So funny to watch this. Almost all the crops mentioned were things I tried and decided I’d never bother with again, usually for the same reasons as Gardener Scott’s. This is an excellent guide for a beginner.
My list too. Back on the farm, I planted lots of corn & love it in a much smaller garden than I have now. Raccoons are another reason not to have corn--these beasties know the exact hour (at night) corn is ready and will decimate your entire crop! And after feasting on your corn crop, raccoons will winter over in your attic.
@@MinkesMom this is very true, I learned the hard way. Corn was ready, looking beautiful, so I decided I would pick it the next morning bright and early and "prep" it for use. Next morning, every single stalk ( about 30) were stripped down to nothing but stalks. The family of racoons in the neighborhood had quite the feast. I now plant my corn in a community garden where there seems to be no racoons(knock on wood). I still like planting corn though, and don't care for any of the stuff at the stores.
Me too! Cabbage, corn, Brussel sprouts, Broccoli. Didn't work out very well for me. I'll stick with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and peppers, beans and peas this year.
We have family members that specialize in different vegetables. My mother in law grow butternut squash for the whole family, my brother grows cucumbers and a variety of peppers, one has fruit trees. We all have small yards but managed to have a variety of crops combining our land. It’s nice to live in a family full of gardeners 🌱
Sir I must admit, I live in zone 7b. Despite the ‘difficulties’ you mention, with the ECONOMY AS IT IS, IM GROWING It ALL. Every bit of it, I can’t afford the supermarket for every little thing, and produce from the supermarket tastes like disappointment. GROW ALL THE THINGS YOU WANT, people. You’re gonna need it.
I think it is like a triage thing. Other than dry beans, it is mostly just ' grow this last' type of thing... and really if we do have a zombie apocolypse, you aren't going to waste water growing watermelons or waste nitrogen growing corn.
I would rather grow perennial bushes that fruit that worry about annual crops though. I tried corn. A no-go. When you are a newby like me, it takes many failures to realize how to maximize space and other resources like sunlight to get the most for your effort!
I did something similar last year. I wanted to see what percentage of the calories I needed to live I could grow myself in the backyard garden. I ended up about a third of what would be needed for one person on a 2000 calorie diet. However, I grew a number of things that people wouldn't normally grow in a garden setting at all, like wheat and field corn.
I honestly think a lot of people have no idea just how bad it's going to get for the U.S. I think within the next 5 years we're going to literally be in survival mode here and there won't be grocery stores to be running back and forth to.....not to mention the cost of getting to the store with gas prices continually rising. Thankfully my husband and I live in the country and we have 2 acres so that we can grow most of our food. The great depression is going to look like a day in the park compared to what is coming. Russia and Ukraine export most of the fertilizers that are used on commercial farms here in the US and already this year it has affected what out farmers are able to get. I can't hardly afford to grocery shop where I live compared to what I can grow. It's much cheaper for us to grow our food and only buy things like our coffee, eggs, milk, meat.
The only one I'd disagree with slightly is carrots. Yes, they can be difficult, and yes, they're relatively cheap (the orange ones) in the grocery store. But the home-grown ones are just SO much better than store-bought that it's definitely worthwhile imo.
@@rickskeptical Awesome that the kids love them. I HATED carrots as a kid. Of course, they were from the grocery store, so maybe I'd have liked them, or at least not hated them, had they been homegrown.
I used to be married to a crop duster. If people realized what was sprayed on crops, especially root crops & especially potatoes, they would re-think buying at the store. And yes, I realize there's organic but then you must re-address the costs that you mention. And I agree, as well, with others here that point out that the taste of homegrown is far superior.
@@juliaf_they also aren't often as effective as the non-organic pesticides. In addition to that, it is easier for organic fruits and vegetables to get contaminated with salmonella or e. coli if the farmer isn't careful. Most the outbreaks in the news often come from organic crops. It has a lot to do with them not being able to spray their crops with some of the stuff to kill off bacteria non-organic farms have access to.
I totally agree with your logic if growing conditions are similar to yours, and especially if one is growing food as a hobby. My perspective leans toward survival gardening, so my goal is to learn to grow as if there was no produce aisle for backup. After 5 years trying to grow cauliflower I’m getting quite large, pest-free heads. I grow massive amounts of carrots, beets, russets, onions and winter squash to store and eat all winter. We may not always have the luxury of running to the store.
I'm with you. I have the luxury of a lot of space and a very long season - it's only about two months of the year that I can't grow at least something outdoors under cover. And food security is my primary goal. I make the best use of part of my available space with flour-type corn, dry beans and some kind of pumpkin or squash together in a "Three Sisters" plot; if one does have room for a block of corn they can pretty easily double or almost triple their expected overall yield. We all have to consider the space and conditions we have, the harvests we really need, and also how much time we have to keep up with a garden.
I totally agree. I'm also all for experimentation and growing my skills as a gardener. I love the challenge! I love being in control of fertilizer, pest control, and anything that goes on/into my food. Feeding my family the best produce is the most rewarding
We have been without produce a couple of times in the last 6 months. Scary when it only took 2 days to empty the produce aisle. I'm with you and growing your own. Storing the produce for later use is a minor problem and one I am experimenting with. Canning lids and jars have been hard to find the last couple of years. Putting in ambrosia apple trees as I found the fruit can take a mild freeze and still be crisp to eat. Drying a lot more of everything. Growing beans is worth it to make sure you have seed. I only dry a few beans a year but I have fresh seed. Going to look at growing more of my food even in our cold winter. Has to be sustainable.
Completely agree! The days of "hobby gardening" are over. Most of my backyard is devoted to producing food, from my raised beds and open areas for squash/pumpkins, to my chickens, to my berry bushes and fruit trees.
That was exactly what was running through my head the entire time he was talking. I live in southern Idaho and I’ve had wonderful success with cabbage and cauliflower. Actually enough success that I’ve cutback on the number of plants to add others in.
While there's alot of sense to all of this, I'm gardening for 3 specific reasons. 1. I worked at a fruit packing plant, and after seeing the chemicals they're washed in, I always feel leary when I buy them in the store. After 3 days working there, my son's hands were raw from the chemical baths he had to dump the cherries into. We have no idea what store bought fruits and vegetables have been through. I lived surrounded by cherry, onion, carrot, peaches and walnut crops. Regularly, at 2 and 3 a.m. in the morning, the farmers had hugh trucks spraying massive clouds of pesticides on the crops. We would bar the doors and shut all of our windows. The next day, bugs in MY YARD were staggering or dead from THEIR PESTICIDES on the nearby crops. 2. With inflation and supply chain breakdown, there may come a time we have NO RESOURCES for our produce. Gardening on the fly, inexperienced, is not sufficient plan to feed a family, or even yourself. Learn and prepare now while you still can. Remember at the beginning of the "pandemic" that some places were prohibiting the sale of seeds, and deciding what businesses and goods were "essential"? 3. I love gardening and I love eating something I grew and nurtured. If you're limited on space, you should consider what vegetables are highest in nutrition, and what you enjoy eating. Most vegetables can be grown successfully in totes, pots, planters, grow bags, etc. Where there's a will and the need, use what you have to the best of your ability, and don't be afraid to give it a try.
After growing potatoes and carrots for the first time last year, I will always grow them! They're so much better than the ones in the stores and they weren't difficult. I loved my celery last year as well and was surprised at how easy it was.
Thank You for this comment. I am planting both potatoes and carrots. I’m doing my research and hoping for the best. This video was a little bit of a bubble burster. Thanks again 🪴🎋
@@jerseygirl5486 there are some great tips for germinating carrots. I used the board method....direct sow, water, and cover with a board to keep moist and keep seeds in place. Once they germinate you can remove the board. Make sure your soil is loose and free of rocks and roots. I grew potatoes in grow bags and enjoyed them so much that I'll be using bigger bags this year. Best of luck!!
Wait until you get your own tomatoes - picked when they are fully ripe instead of picked when not quite ripe and shipped to the stores. World of difference in taste - and texture. Especially those little cherry type tomatoes.
I'm in Alberta, north of Montana. I do love artichokes. We have a similar climate to Montana. It would be awesome if I could grow artichokes. I tried growing Japanese eggplant once, but it was a very small eggplant that came up. Cheers!
Your plants that like the hotter weather; you might want to invest into building a green house to grow those types of plants you like to eat. Japanese eggplant probably do quite well in a green house, have a couple in a shady area growing, pretty hardy dealing with drop in temp down into 40's and 30's for my area.
I grew them in western Washington last year. They were spectacular! The flowers were very large , and the plant eventually produced at least 10. But we only harvested four because we wanted to enjoy the flowers. They ARE a space hog though. I think I will try spacing them throughout my yard in high sun areas just primary for decoration. They are a biennial in most areas, I bought it as a small plant the summer before. I saved the seed heads, there were lots of seeds, I will be experimenting with planting a few of the seeds and possibly share some with other gardeners. The flowers are vert spikey so care might be advised if you have children gardening with you.
I live in zone 3 B, I grow my carrots as a bed border for my flowers. They do excellent. I also grow Peas and green peppers in between my flowers. I love the foliage difference. The peas and carrots are not for winter storage. They are for the neighborhood kids to snack on. I am very popular with the kids and have offers of many little helping hands. I have been doing this for 25 years and the older kids stop by with gardening questions. So much fun. I grow 16 corn stocks in a 4 x 4 raised bed. I start them 2 months early in pots and plant out when the soil hits 55 degrees. I get between 48 and 54 ears. Where I am corn is 4 for $1.00. So, $1.00 worth of seeds gets me $12.00 worth of food. And this amount is all I need for a year. BTW I have had Green Peppers 10 inches across with this method. A stuffed pepper becomes a casserole. They are for me.
I have found out, after trying many years, that I can grow cauliflower and cabbage real easy. I use row covers in my raised beds It made all the difference for me. My cabbages used to get demolished by bugs so badly I almost gave up. But after using the Agribon row covering material, I have no problems. Growing in the garden is good again. Hardly any maintenance. Just always have to get the timing right on when to start them from seeds. In Florida it is hot when you have to start them which is unusual. Ellen Florida Gardener Zone 9a
@@stevefromthegarden1135 I too use the insect screening in summer but they make bags too out of that material and i use those for covering big tomatoes plants, apples, plums etc. It is a tedious job but it is better than the alternatives. Before I found out about the bags I used to cover my fruits with the clear plastic containers that strawberries come in. That was really tedious. If I were to start over I would build all my beds inside of a completely enclosed screened area and plants that don't need to be pollinated I would grow in there. No bugs. No raccoons or squirrels.
I'm in zone 9b (northern California) and bought cauliflower seeds but after doing more research, I started thinking I wouldn't be able to grow them because of the short mild weather here. It goes from too cold to too warm and then there's been weird weather fluctuations, probably because of global warming, and I read cauliflower and some other plants don't do well with that. By the time they'll have any foliage or start growing a head, it'll already be in the 70s and the CA sun is really intense, then it just gets hotter. But I might give it ago with row covers. A few years ago, I did grow lettuce and spinach throughout summer (90s-100s) without bolting so you never know. They weren't massive plants, but they were alive and edible (as the caterpillars could tell you).
@@ritasenergyherbs3650 I do get the occasional deer in my yard but the argibon 15 or the insect screen I use would keep them out too. The insect screen is much stronger and more durable than Agrabon 15 so unless you need the frost protection, I would go with insect screen. I order it off of amazon, Agfabric 10'x25' NOTE: I'm not affiliated or sponsored by either company.
This was excellent. I have about 5 of your no-grow crops on my yes-grow list but only because of environmental differences and zone differences. Very good stuff.
Yea.... I grow a few of these... but I am in Georgia and have plenty of room to grow. Really good info for someone starting out, so many folks I know give up after "I only picked 2 cucumbers out of my overly crowded, doesn't get enough sun, 10x10 garden".
@@daddyosink4413 yeah i had issues with cucumbers in the past (i guess they don't like the Iowa heat or sun)but after setting up a shade directly over the top out of burlap to block the noon time sun and the worst of the heat it worked like a charm and the cucumbers grew like weeds
I agree with the general idea. In the past, I tried to grow way too many items. Gardening is a lot of work. I got way burnt out. Now that I am in it again, I grow only the items I know I will use and use often. I love all veggies, but I don't eat them all regularly. So pick and choose what you really want to eat. Some items you may only eat when in season like artichokes. I love them but only eat them every few years. I wouldn't ever grow them. Also, think of the storage after you harvest. Are you freezing, canning, dehydrating? Make sure you have the capabilities to process your food so it doesn't go to waste. If you can plant and focus on fewer plants and others do the same in their perspective areas, you can trade food items at the end of the growing season. It makes it more fun, easier, less work and stress!
With the price of fresh produce going sky high in grocery stores here in Canada I will be growing as many vegetables as I can this summer. Winter squash stores well so I grow lots, they get very expensive to buy in the winter.
I like growing sweet corn too, usually only 6-12 stalks. It's fun and a beautiful addition if you have a spare corner. I plant pole beans under the corn when it's 2 feet high then leave the stalks standing after harvesting the corn. It's lovely in a fall garden.
I think these are very interesting things to think about. It all depends on the area you're growing in. Here in South Texas we have a very long growing season. It makes it a little difficult for those plants that don't love the heat, but it also means we have plenty of time for those that require a longer season. You need to know your area, what your family will eat and what varieties are best for you.
