Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interplanting Done Right: The High, Low, Fast, Slow Method for Bigger Harvests - Ep. 295 | 07 Apr 2026 | 00:41:55 | |
What if you could get more food from the exact same garden space, without expanding a single bed? That's the promise of interplanting, and today on Just Grow Something I break down exactly how to do it right. Building on the "high, low, fast, slow" mantra I use in my own garden and teach in my Plan Like a Pro course, I walk you through the framework that makes interplanting work and the common mistakes that turn it into overcrowding. I cover what to consider before you ever put two plants together (mature size, water needs, nutrient timing, and allelopathy), then get practical with six beginner-friendly pairings that are low-risk and high-reward, plus advanced combinations and experiments for experienced gardeners ready to push further. I've also put together a clear list of dos and don'ts to keep on hand when you're planning your beds. In this episode:
Episode References
Next week: succession planting — the strategy that keeps your beds productive across time, not just space. Get 10% off and FREE shipping on my favorite raised planters at Planter Box Direct using code JUSTGROW10: https://planterboxdirect.com/?ref=593Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com Gardening Courses: https://justgrowsomething.com/courses Just Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/ Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething Feed my coffee habit: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Your Greenhouse Operating Manual - Ep. 294 | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:40:53 | |
Get my greenhouse selection guide to help you choose which protected growing structure is right for you: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/greenhouse A protected growing structure isn’t “set it and forget it” but a microclimate you manage. In this final episode of our greenhouse mini-series, you’ll get a practical operating manual for cold frames, low tunnels, caterpillar tunnels, high tunnels, and home greenhouses. We’ll cover ventilation, heating and cooling strategies, watering and irrigation basics, container vs raised-bed vs in-ground considerations, pollination management, and an evidence-based approach to pest and disease control. We’ll also tackle a topic many gardeners miss until something goes wrong: soil health under cover, including salt buildup, nutrient imbalances, and why protected soils often need a different fertility strategy than open-field beds. Let’s dig in! Resources: The thermometer/hygrometer I use to monitor my greenhouse and other garden structures: https://amzn.to/4th56Ja NRCS (USDA) — Controlling the High Tunnel Environment: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/Controlling-High-Tunnel-Environment.pdf Oklahoma State University Extension — The Hobby Greenhouse: https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/the-hobby-greenhouse-2 Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com Gardening Courses: https://justgrowsomething.com/courses Just Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/ Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething Feed my coffee habit: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething
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| Creating Your Garden Calendar - Ep. 285 | 27 Jan 2026 | 00:26:27 | |
My Plan Like A Pro Course is Open for Registration: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/pro If you’ve ever gone into a Facebook gardening group and asked, “When am I supposed to plant this?” and then gotten ten different answers, you are not alone. And if you’ve ever started seeds too early, ended up with giant leggy plants taking over your house, and then still got hit with a late cold snap? Also not alone. Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to make garden timing feel simple, flexible, and predictable. I’m going to show you how to build a planting calendar using frost dates as your starting point, then layering in: • cool-season versus warm-season timing, • how many weeks to start seeds indoors, • a buffer for weather variability, • and how to plan your fall garden by counting backward from your first frost. This is one of those “once you understand it, you can reuse it forever” skills. Let's dig in. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Problems with Peppers - Ep. 197 | 17 May 2024 | 00:33:14 | |
Growing peppers is one of the most asked about topics at the farm stand and the most played episodes of this podcast. Most of the time the frustration comes with either not getting bell peppers to grow large enough or other problems for peppers, in general, including sunscald, lack of ripening, and just generally poor plant growth and low production levels. And, of course, there are the problems with pests and diseases. Today on Just Grow Something, we’re tackling all that and more. If you’ve had issues getting the most out of your pepper plants or if you’re brand new to the pepper game, this one’s for you. Let’s dig in! Question of the Month: Ask Me Anything! DM me, jump in the Facebook group, send me an email ... we'll review the answers on our 200th episode! References and Resources: Top Episode 1: Growing Peppers - Ep. 177 Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Gardening in Shade and Solving Your Garden Maintenance Problems - Ep. 196 | 07 May 2024 | 00:36:36 | |
I hear from a lot of frustrated would-be gardeners at the farmer’s market stand who say they just don’t have enough sun in their yard to be able to grow anything. Of course, they can always go to maximum effort by growing in smaller containers and moving them around the yard as the season progresses to catch the light as the sun shifts, which is a lot of work, but it’s also very possible that many of these potential gardeners have more sun than they think. And this goes for my gardeners who are apartment dwellers or who live in condos with only a patio or balcony space to grow on. You might be able to grow more than you think. And, there actually are a selection of vegetables, fruits, and herbs that will do just fine in part-sun and others that will tolerate it if you have a little patience with them. Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to define full sun, part sun, part shade, and shade so you have a better idea of what is actually possible in some areas of your yard and then we’ll go over the choices available if you truly do have less than full sun. Plus, we’ll go over your answers to the April question of the month and explore how we can solve some of the most common garden maintenance struggles you and I both have. Let’s dig in! References and Resources: Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Preventing and Controlling Foliar Disease in the Garden - Ep. 195 | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:32:19 | |
Foliar diseases in both vegetable and fruit plants can significantly impact our yield and the quality of that yield if left unmanaged. If you’ve ever had powdery mildew on your cucumbers or early blight in your tomatoes, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even though the disease is affecting the leaves, the interruption of photosynthesis by the fungus affects the fruit development, and then the disease will jump from the leaves to the fruit and then we’ve got a real mess on our hands. And sometimes we can get one disease under control only to have another one swoop in and take out our plants before we even get any kind of harvest. This is especially true if you live in an area that is very humid or you have spring weather that bounces from warm and humid during the day to cool overnight with very little air movement and lots of rain. Warm temperatures, high humidity, lots of moisture and prolonged leaf wetness are the ideal conditions for fungal growth. Today on Just Grow Something we are going to cover the different ways we can prevent fungal diseases from taking hold in our garden plants, what signs and symptoms to watch out for, which plants are most susceptible to fungal diseases, and which ones don’t usually have much of a problem with them. There are lots of things we can do as gardeners to prevent and minimize the occurrence of foliar diseases so we get the best yield possible from our plants. Let’s dig in! References and Resources: 001_22856life1104s14_1_7.pdf (lifesciencesite.com) Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Growing Strawberries - Ep. 194 | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:35:18 | |
