The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

When you discover aphids in your garden, you naturally want to get rid of them -- fast! With a host of organic aphid control solutions available online, how do you know which one to choose?

If you're like me, you want something easy. And more important, you don't want your actions to harm your garden or your plants.

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share with you how I tested 3 organic aphid control methods -- homemade insecticidal soap, Neem oil, and worm castings -- side by side.

I also share a fourth organic aphid control method that is always my go-to way to keep aphids from harming my vegetable garden.

Do tomato plants need to be pruned?

In my first years of gardening, it seemed everyone told me, "yes." But as I gained more experience and began listening to other gardening experts, I learned that the answer to this question isn't as clear as you'd think.

People get passionate about tomato pruning. But I started asking myself, "why?"

Is it because this is the way they've always done it? Because their mom or grandpa told them that's the best way to care for tomatoes? Or are people pruning tomatoes (or not pruning) based on their own experience and tests?

It seemed everywhere I turned I received conflicting information, so I did what I encourage every gardener to do. I tested it in my own garden.The results were so clear to me that I'll never look at pruning tomato plants the same way again.

First-time gardeners must decide: "should I plant in a raised garden bed or in the ground?" Certainly, it's not always an either/or decision.

While I've always used a combination of both for many reasons, Jill Winger of the Prairie Homestead converted her in-ground garden to a garden comprised entirely of raised beds.

Though a devastating experience of inadvertently poisoning her garden served as a catalyst for the switch, she shares the benefits and drawbacks of both methods in today's episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast. Click below to listen to our conversation or continue reading.

There are few garden subjects I am more passionate about than mulch. It prevents weeds and regulates moisture in the soil, among its other benefits.

But which mulch should you use? Perhaps the most common is shredded leaves, but what if you're like me and you don't have access to deciduous trees? Then what are your options?

I've used wood chip mulch, hay mulch, straw mulch, and pine needle mulch, and I talk about the pros and cons of each type of mulch here. Although I prefer wood chip mulch, I have used hay mulch from time to time with good results.

But after talking to Jill Winger of the Prairie Homestead, I realized using hay as mulch isn't without its risks. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, Jill talks about how deep mulching with hay poisoned her garden. Click below to hear our conversation or read on to find out what happened, how she identified the problem, and what advice she gives to other gardeners considering using hay to mulch their gardens.

On any given day in the garden, you'll find me with earbuds and my phone, listening to my favorite gardening podcasts. What better way to spend a few hours in the garden than to do the thing I love, while learning ways to do it better?

As a first-time gardener in 2013, I could not find enough gardening podcasts to fill my time or my thirst for knowledge. Since podcasting was in its infancy, I listened to the few I could find. Then, as I started teaching others how to garden, I even created my own -- the Beginner's Garden Podcast.

But now, I'm grateful to access more gardening podcasts at my fingertips, and I want to share my favorites with you.

So as I think fitting, in this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share my favorite podcasts to listen to in the garden. Click to listen or continue reading below.

In the early months of my podcast, I received an email from a veteran gardener from a generation ahead of me. We traded emails frequently and formed a friendship in the years since that first email. Several months ago, he sent me a list he had created called his "12 Garden Rules." With his permission, I share this wise man's gardening wisdom to you. No matter what your age or experience level of gardening, you are sure to find his advice valuable.

If you've ever noticed the eaten leaves of your broccoli, cabbage, or kale, you've likely encountered one of worms that attacks the brassica family of plants. Even organic gardeners struggle to find ways to control these pests that can decimate your beloved cole crops in short order.

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, you'll learn 5 organic ways to both prevent and get rid of cabbage worms in your garden.

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I talk to the author of Vertical Vegetables, Amy Andrychowicz. You may recognize her as the writer behind the web site Get Busy Gardening. Amy is a zone 4b gardener in Minnesota, and she uses vertical gardening to both practically make the most of her small space and aethestically beautify her backyard patio and garden.