Basically don't grow these crops because some dude up north can't lol. Zone 8b Georgia here gotta have that watermelon and silver queen corn it's so easy. Don't forget them mater sandwiches
The problem here in Texas I'm facing is with the cool seasons crops in spring. The time between 20 degree nights, and getting 90 degree highs isn't always long enough. I'm starting some broccoli today.
Same. We live North of Corpus and have a lot of space, we could easily devote 5-10k square feet for a massive garden and grow everything on this list. I can get ready made compost for $20 cubic yard very close by if I need it. We only have about 1000 square feet of hugelkultur rows but it's enough for now. Really considering adding a couple 100' rows for beans, corn and potatoes.
With the shortages everywhere now makes it even more important to grow what you can in volume but also what you will eat. The cost of home growing as well for the big farmer will cost more because of the fertilizer price also. I'm fortunate to have a little longer growing season, but unfortunate to have very limited space. We have to do the best we can with what we have. My prayer is that across the world people will harvest an abundance from their garden, large or small like mine.
I grow lots of silverbeet easily. When my wife wants celery, I break off big stalks at the bottom and take the leaf off. I tell her it's a stringless celery. She loves it.
Some good points here, but cost isn't why I enjoy growing my own food. Could I get a lot the things I grow at the store? Of course. But growing my own, I control every aspect of the process. I also don't have to worry about supply chain issues or product availability, like we saw early in the pandemic.
I am lucky that in WI we are surrounded by corn farms and can pick them up at roadside stands or farmers markets picked fresh that day! I am also much too limited in space to grow them over other fruits and veggies. I grow lots of perennial fruits and berries since they are so expensive to buy organic and taste amazing picked fresh. 😁
We are going toward a super great depression. The product availability supply chain issues at the start of the pandemic was only a warm up alert. Crackers have been out in my area for over a month and no more are on the way. WHEAT is out. Once food is gone, it is gone in the stores. One item at a time will slowly get out. Commercial fertilizers are out. Our plant burnt down, so this area won't have any more until they can build a new plant. And large farmers are not going to use cups of compost tea to water their huge fields. Good Dry beans last I checked was 150.00 for 50 pounds. I will be growing my dry beans and other plants for seeds this year at least.
I find these videos very informative. I love near Cleveland Ohio. I grew up on a farm & we had a big garden. My mom canned & stored our fruits & veggies. By the time I was 10, we moved & our lives changed totally. I am grown with adult children and want to start growing my own food. It's basically trial & error for me with my limited memories. I've learned alot from Scott Ty!
I grow my sweet potatoes " Slips" in water, and when the sprouts are two inches long, I twist them off and root them. Then I plant them in little pots or out in the amended bed.
I agree and disagree. For many things it works out cheaper and easier to just buy it from the store. But part of the joys of gardening for me is to grow a variety of things and have the potential to be self sustainable and I think ultimately what people should and shouldnt grow depends on location and how well it goes when they first try it
If the argument is "they're cheaper at the supermarket", as Scott repeatedly does here, you can just as well stop gardening altogether. And Scott neglects to say why these foods are so cheap at the supermarket, namely pesticides, GMO, etc.
Personally I think he's mainly talking about people with small gardens that dont have some sort of preservation in mind. Ive been growing about a 2 acre(going up to 4 acres this year) garden for several years. I can enough of a lot of things so I never have to buy any of it at the store, also make salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, etc. Guarantee I save a lot of money with my garden and I grow several things he has on his list.
We are going to a super great depression. This video is not taking that into account. We have been out of crackers for over a month and no more on the way because wheat is out. As food is gone, it will stay gone. Even people with small places can plan for these hard times better. Even if they grow pintos in a large pot for seeds for later. This is the last season year to get ready for we don't know how many years ahead. Fertilizer is already out in my area. I use compost tea, but others use commercial fertilizer, like big farmers. I don't think they will use a cup to water their plants.
@@CoenCoenNL ... Or how long those store vegetables have been stored, which could be many months - all the while losing some of their nutritional value (if they had much to start with).
@@joemachismo6594 I am jealous! I have dreamed for many years of living somewhere else with a huge space for a garden. I garden for fun, but could seriously fill the pantry if I had the space. - Cheers
Hi Gardner Scott! I live in NH zone 5A. Soil- Carlton Loam. Everything Grows! Even what I don't want! I agree with most of your list with only a few choices. I have always had a Traditional garden. I am currently transitioning to raised beds A few exceptions, Potatoes! I will continue to plant potatoes traditionally, ( dig a trench, plant, hill) Crop exceeds storage options. The verities I plant are Russet, red , Kennebeck , and a few Yukon Gold. Next exceptions, carrots and beans. Carrots, I can plant successive plantings no problem. Beans, soldier beans, only problem I had was the deer eating off the top 12 inches of the plants overnight, plants survived, bumper crop. That is the only dried bean I grow. Fresh beans include Kentucky Wonders and bush beans, both wax and green.
The first year I ever gardened, I grew sweet potatoes from ones I bought at the store and harvested their slips after soaking them. I put them on one side of a metal container, such as yours, and they ended up completely taking over the entire area before long. We had an amazing harvest for my first time. This was in central Virginia. Well worth it if you like them!
Yep, you can trellis the vines and also eat about 10% of the leaves every week and not harm the plant. The leaves have a very neutral flavor, but make a good addition to other greens for an exotic salad mix.
If you have hot humid summers, sweet potatoes pretty much grow like weeds. Gardener Scott is in Colorado, though, which would make that more challenging.
No doubt, I've been keeping my sweet potato vines growing for 3 years now...the same plant :) I just save a few vines/ tubers round frost time to overwinter inside!
Zone 9B, N. California. I grow artichokes and sweet potatoes effortlessly. I have a couple of artichoke plants that I grow for the bees, they love the purple thistles when they open up. Last year one of them grew 29 artichokes. All I have to do is pull off the lower stalks when they droop. The sweet potatoes take lots of space, but I planted mine next to my fig tree, and they turned out to be wonderful companion plants.
There are bush varieties of sweet potatoes that are more compact. Most vining sweet potatoes are not natural climbers, but they can be persuaded to climb some trellis netting if you regularly wind the vines into the trellis. In principle you could lose some production doing that, as the vines won't be rooting along the ground if they're on a trellis, however, my limited experience is that most of the production happens at the point where the plant was first rooted anyway.
Even though I garden in a totally different climate (Florida 9a) I follow your channel because I always learn something. Lesson from this video is this, and you've said it often: know your zone, know your climate, know what grows best in your area. Most of the items on your "don't grow" list do extremely well for me here in 9a.
You make some very good points! I haven’t grown corn since I was a kid because my relatively small yard just doesn’t allow me the space to do so successfully. Not to mention corn takes a lot of nitrogen to grow and corn isn’t a particularly nutritious veggie for people. I ALWAYS grow sweet potatoes in my area because we have very long and hot summers. In my experience sweet potatoes are the most hands-off summer crop, they have almost no pest pressure, they require very little fertilizer and are very nutritious. For my area, they’re the best survival crop. But of course that won’t be the case in colder regions with shorter summers. I really enjoyed this video and all the good points you made.
I grew corn last year, waste of time financially but now two of my kids eat corn on the cob that they previously decided they didn't like before trying. They will try anything now that they have grown and harvested. So I will grow corn and other things they like whilst trying a few new crops that I don't even like myself lol.
I've grown corn in block plantings. If need be, it can be hand pollinated easily. In raised beds, I'm not sure why Scott's focus was on planting in rows. My problem with corn in raised beds I'd that it sucks up the soil fertility!
@@cristiewentz8586 I grew corn in a half a barrel one year. Just 3 or 4 plants. Of course I didn't expect much, but did get a meal out of it. I garden for fun, but if I was really wanting to grow my food, corn probably be low on my list. Home grown carrots can not be beat, any time any where in my opinion, so worth the effort. Cabbage can be tough, but when you get some good ones, it is rewarding. Over all it does make sense to be picky for many of his reasons, but in the end make your own choice. - Cheers
Finally, a real master gardener with common sense. I learned this lesson the hard way. While it is worth exploring and trying things, it simply doesn't make sense to grow a lot of these crops. I want to save my space for things that a) we will enjoy more than store bought, b) are appropriate for my space and climate, and c) can be preserved in quantity and therefore is worth growing a crop. People ask me all the time why I don't grow corn and potatoes and I always ask them, "Why would I when there are so cheap and good at the market."
Our potatoes which are grown with a lot of hay mulch on top are easy to grab whenever we need a few and will stay fresh in the ground well into fall here in Maine before the ground is frozen. Cheap isn’t always cheap when you consider commercial farmers grow for longevity not for flavor or nutrition and are shipped long distances using petroleum.
I agree, just remember to support the melons before they get too heavy for the vine. When I grew melons that way, I made hammocks out of an old t-shirt
I grew celery last year. Loved it and it was easy. I'm in Minnesota. Dehydrates beautifully and I use it all winter for soups, stews and hot dishes. Same with carrots.
I also grow celery in MN and love it for fresh use taking a stalk or two as needed and then dehydrating in fall for later use in soups and other recipies. I am amazed at celery's performance and resistance to frost and snow into late fall.
@@Kentuckygardener oh I'm 6b as well I was just going to ask if I could grow it in the deep south of Missouri. Seems like these other ladies come from my old stomping grounds of Minnesota/northern Wisconsin. I gardened up there but just the basics. Now I have such a long growing season I want to do more!
My brussel sprouts lasted all winter and got really tall 6ft. We didn't take advantage of this and neglected to harvest them, but now we have chickens and we've been cutting them down and feeding it to them. They attracted a lot of aphids!
Finally some actual usable advice thank you!! Basically pick a few crops you like to eat and can store that are easy to grow....this must be why I generally end up with tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, various bush/pole brans and Various peppers... Right now the stores are more cost effective for some things, but I got a feeling that's gonna change this year....
This video is not intended to discourage any type of gardening. It is intended for gardeners with limited space, limited time, and limited experience to think twice about what they grow so that they don't waste their time, space, effort and money by growing plants that won't grow as well as other plant options. There are many factors in choosing what to grow and every gardener should choose what they want to grow for their own reasons.
I agree with most of your comments and find that with limited space and time. We gardeners should plant wisely and hope for great results with the time and money we spent. Thanks for your great video.
It makes a lot more sense to grow something that you can never find in your store-varieties that are unique and your seed company can offer, but the grocery does not carry
I totally agree with your logic however we’re coming up to massive global food shortages. So although corn used to be cheaper buying it, I have a feeling things have just changed. So I have expanded my garden this year and I’m growing everything I possibly can. I chose tried and true varieties for my zone 5a that I have grown in the past.
Totally agree with the thought process of doing more for yourself, but the costs associated with growing them in this environment makes me focus on what crops can sustain me best for the amount of resources to grow them. For example, a small bush squash can produce a ton of food compared to a head of cabbage. The key is to expound on the use of that crop. When you consider "shortages", it makes me focus not grow more. Another good one is Chinese long bean over bush or pole beans. They produce like mad. But really, those are just thoughts at the moment. I don't things will get bad or really bad anyway. I actually grow what we like to eat regularly except for things that are cheap at the store with little difference in home-grow taste. Ultimately, it's perspective and preference.
Celery is a great fighter for chronic kidney disease. We're going to try to grow some this year for my wife. Store bought celery is bitter and doesn't last as well.
Very much agree with your list -- except for the Artichoke and the Watermelon. I live in zone 9, perfect for just about any garden vegetable, especially chokes. I love them! And, I am interested in trying heirloom varieties of watermelons, most of which you can't easily find at the supermarket. So I'm okay with the garden space needed to grow watermelons.
I grew about 10 corn stocks last yr and all of them had 2 cobs and yummy corn on them .. I just went over and shook them every time I watered and it seem to do great .. 🌽
I also add "availability", since I eat organic. Our stores don't have much in the organic depth. Too many farmers use glysophate here... so I will continue to grow my own organic corn. I successfully grew 32 plants in a 6x12 section.
Indeed. I routinely get almost 100percent pollination and very successful corn crops in beds/blocks as small as 8' x 4'. I think the key is to ignore the spacing recommendations on seed packets. Most packets and articles say to plant corn 12-15" apart in rows up to 3' apart - and for a home gardener I really think that's just ridiculous, a complete waste of space. That kind of spacing is for commercial growers who measure their plots in acres not square feet, and will likely be harvesting by machine. I grow corn pretty intensively, in blocks with the plants as close as 8-12" apart in each direction. They really can't help but pollinate themselves that way. Over the last several years I've had great success with both sweet corn and popcorn for flour/meal that way. There's no denying that the yield from such a small bed is fairly small, but it's something we do for a treat. We almost always plant at least pole beans with the corn and often also squash of some kind, so that makes really good use of the small space. The tried-and-true "Three Sisters" approach WORKS. For corn and everything else, we use heirloom varieties you can't usually get in stores, and we know exactly what's been used on them. Like you, I use all organic methods, no poisons.
Definitely good considerations. However, I would advise everyone to try each of these plants, as well as different varieties of them, themselves. I have noticed that everything I grow is much tastier than anything at the markets, since I can pick minutes before I want to use or only when fully ripe. The leafy greens are much more tender and the fruits are much tastier. In addition, there are parts of the plants that I cannot buy. For example, the parts of brassicas (I do love the leaves) that we love best (the center stems) one cannot buy at all. We munch on them raw. The dogs love them. My mom used to do a quick pickle of them. They are the loveliest part of stem brassicas. My mother actually grew sweet potatoes not for the tubers (although the tubers are lovely), but for the leaves - they are one of the tastiest leafy vegetables around and barely bothered by any pests. The celery I grow are not the bland white things from the markets. Mine are more like weeds but full of more flavor than the bland market stuff. I use just a few of the wild stalks for the amazing flavor. It also seems to be pest free, so plus plus. Also, since I could care less about the flavorless stalks, I have no problems keeping plants growing, even in the hot desert. The analysis is valid, but people should look at the whole plant, not just the parts the markets decide are edible for everyone.
