3 Things I wish I knew BEFORE starting a Veggie Garden

• In this video I share 3+ things I wish I knew when I first attempted growing food. There are so many factors and variable that play a part in whether or not you will have any kind of success gardening that I think it's important to consider them from the start.

Tip #1: Get to know your climate and soil! You gotta know what you are working with before you start buying stuff to make your soil better. You also should know about frost dates in your area. Contact your local extension office for more information on gardening in your area.

Tip #2: Start small. Pick 3-5 crops you want to grow because you like to eat them.

Tip #3: Research the care and potential size of your plants.

I share some of my experiences and elaborate more on each of these tips in the video. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what other types of gardening videos you'd like to see from me.

Happy growing!
-Vanessa

Instagram: @CraftyGemini
#craftygemini

[playme]

Sews, gardens, and reads. What a woman. Three of my favorite things to do. I also like cute cuddly animals that don't bite. Always a pleasure watching your videos.
Virginia in Ohio 's zone 6. (southern most portion of Lake Erie.)

[beckyb]

Tip #4 - Keep a simple journal. What you grew, how it did, and under what conditions. You might remember you tried a new plant and it failed, but forget it rained for 60 days straight, plant didn't really fail, it was drowned due to unusual conditions that year.

[richardschwing]

Hi Vanessa, I am Karen, Richards wife. I didn't know that my youtube was somehow connected to Richards name. Any way... I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of your videos. I started with watching your sewing videos and love all of them. Then I saw your quilting videos and though I am not a grate quilter you make it look easy.
I happened on your tour of your new house just before move in and LOVED it. I am now watching your garden growing vids and find them very interesting, I wish I were your neighbor. .. or maybe not because I would probably get arrested for peeping into your sewing room windows.
Keep up the good work. I love all you do.
K

[annabavaresco]

I live in Nebraska, and I have grown slicing tomatoes for years. I am now in my mid 70’s and not thrilled to crawl around weeding so last year I planted in 3 fake whisky barrels. I had enough tomatoes for us and neighbors and friends. I am going to try again and hope for the best

[resheladupuis]

Thanks so much for making these gardening videos! Your approach to gardening and sharing your experiences is truly enlightening and informative. I love your common sense, practical approach, and know that the "roots" of your success are your wisdom, patience and willingness to always learn more as you go along.
Aloha and Mahalo from a beginning gardener who also is learning as I go and is grateful for your guidance (even though my climate & soil are very different from yours -- I'm in zone 10b at 4, 000 ft elevation in the volcanic rain forest of the Big Island of Hawai'i).

[Annie-eMM]

I have 8 raised beds and a large area I use for corn. Companion planting is where I had to do a lot of research. One plant I struggled with was not because of soil or insects.. it was the birds!! Planting corn from seed in nice pretty rows is great, however the first 5 or so inches of the sprout coming up is sweet and attracted crows that ate all of them!! Now when I purchase and plant the seed I do it in a wheelbarrow close to the house. Fill it full of soil and toss all the seed in and when the sprouts are roughly 10 or so inches tall I take them out to the garden and plant individually, making sure the dirt is really watered down and muddy and I am careful to separate the roots of each plant. Also in the beginning I would grow everything I could think of, now I try to plant only what I plan on canning such as the ingredients for stewed tomatoes and pickles and my herbs are in my flower beds around the house.

[pamketron]

Great useful info Vanessa! I’ve gardened since I was just a little girl and now in my 50’s. We have had a garden every year. The best thing I can say is - you never know until you try! Stay positive if something fails. It may have been a very wet season and next year it’s not. Take all the factors into consideration when planning for the next year. I like to keep a journal of my veggies and the weather so that I know why something might do better some years. Organic is the way I go too and I know what I’m eating.
Love any videos you are willing to share. Maybe some cooking videos later using your veggies.
Hugs! Stay safe and happy!
🌽🥒🥬🥕🍅 I love me some tomatoes too!!!
Radishes grow really quick and easy. Suggest beginners plant some as they will be ready to eat from seed in about 30 days or less!

[THECOUNTRYNINJA]

The swamp muck is great and fertile soil. Many of the places that I hunt are swamp lands, and the soil is black and gorgeous.

[carpenc]

I am stunned that you don’t have to water often! I thought it was dry and sandy everywhere in FL except in the literal wetlands. Great info!

[veritagwallace]

For ‘tie-ups’ with any plants you grow on a trellis, using old pantyhose as a tie works well. Just cut each tie at about 3/4” from the leg of the pantyhose. The ties can be linked together to make a chain, which works great for reaching and surrounding plants. It will help ties reach across the trellis and support vines and heavy plants, like pumpkins. I always loved putting in a large vegetable garden each year, but with advancing age and poor health, now I do container gardening. Loved this video!

[Ms.iris]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on gardening. I’m thankful for the information 💜💜😊

[doreenwells]

Been gardening for years but always love learning from other gardeners. Several great gardening u-tubers available to learn from. Roots and Refuge, Hollis and Nancy (great for container vegetable gardening), etc. Gardening is a gamble with wonderful rewards. Enjoy the game.

[pattymarchionno]

Awesome job on your garden, thanks for information!

[radhikam]

Good information. Thanks for sharing. I love your videos.

[Elithia.m]

I love how passionately she talks about gardening. Thank you so much for all of these helpful tips!! I’m just getting into gardening and going to be building two 4x4 raised beds; one for herbs and the other for veggies

[hunteraustin]

I appreciate that tip! I didn’t know that about our soil..

[autumn]

Thanks for this.
I have indoor window boxes going at the moment.
I’m in Texas. So indoor at the moment fluctuate a lot at the moment.
If I need compost, there’s a feed lot a couple of miles from my home.

[baitsandbikes]

Thank you so much for this sensible approach to gardening!! I never really thought about all the knowledge you need to grow veggies! Just like my houseplants! They have different requirements.😉

[rachelyoung]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden - I live in a small flat and due to lockdown I am not going a smile to see a beautiful garden!

[carolcario]

Thank you! I love your videos. I have a small garden, and love when I can harvest and put my own food on the table. Your garden looks wonderful, good luck with your pumpkins! I’m sure your children will love seeing them grow!