Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening
Karin Velez 345 episodes Nov 10, 2026
Just Grow Something is a podcast that helps home gardeners grow better vegetable gardens using evidence-based techniques and research. Host Karin Velez covers specific plants, pests, diseases, soil health, mulch, garden planning, and more. The show explains both the "how" and the "why" behind gardening practices. Each week, listeners learn to plan, grow, and improve their gardening skills regardless of space or experience level.
Episodes
Test Before You Amend: Fall Soil Testing and What to Add Now - Ep. 326
Fall is the best time of year to test your garden soil, and the main reason is time. The amendments that fix pH work slowly, so a test this fall gives lime the months it needs to do its job before you plant next spring. But there's a twist most gardeners don't expect. When soil labs look at home garden samples, a huge share of them come back with too much phosphorus and potassium already, often fr
Attacking Perennial Weeds in Fall: Find Them, Dig Them, Starve Them - Ep 325
Perennial weeds live in their roots, and fall is when those roots are filling up for winter. That's why you hear so much about fall being weed-killing season. But if you garden without herbicides, the real value of fall is a little different. It's the season to find these weeds while they're easy to see, dig the ones you can dig while the soil is soft, block the light on the ones you can't, and se
How to Attract Pollinators and Natural Pest Predators with Native Plants - Ep. 324
Fall is the best time of year to plant native perennials, and it's also the easiest. The seeds of most native wildflowers need a winter outside before they'll sprout, and plugs planted while the soil is still warm get a head start on roots before they go dormant.
In this episode I'm walking you through why it's worth making room for natives at all, including what researchers are finding about the
Overwintering Tender Garden Plants - Ep. 323
Every fall I look at my pepper plants loaded with fruit and my rosemary at its biggest, and I hate the idea of handing them over to the first hard freeze. The good news is you don't have to. Peppers, rosemary, and geraniums are all perennials somewhere in the world, and basil will keep going for a while on a windowsill if you start it right. But whether a plant makes it to spring gets decided most
Seed Saving: Harvesting, Drying and Storing for Next Season - Ep. 322
Every fall somebody asks me if they can save the seeds from that amazing tomato or melon they just ate, and the answer is "maybe." Whether a saved seed grows into the plant you loved gets decided twice. The first time is months earlier, when the flower was pollinated, and the second is after harvest, when the seed either stays in the right conditions or doesn't.
In this episode we're cov
Preserving Without Canning - Ep. 321
Canning gets most of the attention, but for a lot of what comes out of the garden, it isn't the best way to put food up. In this episode, we're opening up the rest of the preserving toolbox: freezing, drying, fermenting, refrigerator pickles, and good old-fashioned cold storage.
We'll talk about why skipping the blanch (or cutting it short) costs you flavor and color in the freezer, which vegetabl
Home Canning Myths Debunked - Ep. 320
A jar that seals is a jar that seals, and that's about all it tells you. In this episode, we're taking on four home canning myths that keep circulating in gardening groups, on food blogs, and in family recipe boxes: oven canning, open-kettle canning (and its cousin, flipping jars upside down), packing tomatoes and garlic in oil, and the idea that a salsa recipe can be tweaked however you like as l
End-of-Season Tomato Rescue: Ripening, Freezing, and Preserving - Ep. 319
Frost is on the way, and the vines are still loaded with green tomatoes. In this episode, we sort out which green tomatoes will finish ripening on your counter (the mature greens and the blushers) and which ones belong in the skillet, the freezer, or a tested relish recipe.
You'll learn what cold does to a tomato, why a stretch of chilly weather can cost you ripening ability before frost ever show
Cover Crops in the Home Garden - Ep. 318
Every empty bed in your garden is either growing something for you or growing weeds and losing topsoil. Cover crops are how you make sure it's the first one.
In this episode, we get into why cover crops work in both in-ground beds and raised planters, which ones perform best when you sow them in fall, and which ones are worth a spot in your rotation come spring. We'll look at nitrogen-fixing legum
Fall-Planted vs. Spring-Planted Onions: Choosing the Right System for Your Garden - Ep. 317
Onions are having a moment in the seed catalogs right now, and a lot of that buzz is about overwintering them, tucking small transplants into the bed in September, letting them sit through the cold, and pulling bigger, earlier bulbs the following June. It sounds like a clear win. But the biology underneath it is more particular than the marketing lets on, and the trade-offs are real.