We talk a lot about growing vegetables on this show but, in truth, I am a huge fruit eater. I love fruit, either on it’s own or on a salad, in smoothies, in desserts, love it. Being someone who is a proponent of sustainable agriculture I also prefer to get my fruits locally if I can. That’s not to say I don’t always have bananas in this house and that I don’t love a good Mandarin orange, but if I can grow it myself, I feel much better. Fruit trees can be intimidating, and they can be temperamental if you don’t have the right soil conditions, berry canes and bushes also require a bit more care and maintenance. Which is why strawberries are the sort of gateway fruit for vegetable gardeners. You can plant them in ground or in containers, you can grow them in many different climates, and even minimal effort in maintenance will improve the yield dramatically. So, today on Just Grow Something we’ll talk about growing strawberries. Whether you’ve got an in-ground bed, a raised planter bed, or just a container on your back deck, we’ll talk about the soil and nutrient requirements, planting in the spring or the fall, maintaining the bed, potential problems, and more. Let’s dig in! Question of the month for April: What have you struggled with the most in terms of garden maintenance and did you find a solution? Maintaining soil nutrients, reducing weed pressure, proper mulching, proper watering techniques, whatever your garden needs that you struggle with or that you used to struggle with and have found a solution. Answer the question from within Spotify, reply to this week’s email newsletter on Friday with your, answer in the Facebook group or send me a DM on social media. You have until April 30th to give me your answer and share your struggles and solutions with your fellow gardeners. References and resources: Strawberry | Description, Cultivation, Nutrition, Uses, Species, & Facts | Britannica Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Proper Soil Temperatures for Transplanting - Ep. 193 | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:25:48 | |
Using the last frost date in spring or our average air temperatures might be a good guideline to start with when figuring out when to plant the garden, but a better method for knowing when it’s actually time to sow those seeds or transplant those plants is the soil temperature. Even though the air temperatures may be warmer than usual, the soil knows the truth. If that soil is cold and wet, or might be that way in the next ten days, your tomatoes, or peppers, or whatever, are not going to be happy sitting in chilled soil, no matter how warm the daytime air temperatures get. But, your sugar snap peas and lettuce might be thrilled. So, today on Just Grow Something we’ll talk about optimal soil temperatures for both cool season and warm season crops, for both seed germination and transplant growth, how to properly check your soil temperature, and where to find historic soil temperature data for your area so you can more effectively plan your planting dates and not be lulled into that false sense of security. Let’s dig in. References and Resources: This week's sponsor: Taylor Precision Products Standard Grade Thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) Soil Temparature Maps | GreenCast | Syngenta (greencastonline.com) Soil Temperature and Seed Germination (psu.edu) Microsoft Word - Soil Temp Planting V2docx (wisc.edu) Minera Nutrition of Plants: Principles and Perspectives | SpringerLink facts you didn’t know about soil temperature (farmprogress.com) Soil Temperature and Planting Crops (harvesttotable.com) Just Grow Something Merch Shop Jus Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Amendments to Add in Spring for the Summer Garden - Ep. 192 | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:31:20 | |
Back in November I talked to you about doing a soil test, using slow-release amendments in the garden to do their work gradually over the winter, and then doing another soil test in the spring to see how well it worked. Now’s the time in most areas to be doing that spring soil test before you start planting your spring or summer gardens. But, what do you do if that spring test shows the amendments you added in the fall just weren’t enough to fix the problem? This time around you’ll need something that works into the soil a little more quickly if you want the garden ready in time to grow a lush crop for spring and summer. And even then you may find the need to add some supplemental plant food to directly feed the plants instead of the soil to be sure you get a good harvest. So, today on Just Grow Something we’ll go over the organic amendments you can be adding to the garden now that will give the soil a quick boost and the possible ways to feed the plants directly while waiting for the soil to improve. Let’s dig in! Question of the month for April: What have you struggled with the most in terms of garden maintenance and did you find a solution? References and Resources: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website: HungryPests.com Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Your Biggest Pests in the Garden - Ep. 191 | 02 Apr 2024 | 00:29:51 | |
I had such a fantastic response to the March Question of the Month and we had such great conversations on Facebook and Instagram that I made this week’s entire episode all about! You came in clutch with problems and solutions and there was plenty of community discussion, which is what I love. Gardeners helping gardeners. We all have a lot of pests and some very clever ways to deal with them. And not all of them are insects. So, today on Just Grow Something we are talking all about your biggest pests in the garden. Let’s dig in! April Question of the Month: What have you struggled with the most in terms of garden maintenance and did you find a solution? References and Resources: Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Hardening Off Seedlings Before Transplant - Ep. 190 | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:25:19 | |
Hardening off is a process that helps plants adjust to the outdoor environment, preventing shock and ensuring they thrive once planted in the garden. Gradual exposure helps the plants acclimate to the conditions they will experience out in the garden or in their containers on your porch before you put them out there. Today on Just Grow Something we’ll go over the exact steps we need to take to harden off our plants prior to putting them out into the garden. This includes whether you’re growing them yourselves or if you’ve just brought them home from the nursery, garden center, or farmers market. Following these steps and displaying some patience will prevent the heartache of putting those plants out and having them fail. We’ll also talk about how to recover if your plants begin display signs of stress after they are already in their permanent home. Let’s dig in. Question of the Month: : “What is your biggest pest in the garden and how do you manage it (if at all)?” Leave a voice message from the link in the show notes, respond to the question in Spotify if that’s where you’re listening, send me an email, drop it in the Facebook group or in a DM to me on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. We’ve already had some good discussions around this in the Facebook group and I will read all the answers on next week’s episode. You have until March 31st to get me your answer. References and Resources: Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct
Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Straw Bale Gardening - Ep. 189 | 19 Mar 2024 | 00:27:23 | |
