I did my raised beds just like you when I lived in Michigan. Just tossed the frames down, and leveled things out a bit. 15 years of weed and grass-free beds. No problems. Then, the job took me to West Tennessee, and I discovered Bermuda grass. It's the normal "lawn grass" here. Hearty and hard to kill off, even with tarps or chem warfare. Its runners and rhizomes drill through layers of the thickest landscape blanket, and its seeds get everywhere. So, I understand both sides. Not even ripping out the sod, digging down, and deep-setting the frames, and mulching deeply with 12" beds keeps out noxious Bermuda. Grass type matters, folks. Luke is right for a gardener who has never dealt with Bermuda. Luke's audience is Michigan gardeners in particular. If you're not a Michigan gardener, then your mileage may vary, and you'll need to adjust your approach.
Yes Bermuda grass infests everything. Pulling it actually propagates it!! I can’t believe the jungle that forms in TN monsoons of April- bare earth becomes a jungle in a month with vines reaching the tops of power lines. It’s amazing but dock Johnson grass vetch and bamboo and other weeds are ridiculously tough to kill. Don’t even think about kudzu! I don’t miss northern winters but I after 25 years in the south I still can’t get over how lush the weeds get in a few weeks with poison ivy leaves as big as serving platters and volunteer redbuds and sumac trees growing in the driveway already requires loppers and it’s only Memorial Day.
Thank you for explaining this! I’m trying to figure out how to set up garden boxes for the first time and we have Bermuda grass EVERYWHERE in our yard (south Alabama, Wiregrass region) and all around us is wiregrass (hence the name). So I’m really trying to find a solution specific to my area. Which hasn’t been easy for all the reasons stated above and in the video lol
it was pretty clear to me you had more than enough soil on top to suppress any grass. Now worms will eat the dying grass and turn it into a layer of worm castings.
Hurray!!! I was second guessing myself having just put in 2 raised beds on top of grass. I'm new to gardening and these are my firsts. I almost took them apart thinking I messed up. Saved me alot of unnecessary work. Thank you!
NO PROBLEMS HERE lol we placed them right on the grass .... not 1 blade made it up ...... wait till I show how we did back to eden with no cardboard =)
I put cardboard and newspaper in my compost pile, but never directly into the garden....hmmmmm I may have to look into this. PLEASE post a video on your gardening methods, Doug and Stacy. I'm very interested!!
Of course, it all depends where you live. In south Louisiana, we have bionic weeds and a very long weed season! I would put something under the bed and STILL expect to see grass growing in the beds. Our grass will puncture a swimming pool -- in the center under the pressure of water and with no direct sunlight!
I stopped using weed barrier because it grew through ( as in poked holes in it) and made a monster mat. I use newspaper now. At least the bermuda doesn't bond with the cover.
😂😂 Love your sarcasm when showing your first bed. I did my beds exactly like this with NO cardboard etc.. and I DO NOT have weeds either! Love your videos and expertise, your my RUclips go to for all my gardening questions/needs! Keep it up! Your doing an amazing job!
I think it is so funny that people comment that you don't know what you are doing!! Look at your garden, it is amazing!!! I have been following you for a while and implement your techniques and I am so grateful for your knowledge! I am a little older than you are and you know so much more then me and I have never questioned it lol! Don't listen to the haters, they are probably jealous of your amazing gardening skills! Keep up the good work!
Thank you Luke. You cleared up a lot as far as how much cover to smother out various grasses. This is very useful information! Unfortunately where I live there is native wiregrass, crabgrass and Johnson grass; indestructible, immortal, pervasive and stronger than anything else alive in my garden. So I will have to put down at least some cardboard under my beds. But if I ever decide to move out of this area I believe I will endeavor to find a place with none of those grasses and with instead what you call city grass. These wicked grasses I have are my worst gardening problem. The raised beds will help a lot. I plan to do the intensive onion and lettuce plantings you demonstrated. Also I’ll trim the bottom leaves of my tomatoes and zucchini. You are such a wealth of information and most of us appreciate you very much! Your positivity alone is priceless! I’ve been very encouraged by your videos. Keep up the good work!
You're so right in what you say and I love you saying age is just a number. I'm 64 and have been gardening for many years but am starting up a large bed after a long hiatus. I recently moved to a farm which is on solid bedrock hence the need for a raised bed. you only have to be concerned when dealing with invasive grass like kikuyu. Don't worry about the naysayers at all...you're doing a great job! After the long period away from veg gardening I feel like a greenie so have devoured all your tutorials and have learned so much from you. Thanks for your passion and commitment and for sharing your knowledge. Happy gardening !!
I did all of mine following you, no weeds! I mulch when I plant, and during late fall after everything has been harvested. No weeds. It's great in spring to come into the garden with no weeds. Thank you.
We have quack grass here in northern Alberta and the runners can travel through cement (it seems). My raised beds lay fallow for two years. This year I could not even get a pitch fork through the soil to tear up the roots. It all had to be hand ripped out. Yes I did lay a few layers of cardboard under the wooden frames. So, Luke, you are very lucky to be able to do that and save a bunch of time!
Thank you so much for this video! I was just in the yard removing chunks of turf for my new bed and my husband said you don’t need to do that. I didn’t believe him. So he said.. go watch your guy see what he says.. and you say NO! I am so happy!! 😃
sooo glad to see this vid!!! ive stacked 3 blocks high topped with a 4" solid block to hold the layer of regular grass cloth intended to keep the dirt in the beds. daughter is agast that i built on top of grass with just the cloth. been tossing in cardboards, paper shreds, leaves now that gardening is over. planning to spread a tarp on top to kill off what seeds might be in the materials over the winter. thank you for sharing your experience.
