Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

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Starting a Garden Side Hustle - Ep. 208 Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

Maybe you’ve heard the origin story of how I started gardening and then came to be a market farmer which lead to me getting a degree in horticulture which led to me doing this podcast. The short story is I had a really successful, very large, garden and I was sick of being stuck inside all the time working my day job and tried to find a way to make some side money from the garden, and the rest is history.

Maybe you’ve been in the same position. A lot of gardeners do really, really well a couple seasons in a row and realize just how much they enjoy being in the garden and growing things and daydream about setting up a little stand at the end of the driveway once a week or going to the local farmer’s market.

Would you believe me if I told you selling the produce from your garden isn’t the only way to make money from it?

Today on Just Grow Something we are talking ten different ways you can make money from your garden and only a couple of them involve selling the actual fruits and veggies. This is a very high-level look at the options you have so you can start thinking about what might actually fit into your lifestyle. Because, let me tell you, after 17 seasons of selling every week at the farmer’s market, it is hard work, and there are definitely other options available to you. Let’s dig in!

References and Resources:

Save on a Magic Mind subscription or one-time purchase with code JUSTGROWSOMETHING20 at MagicMind.com/justgrowsomething

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Managing Heat Stress in Garden Plants - Ep. 207 Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

It’s the middle of July and it’s the time of year when heat stress in plants can be a significant challenge for gardeners. If you’re gardening in the peak of summer or in a region with consistently high temperatures, heat stress can lead to wilting, reduced yields, poor fruit quality, and even cause plants to just up and die. But, we can do something about it. Lots of things, actually.

Today on Just Grow Something we’re talking effective management of heat stress in our plants, including preventive measures and actions to take after our plants are affected. We will talk all the strategies we can take to help maintain a healthy garden despite the heat. Let’s dig in!

References and Resources:

Save on a Magic Mind subscription or one-time purchase with code JUSTGROWSOMETHING20 at MagicMind.com/justgrowsomething

Ep. 18 - Garden Talk Tuesday: Plant Nutrients and Why You Need to Know Them

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Epsom Salts - Magic or Myth? - Ep. 206 Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

If you are in any gardening group, whether an in-person club or online, you likely see countless home remedies for everything that ails our plants. Gardeners tout everything as a miracle cure for something in the garden, from putting tums in the soil to burying fish, making weed killer out of vinegar and salt (please don’t) to using dawn dish soap as an insecticide (again, please don’t).

One that pops up over and over again is using Epsom salts, either sprinkled or added to the soil or used as a foliar spray when diluted in water. I’ve seen it recommended for blossom end rot, boosting plant growth, germinating seeds and other random maladies. But, is it really good for your plants? Does it help with any of that stuff or is it just another case of correlation over causation?

Today on Just Grow Something we’re digging into Epsom salts. What they are, if they can help in the garden, and, if so, with what exactly. That way next time someone recommends Epsom salts for curing the yellowing leaves on your plant you’ll be able to decide for yourself whether that’s an effective plan. Let’s dig in!

References and Resources:

Ep. 22 - Garden Talk Tuesday: Plant Nutrient Deficiencies and Toxicity

Focal Point Friday: Plant Nutrient Basics

Photosynthetic activity and onion growth response to compost and Epsom salt: International Journal of Vegetable Science: Vol 26, No 6 (tandfonline.com)

IMPACT OF EPSOM SALT APPLICATION ON BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN BEETROOT (Beta vulgaris L.). | Agricultural Research Journal | EBSCOhost

Effects of Epsom (magnesium sulfate) salt on growth performance of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) in nutrient film technique and media-based aquaponics systems | Aquaculture International (springer.com)

Effects of foliar and root application of epsom salt on aquaponics beetroot (Beta vulgaris) production in confined condition | Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research (banglajol.info)

The Response to Epsom Salt Sprays of Mature Apple Trees of Three Varieties on Two Contrasting Rootstocks: Journal of Horticultural Science: Vol 43, No 4 (tandfonline.com)

Fertilize with Epsom Salts - Garden.org

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Steps for Planning the Fall Garden (and Why You Should Grow One) - Ep. 205 Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

Last week on the podcast we talked about your summer succession plantings, things you can plant in the summer and harvest in the summer on repeat. This week, it’s all about fall, baby. I know it may seem like the summer growing season just started, especially if you have very few frost-free days, but this really is the time to be planning for a fall harvest. In order to get a viable crop before your first frost date or first hard freeze or before your Persephone Period hits, the steps to get there start now.

Today on Just Grow Something we are talking all things fall garden planning – what to plant, when to start your seeds, whether to grow from seeds or seedlings, timing the planting, and getting to harvest. By the end you will have a firm grasp on whether you want to tackle a fall garden and why I insist it’s one of the absolute best times of year to garden in most areas. Let’s dig in!

References and Resources:

Frost Dates: First and last frost dates by zipcode - Garden.org

2024 Frost Dates: First and Last Frost Dates by ZIP Code | The Old Farmer's Almanac | Almanac.com

Just Grow Something Fall Garden Planning Challenge

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Visit HeirloomRoses.com and take 20% off your order of roses with code JUSTGROW through October 31, 2024

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Summer Succession Planting for a Greater Harvest - Ep. 204 Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

We are officially in summer in the northern hemisphere and, for many of us, she came in with a bang. It will hit 100 F here today with a heat index of 112 F and it feels like walking in front of a blast furnace stepping out into the sun.

This may make you think the summer growing season is a one-and-done situation, especially if you live somewhere further south than me where the temperatures can be even more brutal on a regular basis. I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. In fact, even if you live further north of me where the temperatures are just now finally warm enough to start planting warm-season crops, there are a slew of things that can be grown in the summer vegetable garden that you can plant multiple times to get a greater harvest from the garden.

Today on Just Grow Something we’ll talk about the top five crops in different climates that can be successively planted throughout the summer. Whether your warm season is short or you’re gardening in a sauna, I guarantee there is something you can grow multiple times to increase your yield even if it feels like somebody opened the gates of Hades in your front yard. Let’s dig in.

References and Resources:

Subscribe NowJust Grow Something | The "Why" Behind the "How" of GardeningJune 18, 20244x20300:25:4523.59 MBWhen Are Onions Ready to Harvest? - Ep. 203

I posted a video last week on TikTok and Reels about how to tell if your onions are ready to harvest and there was a lot of feedback. Onions are one of those crops that can take a long time to master and, even then, getting a good harvest can be hit or miss. Which is probably why that video got the response it did.

Today on Just Grow Something we’ll go over how to tell if your onions are ready to harvest, when you should wait, and when you should pull them early based on the conditions of the plant. We’ll also talk about what can go wrong with onions causing them to either bolt prematurely or never get to the size we’d hoped. There are lots of intricacies to successfully growing onions but once we understand the things they rely on to produce, it does get easier. A little. Let’s dig in!

References and Resources:

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