Years ago I had some straw bales I’d used initially as fall décor that ended up in my chicken coop. The bales were used partially as a wind break all winter and partially as a roost. Well, chickens do what chickens do when they roost and by the spring of the following year those straw bales were full of nitrogen-rich chicken poop and starting to fall apart. So, I moved the out of the coop, watered the down really well for about a week, and planted a bunch of plants into them. This was my first introduction to straw bale gardening and it worked wonderfully! The nitrogen from the chicken manure had kickstarted the decomposition process of the straw, providing essential nutrients for the microbes that do that work, and the decomp of the straw inside the bale created a fertile growing medium. I expanded the gardens quite a bit after that, as you all know, and haven’t worked with straw bales as a growing medium since. But this year, that changes. I’ve got a new spot I’m putting together behind my greenhouse with eight planter boxes already in place, but there’s also a fence at the back of that space I want to both cover and use as a trellis. I don’t want something permanent against that fence so I’m jumping back into straw bale gardening. Today on Just Grow Something we’ll talk about how to use straw bales as a growing container and medium. I don’t have naturally conditioned bales this year, so we’ll talk about the process I’ll need to go through to get those bales ready. I’ll also cover the benefits of gardening in bales, what to watch out for, what plants do well with this method, and how to maintain them. By the end of the episode I think you’ll be convinced that straw bales are an effective way to increase the growing space in your garden without needing a permanent solution. Let’s dig in! Question of the month for March: “What is your biggest pest in the garden and how do you manage it (if at all)?” References and Resources: Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct Order from True Leaf Market and support the show! Taylor Standard Grade Thermometer 11 Tips for Starting a Strawbale Garden (epicgardening.com) Straw Bale Gardening for Beginners | Almanac.com Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Donations and Dollar Stands with Meg Lea - Ep. 188 | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:49:59 | |
Today's episode is a special interview with Meg Lea of the Fox and Hound Garden in Wisconsin. Meg harvested an unbelievable amount of food from her Zone 4b gardens last year and donated over two thirds of it. We chat about all things gardening, from planning to production, donations and dollar roadside stands, overambitious plantings and failing forward. It's a great conversation with a fellow gardener that you'll love to listen in to. By the end you'll have commiserated and maybe have an inkling to add a few new things to the garden. Let's dig in! Resources: Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct
Skidger – Garden smarter! – Innovative garden products
Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| The Low Maintenance Garden Plan - Ep. 284 | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:25:14 | |
If you’ve ever planned a garden that looked amazing on paper and then halfway through summer you thought, “I do not have the time for this,” this episode is for you. Because a garden can be beautiful, productive, and fun and still be too much if the plan doesn’t match your real life. Today on Just Grow Something we’re building a low-maintenance garden plan. Not by choosing “easy plants,” but by designing your garden around the things that actually determine how much work it takes: location, layout, watering, weed control, and disease pressure and how that fits into the rest of your actual life. Low-maintenance does not mean low-yield. It means fewer chores that pile up, fewer “emergency problems,” and a garden that still functions when your life gets busy. As we go, I’ll give you simple action steps you can do in January to set this up. Because the easiest gardening season is the one you design on purpose. Let's dig in. References and Resources: My Plan Like A Pro Course is Open for Registration: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/pro University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension. “Beginning Vegetable Garden Basics: Site Selection and Soil Preparation.” https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/beginning-vegetable-garden-basics-site-selection-and-soil-preparation Colorado State University Extension. “Drip Irrigation for Home Gardens.” https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/drip-irrigation-for-home-gardens/ University of Minnesota Extension. “Mulching 101: the secret to a healthy and happy garden.” https://extension.umn.edu/news/mulching-101-secret-healthy-and-happy-garden Oregon State University Extension Service. “Sheet mulching and lasagna composting with cardboard.” https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9559-sheet-mulching-lasagna-composting-cardboard Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Maintaining Fruit Trees, Bushes, and Canes - Ep. 187 | 06 Mar 2024 | 00:28:48 | |
If you’re planning to put in new fruit trees, bushes, or canes in your garden the best time of year, generally, is spring. We want the soil to warm up enough that the roots of the plants will begin to seek out water and nutrients as soon as placed in the ground with as little transplant shock as possible. But, if we have existing fruit trees, bushes, or canes then any maintenance on those trees should be done before the soil begins to really warm up and the plants come out of dormancy. This is usual sometime between late fall and early spring, which means most of the northern hemisphere is primed for these tasks right now. Today on Just Grow Something, we’re going to talk about those tasks and how to tackle them: pruning, fertilizing, and moving your established plants if it’s necessary to do so. This is one of those tasks that can scratch the itch for getting out into the garden when maybe it’s still too early to really be planting much and they’re tasks that are important for us to get the best yield possible from those plants. Let’s dig in! March Question of the Month: “What is your biggest pest in the garden and how do you manage it (if at all)?” Resources: Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct Order from True Leaf Market and support the show! Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Different Ways to Grow Potatoes - Ep. 186 | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:26:54 | |
Potatoes are a cool season crop, and most varieties need between 60 and 120 days to mature, so that means getting them in the ground as soon as the soil can be worked and giving them the time they need to grow. The great thing about potatoes is they can be harvested at any size, so it’s a crop that can do well in a short-season area and can also be grown in places other than big, long in-ground rows. If you have minimal space or you can only garden in grow bags or buckets, you can still grow potatoes. Today on Just Grow Something we’re talking about just that – what are all the different ways and places we can grow potatoes? They are such a versatile crop it makes sense to tuck some into your garden area no matter what size it is. Let’s dig in! References and Resources: Get my FREE eBook on successful seed starting Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct Soil Temparature Maps | GreenCast | Syngenta (greencastonline.com) Growing potatoes in home gardens | UMN Extension ORGANIC POTATO GROWING GUIDE (woodprairie.com) Just Grow Something Merch Shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Heat Mats and Grow Lights - Ep. 185 | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:20:57 | |