You are correct, I built my raised beds just like you on top of grass. I think I laid down newspaper first but it probably wasn't necessary. Good job. Love your enthusiasm!
Thank you so much. I've watched all the recent videos and am now going back in time to see the ones I've missed. I saw the one previous and thought, 'well look at that, he's planting straight on grass, wow, how does he do it?' and this video followed, lol
I totally remember about three years ago when the whole Internet lost its mind over this. I even remember what I was doing when it happened, I was washing my car on a sunny June day, and then, BAM! It was a crazy time, kids. You should have seen the pandemonium. It was totally nuts!
Do not worry about those comments. You are great! Please keep uploading your videos, I love them. I am turning 45 this year and just started learning how to garden from RUclips. Age doesn't count, experience does. Cheers
LOL - I had watched many people put raised beds on grass before and never figured people would be so freaked out at seeing it on a video. I always wonder about people who preach but don't practice what they sell.. I plan on doing this in my back yard garden and was glad to see this video which confirmed what I had seen ;>)
I really enjoy watching your videos. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and I’ve learned so much from you so I definitely appreciate all that you’ve educated me on. Thank you. I just watched this video, I couldn’t stop laughing because of the great humor you have with the sarcastic comments about the grass. Especially the part where you were talking about having to let that one bed go fallow. 😅 Pretty funny bro!! Keep them coming.
Wow, thanks! This is great and just what I needed to know. Even though I grew up in the country and gardened my entire life I still learn a lot from your videos! I take notes! It's exciting. Had been gardening in the same beds for 30 years but now I'm starting over again in a new place and 600 miles southwest of where I was. I only have 600 sq.ft of beds but I'm used to growing thousands. We have an open lawn area that would be perfect for massive expansion. We wondered about just putting the raised beds right on top of the grass. Now we know for sure. When we thought about it, made sense that the soil would smother the grass out. Thanks!!!
Rock on Luke! Everyone who “scolds” you is a self proclaimed authority figure. You need not be 65 years old to have value, knowledge and qualifications to share your videos! Love em and thank you! ✌🏻👍🏻🙌🏻 (ps loved the part where you zoomed in on all your invasive “grass”. Lololol)
You are correct with the raised beds and no weeds. I have 14 raised beds exactly like yours and no weeds. Best thing ever is raised beds. High 5 to you.
Built my first ever raised bed (4'x8' using 2x10's) last year on a Bermuda grass lawn. Used no native soil to prevent grass or weed seeds. No problems last year, but this year the Bermuda started making its way up the inside of the bed walls somehow. I pull it out by the roots as best I can when I discover it running, but it's a super aggressive grass so I hope it doesn't spread in the bed too much to keep under control!
This is good news for me. This has been driving me crazy. I am trying not to use cardboard,news print and weed fabric so as to keep my garden as organic as possible. I wish I had found your video long ago. Thank you soooooooooooo much. I will make sure to check out all your other videos.
Luke I've been watching you since I started gardening (you were so young) I am easily twice your age and my husband and I wouldn't have had the success we have without your videos! Keep up the great job!!
I appreciate this video! I am in the process of moving a raised bed left here by the last renters to a new spot in the yard and I was prepared to put down cardboard and other recommendations. I'm glad I don't have to waste the time doing so!
Not all grasses are the same. Crabgrass would turn those beds into raised lawns. I put raised beds in my back yard lawn as well, but I completely excavated the top 8 inches of grass roots and soil, put down 2 layers of cardboard and 4 layers of landscaping fabric then back-filled the beds with weed free soil and compost. Crabgrass had completely infiltrated the beds within a year. My beds require a full dig out reset twice a year to keep them functional. I’m currently planning a full yard remodel - scrap the beds, kill the lawn, use a sod cutter to remove the turf, lay down a heavy plastic barrier, top with pea gravel and then reinstall the beds. I’m sure this guy is annoyed with trolls but a little research on his part would reveal that this isn’t a useable technique for many (most?) would-be lawn gardeners.
how funny i never thought about your age. your garden is happy! happy! happy! and no garden cares about age. just made me laugh. love you videos, your gardens great!
So glad you posted this! I've just built and filled my first raised beds, then suddenly questioned whether I should have cleared the grass first.... was starting to worry I'd need to remove all the soil and start again, but I'm relieved to see such clear evidence that I shouldn't waste my time! Hoping to start planting in the next week or two :D
where do you live? I'm starting mine and I was told that I couldn't start them on my grass. After watching his video I feel a little relieved but I'm still worried. I do remember a kiddie pool being left in my yard for a few months and the grass died where the pull was. So, im thinking the same will happen with a raised bed??
You looks so young in this video 😊 Thank you so much for your help You just saved me and my back from digging up grass I just placed 4 10 by 5 beds on grass and will fill them up Keep up the good work Love your videos and will soon order seeds from you One love
Excellent info 👍. I'm about to build 6 4'x16'x 11" beds and my research is exactly what you said so I'm not worried about the grass. I will cut the area as short as possible and spread it through out the beds along with sawdust and manure . The fill dirt is coming from a local place that mix's compost and topsoil. My wife pays he is just a tour with great success. We will also be composting and adding that to the beds later. Thank you 👍
We have St Augustine, which is one of the toughest grasses to overcome. Even if you cut it out, remove soil, and treat the soil, it will reseed itself and take over whatever you try to plant instead. But we do have success as you do with beds, we just have to do one more step. I cut down 3" on mine and flip the grass soil side up, then plant over it. The results is just sporadic shoots of grass coming up, which could just be re-seeding from the rest of the lawn. Love your Videos - Stay young as you can
I appreciated the video. Your smug comeback to your raised bed construction is humorous. This is one reason I decided to start growing in planter box type containers instead of larger, raised beds. I need to use more vertical space because I don't have a big yard. I have raised beds also, but the soil in them is more native to this area and not solely container soil and it isn't very nutritionally advanced. I have added sphagnum and rock dusts and other items but it gets expensive. I have added worm castings and worm casings to get more nutrition. It will take more time. The thing is, when I started the raised beds, I put down landscape fabric and wetted cardboard, I also made one with neither of those and it is doing better than them... I still will get weeds. So... I thought your raised bed idea was fine. Really lucked out on the pro mix bed. WOW! @ you!!