Well said. If one ONLY compares their options to what's in the big stores and ONLY tries to match those prices, they can quickly talk themselves out of growing anything at all. That stuff on the shelves is CHEAP for a reason. It's usually bred for high yield and disease resistance, not flavor or nutrition, and a lot of it relies heavily on cheap, frankly exploitative, labor.
The fact that the store never sells you the carrot greens is reason enough to grow them at home. They have nice flavor and make for great pesto, and are often larger than the root itself. Sure, my carrots came out gnarly and twisted due to less than ideal soil structure, but it didn't affect the taste one bit. I also hate how the carrots I get at the store are shipped from halfway around the world, which is definitely not good for the environment.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 I worked for an onion farmer in California. She said they started out with cantaloupe crops, but lost their butts and couldn't sell them ... BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO SWEET AND JUICY. The stores don't buy them, because they don't have a long shipping and storage life when they're sweet and juicy. Now you know why it's difficult to find decent tasting cantaloupes. Eventually, they started farming onions so they could make a profit. They're now the largest onion farmer in the western states, "Callandry Farms".
@@johnnieblackburn3182 that's a great example. We gardeners get to let our produce ripen on the plant like it should and get the real fresh flavor, and in many cases higher nutrition. As you mentioned, a lot of grocery store produce is picked before its ripe and selected for long life in shipping and storage; that's not really optimal for the consumer.
Thank you Gardener Scott for this video. It's an absolute guide , not only for beginner gardeners.I have been a gardener for three decades and I did not know gowing potatoes was not worth it for most gardeners. For me it was just too much bushes. I actually don't like the look of my potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. I decided not to grow them again but I still have potato starts , now I can bin them with no guilt. I have decided to grow sweet potatoes for the greens. I like your differentiation of the fresh beans . I planted scarlet beans but it's foreign to me I harvested the purple seeds and then went to researvch to learn I should have harvested them fresh. Well , I will plant the seeds this year.I will be watching what I should grow in your suggested video.
I had this same thought about potatoes. I felt they were cheap. But I posted the question on a garden group I'm in and most everyone came back and said you'll never buy a potato again after tasting one grown fresh. I'm giving it a shot at least once. Plus I have the space.
There is nothing in the grocery store that has more pesticide residue than potatoes. I grow them in a "no-dig" garden so, really easy as well as delicious.
Many first-time gardeners don't do very much research and get poor results the first year. You have to be determined and consistent to get what you want out of your garden, and it's important to think about the work each crop requires. Good things to consider. Thank you for this video!
Yeah, I grew black beans last year, and I was so proud of myself! I ended up with about a pound of dried beans, and, well, they were black beans. Perfectly good, but despite being an heirloom variety, they tasted no different from store-bought beans. And wow, they were a LOT of work to shuck! Won't be doing that again!
I used to spend hours shelling and even though beans were always a success I agreed with you. It would take me 9 hours without sleeping to get about 5 dollars worth of shelled beans.. But WAIT! I bought a hand cranked sheller for less than 50 dollars. I put my drill on it sometimes and man can I shell a 5 gallon bucket of 20 dollars of beans in less than an hour!. Get a sheller if you love growing and eating free beans!
Oh and at least homegrown beans are not sprayed with herbicide to make the field dry evenly and faster like they do with storebought potatoes, grains, and hay. They spray it on hay before cutting and it makes manure that kills the garden because it isnt bio degradable and rides all the way through your body and into the ocean like plastic does. We are all contaminated with Monsanto USDA herbicides lodged in our tissues too.
My mother never had to shell a bean. She had 5 kids to do it. My dad would bring home huge burlap sacks of beans, and we would sit on the front porch until we had them all done.
I grow corn and watermelon every year. It is very satisfying because it is hard to find seeded watermelon. In the store. Watermelons are expensive and it is difficultto get good melons these days. Corn is very easy to grow can be grow in containers
I love brussel sprouts. Growing tomatoes, broccolini, okra, carrots onions chives and garlic, a handful of verbs, several lettuces for a spring salad mix, greens, and a couple of pepper plants. That's about all I can fit in my 20x20' garden. I'd love to grown everything but I find those are the plants that I use the most of. This year in you to try some container potatoes 🤞 just some small reds and a container of purple.
I agree all brassicas have cabbage looper problems and I've really had problems with brussel sprouts. Not even trying them this year. But I've been growing cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower under mesh and have had success the last two years using this method. I like savoy cabbage which is a bit more expensive so it does save me a little. I find that getting them in as early as you think is safe helps beat the bugs in the spring and if I can time my fall plantings properly I have had a lot of look with fall cauliflower. Nice big white ones but under the mesh. And I usually have good success with carrots and they store well. Actually picked them in Jan this year under my poly tunnel. They taste great when the weather gets cold.
Between the cabbage loopers and the aphids, I gave up on all the brassicas. I decided to throw my money at the organic farmer at the farmer's market to grow those for me.
The cabbage looper is from a moth. Use plastic mesh over the plants and that stops. The moth is laying the eggs on the plant for her babies to have food. For aphids mix a few teaspoons of liquid dish soap with one quart of water and really wet those suckers. You can plant marigold, peppermint, dill, chives and catnip smelly good plants around through the rows to help as well. That has worked like a charm. I didn't even have to use the soap last year. I grow those plants anyway, might as well spread them out every where.
I had good success growing a small patch of corn. The trick is to plant them super close together. I got 12 plants in about 1.5 metre square block planting and got cobs on all of them :) I did pink popcorn and jewel corn and it was mostly a fun experiment. Thanks for the video Scott!
Your sane and sage advice is really appreciated, Scott. I have to agree with everything you have said in this little chat. Supermarkets make more sense for a lot of things. And for city slickers like me with tiny/small growing space, modest dreams are the best dreams!
This year put food plants in every corner you can. In our area crackers have been out for over a month. Wheat is out. And the fertilizer plant that makes commercial fertilizer burnt down. Commercial farmers will not fertilize their plants with cups of compost tea. Their are huge farmers not planting this year. It is going to hurt the super markets having produce.
Brussel Sprouts-you have to have more than one or two plants because each plant only matures a few Brussels every few days… so unless you are adding them to a salad or something, you won’t get enough to make it worth firing up your oven for roasting just a few. I’m going to grow them again next winter, but I’m going to have at least 6 plants-they are large plants! Great video. Ty!!
Brussels sprouts are excellent steamed and then buttered. No oven needed -- just something to suspend them over water. If you don't have a steamer, you could use a blancher or a rack in a regular pot. I put a turkey type rack in a big pot in the shape of a V and put them on there to steam until tender.
I’m in Illinois and I tried growing corn because it’s hard to find non-GMO corn for sale. The problem I had was a windstorm knocked over my small crop. So even though I had the space, next time I will support with string around the crop.
Loved this topic. I eat ONE acorn squash and about 3 cauliflower a year and I finally gave up on those. I also quit trying cabbage (ugh-the bugs!) I will always grow onions, garlic, tomatoes, green beans, kale, spinach, melons, sweet potatoes and Red Pontiac potatoes (love these so much and NEVER have seen them in stores). I do want to try sweet corn this year. I grew that over a decade ago, and the memory of that corn gnaws at me constantly. This year---I shall give in to it.
I think you have single-handedly saved me a huge guilty conscience attack for skipping growing some of those in my own garden! LOL 😁 Another great and informative video and I sincerely thank you and appreciate all you share from North Idaho zone 6a 💚🌻🌿
Same here , did tryalmost all of these...same kind of zone , and decided to not anymore, but thanks for confirming I was not the only one that tried ....love your channel....
Gardening is a fun activity for me-- recreational and therapeautic. Right now I have a 4' tall Papaya tree that I started with seeds. The cl7nate of the Mid-Atlantic region is not suitable for it. I am hoping that it can be "dwarfed" and at the end of summer I can bring it indoors through the winter months. Incidentally, have grown melons but have used some old stockings to hang them from the fence. This saves the horizontal space as well as protects the melons from the fruit flies.
It'll be interesting to see if you change your tune once prices in stores rise dramatically soon as predicted. Wouldn't hurt to keep seeds on hand for these plants just in case.
Excellent topic. I have these discussions with family members when I discuss what I plan on growing in my small urban garden. I have to stress to them that I have limited space so I need to be smart about how I use that space and what I choose to grow.
Celery is now $2.50 a bunch here in NH and package is smaller. I wish I could grow it and dehydrate it so I never runout. Can use it in all soups and stews come fall. Brussels grew awesome one year, take a long time, because have to see a few freezes.
I've found the solution for successfully growing small amounts of corn in our fairly small garden. When the stalks are maturing, we have a tradition of shaking each stalk individually, distributing the pollen to the tassels. We call it "corn sex". Works well.
I did this shake also. I had 15 plants tight and I got 29 ears. I wished I had of done this before last year. The year before I did no shake, I got 7 ears in 15 plants. And we grow field peas under the corn.
@@cilandialane3084 I get similar results without about the same number of plants. What is remarkable is that I grow them fairly close together - 2 plants for each square foot. I like the idea of growing field peas below the corn. I might try that. Cheers.
@@cilandialane3084 The number of ears you get per plant is not influenced by the shaking, it is more by species and fertilization. There are certain varieties that will always give you 2 ears per plant. What the shaking does is ensures that the ear is full of kernals. Each kernal on the cob has a silk string that exits the husk and each string must be pollinated for that individual kernal to develop. If you don't shake the stalk, or have bad wind pollination, you will still get the same number of ears, but the ears will be missing most of the kernals on them and look disfigured. Corn is also one of the few vegetables where having different varieties of corn will affect what the cob looks like. If you have sweet corn and decorative corn close together, you will get mutt cobs that taste terrible.
@@PeterSedesseI didn't think I needed to go in tiny details to Captain Ron about how the corn grows to someone who knows how to grow corn. The 29 ears were full kernel cobs. The 30th one I gave the chickens because it was not full. I grow in a compost dirt in all the beds near my house. The kind of corn I grew was a hybrid that has 2 ears per plant. Someone told me to try the Peaches and Cream and I did the last 2 years. SOOOOO sweet. It is great for a small plot. Ears are 8 to 10 inches long. Yellow and white creamy kernels. Before that I had only grown heirloom field corn for the animals and Silver Queen for humans. In Fields away from each other. I have been working with corn since I was walking with my grandmother to the field and my great grandpop to the fields. We lived on a farm. Acres and acres of corn. All of us around here grows corn. Even on the road I live on has corn and cows as my neighbors :) But I never shook the corn plants[stalks] because we had so much corn plants. That is all I would have got done. I had more work to do than shake corn. I have always shook my tomato plants, no matter how many I plant. Ok I will reword that. I down sized to just a smaller human spot to grow human table corn the last 2 years. Cancer had started to grow and I didn't know and I could no longer work the fields. Cancer kicks your butt. I down sized to only around the house. But in my family experience I know about, in my life, there are over 200 years of corn growing and plus my husband's family that had a large diary farm on 1500 acres. They grew all their corn for the cows. Plus all his many uncles had acres of corn fields. His mom and him know corn for cows as well. I was taught by all of them. It is good you know so much about corn. Since you know so much, help me out. How do you replace the honey bees without getting hives. In my area we used to have thousands of bees for the gardens and fields. There should be thousands and thousands of bees like before in my yard and fields. Last year I seen three and the year before only one. The year before none. We have a black small bumble type bee and little bugs or we would be in troubles. I hand pollinate or I would get nothing on the plants. I shake my tomatoes, daily unless it rains.
When I have more land I will grow *everything* .. for now, in my tiny yard, I definitely agree with this logic 👍 I'm able to grow a surprising amount of food in a small space with a very short season by choosing to grow things that make sense for my space, climate and our diet 🌱💕
I have never had watermelon as good as I can grow myself. Way better than store bought. Zone 4a. Cost me the pack of seeds. Had way more than I could eat. Even grew some 70-80 pounders (carolina cross).
Totally agree on the dry beans, they are just so astoundingly cheap at the store and when I grew over 100 plants 100 of them were taken out by a combination of slugs, bean beetles, japanese beetles, and rust. The fresh eating green beans I grew had almost no issues at all.
A note about Brussels Sprouts, I can see why they are some of the least favorite veggies, and it all has to do with how they are cooked. I think too many try to just boil them and they either under cook them or over cook them so they are too raw in the middle, or mushy, then toss some vinegar on them and call it a day. I read, and I forget where about 5 years ago that if you cue them through the pole after a slight trim of the base, toss them in olive oil, salt/pepper, toss, then into a rip roaring hot cast iron pan in into the oven at high heat (roast at 450, or under the broiler, cut side down and cook them until they are tender, but not burnt or mushy and the centers will be perfect, as is the outer layers and will become a bit sweeter and are very tasty if you ask me.
Brussel sprouts are probably my second favorite vegetable after asparagus. Had some tonight with some pike I caught. I cut them in half. Put them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, onion or garlic powder and some black pepper. Then on to a pan and roast them for about 25 min. Normally am cooking them with potatos and sometimes asparagus (Thats what we did tonight) Its so good, lightly caramelized, sweet and tender on the inside. Just perfect. Love em
I pan roast in a cast iron skillet or in the oven. I blend together coconut aminos, raw honey, and a bit of sesame oil and toss the halved brussel sprouts. (if on hand...a squeeze of orange juice adds a bit of extra brightness). Sprinkle with sesame seeds. My kids fell in love with brussel sprouts - one of the healthiest vegetables a person can eat. I always look for nutrient value when selecting my vegetables to grow - another important factor as well as of course, what the family will eat.