This month we’re talking a lot about seed starting and we can’t talk about starting seeds without talking about heat and light. Seeds sprout more quickly and efficiently when they’ve got the correct soil temperatures and the easiest way to do this is with a seedling heat mat. It’s not a requirement, though, so we’ll also talk about some ways you can up the ante on the soil temperatures during seed starting without a heat mat. Once those seeds do sprout and you're nurturing those little seedlings the correct light can make all the difference, and usually even the sunniest window in your house just isn’t going to cut it. That means we need do a little investing in some lights to help our seedlings along. Today on Just Grow Something we'll explore soil heating options and various types of grow lights, including the most economical and even tabletop solutions. Let’s dig in! *Question of the Month: “What is your most successful crop and why?” This could be a specific variety of something that outproduces all the others, the plant that you love the most, or the crop that grows fantastically well for you without fail every single year. Whatever you consider your most successful crop in whatever way you consider it successful. Send me an email, post it in the Facebook group or send me a DM on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok… you have until February 29th to get me your answer! References and Resources: Full Spectrum LED mini grow light 48" x 20" (four tray) Waterproof Durable Seedling Heat Mat 10” x 20.75” (single tray) Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat Best Grow Lights for Growing Vegetables Indoors. Guide to Choosing a Grow Light - Johnny's Selected Seeds. 5 Different Fluorescent Tube Sizes and How to Choose One (thespruce.com) Just Grow Something Merch Shop Order from True Leaf Market and support the show! Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Seed Starting Soils and Containers - Ep. 184 | 13 Feb 2024 | 00:20:47 | |
Seed starting does not need to be intimidating but it does come with a special set of requirements for true success. Two components to that success are the soils we use and the containers we choose. Not all soils and containers are created equal. Today we dig into the different types of seed starting mediums and containers available on the market and ones we can dig up in our own home. (Pun intended.) Ssurprise surprise, the potting soil you choose to use may not actually be soil at all. And the containers may be something you already have sitting in your recycling bin. Let’s dig in! *February Question of the Month: What is your most successful crop and why? Episode References and Resources Just Grow Something Merch Shop Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Starting Flower Seedlings Indoors - Ep. 183 | 06 Feb 2024 | 00:26:57 | |
If you’re planning to grow flowers alongside your vegetables this year, there may be some additional steps you’ll need to take when getting those started. Most annual flowers are started in ways very similar to our annual vegetable plants. But some flowers are trickier to start, especially perennials. And some can’t easily be started from seed and need to be propagated using other methods. Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to talk about the easiest flowers to start from seed and those “special” flower seeds, the ones that need a little more time and attention than our standard annuals. Let’s dig in! February Question of the Month: What’s your most successful garden crop and why? References and Resources: Vegetable Garden Planner | Garden Planning Apps (almanac.com) Free Garden Journal Printables - Green in Real Life
Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct Order from True Leaf Market and support the show! Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Soil Blocks and Flower Bars with Kathy Gormandy - Ep. 182 | 30 Jan 2024 | 00:36:58 | |
Soil blocking is a seed starting technique that uses small blocks of soil or seed starting mix. There are no containers, no small plastic cells, just the soil itself. The benefit of soil blocking is, of course, you’re not keeping a bunch of plastic containers around to start your seeds in, but also there is no chance for the roots of the seedlings to become bound by a container. The plants roots will reach the edge of the soil block and simply stop growing until the block is planted, the roots come into contact with more soil, and can take off growing again. This reduces the transplant shock. Today on Just Grow Something I brought back our flower farmer friend, Kathy Gormandy, to talk about how she uses soil blocking on her farm. We also talk about her new retail space, the importance of locally grown florals, and more. It’s a conversation that has me taking a second look at trying soil blocking again this year. Let’s dig in. References and Resources: Ep. 117 - Growing Cut Flowers in the Home Garden with Kathy Gormandy Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct Order from True Leaf Market and support the show!
What Do Florists Spray on Flowers to Keep Them Fresh? - Floral Fantasy Land Soil-Block Making | A Better Way to Start Seedlings, by Eliot Coleman (johnnyseeds.com) Kathy Gormandy (@pkfarmflowers) • Instagram photos and videos https://www.facebook.com/PKFarmlife Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Succession Planting to Extend the Harvest - Ep. 181 | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:20:04 | |
As we start to get our garden plans in order for this year, succession planting is something that absolutely should be included in our calendars and our garden maps. It’s really the best way to ensure not only to do you have more to harvest throughout the season but that you take advantage of open spaces in the garden when one crop ends or the season changes. Today on Just Grow Something we’ll talk about what succession planting is, how it relates to interplanting and relay planting, and how to successfully schedule your successions to reach your gardening goals, whether that’s to feed your family for the entire year or just be sure you’ve got enough salad ingredients to get you through the summer. Let’s dig in! References and Resources: Just Grow Something | creating a podcast and gardening videos | Patreon Plan Like a Pro Garden Planning Course Save 10% and get Free Shipping with code JUSTGROW10 at Planter Box Direct Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Interplanting to Maximize Your Harvest - Ep. 180 | 16 Jan 2024 | 00:25:03 | |
There is a fine line in gardening between overcrowding the plants and making efficient use of space. If we do it right, the plants benefit from each other and we can get way more out of our garden than we ever dreamed. But if we step over that line, we end up with plants competing with each other for space, water, sunlight, and nutrients and our yield is dramatically reduced. As we start planning our gardens for the year it’s time to take a look at the space we have to work with and plan out our gardens to effectively use that space to our advantage. Today on Just Grow Something we’re talking interplanting or intercropping. This technique not only allows for you to grow more in the exact same space, but can also reduce weeds and conserve water. Let’s dig in. References and Resources: Companion Planting Chart | Just Grow Something CDFA - FREP - CA Fertilization Guidelines - Lettuce Nitrogen Uptake and Partitioning Nitrogen fixation in peas (Pisum sativum) (lincoln.ac.nz) Some vegetables require less water than others | OSU Extension Service (oregonstate.edu) Cornell Guide to Companion Planting.pdf (unl.edu) Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| How to Choose a Plant Variety - Ep. 179 | 09 Jan 2024 | 00:23:54 | |
You may have an idea of what you want to grow in terms of vegetables in your garden – say zucchini and tomatoes, for example. If you open the seed catalog or website to the page for zucchini you may find as many 18 to 25 different varieties to choose from, each with their own unique set of attributes in terms of shape, size, color, growing conditions, disease resistance, pollination type, and more. Move on to tomatoes, well now you’re talking hundreds of varieties in different classes from cherry to beefsteak to sauce types. And that’s just one supplier. It can be overwhelming, and we can fall victim to the dreaded analysis paralysis – spending so much time gathering information while trying to decide that we fail to decide. Let’s take a little bit of the overwhelm out of the equation by defining what exactly it is we are looking for in each of the types of vegetable or fruits we want to grow before we even dive into the catalogs or walk into the garden center. If you’ve got a list of attributes you’re looking for ahead of time it makes it easier to make a decision about what will do well in your garden, meet your goals, and eliminate some of the distractions. Let's dig in. Don't forget to answer the question of the month for January: How do you plan your garden each season? Resources and References: Plan Like a Pro Information Sign Up Home | The Buffalo Seed Company All-America Selections | AAS Winners | Best New Plants Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Choosing a Seed Supplier - Ep. 178 | 02 Jan 2024 | 00:32:09 | |