Because of you I'm putting in my first raised bed tomorrow. Bought everything tonight just gotta build it. I hope it is bountiful. I'm a complete newbie.
I totally get it, and agree, grass can be killed with enough cover. My problem is blackberries. Our house (and garden) was built on a clearing of a wild forest that had acres of wild blackberries growing. If the lawn isn't mowed, blackberry bushes start growing everywhere. My garden is over part of the lawn (like yours). So the lawn dies, but the blackberries never do. They seem to make it up to the surface no matter what. So, I put down thick layers of cardboard over the grass, under the raised beds, to stop or slow down the blackberries, and it seems to help, so far.
😂 Love it! Unfortunately, I love in Texas and deal with both crabgrass and bermuda grass which did not get smothered. Even cardboard was no match for the bermuda. Bermuda just grew under the cardboard until it found a way up. Most of the normal grasses, especially further north will not pose a problem.
I did exactly that. Mine have done great. To get started last year, I filled my beds half way up with free wood chips then topped them off with store bought soil. This fall I had some nice compost from grass clippings and topped them off with that after harvesting all my summer crops. I rarely see a weed in my beds. My soil is black and crumbly. My beds are filled with fall crops that are doing great. The only problem I have is squirrels digging in the beds. I could put some wire over the beds but it isn’t bad enough to worry about it.
Hi Luke, I don't know why people thought weeds would grow up through 6-8" of garden soil you but into your raised beds. It never occurred to me that you would have weeds. Thank you for the raised bed on grass idea. I am going to try one bed and see how that works this year. Thank you for your inspiring stories and practical how-to's and gardening tips you and Mrs. MIGardner provide!
I have 4 10x4 raised beds. It is good to know why I really don't have any weeds in them. I do get the top of the surface weed that is common in the State of California. Just a pinch and its gone. Anyway, I do appreciate your response to this question. I always say that there is no stupid questions, even when there are those that feed on it as being stupid. Sometimes you have to repeat yourself for those that just came on board, like me, or those that had forgotten what you had said. Keep up the good work.
Great video, and YES I heard the exact same thing! I have 3, 4x8 raised beds that are 10.5 inches high. I placed them on grass, and have no weeds what so ever! Listen and learn ppl! Thx Luke👍☺️
You are growing, literally. more views. More trolling opinion. Think of it, you've come to a point where there are so many random people chiming in, that you feel you need to explain yourself. It will encourage more scrutiny the more your channel grows. Ignore it, address it quickly in an episode. But I strongly suggest you not film your frustration. It feeds the troll. Without a reaction, they cannot survive. Like a weed without sun. Don't feed the scrutinizers. They love it. Great channel...:)
Welcome to the internet. Good info on suppression. I have 1 weed thats a vine/invasive/something poking through but my backyard isn't close to as clean as yours. Don't feed the trolls
Isn't it odd, how everyone seems to think their way is the ONLY way to do things (when everyone knows my way is best--haha)? There's more than one to skin a cat, and y'all just show us another way to do things. Thanks Luke, I've learned a lot from you, and you've inspired me to keep trying.
I, for one, loved this video...seeing VERY valuable info I'd not heard before. I saw the vid where you put the beds on grass & thought, " Won't he get weeds?"🤔🙄 That said, perhaps some viewers consider explaining your methods every now and again -- in order to answer q's & to dispel prevalent gardening myths -- to be feeding the trolls. I consider you to be a good teacher to repeat yourself for new viewers who don't know your competent methods. Thanks for explaining, yet again. 😁👍 I'm putting in new beds right now & will remove all the cardboard I already have inside the beds before I fill them. I'll use it just on the paths between the beds. 👌
We have raised beds and we don't have any grass in them either, so I know for a fact it can be done. I need to mulch around the blue berry bushes this year. By the way I love the light wood mulch you have between the beds. It makes it look so much cleaner and neater. I will be doing this.
My first raised beds, I used cardboard. They were about 6” deep. My BF told me my neighbor’s weed bins would make it to my veggie beds. It did after about 3 years. The new beds I used weed cloth but are 11” deep. I wish I had seen this video first. I will follow your advice with the new raised beds. 57 years old. 🙋🏽
I've put aised beds in for a long time,made out of 2X8's, 10's, and 12's, and I have to weed every couple weeks. The cover suppresses the grass growing where you put the bed, But in my neck of the woods we got plenty wind borne, avian borne grass seeds that sprout. Still, it's the best way to grow.
So, after asking several of my local friends and finally looking further on the internet, I have learned that "wire grass" is also called "bermuda grass" and also, "devil's grass". The last one is the most appropriate, imho. One of those friends also said that their ten and 12 inch high beds also kept the bermuda grass outside of the beds!! Astonishing!!
We made our 12-inch deep raised bed three years ago & put it right on top of grass too, because I was afraid to ask my husband to both build me a raised bed & dig up grass! I figured, no light, no growth. And we have had absolutely no issues with grass or weeds growing up thru the soil. It’s good to know that the same is true for 6-inch raised beds! #AnotherMichiganGardener.
