Fucking preach

I am bad with plants and watching them slowly die will not help the dread.

i just moved into a house with a small, fenced backyard and i don’t know how to start.

I barely function, but a single Aloe Vera plant has been alright. The responsibility is basically to give it water every 7 days or so and that's it.

I barely give myself water every seven days.

Hey, I could manage that! Maybe install a hydroponic system at some point :)

If you're starting from "I've never grown a thing", try to find a secondhand Aerogarden or other small hydroponic (plants grow in water not soil) system that takes care of most of it. Grow some herbs, basil works excellently.

It's a lifelong process.....start with small, functional things like an herb garden. Make tons of mistakes and kill tons of plants, most people do. But eventually, you'll have a green thumb and will understand the thrill of producing your own things instead of relying on capitalism for everything.

Highly highly recommend a bread machine, a good bread knife and a small scale, for the same reasons (weighing your bread ingredients will reduce the frustration of inconsistency in bread).

Growing your own food and cooking are two revolutionary acts in a hyper capitalist world.

The trick is to research what plants you can manage. My first real garden project was creeping phlox, a very hardy and drought resistant plant. If you're gardening outside nature will handle some of the workload and if you talk to a botanist about what grows well in your planting location and climate you should be able to find something anyone can manage. Lots of smaller skills to build as you go, so next plant you can tackle something a bit trickiet

Always offended by soil being called “dirt”.

I tried to plant five seed potatoes in 2017. I ended up with maybe two pounds of little potatoes. So the next year I planted more. And kept planting after that, along with a bunch of other veggies.

In 2024 I ended up with several milk crates full of potatoes that I ended up giving away to anyone who asked, tons of tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, cabbage... I moved in the middle of the planting season in 2025 and didn't get much growing, but I'm already working on the garden for 2026...

Just plant something. There are hours of videos and probably thousands of books written over hundreds of years that explain how to make things grow, and learning how to keep stuff alive is half the fun.

i’m a retired pastry chef lol

i’ve grown indoor plants but never grown anything outside.

i am thinking of starting with raised beds in my backyard.

but thank you, that is awesome advice 💖

Oh perfect lol

Raised beds is a great idea. I dug a few oval patches out of my lawn and put stainless steel oval beds in, filled it with a good mix of soil and grew like 100 pounds of zucchini.

If you can handle inside plants, you can definitely do lots of hardy outdoor plants.

Haha..

Oh wait you have dirt to plant stuff in??

It's fucking February

I keepntrying to have a little garden but the fucking deer eat it all first.

Thanks, I'm cured

Yeah, bit late to be planting garlic now. My chives are almost ready for their first harvest of the year and my rosemary could probably do with cutting back a bit but I need some recipes to use it up. This is in the UK anyway.

I had nice plants at the last place I lived but had to move back in with my dad about 2 years ago and his orange cat eats LITERALLY anything green and leafy. All plants I brought with were either eaten to death or moved to inadequate spots in order to be saved from being eaten, only to die from lack of proper light...

I wish I could grow plants but sadly I live with demon spawn and nothing I've tried has helped lol.

Maybe either keep your garden behind 360° chicken wire protective fencing or keep that demon spawn cat in a cage.

That's my issue. Even plants like tomatoes and hot peppers that are always on the "deer never eat these" lists will get eaten if I leave them exposed. Physical barriers are the only thing that works.

Nah man I think I'll just to another tour of 'Nam.

Yeah...between the squirrels and the ants and whatever bug would punch little holes in my tomatoes and the weeds and the not enough rain followed by too much rain...I was less happy having a garden because all that work I did and everything turned to shit. Pass...

I would argue that growing your own food and NOT cooking it is even more revolutionary.

food forests

Your username betrays your motives.....

....what about your grains and legumes?

If you have the space, check out aerogardens or any of those aeroponic types. They are very easy to get plants going with very little effort, especially if you get an excess water reservoir. I’m pretty sure there are also instructions to build your own somewhere online.

I have 2 set up that I grow lettuce and herbs in for my rabbits, but you can grow lots of different plants in it.

I am NOT Jim West.

Grass is a pestilence that should be eradicated worldwide, but legumes can be excellent support species, and some even make tasty fruits. Dialium guineense is one that most people don't seem to know, but apparently bonobos like it!

Composting helps feed the bacteria and other good creatures in the soil that will support the plants and allow them to grow, by allowing them to find water and minerals. Nitrogen fertilisers are bad for the soil and are totally unneeded. If anyone wants to hear more then I'll send them the youtube videos i learnt this from :)

Done. But I know it will all be for nothing unless I can get away from my job.

The situation: working my whole life would probably not afford me a home, my pension will be there in theory before I have enough money to retire early. My yearly savings are small, and I rarely have free time before going to work again. Usually, something gets screwed in the process (food quality, sleep, hygiene).

I essentially have minutes to figure out and do another job, while already working, because quitting could spell doom as soon as the 1st of month