In this video, I’ll share with you why I quit gardening…twice. I’m announcing two brand new video series starting next week on Next Level Gardening. “Small Space – Big Garden” where we will be growing a patio/container garden/ small space gardening and container gardening… and “Real Life Garden,” where I will show you less intensive gardening practices that take less energy and less time. I hope you’ll join me!
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I was watering a fake cactus just a few months ago. I went all in and went big on filling my yard with all kinds of plants and food. On my day off, im out there from sunsrise to sunset and am working through some trauma i didnt even know i needed to handle. This year has already been life changing for me and it is just beginning ❤ 🪴
You’re so right!!!!!❤ I’m disabled, gave up for awhile, but then I got more imobable and sore, depressed. When I realized how much I missed it, I went full out and built to MY abilities, I the height and how to garden for me personally. Thanks for all your videos, they brought ME back to life. 🙏 ❤❤❤❤😊
Currently in this month of April 2025 I am temporarily living, and working on a farm.
You might ask me why?
Well I do not want to pay for my food like how everyone else's is paying for their food. Because there is a difference in cost. I would prefer to grow my food than have to go to an overpriced grocery store to buy my food.
Currently I do not have a lot of space to build a garden, but I am looking into how I can get enough space to build a garden, and customers as well.
I am finding it to be difficult, and challenging to find customers, but not, so much anymore to grow my own food. When I first started to learn how to grow food the best I was able to do was germinate my plants, and then all of them would die before they matured enough, so they were all baby plants when they all died. Yes, I learned why all of my plants died, and I made changes to how I grow food!
I was not informed enough in 2024, but now I am in 2025, so I look forward to growing a little bit of food this year in 2025 then trying to sell my food, and hopefully relocating to another part of my country where I can grow more food.
I did see a few people grow food on their balconies, but I do not think it is worth trying. The reason why people normally build gardens is, so they can feed themselves throughout the entire year. Unfortunately it is not possible to produce enough food to eat from a balcony throughout the entire year.
Anyway if you want to quit for whatever reason(s) you have then this is your choice to make!
Looking forward to this series. All my gardening is done in some kind of container.
I’ve gardened for many years. Started my gardening story in Northern California. When we moved to Ohio in 1998, I too quit gardening for a time. I didn’t know how to garden in a climate like we face in Northeastern Ohio. I finally decided to give it a try in 2003. And, I’ve learned more with each passing year. My gardens have gotten better with each passing year. I’m enjoying your helpful videos and suspect my skills will continue to grow with your advice. Thanks Brian.
I gardened all of my life. Then gave it up when I moved to South Texas where the soil was poor, salty sand. Since I had gardening in my blood I got into growing cacti. Kept expanding until I had over 300 varieties. Moved back to KS after ten, very long years in TX. Moved into a town with an average size lot and didn't think I had enough room for vegetable gardening so just had some flower beds around the house…mostly overgrown with volunteer trees and old shrubs. Then two things happened…first, my son passed away unexpectedly and, second, my back privacy cedar fence blew down in a wind storm. I was in dire need of some therapy but not the kind you get from a shrink. So, I had a long talk with myself and convinced myself I was not too old (in my 70's) to start doing what I loved to do…garden. So, I used the old cedar fence boards and started building raised beds. I placed them behind my two sheds and any place I could find a spare plot of ground. Over the next two years I built 13 raised beds. That got me interested in completely tearing apart the old flower/shrub beds and redoing them. I got my best life back because I am back into gardening and doing what I love. Some days seem overwhelming because of my age and this old body just doesn't do what my young one did… but the therapy sessions in the gardens out weighs the aches and pains that come with age and keeps my mind busy so I don't have time to think about the things I cannot change.
great idea!
Thanks Brian, I have always enjoyed your channels, and I have learned so many things, even at 75. We live in Houston and I am thankful I have a yard, even though it’s mot huge, it’s plenty at my age. I do a lot of containers, veggies and flowers. I have some Rubbermaid barrels and I love to put a variety of flowers in them. They bring so much color to our yard and I don’t have to kneel on the ground to tKe care of them. I’m looking forward to your new series. God bless you and your family.❤️✝️🙏🇺🇸
Enjoy your gardening this year! I love gardening.
However I don't get into it nearly as much as many people do. I don't start seeds indoors because I don't have that setup.
I just plant seeds or transplants (for a very few items) in the beds or pots at the appropriate times for my area.
We are former gardeners who now live in an apartment with a North-facing balcony. Last year, a small pot of chives did well but we want to add more this year. There is a small amount of sun early in the morning, and late in the afternoon. We are looking forward to Small Space Big Garden!
Us sick have it lil harder but Eternity comin yea! Im garden till I can’t no mo!!
I love gardening. I live in an apartment with a small space, but I always do container gardening. I cannot wait for this series.
I just subscribed! You were preaching a message I desperately needed to hear. Perfect timing. THANK YOU.
Thank you! 😊
When I grow my garden, my BP, Blood Sugar everything gets right. I sleep better just feel better..
The geoengineering is constant here and the chemicals kill what I plant and cause me breathing issues so I have built and indoor garden and I hope to get what we need from that. Thanks for sharing this
Will love watching these new gardening videos
Brian- – how did you come up with this idea- it’s wonderful! I am recuperating from surgery and currently can do nothing. But I really want at least one cherry tomato plant. Because I couldn’t do anything right now I was giving up on it all. But now you have me thinking..,,,in 4 weeks I will be able to do some things and maybe my grand daughter will help me – even if it is only one plant. Can’t wait to see what you suggest. Thank you!
