Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 76 - Managing Soil pH in Your Garden Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

I talk all the time about the importance of soil testing and usually we’re chatting about the nutrient deficiencies that can be discovered and amended through those test results. But what we don’t talk about as frequently is one other result you get from a soil test and that’s your soil’s pH. Most garden vegetables do best in a soil pH that’s slightly acidic, generally between 5.8 and 7.0, with a few notable exceptions. But what does that mean? What is soil pH? How does it affect plant growth? And what can we do if our soil is too acidic or too alkaline to grow the garden plants we want to grow?

This episode we’ll dig into the basics of soil pH, how to prevent your soil from becoming excessively acidic or alkaline, and what we can do to safely adjust our soil pH, when needed. Let’s dig in!

Affects of pH on Nutrient Availability

Soil Acidification

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Ep. 75 - Timing Your Warm-Weather Seed Starting Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

Last week we talked about timing your seed starts for your cool weather crops and that was based mainly on the last average frost date in spring for your area or your average daily temperatures, for you warmer climate folks.

But, what about the warm-weather plants? If you determined to save some money in the garden this year by starting your own summer crops from seed instead of buying starts from the local nursery then that is fantastic! Keep in mind a lot of those summer plants take longer to get to the right size for transplanting so you’re going to be growing a lot of these alongside your early spring plants and then continuing to grow them inside after those early plants have gone into the ground. If you have limited space for starting plants indoors, which is most of us, the timing and spacing of having all these plants going at once can become an issue. So, you’ll need to plan and prioritize. Part of that is knowing exactly when your warm-season plants CAN go into the ground and when they SHOULD. There is a difference, and that difference can mean a couple weeks of leeway in your seed starting schedule.

So, let’s talk about the different techniques we can use to determine when to start our heat-loving garden plants.

Greencast Soil Temperature Maps

Let Soil Temperatures Guide You When Planting Vegetables

Average Weather by Location

Johnny’s Seed Planting Schedule

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Free Garden Planning Primer

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Ep. 74 - How to Time Your Spring Seed Starting Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

The start of the new year in the northern hemisphere often turns us toward thoughts of our garden already. Those seed catalogs start rolling in, the days slowly start to get a little bit longer, we start to get a little restless, but it really isn’t time to start those seeds just yet in most areas. This will depend on your growing zone, of course, and when your last spring frost date is, but it will also depend on what you’re planning to grow. So, this first episode of the new year I’m going to talk a little bit about some techniques you can use to determine when the best time is for you to start your spring seedlings, and how to time them accordingly. So, let’s dig in to how to perfectly time starting your seeds indoors.

First and Last Frost Dates – Almanac.com

Johnny’s Seed Planting Schedule

Free Garden Planning Primer

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All About Broccoli (Replay of Episode 12) Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Hello my gardening friends. I hope you are having a wonderful start to the new year thus far. Right now, I am working on all kinds of new things for the second season of the Just Grow Something podcast along with some other projects all designed to help you get the most out of your garden in 2022. Because of this, I will be taking a few weeks off from recording new episodes and, instead, will be replaying a few of the most downloaded episodes from season one. Hopefully, these episodes will get you pumped up and imagining your dream garden even while we’re still in the throes of winter here in the northern hemisphere. And I will be back in no time at all with all new episodes and other goodies to help you be the best gardener you can be. So, enjoy this replay episode and I’ll talk to you again soon!

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Nutritionally, broccoli is a powerhouse. Just 2.8 ounces or 80 grams of broccoli counts as a full serving because it’s so nutritionally dense. It’s low in calories (35 calories per serving) and carbohydrates and provides good levels of protein, fiber, and essential minerals. The entire plant is edible, including the leaves (use like kale or spinach), and all the parts contain the antioxidants and anticancer compounds.

The majority of broccoli cultivars are cool-weather crops that do very poorly in hot weather. This, plus its nutrient requirements and pest issues, makes broccoli one of those crops folks have a difficult time growing. So, let's dig in to everything you would ever want to know about broccoli in the garden.

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Resources:

https://www.herbazest.com/herbs/broccoli

http://www.stuartxchange.org/Broccoli

https://www.almanac.com/plant/broccoli#

https://firstsaturdaylime.com/

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/white-rust-disease.htm#:~:text=The%20secret%20to%20how%20to,the%20disease%20the%20following%20spring.

https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/disandpath/oomycete/introduction/Pages/IntroOomycetes.aspx#:~:text=The%20oomycetes%2C%20also%20known%20as,foliar%20blights%20and%20downy%20mildews.

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Seed and Plant Selection (Episode 6 replay) Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

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So, after listening to the first couple of episodes. let’s say you’ve figured out what types of plants you want to grow, how much space you’ll need to grow it, where you will grow it, whether that’s in ground, in raised beds, or in containers, and you’ve determined how many seeds or plants you’ll need.

Time to pick out the varieties of seeds and plants you want to grow. There is no shortage of places to get your seeds and plants and no end to the different varieties and cultivars of each. Before you begin, it may be helpful to know some definitions. First, let’s tackle the differences in some plant terminology, specifically with regards to plant names, and then we’ll cover some other plant and seed definitions.