It used to be easy to just choose a catalog and order seeds because there were only a handful of choices and, generally speaking, unless you were going to the nursery or garden center to buy seed packets from a kiosk, you were ordering from a physical catalog that you actually got in the mail. But, nowadays, a simple internet search will yield thousands of results from companies all over the world and it’s a little bit more difficult to weed out the bad guys. So, today we are going to talk about ways to find a legitimate, established, verified seed company whether it’s online, through a catalog, or local to you. And what to do if you encounter a new small business that seems legit and you’d love to support them, but you also want to make sure you don’t get burned. I will also give you a list and links to my favorite suppliers over the years, including my very first catalog purchase. Let’s dig in! Question of the month: How do you plan your garden each season? Tell me by leaving a voice message, sending an email, responding below (in Spotify), or from the Facebook group! References and Resources: Gurney's - America's Most Complete Seed and Nursery (gurneys.com) Bring Your Garden to Life with Rare and Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com) Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Saving the Past for the Future Urban Farmer | Seeds, Plants and Garden Supplies (ufseeds.com) Johnny’s Selected Seeds | Supporting Farms & Gardens Since 1973 (johnnyseeds.com) Harris Seeds: Vegetable Seeds, Flower Seeds, Plants & Growing Supplies Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| How to Keep the Garden Producing All Season - Ep. 283 | 13 Jan 2026 | 00:32:16 | |
If you’ve ever had that one magical week where the garden is giving you exactly what you want - some lettuce, a few carrots, a handful of beans, a couple tomatoes - and then two weeks later you’re drowning in zucchini while everything else is kind of between harvests ... Today we’re fixing that. Because the goal for a lot of home gardeners isn’t “the biggest harvest possible on one weekend.” The goal is steady, usable harvests week after week so you’re actually eating from the garden regularly, without a sudden produce avalanche. So today on Just Grow Something, I’m going to teach you a planning method that revolves around harvest windows. Instead of only asking, “When do I plant this?” we’re going to ask: “When do I want to be harvesting this, and do I want it over and over again?” I’ll walk you through a simple framework and give you a few practical “rules of thumb” for how often certain crops can be re-planted or staggered to keep the harvest going. Let's dig in! References and Resources: My Plan Like A Pro Course is Open for Registration: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/pro University of Missouri Extension — “Harvest all season long with succession sowing” : https://extension.missouri.edu/news/harvest-all-season-long-with-succession-sowing University of Minnesota Extension — “Climate resilience resources for vegetable growers in Minnesota” (includes a “when to plant for continuous harvest” interval table): https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/climate-resilience-resources-vegetable-growers-minnesota#strategy-3%3A-reduce-risks-from-warmer-and-drier-conditions-3571512 NC State Extension — Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16 “Vegetable Gardening” (Succession planting: varieties with different maturity, repeat plantings, and filling in after harvest): https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/16-vegetable-gardening Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Top Episode 1: Growing Peppers - Ep. 177 | 26 Dec 2023 | 00:34:41 | |
Let's revisit the most downloaded episode of this podcast the past three season: growing peppers! Peppers are one of those plants that I get asked about all the time; it’s also one of those vegetables that is a mainstay in many people’s kitchens, and they can be expensive at the grocery store, so knowing how to grow your own is high up on the gardening wish list for a lot of people. So, today we talk all about peppers, both sweet and hot, how to get them to germinate, their feeding requirements, planting, spacing, harvesting and all the usual basics. By the end of this episode, I hope you can fill in the gaps of what’s been going on with your peppers to get you some success or give you the confidence to give them a try if you’re new to the capsicum scene. Let's dig in! References and Resources: Pharmacological importance of an ethnobotanical plant: Capsicum annuum L - PubMed (nih.gov) Bell Peppers 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits (healthline.com) Chili Peppers 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Effects (healthline.com) 6 Ways to Use Epsom Salt in the Garden | Epsom Salt Council Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers. Reader’s Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening, 1978 Damrosch, Barbara; The Garden Primer. Workman Publishing, New York. 1988 Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Top Episode 2: Growing Potatoes - Ep. 176 | 19 Dec 2023 | 00:38:00 | |
Potatoes are a staple in many households. The wonderful thing about Irish potatoes is that they can be grown just about anywhere, in ground or in planters or buckets. They can be a quick shoulder-season crop or they can spend 120 days in the ground, making way for fall-planted crops when they’re done. You can pick them early for baby potatoes, leave them late for storage potatoes, or anything in between, and they are one of the easiest crops for beginners because they are pretty hands off. Which may be why this episode was so popular. So, let’s revisit your second favorite episode of all time. Ready to grow potatoes? Let’s dig in! References and Resources: Hijmans, RJ; Spooner, DM (2001). "Geographic distribution of wild potato species". American Journal of Botany. 88 (11): 2101–12. doi:10.2307/3558435. JSTOR 3558435. PMID 21669641. Potato Production and Consumption Potato: Nutrition facts, recipes, benefits, side effects, and more (msn.com) Soil Temparature Maps | GreenCast | Syngenta (greencastonline.com) Growing potatoes in home gardens | UMN Extension ORGANIC POTATO GROWING GUIDE (woodprairie.com) Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Top Episode 3: Growing Onions - Ep. 175 | 12 Dec 2023 | 00:51:24 | |
Welcome back, my gardening friends, to another episode of Just Grow Something as we count down the top four episodes of all time throughout the month of December. This week we revisit the #3 most listened to episode of this show: Growing Onions. Onions are such a staple in most kitchens, it's no surprise many gardeners want to grow their own. The problem is they can be a bit tricky if you don't understand the difference in daylength requirements for growing those giant bulbs. Nutrient needs, soil type, water and storage are covered in this episode, all the things I wish I'd known when I made my own feeble attempts at growing onions years ago! Let's dig in. References and Resources: Free Download: Onion Growing Fact Sheet Ep. 114 - Planting Onions to Overwinter Onion History - National Onion Association (onions-usa.org) Nutrition Information for Raw Vegetables | FDA Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Vegetable Growing Guides - Growing Guide Growing Onions: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Onions | The Old Farmer's Almanac Onion Planting Guide - Dixondale Farms Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Top Episode 4: Growing Zucchini - Ep. 174 | 05 Dec 2023 | 00:34:41 | |
Over the past season we have welcomed a lot of new listeners from all over the world, so I thought for the month of December it’d be fun to revisit the top four episodes of the past three seasons of this podcast. We’ll start with your #4 favorite episode of all time: Growing Zucchini and other summer squashes. This is actually an episode from this season so for it to be in the number four spot means you guys were really interested in this information, and I am happy to share it again. I’ve edited it just a little bit to get right to the good bits, so let’s dig in!
