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Vegetable Gardening

A Complete Guide to Digging & Planting Your First Vegetable Garden: Tomatoes, Peppers & Herbs



I thoroughly cover all the aspects of starting your first vegetable garden. From selecting the right location & tracking the sun through planting, fertilizing, staking, watering tomatoes and peppers. Plus I show you how to start cilantro, dill and basil from seed. This is great video for first time gardeners. It is a complete guide to help you join the world vegetable gardening.

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Table of Contents

0:00 Introduction
0:48 The Basic Size for Your First Garden
1:33 Basic Principles to Turning the Bed & Adding Bagged Soil
5:00 All the Basic Materials for Your First Garden
7:04 Picking the Right Location – Details on the Sun
8:28 Picking the Right Size for Your Garden
8:54 Cover Your Garden Space with Cardboard (4-6 Weeks)
9:38 Where to Plant Your Plants Based on Height & Shading
11:02 Creating a Weed Barrier with Cardboard
12:46 Using The Garden Soil Bags to Build Your Soil
14:04 Planting the Peppers: All the Steps
16:45 Tomato Spacing and What Indeterminate Means
17:30 Planting Tomatoes: All the Steps
21:38 Planting Chive and Oregano Transplants
23:44 Planting Basil from Seeds
25:24 Planting Dill from Seeds
26:10 Planting Cilantro from Seeds
27:26 Top Dressing with Fertilizer and Staking Your Plants
30:14 Conclusion and Watering Tips

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41 Comments

  1. Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden)

    My New Book: The Modern Homestead Garden: Growing Self-Sufficiency in Any Size Backyard.
    You can find it at these different locations… Thanks 4 the Support!
    Amazon: https:https://amzn.to/3Hfejue
    Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-modern-homestead-garden-gary-pilarchik/1137153105?ean=9780760368176
    Books A Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Modern-Homestead-Garden/Gary-Pilarchik/9780760368176?id=7961563419439#

    Autographed Copy of my book is at my seed and garden shop: https://www.therustedgarden.com/search?type=product&q=book

    My seed and garden shop can be found https://www.therustedgarden.com

    You can find my new Gardening Podcast here. I am doing 45 minute podcasts now with CaliKim called 'Gardening Coast2Coast Podcasts'
    https://gardeningcoast2coast.net/

    You can also find our podcasts here on Buzzsprout https://www.buzzsprout.com/1846799 There are several options to chose from.

    Seed Starting Supplies: http://amzn.to/2GrGaZ7 As an Amazon Associated I earn from
    Garden Fertilizers: http://amzn.to/2DIQDRY qualifying purchases. It is free to use
    Garden Disease & Pest Control: http://amzn.to/2Fqvl8e Here are some links to my Amazon Storefront.
    Grow Lights:http://amzn.to/2GudeiO I turn most of that back into the garden and videos.
    Amazon General Search Page: http://amzn.to/2DZBzyZ THANKS! Greatly Appreciated – Gary (TRG)

    I have Neem Oil, Peppermint Oil, Sprayers, Seeds and so much more at my shop…Please check out my Seed & Garden Shop for your gardening needs at http://www.therustedgarden.com

  4. I've Been There

    Tried to order but it’s not working. I’m new. It says 404 not found? Refreshed page and new account and nothing. ….

  5. Doris Kawas

    Thank you so much for your easy instructions! I feel I have the tools for my vedgetable/herb garden👍🥰

  6. Linda

    I was thinking of making my own transplants. I bought seeds and I have an indoor grow tent.
    I wanted to start germinating seeds and get them started since I live in Pa and it’s still cold out. Then by mY I can hopefully transplant them outside.If I did it this way, what’s the best way to germinate my seeds? Also.. if I want plants to be ready by May, how soon should I start my indoor growing?

  9. liminal

    this video was a treasure trove of valuable information! thank you. starting my first vegetable garden this upcoming summer and i am so excited!

  10. Michael Paulson

    Thank you very much for posting this. It was super helpful. I'm planning on taking my veggies up from seed this year and planting my first real garden. Wish me luck!

  15. Sam

    How long would I need to wait to start seeds if I used this method along side your video killing grubs with neem/ soap drench?

  18. Nancy Ayers

    Something to think about is that pressure treated lumber fence behind your garden…Poisonous!!! I'm surprised no on said anything years ago about this

  23. Life is messy but I’m Learning as I grow!

    Your garden is impressive! Your passion and hard work shows. As a gardener & I make garden videos too. I am extremely thankful for any tips and guidance you provide. I hope we can learn from each other as we grow! Never stop learning!

  27. leaelizabeth23

    Ive been trying to grow chives. I cant get them to germinate! 🤦🏻‍♀️ i have tried different seed packs so it cant be the seed going bad?! I have tried the bag method, i have tried trays, and direct sown. I dont have luck with lavender either. Everything else so far has been alright for me. Just not those two 🤷🏻‍♀️

  28. Lindsey Warren

    Does it matter what kind of cardboard? Can I use like diaper boxes or do they need to be just like plain moving boxes

  31. Andrea Julian

    Exactly what I was looking for! I was amazed at the small amount of videos giving advice on first-time gardening and basic supplies needed. Thanks so much!!

  32. Sew Dat

    Ima go ahead and help ya save some money, you had me at hello😅🫶🏼 this is gonna help me so much! I live in New Orleans and Louisiana has great soil. I plan to start planting right in the ground bc soil is so expensive and pots and all of that. I’m not excited about digging the grass up but this helped me so much thank you! You are great at explaining, getting to the point, and being very educational! Love it♥️

  35. M

    I find this hard to believe, all these hipsters have gardens where the soil is black and covered in potting soil. I want to learn how to really garden my yard and not make a bowl of potting soil in a sandbox and pretend im gardening. Did vehetable gardens look like this in the middle ages or in commercial establishments???

  37. Rocio

    I love the turning over idea when digging and prepping the bed. I have Bermuda and don't want to encourage more.. For that reason, should I not turn it over?

  40. Jazzy Otero

    Thank you so much, Gary! I found the perfect space for a small vegetable garden, but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed on where to begin. This video was helpful and I'm excited to start gardening for the first time ^_^

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