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Baker Creek Heirloom: Heirloom and open-pollinated seeds.
Botanical Interests: Heirloom seeds, some organic varieties.
High Mowing Organic Seeds: Heirloom and hybrid seeds, all certified organic
Johnny's Selected Seeds: Heirloom and hybrid seeds, some organic varieties
Seed Savers Exchange: All heirloom seeds
Seeds of Change: Heirloom and hybrid seeds and seedlings, all certified organic

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Ep. 73 – Soil Amendments to Add in Fall and Winter Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: testing your soil is the best way to find out what is lacking in your garden as far as nutrients are concerned and the earlier you test it, the better. Testing your soil in the off-season before spring rolls around gives you an earlier start toward correcting any deficiencies. Fall and winter are the best times to amend your soil with organic components because they will have a chance to break down into the soil and incorporate themselves so they are ready to be absorbed by your plants come spring. But the plethora of amendments available to the home gardener these days can be overwhelming. How do you know what to add, when to add it, and how much? I’m going to spend this episode talking about some of the most popular and easily accessible amendments you can use on your soil right now to give you a better harvest next season and talk about how to determine how much of it to use, based on your own garden circumstances. Ready? Let’s dig in.

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Ep. 72 - Garden Wins and Lessons Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

This episode let’s reflect a little bit on our gardens this past year. What went well? What didn’t? I refer to these as wins and lessons, not losses, because every activity in the garden is a learning experience. Some are just a little bit less pleasant than others. Even though they may not have been productive in the sense of producing a harvest, they will always be productive in the sense of bettering our future gardens and gardening experiences. Today I will happily review with you what went well in my gardens this year, follow up with the results of a few experiments we had going on out here, and talk a little about some of those more difficult lessons. Let’s dig in, shall we?

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Episode 5 – Experimenting in the Garden

Episode 65 – Overwintering Plants Indoors: Production or Dormancy?

Johnny’s Seeds – Cegolaine, Rosaine, and Dragoon lettuces

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Ep. 71 - Modern-day Slavery on South Georgia Farms Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

You’ll notice my tone is slightly different today and that’s due to the nature and seriousness of the topic I want to explore with you. Specifically, regarding the recently unsealed 54-count indictment against an organized crime syndicate in the southern U.S. relating to the horrible treatment of people they brought across the border to work on farms and who, subsequently were treated as slaves. If you saw my stories on Instagram this week you got to see my rant on this topic and, honestly, this story struck a real nerve with me, so I thought I would take the time to give it some attention here on the podcast.

For those of you unaware of what I’m talking about, two dozen defendants have been indicted on federal conspiracy charges after a three-year investigation into a human smuggling and labor trafficking operation that brought workers from Mexico and Central America to work and live in brutal conditions on several South Georgia farms.

Farm worker conditions is nothing new in the news. We’ve heard before of migrant workers who’ve come here illegally to work being subjected to horrible working conditions because there’s nobody to hold the employers accountable: long hours in scorching sun without breaks or enough water, no access to medical services, inability to get decent housing or a decent wage. The victims in these indictments suffered all that and more and what makes it worse is they were brought here legally, using a federal program that allows for temporary work visas for foreign agricultural workers on U.S. soil. But, no matter how they get here, the people who are responsible for harvesting much of what we eat here in this country are constantly facing brutal conditions and I want to take today’s episode to remind us all, including myself, what the unseen costs of our cheap food are and try to talk through what we can do about it.

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Ep. 70 - Getting Started with Microgreens Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

One of the problems of being a home gardener in many climates is that the season for salad greens can be short. Either you’re in a climate that gets way too hot in the summer to grow decent greens or you’re in a climate that has a very short growing season and it gets too cold too quickly. And, even if you’re in a climate where you can grow through the winter, you may not have enough space outside to get those greens to full size before your Persephone period hits and they stop growing. The answer to all of this is microgreens.

Microgreens can be grown year-round indoors with very little in the way of equipment or expertise. And there are so many different crops that make great microgreens, there’s bound to be some that fit the palate of everybody in your family. There is quite literally something for everyone. And not only are they delicious and versatile, they are exploding with nutrients. And they can add that nutritional value to so many foods – as a topping for pizza, a base for salad, added to pasta, in wraps and on sandwiches, and so much more.

So, this episode I’m going to dig in to what it takes to get started with growing microgreens, some of the easiest ones for beginners to grow, and what you need to know about selecting seeds to use for microgreens. Let’s dig in.

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Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens

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Ep. 69 - What is a CSA? And how is it different from a subscription service? Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Way back in episode one, the introduction episode, I briefly mentioned that my love of gardening, and my naivety of how easy it was, was partly responsible for the beginnings of our farming adventures. During that episode I mentioned we started selling to the public through a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture program. I also mentioned I would eventually do an entire episode on what that is and, well, here we are 68 episodes later and I’m finally getting there!

So, what is a CSA? How is it different from a subscription box shipped to you from a company you found online or that found you through some data tracking algorithm? And why is a CSA a great way to support your local food system? We’re digging into all that and more on today’s episode.

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Episode One – The Introduction

The History of Community Supported Agriculture

The Untold History of CSA

LocalHarvest.org

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