In this episo
Choosing a Garlic Variety Based on the Science - Ep. 316
It's the middle of summer, and I want you thinking about garlic. Not because it's time to plant, but because if you wait until it's time to plant, the good seed garlic may already be gone!
In this episode, I'm breaking down the real difference between hardneck and softneck garlic: the cold-exposure requirement called vernalization that decides which type will bulb properly in your garden, how clov
How to Know When Winter Squash is Ready to Harvest (and How to Store Them) - Ep. 315
Winter squash gives you almost no obvious warning before it's ready, and pulling it too early is one of the most common mistakes gardeners make. And that mistake costs you flavor, sugar content, and months of storage life. In this episode, we're breaking down exactly how to read maturity on butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata, and storage pumpkins: the rind test, the ground spot, and the specifi
Who's Eating My Garden? Identifying and Deterring Common Backyard Wildlife - Ep. 314
Something has been eating your tomatoes, mowing your green beans down to nubs overnight, or turning your flower bed into a construction site, and you want to know who's responsible and what will make them stop. In this episode, we're working through the full lineup of backyard garden critters, starting with the animals most home gardeners deal with every season: squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer
Organic, Conventional, or Homegrown: What the Research Really Shows About Nutrition - Ep. 313
You've probably heard both sides of this argument: that organic and conventional produce are nutritionally identical, and that homegrown vegetables blow store-bought out of the water. Which one is true?
In this episode, I dig through the peer-reviewed research on three separate questions: whether organic farming produces more nutritious food, whether soil health itself changes the nutrient content
Why I Trust University Extension - Ep. 312
If you've listened to this show for any length of time, you've heard me point to University Extension again and again as my go-to source. But I've never actually explained why.
In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on the Cooperative Extension System: where it came from, starting with farmers comparing notes in the early 1800s, through the Morrill Act's creation of land-grant universitie
The Science We Got Wrong: How Plant Research Rewrote the Rules for Gardening - Ep. 311
For most of the last century, gardeners were taught to cultivate their soil after every rain to conserve moisture, to think of plant roots as lone competitors, and to treat "plant communication" as science fiction. All of that was built on the best evidence available at the time, and all of it has been revised, in some cases more than once, as better tools let researchers see what earlie
The Mid-Season Soil Check - Ep. 310
Your garden is at its busiest in July, and so is the wear and tear on your soil. In this episode we get past the fertilizer conversation and into whether your soil is still functioning at all — how traffic, pounding rain, heat, and heavy-feeding crops degrade soil mid-season, the physical, chemical, and biological warning signs to look for right now, and tests you can run this week to sort the pro
Battling Blossom End Rot the Right Way - Ep. 309
If you've grown tomatoes or peppers for more than one season, you more than likely know the feeling been waiting that first tomato to ripen, finally see it’s blushing red, and you flip it over to find a sunken, leathery patch covering half the bottom of the fruit. And if you went looking for answers, you probably found three of them repeated everywhere you turned: sprinkle in some crushed eggshell
Heat Stress vs Drought Stress in the Vegetable Garden - Ep. 308
It's two o'clock on a July afternoon. You walk out to check the garden, and your squash leaves are drooping so low they're nearly touching the mulch. Your tomato plants look like they've given up on the whole season. If your first thought, every single time, is “I need to water right now,” hold on a second before you grab that hose. Because that dramatic afternoon collapse you're looking at likely
How to Time Your Fall Brassicas - Ep. 307
Fall gardening doesn't start in September. For the crops that take a long time to produce, your broccoli, your cauliflower, your cabbage, your Brussels sprouts, it starts right now in late June and early July. And if you've never had a productive fall brassica bed, it's almost certainly because you started too late and it took me a lot of years to master this.
