I have raised garden beds, but, yes, you would put the stick straight into the ground…you are wrapping the wire, clockwise, assuming that you live in the Northern Hemisphere, so the wire should go all the way to the bottom of your stick as the copper is harnessing the FREE energy and pulling it into the soil, that is the base of the premise of Electroculture Gardening..the videos are very good, it’s quite simple and fun, pls let me know how you do🤗🐸🍃