Tips

13 Tips to Starting a New Vegetable Garden for MAXIMUM Harvest



Growing a vegetable garden is one of the most rewarding things we do BUT if you’re brand new (or putting in a new garden) it can feel overwhelming to make sure you do it right. The most important thing is creating a garden that works for you and your growing space (meaning no two gardens will look exactly the same) and you need to know how to evaluate your growing space and climate.

I walk you through each step of putting in a new garden in this video!

For more information, visit the blog here: https://melissaknorris.com/starting-a-vegetable-garden

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Links:
How Much Food to Plant Per Person (Plus FREE Worksheets): https://melissaknorris.com/podcast/how-much-to-plant-for-a-years-worth-of-food/
Family Garden Plan: https://melissaknorris.com/book/family-garden-plan/
Family Garden Planner: https://melissaknorris.com/book/planner/
Get the vertical GreenStalk Container Tower from my affiliate (I make a small commission and you get a coupon code!) use this coupon code for $10 off : PIONEERING at http://lddy.no/h10b
How to Turn Your Lawn into a Garden: https://youtu.be/gzvzPHb2T-k
How to Test Soil pH & Amend Acidic or Alkaline Soil: https://melissaknorris.com/podcast/how-to-test-soil-ph/
Sheet Mulching: The Easy Way to Build Soil & Compost in Layers: https://melissaknorris.com/podcast/sheet-mulching-easy-way-to-compost-in-layers/
Direct Sow Your Garden Seeds: https://melissaknorris.com/podcast/episode-28-direct-sow-garden-seed/
How to Start Tomato Seeds – Avoid These Seed Starting Mistakes: https://youtu.be/Hvcc1jKKmBY
We Covered Half Our Garden in Woodchips – 1 Year Later, Did it IMPROVE the Soil?: https://youtu.be/xbHXS5Qq88U
How We Control Our Weeds Naturally with Weed Burner: https://youtu.be/AIDiclxcHb4

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Shop this Video (by using the following affiliate links I may receive compensation for your purchases, however, prices remain the same for you, THANKS!):

BCS Tractor: https://www.bcsamerica.com/products/tractors
Seed storage container: https://amzn.to/35ImK0x
Soaker hoses: https://amzn.to/3oligTD

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Listen in to the top #10 rated Pioneering Today Podcast for Home & Garden for Simple Modern Homesteading Tips https://melissaknorris.com/podcast-2/

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My Books:

The Family Garden Planner: http://melissaknorris.com/planner
The Family Garden Plan: https://melissaknorris.com/family-garden-plan
Hand Made 100+ From Scratch Recipes: https://melissaknorris.com/handmade-book
The Made-from-Scratch Life: https://melissaknorris.com/made-from-scratch-life

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Howdy! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m Melissa from Pioneering Today and a 5th generation homesteader where I’m doing my best to hold onto the old traditions in a modern world and share them with others.

Click any of the below links for FREE resources and training to help you on your homestead!

Homemade Sourdough Starter Series https://melissaknorris.com/learnsourdough

How to Pressure Can Series https://melissaknorris.com/pressurecanning

Beginners Home Canning Safety https://melissaknorris.com/canningclass

For raising, cooking, and preserving your own food, come hang out with me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melissaknorris/
and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/melissaknorris/

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#garden #gardenplan #gardenplanning #firstgarden

42 Comments

  1. It's so important to get to know your climate very, very well. In places like where I live, the seasons can be pretty wild. Cold weather crops always do better in fall, catching a lovely freeze which sweetens them, and they're hit or miss in the spring. Sometimes they come out fine, other times, bolting or bitter early on! Ocassionally, my fall crops get hit by an insanely early cold snap, where the temps dip into the teens weeks before they should even come close to that type of low. It keeps you on your toes, that's for sure!

  2. I noticed the high tunnel over your shoulder at about 4 min into the video. Did you use sheet plastic or is there a kit you purchased to fit the tent frame?

  3. I love your videos, Melissa! You have the best information and you always present it in such an entertaining way 🙂

  4. As a veteran gardener I commend you for a great presentation of information for new gardeners. Excellent job explaining in easy to understand terms. Hopefully many people will watch and get hooked on a great hobby

  5. Deer, raccoons, woodchucks, bunnies, chipmunks are my biggest headaches. Skunks, coyotes and opossums only eat melon rinds off the compost pile so they are ok. Do your moles ever venture into the garden or do they stay under the lawn? I'm just asking because I have a theory that moles get into the softer worked up dirt and their tunnels keep collapsing so they give up and go back to the lawn where the grass roots hold the ground in place.