Haha! Even as a novice gardener, I knew the grass wouldn't grow through. I have a raised bed that I planted 2 years ago and still don't have any grass coming through it! There weeds, sure. But even with the winds reaching upwards of 70mph, I still don't have grass growing in the bed. Lol
Thank you! People/Neighbors/Friends thought I was crazy for leaving the grass in my newly built raised beds. And then they blew a gasket when they saw dead tree trunks on the bottom of the beds as I was waiting for the soil to be delivered. I've researched, I've taken Ag classes at UC Davis. I got this...
your awesome lol. we had such good dirt under the old "grass" weeds in backyard, that I only put 2"inch of soil over the grass n weeds, recycle fence board border for "raised" bed. an plants are growing like crazy. truth is "weeds" like purslane or pellitory we let go becaus 1.) we eat them and 2:) great ground cover when it gets hot here is south florida. great vids, keep growing! :)
Loved this video, loved the sarcasm. We are putting in deeper beds and the only problem we have is birds pooping out seeds that start to grow on the surface.
Hi Luke, About a month ago an arborist took down a 130' Doug fir and several cottonwoods from a neighboring yard so now my back yard has gone from almost full shade to mostly sun. While my ferns aren't thrilled, it's opened up the possibility for a garden back there. Of course, this was an unexpected boon, so I'm planning for next year by building soil this year. Since it's a small, oddly shaped yard (that a neighbor has been mowing for me and can't anymore), and I'm on a fixed income, (so raised beds are beyond the budget currently) I'm looking at doing BTE style "food forest" in the whole back yard. I've been fighting to control blackberries and Oregon grape as well as a Virginia Creeper vine from another neighbor's yard that has been a problem getting rid of. A local appliance sales and service business said they can provide me with all of the appliance boxes I can haul as they are contracted to replace appliances in apartment complexes (they do a dozen apts per week in addition to what they sell out of their 3 retail stores). I also am in touch with that same arborist who will provide me with wood chips from the trees they prune or remove so they don't have to haul them to the disposal transfer station and pay to dump them. Win-win. I don't know how long it will take me to get enough woodchips to smother these invasive species (as well as the grass/weeds), as they never know when or how much they are going to get week to week. I was planning on doing two layers of this heavy cardboard. Do you think 2 layers would do it?
I, for one, am so glad you made this video! It was very informative and I am super excited to redo my raised beds for next year with the wealth of information you gave me. Thank you!!
I put my raised bed right on top of an oleander bush that i cut down, and not even that seems to be able to grow through, people are way too paranoid about weeds.
HAHAHA I was literally going to comment on one of your videos yesterday about leaving the grass there!!!! That is too funny!!!! I was not thinking about grass and weeds growing all the way up; my concern is with the layer of grass acting as a barrier to root development and water drainage. I have a garden with 4x4 boards as a boarder (stacked 2 layers tall), with lots of added soil to raise the bed to the height of the boarder; essentially a raised bed! But the first thing I did was rip up the grass in order to make the initial garden bed. Leaving the grass there just seems like you do not want the garden to grow to its fullest possible extent. Hey, that's my 2 cents! ! I also enjoy moving my soil around and digging holes and trenches when needed. It is nice to be able to dig without anything getting in my way.
that grass you're taking out turns into nutrients for you're garden when it breaks down so it helps you're garden not hurts it unless you build it in spring and plant a few days later.Build the beds in fall and by spring it will be perfect and drain much better and provide more nutrients and oxygen for the roots.
I did my raised beds just like you when I lived in Michigan. Just tossed the frames down, and leveled things out a bit. 15 years of weed and grass-free beds. No problems. Then, the job took me to West Tennessee, and I discovered Bermuda grass. It's the normal "lawn grass" here. Hearty and hard to kill off, even with tarps or chem warfare. Its runners and rhizomes drill through layers of the thickest landscape blanket, and its seeds get everywhere. So, I understand both sides. Not even ripping out the sod, digging down, and deep-setting the frames, and mulching deeply with 12" beds keeps out noxious Bermuda. Grass type matters, folks. Luke is right for a gardener who has never dealt with Bermuda. Luke's audience is Michigan gardeners in particular. If you're not a Michigan gardener, then your mileage may vary, and you'll need to adjust your approach.
Thanks for saying this... I need the bermuda experienced gardeners lol
Yes Bermuda grass infests everything. Pulling it actually propagates it!!
I can’t believe the jungle that forms in TN monsoons of April- bare earth becomes a jungle in a month with vines reaching the tops of power lines. It’s amazing but dock Johnson grass vetch and bamboo and other weeds are ridiculously tough to kill. Don’t even think about kudzu! I don’t miss northern winters but I after 25 years in the south I still can’t get over how lush the weeds get in a few weeks with poison ivy leaves as big as serving platters and volunteer redbuds and sumac trees growing in the driveway already requires loppers and it’s only Memorial Day.
Yes! In Oklahoma and currently having to rip out and rebuild my beds because of bermuda. Hopefully I can get a good enough barrier this time.
Thank you for explaining this! I’m trying to figure out how to set up garden boxes for the first time and we have Bermuda grass EVERYWHERE in our yard (south Alabama, Wiregrass region) and all around us is wiregrass (hence the name). So I’m really trying to find a solution specific to my area. Which hasn’t been easy for all the reasons stated above and in the video lol
Yep, I put my raised beds right down on the grass, and there’s Bermuda up in the bed, and I’m here on YT looking for help!
it was pretty clear to me you had more than enough soil on top to suppress any grass. Now worms will eat the dying grass and turn it into a layer of worm castings.
Hurray!!! I was second guessing myself having just put in 2 raised beds on top of grass. I'm new to gardening and these are my firsts. I almost took them apart thinking I messed up. Saved me alot of unnecessary work.
Thank you!
I put my raised beds on the grass, 3 years now, no problems. You are young a very knowledgeable. Thank you!!!