Yay!!!😊
I love the idea of the "Small Space, Big Garden" series. I've had big gardens before, but my living situation right now is for container gardening on a sunny patio. I'm looking forward to the series.
Great idea. I never stop. I have renovated my kids' yards, too. At 74, I'm still finding new projects. Never stop. The day I can't move, I will stop. I'm trying to outlast my grandmother. She was 84 when she had to stop.
I tried to garden as a child. My mother laughed at my small carrots, tore out my Four O'Clock flowers, then wouldn't let me grow anything in the yard again. When I was a teen a friend gave me a gift of a small peat pellet and parsley seeds. I planted the seeds and put it on a window sill. It sprouted and grew! I felt I was born again. I have had a garden even if only on a window sill ever since. These days it is a nice sized garden with a sweet pet pig and ducks. My husband loves it too and he does more of the manual labor, I am the one planting the seeds, caring for the plants and pruning the fruit trees. Also every year I plant milkweed, I raise the Monarch caterpillars in my sun room, I have seven of them now, the first ones this year. Sprouting plants and butterflies have saved my life and mental health. My turn to give back. These look like amazing new series! Also I love being part of your online garden community, I feel so happy there.
Can’t wait for both series❤❤❤ Thanks for all you are and all you do ❤❤❤❤❤
Can't wait . . . I'm in!! Have given up tending my half acre garden too, a small garden sounds awesome!!!
Yay another Brian garden show!
Thank you for the inspiration!
I currently live in an apartment and finances are extremely tight…I have hope and faith this will change soon. Though, for now, I have seeds to grow microgreens; broccoli and alfalfa, mostly for health benefits. And, I would like to start a business one day in the near future to supplement my income for when I retire, two years to go. I also have other seeds, radish, carrot, pea shoots, and others. Once, I grew corn microgreens for fun and they are delicious. They are yellow bc they are grown without light, only about six inches tall. This has been a hobby for the past five years.
Perfect, cause I have a small space garden and I want to make it better. Thanks for doing this!
Go for it
Going to subscribe need advice on indoor gardening preventing mold have just about quit. Here in Missouri our weather has gotten so erratic very humid in summer
I think both of these are excellent series topics! Another topic that you might consider for next year is limited mobility & wheelchair gardening. Gardening is excellent therapy & physical therapy for those of us with mobility issues. It is also excellent therapy for mental health issues, and you would be an excellent spokesman for that topic ❤
I like too just sit in my garden and enjoy the work I've done. I've said this before Brian, thank you for being who you are and making these videos. You inspired me to start gardening again 5 years ago when I found you on YouTube. Thank you
Just what I needed today.
Thank you!!!!!
I may not garden this year because of tariffs and also need to save my money for when they take away my health insurance.
My favorite colour is green, which helps. I too sort of abandoned the garden after I became ill. Took five or six years to regain motivation. After that I struggled with what I thought was sciatica; turned out I heeded two hip replacements. Really getting to the swing again this year.
My initial illness from ten years back has delightfully left me with insomnia (irony there). But this time of year I use it to my advantage. I get up and let the dogs out, open my poly tunnel and mooch about in the garden. No neighbors up, little traffic so I get the dawn chorus too. It amazing to see what changes there have been overnight. Morning and late evening my favorite times. I say go for it to anybody even half thinking of a mini garden or a garden. Its good for the mind too, trying to outwit the pests.
Get Brian's book, its a big help to beginners and to old sweats like me that might have forgotten something.
Good reminder !
I somtime feel like taking a break
Continuous 40 years this season for me .
Love that you’re adding new content for the people in other categories. Brilliant and then others in those categories can also be blessed with your knowledge.
What an excellent idea, I love your homestead but many of us don’t have that.
It's almost as if you read my mind… This was so timely!! I've just been… stuck!! Kinda welled up when I heard the beginning tbh. 🥹 Thanks!
I remember when I was three back in 1963, helping my Mom plant cucumbers seeds, been hooked on gardening ever since. I will go stir-crazy if I gave up growing veggies. I want to plant now, but it's still too early in my neck of the woods
Yeah! I really look forward to this.
i feel you. i gave up 2 years ago. but this year i'm back. going over everything you thought me and i'm not going to give up this time. thank you Sir. LonnieRay
Gardening is my peace. I figured….start small I didn’t want to get overwhelmed. It’s very rewarding in so many ways! 😊
I grew up in NYC became fascinated by gardening despite not having space. I put pots on windows, porches, fire escapes, wherever I could. Whatever held dirt. I was growing things like herbs and flowers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers. When my kids were young we lived in an apt. complex and I had a corner unit with a big screened-in porch, which was over the period of a few years converted into a little food jungle lol. Now I have a house in a small town where I actually have a yard and beds. If you want to garden you can find a way, even if it's just a sunny window with some shelves across it for small herb pots and flowers, and a little table set up for indoor plants.
I'm SOOOOO looking forward to the small space series! I just moved and no longer have any land, but I do have a little deck and I'm already making plans to get some veggie, herb and flower pots growing out there. Thanks for including people like me!