Episode Resources and References: American Indian Health - Health (ku.edu) Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Vegetable Growing Guides - Growing Guide Squash, Zucchini and Summer | College of Agricultural Sciences (oregonstate.edu) Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Follow me on Instagram JustGrowSomethingPodcast.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Climbing Seed Prices and Proper Seed Storage - Ep. 173 | 28 Nov 2023 | 00:21:20 | |
The seed catalogs for the 2024 gardening season here in North America have begun rolling in and it always makes me excited. One of my favorite things to do on a chilly night is set myself up in my chair by the fire with a hot cup of something tasty, snuggle under a blanket with a stack of seed catalogs and a highlighter, and just peruse the newest hybrids and old favorites, marking the catalog as I go. If you like to do the same, this year you might be in for a little bit of a shock. If you’re not going for standard, open-pollinated varieties that have been around forever you might be surprised what you find when you start flipping through those pages. Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to talk about how these prices seem to be different from the previous few seasons and how we can cut our expenses in the garden through proper seed storage. If you have leftover seed from this past season, you really want to be sure you’re storing them properly so they will still be good for next season and beyond. We’ll talk the best conditions for storing the seeds in our stash, types of storage containers, and how long each type of seed can be stored. Let’s dig in. Resources and References: Ep. 63 - Proper Seed Storage: Moisture levels, storage conditions, containers, and more Ep. 108 - Basics of Saving Seeds How to Start Saving Seeds From Your Garden (and Why) - Ep. 159 Six Steps for Saving Seeds From Your Garden Saving Seeds From Your Region to Improve Your Garden (video) Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Updated USDA Hardiness Zone Map - Ep. 172 | 21 Nov 2023 | 00:22:53 | |
On November 17th the USDA updated the Hardiness Zone Map based on data from the past 30 years and many of us are now in new zones. So, what does that mean? Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to deep dive into the USDA Hardiness Zone Map; what the zone numbers and colors mean, how to use the map, what’s new and different with this version, what this means for perennials versus annual plants, and how it all ties into changes we may or may not want to make in our garden plans. Let's dig in! Episode References and Resources: 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Ep. 117 - Growing Cut Flowers in the Home Garden with Kathy Gormandy
Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Starting Your Own Sweet Potato Slips - Ep. 171 | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:19:59 | |
Many home gardeners and market growers alike rely on seed companies and other suppliers for not just our seeds, but also our started plants, roots, or bulbs. Things like garlic, onions, and seed potatoes are often purchased rather than saved from the previous harvest or started at home and sweet potatoes also fall into this category. For years I purchased started sweet potato slips to grow and I often still do, just because of the quantity I need. Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to go over three ways we can easily get our own slips started either from our own harvested sweet potatoes or from store-bought ones. It’s easier than you think and even if you need a lot of slips, it takes up less room than you might think. Let’s dig in! Episode Resources and References: Ep. 94 - Growing Sweet Potatoes Growing Sweet Potatoes in Missouri | MU Extension Sweet Potato Starts and Plantings (k-state.edu) Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Fall Amendments for the Spring Garden - Ep. 170 | 07 Nov 2023 | 00:28:10 | |
Fall is officially here, and I don’t know about you, but my garden is ready for a bit of a break. But that doesn’t mean the garden soil shouldn’t be doing something in the meantime. We all know testing our soil is the only real way to find out what is lacking in our gardens as far as nutrients are concerned and what the pH level is of that soil. Testing your soil now and adding the appropriate amendments means they will have a chance to break down into the soil, incorporate themselves, and become water soluble which is really the only way they can be absorbed by your plants come spring. But, how do you know what to add, when to add it, and how much? Today on Just Grow Something we’ll review some of the most easily accessible amendments you can use on your soil right now to give you a better garden next season and help you figure out how much of it to use, based on your own soil test results. Let’s dig in Episode Resources and References Ep. 76 - Managing Soil pH in Your Garden Affects of pH on Nutrient Availability Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Microgreen Basics - Ep. 169 | 17 Oct 2023 | 00:14:28 | |
Microgreens can be grown at any time of the year with very little in the way of equipment and it is super easy to get started. For many of us home gardeners, the season for salad greens can be short. And I don’t know about you, but I still crave fresh greens in the wintertime. The easiest answer to supplementing our greens is to grow microgreens indoors. So, today on Just Grow Something we’re getting started with growing microgreens; what supplies you need, which are the easiest ones for beginners to grow, and what you need to know about selecting seeds to use as microgreens. Let’s dig in. Episode Resources and References: Check out the selection of microgreens from today's sponsor, True Leaf Market! Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Growing Garlic as a Perennial - Ep. 168 | 10 Oct 2023 | 00:14:27 | |
Right about now is the time that some of us are looking at getting our garlic cloves into the ground for next summer’s harvest. It really is a pretty simple crop to grow but it seems like seed garlic is getting more and more expensive to purchase. I generally save the best specimens from this year’s harvest and plant it in the fall, but our bulbs this year were far from impressive, none of them really worthy of saving (remember, we save the best and eat the rest) and I found myself having to order a lot of seed garlic this year. So on this episode of Just Grow Something I’m digging further into the idea of a perennial garlic bed. This is something I explored a couple years ago and that I did unintentionally in my garlic bed from last year. So, I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of different ways to get a perennial harvest from one bed of garlic. It’s not as foolproof as, say, asparagus, where you plant it once and then just continue to harvest for the next 30 years. But, there are a whole host of ways to enjoy that garlic flavor we love while also protecting ourselves from the inflation that seems to be happening with seed garlic. Just one more way to become more self-reliant in our own gardens. Ready to tackle garlic as a perennial crop? Let’s dig in! Resources and References: Ep. 67 - When and How to Plant Your Garlic, Plus Tips for Warmer Climates Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Building Your 2026 Garden Plan - Ep. 282 | 06 Jan 2026 | 00:33:30 | |