NO PROBLEMS HERE lol we placed them right on the grass .... not 1 blade made it up ...... wait till I show how we did back to eden with no cardboard =)
We did the BTE as well, with cardboard or news paper in raised beds.
I put cardboard and newspaper in my compost pile, but never directly into the garden....hmmmmm I may have to look into this. PLEASE post a video on your gardening methods, Doug and Stacy. I'm very interested!!
Danelle W k
lol
Of course, it all depends where you live. In south Louisiana, we have bionic weeds and a very long weed season! I would put something under the bed and STILL expect to see grass growing in the beds. Our grass will puncture a swimming pool -- in the center under the pressure of water and with no direct sunlight!
I wish this were true for Bermuda grass. It's the bane of my existence! I am so envious of folks with just plain ol' grass.
I stopped using weed barrier because it grew through ( as in poked holes in it) and made a monster mat. I use newspaper now. At least the bermuda doesn't bond with the cover.
Yeah you're right the only thing that stops Bermuda is concrete
@@bencarey8988 It grows under concrete and comes out through the other side or grows through the cracks.
Thanks for the tip 🤪
I’m envious too. I’m up to my ears in Bermuda. It’s just grows over the mulch.
😂😂 Love your sarcasm when showing your first bed. I did my beds exactly like this with NO cardboard etc.. and I DO NOT have weeds either! Love your videos and expertise, your my RUclips go to for all my gardening questions/needs! Keep it up! Your doing an amazing job!
Sandy Edgington same here, our raised bed has been going for two months now, and not a single blade of weed or grass.
I think it is so funny that people comment that you don't know what you are doing!! Look at your garden, it is amazing!!! I have been following you for a while and implement your techniques and I am so grateful for your knowledge! I am a little older than you are and you know so much more then me and I have never questioned it lol! Don't listen to the haters, they are probably jealous of your amazing gardening skills! Keep up the good work!
Thank you Luke. You cleared up a lot as far as how much cover to smother out various grasses. This is very useful information! Unfortunately where I live there is native wiregrass, crabgrass and Johnson grass; indestructible, immortal, pervasive and stronger than anything else alive in my garden. So I will have to put down at least some cardboard under my beds. But if I ever decide to move out of this area I believe I will endeavor to find a place with none of those grasses and with instead what you call city grass. These wicked grasses I have are my worst gardening problem. The raised beds will help a lot. I plan to do the intensive onion and lettuce plantings you demonstrated. Also I’ll trim the bottom leaves of my tomatoes and zucchini. You are such a wealth of information and most of us appreciate you very much! Your positivity alone is priceless! I’ve been very encouraged by your videos. Keep up the good work!
Lol. Of course, the internet goes crazy over any little thing. Loved your sarcasm! 😂😂
Kimberly Ann Jimenez he's over here crying 😢
Kimberly Ann Jimenez yeah, so many experts out there too lazy to make their own videos!
Hey, Luke, you don't need to justify yourself to anyone. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!
This was really informative and is going to save me some time. I know it's been 5 years, but hey, I appreciate you!
My wife and I really appreciate your videos. You are informative and helpful; always in a positive way. Thanks!
I love this video!! lol Also, I am SO HAPPY to learn I don't have to deal with my grass at all. I can just build my beds! Thanks!!
You're so right in what you say and I love you saying age is just a number. I'm 64 and have been gardening for many years but am starting up a large bed after a long hiatus. I recently moved to a farm which is on solid bedrock hence the need for a raised bed. you only have to be concerned when dealing with invasive grass like kikuyu. Don't worry about the naysayers at all...you're doing a great job! After the long period away from veg gardening I feel like a greenie so have devoured all your tutorials and have learned so much from you. Thanks for your passion and commitment and for sharing your knowledge. Happy gardening !!
I did all of mine following you, no weeds! I mulch when I plant, and during late fall after everything has been harvested. No weeds. It's great in spring to come into the garden with no weeds. Thank you.
We have quack grass here in northern Alberta and the runners can travel through cement (it seems). My raised beds lay fallow for two years. This year I could not even get a pitch fork through the soil to tear up the roots. It all had to be hand ripped out. Yes I did lay a few layers of cardboard under the wooden frames.
So, Luke, you are very lucky to be able to do that and save a bunch of time!
Thank you so much for this video! I was just in the yard removing chunks of turf for my new bed and my husband said you don’t need to do that. I didn’t believe him. So he said.. go watch your guy see what he says.. and you say NO! I am so happy!! 😃
sooo glad to see this vid!!! ive stacked 3 blocks high topped with a 4" solid block to hold the layer of regular grass cloth intended to keep the dirt in the beds. daughter is agast that i built on top of grass with just the cloth. been tossing in cardboards, paper shreds, leaves now that gardening is over. planning to spread a tarp on top to kill off what seeds might be in the materials over the winter. thank you for sharing your experience.
You are correct, I built my raised beds just like you on top of grass. I think I laid down newspaper first but it probably wasn't necessary. Good job. Love your enthusiasm!
Thank you so much. I've watched all the recent videos and am now going back in time to see the ones I've missed. I saw the one previous and thought, 'well look at that, he's planting straight on grass, wow, how does he do it?' and this video followed, lol
I totally remember about three years ago when the whole Internet lost its mind over this. I even remember what I was doing when it happened, I was washing my car on a sunny June day, and then, BAM! It was a crazy time, kids. You should have seen the pandemonium. It was totally nuts!
Do not worry about those comments. You are great! Please keep uploading your videos, I love them. I am turning 45 this year and just started learning how to garden from RUclips. Age doesn't count, experience does. Cheers
your turning 50 this year!! happy early birthday!!
Glad you channel showed up on my feed. Awesome news! Will certainly watch other videos. Thanks a buschel!