  6. Hi Melissa . I have been growing in raised beds for quite a while and have had no problems with raised beds drying out in fact just the oppisite . I think the key to maintaining moisture is organic material , i use leaf mold and my own compost and a mulch . I know the no dig approach works for holding mositure , if you build your soil your beds will hold the mositure and you will not have to water . Good luck in 2021 i really enjoy your content .

  7. Yes! We have renovated enough in our village house, to start planting this spring. I can't wait. These tips are very useful, thank you!

  8. there is one problem with trying to know your frost dates, we are in a magnetic reversal on earth right now, meaning its moving our jet stream and changing the weather here on earth, best way to stay on top would be to learn about it.. youtube suspicious observers . the magnetic reversal is a precursor the GRAND SOLAR MINIMUM, which we are just entering, the GSM is a little ice age, all of this is due to the sun , our sun has a cycle and unfortunately, we are at the deep end of the cycle, we are getting colder on earth, and no, CO2 will not stop this action from happening, in fact, CO2 is plant food, and we are at the lowest percentage of CO2 in over 4000 years.

  9. I just finished taking all the gravel out of my backyard and am in the process of turning my soil. I will be planting in a day or two.

  10. Hi Melissa! Great vid, as always. The coupon code for the vertical planter didn’t work. Is it for a specific item?

  11. Hi Melissa- good tips, but you forgot the most important. Stay off your garden till soil DRYS…. Compaction is your worse enemy….regardless of wood chips or not… Compaction affects all your positive pore spaces for growing a good healthy garden.

  12. raised beds are not at all ergonomic, unless you're in a wheelchair and they are raised to that level. for a person without a wheelchair, raised beds require a lot of unnecessary stretching to reach and generally cant use standard tools like hoes, unless the bed is fully cleared. plant space planning is easier on standard rows.

    i use 20-20-20 + TE, ammonium sulfate, and gypsum. more economical and grows better veggies than heaping loads of composts/manures that will not supply ongoing nutrients for hungry crops.

    doing transplants is best ever. gives more reliable and quicker time to harvests.

  13. I see you always wear your Muck boots when outside. Will you do an honest review on them? Thanks for your videos. I enjoy your story and channel.

  14. Great channel, Melissa! We live just north of Seattle and I can’t find anyplace around here to buy hog or cattle panels for vertical planting. Can you tell us where you shopped for them?

  15. Love your gardening tips. OCD?? Just a bit. But I'm married to one. LOL

  16. Such a great video. I've been gardening and you've answered a lot of why my crops aren't successful.

  17. For weed control and non muddy walkways, I've cut old carpet into 18'' strips and laid it in the garden with 3-4 " spacing. Planted between the rows of carpet. Has worked great.

  18. How do you deal with the moles?
    I'm loving your videos. If you ever come down to Wild Waves I'm Auburn, you and your family have a place to rest. I'm only a mile away.
    I just hope my garden turns out like yours!

  19. Melissa, just a question. Going to get back into gardening and planning out my garden. Traditionally, i did the long rows of plants. Would you recommend a more grouped style of planting to help shade out weeds, much like you get from raised bed? I'm on the fence.

  20. Hey Mrs. Melissa, I know this isn’t quite related to this particular video. But I have been looking for some good lard (non hydrogenated etc.) and the ones I’ve found are nice but expensive. I’ve been calling around to the butchers near me and I called one by a dairy farm I go to. Well, they said they don’t Sell lard, bummer BUT they TRADE!!!! And not only that, they trade the cuts of fat I want to render and they are grass fed and the works and LOCAL. I am so excited. I’m an eagerly awaiting their call when they get in some fat. I just had to comment that because I don’t have anyone accessible and I’m too excited!!

  21. In Arizona we had to keep in mind that the sun was north of us in the summer, so some south-facing areas would NOT get much sun!

  22. ATTENTION ALL WOMEN, SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE, THIS IS HOW YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN SURVIVE THE (GREAT RESET) THAT WILL CAUSE THE COMING NEXT GREAT DEPRESSION. OR ARE YOU GOING TO STAY IN THE CITY AND WAIT FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO COME AND SAVE YOU??? COME ON NOW REALITY IS ABOUT TO STRIKE!!!

  23. You do not need a rototiller if you are just starting a garden. A shovel and a couple hours can completely turn over a small garden

  24. Yes! Stated our first vegetable garden this year, and it’s been such an awesome learning curve 😅 love these tips. The planning stage is so important for a successful harvest! 👍

  25. I absolutely can't find or get a response on what happens if you missed your start seedling date prior to your last date. Help

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