About a year ago, I wrote a post about 7 Common Mistakes in Raised Bed Gardening. It has since become one of the most popular posts here at the Beginner's Garden, and many readers have posted more questions about their raised bed gardens.

So I thought I would visit this topic again and answer some of those questions. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and in the post below, I dive into nine of the most common questions I hear. Click below to listen to the full discussion or continue reading.

My journey to the ideal tomato trellis system has not been an easy one. It started with using a flimsy round "tomato cage," which couldn't bear the weight of my vining tomato plant loaded with fruit.

Then, I turned to the Florida Weave method. This worked beautifully for my Roma tomatoes but not the vining, indeterminate varieties.

Finally, I decided to try two other popular methods -- tomato staking and a heavy duty professional tomato cage. Then I tested each method and took detailed notes on the yields of each.

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and in the article below, I share the results of my testing. You'll learn the benefits and drawbacks of both the single-stem tomato staking method and the heavy duty tomato cage. By the end, you'll see which one I settled on and why.

When beginning gardeners start planning their gardens for the first time, most do not know which vegetables will keep producing all season and which will harvest once and finish.

I know I didn't think about that my first few seasons. But now I understand that some vegetables produce all season and some give a one-and-done harvest. With that knowledge, I am better able to plan my garden to full production all season.

On this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and in the article below, Emily Leuba from the Crazy Worm Lady shares all you need to know about the fascinating world of composting with worms.

What can I plant in my garden to keep pests away?

Doesn't every organic gardener want to know this? We don't want to use pesticides, so we want to know what herbs deter pests, what flowers deter caterpillars, and what plants repel specific insects that plague our gardens.

While scientific research on the topic of companion planting for pest management is still in its infancy, blog posts, books, and articles abound with ideas. But what suggestions are based in science and which ones are based in old wives' tales?

In today's episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share 4 principles for using companion planting for organic pest control.

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share my top 21 money-saving tips to growing a frugal vegetable garden. Click below to listen or read the article below to learn my 21 tips to saving money gardening, and when you're finished, be sure to share your own tips so we can all benefit!

journeywithjill.net/podcast

Before you go out and buy any soil or compost, here are 4 things to think about to get exactly what you need for your garden on your budget. Don't waste your money on something you don't need! If you've wondered, "How do I start a raised bed garden?" Then these tips will get you started!

When we start our first gardens, we're full of excitement and hope. But there's another feeling not far behind: fear. What if we make mistakes without realizing it?

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and the blog post below, I share five common mistakes I see first-time gardeners make. I made them all myself as a beginning gardener, and I want to prevent you from going through those failures like I and so many others have experienced.

Today I'm going to talk to you about low maintenance crops. These are the ones that won't require a lot of baby-sitting. They're easy to grow and manage. In my opinion, they're perfect plants for the first-time gardener to start with, especially when you don't know realistically how much you will be able to manage in the height of the summer and want something low effort.

Maybe you want to try to start seeds indoors for the first time. Or maybe you've tried in the past with little (or no) success. While attempting to start seeds indoors can prove intimidating, once you get the hang of the basics, it's really not as hard as you might think.

Though I have been starting seeds indoors for several years, I wanted to ask an expert to weigh in on best practices. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I talked to Kevin Espiritu of Epic Gardening, and he shared with me what you need to start and grow your seeds inside.

Once gardeners get an idea what crops they want to plant, beginning gardeners ask, "Where should I buy seeds?" With a plethora of sources -- local options, online seed companies, and seed catalogs -- it's hard to know the best places to buy your garden seeds.

One thing is for sure: quality matters. Here you'll find the benefits and drawbacks of local seed sources and online seed catalogs, along with tips to help you know how to choose your best vegetable garden crops and where to buy seeds.

journeywithjill.net/podcast

Sometimes we jump into choosing our crops and designing the layout of the garden way too fast. But if we take step backward and work through these three overlooked but crucial steps in garden planning, we'll find not only will the rest of the planning go more smoothly, but we'll end up with a more successful garden overall.