If you’ve ever stared at a seed catalog in January and thought, “I want all of it,” and then somehow ended up with a garden that felt chaotic by mid-summer, today’s episode is for you. Because most “garden planning” advice starts with the fun part—varieties, colors, wish lists—and then we wonder why the plan falls apart when real life shows up. So today on Just Grow Something, we’re going to flip the order. I’m going to give you four questions that can lead you to an actual usable plan. These questions help you decide what to grow, where it goes, when it happens, and how to keep the plan realistic for the space and time you actually have. And the best part is you can use these four questions whether you garden in a single planter, a few raised beds, or a bigger in-ground plot. Let's dig in! References and Resources: My Plan Like A Pro Course is Open for Registration: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/pro How to Plan Your Raised Bed Garden, Ep. 269: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/episode/how-to-plan-a-raised-bed-garden-ep-269 Seven Steps to Planning Your Entire Garden Year - Ep. 234: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/episode/7-steps-to-planning-your-entire-garden-year-ep-234 Virginia Cooperative Extension (2025). “Planning the Vegetable Garden.” VCE Publications: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-312/426-312.html Washington State University Extension (2015). “Crop Rotation in Home Gardens” (PDF): https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2070/2015/08/Crop-Rotation-in-Home-Gardens.pdf Penn State Extension (2023). “Keeping a Garden Journal.”: https://extension.psu.edu/keeping-a-garden-journal/ Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com Just Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/ Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething Bonus content for supporters of the Podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Frost Protection Measures in the Garden - Ep. 167 | 03 Oct 2023 | 00:26:39 | |
It’s been an unusually warm start to fall in many areas of North America, my home in west central Missouri is no exception where we’re still seeing temperatures up into the 90s F the past few days. But I know we’re inching closer to our usual first frost date and I’m most certainly going to be prepared because our weather is notorious for changing practically overnight and then changing again. If you’re somewhere that experiences frost, which is basically anywhere up through USDA Hardiness zone 10, it pays to be prepared for the unexpected. Sometimes you may only have a few hours warning that a frost is coming overnight and scrambling to find everything you need at the last minute and covering plants in the dark is no fun. Especially when the forecast shows a two-week warm up after one night of frost. On today’s episode of Just Grow Something we’ll review what the USDA Hardiness Zone map actually means, what temperatures differentiate a frost from a freeze, which crops can survive an initial frost, and different options for frost and freeze protection in the garden. By the end you should have a pretty good idea of what you’ll need to have on hand based on your hardiness zone, what you’re growing in the garden and how much work you want to put into to protecting your plants from the cold. Let’s dig in! Resources and References: 2023 Frost Dates: First and Last Frost Dates by ZIP Code | The Old Farmer's Almanac | Almanac.com Five Crops to Plant in Fall for Winter Harvest, Zone by Zone - Ep. 163 Crops to Plant in Fall and Harvest in Spring - Ep. 164
Get Magic Mind: Use code JustGrow20 at checkout Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| When to Plant Your Cover Crops - Focal Point Friday | 29 Sep 2023 | 00:05:11 | |
We talked all about cover crops in the last episode: why we should use them and which crops perform what job. Let's chat today about when each of those crops should go into the ground for best results. Don't forget you can get a garden cover crop mix from True Leaf Market here: Check out True Leaf Market’s Cover Crop Mix Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Getting Started with Cover Crops - Ep. 166 | 26 Sep 2023 | 00:27:24 | |
As the growing season is winding down in many areas, we may be looking at some bare empty spaces in our gardens and wondering what to do with them. Should you just mulch it over? Add fresh compost and let it sit? How about a cover crop? Using a cover crop gives back a ton of benefits: improving soil structure, preventing erosion, acting as a living mulch, and adding nutrients back into the soil. And, yes, this can be done in both in-ground beds and raised planters. What you plant and what you do with it when it’s done all depends on what you want to get out of it, so today we’ll cover all the options to help you figure out which crops work best for your individual garden needs. Let’s dig in! Karin's Recommendations for Cover Crops: Preventing soil erosion and providing weed control: clover, mustard, oats, peas, daikon radish, winter rye, and vetch. Episode References and Resources: Get Magic Mind: Use code JustGrow20 at checkout Check out True Leaf Market’s Cover Crop Mix The Great Marigold Debate: Friend or Foe? Terminating Cover Crops | Southern Cover Crops Council Using Cover Crops and Green Manures in the Home Vegetable Garden – Wisconsin Horticulture Tips for Planting Cover Crops in Home Gardens (psu.edu) Cover crops and green manures in home gardens | UMN Extension Farm Seed & Cover Crops | Comparison Chart (PDF) | Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com) Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Overlooked Edibles: Parts of Our Garden We Didn't Know We Can Eat - Ep. 165 | 19 Sep 2023 | 00:23:53 | |
Obviously, we grow our vegetable gardens so we can harvest most of the plants to eat. Yes, some of them are pretty flowers and foliage that are a feast for the eyes, but mainly we just want to eat, right? I generally subscribe to the idea that no parts of the plants we grow should be wasted. If it’s not something we’re going to eat, that green matter needs to go into the compost pile so it can go back into the soil and grow more yummy veggies for my plate. Turns out I’ve been doing the eating part all wrong. Many of the vegetables and some of the fruits and flowers offer more edible parts beyond the commonly harvested portion than I ever realized. And this is actually pretty important when we think about the number of people who go without nutritious food every day. The more of each of these plants we can eat, the better our nutrition is and the better able we are to truly nourish our friends and family with the food we’re growing. Today on Just Grow Something we're jumping into some of the overlooked edibles in our gardens, the parts of the plants we didn’t know we can eat. Let’s dig in! Episode Resources: Try Magic Mind and get 50% off a subscription for a limited time with code JustGrow20 7 Ways to Eat Zucchini Greens - Our Permaculture Life Zucchini, You Can Eat the Stems, Too. – Lower Valley Assembly Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Growing Garlic in Warm Climates - Focal Point Friday | 15 Sep 2023 | 00:05:39 | |
Garlic needs specific conditions to grow and, often times, gardeners in warmer climates have a hard time meeting those conditions. Let's talk about some tips and tricks to making sure the conditions are right for growing garlic in your garden and one way to cheat the system! Reference episode: Ep. 67 - When and How to Plant Your Garlic, Plus Tips for Warmer Climates Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Crops to Plant in Fall and Harvest in Spring - Ep. 164 | 12 Sep 2023 | 00:25:48 | |
This week, let’s take a different approach and talk about things to plant now and through the late fall to get a jump on the spring harvest or even harvest in the summer. The timing of these plantings is going to vary by the region you garden in but the concepts are the same. Plant something now and let it get well-rooted, allow it to go dormant, then as the daylength increases in the spring watch it bounce back up with growth as soon as the conditions are right with no effort on our part in the spring. This does a couple of things for us: allows us to put our early spring gardening hours elsewhere, often toward crops that need a little extra effort anyway, and gives us an even earlier harvest than we would typically see if we usually need to wait for the ground to thaw or warm up before working in our garden beds. Many of these things are particularly important for those of us in temperate or cold-weather climates but gardeners in warmer zones can take advantage of this, too, depending on the crop. On today’s episode of Just Grow Something we’ll talk garlic, onions, root veggies, sprouting broccoli or broccoli raab, cold-hardy greens, and more that you can set and forget for a harvest next year. Let’s dig in! Resources and References: Ep. 67 - When and How to Plant Your Garlic, Plus Tips for Warmer Climates Ep. 114 - Planting Onions to Overwinter Ep. 118 - Cover Crops in the Home Garden Untreated Onion Sets | Sprout Mountain Farms Soil Temparature Maps | GreenCast Truly Garden Cover Crop Seed Mix Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Five Crops to Plant in Fall for Winter Harvest, Zone by Zone - Ep. 163 | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:23:02 | |