This episode is about fall gardening
Mid-Season Fertilizing: How to Know What Your Vegetables Actually Need - Ep. 306
It’s June, your tomatoes are climbing, your corn is waist-high, and the internet is full of fertilizing advice—most of it missing the most important variable: timing. In this episode, we dig into what your vegetables need right now at mid-season, why nitrogen timing is the thing most gardeners get wrong, how fruiting crops and leafy crops have completely different needs, and when fertilizing can a
Early Blight Versus Late Blight in Tomatoes: Don't Get This One Wrong! - Ep. 305
Every June, one of the most common questions that floods gardening groups, emails, and extension offices is some version of: “My tomato leaves are turning brown — do I have blight?” The confusion is completely understandable, because there are two diseases that get lumped under that word — and they are caused by completely different organisms, show up in different ways, and require completely diff
How to Manage Squash Vine Borer - Ep. 304
Every year, gardeners across the country watch their squash plants collapse overnight and have absolutely no idea why until it’s too late. The culprit is the squash vine borer, and it is one of the most misunderstood pests in the home garden.
In this episode, Karin Velez breaks down the full life cycle of the squash vine borer, including regional timing differences that explain why gardeners in Fl
How to Identify and Manage Perennial Weeds (Without the Viral Sprays) - Ep. 303
Perennial weeds are in a different category than annuals. They don’t just re-seed, they regrow from the ground up, season after season, from root systems that can run three feet deep or spread fifteen feet sideways underground. In this episode, we’re tackling them systematically. First, a regional tour of the most aggressive perennial weeds in the U.S. - what they look like, how they spread, and w
Mulch Matchmaking: Choosing the Right Mulch for Your Vegetable Garden - Ep. 302
Mulch is one of the highest-return investments you can make in your vegetable garden and yet most gardeners are using whatever happens to be available rather than whatever would actually work best for their situation.
In this episode, we dig into the full lineup of organic mulches—straw, shredded leaves, wood chips, pine needles, grass clippings, and compost—as well as a shorter look at inorganic
Spring-Planted Bulbs and Summer Blooms: A Guide to Growing and Storing Dahlias, Gladiolus, and More - Ep. 301
A listener asked for a deep dive on dahlias and I’m delivering, from the ground up (pun intended). But we’re not stopping there. In this episode, I’m covering the full world of spring-planted bulbs: dahlias, gladiolus, cannas, calla lilies, and tuberous begonias. You’ll learn when and how to plant them, how to grow them for maximum blooms, how to cut them for the vase (because that’s half the fun)
Episode 300: The Questions You Keep Asking (and What the Research Actually Says)
We made it to 300 episodes! And to celebrate, I’m doing something a little different. I went looking for the questions home gardeners are asking most, the ones showing up in Reddit threads, Facebook groups, university extension Q&A lines, master gardener helplines, and my own DMs and emails, over and over and over again. Then I went to the research: university extensions, peer-reviewed horticu
Topping Peppers: What does the science say, yay or nay? - Ep. 299
The subject of whether you should top your pepper plants can bring on a pretty strong debate among gardeners. That’s because this is one of those topics where the answer genuinely is: it depends. And I mean that in a very specific, evidence-based way that comes down to two things: your climate and your pepper type.
I’ll be straight with you, I do not top my peppers. We are in a zone 6b in west cen
Growing Tomatoes, Peppers, and Lettuce in Pots - Ep. 298
Last week on the show we talked about the basic considerations for growing in containers, and that included how to evaluate whether a crop is a good candidate for growing in a pot.
This week we’re digging into the three crops I get asked about the most often when it comes to growing in containers: tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. And while, technically, you can grow most anything in the right sized
Container Gardening 101 - Ep. 297
No yard? No tiller? No problem. If you've got a patio, a porch, a balcony, or even a sunny driveway, you can grow a real, productive vegetable garden in containers.
Today on Just Grow Something, we walk through the essentials of container gardening from the ground up: how to evaluate whether a crop is a good candidate for a pot, how to pick the right container size based on root system and mature
Succession Planting 101: How to Keep Your Garden Producing from Spring Through Frost - Ep. 296
Empty beds mean missed harvests. But with the right plan, they're completely avoidable. Today on Just Grow Something I'm walking you through succession planting and relay planting, the strategies that keep your garden productive not just across space, but across time.
