Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

Latest Episodes:

Tomatoes: To Prune or Not to Prune? Keys to Your Biggest Tomato Yield. May 12, 2023

Show notes

Does pruning your tomatoes in a certain way increase the yield? Does it really matter? Are there other more important factors involved? I get asked all the time if we prune our tomatoes, how we prune them, how many tomatoes a gardener should expect to get from one plant, etc. Folks tend to get frustrated when it’s not a straightforward answer.

Your tomato yield is likely to boil down to a number of factors before you even get to the pruning question. Today's episode digs into the three factors that are a much bigger consideration in tomato yield than pruning and whether pruning is suited to your specific goals.

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon

JustGrowSomethingPodcast.com

Merchandise | Just Grow Something

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Great Marigold Debate - Ep. 147 May 09, 2023

Show notes

For as long as I can remember I’ve believed that marigolds were the best companion plant for everything. Despite the naysayers touting time and time again that it was all conjecture, I stood by the research I could find that proved otherwise.

If you listened to last week’s Focal Point Friday episode you understand the position I’ve found myself in after all these years of companion planting marigolds in and amongst all of my garden plants. To my way of thinking, as long as there wasn’t a proven detriment to the paring then even if the marigolds weren’t preventing the pests in my garden, they would at least be attracting the beneficial insects that either were good pollinators or that actually preyed on the insects I didn’t want hanging around. And many marigolds have a strong scent and I hoped this would also serve to confuse those pests that plague my crops.

Do I still believe all these things? Yes. I will go to my grave defending marigolds as good companion plants because I have the science-backed research to show those benefits. I, as always, will link to boatloads of research in the show notes so you, too, can nerd out about some plant science. But, have I had to take a step back and do a little more research about my beloved companion before I continue to make recommendations to people in their gardens? You betcha. Because science is always evolving and so are we as gardeners and one of my favorite mantras is we don’t know what we don’t know. And sometimes we just gotta admit when we’re wrong.

RESOURCES:

Insects | Free Full-Text | Conservation Biological Control of Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella): Effects of Two Aromatic Plants, Basil (Ocimum basilicum) and French Marigolds (Tagetes patula) (mdpi.com)

Weed and Pest Control: Conventional and New Challenges - Google Books

Which companion plants affect the performance of green peach aphid on host plants? Testing of 12 candidate plants under laboratory conditions - Ben Issa - 2016 - Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata - Wiley Online Library

Incorporating lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) and marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) as non-host barrier plants to reduce impact of flea beetle (Chaetocnema confinis C.) in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) (actajournal.com)

Evaluating French marigold as a border insectary plant for the enhancement of beneficial arthropods in sweet corn plantings - ScienceDirect

Intercropping of Pak choi (Brassica rapa chinensis) with Marigold flower (Tagetes erecta L.) and Onion (Allium cepa L.) to control foliar pests researchgate.net)

"A Proactive Pest Control Calendar and Rearing Beneficial Insects" by Victoria Bolden (upenn.edu)

Microsoft Word - Draft-Proceedings_8th DBM Conference_2019 (researchgate.net)

Companion planting with French marigolds protects tomato plants from glasshouse whiteflies through the emission of airborne limonene | PLOS ONE

Episode Links:

Say Thank You!

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon

Follow me on Instagram

JustGrowSomethingPodcast.com

Merchandise | Just Grow Something

Positively Farming Media Podcast Playlist on Spotify

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Best Companion Plants for Zucchini and One Potentially Disastrous One - Focal Point Friday May 05, 2023

Show notes

Companion planting is a great way to deter pests in our garden, specifically for summer squashes. Some plants repel pests like aphids, whiteflies, melonworms and pickleworm. Others are better suited as trap crops, attracting aphids, squash vine borerers, squash bugs and cucumber beetles so we can remove them from the garden and destroy them before they get to our zucchini or yellow squash. It's important to know which pests we're dealing with so we know which plants to use and how to use them. And I'll bet many of us have used one specific plant incorrectly as a companion plant for our area, and that includes me! Let's dig in to the best, and worst, companion plants for zucchini and other summer squashes.