@@joshuaknuth3433 I cook mine similarly, and they are delicious! Enough so that they have become a favorite at Thanksgiving! I like to add sliced almonds while they roast.
Been a prepper for years but not fluent in the gardening section. Your vids have provided me with the knowledge to take the leap into growing my own food. Thank you!
I agree that corn is not space efficient but I love growing corn during the summer in my Zone 5B garden. It's my favorite summer veggie, eating it off the cob. 2 beds that are 3x20 with 4 staggered plantings (15 days apart). I hand pollinate the corn to get nice full ears. Sweet potatoes are quite a challenge but I'm still working on it again this year with some 17 tubs. Doing a small quantity until I get it figured out. Regular potatoes are something I'm planting even more of this year but they are not the russet (Idaho) potatoes. (and I save my own seed potatoes) I buy the standard russet potatoes from the store After using up my home grown supply. Funny, I am growing celery this year but most of it will end up getting frozen for use in soups.
Sweet potatoes are super easy to grow, but they need a very warm growing season. I believe the reason you and this man struggle with them is your growing zone, not because they're hard to grow.
@@SR-iy4gg Very possible. My summer does get hot but my warm season is about 120 days total. The typical "Hot" part of the summer is from July to Sept 15th or so. I also think I need them in a spot with max available sunlight, so the few buckets I'm doing this year will be in the sunniest location I have.
The information you presented mimics my experience gardening. Last year I planted artichokes throughout my yard to see which area would be the best. Every artichoke plant attracted lots of ants. None of the ant incesticides made a dent in the massive ant population. The only way to get rid of the ants was to remove every artichoke plant. I wish I had viewed your video before wasting time with so many of the plants you covered.
This video is a must-watch for anyone planning to grow food. I wish I had seen it years ago, as I have learned the hard way through trial and error, and wholeheartedly agree. I still grow a few stalks of corn just for the fun of it, and hand-pollinate them with good results.
You are so right on about these plants where I live, anyway. The only thing I try to grow is the zucchini. And I always grow too much, just like you said.
Your kidding right! Born and raised a farmer! I've always had a garden! According to your crops not to grow list! Why bother! Corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes, squash, cabbage the list goes on (what I consider a normal garden) When I go to the store (Once every 3 month I buy the basic's) Spices, Coffee, Salt Sugar! I buy whole wheat and oat berries, corn and rice! I buy Half a beef and pig! I have never relied on a store to have much of anything on oit's shelves! Gardening is hard work but I love it! it's some of the best time I've ever spent in my 71 years of living!
It's interesting that in a previous video you recommended that we grow many of the items you suggested we not grow now, especially corn and zucchini. I live in zone 3 Colorado and in a dry area so gardening is a challenge every year. I've had very successful sweet corn crops but I do dedicate a big block in my garden to it and even have to cover it as frosts start early here. I never see corn lower than 4/$1 so I grow it but I do buy the Olatha corn when it's in season. I can lots of produce and since zucchini and summer squash make some of the best pickles and relish I grow many plants, but never more than 10 "hills" combined. I do agree with you about celery, sweet potatoes, dry beans, and cauliflower for sure!! Once again, organic veggies are so expensive at the store so anyone wanting to know what is in the veggies they eat, dedicating time and space and energy to your food garden is worth the work. Thanks for the great video and for explaining each item on your list.
I just watched his survival garden video and almost all of these were in that video. When he made this one, he may not have realized that there would be no food in the grocers by the end of this year.
He didn't say we shouldn't grow zucchini, he said one or two plants are sufficient. This video was made from the perspective of having limited space, and the best way to utilize that limitation.
I have been thinking about this and agree that some things are not suitable for every climate. I pass on the most obvious ones but for those that are borderline and that take some effort I am willing to give it a try. The most important factor is if I like to eat the crop or not. And with regards to taste I feel a difference for just about every vegetable I grow. Brassicas home grown and preferrably after a few nights of frost. That is a taste you just cannot buy at the store.
One more thing to consider in the drought-stricken west: How much water does it need? Here in California we're looking at another year of water restrictions, and I can't justify growing anything that needs daily watering. Even though I recycle my kitchen/bathroom/gray water, I use all that for my perennial fruit trees.
Sadly more people will learn what water restrictions feel like in coming years. I hear people complain about green lawns going dormant and all these lawn companies not having anything to spray toxins on. Some might think it gross, but people may be discouraged from flushing Urine down the toilet for a fertilizer. I like the idea of reusing grey water, but too many people use chemical detergents on themselves and in their washing machines, and dishwashers.
@@kjrchannel1480 believe it or not but that's a Cali problem... The rest of us have plenty of water. Well/ septic here with a creek. Too much water is my problem but I have to wash my clothes 3 times to clean them because I can't buy a washer that works because of YOUR problem.
@@evil1by1 It isn't just California. Where I am I could be allowed to water a garden once a week. I know on the Eastern US areas they can get too much rain. The west is still a desert for the most part and people that get water from a lake and low snow pack areas have problems.
I garden to have access to organic foods that I don’t have access to. I’m trying to see if I can do this thing if the supply chains get totally screwed. I’m just learning and I’m hoping to try and grow a bunch of stuff. Mostly fresh herbs which cost an arm and leg at the market.
I have never had a problem growing some of the vegetables you mentioned and I garden in zone 3a. With the assistance of 2 small 10x20 greenhouses for starting long season crops, I have successfully grown cabbage, pumpkin, buttercup squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, melons, sweet meat squash, zucchini black beauty and grey, carrots, soup celery, corn, peppers, sweet potatoes. My crops are always prolific and we get enough to preserve and store all year until next harvest.
The grocery store carrots are old and usually don't taste as good at the ones I grow. I've had good success with them. I've had less success with beets, but am going to try again this year. I even had success with unusual crops that shouldn't do so well in my area--zone 5b as well--like okra and Egyptian spinach. And even cabbage isn't so cheap anymore. I didn't have much trouble with it once I figured out when to start it. My favorite thing last year was my rutabagas. I love them.
Its all about exact time to plant each crop and I learned starting indoors in cells and transplanting after summer heat for a jump on Fall cropping and of course late winter for a jump on spring instead of direct sowing. A few tricks and YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
I agree with most of your list. I don’t grow corn (it attracts raccoons), artichokes, watermelon (I do grow small specialty melons), Brussels sprouts and cabbage (I’ve tried these and wasn’t too successful), squash is something we have a lot of bug pressure, I’ve never grown celery, cauliflower and broccoli are like Brussels sprouts too buggy. We grow specialty potatoes and specialty carrots. We do sweet potatoes when I can make slips. We don’t do dried beans, but love green beans.
As a more experienced gardener I am becoming familiar with what I “should” grow based on our needs. I agree with you about some of the harder veg to grow isn’t worth time and cost. Cauliflower is hit or miss. I am pretty lucky with most of what you mentioned. This year I’m not growing winter squash and corn. Need to give my garden a break from invasive pest. Also, growing zucchini in a different location. Beans are a must as I can 100 or more quarts.
@@jeffengel2607 absolutely. Winter squash is super cheap in my area. It’s a high pest plant for me. I am realizing I can’t grown everything, despite me wanting or thinking I need to.
I had two zucinni plants last year and counted 37 fruis. I love to watch them grow, blossom and harvest. We bake a lot of cakes, shred the fruits and freeze it. The rest we gave away to heighbors and the food bank, but guess what? They had more zucs than I did. Might try a patty pan this year. Thanks Scott. I do not grow any of these mentioned items, except spuds which are a wasted effort
While I agree conceptually with space and time being factors, two points not considered in this thesis are the amount of pesticides used and GMO crops sold in "grocery stores". If you have the capacity to do so, and you want to ensure a lifelong ability to grow your own based on the hard access and availability lessons we've learned these past two years, then learning the calculus of growing those difficult plants might be worth it based on those corporate agriculture factors alone. Organic vegetables can be expensive and not in everyone's capability, making growing it yourself a less expensive option - even dried beans.
I agree totally. The main reason I grow most of my own food is flavor and nutrient density. I know exactly what is in my garden soil from the compost to the worm castings. I even stopped picking up manures and straw from local farms. Nothing will go into my soils or onto my plants that I do not have complete control over, besides the environment of course.
I'm originally from a very large farm in Alberta. We had a good sized garden space. Still, there are things that are not practical to grow in a garden. One thing I do remember was the fruit stands in the country. They sold great fruit, that couldn't be grown in the garden. Cheers, Scott! ✌️
Carrots are a must grow crop in our house. I grow a summer crop and a fall winter crop taking up a 4x8 foot bed for each. My granddaughters love to go out and pull and eat them and for their lunches. To help germination cover the row with a wood board or as I do cover with a tarp until they germinate. I have been growing cabbage but am cutting back because of the space taken to grow them, but do like to grow types not available in the stores.
@@ritasenergyherbs3650 Yes anything to keep the moisture in so the seed do not dry out. I didn't say it in the original post but the flavour of the carrots is so must better than the store bought stuff.
This list makes a lot of sense where I live We have a relatively short season that rarely get very hot but has very mild winters. West coast of Canada. When I lived in Alabama we grew a lot of things on your becareful list. Long growing season with relatively mild winters. We grew looks of big beautiful cabbages, carrots, parsnips, okra, collards, and a number of things that are difficult where I am now. A couple of years ago I learned to never plant zucchini and pumpkin too close together, they cross pollinate and you will get some strange and interesting fruits. Some will actually be pretty good to eat but there is nothing consistent about them.
Nice video Scott you make a lot of sense 👍 there are a lot of plants that just don't make sense to plant , and I would add some fruit trees to the list.
At sweet potatoes. So far agree to sort of agree with everything so far. Got to disagree on sweet potatoes though, for one reason that most folks don’t realize about sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are prolific and rapid top growers and what people don’t realize is that the leaves are edible and generally have a mild flavor and can easily be used in salads. Another option is to dry and crush to a powder that can be added to boost nutrient value in other meal items.
So funny to watch this. Almost all the crops mentioned were things I tried and decided I’d never bother with again, usually for the same reasons as Gardener Scott’s. This is an excellent guide for a beginner.
My list too. Back on the farm, I planted lots of corn & love it in a much smaller garden than I have now. Raccoons are another reason not to have corn--these beasties know the exact hour (at night) corn is ready and will decimate your entire crop! And after feasting on your corn crop, raccoons will winter over in your attic.
@@MinkesMom this is very true, I learned the hard way. Corn was ready, looking beautiful, so I decided I would pick it the next morning bright and early and "prep" it for use. Next morning, every single stalk ( about 30) were stripped down to nothing but stalks. The family of racoons in the neighborhood had quite the feast. I now plant my corn in a community garden where there seems to be no racoons(knock on wood). I still like planting corn though, and don't care for any of the stuff at the stores.
Me too! Cabbage, corn, Brussel sprouts, Broccoli. Didn't work out very well for me. I'll stick with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and peppers, beans and peas this year.
In our area corn 10 for a dollar are prices that were 40 years ago!! Maybe 5 for a dollar this is in season prices!!
We have family members that specialize in different vegetables. My mother in law grow butternut squash for the whole family, my brother grows cucumbers and a variety of peppers, one has fruit trees. We all have small yards but managed to have a variety of crops combining our land. It’s nice to live in a family full of gardeners 🌱
That's the key right there! Community is how we keep each other well!
Excellent idea!
Love this idea
That’s awesome
I love this!
Thanks for the wisdom!
For my future reference:
Corn 1:50
Watermelon 3:08
Artichoke 3:58
Brussels sprouts 5:20
Cabbage 6:34
Squash/zucchini 7:34
Sweet potatoes 8:46
Celery 9:50
Cauliflower 10:48
Russet potatoes 12:04
Carrots 12:56
Beans, dry 13:50
Ty for list love you for this.
@@Peter-od7op glad I’m not the only one who loves lists 🙃
@@Peter-od7op bless your heart
You are a hero!
Thanks, you save me time from watching this depressive, useless video.
I don't garden base on cost, I'm gardening to ensure I have food!
Amen! I'm doing the same.
Sir I must admit, I live in zone 7b. Despite the ‘difficulties’ you mention, with the ECONOMY AS IT IS, IM GROWING It ALL. Every bit of it, I can’t afford the supermarket for every little thing, and produce from the supermarket tastes like disappointment. GROW ALL THE THINGS YOU WANT, people. You’re gonna need it.
I think it is like a triage thing. Other than dry beans, it is mostly just ' grow this last' type of thing... and really if we do have a zombie apocolypse, you aren't going to waste water growing watermelons or waste nitrogen growing corn.
I would rather grow perennial bushes that fruit that worry about annual crops though. I tried corn. A no-go. When you are a newby like me, it takes many failures to realize how to maximize space and other resources like sunlight to get the most for your effort!