Whether you're dealing with a four-month growing season or gardening in year-round heat, there's a succession approach that works f
Interplanting Done Right: The High, Low, Fast, Slow Method for Bigger Harvests - Ep. 295
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 mis
Your Greenhouse Operating Manual - Ep. 294
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,
Greenhouse Tradeoffs: Heat, Humidity, Pests, and Practicality - Ep. 293
Get my free guide to choosing which protected gardening structure you should choose - https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/greenhouse
Protected growing structures like greenhouses can be game-changers - earlier harvests, fewer rain-splashed diseases, better crop quality, and more reliable timing. But they also create a new microclimate with new rules: overheating, humidity spikes, irrigation deman
How to Pick the Right Greenhouse, Tunnel, or Cold Frame - Ep. 292
Download my Protected Growing Quick Guide to help you make the decision on what type of structure would work best in your garden: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/greenhouse
Thinking about a greenhouse but not sure if you really need one? There are some beautiful and expensive options out there, but greenhouses aren’t the only option for extending the season your garden.
Today on Just Grow Som
Hardening Off Homegrown AND Storebought Seedlings - Ep. 291
Hardening off is the difference between sturdy transplants that take off fast and seedlings that stall, scorch, or collapse after planting.
Today on Just Grow Something, you’ll learn what to do indoors before hardening off, a simple step-by-step hardening-off schedule (including temperature guidelines, shade vs. sun, wind protection, and watering adjustments), and what to watch for when you transp
How to Time Seed Starting for Your Garden: Start Dates That Make Sense - Ep. 290
Timing your seed starting shouldn't be hard. There are plenty of calendars to follow, right? Until following a calendar means you start too early, run out of space, and end up babysitting leggy, root-bound seedlings for weeks. Or you start too late and miss the planting window you planned for.
So, today on Just Grow Something, we're connecting the dots between frost dates, planting calendars, and
Spring Garden Bed Preparation - Ep. 289
If you want an easier garden season, February is the time to set the foundation. Two steps do most of the heavy lifting: getting a soil test and prepping beds without damaging soil structure. Done well, these tasks reduce fertilizer guesswork and improve root growth.You can do a lot right now that sets you up for success without rushing into two classic mistakes:1. throwing amendments at the garde
Indoor Seedling Troubleshooting - Ep. 288
Today is a clinic episode, a Seedling Troubleshooting Clinic to be exact, because if you’re starting seeds indoors, something is eventually going to look weird. A tray that was perfect yesterday is suddenly leaning. Something looks fuzzy on the soil surface. Or a seedling that seemed fine just flops over.The good news is most seedling problems come from a small handful of causes, causes that we ca
Onions vs Shallots in the Kitchen and the Garden - Ep. 287
Onions and shallots are closely related, they can be used in similar ways, and they look similar at the store, but they behave differently in both the kitchen and the garden.So, today on Just Grow Something we’re doing a side-by-side comparison of these alliums. We’ll cover how they differ in taste and cooking uses, how they differ in growth habit, how to grow each one, and finally, how to adapt f
Five Spring Crops to Plant Earlier Than You Think - Ep. 286
If you’ve ever planted a big patch of arugula at the same time you planted the rest of the spring garden, only to watch it shoot up a flower stalk a few weeks later, you’ve already met this week’s topic: heat-sensitive crops.Heat-sensitive doesn’t always mean a plant can’t survive warm weather. It usually means warm temperatures and lengthening days change the plant’s priorities. Instead of produc
Creating Your Garden Calendar - Ep. 285
My Plan Like A Pro Course is Open for Registration: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/proIf 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? A
The Low Maintenance Garden Plan - Ep. 284
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 desi
How to Keep the Garden Producing All Season - Ep. 283
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 goa
Building Your 2026 Garden Plan - Ep. 282
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 th
Garden Goal Setting for the New Year – Ep. 281
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 expectation
Seed Catalog Season - Ep. 280
Seed catalog season is fun, but it can also be overwhelming. If you’ve ever ordered way more seed than you can possibly plant, chosen a variety that just did not perform in your climate, or gotten confused by all the codes, abbreviations, and marketing language this episode is for you.Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to talk about how to read a seed catalog.We’ll cover:1. Why seed catalogs
