taking care my garden vegetable!
Thanks for your informations!!
Thank you *so* very much for this video, Ben!
I'm in "coastal" Northeast Ohio (actually, we in the Great Lakes region, especially those of us close to the coastlines, speak of the "North Coast"), just less than a mile as the crow flies from Lake Erie, and it does have an effect on frost dates as well as overall ambient temperatures, but that's something a gardener deals with: doesn't always match up with those charts on seed packets. Also, my garden's on either an old beach head or an old stream bed, but whichever, I'm gardening in sand and every day of my gardening year I'm grateful to the gardening couple two owners before me who worked so determinedly and devotedly with this soil because they made my gardening life so much easier.
Another gardening guru also recommended not turning up one's nose at the idea of hybrids precisely for the reasons you've given: they may perform where or when beloved heirlooms don't and even if that happens just one gardening season out of five, well, the gardener still gets a harvest of that crop even if it's not the variety he prefers. It never hurts to have some back-up.
I'm always looking to increase productivity through timing, succession planting, interplanting ("companion planting" or "shared" space), or growing up rather than out, "getting a jump on" by starting some seeds indoors, and practicing some season extension. Eventually, we'll be able to use every bed well into winter if it's under cover.
Doing some germination tests on slightly "older" seeds (onions, leeks, some common beans and some Greek Gigantes beans) just to see if they'll sprout for us and if they do we'll just grow them on; if they don't, we'll buy some current stock for those few varieties/crops. Normally, though, leek and onion seeds for me are sown around the first or second week of February because that last frost (I know: these don't mind a bit of chilly weather) date isn't as early as we're promised, not ever.
Thanks again for this video, I'd been feeling a little bit...isolated, I guess, as most of the other gardeners near me seem to be gardening on the old suburban models of "Memorial Day to Labor Day (or, Hallowe'en, and then they're done.)" To them asking this kind of performance from a garden or from the soil is...just weird.
Much gardening love to you from Northeast Ohio! 😊💚💚💚💚💚😊
I actually google root systems for plants I’m not already familiar with. Excited for rest of video!
That's smart!
Can your garden ever really be too big? I don't think so.😊
I'm looking to expand on my 4 1/4 acres all the time. When I get my raised beds to Ben's amount I will feel good. Lol
Oh I think it can for sure
I grow in fabric pots of different sizes. I have found success with dwarf veggies and flowers. My space and sun is limited.
I find it really hard to balance early plants with our long winters, short springs and long Summers here in Southern Ontario. I've got a small unheated greenhouse but again a fine balance between what can handle the cold nights and be ready to go into the ground once the ground warms up enough that you can work it. Our weather can change drastically from year to year in that late winter/spring. I've started to try and take advantage of switching some crops to fall although my late summer cabbage last year wasn't ready to be harvested late fall so I lost it to hard freezes. Got to move their starting days earlier yet. I've already got my onion seeds started and some dwarf lettuce popping up on my grow shelf. Hoping I can move them out to the greenhouse once they get big enough. Ah...the joys of learning to garden. Just when you think you have it figured out...
I'm in Central Florida it starts getting too warm by May /April for my greens
Same here
Weve covered a lot of this in our meetings, we have a lotta good ideas bouncing around so yall come on board! BTW speaking of effective planting what ru growin in ur gutters on the shed 😂😂😂
at this point a mixture of pine trees lol. it a failed project i havnt changed yet
Do you have a list or a video planned for all the seeds you are starting for the early planting season this year? Thanks cool video
look at the seed starting series
Thank you, enjoying the videos
Yes, 8 weeks from last frost date generally. Which means I have to wait until first or second week of March to start my tomatoes. Now, the hot peppers... I do those 14-16 weeks out due to the shorter growing season. If I don't start my peppers in January/February, I won't get a harvest worth anything before frost. At least I get to play with soil & plants with snow on the ground. 😊
Great video..makes me think about space I may be wasting with too many varieties.
I think about that all the time
How crazy the world is right now and it potentially can get worse, I've decided this year I'm focusing my garden on production and less to experimental and less productive crops.
hey Ben! You look like Santa with that coat! I'm behind on your vids but from what I can see you used a torch to de-weed your beds. If so, where did you get it? I had one from harbor freight and it lasted about an hr before I just had to trash it. Tempted to get another one from there but I may go to Tractor Supply. Just wondering...
I did not torch anything yet. I let you know if I do
What diameter and length pvc pipe did you use for your bed hoop houses? And what mil thick plastic sheet did you use? Thanks
My plan of using tarps is not working out as well as I thought it would.
1/2 in and the plastic thickness depends on how cold you get
During the glut of tomatoes, I often roast two trays of cherry tomatoes tomatoes and any tomatoes with chunks taken out of them with garlic and some peppers and then freeze all of it. When I want a sauce, I thaw it and run it through my food processor. Sometimes I’ll process it before I freeze, but sometimes I like the tomatoes to be more whole in the dish. At the end of the season, I harvest my green tomatoes and do the same thing.
glut tomatoes i like that.