LOL - I had watched many people put raised beds on grass before and never figured people would be so freaked out at seeing it on a video. I always wonder about people who preach but don't practice what they sell.. I plan on doing this in my back yard garden and was glad to see this video which confirmed what I had seen ;>)
yes, you are qualified!!! I enjoy your videos very much, not a new gardener but I am new to growing in Michigan.
I really enjoy watching your videos. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and I’ve learned so much from you so I definitely appreciate all that you’ve educated me on. Thank you.
I just watched this video, I couldn’t stop laughing because of the great humor you have with the sarcastic comments about the grass. Especially the part where you were talking about having to let that one bed go fallow. 😅
Pretty funny bro!!
Keep them coming.
Thank you for clarifying that. Although I did not comment about that before, I am grateful and thankful to understand it better now.
Wow, thanks! This is great and just what I needed to know. Even though I grew up in the country and gardened my entire life I still learn a lot from your videos! I take notes! It's exciting. Had been gardening in the same beds for 30 years but now I'm starting over again in a new place and 600 miles southwest of where I was. I only have 600 sq.ft of beds but I'm used to growing thousands. We have an open lawn area that would be perfect for massive expansion. We wondered about just putting the raised beds right on top of the grass. Now we know for sure. When we thought about it, made sense that the soil would smother the grass out. Thanks!!!
Rock on Luke! Everyone who “scolds” you is a self proclaimed authority figure. You need not be 65 years old to have value, knowledge and qualifications to share your videos! Love em and thank you! ✌🏻👍🏻🙌🏻 (ps loved the part where you zoomed in on all your invasive “grass”. Lololol)
You are correct with the raised beds and no weeds. I have 14 raised beds exactly like yours and no weeds. Best thing ever is raised beds. High 5 to you.
I did the same thing and it works.
Excellent Video As Always. 💯👍👍😎☀️
Not only are there hardly any weeds, but my goodness there's some healthy delicious looking veggies in there!
You got that right! :D
I had wondered about that. I really appreciated the explanation! Your method really eliminates unnecessary extra work!
Built my first ever raised bed (4'x8' using 2x10's) last year on a Bermuda grass lawn. Used no native soil to prevent grass or weed seeds. No problems last year, but this year the Bermuda started making its way up the inside of the bed walls somehow. I pull it out by the roots as best I can when I discover it running, but it's a super aggressive grass so I hope it doesn't spread in the bed too much to keep under control!
Thanks for the education on that... It may come in handy for someone! Don't let people annoy you... Your followers appreciate you!
I'd listen to you in a heartbeat and I'm 57!
This is good news for me. This has been driving me crazy. I am trying not to use cardboard,news print and weed fabric so as to keep my garden as organic as possible. I wish I had found your video long ago. Thank you soooooooooooo much. I will make sure to check out all your other videos.
Luke I've been watching you since I started gardening (you were so young) I am easily twice your age and my husband and I wouldn't have had the success we have without your videos! Keep up the great job!!
I appreciate this video! I am in the process of moving a raised bed left here by the last renters to a new spot in the yard and I was prepared to put down cardboard and other recommendations. I'm glad I don't have to waste the time doing so!
Not all grasses are the same. Crabgrass would turn those beds into raised lawns. I put raised beds in my back yard lawn as well, but I completely excavated the top 8 inches of grass roots and soil, put down 2 layers of cardboard and 4 layers of landscaping fabric then back-filled the beds with weed free soil and compost. Crabgrass had completely infiltrated the beds within a year. My beds require a full dig out reset twice a year to keep them functional. I’m currently planning a full yard remodel - scrap the beds, kill the lawn, use a sod cutter to remove the turf, lay down a heavy plastic barrier, top with pea gravel and then reinstall the beds. I’m sure this guy is annoyed with trolls but a little research on his part would reveal that this isn’t a useable technique for many (most?) would-be lawn gardeners.
Awesome! Thank you
how funny i never thought about your age.
your garden is happy! happy! happy! and no garden cares about age. just made me laugh.
love you videos, your gardens great!
So glad you posted this! I've just built and filled my first raised beds, then suddenly questioned whether I should have cleared the grass first.... was starting to worry I'd need to remove all the soil and start again, but I'm relieved to see such clear evidence that I shouldn't waste my time! Hoping to start planting in the next week or two :D
where do you live? I'm starting mine and I was told that I couldn't start them on my grass. After watching his video I feel a little relieved but I'm still worried. I do remember a kiddie pool being left in my yard for a few months and the grass died where the pull was. So, im thinking the same will happen with a raised bed??
Thanks for your very informative message in gardening. All blessings from Ireland
Excellent video! Love it! It answers my question if I should put cardboard down before putting down my raised bed...
You looks so young in this video 😊
Thank you so much for your help
You just saved me and my back from digging up grass
I just placed 4 10 by 5 beds on grass and will fill them up
Keep up the good work
Love your videos and will soon order seeds from you
One love
Excellent info 👍. I'm about to build 6 4'x16'x 11" beds and my research is exactly what you said so I'm not worried about the grass. I will cut the area as short as possible and spread it through out the beds along with sawdust and manure . The fill dirt is coming from a local place that mix's compost and topsoil. My wife pays he is just a tour with great success. We will also be composting and adding that to the beds later. Thank you 👍
I’m so grateful for your channel. You practice what you teach, so thhhhhhh to nay sayers.
I'm glad you made this video because I'm lazy and was going to do it that way anyways.
We have St Augustine, which is one of the toughest grasses to overcome. Even if you cut it out, remove soil, and treat the soil, it will reseed itself and take over whatever you try to plant instead. But we do have success as you do with beds, we just have to do one more step. I cut down 3" on mine and flip the grass soil side up, then plant over it. The results is just sporadic shoots of grass coming up, which could just be re-seeding from the rest of the lawn.