Winter Sowing 101 - Ep. 279
Winter sowing is a seed-starting method that sounds a little bit wild the first time you hear it but makes sense if you think about it from a horticultural standpoint. Basically you are sowing seeds in recycled containers like milk jugs and placing them outside in the winter as a very hands-off way of starting your spring garden.If you’ve ever:• Run out of space under grow lights• Been frustrated
Indoor Greens and Herbs for the Winter - Ep. 278
When the garden beds are frozen, the days are short, and you’re staring at bags of store-bought salad mix, it can feel like fresh homegrown food is a long way off. But it doesn’t have to be.Today on Just Grow Something we’re talking about growing herbs and leafy greens indoors in winter—on a windowsill, under a simple grow light, or with one of those countertop indoor garden systemsIf you’ve ever
How to Prepare for Seed Season: Reflection, Inventory, and Smarter Ordering - Ep. 277
Prepare for seed season with practical tips on reviewing your garden's performance, taking seed inventory, and ordering smarter for a more successful growing year.Today on Just Grow Something we walk through the essential steps to get ready for seed season: how to reflect on what worked (and didn't) in your garden, take a proper seed inventory, and create a more intentional seed order when the flo
Essential Fall Garden Clean Up - Ep. 276
Today we’re talking about one of my least favorite but probably most important fall garden rituals: the great garden clean-up. This is the part of the year where we get to close one chapter of the garden season and start quietly writing the next chapter.Now that most of the chaos of the garden is done, it's time to be putting things in order, protecting the soil, and setting yourself up for succes
How to Store the Fall Harvest - Ep. 275
The frost has settled, most of the garden has gone to sleep, and now we’re turning our attention to what’s left — the fruits (and roots) of our labor.I’m talking about how to store and preserve that late-season harvest, so all your hard work continues to pay off well into winter.Today on Just Grow Something We’ll look at how long certain crops can remain in the garden, essentially in storage mode
One More Month of Harvests - Ep. 274
If your forecast is flirting with frost and you still have all those lovely greens and root veggies out there, don’t panic, prepare.Today on Just Grow Something we’re talking row cover and low tunnels: what to buy, how to set up fast, how to vent so you don’t cook your greens, and exactly which fabrics and plastics can squeeze out one more month of salads, herbs, and even late summer crops like be
How to Clone Your Best Plants from the Garden (and Why) - Ep. 273
Whether you live in a climate that allows for a veery long growing season or you’re like me and need to cram as much growing into a shorter season as possible, cloning is a shortcut to making the most of our best plants. In some cases it even makes sense to overwinter some of those plants so next season starts off weeks ahead of schedule.So, today on Just Grow Something, we’re talking about the im
Garlic, Onions and Shallots: Your Fall Planting Guide - Ep. 272
Now is the time to be getting our garlic, shallots and even onions planted in some places. If you can give me one good hour in the garden this month, you can set yourself up for big flavor next summer.Today on Just Grow Something were going to walk through planting garlic and shallots and some tips on where it’s okay to even plant onion sets for a summer harvest. We’ll talk about when to plant for
Leave the Leaves Strategically - Ep. 271
Fallen leaves in the garden will blanket the soil, slow weeds, and shelter a whole mini-wildlife community. Many native butterflies, moths, beetles, and even some queen bumble bees ride out winter tucked into leaf litter and hollow stems. When we keep some of that litter in place, we’re giving next spring’s pollinators a head start.That's the idea behind the National Wildlife Federation "Leave the
Planting by the Moon - Ep. 270
As I record this, tonight will be a full moon. In fact, it’s the Harvest Supermoon here in the northern hemisphere. And it’s very possible that your online gardening group is absolutely abuzz with advice that tomatoes grow better if you plant them in the days leading up to the full moon and your beets grow more voluptuous if you plant them after the full moon.But does gardening by the moon actuall
How to Plan a Raised Bed Garden - Ep 269
For this final episode in our Raised Bed series, we’re talking about how to plan your raised bed garden. If you’ve never grown in a raised bed, there are some nuances to the planning and planting aspect, no matter what material you built the bed from. And if you’re already gardening in raised beds, but it turned into a jungle by July and a desert by August, this episode is also for you!So, today o
Raised Bed Gardening with Gardener Scott - Ep. 268
