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  • Really impressive! The challenge for us who live in areas with shorter growing seasons is when all that food comes in and has to be processed for canning and freezing since its more than we can eat. But, I'm really glad to see this as I've been seriously considering trying a garden like this and you included lots of good advice!

  • Hi John!...My jaw dropped when I saw the gigantic banana squash! wow! You have a amazing garden. Bet you're a great cook too huh! After seeing what you've accomplished, I want to grow my own fresh veggies! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to viewing your other videos! :)

  • can I pay you to stop saying "you know" Over and Over again!!!!!

  • "laws are a waste of resources." hear hear! John packs a lot into his wee garden-I'm very impressed. A joy to watch. Those squash plants are awesome. Does anyone know the name of the first one he shows us?

  • Agreed... Lawns ARE just plain DUMB! Much LOVE, Respect and Gratitude to you John and to ALL of us out here doing everything within our power to be the change we desire to see in OUR world! To anyone looking for support and/or collaboration on your own permaculture project/s and/or to join a community of other Eco-conscious people, search out: sustainabilitynonprofitDOTorg to learn how "One Community" can assist us all in being that change we ALL desire!

  • my township probably would allow me to do this in my front yard.

  • How did you build your beds?

  • Great job! You have put a lot of time, thought and work into your amazing yard. Can you imagine if only 1 million people did this in the USA the air would be cleaner, there would be healthy fruit and veggie stands everywhere, more birds and no hunger because it is human nature to share bounty. God bless.

  • Mesquite texas cant do this. Can't have chickens or goats. I had to destroy all my stuff and plant a lawn in front and keep it up. And its only city zoning, no hoa.

  • Amazing thanks for sharing

    

  • I'm getting a friend who is a Master Gardener to help me set up a square foot garden. This video is VERY inspiring! I hope to start building mine in February. Like you I live in CA so I expect to be able to grow year round. Nice job and thanks for the great ideas... I'll try the tree kale for sure!

  • cool garden, but you talk too much!! lots of lead in to the garden. beautiful tho...thanks!!

  • Your gardens are fabulous! I'm green with envy. It must have cost a fortune to build and fill those beds though.

  • That is awesome!

  • Now I don't plan on setting up my front yard like this. I've considered taking a back yard and turning it into a complete vegetable garden, but I need to buy my own house before I can do that. My parents don't want me destroying their back yard for experiments.

  • @MrMcMillan1985 Growing vegetables isn't an experiment, it's been done before. lol

  • Ya know, I can only listen to a guy say, ya know so many times, ya know?

  • @theotherjimmyolson agreed ya know

  • I LIKE IT. As long as HOA allows this... ours would not, so we have in the backyard, which keeps strangers fro picking it all too. We can keep eye on it better. Your advice is very helpful and a great down to earth teacher. THANK YOU

  • The irony is, so many people due to the housing collapse wont have access to land to grow their own, unless they bunk up with someone who owns a house. I hold very little hope of ever owning a home. Maybe I can rent and my landlord will let me have a garden.

  • @anaihilator Find a community garden. It's harder to deal with, because it's not right outside your door, but it's still worth it.

  • @anaihilator don't give up hope that you must never do - even a fool's hope can find victory.

    There are people building homes (amazing homes too) from garbage - that is spreading world wide, there is a shift coming as the world is fit to bust, I hope it is a change for the better, though it may become dark a while

  • This is simply outstanding!! I do have a question though....how do you manage your soil? Do you allow some beds to rest, do you use some sort of fertilizer...how to refresh the soil after plantings, especially seeing as how you have an amazingly long growing season?

    Also, how did you decide to place them (directionally) speaking as to not create shading of other beds?

    I'm in awe!!!!

  • You are inspirational!! Thank you!!

  • 100% great advice...laws are dumb ;)

  • NICE ; I LIKE IT

  • Hi. Amazing. Why did you choose to build such high beds? Was it for easier access while standing? Was your soil not fit for growing veggies? Was buying your soil and compost easier and faster to get your garden started then trying to get your existing soil ready for growing? Thanks I love your videos.

  • I don't have a problem with the way you speak man...keep on keepin' on!

  • Wow that squash is amazing....whenever i try growing melons/squash cabbage loopers devour it all.....i don't know what to do jesuchristo help me

  • Do you also grow herbs?

  • Hey I love your video! What a great job you've done. I'm always afraid that if I start tearing up my lawn, and not get it done fast enough or have it come out as nice looking people are going to go nuts...lol. Maybe I should care a lot less! :P with a short growing season up here in Western NY I plan on starting in the back and see what we can actually produce in the first place.