Resources:

Companion planting with French marigolds protects tomato plants from glasshouse whiteflies through the emission of airborne limonene | PLOS ONE

Virginia State University College of Agriculture | Companion Planting

melonworm - Diaphania hyalinata (ufl.edu)

Can the introduction of companion plants increase biological control services of key pests in organic squash? - Lopez - 2022 - Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata - Wiley Online Library

⁠9 of the Best Companion Plants to Grow with Zucchini (gardenerspath.com)⁠

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 146 - Growing Zucchini and other Summer Squashes May 02, 2023

Show notes

Summer squashes are a staple in most summer gardens. Whether you call them zucchini, courgette, or marrow, they can be easy to grow and very prolific, so they are a great introduction to a successful harvest for new gardeners.

Unless you live in an area where pests and diseases are the name of the game: squash vine borers, squash bugs, cucumber beetles, drought, powdery mildew and bacterial wilt can all destroy a squash plant before we get a single fruit.

Whether you live where squash grow so prolifically that you're sneaking onto your neighbor's porch at night to drop off a bag full or you're battling invaders to get a single harvest, today's episode has you covered with techniques for planting and protecting our coveted summer squash. Let's dig in!

Episode links:

Say Thank You!

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon

Follow me on Instagram

JustGrowSomethingPodcast.com

Merchandise | Just Grow Something

Episode Resources:

American Indian Health - Health (ku.edu)

FoodData Central (usda.gov)

Cucurbitacin - Wikipedia

Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Vegetable Growing Guides - Growing Guide

Cucumber, Squash, Melon & Other Cucurbit Insect Pests | Home & Garden Information Center (clemson.edu)

Squash, Zucchini and Summer | College of Agricultural Sciences (oregonstate.edu)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Focal Point Friday: Choosing Whether to Grow From Seed or Transplant Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Whether we grow our garden from seeds directly in the soil or start out with transplants, there are some distinct advantages and disadvantages to both methods. Today let's break down the five main factors to consider when making this decision.

As always, find more gardening information on the Just Grow Something website.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 145 - Kitchen Waste as Plant Food: Egg Shells, Banana Peels, and Tea Bags, Oh My! Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

The gardening "advice" we get may not always be accurate. Bury a whole egg under your tomato plants? Make a tea from banana peels? What advice is legit and what is bogus? Let's look at the scientific research behind common kitchen scraps that might also be used as garden amendments: banana peels, eggshells, teas leaves and spent coffee grounds.

Say Thank You!

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon

Follow me on Instagram

Merchandise | Just Grow Something

RESOURCES

Comparative Study of Various Organic Fertilizers Effect on Growth and Yield of Two Economically Important Crops, Potato and Pea (scirp.org)

Effects of banana peel compost rates on Swiss chard growth performance and yield in Shirka district, Oromia, Ethiopia - ScienceDirect

Preparation of nano-fertilizer blend from banana peels | SpringerLink

BIO-ORGANIC LIQUID FERTILIZER PRODUCTION FROM CHICKEN MANURE AND BANANA PEELS AND EVALUATING ITS EFFECTIVENESS ON LETTUCE (Lactuca sativa L.) UNDER HYDROPONIC CONDITION. (haramaya.edu.et)

HEN EGGSHELL WASTE AS FERTILIZER FOR THE GROWTH OF PHASEOLUS VULGARIS (COW PEA SEEDS)

Chicken eggshells as a soil amendment and their relationship with the morphological response of mustard plants (Brassica juncea, L.) - IOPscience

The use of spent coffee grounds in growing media for the production of Brassica seedlings in nurseries | SpringerLink

Agriculture | Free Full-Text | Spent Coffee Grounds Applied as a Top-Dressing or Incorporated into the Soil Can Improve Plant Growth While Reducing Slug Herbivory (mdpi.com)

Acute Toxicity of Experimental Fertilizers Made of Spent Coffee Grounds | SpringerLink

Impact of spent coffee grounds as organic amendment on soil fertility and lettuce growth in two Mediterranean agricultural soils: Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science: Vol 64, No 6 (tandfonline.com)

Biblioteca Digital do IPB: Effect of fresh and composted spent coffee grounds on lettuce growth, photosynthetic pigments and mineral composition

Use of Spent Coffee Ground Compost in Peat-Based Growing Media for the Production of Basil and Tomato Potting Plants: Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis: Vol 47, No 3 (tandfonline.com)

Applying spent coffee grounds directly to urban agriculture soils greatly reduces plant growth - ScienceDirect

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Focal Point Friday: Composting Basics Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

This is the time of year when we not only start to have a lot of yard waste and garden waste but we generally have food waste coming out of our kitchens year round, so now is the perfect time to put all that waste to good use. The average American produces about 1,600 pounds (726 kg) of garbage a year and approximately 75% of this garbage is organic material. That means 1200 lbs of the 1600 pounds of waste produced could be composted. Per person. We don’t want that organic material going to the landfills and causing methane gases to add to the atmosphere, so let’s talk about the basic ingredients of a compost pile.