If you live in an area that sees hard freezes in winter and sometimes extremely low temperatures, then you might think there isn’t anything you can grow for harvest in the winter. Not so! Even if you live in areas where the ground is routinely frozen solid for months on end, you can keep some crops in the ground and, with some effort, harvest some of those during at least the early parts of winter before bringing the final harvest indoors. If you live in an area where you can grow food year-round you might not be aware of what crops are best for you to grow in your climate at the coldest and darkest time of the year. There are two main factors that go into what you can grow in your garden through the winter: your weather conditions and your number of daylight hours. Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to talk about crops that are contenders for being planted in the fall, harvested in the winter, whether you’re in a warmer area with plenty of daylight, or don’t have much daylight and it gets super cold. Let’s dig in! Episode Resources and References: Sunset and sunrise times for any location - Free calendars and calculator (sunrise-sunset.org) Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Direct Sowing Seeds in Late Summer Heat - Focal Point Friday | 01 Sep 2023 | 00:09:21 | |
We've talked about transplanting fall crops in the late summer heat, but what about sowing those seeds directly into the garden? Soil temperature is a real concern here, so today we'll spend a few minutes reviewing the optimal germination temperature for direct-sown fall garden crops and a few tricks for reducing the soil temperature more quickly. Resources: Taylor Precision Products Standard Grade Thermometer Soil Temperature and Seed Germination (psu.edu) Ep. 142 - Planting by Soil Temperature vs Air Temperature: When's the best time to plant? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Storing the Most Popular Types of Fall Garden Crops: No Freezing, No Canning, No Dehydrating Required - Ep. 162 | 29 Aug 2023 | 00:38:11 | |
Late summer and all through fall are the times many gardeners are harvesting crops they want to keep for the long-term to use throughout the winter. How do we harvest and store these vegetables to be sure they retain their flavor, texture, and nutrient value? Today we'll discuss basic cold storage of the most popular types of fall garden crop: no refrigeration, no freezing, no canning, no dehydrating. Just what you can rig up in your basement, a closet, a garage or, if you’re lucky, a root cellar. Each category of crop has its own preference for long-term storage conditions and it’s well worth making sure you have these areas figured out and set up ahead of time so you can keep the bounty going for as long as you can. Let's dig in! References and Resources: Ep. 42 - Just Grow Carrots Ep. 48 - We Got the Beet! Ep. 94 - Growing Sweet Potatoes Ep. 52 - Cabbage Ep. 34 - Garden Talk Tuesday: Winter Squash Ep. 133 - Growing Onions Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Shade Options for Late Summer Transplants - Focal Point Friday | 25 Aug 2023 | 00:05:33 | |
When talking about protecting our summer transplants from excessive heat to get them through to a fall harvest, we can't overlook the possibilities of shade. Temporary shade structures in the late summer garden can help protect our transplants, but it doesn't always require us to purchase or create something! On this Focal Point Friday episode, we spend just five minutes discussing six different options for protecting our fall transplants from too much sun. Resources: Fall Garden Transplants: Tips for Success in the Heat - Ep. 161 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Garden Goal Setting for the New Year – Ep. 281 | 23 Dec 2025 | 00:27:06 | |
We’ve reached the end of another gardening year. Maybe your garden was spectacular. Maybe it was just so-so. Maybe it was an absolute disaster in certain beds and you’re still a little salty about the squash vine borers. However it went, this is a powerful moment in the gardening calendar. Today we’re going to slow down and talk about taking time to reflect on the past season, reset your expectations, and reimagine what you want from your garden next year. Extension programs and planning guides consistently recommend end-of-season evaluation, note-taking, and mapping as key pieces of long-term garden success. Research on goal-setting shows that specific, challenging, and meaningful goals help people follow through and actually change their behavior. So, in this final episode of the year, we’re going to weave those two ideas together: 1. Why the end of the year is the best time to reflect on your garden 2. What goal-setting research can teach us about making better garden goals 3. Turning reflection into 3–5 clear, realistic goals for next year 4. A healthier mindset for handling “failures” and unexpected seasons By the end, you’ll have a framework to close the book on this year’s garden and open a new one with intention. Let’s dig in. References and Resources: Iowa State University Extension – Yard and Garden. “Garden Journaling.”: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/garden-journaling Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. “Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation.” American Psychologist, 2002: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12237980/ Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com Just Grow Something Merch andDownloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething Bonus content for supporters of the Podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Fall Garden Transplants: Tips for Success in the Heat - Ep. 161 | 22 Aug 2023 | 00:22:30 | |
If you’re somewhere where Mother Nature is currently trying to cook you, what do you do to prepare and transplant crops that prefer cooler weather than what you've got? Do you wait? Do you forge ahead and just keep your fingers crossed? Today we’ll talk about how to mitigate the heat when trying to transplant fall crops including the reason why I actually didn’t get any of my plants in the ground last week and, instead, am transplanting now when it’s even hotter. Our heat index yesterday was 125F and I am not worried about my plants. We’ll talk about why. Let’s dig in! Episode Resources: Basic Research and Applications of Mycorrhizae - Gopi K. Podila - Google Books Ep.101 - How to Prepare and What to Grow in Your Fall Garden Steps For Growing a Fall Garden Episode 89 - Life. with Karin Velez - The Rural Mindset Podcast | Podcast on Spotify Just Grow Something with Karin Velez (justgrowsomethingpodcast.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| More Fermenting Basics - Focal Point Friday | 11 Aug 2023 | 00:07:00 | |
Let's throwback to my first episode on fermenting and talk a little bit more about the basics. What are those bacteria doing? How safe is fermentation? Let's talk pickling versus fermenting, veggies versus fruits, and cold storage. Episode Resources: Ep. 113 – Dehydrating, Cold Storage, and Fermenting: More Ways to Store Your Harvest Just Grow Something with Karin Velez (justgrowsomethingpodcast.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| Getting Started in Fermenting - Ep. 160 | 08 Aug 2023 | 00:40:03 | |
Fermenting foods can be a fun and rewarding way to both preserve the harvest and enhance the flavors of our garden bounty. If you're a beginner looking to get started with fermenting your own foods, I’ve discovered it’s not hard, but there are some essential things to know. Today on Just Grow Something we’ll look at the key tenants behind fermenting foods, the basics of getting started, what types of equipment are necessary and what are just nice-to-haves. Ready to start fermenting? Let’s dig in! Episode Resources and References: Preserving Episodes | Just Grow Something with Karin Velez Plan Like a Pro Fall Registration National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can (uga.edu) Health benefits of fermented foods: microbiota and beyond - ScienceDirect Eating Fermented: Health Benefits of LAB-Fermented Foods (mdpi.com) Are Fermented Foods Effective against Inflammatory Diseases? (mdpi.com) Just Grow Something with Karin Velez (justgrowsomethingpodcast.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||