All this month we've been talking about creating new raised beds, what materials to use, and how to fill them. So, I thought it would be fitting to have on an expert on the subject.Scott Wilson, otherwise known as Gardener Scott on YouTube, has been building and growing in raised beds for two decades and has taught others to do the same as both a Master Gardener and a garden educator. His new book
Layer by Layer: How to Fill a New Raised Bed - Ep. 267
This week we tackle one of the biggest questions in raisedbed gardening – how to fill it! It can be daunting, staring at this gaping box, trying to figure out how you’re going to fill 18” or even 36” of depth without going broke.So, today on Just Grow Something, we’re digging into the dirt – literally – on how to fill your new raised bed. We’ll cover the different materials you can use to get your
Materials to Use for Building a New Raised Garden Bed - Ep. 266
Thinking about building raised garden beds but not sure what materials to use? Today on Just Grow Something we dig into all the options for raised bed construction, from wood, stone, and galvanized steel to creative choices like reclaimed materials, fabric grow bags, and more. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of each, including cost, durability, aesthetics, and safety concerns like chemical leac
How Big Should a Raised Bed Be? - Ep. 265
If you are considering adding your first raised bed or yourfiftieth to your garden for next season, now is the time to be doing it. A new raised planter is going to have to be filled and that material is going to have to break down a bit before it can be planted in order to make the nutrients available to your plants. This is NOT something we want to put together at the last minute in the spring j
What to Fix, Tweak, or Stop Doing in Your Garden Late Summer - Ep. 264
It's late August, the time of year when the garden can be just as likely to flourish as it is to fizzle out. I know all too well the rollercoaster of emotions we gardeners feel at this point in the season: you're hot, tired, maybe a little bit over it, and those early-season mistakes are showing their faces. But don’t give up!Today on Just Grow Something we dig into the common issues that crop up
From Hobby to Heirloom: Growing Healthier Roses for Every Garden with Heirloom Roses
This week we’re on a blooming adventure into the world of roses. Okay, that was cheesy, but if you’ve ever struggled with roses or thought they were too fussy for your garden, this episode is for you. Joined by Robin Jennings from Heirloom Roses, I explore the super interesting history of thisfamily-owned company, from its humble beginnings as a backyard hobby to becoming the only U.S. nursery lic
Summer Tomato Problems - Ep. 262
Is your summer tomato crop struggling with strange spots, brown mushy bottoms, or mysteriously vanishing leaves? You’re not alone! Mid-season brings a whole host of challenges for tomato gardeners, but with a little know-how, you can keep your plants thriving through to fall.Today on Just Grow Something, I dig deep into the four biggest summer tomato problems: blossom end rot, tomato hornworms, nu
How to Tackle Mid-Summer Fungal Diseases - Ep. 261
Have you noticed a white, powdery coating on your cucumbers or yellow-spotted leaves on your tomatoes? Mid-summer fungal diseases like powdery mildew, blight, and leaf spots can devastate your garden if left unchecked.Today on Just Grow Something, I break down commonsummer fungal diseases and why they appear in wet, humid conditions, organic treatment methods, including milk sprays and baking soda
Is Homegrown Produce More Nutritious? How Your Soil Makes the Difference - Ep. 260
In this eye-opening episode, I unpack the shocking truth about nutrient loss in modern fruits and vegetables. A 2023 review found that today’s produce contains significantly fewer vitamins and minerals than in decades past. Some nutrients have dropped by up to 80% since the 1950s!We explore how industrial agriculture, depleted soils, and synthetic fertilizers have impacted our food and, more impor
How to Extend Your Gardening Season with Successful Fall Crops - Ep. 259
This week I share how to take your fall garden from conceptto cultivation. Learn when to plant, what to grow, and how to extend your harvest well into winter. Discover why fall gardening is more than just practical - it's backed by science and perfect for nutrient-dense, flavorful produce with fewer pests!What You’ll Learn:The science behind why fall gardens are nutritionally and logistically smar
5 Quick Crops to Fill Summer Garden Gaps - Ep. 258
This week we dig into the strategy of mid-to-late summersuccession planting—how to make the most of garden space left vacant by spring crop failures or early harvests. I share five heat-loving, fast-maturing crops you can direct sow now to squeeze in one last summer harvest before fall. Learn how to keep your beds productive, beat pest cycles, and maximize soil health, all without needing indoor s
Fall Garden Seed Starting Secrets - Ep. 257