Let's start our 2019 garden season off right!

Resources mentioned:

Complete Garden Planner

Beginner's Garden Shortcut Online Course

Whether you're looking for gift ideas or just hoping to expand your garden resources, here are my top eight favorite tools and books I've used in and for my garden.

Links to all the books and resources are found here: https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/11/06/my-8-favorite-garden-tools-and-gardening-books

Even beginning gardeners understand how critical healthy soil is to the life of their plants. But how do you know what's going on underneath your mulch? Without a soil test, you're just guessing, and you might even attempt to fix problems without knowing the root cause.

A soil test is a critical but overlooked component to understanding the home in which your plants live. In this episode, I'll go over the basics -- why you need to test your soil, when to test, how to test, and what to do after you receive your results.

Click here for the full blog post with the information presented today.

If you're on your second year of gardening or beyond, this action plan will help you get started on your garden planning so you can have your best season yet!

BONUS LIVE TRAINING! Details at http://journeywithjill.net/headstart -- Don't miss it!

Full blog post: https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/10/08/how-to-get-a-head-start-on-your-garden-planning/

This time of year many of us are gearing up for a big garden clean-up. We want to put our gardens to bed for the winter, preparing for a fresh, blank slate in the spring. But is a fall garden clean-up really best? Today I share why you might want to skip some of those clean-up tasks, what happened in my garden when I did, and how you can decide what should stay and what should go.

Click here for full show notes and blog post.

Gardeners are learners, and each year we are given the opportunity to learn new lessons. Here are five lessons I learned from my summer garden this year, where you'll learn the results of some neat experiments I got to perform in my garden this season.

Show Notes and Blog post: https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/09/11/5-lessons-from-my-summer-garden/

Garlic isn't one of the most-talked-about crops for beginners to grow. Why is that? There are so many reasons for beginners particularly to include garlic in their garden plans, and in this episode you'll hear three of them. BUT, growing garlic isn't for everyone, and there is one reason it might not be the best fit in your garden.This episode will help you decide if planting garlic this year is right for you.

Show notes & blog post: https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/08/28/reasons-grow-garlic/

Free Garlic Planting Cheat Sheet: https://journeywithjill.net/garliccheatsheet

What is a Garden Zone and what purpose does it serve in the home garden? Unfortunately, garden zones are frequently misunderstood. In this episode you'll learn what a garden zone is, what it tells you, and more importantly, what it doesn't.

For show notes, the US plant hardiness map, and links to find your average last and first frost, click here.

Planting and growing a fall garden can be just as rewarding as a summer garden. You just need a bit of preparation. Here I share easy ideas and tips on how to get started, when to plant, and how to grow vegetables in the fall.

Read full blog post here.

Most of us, even if we have a small garden, will harvest more than we can consume fresh. Unless you want to give it all away, you will have to decide whether to let it go bad or preserve it. In this episode, Pioneering Today's Melissa K. Norris gives us the basics on how to get started in home canning.

Get the show notes, resources and blog post here.

We all learn our best lessons from the hits and misses from our own gardens. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share 9 lessons I've learned in my spring 2018 garden -- including the successes and disappointments.

Click here to read the show notes/blog post including resources mentioned in this episode.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) expert Patrick Byers of the University of Missouri Extension shares what the home gardener should do before you spray anything on an insect. Plus, he gives practical suggestions for how to manage aphids, squash bugs, squash vine borers, cabbage worms, slugs, and Japanese beetles -- all organically and with minimal spraying!

View full blog post with show notes here.

You want to incorporate vertical gardening into your garden plans, but the disconnect lies between all the options and what you can actually accomplish. Here are 6 easy steps to go from dreams to reality and grow "up" in your garden.

Full blog post & show notes here.

Register for the Modern Homesteading Summit here.

If you are looking for creative ways to get your kids involved in the garden, these 15 age-based ideas will help you get started. From toddlers to teenagers, there are ideas here for your kids!

