John from http://www.growingyourgreens.com invites you back to where it all began—his original front yard edible garden in Northern California, 16 years after transforming it from a lawn into a thriving, wild food paradise.
In this episode, you’ll get a full tour of John’s “OG” garden where he embraced a more natural, hands-off approach, letting plants reseed themselves and nature take the lead.
You’ll learn how John built a low-maintenance garden that still feeds him year-round, using simple strategies like living mulch, seed-saving, and growing nutrient-dense perennials that come back every season with little effort.
You’ll discover some of John’s favorite crops for resilience and nutrition—like ashitaba, red stem chicory, wild arugula, and fava beans—as well as why he avoids common mistakes like planting mint in raised beds or using invasive vines.
You’ll see firsthand how wild greens like miner’s lettuce, chickweed, and mache can outcompete weeds, cover your soil, and feed your family without any planting required.
You’ll hear John’s candid thoughts on pest management without sprays, why he eats bug-eaten leaves for better nutrition, and how ugly produce can be some of the healthiest food in your garden.
You’ll even get inspired to try new crops like puntarelle and daikon flowers, and learn how to harvest delicious greens that are often overlooked.
After watching this episode, you’ll be motivated to start or evolve your own garden—whether you prefer a tidy layout or want to let nature do the work—and grow more food in a way that’s fun, forgiving, and full of flavor.
Jump to the following parts of this episode:
00:00 Episode starts – a raw, real look into John’s original California garden.
00:10 See the wild transformation of John’s front yard 16 years after lawn removal.
00:58 The one plant John regrets planting—don’t make this same mistake!
01:38 Why growing fava beans from saved seed is a garden game-changer.
01:57 What these little flags in the garden actually mean (it’s not irrigation!).
02:42 Ashitaba: The anti-cancer celery alternative you’ve never heard of.
03:09 How John harvests and cooks fava beans for max nutrition and taste.
03:22 Why pineapple guava is a hit—and what John would do differently.
03:54 This whole bed grew from scattered seeds—no transplanting required.
04:26 Microgreens growing wild? John’s secret to free, self-seeding food.
05:35 Forget wood chips—this living mulch feeds you and your soil.
07:41 Chickweed: The wild weed John actually encourages in his garden.
08:53 How to eat miner’s lettuce at different stages—even in full bloom.
10:00 Fava beans: the easy storage crop you’ll wish you planted sooner.
10:28 Why John lets his daikon go to flower—and eats the blooms!
10:59 Snails and aphids: how John deals with pests without spraying.
11:59 Puntarelle: The overlooked Italian green you need in your life.
12:42 Why red stem chicory is John’s absolute favorite garden green.
14:00 This surprising benefit of bug-eaten leaves will blow your mind.
15:33 Wild vs common arugula—taste, re-growth, and which wins long-term.
16:26 The most nutritious leafy green John grows (hint: it’s fiery!).
17:04 Why planting mint in a raised bed might be your biggest regret.
17:26 Wild alliums and yacon: two perennials that keep coming back strong.
18:24 Wild vs. manicured gardening—which one truly fits your lifestyle?
Referenced Episodes:
My First Ever GYG episode
10 Year Garden Update
Watch all my original 16-year-old videos at
https://www.youtube.com/user/growingyourgreens/videos?view=0&sort=da&flow=grid
Watch all GrowingYourGreens Videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/growingyourgreens/videos
Subscribe to GrowingYourGreens for more videos:
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=growingyourgreens
Follow John on Instagram at:
https://instagram.com/growingyourgreens/
Buy My Healthy Eating Recipe Book
https://payhip.com/gyg
Support Me and Join my Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/growingyourgreens/
26 Comments
Jump to the following parts of this episode:
00:10 See the wild transformation of John’s front yard 16 years after lawn removal.
00:58 The one plant John regrets planting—don’t make this same mistake!
01:38 Why growing fava beans from saved seed is a garden game-changer.
01:57 What these little flags in the garden actually mean (it’s not irrigation!).
02:42 Ashitaba: The anti-cancer celery alternative you’ve never heard of.
03:09 How John harvests and cooks fava beans for max nutrition and taste.
03:22 Why pineapple guava is a hit—and what John would do differently.
03:54 This whole bed grew from scattered seeds—no transplanting required.
04:26 Microgreens growing wild? John’s secret to free, self-seeding food.
05:35 Forget wood chips—this living mulch feeds you and your soil.
