Organic Gardening For Beginners: Practical, Beginner-Friendly Gardening Tips To Grow Your Own Food and Flowers – Details, episodes & analysis

June is a key month for both planting and prepping your garden for the season ahead! In this episode, we cover:

✅ Last-Chance Summer Crops – Get those tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, and squash in the ground before it’s too late!
✅ Direct Seeding Tips – Fast-growing flowers, root crops, and herbs you can still plant now.
✅ Succession Planting for Greens – Keep the harvest going with broccoli rabe and Napa cabbage.
✅ Carrot Germination Hack – A simple trick to keep seeds moist and improve sprouting.
✅ Biennials & Perennials to Start Now – Why June is the perfect time to plant hollyhocks, lupins, and black-eyed Susans for next year’s blooms.
✅ Flower & Herb Must-Haves – Pollinator-friendly, edible, and medicinal varieties to grow this summer.

🌱 Whether you're catching up or planning ahead, this episode will help you maximize your June garden! Tune in now.

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

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We're diving into the world of companion planting and how you can boost your garden’s health and productivity by pairing plants that thrive together. Whether you have a small garden or are working with containers, these tips will help you make the most of your space!

✅ 10 Companion Planting Combinations – Pairings like tomatoes and basil, peppers and zinnias, that will enhance your garden.
 ✅ Boosting Plant Health – How certain plants can naturally repel pests and support each other’s growth.
 ✅ Companion Planting in Containers – Tips for creating thriving mini ecosystems in small spaces.
 ✅ Maximizing Space & Resources – How strategic pairings can save you time and effort while improving yield.

🌱 If you're looking to get the most out of your garden with minimal space, this episode is packed with easy-to-implement companion planting strategies! Tune in now!

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

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Seed starting is in full swing, and I've been getting a bunch of questions about the process. So this episode will share the answers I've been giving and help you in your own seed starting efforts.

Questions include:
Why aren't your seeds covered?
Why don't you cover your seed trays?
What's damping off?
What are leggy seedlings?
If the soil is too cold, will my seeds rot or sprout once it warms up?
How many seeds per hole or cell?
What if you plant too many seeds?

Get all the answers, and hear which seed companies I regularly shop from. Each one has a specialty that makes them my go-to, from medicinal herbs to a wide choice of flower varieties.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Pinetree Garden Seeds
True Leaf Market
Swallowtail Seeds
Uprising Seeds

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

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It's March! In the gardening world, that's a big signal to get started with sowing indoors and out.

In this episode I'll have several lists for you, including veggies, flowers, and herbs to start indoors or direct sow, quick ways to get new garden beds up and running before prime planting time, and a few tips to help you have your garden plan ready for the season.

I mention a few resources in this episode, which you can find here:

Garden Layout Templates by yours truly. Check out a bird's eye view of planning out your whole year, plus get sample layouts for five different gardens. 

The Self-Sufficiency Garden by Huw Richards
Cattle Panel Greenhouse Build by Mount Liberty Designs

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps new gardeners find the show 💚

Spring is such a busy time of year that even knowing where to start can seem overwhelming. This episode breaks down how to avoid that overwhelm and instead learn how to take full advantage of your space and season, starting this spring.

Use methods like succession planting, relay planting, transitioning beds, and overwintering to always have something growing in the garden, whether it's cold-hardy spring veggies or heat-loving summer flowers.

Companion planting will help you squeeze in even more crops by sharing space, such as growing tomatoes up the pea trellis as summer rolls in, or planting lettuce in the spot you just pulled a carrot out of.

To help you out with your planning and layouts, I created a set of Garden Layout Templates that can help you get a birds-eye view of your space and growing season.

With templates for single beds, multiple beds, and container or border gardens, you'll find a cheat sheet that works for your space.

Combine your Layout Templates with the free Garden Planning Toolkit and you have what you need for a full garden year. 

Grab your Garden Layout Templates and follow along with this episode to get a clear plan for your season!