Resources:

Ep. 80 - Creating and Managing a Compost Pile

Ep. 81 - Talking Compost with Stan "The Compost Man"Slaughter

Ep. 82 - Compost Systems for Home Gardeners

Ep. 106 - Introduction to Vermicomposting (Worm Farming!)

What is Vermicompost and Why Should We Care?

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 144 - Gardening and Gleaning for Charity: After The Harvest Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

Last summer we talked a little bit about growing extra produce in our gardens specifically for donation. I will leave a link to that episode in this episode description. This week I have the pleasure of interviewing two folks from After The Harvest, an organization here in the Kansas City Metro area that rescues fruits and vegetables from going to waste and donates them to agencies that serve hungry people in the Greater Kansas City area. Their volunteers glean after the harvest, picking what’s left in farmers’ fields and picking up already harvested leftover produce. They bring together volunteers, growers, financial donors and food agencies all participating in fighting hunger, improving nutrition and reducing food waste.

Our farm has donated to After The Harvest for years at one of our local farmer’s markets and I was happy to reach out get them on this show to not only spread their mission here locally but to speak to you about how you can get involved in whatever organization facilitates the movement of fresh fruits in vegetables in your area to the people who need it the most.

So, take a listen to my conversation with Brooke and Clay from After The Harvest and maybe think about the ways you can be helping this movement in your own area with produce from your own garden. Let’s dig in.

RESOURCES:

Ep. 95 - Grow a Row to Donate

After the Harvest | Healthy Food for Hungry People » After the Harvest (aftertheharvestkc.org)

Volunteer » After the Harvest Gleaning Calendar

Laws, Resources, & Organizations for Gleaning & Food Recovery - National Gleaning Project

Map of Gleaning & Food Recovery Organizations in the USA (nationalgleaningproject.org)

Get a Free Bloom Juice from Elm Dirt: Use Code JustGrow

Say Thank You!

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon

Follow me on Instagram

JustGrowSomethingPodcast.com

Merchandise | Just Grow Something Positively Farming MediaPodcast Playlist on Spotify

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Focal Point Friday: Transitioning Plants into the Garden or Indoor Growing Space Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

In this timely flashback episode, we go back to episode 91 and talk about hardening off our plants to move them into our garden spaces. Whether we've started them from seed ourselves or we've purchased plants and brought them in, our plants need some time to acclimate. The process is a little different in both cases. And if we're growing plants indoors, we have a different set of circumstances to navigate.

Let's talk about transitioning our plants.

References: Ep. 91 -Transitioning Your Plants into Your Garden

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 143 - Growing Corn: Sweet Corn, Popcorn, Dent Corn and more Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

One of the best flavors of the summer has to be sweet corn right from the stalk. If it’s picked at the right time and eaten right away, you really don’t need anything on it. It’s just that good. If you’re lucky to find some at the farmers market and can get it home and eat it right away, it’s almost as good.

But we can absolutely grow our own even in smallish spaces. And what about growing our own dried corn varieties? There are so many choices when it comes to dent corn, popcorn, and other dried corn types that we can use for corn meal and even just for decoration. You’ve probably seen beautiful glass-colored heirloom varieties in catalogs that are almost too pretty to be believed.

But what you also may have seen in the seed catalogs next to the sweet corn are little letters like su and sh2 or terms like synergistic or sugar-enhanced. What does all that mean and is it genetically modified? Today we’re going to figure out exactly what it takes to grow both sweet corn and dried corn, all the differences between the two categories and the corn varieties within them, what can plague corn plants and how to harvest and store it. Let’s dig in!

Resources:

How to tell the difference between types of corn - Farm and Dairy

American Indian Health - Health (ku.edu)

Native American Indians and their use of Corn

Growing Heirloom Corn Varieties - Little House on the Prairie

Corn 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits (healthline.com)

What are the differences between the various types of sweet corn? | Horticulture and Home Pest News (iastate.edu)

How To Avoid Corn Cross Pollination - Our Stoney Acres

How to Grow Sweet Corn - Farmers' Almanac - Plan Your Day. Grow Your Life. (farmersalmanac.com)

Organic Insect Management in Sweet Corn - SARE

Dent, Flint & Flour Corn (southernexposure.com)

Say Thank You!