  • @jamarcil In Western NY I would suggest cole crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, radishes, and stuff like that. Brussels sprouts flourish in Alaska so I'm sure it will grow in New York.

  • this is stunning thanks so much for sharing it on here.

  • what do you use for pest control?

  • I love what you are doing. I live in Florida...I do this in the back yard....but man things are getting bad....you may find that your neighbors are going to be taking your veggies from you front yard.

  • how do you keep your squash and melons from falling off their vine? i want to do my watermelons, and pumpkins vertically, but im scared that they might fall off the vine.

  • please Stop saying "you know" so many times - it messes up your vid dude

    Otherwise good job

  • I wish people who are creating an informational video would bother to write up a rudimentary script; at the very least an outline. That way the video would flow and we wouldn't have to listen to 15,000 "you knows" in between the interesting stuff. Just sayin'

  • Are you using filtered water, or straight city water? If you're using city water, do you know if your city adds toxic chemicals, such as chlorine and fluoride to the water?

  • Very nice. I subscribed. A few years ago I read several books on voluntary simplicity and of those one stuck out about an single mom in Australia who managed to feed her family of 4 on 1/4 acre. Most resources will say that you need several acres to feed a family, but I always felt that if one was careful and smart about how, where, and what they planted, much better yields in much smaller spaces could be attained. Your video is proof of that. Great job!

  • very ,very cool,,, U R a leader in whats coming,,, Lawns R Dumb

  • very ,very cool,,, U R a leader in whats coming,,, 

  • John, I have to say "Thank You"!

    You inspired my husband and I to fill our backyard with raised beds!

    Thank you so much for all of your video's. I continue to learn from your vast knowledge! :)

  • That is wonderful! I wonder if planting trees or climbing vines in the very front would help to hid the yard and allow people with HOA and law restrictions to do this. It makes me wonder what wonderful things you did with your back yard.

  • That is wonderful! I wonder if planting trees or climbing vines in the very front would help to hid the yard and allow people with HOA and law restrictions to do this.

  • "Manicured grass lawns are white peoples gold teeth"-me

  • I've done the same thing in a richer community and my neighbors hate me. Yours is WAY nicer than mine though.

  • do you have problems with neighbours walking by and picking your garden?

  • please see watch?v=SP8FfAERyXU

  • @9aspengold5 LOL, you know, I DID have that problem. The perpetrators were ladies from the church next door! My garden is in my back yard and several times I have had people walking down the alley and take a step into my yard to take. . . .

  • Dude your yard is an inspiration! Thanks!

  • you are a great man that thinks great

  • Excellent video John!

    Thank you so much for posting!

  • Great work! I tip my hat to you, I am just starting out, and would love to get as self sufficient as you one day! Definately subscribing, keep up the great work!

  • OMG! I live in the 'burbs and have a double lot = .5 acre. I garden but now that I see yours, I realize I can do sooo much more!

  • right on bud!

  • Right on man! Way to go. Turn our lawns into gardens! I started Yards to Gardens just to help that purpose.

  • Man that banana squash is AMAZINGLY HUGE. Great work, really inspiring to put raised beds everywhere

  • Grass is always browner on the other side.

  • Fantastic video that left me with a couple questions!

    Is there a resource you trust/know of that gives a general idea of how compact specific types of plants can be grown? I have a (much) smaller raised bed garden and do the square foot gardening and never know if something can go more-than-one to a foot, or needs 2+

    How deep are your gardens and why did you choose to take them to that depth?

    How long is your growing season?/any tips for making the best of a shortened one?

  • 1) The best way to learn is experiment. Grow some of the plants and see how large they get, or do some research online to find out.. look for "mature" pictures of the plants you wish to plant.

    2) My beds range in depth between 12" and 33" approx. I have a specific video on how deep to make your raised beds, where I go over this in detail.

    3) My growing season is year round. My summer growing season is may-nov (depending on the weather)

  • For over 2 minutes he's walking backwards lol...

  • lucky you you made this improvement. in my place this is forbidden. neighbors don't allow vegetable garden. just the so called 'flowering garden' they say it reduce the home value because this vegetable garden doesn't look nice as flower garden. :(

  • I don't have much land and in my small back yard I have 26 trees so sun is at a premium I was still able to take the space I had and plant 7 3x3 raised beds and use my deck for some containers and my fence for grapes.I love your melon patch!

  • Love this

  • love the commitment and the idea... but if my neighbour did this to the front yard, i swear i'd sue him lol

  • Not to sound corny but this could change the world. Eating healthy, ends obesity, growing our own food stops fossil fuel transportation of food, growing smarter means greater return. Excellent job.