Love your Videos - Stay young as you can
Agreed...that technique is sound. I've ALWAYS started my raised beds by setting the wood frames directly on the grass...Never had a week problem.
I shared your video with my husband and he’s been looking at quite a few of them. Young doesn’t matter. Experience matters. Keep on young man.
Host helpful gardening videos I’ve seen thus far for beginners or experts!! Thank you
Very nice explanation....thank you for the information.
Just ignore the stupid negative comments! I think you are doing a great job and I find your videos very informative
Thank you!!!! You saved me a ton of work :) :) :)
I appreciated the video. Your smug comeback to your raised bed construction is humorous. This is one reason I decided to start growing in planter box type containers instead of larger, raised beds. I need to use more vertical space because I don't have a big yard. I have raised beds also, but the soil in them is more native to this area and not solely container soil and it isn't very nutritionally advanced. I have added sphagnum and rock dusts and other items but it gets expensive. I have added worm castings and worm casings to get more nutrition. It will take more time. The thing is, when I started the raised beds, I put down landscape fabric and wetted cardboard, I also made one with neither of those and it is doing better than them... I still will get weeds. So... I thought your raised bed idea was fine. Really lucked out on the pro mix bed. WOW! @ you!!
i have put my raised beds directly on the grass, just like you and never had any problem with weeds! 👩🌾
Because of you I'm putting in my first raised bed tomorrow. Bought everything tonight just gotta build it. I hope it is bountiful. I'm a complete newbie.
lol I love your reaction!! This is excellent!! Thank you so much for making these videos as it is helping me tremendously!
I have been gardening this way for years. People think I am weird. Just be patient and keep up the great work!
I totally get it, and agree, grass can be killed with enough cover. My problem is blackberries. Our house (and garden) was built on a clearing of a wild forest that had acres of wild blackberries growing. If the lawn isn't mowed, blackberry bushes start growing everywhere. My garden is over part of the lawn (like yours). So the lawn dies, but the blackberries never do. They seem to make it up to the surface no matter what. So, I put down thick layers of cardboard over the grass, under the raised beds, to stop or slow down the blackberries, and it seems to help, so far.
😂 Love it! Unfortunately, I love in Texas and deal with both crabgrass and bermuda grass which did not get smothered. Even cardboard was no match for the bermuda. Bermuda just grew under the cardboard until it found a way up. Most of the normal grasses, especially further north will not pose a problem.
You are a life saver I have lot of grass and I hate to remove it before preparing a bed
Tnx for that. I just bought raised and really didn't want to til! So taking your advice!!
This is so awesome! Thank you for the useful information!
I did exactly that. Mine have done great. To get started last year, I filled my beds half way up with free wood chips then topped them off with store bought soil. This fall I had some nice compost from grass clippings and topped them off with that after harvesting all my summer crops. I rarely see a weed in my beds. My soil is black and crumbly. My beds are filled with fall crops that are doing great. The only problem I have is squirrels digging in the beds. I could put some wire over the beds but it isn’t bad enough to worry about it.
Hi Luke, I don't know why people thought weeds would grow up through 6-8" of garden soil you but into your raised beds. It never occurred to me that you would have weeds. Thank you for the raised bed on grass idea. I am going to try one bed and see how that works this year. Thank you for your inspiring stories and practical how-to's and gardening tips you and Mrs. MIGardner provide!
Awesome. Great information.
I have 4 10x4 raised beds. It is good to know why I really don't have any weeds in them. I do get the top of the surface weed that is common in the State of California. Just a pinch and its gone. Anyway, I do appreciate your response to this question.
I always say that there is no stupid questions, even when there are those that feed on it as being stupid. Sometimes you have to repeat yourself for those that just came on board, like me, or those that had forgotten what you had said. Keep up the good work.
Great video, and YES I heard the exact same thing! I have 3, 4x8 raised beds that are 10.5 inches high. I placed them on grass, and have no weeds what so ever! Listen and learn ppl! Thx Luke👍☺️
Join the success club! :D
nice looking garden Luke, you are blessed!
Thank you for the great info in all your videos. Keep up the great work.
i love your wonderful use of sarcasm
You are growing, literally. more views. More trolling opinion. Think of it, you've come to a point where there are so many random people chiming in, that you feel you need to explain yourself. It will encourage more scrutiny the more your channel grows. Ignore it, address it quickly in an episode. But I strongly suggest you not film your frustration. It feeds the troll. Without a reaction, they cannot survive. Like a weed without sun. Don't feed the scrutinizers. They love it. Great channel...:)
Well said!!!
Music Media Group / Directed by Davo well said! 100% true. Some people(sadly many) get off on seeing or hoping people fail one way or another.
Music Media Group / Directed by Davo I totally agree with you... Trolls feed on people's frustration...
Exactly, I definitely agree :-)
Welcome to the internet. Good info on suppression. I have 1 weed thats a vine/invasive/something poking through but my backyard isn't close to as clean as yours.
Don't feed the trolls
Isn't it odd, how everyone seems to think their way is the ONLY way to do things (when everyone knows my way is best--haha)? There's more than one to skin a cat, and y'all just show us another way to do things. Thanks Luke, I've learned a lot from you, and you've inspired me to keep trying.
I, for one, loved this video...seeing VERY valuable info I'd not heard before. I saw the vid where you put the beds on grass & thought, " Won't he get weeds?"🤔🙄 That said, perhaps some viewers consider explaining your methods every now and again -- in order to answer q's & to dispel prevalent gardening myths -- to be feeding the trolls. I consider you to be a good teacher to repeat yourself for new viewers who don't know your competent methods. Thanks for explaining, yet again. 😁👍 I'm putting in new beds right now & will remove all the cardboard I already have inside the beds before I fill them. I'll use it just on the paths between the beds. 👌
Thank you so much.