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps new gardeners find the show 💚

Starting your seeds indoors is one of the most exciting parts of gardening, but it can also feel overwhelming. In this episode, I’ll walk you through five essential tips for starting your seeds indoors with confidence. From choosing the right supplies to ensuring a smooth transition to the garden, these tips will help set your seedlings up for success. Whether you’re a first-time gardener or just looking to fine-tune your process, this episode will help you grow healthier, stronger plants.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The best supplies you’ll need to start seeds indoors
• How to choose the right lighting for optimal seedling growth
• The importance of thinning your seedlings and how to do it
• Proper watering techniques to avoid common mistakes
• The hardening off process and why it’s crucial for your seedlings

Plus:

• How to gradually introduce your seedlings to the outdoors
• Why hardening off is key to a successful plant transition
• Tips for protecting your seedlings from extreme weather

🌿 Don't forget to grab your Seed Starting Planner to help you plan, track, and manage your crops from seed to harvest.

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps new gardeners find the show 💚

Figuring out how to get your garden started is the next step once you know what you want to grow.

But how exactly do you do that? Today, I’m breaking down the difference between direct sowing and indoor seed starting so you can choose the right method for you.

Plus, I have a list of crops you should consider for each method to have the best chance of success.

Don't forget to download your Garden Planning Toolkit and use the sowing calendar to find your dates as well as which method I recommend for all your crops: Garden Planning Toolkit

Happy gardening!

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps new gardeners find the show 💚

It's February in the garden, and that opens up the possibility for SO MANY things to do, from starting a whole slew of seeds to attending local workshops to visiting fruit tree nurseries.

You won't be bored this month, and after this episode, you'll have a to-do list (and seed starting list!) a mile long.

Grab your free Garden Planning Toolkit to lock in seed starting dates with a frost date calendar.

Happy gardening!

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps new gardeners find the show 💚

Welcome back to this episode where I dive into the world of gardening with a seasonal twist. I'm Jessica, and in this episode, we cap off our January garden planning series with some golden nuggets of wisdom to take you from planning to planting.

If you're a newbie or a seasoned pro, this episode is your trusty guide to syncing your garden with the seasons.

We kick things off by deciphering frost dates and growing seasons. I'll show you how to use these dates to create a planting calendar that aligns with your local climate.

Remember, 'planted is better than perfect,' so don't stress about hitting every date precisely. And if you've missed our previous chats, episodes 39 to 41 are there for a quick catch-up, plus a handy downloadable calendar to keep things smooth.

Next, we'll dive into how frost dates inform when to plant your seeds. You'll get practical advice on starting warm-season veggies like tomatoes indoors and why cold-hardy plants like snap peas can go straight into the garden earlier. The goal is to craft a planting schedule that leads to a full garden all season.

Then, we ease into simple gardening strategies. I encourage starting with a few plants after the frost date using local seedlings. This way, you avoid overwhelming yourself with too many details.

I also touch on adapting garden plans, like when I moved mid-season, and share some tips on extending your growing season with methods like low tunnels and row covers.

Happy gardening!

find your frost dates:
Dave's Garden frost dates
Farmer's Almanac frost dates

Here's a great article I wrote that gives you a solid example of planting within your frost dates with cosmos flowers. 

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps new gardeners find the show 💚

It's all about learning from past gardening mistakes this week! I've committed many common rookie mistakes over my years of gardening, and I want to share some of the easy-to-avoid ones with you this week to help you have an easier season!

Here are couple of past episodes I'm mention this week:
012: Best (Free!) Organic Mulches For The Home Garden
011: How to Create A Garden Maintenance Schedule You Can Stick To

And the YouTube channel Regenerative Gardening I mention when talking about the value in experimenting in the garden. 

Don't forget to download your Garden Planning Toolkit and start plotting out your sowing dates: Garden Planning Toolkit

📩 Questions? Email me at [email protected]

Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps new gardeners find the show 💚