I did something similar last year. I wanted to see what percentage of the calories I needed to live I could grow myself in the backyard garden. I ended up about a third of what would be needed for one person on a 2000 calorie diet. However, I grew a number of things that people wouldn't normally grow in a garden setting at all, like wheat and field corn.
i live in 8 A were having a garden just loke we do every year except bigger
I honestly think a lot of people have no idea just how bad it's going to get for the U.S. I think within the next 5 years we're going to literally be in survival mode here and there won't be grocery stores to be running back and forth to.....not to mention the cost of getting to the store with gas prices continually rising. Thankfully my husband and I live in the country and we have 2 acres so that we can grow most of our food. The great depression is going to look like a day in the park compared to what is coming. Russia and Ukraine export most of the fertilizers that are used on commercial farms here in the US and already this year it has affected what out farmers are able to get. I can't hardly afford to grocery shop where I live compared to what I can grow. It's much cheaper for us to grow our food and only buy things like our coffee, eggs, milk, meat.
The only one I'd disagree with slightly is carrots. Yes, they can be difficult, and yes, they're relatively cheap (the orange ones) in the grocery store. But the home-grown ones are just SO much better than store-bought that it's definitely worthwhile imo.
I grow 100s of carrots every year for canning. Definitely better tasting than store bought
I grow a couple of rows just to snack on while gardening. The store ones are too bitter. My grandkids eat them right up to the green tops.
@@rickskeptical Awesome that the kids love them. I HATED carrots as a kid. Of course, they were from the grocery store, so maybe I'd have liked them, or at least not hated them, had they been homegrown.
The other thing about Carrots is that there are MANY varieties of carrots
And some are MUCH easier to grow than others
Same with potatoes, a fresh potato is amazing!
I used to be married to a crop duster. If people realized what was sprayed on crops, especially root crops & especially potatoes, they would re-think buying at the store. And yes, I realize there's organic but then you must re-address the costs that you mention. And I agree, as well, with others here that point out that the taste of homegrown is far superior.
And organic pesticides aren't always the safest either. It's just a more restricted list, so even that's not necessarily ideal
@@juliaf_they also aren't often as effective as the non-organic pesticides. In addition to that, it is easier for organic fruits and vegetables to get contaminated with salmonella or e. coli if the farmer isn't careful. Most the outbreaks in the news often come from organic crops. It has a lot to do with them not being able to spray their crops with some of the stuff to kill off bacteria non-organic farms have access to.
I totally agree with your logic if growing conditions are similar to yours, and especially if one is growing food as a hobby. My perspective leans toward survival gardening, so my goal is to learn to grow as if there was no produce aisle for backup. After 5 years trying to grow cauliflower I’m getting quite large, pest-free heads. I grow massive amounts of carrots, beets, russets, onions and winter squash to store and eat all winter. We may not always have the luxury of running to the store.
I'm with you. I have the luxury of a lot of space and a very long season - it's only about two months of the year that I can't grow at least something outdoors under cover. And food security is my primary goal.
I make the best use of part of my available space with flour-type corn, dry beans and some kind of pumpkin or squash together in a "Three Sisters" plot; if one does have room for a block of corn they can pretty easily double or almost triple their expected overall yield.
We all have to consider the space and conditions we have, the harvests we really need, and also how much time we have to keep up with a garden.
I totally agree. I'm also all for experimentation and growing my skills as a gardener. I love the challenge! I love being in control of fertilizer, pest control, and anything that goes on/into my food. Feeding my family the best produce is the most rewarding
We have been without produce a couple of times in the last 6 months. Scary when it only took 2 days to empty the produce aisle. I'm with you and growing your own. Storing the produce for later use is a minor problem and one I am experimenting with. Canning lids and jars have been hard to find the last couple of years. Putting in ambrosia apple trees as I found the fruit can take a mild freeze and still be crisp to eat. Drying a lot more of everything. Growing beans is worth it to make sure you have seed. I only dry a few beans a year but I have fresh seed. Going to look at growing more of my food even in our cold winter. Has to be sustainable.
Completely agree! The days of "hobby gardening" are over. Most of my backyard is devoted to producing food, from my raised beds and open areas for squash/pumpkins, to my chickens, to my berry bushes and fruit trees.
That was exactly what was running through my head the entire time he was talking. I live in southern Idaho and I’ve had wonderful success with cabbage and cauliflower. Actually enough success that I’ve cutback on the number of plants to add others in.
While there's alot of sense to all of this, I'm gardening for 3 specific reasons.
1. I worked at a fruit packing plant, and after seeing the chemicals they're washed in, I always feel leary when I buy them in the store. After 3 days working there, my son's hands were raw from the chemical baths he had to dump the cherries into. We have no idea what store bought fruits and vegetables have been through. I lived surrounded by cherry, onion, carrot, peaches and walnut crops. Regularly, at 2 and 3 a.m. in the morning, the farmers had hugh trucks spraying massive clouds of pesticides on the crops. We would bar the doors and shut all of our windows. The next day, bugs in MY YARD were staggering or dead from THEIR PESTICIDES on the nearby crops.
2. With inflation and supply chain breakdown, there may come a time we have NO RESOURCES for our produce. Gardening on the fly, inexperienced, is not sufficient plan to feed a family, or even yourself. Learn and prepare now while you still can. Remember at the beginning of the "pandemic" that some places were prohibiting the sale of seeds, and deciding what businesses and goods were "essential"?
3. I love gardening and I love eating something I grew and nurtured.
If you're limited on space, you should consider what vegetables are highest in nutrition, and what you enjoy eating. Most vegetables can be grown successfully in totes, pots, planters, grow bags, etc. Where there's a will and the need, use what you have to the best of your ability, and don't be afraid to give it a try.
Ten👍
Remember
1. Calories
2. Nutrition
3. Taste
You're a very wise person. I agree totally 100 percent. And thanks for the info about chemicals they use to wash fruits and spray on the crops.
Yes you are so right on.
After growing potatoes and carrots for the first time last year, I will always grow them! They're so much better than the ones in the stores and they weren't difficult. I loved my celery last year as well and was surprised at how easy it was.
Thank You for this comment. I am planting both potatoes and carrots. I’m doing my research and hoping for the best. This video was a little bit of a bubble burster. Thanks again 🪴🎋
@@jerseygirl5486 there are some great tips for germinating carrots. I used the board method....direct sow, water, and cover with a board to keep moist and keep seeds in place. Once they germinate you can remove the board. Make sure your soil is loose and free of rocks and roots. I grew potatoes in grow bags and enjoyed them so much that I'll be using bigger bags this year. Best of luck!!
Same
Wait until you get your own tomatoes - picked when they are fully ripe instead of picked when not quite ripe and shipped to the stores. World of difference in taste - and texture. Especially those little cherry type tomatoes.
@@walterwillis5351 been growing tomatoes for years. I just made tomato paste from the romas I froze last season.😊
I grew artichokes in Montana and really enjoyed the look of the plants. The artichokes were small but it was a real victory to grow them.
I'm in Alberta, north of Montana. I do love artichokes. We have a similar climate to Montana. It would be awesome if I could grow artichokes. I tried growing Japanese eggplant once, but it was a very small eggplant that came up. Cheers!
Your plants that like the hotter weather; you might want to invest into building a green house to grow those types of plants you like to eat. Japanese eggplant probably do quite well in a green house, have a couple in a shady area growing, pretty hardy dealing with drop in temp down into 40's and 30's for my area.
@@SanDiegoCaliforniaUSA you like painting?
Check out her channel .
Don't forget to leave some smaller ones for blossoms. I grow mine in flower beds if possible to retain space for other things in the main garden.
I grew them in western Washington last year. They were spectacular! The flowers were very large , and the plant eventually produced at least 10. But we only harvested four because we wanted to enjoy the flowers. They ARE a space hog though. I think I will try spacing them throughout my yard in high sun areas just primary for decoration. They are a biennial in most areas, I bought it as a small plant the summer before. I saved the seed heads, there were lots of seeds, I will be experimenting with planting a few of the seeds and possibly share some with other gardeners. The flowers are vert spikey so care might be advised if you have children gardening with you.
I live in zone 3 B, I grow my carrots as a bed border for my flowers. They do excellent. I also grow Peas and green peppers in between my flowers. I love the foliage difference. The peas and carrots are not for winter storage. They are for the neighborhood kids to snack on. I am very popular with the kids and have offers of many little helping hands. I have been doing this for 25 years and the older kids stop by with gardening questions. So much fun.
I grow 16 corn stocks in a 4 x 4 raised bed. I start them 2 months early in pots and plant out when the soil hits 55 degrees. I get between 48 and 54 ears. Where I am corn is 4 for $1.00. So, $1.00 worth of seeds gets me $12.00 worth of food. And this amount is all I need for a year.
BTW I have had Green Peppers 10 inches across with this method. A stuffed pepper becomes a casserole. They are for me.
I have found out, after trying many years, that I can grow cauliflower and cabbage real easy. I use row covers in my raised beds
It made all the difference for me. My cabbages used to get demolished by bugs so badly I almost gave up. But after using the Agribon row covering material, I have no problems. Growing in the garden is good again. Hardly any maintenance. Just always have to get the timing right on when to start them from seeds. In Florida it is hot when you have to start them which is unusual.
Ellen
Florida Gardener
Zone 9a
Last year I started using Argabon 15 and then switched to insect screen for the summer. No bug or rabbit damage last year which was great.
@@stevefromthegarden1135 I too use the insect screening in summer but they make bags too out of that material and i use those for covering big tomatoes plants, apples, plums etc. It is a tedious job but it is better than the alternatives. Before I found out about the bags I used to cover my fruits with the clear plastic containers that strawberries come in. That was really tedious. If I were to start over I would build all my beds inside of a completely enclosed screened area and plants that don't need to be pollinated I would grow in there. No bugs. No raccoons or squirrels.
I'm in zone 9b (northern California) and bought cauliflower seeds but after doing more research, I started thinking I wouldn't be able to grow them because of the short mild weather here. It goes from too cold to too warm and then there's been weird weather fluctuations, probably because of global warming, and I read cauliflower and some other plants don't do well with that. By the time they'll have any foliage or start growing a head, it'll already be in the 70s and the CA sun is really intense, then it just gets hotter. But I might give it ago with row covers. A few years ago, I did grow lettuce and spinach throughout summer (90s-100s) without bolting so you never know. They weren't massive plants, but they were alive and edible (as the caterpillars could tell you).
@@stevefromthegarden1135 and no deer damage? Those are my main pests and I don't want to fence in my yard, nor can I afford it.
@@ritasenergyherbs3650 I do get the occasional deer in my yard but the argibon 15 or the insect screen I use would keep them out too. The insect screen is much stronger and more durable than Agrabon 15 so unless you need the frost protection, I would go with insect screen. I order it off of amazon, Agfabric 10'x25' NOTE: I'm not affiliated or sponsored by either company.
This was excellent. I have about 5 of your no-grow crops on my yes-grow list but only because of environmental differences and zone differences. Very good stuff.
Yea.... I grow a few of these... but I am in Georgia and have plenty of room to grow. Really good info for someone starting out, so many folks I know give up after "I only picked 2 cucumbers out of my overly crowded, doesn't get enough sun, 10x10 garden".
@@daddyosink4413 yeah i had issues with cucumbers in the past (i guess they don't like the Iowa heat or sun)but after setting up a shade directly over the top out of burlap to block the noon time sun and the worst of the heat it worked like a charm and the cucumbers grew like weeds
I agree with the general idea. In the past, I tried to grow way too many items. Gardening is a lot of work. I got way burnt out. Now that I am in it again, I grow only the items I know I will use and use often. I love all veggies, but I don't eat them all regularly. So pick and choose what you really want to eat. Some items you may only eat when in season like artichokes. I love them but only eat them every few years. I wouldn't ever grow them. Also, think of the storage after you harvest. Are you freezing, canning, dehydrating? Make sure you have the capabilities to process your food so it doesn't go to waste. If you can plant and focus on fewer plants and others do the same in their perspective areas, you can trade food items at the end of the growing season. It makes it more fun, easier, less work and stress!
With the price of fresh produce going sky high in grocery stores here in Canada I will be growing as many vegetables as I can this summer. Winter squash stores well so I grow lots, they get very expensive to buy in the winter.
Corn is cheap to buy but FUN to grow. Looking out the window and seeing those stalks growing so tall makes me feel like a "real" gardener. 😀
Sugar cane
I like growing sweet corn too, usually only 6-12 stalks. It's fun and a beautiful addition if you have a spare corner. I plant pole beans under the corn when it's 2 feet high then leave the stalks standing after harvesting the corn. It's lovely in a fall garden.
After 30 years of gardening, we grew celery & sweet potatoes last year. They both did well and were quite easy. Central PA 6A.
I think these are very interesting things to think about. It all depends on the area you're growing in. Here in South Texas we have a very long growing season. It makes it a little difficult for those plants that don't love the heat, but it also means we have plenty of time for those that require a longer season. You need to know your area, what your family will eat and what varieties are best for you.
Basically don't grow these crops because some dude up north can't lol. Zone 8b Georgia here gotta have that watermelon and silver queen corn it's so easy. Don't forget them mater sandwiches
Right, also depends on drought.. it gets pretty hot in S.Texas but rains more in Houston, it's a colder winter in Dallas, etc.
You can grow a lot in south Texas like grapes, corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. Even some tropical trees like mangoes, avocados, papaya, etc.
The problem here in Texas I'm facing is with the cool seasons crops in spring. The time between 20 degree nights, and getting 90 degree highs isn't always long enough.
I'm starting some broccoli today.
Same. We live North of Corpus and have a lot of space, we could easily devote 5-10k square feet for a massive garden and grow everything on this list. I can get ready made compost for $20 cubic yard very close by if I need it. We only have about 1000 square feet of hugelkultur rows but it's enough for now. Really considering adding a couple 100' rows for beans, corn and potatoes.
