Our ancestors knew what they were doing. If you want an easy garden, consider planting a row garden, using the soil you have. It requires little fertilizer and little to no irrigation, depending on your climate.
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Single row gardens are easy to grow and require very little work to maintain, thin and harvest. If you need a simple gardening method, stay away from aquaponics, square foot gardening and other intensive methods and instead turn back to the way our ancestors grew a supply of survival food.
32 Comments
We have a "zone 2" area I call "the bean field" b/c …beans grow there. Plus squash, herbs, flowers, etc. We're considering what perennials (besides the herbs and flowers) to put into the bean rows. I'm thinking a hazel, elder, and some small fruit.
In our young food forest in "zone 3" this past season we planted potatoes (voles got some of that), parsnips, and kale (deer got that) amongst the little trees and bushes. Rows, terrible clay soil, but we did get a nice amount of food for the pantry (except the kale. . .).
We picked up some bagged fertilizer to have on hand this year. Just in case. We have a few bottles of home-grown urea, a barrel of Swamp Water, a couple piles of compost, plus our lovely compost-making, egg-producing hens. Plus grass clippings and leaves. Lots of work, but we both like to eat!
How do you deal with deer or other wildlife eating your garden?
THis makes me so glad. I can't wait to try this method. We have the hardest straight up red clay soil with super weeds. Thanks so much for sharing this. I'm so excited for the spring gardening season I can hardly wait!!
So interesting. I always learn something from your videos. Lots of food for thought.
This is how my great grandparents used to grow beets and potatoes, even here in Idaho. Really wide rows, really wide distance between the plants. They were allowed to water once every two weeks and no rain in between. They had to do a lot of hoeing to keep the weeds down but they had really good harvests.
DTG I have pretty good soil that I would like to do no dig. I’m up in Massholechusettes and I “ entertain” my small city downtown neighbors with my crazy garden. I’m slowly taking over my small side yard . Right now I have a spot beside my house that faces south east and gets sun until 4:00 in the summer. My space is 20 or so feet long and 4 ft wide so I can’t really do what your doing here. What would you suggest? I have cordoned off 4’x4’ sections 18” “isles”. I plan on letting climbing stuff climb up cattle panels against the house peas bean cukes summer squash Chinese yams etc and shorter things in the front. Is this a good plan ? I wish I had a 1/4 acre to do real rows. Someday 🤔 Thanks for the advise and your very entertaining videos Merry Christmas to you and your family, prayers for the new ones safe and healthy arrival
Hey what's the song name at 4:10? I love techno
Will this work for corn? How do get from a cover cropped area to the rows we see in this video?
David the Good, I am so glad to have found this channel. It entertaining and sometimes quirky information for gardening in “the real world.” Greetings from a new fan in the Missouri Ozarks!
👍
what would be a good home-remedy for "light fertilization" for your watering cans? Here in central NC our rain is really picky, its either spare and sparse or all at once and then nothing for a month. Outside of collecting rain water, whats the best solution to add to city water for better growth supplementation?
Do you know hoonkster doong?
We do similar but mulch inbetween the rows
Good morning David. I am reading Free Plants for Everyone and I found some typos. Thought maybe you could catch these on the next printing. Page 26 under Chitting, 3rd sentence from bottom you have the word “bad” when it should be “bag”. And same passage, last sentence – “when you see roots or shoots, plant them out”. Take them out?
Enjoying the book and learning a lot. I really enjoy your style of writing, informative but still entertaining. Thank you.
Very helpful. I hate the hose drama too
Put cardboard boxes broken up between rows, cover in grass clippings, worms will hide under the cardboard. Next year it will be broken down for a new row of vegetables. Put the cardboard and the grass on the rows where you pulled out your last years crops.
Put a stick in each end with a tight string between the two pegs and you will get nice straight rows if you plant seeds along the line row line marked out by the straight string.
That's how I was taught growing up from my papaw. Then of course rotation and composting.
I do simple row, but I do have a watering drum for drip irrigation when it hasn't rained all week. Gravity powered and I can add some Fetid Swamp Water mix for fertigation.
You gotta SHOW US what your talking about…please:)
Can you please share more about the nutrient mix you refer to?
No irrigation,I know I lived in Orlando for a year had to mow the grass twice a week.now in the Colorado hi planes like 11 inches per year dry clay,send me a 40 footer of sand I'll send you a 40 footer of clay
I would if I could till I’m rocky really rocky ant digging is done by hand
We used to plant in Single Row Gardening. To be honest. I don't have the space to do that anymore. I live on a small lot and I fit whatever i can into that yard. I wish i still had all that space.
This was my dad's style too. Rows with a ditch that rotated for compost. Wish he was still around to ask him more questions! Course the difference between Ohio and Florida is stout!
Hi thanks a lot it's help to other your idea continue doing more video good luck
Love your video but two questions!!!
If you could show a video or a photo of how you water that garden that would be a great help!!
Thanks
Cabbage worms… The Florida gardener's mortal enemy?
How do you not have more subscribers. Us garden people love you
But the soil will dry out faster because there's no shadow, and the rows are elevated…
Love your videos educational and entertaining
id like to make a suggestion for a rule in the community. honor thy mother. no other rules. i found a fantastic book.