We have raised beds and we don't have any grass in them either, so I know for a fact it can be done. I need to mulch around the blue berry bushes this year. By the way I love the light wood mulch you have between the beds. It makes it look so much cleaner and neater. I will be doing this.
My first raised beds, I used cardboard. They were about 6” deep. My BF told me my neighbor’s weed bins would make it to my veggie beds. It did after about 3 years. The new beds I used weed cloth but are 11” deep. I wish I had seen this video first. I will follow your advice with the new raised beds. 57 years old. 🙋🏽
Loved the sarcastic response. Very funny. I just like to watch and hit the like button. Groovy videos, Dude. Keep inspiring.
I've put aised beds in for a long time,made out of 2X8's, 10's, and 12's, and I have to weed every couple weeks. The cover suppresses the grass growing where you put the bed, But in my neck of the woods we got plenty wind borne, avian borne grass seeds that sprout. Still, it's the best way to grow.
So, after asking several of my local friends and finally looking further on the internet, I have learned that "wire grass" is also called "bermuda grass" and also, "devil's grass". The last one is the most appropriate, imho. One of those friends also said that their ten and 12 inch high beds also kept the bermuda grass outside of the beds!! Astonishing!!
We made our 12-inch deep raised bed three years ago & put it right on top of grass too, because I was afraid to ask my husband to both build me a raised bed & dig up grass! I figured, no light, no growth. And we have had absolutely no issues with grass or weeds growing up thru the soil. It’s good to know that the same is true for 6-inch raised beds! #AnotherMichiganGardener.
I also put my raised bed directly on grass: hardware cloth (anti gopher); 2" of stone (drainage); 12" of soil. Worked great.
Haha! Even as a novice gardener, I knew the grass wouldn't grow through. I have a raised bed that I planted 2 years ago and still don't have any grass coming through it! There weeds, sure. But even with the winds reaching upwards of 70mph, I still don't have grass growing in the bed. Lol
Thank you! People/Neighbors/Friends thought I was crazy for leaving the grass in my newly built raised beds. And then they blew a gasket when they saw dead tree trunks on the bottom of the beds as I was waiting for the soil to be delivered. I've researched, I've taken Ag classes at UC Davis. I got this...
Yes you do!!!!
This is great. I’m setting up 2 beds right now so they are ready for the spring.
I loved this! I'm glad you're standing up for yourself! Love your channel!
I always go to you for learning gardening
Well said and done. Love your garden.
your awesome lol. we had such good dirt under the old "grass" weeds in backyard, that I only put 2"inch of soil over the grass n weeds, recycle fence board border for "raised" bed. an plants are growing like crazy. truth is "weeds" like purslane or pellitory we let go becaus 1.) we eat them and 2:) great ground cover when it gets hot here is south florida.
great vids, keep growing! :)
Very impressive garden! I tip my hat to you sir
Loved this video, loved the sarcasm. We are putting in deeper beds and the only problem we have is birds pooping out seeds that start to grow on the surface.
Hi Luke, About a month ago an arborist took down a 130' Doug fir and several cottonwoods from a neighboring yard so now my back yard has gone from almost full shade to mostly sun. While my ferns aren't thrilled, it's opened up the possibility for a garden back there. Of course, this was an unexpected boon, so I'm planning for next year by building soil this year. Since it's a small, oddly shaped yard (that a neighbor has been mowing for me and can't anymore), and I'm on a fixed income, (so raised beds are beyond the budget currently) I'm looking at doing BTE style "food forest" in the whole back yard. I've been fighting to control blackberries and Oregon grape as well as a Virginia Creeper vine from another neighbor's yard that has been a problem getting rid of. A local appliance sales and service business said they can provide me with all of the appliance boxes I can haul as they are contracted to replace appliances in apartment complexes (they do a dozen apts per week in addition to what they sell out of their 3 retail stores). I also am in touch with that same arborist who will provide me with wood chips from the trees they prune or remove so they don't have to haul them to the disposal transfer station and pay to dump them. Win-win. I don't know how long it will take me to get enough woodchips to smother these invasive species (as well as the grass/weeds), as they never know when or how much they are going to get week to week. I was planning on doing two layers of this heavy cardboard. Do you think 2 layers would do it?
I, for one, am so glad you made this video! It was very informative and I am super excited to redo my raised beds for next year with the wealth of information you gave me. Thank you!!
I put my raised bed right on top of an oleander bush that i cut down, and not even that seems to be able to grow through, people are way too paranoid about weeds.
Kerspaprog Balceram correct, in permaculture we embrace the weeds. most are even edible.
Thanks for answering my “beginner gardener”question :-)
HAHAHA I was literally going to comment on one of your videos yesterday about leaving the grass there!!!! That is too funny!!!! I was not thinking about grass and weeds growing all the way up; my concern is with the layer of grass acting as a barrier to root development and water drainage.
I have a garden with 4x4 boards as a boarder (stacked 2 layers tall), with lots of added soil to raise the bed to the height of the boarder; essentially a raised bed! But the first thing I did was rip up the grass in order to make the initial garden bed. Leaving the grass there just seems like you do not want the garden to grow to its fullest possible extent.
Hey, that's my 2 cents! !
I also enjoy moving my soil around and digging holes and trenches when needed. It is nice to be able to dig without anything getting in my way.
that grass you're taking out turns into nutrients for you're garden when it breaks down so it helps you're garden not hurts it unless you build it in spring and plant a few days later.Build the beds in fall and by spring it will be perfect and drain much better and provide more nutrients and oxygen for the roots.