  • What is it with kale? The stuff is just nasty. Great video, though...I'm just more of a spinach and bean fan.

  • @bravofighter I never eat kale before. But I was just about to start eating it. Learned for a video the kale is great. Suppose to eat it raw.

  • Wow...do you have money. I couldn't afford half of all that wood and materials living on 2K a month. Love the yard, but why did you pick on your neighbors, man? Not very nice of you.

  • were you inspired by Fritz Haeg???

    have you met Jules Dervaes??

  • did you get permission from your neighbor to defame his lawn?? just kiddin...seriously though, people get upset about this stuff...thank goodness I know most of my neighbors, as I'm sure you do....it will make my yard transformation much easier...subbed...keep up the good work!!

  • I think I love you. This is the greatest idea! I've dreamed of doing this but just never have had the nerve. My husband would give birth if I expanded my garden, much less put one in the front lawn - LOL. There is so much wisdom in this method. Keep up the good work. I'm a new sub.

  • Dude your videos are awesome! Keep it up man!

  • where do you get your soil?

    I have a lot of land and little knowledge and a lot of heart to succed.

  • Thank you for taking the time to do this video. I got good tips. They should show this video to anyone who comes to a charity asking for help. People need to learn to help themselves, and they don't need to wait until they are behind in their bills.

  • This is a great video. I am going to do the same in New Brunswick, Canada.

  • Do people steal your food?

  • Amazing man...

  • Awesome!! 

  • That looks fantastic. You are the new king of raised beds! What are the neighbours opinions? I suspect nowdays you'd get more interest or curiosity that complaints but there might always be some crusty old curmudgeon who thinks anything but lawns and flowers is an affront to their middle-class values...

  • I've just started my small garden with raised beds. Great work and great video. Very helpful and I got a few ideas just from this 8 min video. Thanks brother!

  • My HOA would freakout. California is great for this type of thing. To bad WA has such a short growing season.

  • I love this video. Just this year I decided to start to eliminate my lawn. I have a 1/2 acre in the middle of town. It is a little mountain town and we have severe winters. But, I was sitting contemplating my garden this year. My front lawn is large and when it's hot it needs to be watered every day for a few hours. Starting tomorrow I am building raised beds and planting food. I can't wait till morning...

  • u r a star !!!

  • How long did it take for you to do this?

  • The beds were built over several months. Everything was done one step at a time.  You can do it too! Start with one bed and then add on later!

  • @growingyourgreens Do you have a problem with people taking your produce or damaging your plants?

  • @tetsuko2005 I wanted to ask the same thing. 

  • @tetsuko2005 I wanted to ask the same thing.

  • Nice raised beds! Spacing fruit trees down that side raised bed is great. If you ever rebuild one of those beds, post the video, I haven't seen raised beds that tall before.

  • @lobosolo333 you seem very critical of the vid .. how bout you post a vid of what you are doing that is at least equal or better

  • humm, we dont realy have lawns where i live in england. we have back gardens tho. iv been wanting to grow me own food for a while now but because of the sheer ammount of trees and bushes squeezed into our thin but long back garden the whole ground is just imencly dence with roots. so this raised bed is a great idea. cant belive i didnt think of it. do you think it would be easy to make your own raised beds from scratch?

    peace to you and yours x

  • Yes, its easy to make raised beds from scratch! There are many ways to do it!

  • @growingyourgreens are u saving your seeds too after harvest so you dont have to buy them anymore??? so impressed by your work! thanks for helping people out. if people dont have any room. they could do a "gorrilla garden" or practice johnny appleseed economics lol.

  • @GeoOneloveHipHop If only all those trees and bushes were yielding fruits and berries you'd already be there! And a fruit tree can be just as ornamental (if not more so) than a non-fruiting variety. A blueberry or currant bush is just as attractive as a flowering shrub in it's own way. Anyway, you can make raised beds out of anything from wood, stones, bricks or even old roof tiles. Depends what you have, how much you want to spend and how good you want them to look!

  • This is all well and good if you're in a place like Calif. Where I am you have seasons and can only grow part of the year.

  • This is precious.

    Many, many thanks!

  • First 2 1/2 minutes could be cut out ... too much talking. And the walking backwards is distracting. You could have said everything you needed to in those 2 1/2 minutes in 30 seconds.

    You say "you know" way too much and you repeat yourself.

    I'm surprised that you put the trees in the raised beds. At some point won't they bust the beds? ... And there will be too much shade to grow your other plants.

    I assume that you're companion planting but you didn't mention it.