With the shortages everywhere now makes it even more important to grow what you can in volume but also what you will eat.
The cost of home growing as well for the big farmer will cost more because of the fertilizer price also.
I'm fortunate to have a little longer growing season, but unfortunate to have very limited space.
We have to do the best we can with what we have.
My prayer is that across the world people will harvest an abundance from their garden, large or small like mine.
if anyone has trouble growing celery. try growing chinese celery it's smaller but more flavorful and much easier to grow
So true. Our Chinese pink celery is thriving! Much better than rhe other celery we've tried to grow and failed at.
Thanks. I will be looking for the seeds to grow this kind.
I do the pink and tango celery, both do extremely well in zone 5. Biggest thing with celery is they are very thirsty little critters.
I grow lots of silverbeet easily. When my wife wants celery, I break off big stalks at the bottom and take the leaf off. I tell her it's a stringless celery. She loves it.
Some good points here, but cost isn't why I enjoy growing my own food. Could I get a lot the things I grow at the store? Of course. But growing my own, I control every aspect of the process. I also don't have to worry about supply chain issues or product availability, like we saw early in the pandemic.
I am lucky that in WI we are surrounded by corn farms and can pick them up at roadside stands or farmers markets picked fresh that day! I am also much too limited in space to grow them over other fruits and veggies. I grow lots of perennial fruits and berries since they are so expensive to buy organic and taste amazing picked fresh. 😁
Yes, I agree with you Matthew!
We are going toward a super great depression. The product availability supply chain issues at the start of the pandemic was only a warm up alert. Crackers have been out in my area for over a month and no more are on the way. WHEAT is out. Once food is gone, it is gone in the stores. One item at a time will slowly get out. Commercial fertilizers are out. Our plant burnt down, so this area won't have any more until they can build a new plant. And large farmers are not going to use cups of compost tea to water their huge fields.
Good Dry beans last I checked was 150.00 for 50 pounds. I will be growing my dry beans and other plants for seeds this year at least.
@@cilandialane3084 where are you? We have plenty of crackers in the store
Cheryl, east coast US, there is only ritz type, no wheat type.
I find these videos very informative. I love near Cleveland Ohio. I grew up on a farm & we had a big garden. My mom canned & stored our fruits & veggies. By the time I was 10, we moved & our lives changed totally. I am grown with adult children and want to start growing my own food. It's basically trial & error for me with my limited memories. I've learned alot from Scott
Ty!
I grow my sweet potatoes " Slips" in water, and when the sprouts are two inches long, I twist them off and root them. Then I plant them in little pots or out in the amended bed.
I agree and disagree. For many things it works out cheaper and easier to just buy it from the store.
But part of the joys of gardening for me is to grow a variety of things and have the potential to be self sustainable and I think ultimately what people should and shouldnt grow depends on location and how well it goes when they first try it
If the argument is "they're cheaper at the supermarket", as Scott repeatedly does here, you can just as well stop gardening altogether. And Scott neglects to say why these foods are so cheap at the supermarket, namely pesticides, GMO, etc.
Personally I think he's mainly talking about people with small gardens that dont have some sort of preservation in mind. Ive been growing about a 2 acre(going up to 4 acres this year) garden for several years. I can enough of a lot of things so I never have to buy any of it at the store, also make salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, etc. Guarantee I save a lot of money with my garden and I grow several things he has on his list.
We are going to a super great depression. This video is not taking that into account. We have been out of crackers for over a month and no more on the way because wheat is out. As food is gone, it will stay gone. Even people with small places can plan for these hard times better. Even if they grow pintos in a large pot for seeds for later.
This is the last season year to get ready for we don't know how many years ahead. Fertilizer is already out in my area. I use compost tea, but others use commercial fertilizer, like big farmers. I don't think they will use a cup to water their plants.
@@CoenCoenNL ... Or how long those store vegetables have been stored, which could be many months - all the while losing some of their nutritional value (if they had much to start with).
@@joemachismo6594 I am jealous! I have dreamed for many years of living somewhere else with a huge space for a garden. I garden for fun, but could seriously fill the pantry if I had the space. - Cheers
Hi Gardner Scott!
I live in NH zone 5A. Soil- Carlton Loam. Everything Grows! Even what I don't want!
I agree with most of your list with only a few choices.
I have always had a Traditional garden.
I am currently transitioning to raised beds
A few exceptions, Potatoes!
I will continue to plant potatoes traditionally, ( dig a trench, plant, hill) Crop exceeds storage options. The verities I plant are Russet, red , Kennebeck , and a few Yukon Gold.
Next exceptions, carrots and beans.
Carrots, I can plant successive plantings no problem.
Beans, soldier beans, only problem I had was the deer eating off the top 12 inches of the plants overnight, plants survived, bumper crop.
That is the only dried bean I grow. Fresh beans include Kentucky Wonders and bush beans, both wax and green.
The first year I ever gardened, I grew sweet potatoes from ones I bought at the store and harvested their slips after soaking them. I put them on one side of a metal container, such as yours, and they ended up completely taking over the entire area before long. We had an amazing harvest for my first time. This was in central Virginia. Well worth it if you like them!
You can trellis the vines so they don't take over garden space.
Yep, you can trellis the vines and also eat about 10% of the leaves every week and not harm the plant. The leaves have a very neutral flavor, but make a good addition to other greens for an exotic salad mix.
If you have hot humid summers, sweet potatoes pretty much grow like weeds. Gardener Scott is in Colorado, though, which would make that more challenging.
No doubt, I've been keeping my sweet potato vines growing for 3 years now...the same plant :) I just save a few vines/ tubers round frost time to overwinter inside!
Zone 9B, N. California. I grow artichokes and sweet potatoes effortlessly. I have a couple of artichoke plants that I grow for the bees, they love the purple thistles when they open up. Last year one of them grew 29 artichokes. All I have to do is pull off the lower stalks when they droop. The sweet potatoes take lots of space, but I planted mine next to my fig tree, and they turned out to be wonderful companion plants.
There are bush varieties of sweet potatoes that are more compact. Most vining sweet potatoes are not natural climbers, but they can be persuaded to climb some trellis netting if you regularly wind the vines into the trellis. In principle you could lose some production doing that, as the vines won't be rooting along the ground if they're on a trellis, however, my limited experience is that most of the production happens at the point where the plant was first rooted anyway.
Even though I garden in a totally different climate (Florida 9a) I follow your channel because I always learn something. Lesson from this video is this, and you've said it often: know your zone, know your climate, know what grows best in your area. Most of the items on your "don't grow" list do extremely well for me here in 9a.
You make some very good points! I haven’t grown corn since I was a kid because my relatively small yard just doesn’t allow me the space to do so successfully. Not to mention corn takes a lot of nitrogen to grow and corn isn’t a particularly nutritious veggie for people.
I ALWAYS grow sweet potatoes in my area because we have very long and hot summers. In my experience sweet potatoes are the most hands-off summer crop, they have almost no pest pressure, they require very little fertilizer and are very nutritious. For my area, they’re the best survival crop. But of course that won’t be the case in colder regions with shorter summers.
I really enjoyed this video and all the good points you made.
I grew corn last year, waste of time financially but now two of my kids eat corn on the cob that they previously decided they didn't like before trying. They will try anything now that they have grown and harvested. So I will grow corn and other things they like whilst trying a few new crops that I don't even like myself lol.
I've grown corn in block plantings. If need be, it can be hand pollinated easily. In raised beds, I'm not sure why Scott's focus was on planting in rows. My problem with corn in raised beds I'd that it sucks up the soil fertility!
@@cristiewentz8586 I grew corn in a half a barrel one year. Just 3 or 4 plants. Of course I didn't expect much, but did get a meal out of it. I garden for fun, but if I was really wanting to grow my food, corn probably be low on my list.
Home grown carrots can not be beat, any time any where in my opinion, so worth the effort.
Cabbage can be tough, but when you get some good ones, it is rewarding.
Over all it does make sense to be picky for many of his reasons, but in the end make your own choice. - Cheers
sweet potato leaves are delicious sauteed
You can consider the challenge accepted. Now I'm going to grow every single one of these just to see if I can grow them successfully.
Finally, a real master gardener with common sense. I learned this lesson the hard way. While it is worth exploring and trying things, it simply doesn't make sense to grow a lot of these crops. I want to save my space for things that a) we will enjoy more than store bought, b) are appropriate for my space and climate, and c) can be preserved in quantity and therefore is worth growing a crop. People ask me all the time why I don't grow corn and potatoes and I always ask them, "Why would I when there are so cheap and good at the market."
Our potatoes which are grown with a lot of hay mulch on top are easy to grab whenever we need a few and will stay fresh in the ground well into fall here in Maine before the ground is frozen. Cheap isn’t always cheap when you consider commercial farmers grow for longevity not for flavor or nutrition and are shipped long distances using petroleum.
My thoughts exactly.
Just a tip: melons can be grown vertically up a trellis to save space
I agree, just remember to support the melons before they get too heavy for the vine. When I grew melons that way, I made hammocks out of an old t-shirt
I also vine my sweet potatoes 🍠 👍
I grew celery last year. Loved it and it was easy. I'm in Minnesota. Dehydrates beautifully and I use it all winter for soups, stews and hot dishes. Same with carrots.
I have always wanted to try this just for that reason. To dehydrate it.
I also grow celery in MN and love it for fresh use taking a stalk or two as needed and then dehydrating in fall for later use in soups and other recipies. I am amazed at celery's performance and resistance to frost and snow into late fall.
I love growing cutting celery. Zone 6b
Another celery grower here 🌻 I grow it so I can dehydrate it, and the powder is oh so lovely. A part of my harvest gets cut into pieces and frozen.
@@Kentuckygardener oh I'm 6b as well I was just going to ask if I could grow it in the deep south of Missouri. Seems like these other ladies come from my old stomping grounds of Minnesota/northern Wisconsin. I gardened up there but just the basics. Now I have such a long growing season I want to do more!
My brussel sprouts lasted all winter and got really tall 6ft. We didn't take advantage of this and neglected to harvest them, but now we have chickens and we've been cutting them down and feeding it to them. They attracted a lot of aphids!
Finally some actual usable advice thank you!! Basically pick a few crops you like to eat and can store that are easy to grow....this must be why I generally end up with tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, various bush/pole brans and Various peppers... Right now the stores are more cost effective for some things, but I got a feeling that's gonna change this year....
This video is not intended to discourage any type of gardening. It is intended for gardeners with limited space, limited time, and limited experience to think twice about what they grow so that they don't waste their time, space, effort and money by growing plants that won't grow as well as other plant options. There are many factors in choosing what to grow and every gardener should choose what they want to grow for their own reasons.
I agree with most of your comments and find that with limited space and time. We gardeners should plant wisely and hope for great results with the time and money we spent. Thanks for your great video.
It makes a lot more sense to grow something that you can never find in your store-varieties that are unique and your seed company can offer, but the grocery does not carry
I totally agree with your logic however we’re coming up to massive global food shortages. So although corn used to be cheaper buying it, I have a feeling things have just changed. So I have expanded my garden this year and I’m growing everything I possibly can. I chose tried and true varieties for my zone 5a that I have grown in the past.
Totally agree with the thought process of doing more for yourself, but the costs associated with growing them in this environment makes me focus on what crops can sustain me best for the amount of resources to grow them. For example, a small bush squash can produce a ton of food compared to a head of cabbage. The key is to expound on the use of that crop. When you consider "shortages", it makes me focus not grow more. Another good one is Chinese long bean over bush or pole beans. They produce like mad. But really, those are just thoughts at the moment. I don't things will get bad or really bad anyway. I actually grow what we like to eat regularly except for things that are cheap at the store with little difference in home-grow taste. Ultimately, it's perspective and preference.
@@C3Voyage I invested in a high tunnel this year to help extend my growing season and protect against unexpected weather and to increase production.
Celery is a great fighter for chronic kidney disease. We're going to try to grow some this year for my wife. Store bought celery is bitter and doesn't last as well.
Very much agree with your list -- except for the Artichoke and the Watermelon. I live in zone 9, perfect for just about any garden vegetable, especially chokes. I love them!
And, I am interested in trying heirloom varieties of watermelons, most of which you can't easily find at the supermarket. So I'm okay with the garden space needed to grow watermelons.
I grew about 10 corn stocks last yr and all of them had 2 cobs and yummy corn on them .. I just went over and shook them every time I watered and it seem to do great .. 🌽
I also add "availability", since I eat organic. Our stores don't have much in the organic depth. Too many farmers use glysophate here... so I will continue to grow my own organic corn. I successfully grew 32 plants in a 6x12 section.
Indeed. I routinely get almost 100percent pollination and very successful corn crops in beds/blocks as small as 8' x 4'. I think the key is to ignore the spacing recommendations on seed packets. Most packets and articles say to plant corn 12-15" apart in rows up to 3' apart - and for a home gardener I really think that's just ridiculous, a complete waste of space.
That kind of spacing is for commercial growers who measure their plots in acres not square feet, and will likely be harvesting by machine.
I grow corn pretty intensively, in blocks with the plants as close as 8-12" apart in each direction. They really can't help but pollinate themselves that way. Over the last several years I've had great success with both sweet corn and popcorn for flour/meal that way.
There's no denying that the yield from such a small bed is fairly small, but it's something we do for a treat. We almost always plant at least pole beans with the corn and often also squash of some kind, so that makes really good use of the small space. The tried-and-true "Three Sisters" approach WORKS.