Full show notes and blog post, along with resources mentioned in the podcast here.

When your tomato leaves start turning yellow, it's natural to become alarmed. While there could be a myriad of causes, here are five possible culprits behind yellow leaves on tomato plants.

Full blog post & show notes here.

In today's episode, Misti Little of the Garden Path Podcast and I talk about many subjects that both southern US and organic gardeners will find interesting:

• Misti's journey from conventional to a more-than-organic approach to her home garden
• How she attracts beneficial insects and pollinators to her edible garden
• Her favorite tomato varieties for her Zone 9a garden
• Her advice to first-time gardeners
• and more!

Full blog post with show notes here.

I asked a question in my Facebook group, the Beginner's Garden Shortcut, "What ONE piece of advice would you give to first-time gardeners?" The answers the more veteran members of the group gave were just too good to keep to myself!

That's why, on this very special 50th episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share 15 tips that these gardeners shared with the group, along with my thoughts on each piece of advice.

Full blog post with accompanying articles and resources can be found at https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/05/08/16-tips-for-first-time-gardeners-from-experienced-gardeners/

We all want to make the most of our garden space, and one of the best ways is to strategically use succession planting and relay planting to our advantage and for a more productive harvest.

These 10 ideas will get you started on using succession and relay planting in your garden, and as you consider your growing season, crops, and climate, you can adapt using these principles to fit your unique garden situation.

Full blog post and show notes at https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/05/01/succession-planting-ideas-to-keep-your-garden-producing-all-season/

Maintaining a 3,000-square foot garden and enjoying a summer vacation -- at first thought, these two may seem like opposing activities, as if you have to choose one or the other. But as one who values getaways almost as much as I value my garden, I can assure you, it is possible.

To get the most out of both your rest time and your harvest, though, there are some steps you can take to make it all run more smoothly.

Read full show notes and blog post, along with resources mentioned in this episode at http://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/04/24/5-ways-to-prepare-your-garden-for-going-on-vacation/

While beginning gardeners may be most concerned with what crops to plant when to plant them, building a base of healthy soil should be top of mind as well. If you want to build your soil naturally and organically, Jackie Beyer of the Organic Gardener Podcast shares today her thoughts on doing just that.

Full show notes: https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/04/17/building-healthy-soil-interview-with-the-organic-gardener-podcasts-jackie-marie-beyer/

How does a beginning gardener you sift through the endless ideas available for staking tomatoes? Do you even need to stake tomatoes? If so, what will work best for your garden?

Even though I had all the trellis ideas and resources at my disposal, I still didn't figure it all out, and it took learning by experience and making mistakes to start to make progress in this area.

In this podcast episode I'm talking to you -- the beginning gardener -- in hopes of helping you skip the mistakes I made. I discuss four types of tomato trellising methods. But beyond just listing the methods, I'm helping you decide which one (or ones) will work best for your garden and your needs.

Because there's no one-size-fits all approach.

Show notes: http://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2018/04/10/tomato-trellising-deciding-which-method-is-right-for-you/

In today's episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I talk about six vegetables and fruit I believe beginners should almost always grow from seed directly in the garden. No indoor seed starting. No buying transplants. With these crops, it's my experience in opinion that the seeds should go directly in the ground.

Show notes and free Seed Starting Guide: http://journeywithjill.net/2018/04/03/6-crops-beginners-can-grow-from-seed-directly-in-the-garden-no-indoor-seed-starting-required/

It's one of the most confusing topics for beginning gardeners. "When should I plant?" I go over the basics -- what you need to know to help you plant the most common crops in the home garden at the right time. Not only do I give you general guidelines, but we also talk about something I have never heard anyone suggest when it comes to warm season crops.

Show notes: http://journeywithjill.net/2018/03/27/plant-guide-getting-crops-ground-right-time/

Container gardening isn't as easy as it seems. In this episode, Randy from FarmDaddy shares his top tips to growing in containers, including 3 big mistakes he sees people make, the ideal growing medium, how close plants should be together, and fertilization and watering tips.