  • Although we don't have a homeowner's association, we do have a stubborn set of rules in the deeds of our property, such as no farm animals at all, etc., from when our neighborhood was developed, & have been told in no uncertain terms they are enforceable, should someone complain. That said, we each have about 7/8 of an acre, and many of us have gardens, but they are in our back yards. Were we to do this with front yards, I am quite certain we would hear (A) complaints, and (B) from the sheriff.

  • John - Awesome job! We converted our front lawn but put the beds right in the ground. Were those fruit trees in the raised beds? What kind did you plant? No concerns about them being able to root sufficiently?

  • Yes, I did plant trees in the raised bed. feijoa, fig, sweet goumi, camela sinsisis, tree collards are the ones in the bed.. I do have a specific video showing and explaining them.. I dont know which video it is:)

  • Wow!! Very nice looking suburban garden. Very very good video.

  • I love your garden. It inspires me. I have been doing my best at growing edibles. I live in the smaking middle of town. I am a beginner but am now growing herbs, cherry tomtatoes, peppers, lettuce and malibar spinach (grows vertical). I'm so proud of what I've accomplish.

    However, a friend of mine came over and said she wouldn't be able to stand any of all of this. She would rather have rocks in her front yard. I thought to myself how she is missing out on fresh food. OH, well. Grow Food!

  • what do you do with your left over food what you cant eat?

  • "resistance gardens"

  • Yes, I keep trying to convince my in-laws that lawns are a waste too! They live on a hill with a great view and no usable back yard because it slopes. I have a good sized flat yard with loads of edible landscaping, fruit/nut trees, even chickens for eggs. Now, in-laws might be losing their house since "dad" can't find a job & refuses to sell his corvette (but, they sure will take my food that I grow!). The Jones' days are over! Stop living to impress. It gets you nowhere. Help yourself!

  • and a vid of some girl picking her nose loads and streams at lightning speed, but something of consequence stalls 8 times. Welcome to CensorTube.

  • why have raised beds? why not plant them on the ground- I like your idea

    I let yard grow with florida native flowers but I want to add some plants

    the city and the neighbors do not like it - i find them too intrusive and i feel it should not concern them

  • you have really amazed me by what you are doing. I hope this encourages others to start doing this also, I now you have changed the way I was going to do my garden. Thanks

  • I can't thank you enough John, for all that you do. My heart is full of thanks and appreciation for your generosity and desire to help others achieve what you are doing.

    ps. I still want to buy the samson oil press. I need to email you bc I can't order from your website. Still having trouble with it taking my debit card.

    But thank you thank you, thank you a thousand times over for inspiring us and helping us get good at growing our own food.

  • Thanks for showing us what you've done. Lawns are dumb!

  • This is what I aspire to with my gardening! Great work.

  • great vids! the banana squash was insane!... where do you get your seeds from??

  • Nice vid, good looking vegetable garden, well done! Folks, don't use treated lumber to create raised beds. Concrete blocks are also treated w/mercury & other things to prevent mold, etc from growing on them. Consider edible ornamental plants, too: fruit & nut trees, fruit bushes, herbs like the popular ornamental 'purple coneflower' and daylilies are a delicious vegatable. Lawns were origionally pastures. Keeping brush & grass short around homes reduces varmints & bugs.

  • It would be nice to see more info on irnamental landscape plants that can be used to create 'normal' looking landscapes, but are edible. Fruit bearing shrubs and trees are obvious choices, as are nut trees, though they can take a long time to begin bearing. Purple coneflower is an example of awidely grown ornamental that is also a well respected herb. Daylilies are edible as a vegetable. Your yard looks great, too!

  • i find your yard to be beautiful.

    i can't wait to get my own house so that I can start doing this, it sounds awesome, and if done correctly, looks beautiful.

  • God damn that's awesome. I wish you were my neighbor man would I love to talk shop with you. Bravo.

  • the only thing that could prevent you from growing stuff on your front lawn is the architectural committee like us

  • Luckily, there are no laws or homeowners association in my area. I always reccomend homeowners check their laws and homeowners bylaws before embarking on a project such as mine. I encourage homeowners associations to change the by-laws to allow for front yard food production.

  • You can do lasagna gardening and it;s just like square foot gardening, but remember he lives in suburbia and in Cali, the neighbors can call the city on you if your front yard doesn't look "standard". I went on craigslist free area and got scrap untreated wood and the like to create some areas in my yard that I needed to contain the soil.

  • ofcorse front lawns are a waste of space, but what would be helpful to people who have these wasted spaces is real practical applications which can be done cheaply, we dont all have a spare 2000 dollars to spend on the raised beds, soils and irrigation

  • @niceslug you don't have to make raised beds....some people use many left over pots, bowls, even old shoes to plant, very cheap and tasty :)

  • Carbon emmisions are so un important compared to Peak oil.