07:41 Chickweed: The wild weed John actually encourages in his garden.
08:53 How to eat miner’s lettuce at different stages—even in full bloom.
10:00 Fava beans: the easy storage crop you’ll wish you planted sooner.
10:28 Why John lets his daikon go to flower—and eats the blooms!
10:59 Snails and aphids: how John deals with pests without spraying.
11:59 Puntarelle: The overlooked Italian green you need in your life.
12:42 Why red stem chicory is John’s absolute favorite garden green.
14:00 This surprising benefit of bug-eaten leaves will blow your mind.
15:33 Wild vs common arugula—taste, re-growth, and which wins long-term.
16:26 The most nutritious leafy green John grows (hint: it’s fiery!).
17:04 Why planting mint in a raised bed might be your biggest regret.
17:26 Wild alliums and yacon: two perennials that keep coming back strong.
18:24 Wild vs. manicured gardening—which one truly fits your lifestyle?
Referenced Episodes:
My First Ever GYG episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SO-2SVc8G0
10 Year Garden Update https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KE0MYL50uI
Watch all my original 16-year-old videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/growingyourgreens/videos?view=0&sort=da&flow=grid
Subscribe to GrowingYourGreens for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=growingyourgreens
Show Your Support! Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/growingyourgreens/
The nutrient value of food is important
Im back! Youtube stopped showing me your feeds for some reason. Long time subscriber good luck on the Million subs!
Snails ar3 escargot
I like both in time — mostly like the somewhat chaotic beds === I don 't like bare soil … thanks for all the years of gardening videos!
YOURE THE GOAT THANK YOU !!
I'm a gardening lover. My inspiration came from you more than 10 years ago. I'm forever grateful 🙏
Got some baby spinach and arugula! Dorat time with arugula on ypir name I heard i saying it 1 of these vids and it was delicious something new for the typical salad mix I get from the food market Publix fruit salad section whuhhhhhh. Lol. Big freaking wasted yard space at my old house. And apartments don't go in with yard space oh well.. lucky u
Haha u just said arugula like 6 times at 15 minutes 16 minutes
Not the 1st YouTube guy I like getting hit like me. Sticking stuff to u secretly 😢
Miami Dade gardens got ur back
I’m letting the last of the miner’s lettuce go to seed and no complaints if it comes up all over. Swiss chard, parsley, cilantro, and two kinds of radish already self sowing. Borage and alyssum too, but that’s hard to avoid. I’m doing some self sowing, and some throw the seeds and see what happens, but also planned planting too probably more so. I want to get meadowfoam(poached egg plant) self seeding everywhere. My lawn and garden. It’s not food, but does make good honey locally. Brings in lots of good bugs.
I like the manicured look but i wait to start cutting and clearing anything, to see what volunteers show up in the perfect spot… much of my permanent stuff started off this way
So great to see your original California garden again. I watch you develop a lot of this garden years ago. Wonderful !!!
Hello John, longtime subscriber here! I hope you don't mind if I ask a question; I have some grass clippings (never any chemicals used) from last year that are half composted, is it okay to till this into straight into my garden? Thank you for sharing knowledge through the years. Blessings…
💚💚💚
John! Started watching you in ca, because I’m near you. Suddenly you you were in Vegas and I thought you permanently left. I was shocked to see you back here! Also, I got rid of my severe aphis problem by planting nasturtiums. It 100% got rid of them. 100%! You’re welcome. 😁
true choas gardening
You can dehydrate those bitters. Grind put in capsules
Hows your eczema? I remember you were battling it
Your Channel outlasted my marriage. My ex and I started watching you back in like 2012! You;re one of the people that got me into growing my own food. Now I have a mini orchard, have had several front yard gardens, got fruit trees on the hellstrip, etc!!! God bless you!
Get ladybugs and beneficial nemotodes!
Beer cans, half full of beer either buried (i know, soil disturbance bad) in the corners and halfway points of your raised beds, or somehow fastened to stay upwards in the same spots of the raised beds WILL ELIMINATE all SLUGS and SNAILS! Give it a shot, and thank me later! 😎😎
Way to grow great Gardener and awesome teacher for us all,thank you for quality, organic life please 🙏 ❤😊
I’ve heard this called chaos gardening and I’m all for it.
Hold on a second…. Do you do ANY weeding??? I don’t think I ever heard you talk about pulling weeds