For corn and everything else, we use heirloom varieties you can't usually get in stores, and we know exactly what's been used on them. Like you, I use all organic methods, no poisons.
I grow my watermelon on a U trellis. Works like a charm every year. Only thing is you have to cradle the melons as they get bigger.
Definitely good considerations. However, I would advise everyone to try each of these plants, as well as different varieties of them, themselves.
I have noticed that everything I grow is much tastier than anything at the markets, since I can pick minutes before I want to use or only when fully ripe. The leafy greens are much more tender and the fruits are much tastier.
In addition, there are parts of the plants that I cannot buy. For example, the parts of brassicas (I do love the leaves) that we love best (the center stems) one cannot buy at all. We munch on them raw. The dogs love them. My mom used to do a quick pickle of them. They are the loveliest part of stem brassicas.
My mother actually grew sweet potatoes not for the tubers (although the tubers are lovely), but for the leaves - they are one of the tastiest leafy vegetables around and barely bothered by any pests.
The celery I grow are not the bland white things from the markets. Mine are more like weeds but full of more flavor than the bland market stuff. I use just a few of the wild stalks for the amazing flavor. It also seems to be pest free, so plus plus. Also, since I could care less about the flavorless stalks, I have no problems keeping plants growing, even in the hot desert.
The analysis is valid, but people should look at the whole plant, not just the parts the markets decide are edible for everyone.
I grow a bunch of stuff just to feed to my worms.
I am addicted to my home grown celery.
Well said. If one ONLY compares their options to what's in the big stores and ONLY tries to match those prices, they can quickly talk themselves out of growing anything at all.
That stuff on the shelves is CHEAP for a reason. It's usually bred for high yield and disease resistance, not flavor or nutrition, and a lot of it relies heavily on cheap, frankly exploitative, labor.
The fact that the store never sells you the carrot greens is reason enough to grow them at home. They have nice flavor and make for great pesto, and are often larger than the root itself. Sure, my carrots came out gnarly and twisted due to less than ideal soil structure, but it didn't affect the taste one bit. I also hate how the carrots I get at the store are shipped from halfway around the world, which is definitely not good for the environment.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 I worked for an onion farmer in California. She said they started out with cantaloupe crops, but lost their butts and couldn't sell them ... BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO SWEET AND JUICY. The stores don't buy them, because they don't have a long shipping and storage life when they're sweet and juicy. Now you know why it's difficult to find decent tasting cantaloupes.
Eventually, they started farming onions so they could make a profit. They're now the largest onion farmer in the western states,
"Callandry Farms".
@@johnnieblackburn3182 that's a great example. We gardeners get to let our produce ripen on the plant like it should and get the real fresh flavor, and in many cases higher nutrition.
As you mentioned, a lot of grocery store produce is picked before its ripe and selected for long life in shipping and storage; that's not really optimal for the consumer.
Thank you Gardener Scott for this video. It's an absolute guide , not only for beginner gardeners.I have been a gardener for three decades and I did not know gowing potatoes was not worth it for most gardeners. For me it was just too much bushes. I actually don't like the look of my potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. I decided not to grow them again but I still have potato starts , now I can bin them with no guilt. I have decided to grow sweet potatoes for the greens. I like your differentiation of the fresh beans . I planted scarlet beans but it's foreign to me I harvested the purple seeds and then went to researvch to learn I should have harvested them fresh. Well , I will plant the seeds this year.I will be watching what I should grow in your suggested video.
I had this same thought about potatoes. I felt they were cheap. But I posted the question on a garden group I'm in and most everyone came back and said you'll never buy a potato again after tasting one grown fresh. I'm giving it a shot at least once. Plus I have the space.
There is nothing in the grocery store that has more pesticide residue than potatoes. I grow them in a "no-dig" garden so, really easy as well as delicious.
There are a lot of potato varieties, one of my favorites to grow is Yukon Gold.
Many first-time gardeners don't do very much research and get poor results the first year. You have to be determined and consistent to get what you want out of your garden, and it's important to think about the work each crop requires. Good things to consider. Thank you for this video!
Yeah, I grew black beans last year, and I was so proud of myself! I ended up with about a pound of dried beans, and, well, they were black beans. Perfectly good, but despite being an heirloom variety, they tasted no different from store-bought beans. And wow, they were a LOT of work to shuck! Won't be doing that again!
I used to spend hours shelling and even though beans were always a success I agreed with you. It would take me 9 hours without sleeping to get about 5 dollars worth of shelled beans.. But WAIT! I bought a hand cranked sheller for less than 50 dollars. I put my drill on it sometimes and man can I shell a 5 gallon bucket of 20 dollars of beans in less than an hour!. Get a sheller if you love growing and eating free beans!
Oh and at least homegrown beans are not sprayed with herbicide to make the field dry evenly and faster like they do with storebought potatoes, grains, and hay. They spray it on hay before cutting and it makes manure that kills the garden because it isnt bio degradable and rides all the way through your body and into the ocean like plastic does. We are all contaminated with Monsanto USDA herbicides lodged in our tissues too.
My mother never had to shell a bean. She had 5 kids to do it. My dad would bring home huge burlap sacks of beans, and we would sit on the front porch until we had them all done.
@@johnnieblackburn3182 I have 5 kids.....I think I know what they'll be doing in September 😉
@@searose6192 😁
I grow corn and watermelon every year. It is very satisfying because it is hard to find seeded watermelon. In the store. Watermelons are expensive and it is difficultto get good melons these days. Corn is very easy to grow can be grow in containers
I love brussel sprouts.
Growing tomatoes, broccolini, okra, carrots onions chives and garlic, a handful of verbs, several lettuces for a spring salad mix, greens, and a couple of pepper plants. That's about all I can fit in my 20x20' garden. I'd love to grown everything but I find those are the plants that I use the most of.
This year in you to try some container potatoes 🤞 just some small reds and a container of purple.
This guy is awesome. He tells things how they are, not how you'd want them to be
I agree all brassicas have cabbage looper problems and I've really had problems with brussel sprouts. Not even trying them this year. But I've been growing cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower under mesh and have had success the last two years using this method. I like savoy cabbage which is a bit more expensive so it does save me a little. I find that getting them in as early as you think is safe helps beat the bugs in the spring and if I can time my fall plantings properly I have had a lot of look with fall cauliflower. Nice big white ones but under the mesh.
And I usually have good success with carrots and they store well. Actually picked them in Jan this year under my poly tunnel. They taste great when the weather gets cold.
Between the cabbage loopers and the aphids, I gave up on all the brassicas. I decided to throw my money at the organic farmer at the farmer's market to grow those for me.
The cabbage looper is from a moth. Use plastic mesh over the plants and that stops. The moth is laying the eggs on the plant for her babies to have food. For aphids mix a few teaspoons of liquid dish soap with one quart of water and really wet those suckers. You can plant marigold, peppermint, dill, chives and catnip smelly good plants around through the rows to help as well. That has worked like a charm. I didn't even have to use the soap last year. I grow those plants anyway, might as well spread them out every where.
I had good success growing a small patch of corn. The trick is to plant them super close together. I got 12 plants in about 1.5 metre square block planting and got cobs on all of them :) I did pink popcorn and jewel corn and it was mostly a fun experiment. Thanks for the video Scott!
Your sane and sage advice is really appreciated, Scott. I have to agree with everything you have said in this little chat. Supermarkets make more sense for a lot of things. And for city slickers like me with tiny/small growing space, modest dreams are the best dreams!
This year put food plants in every corner you can. In our area crackers have been out for over a month. Wheat is out. And the fertilizer plant that makes commercial fertilizer burnt down. Commercial farmers will not fertilize their plants with cups of compost tea. Their are huge farmers not planting this year. It is going to hurt the super markets having produce.
We appreciate your opinion. Thanks 💕
Brussel Sprouts-you have to have more than one or two plants because each plant only matures a few Brussels every few days… so unless you are adding them to a salad or something, you won’t get enough to make it worth firing up your oven for roasting just a few. I’m going to grow them again next winter, but I’m going to have at least 6 plants-they are large plants! Great video. Ty!!
Thx 4 that
Brussels sprouts are excellent steamed and then buttered. No oven needed -- just something to suspend them over water. If you don't have a steamer, you could use a blancher or a rack in a regular pot. I put a turkey type rack in a big pot in the shape of a V and put them on there to steam until tender.
@@Growmap that sounds delicious! I’ll definitely give it a try :)… plus any vegetable that can serve as a vehicle for butter I’m all for it.
I’m in Illinois and I tried growing corn because it’s hard to find non-GMO corn for sale. The problem I had was a windstorm knocked over my small crop. So even though I had the space, next time I will support with string around the crop.
This makes a lot of sense especially if your limited in time space and inclination
This is a very honest man who knows from EXPERIENCE.
I agree with Scott, the ground I have here in Colorado is granite based. Soil is key, I need raised beds and dirt just to start the basic garden.
Loved this topic. I eat ONE acorn squash and about 3 cauliflower a year and I finally gave up on those. I also quit trying cabbage (ugh-the bugs!) I will always grow onions, garlic, tomatoes, green beans, kale, spinach, melons, sweet potatoes and Red Pontiac potatoes (love these so much and NEVER have seen them in stores). I do want to try sweet corn this year. I grew that over a decade ago, and the memory of that corn gnaws at me constantly. This year---I shall give in to it.
I think you have single-handedly saved me a huge guilty conscience attack for skipping growing some of those in my own garden! LOL 😁 Another great and informative video and I sincerely thank you and appreciate all you share from North Idaho zone 6a 💚🌻🌿
Same here , did tryalmost all of these...same kind of zone , and decided to not anymore, but thanks for confirming I was not the only one that tried ....love your channel....
Gardening is a fun activity for me-- recreational and therapeautic. Right now I have a 4' tall Papaya tree that I started with seeds. The cl7nate of the Mid-Atlantic region is not suitable for it. I am hoping that it can be "dwarfed" and at the end of summer I can bring it indoors through the winter months.
Incidentally, have grown melons but have used some old stockings to hang them from the fence. This saves the horizontal space as well as protects the melons from the fruit flies.
It'll be interesting to see if you change your tune once prices in stores rise dramatically soon as predicted. Wouldn't hurt to keep seeds on hand for these plants just in case.
Excellent topic. I have these discussions with family members when I discuss what I plan on growing in my small urban garden. I have to stress to them that I have limited space so I need to be smart about how I use that space and what I choose to grow.
Celery is now $2.50 a bunch here in NH and package is smaller. I wish I could grow it and dehydrate it so I never runout. Can use it in all soups and stews come fall. Brussels grew awesome one year, take a long time, because have to see a few freezes.
I've found the solution for successfully growing small amounts of corn in our fairly small garden. When the stalks are maturing, we have a tradition of shaking each stalk individually, distributing the pollen to the tassels. We call it "corn sex". Works well.
I did this shake also. I had 15 plants tight and I got 29 ears. I wished I had of done this before last year. The year before I did no shake, I got 7 ears in 15 plants. And we grow field peas under the corn.
@@cilandialane3084 I get similar results without about the same number of plants. What is remarkable is that I grow them fairly close together - 2 plants for each square foot. I like the idea of growing field peas below the corn. I might try that. Cheers.
@@cilandialane3084 The number of ears you get per plant is not influenced by the shaking, it is more by species and fertilization. There are certain varieties that will always give you 2 ears per plant. What the shaking does is ensures that the ear is full of kernals. Each kernal on the cob has a silk string that exits the husk and each string must be pollinated for that individual kernal to develop. If you don't shake the stalk, or have bad wind pollination, you will still get the same number of ears, but the ears will be missing most of the kernals on them and look disfigured. Corn is also one of the few vegetables where having different varieties of corn will affect what the cob looks like. If you have sweet corn and decorative corn close together, you will get mutt cobs that taste terrible.
@@PeterSedesseI didn't think I needed to go in tiny details to Captain Ron about how the corn grows to someone who knows how to grow corn. The 29 ears were full kernel cobs. The 30th one I gave the chickens because it was not full. I grow in a compost dirt in all the beds near my house.
The kind of corn I grew was a hybrid that has 2 ears per plant. Someone told me to try the Peaches and Cream and I did the last 2 years. SOOOOO sweet. It is great for a small plot. Ears are 8 to 10 inches long. Yellow and white creamy kernels.
Before that I had only grown heirloom field corn for the animals and Silver Queen for humans. In Fields away from each other.
I have been working with corn since I was walking with my grandmother to the field and my great grandpop to the fields. We lived on a farm. Acres and acres of corn. All of us around here grows corn. Even on the road I live on has corn and cows as my neighbors :)
But I never shook the corn plants[stalks] because we had so much corn plants. That is all I would have got done. I had more work to do than shake corn.
I have always shook my tomato plants, no matter how many I plant.
Ok I will reword that. I down sized to just a smaller human spot to grow human table corn the last 2 years. Cancer had started to grow and I didn't know and I could no longer work the fields. Cancer kicks your butt.
I down sized to only around the house. But in my family experience I know about, in my life, there are over 200 years of corn growing and plus my husband's family that had a large diary farm on 1500 acres. They grew all their corn for the cows. Plus all his many uncles had acres of corn fields. His mom and him know corn for cows as well. I was taught by all of them.
It is good you know so much about corn. Since you know so much, help me out.
How do you replace the honey bees without getting hives. In my area we used to have thousands of bees for the gardens and fields. There should be thousands and thousands of bees like before in my yard and fields.
Last year I seen three and the year before only one.
The year before none.
We have a black small bumble type bee and little bugs or we would be in troubles.