    What you have done is just great! I would like to do something on a smaller scale, in my yard.

    Peak oil, is happening. We saw it in 2008, when the price of fuel went up globally. The recession, has lowered the price, but it will return, when our economy is better. Food is going to be super expensive, as it relies on so many pestesides, and ferterlizers, which are all oil based. I think eventually what you're doing, everyone will do.

  • I thought John lived in Las Vegas

  • You are my hero.

  • thank you for your enthusiasm and passion towards this matter. your should be very proud. thanks for all the great info. keep it up.

  • me and my brother are trying to get a small plot of land with a trailer out in the hills of california and try to do this. super good job dude.

  • Excellent idea. I never thought about doing something like this......and I love vegetable gardening and hate mowing my lawn. Very inspirational.

  • dude your fucken smart

  • you tell them!!!!! lol here here!!!!!!

  • I like it. A lot. Still, it looks like a lot of work, a lot of thinking, planning, and knowledge. Now, if we had a working mother and father, then doing things your way would mean another full-time job once they got home. Takes a certain kind of thinking, and a lot of committment to get to a place like that. I doubt my wife would go for it.

  • @jwwm2 when my friends wanted to start something like this, they had full time jobs, but put 2 days aside to plan...1) was draw out and list what they needed, 2) asked a local 4-H group of kids to come over on a Sat. (it helps the kids community service points) and watched as the kids did everything they wanted...the irrigation was simple by digging skinny curves around the plant (this way the hose could just be laid inside and fill it up with water once a day in 1 min.),

  • @jwwm2 the beds were pots and old cardboard boxes they wanted to throw out :) they really enjoy the organic taste, and if they were tired and didn't want to go to the store, they just stepped out back and picked what they wanted for dinner :) saved them money and time.

  • How do you keep people from stealing your food??

  • Please see my video on how to stop people from stealing your food

  • @growingyourgreens lmao are you serious

  • No mowing, not as much driving to the store, being outside & a sense of self satisfaction. I can't wait to move to a place where I can grow my own food and raise rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens.

  • nice vibram fivefingers shoes :)

  • did you end up weighing the squash. how much was it. you should enter some in the guniss book of world records.

  • never weighed it.. it was heavy! three people couldnt eat it all before it went bad after cutting it open.

  • Awesome & inspiring! We call these Prosperity Gardens in my part of the US. Good job & keep up the good work!

  • how much was the raised beds?

  • Please check my other videos. I made a video about the costs involved.

  • He says at the end: "lawns are just plain dumb" truer words have never been spoken

  • Don't people steal your crop from your front yard?

  • Quick question: Are lawns a waste of resources?

  • Quick Answer: YES!

  • great job.

  • I completely agree with you. What a beautiful VICTORY garden. Things grow so nicely in in So Cal. I left So Cal 10 years ago. If you have too much zuchinni and such, you may want to look into dehydrating and storing it in jars.

  • I think that is the coolest thing I have ever seen and I what a view ! better to hide the parking lot that seems to be outside your door and grow amazing fruit and veggies ! looks like alot of work paying off in a big way ! wonderful use of land and may i say I so wish you were my neighbor !

  • I have heard about raised gardens before but yours are the best I've ever seen, you have so many different things growing together, WOW!

  • I sooo agree with lawns being a waste! And too much people care too much about those.

    Great job with your piece of land....did you get complaints from the neighbours or some sort of association....I'm going to wait last before ''terraforming'' my front yard ;)

  • There is no homeowners here. Better check with them first if you have one. Neighbors like it. I made it look "professionally" done.

  • @growingyourgreens Yeah it helps alot when it looks good ;)

  • Great job brother

  • that is so great.

  • Now thats impressive ... Could you show us how you prepare some of these greens for eating?

  • Exactly!

  • all thatwood mush of cost alot

  • Very smart! I live in the desert and the idiots here seem to worship their grass. This is intelligent and wise. Good job.

  • Great idea to walk up the block to your place, seeing the contrast. And I like that you have someone else holding the camera. Your message is so important, it's wonderful to watch you expanding your capacity to get it out there!

  • Great job. I have been following your progress and using a lot of your ideas and will implement more next year.

    How are you going to address the composting issue because you are going to have a huge amount of foliage and stems to deal with?

    Best wishes,

    Brendan (Ireland)

  • Love the arbor! Your place looks great!

  • please!!!!!!!!!

    tell us how you eat the squash. raw or not

  • I'm with you - great stuff!! Way to go!

  • Your neighbor must love you. :))

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