Fall might still feel far off, but if you want a successful fall harvest, now is the time to start those seeds indoors. Today on Just Grow Something, I walk you through the step-by-step timing strategy for indoor seed starting specifically for fall gardening.Learn how to:Calculate back from your first fall frost date to find yoursowing and transplanting windowsAdjust days to maturity using the “fa
How to Harvest, Cure, and Store Garlic and Onions - Ep. 256
Your summer garlic and onion harvest are ready, now what? You spent a lot of time and energy getting this crop to maturity, let’s not waste that effort by allowing them to go soft before we get to use them. Today on Just Grow Something, I give expert tips for harvesting, curing, and storing garlic and onions to keep them fresh through next spring. Learn how to recognize when your crops are ready,
Know Thy Weeds: 5 Plant Families Sabotaging Your Garden - Ep. 255
This week we dive deep into the world of garden weeds and how some seemingly harmless plants can actually be Trojan horses harboring pests and diseases. Learn how to identify five major plant families by their flowers, leaves, and growth habits — and why removing these weeds early can protect your precious crops.Today on Just Grow Something You'll Learn:The role of alternate hosts in pest and dise
Spring Interplanting Strategies: What Worked, What Flopped, and Why - Ep. 254
From experimenting with peas shading lettuces to using mint as a living mulch for kale and cucumbers, this week on Just Grow Something I share the successes, tweaks, and surprises of my spring growing season. If you’re looking to maximize yield, minimize weeds, and experiment with companion planting, this episode is packed with all the things. And these can all be repeated for fall! Let's dig in!W
Pest Patrol: Mosquitoes and Ticks in the Garden - Ep. 253
Summer gardening should be about sunshine and fresh veggies, not swatting and scratching. So, this week on Just Grow Something we dig into the science and strategy behind controlling two of the most irritating garden pests that go after the gardeners, not our plants: ticks and mosquitoes. Learn which ones are in your region, understand the risks they carry, and implement practical, research-backed
The Chelsea Chop: How to Prune for Longer Blooms and Healthier Plants - Ep. 252
In this short and snippy episode, we dig into a classic gardening technique known as the Chelsea Chop. Named after the iconic RHS Chelsea Flower Show, this late spring/early summer pruning method can help home gardeners promote bushier growth, delay blooms for season-long color, and support pollinators with flowering perennials in the garden.If you’re looking to add more beauty to your veggie gard
Can Gardening Actually Save You Money? - Ep. 251
There’s a persistent myth floating around on social media that gardening is too expensive to be worth the effort when it comes to saving money on groceries. But what if I told you that with the right strategies, your backyard (or balcony!) garden could not only feed your family but actually save you money?Today on Just Grow Something, we’re busting the myth thatgrowing your own food can’t compete
Potatoes, Transplants, Insect Netting, and More: Garden Q&A for Episode 250
Welcome to the 250th episode of the Just Grow Something podcast! 🎉Whether you've been listening since the beginning or just found the show, thank you for being part of this growing community. In this special milestone episode, we're digging into listener-submitted questions on a variety of timely gardening topics.In this episode:When seedlings are ready to transplant (what to look for beyond just
Good Bug or Garden Pest? How to Identify Insects in Your Vegetable Garden – Ep. 249
Are all bugs in your garden bad news? Not at all! In fact,some insects are your best allies when it comes to pest control and plant health.Today on Just Grow Something, we’re talking about howto tell the difference between beneficial insects and destructive garden pests—even if you’re not an entomologist. Learn how to identify common bugs based on their behavior, body features, and habitat, and di
How to Grow Tomatoes - Ep 248
It’s been a while since we’ve done a full crop specific episode and I think this is the perfect time of year to talk tomatoes. We are getting about 500 tomato plants in the ground over the next week so they are on my mind!So, today on Just Grow Something we’ll walk through the full tomato-growing process—from choosing varieties and starting seeds indoors to troubleshooting common problems and harv
Smarter Planting for Bigger Harvests: Interplanting Strategies - Ep. 247
I promised this week we’d go into the actual techniques of interplanting. One of the main methods I use in my own garden, in helping my clients in their gardens, and what I teach in my Plan Like a Pro course is “high, low, fast, slow.” This little mantra is a great way to combine the plants in your garden to make the most use of all of your space without impeding on the growth of any of the plants
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