I hand pollinate or I would get nothing on the plants.
I shake my tomatoes, daily unless it rains.
When I have more land I will grow *everything* .. for now, in my tiny yard, I definitely agree with this logic 👍 I'm able to grow a surprising amount of food in a small space with a very short season by choosing to grow things that make sense for my space, climate and our diet 🌱💕
I have never had watermelon as good as I can grow myself. Way better than store bought. Zone 4a. Cost me the pack of seeds. Had way more than I could eat. Even grew some 70-80 pounders (carolina cross).
Totally agree on the dry beans, they are just so astoundingly cheap at the store and when I grew over 100 plants 100 of them were taken out by a combination of slugs, bean beetles, japanese beetles, and rust.
The fresh eating green beans I grew had almost no issues at all.
A note about Brussels Sprouts, I can see why they are some of the least favorite veggies, and it all has to do with how they are cooked. I think too many try to just boil them and they either under cook them or over cook them so they are too raw in the middle, or mushy, then toss some vinegar on them and call it a day. I read, and I forget where about 5 years ago that if you cue them through the pole after a slight trim of the base, toss them in olive oil, salt/pepper, toss, then into a rip roaring hot cast iron pan in into the oven at high heat (roast at 450, or under the broiler, cut side down and cook them until they are tender, but not burnt or mushy and the centers will be perfect, as is the outer layers and will become a bit sweeter and are very tasty if you ask me.
Brussel sprouts are probably my second favorite vegetable after asparagus. Had some tonight with some pike I caught.
I cut them in half. Put them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, onion or garlic powder and some black pepper. Then on to a pan and roast them for about 25 min. Normally am cooking them with potatos and sometimes asparagus (Thats what we did tonight)
Its so good, lightly caramelized, sweet and tender on the inside. Just perfect. Love em
I pan roast in a cast iron skillet or in the oven. I blend together coconut aminos, raw honey, and a bit of sesame oil and toss the halved brussel sprouts. (if on hand...a squeeze of orange juice adds a bit of extra brightness). Sprinkle with sesame seeds. My kids fell in love with brussel sprouts - one of the healthiest vegetables a person can eat. I always look for nutrient value when selecting my vegetables to grow - another important factor as well as of course, what the family will eat.
@@joshuaknuth3433 I cook mine similarly, and they are delicious! Enough so that they have become a favorite at Thanksgiving! I like to add sliced almonds while they roast.
@@joshuaknuth3433 I love them too, but I hear a genetic disorder causes about 25% of people to find them unpalletable.
I roast mine with carrots or sweet potatoes in olive oil with salt and pepper. Yum
Been a prepper for years but not fluent in the gardening section. Your vids have provided me with the knowledge to take the leap into growing my own food. Thank you!
I agree that corn is not space efficient but I love growing corn during the summer in my Zone 5B garden. It's my favorite summer veggie, eating it off the cob. 2 beds that are 3x20 with 4 staggered plantings (15 days apart). I hand pollinate the corn to get nice full ears. Sweet potatoes are quite a challenge but I'm still working on it again this year with some 17 tubs. Doing a small quantity until I get it figured out. Regular potatoes are something I'm planting even more of this year but they are not the russet (Idaho) potatoes. (and I save my own seed potatoes) I buy the standard russet potatoes from the store After using up my home grown supply. Funny, I am growing celery this year but most of it will end up getting frozen for use in soups.
Sweet potatoes are super easy to grow, but they need a very warm growing season. I believe the reason you and this man struggle with them is your growing zone, not because they're hard to grow.
@@SR-iy4gg Very possible. My summer does get hot but my warm season is about 120 days total. The typical "Hot" part of the summer is from July to Sept 15th or so. I also think I need them in a spot with max available sunlight, so the few buckets I'm doing this year will be in the sunniest location I have.
Yep, they are definitely a hot weather plant. I'd suggest trellising them up against a south facing wall.
The information you presented mimics my experience gardening. Last year I planted artichokes throughout my yard to see which area would be the best. Every artichoke plant attracted lots of ants. None of the ant incesticides made a dent in the massive ant population. The only way to get rid of the ants was to remove every artichoke plant.
I wish I had viewed your video before wasting time with so many of the plants you covered.
Corn, watermelon, artichokes, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, too many squash, sweet potato, celery, cauliflower, russet potato, carrots,
This video is a must-watch for anyone planning to grow food. I wish I had seen it years ago, as I have learned the hard way through trial and error, and wholeheartedly agree. I still grow a few stalks of corn just for the fun of it, and hand-pollinate them with good results.
Great Video, love the "this might not be best" of "i recommend" types of videos about what to grow when trying to feed people, not just grow for fun
You are so right on about these plants where I live, anyway. The only thing I try to grow is the zucchini. And I always grow too much, just like you said.
Your kidding right! Born and raised a farmer! I've always had a garden! According to your crops not to grow list! Why bother! Corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes, squash, cabbage the list goes on (what I consider a normal garden) When I go to the store (Once every 3 month I buy the basic's) Spices, Coffee, Salt Sugar! I buy whole wheat and oat berries, corn and rice!
I buy Half a beef and pig! I have never relied on a store to have much of anything on oit's shelves! Gardening is hard work but I love it! it's some of the best time I've ever spent in my 71 years of living!
It's interesting that in a previous video you recommended that we grow many of the items you suggested we not grow now, especially corn and zucchini. I live in zone 3 Colorado and in a dry area so gardening is a challenge every year. I've had very successful sweet corn crops but I do dedicate a big block in my garden to it and even have to cover it as frosts start early here. I never see corn lower than 4/$1 so I grow it but I do buy the Olatha corn when it's in season. I can lots of produce and since zucchini and summer squash make some of the best pickles and relish I grow many plants, but never more than 10 "hills" combined. I do agree with you about celery, sweet potatoes, dry beans, and cauliflower for sure!! Once again, organic veggies are so expensive at the store so anyone wanting to know what is in the veggies they eat, dedicating time and space and energy to your food garden is worth the work. Thanks for the great video and for explaining each item on your list.
I just watched his survival garden video and almost all of these were in that video. When he made this one, he may not have realized that there would be no food in the grocers by the end of this year.
He didn't say we shouldn't grow zucchini, he said one or two plants are sufficient. This video was made from the perspective of having limited space, and the best way to utilize that limitation.
I have been thinking about this and agree that some things are not suitable for every climate. I pass on the most obvious ones but for those that are borderline and that take some effort I am willing to give it a try. The most important factor is if I like to eat the crop or not. And with regards to taste I feel a difference for just about every vegetable I grow. Brassicas home grown and preferrably after a few nights of frost. That is a taste you just cannot buy at the store.
One more thing to consider in the drought-stricken west: How much water does it need? Here in California we're looking at another year of water restrictions, and I can't justify growing anything that needs daily watering. Even though I recycle my kitchen/bathroom/gray water, I use all that for my perennial fruit trees.
Sadly more people will learn what water restrictions feel like in coming years. I hear people complain about green lawns going dormant and all these lawn companies not having anything to spray toxins on. Some might think it gross, but people may be discouraged from flushing Urine down the toilet for a fertilizer. I like the idea of reusing grey water, but too many people use chemical detergents on themselves and in their washing machines, and dishwashers.
@@kjrchannel1480 Costco now has the huge, economy size Ecos Laundry Detergent, which is safe for plants. Anything by Dr Bronner is also safe.
@@kjrchannel1480 believe it or not but that's a Cali problem... The rest of us have plenty of water. Well/ septic here with a creek. Too much water is my problem but I have to wash my clothes 3 times to clean them because I can't buy a washer that works because of YOUR problem.
@@evil1by1 It isn't just California. Where I am I could be allowed to water a garden once a week. I know on the Eastern US areas they can get too much rain. The west is still a desert for the most part and people that get water from a lake and low snow pack areas have problems.
Every choice you spoke of made complete sense. It is a rare day when I don't disagree with some aspect of what I view in an online video. 👍
I garden to have access to organic foods that I don’t have access to. I’m trying to see if I can do this thing if the supply chains get totally screwed. I’m just learning and I’m hoping to try and grow a bunch of stuff. Mostly fresh herbs which cost an arm and leg at the market.
I have never had a problem growing some of the vegetables you mentioned and I garden in zone 3a. With the assistance of 2 small 10x20 greenhouses for starting long season crops, I have successfully grown cabbage, pumpkin, buttercup squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, melons, sweet meat squash, zucchini black beauty and grey, carrots, soup celery, corn, peppers, sweet potatoes. My crops are always prolific and we get enough to preserve and store all year until next harvest.
The grocery store carrots are old and usually don't taste as good at the ones I grow. I've had good success with them. I've had less success with beets, but am going to try again this year. I even had success with unusual crops that shouldn't do so well in my area--zone 5b as well--like okra and Egyptian spinach. And even cabbage isn't so cheap anymore. I didn't have much trouble with it once I figured out when to start it. My favorite thing last year was my rutabagas. I love them.
Its all about exact time to plant each crop and I learned starting indoors in cells and transplanting after summer heat for a jump on Fall cropping and of course late winter for a jump on spring instead of direct sowing. A few tricks and YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
I agree with most of your list. I don’t grow corn (it attracts raccoons), artichokes, watermelon (I do grow small specialty melons), Brussels sprouts and cabbage (I’ve tried these and wasn’t too successful), squash is something we have a lot of bug pressure, I’ve never grown celery, cauliflower and broccoli are like Brussels sprouts too buggy. We grow specialty potatoes and specialty carrots. We do sweet potatoes when I can make slips. We don’t do dried beans, but love green beans.
As a more experienced gardener I am becoming familiar with what I “should” grow based on our needs. I agree with you about some of the harder veg to grow isn’t worth time and cost. Cauliflower is hit or miss. I am pretty lucky with most of what you mentioned. This year I’m not growing winter squash and corn. Need to give my garden a break from invasive pest. Also, growing zucchini in a different location. Beans are a must as I can 100 or more quarts.
I'm working some to adjust what we expect to eat based on what we can grow, along with what we grow based on what we expect to eat.
@@jeffengel2607 absolutely. Winter squash is super cheap in my area. It’s a high pest plant for me. I am realizing I can’t grown everything, despite me wanting or thinking I need to.
I just can't keep up with the squash beetles, I can't be bothered to try squash again this year.
@@levanera I completely understand.
I had two zucinni plants last year and counted 37 fruis. I love to watch them grow, blossom and harvest. We bake a lot of cakes, shred the fruits and freeze it. The rest we gave away to heighbors and the food bank, but guess what? They had more zucs than I did. Might try a patty pan this year. Thanks Scott. I do not grow any of these mentioned items, except spuds which are a wasted effort
The past two years my zucchini has been wiped out by borers just as the first squashes were due to harvest.
While I agree conceptually with space and time being factors, two points not considered in this thesis are the amount of pesticides used and GMO crops sold in "grocery stores". If you have the capacity to do so, and you want to ensure a lifelong ability to grow your own based on the hard access and availability lessons we've learned these past two years, then learning the calculus of growing those difficult plants might be worth it based on those corporate agriculture factors alone. Organic vegetables can be expensive and not in everyone's capability, making growing it yourself a less expensive option - even dried beans.
I agree totally. The main reason I grow most of my own food is flavor and nutrient density.
I know exactly what is in my garden soil from the compost to the worm castings. I even stopped picking up manures and straw from local farms. Nothing will go into my soils or onto my plants that I do not have complete control over, besides the environment of course.
Growing plants to avoid pesticides is the theme of my next video.
@@GardenerScott Of course. Because your channel is awesome! Thanks for the excellent content and "food" for thought.
I'm originally from a very large farm in Alberta. We had a good sized garden space. Still, there are things that are not practical to grow in a garden. One thing I do remember was the fruit stands in the country. They sold great fruit, that couldn't be grown in the garden. Cheers, Scott! ✌️
Carrots are a must grow crop in our house. I grow a summer crop and a fall winter crop taking up a 4x8 foot bed for each. My granddaughters love to go out and pull and eat them and for their lunches. To help germination cover the row with a wood board or as I do cover with a tarp until they germinate. I have been growing cabbage but am cutting back because of the space taken to grow them, but do like to grow types not available in the stores.
would cardboard work as well do you think?
@@ritasenergyherbs3650 Yes anything to keep the moisture in so the seed do not dry out. I didn't say it in the original post but the flavour of the carrots is so must better than the store bought stuff.
This list makes a lot of sense where I live We have a relatively short season that rarely get very hot but has very mild winters. West coast of Canada.
When I lived in Alabama we grew a lot of things on your becareful list. Long growing season with relatively mild winters. We grew looks of big beautiful cabbages, carrots, parsnips, okra, collards, and a number of things that are difficult where I am now.
A couple of years ago I learned to never plant zucchini and pumpkin too close together, they cross pollinate and you will get some strange and interesting fruits. Some will actually be pretty good to eat but there is nothing consistent about them.
Nice video Scott you make a lot of sense 👍 there are a lot of plants that just don't make sense to plant , and I would add some fruit trees to the list.
At sweet potatoes. So far agree to sort of agree with everything so far.
Got to disagree on sweet potatoes though, for one reason that most folks don’t realize about sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are prolific and rapid top growers and what people don’t realize is that the leaves are edible and generally have a mild flavor and can easily be used in salads. Another option is to dry and crush to a powder that can be added to boost nutrient value in other meal items.
I grow Brussels sprouts for the leaves rather than the sprouts. the sprouts are simply a bonus crop for me.
You nailed nearly every crop I’ve tried and have given up. Perfect.