Show notes at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/03/avoiding-beginner-mistakes-in-container-gardening-interview-with-randy-from-farmdaddy-com/

Visit Randy's web site and explore his self-watering container system at https://www.farmdaddy.com/

Most home gardeners who want to include fruit in their edible gardens want to make room for strawberries. Though they seem easy enough to grow, it's helpful to understand a few things before you get started.

Show notes at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/03/get-started-growing-strawberries-beginners-guide/

Beginner's Garden Shortcut Online Course: http://journeywithjill.net/gardenshortcut

Whether you buy all of your garden crops at the nursery or garden center, or if you purchase a few to supplement your seeds, choosing the right transplant can make a great difference in your harvest.

Show notes at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/03/7-tips-choosing-transplants-garden-center/

Though easy to plant, it's not always a sure bet that you'll get huge onion bulbs each season. In fact, onions can be a bit finicky.

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I go over the "long and short" (pun intended -- you'll understand after you listen to the episode) of growing onions. I talk about:

• which onions you need to grow for your latitude
• when to plant
• when NOT to grow from seed
• what triggers bulb growth
• what causes bolting (when an onion sets seed instead of producing a bulb)
• what to do if your onion plant does bolt

Show notes at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/02/grow-onions-successfully/

If you want to plant blueberries for the first time, or if you've had struggles with growing blueberry bushes in the past, horticulturist Lee Reich answers the most common questions people have when it comes to growing blueberries.

We talk about:

• 4 requirements for growing blueberries
• How to amend your soil if it isn't ideal for blueberry growth
• How to grow blueberries in containers
• The ideal growing medium for container-grown blueberries
• How you can still grow blueberries in the ground if your soil is extremely alkaline

Grab the show notes and free Blueberry Planting Notebook at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/02/growing-blueberries-interview-with-lee-reich/

Those of us who have been raised bed gardening for years testify to how much we enjoy it! Better harvests, less weeding, sharp aesthetics -- what's not to love?

But as in any venture, there are mistakes to be made. The problem with mistakes with raised bed gardening is many times they aren't easily corrected. I know this from experience!

From my own experience and from the experiences of others, I've compiled a list of 7 common mistakes in raised bed gardening. If you're planning a garden for the first time or adding to your existing beds, this will help you avoid many of the mistakes I and others have made. And if you're already gardening in raised beds but are seeing lackluster results, you may find some reasons why here.

Show notes at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/02/7-common-mistakes-in-raised-bed-gardening/

Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook Group: http://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden

Beginner's Garden Shortcut Online Course: http://journeywithjill.net/gardenshortcut

You'd think after five gardening seasons, I'd have it all figured, right? Well, that's the beauty about gardening. Each year we get to adjust. We scrap what didn't work; we try new things. The dreaming and the planning -- those are some of the most exciting parts of gardening!

This year as I've begun my garden planning, I decided to make ten specific adjustments in my gardening. Whether I am making these adjustments due to learning more or by past failure, my hope is that some of these will help you make your garden more successful this season!

Show notes at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/02/10-adjustments-im-making-in-my-garden/

Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook Group: http://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden

Beginner's Garden Shortcut Online Course:

http://journeywithjill.net/gardenshortcut

In growing tomatoes, it's always good to have an expert's advice on-hand. That's why when I talked with Mike at the White Harvest Seed Company, I picked his brain on everything tomatoes -- from which varieties to choose to how to deal with mid-season pests and diseases.

In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, Mike and I talk about:

• favorite tomato varieties
• top 3 recommendations for growing successful tomatoes
• most common pests & diseases and how to deal with them

Grab all the show notes at http://journeywithjill.net/2018/01/expert-advice-growing-tomatoes/

Enrollment is open for the Beginner's Garden Shortcut. Details at http://journeywithjill.net/gardenshortcut.