The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

Now that your garden season is coming to a close, what fall and winter garden tasks can you do now to set you up for success in your next garden? When spring arrives, you want to hit the ground running and not have to fuss with tasks that could have been done in the off-season. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, you'll find 13 Fall to Winter Garden Tasks I'm doing right now to set up next year's garden for success. Show Notes: journeywithjill.net/109 Vision 2020 Workshop: journeywithjill.net/2020vision Get Jill's "In the Garden" Weekly Emails + Free Printable Resources Here: journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Join the Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden/ Connect with Jill on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeginnersgarden/

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, crop rotation? Maybe it's something you think you have a basic understanding of, but when it comes to actually putting it into practice in your garden, you come up with more questions than answers. Is it necessary to rotate your crops from year to year, especially if you grow in a small space? Do all crops need rotation? What does it mean to rotate by plant families, and how are you supposed to know which plants are in which families anyway? What if your garden consists of more of one plant family than another? What about companion planting and succession planting with crop rotation? I have to be honest -- at this point I usually throw my hands in the air wondering how I'll ever figure out this impossible puzzle. If you've ever wondered any of those things, in this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, we'll talk about crop rotation at a non-phD agricultural level. Show Notes: journeywithjill.net/108 Vision 2020 Workshop: journeywithjill.net/2020vision Get Jill's "In the Garden" Weekly Emails + Free Printable Resources Here: journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Join the Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden/ Connect with Jill on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeginnersgarden/

When we begin dreaming of our first garden, we get anxious, wondering if we'll ever learn everything there is to know. (Short answer: no, because in gardening, learning never stops!) But what if we could ask other gardeners just a few seasons ahead of us what they wish they'd known before they started their first gardens? This is Part 2 of 23 Things Gardeners Wish They'd Known. You can hear part 1 here: journeywithjill.net/106 Show Notes: journeywithjill.net/107 Get Jill's "In the Garden" Weekly Emails + Free Printable Resources Here: journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Join the Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden/ Connect with Jill on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeginnersgarden/

When we begin dreaming of our first garden, we get anxious, wondering if we'll ever learn everything there is to know. (Short answer: no, because in gardening, learning never stops!) But what if we could ask other gardeners just a few seasons ahead of us what they wish they'd known before they started their first gardens? When I started the Beginner's Garden Podcast in 2017, my sole purpose was to provide resources for beginning gardeners. When I started my first garden in 2013, I struggled to find resources that catered toward true beginners. So I created what I wished I had. Show notes: journeywithjill.net/106 Get Jill's "In the Garden" Weekly Emails + Free Printable Resources here: journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Join the Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden/ Connect with Jill on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeginnersgarden/

Looking for garden projects to do during the slower time of the gardening season? I get so excited about next season's garden in the fall and winter. There is so much to learn and so many ways to think and prepare for next growing season. Show Notes: journeywithjill.net/105 Get Jill's "In the Garden" Weekly Emails + Free Printable Resources Here: journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Join the Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden/ Connect with Jill on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeginnersgarden/

After the garden season has closed, do you ever wish you could grow food indoors? Maybe it seems like a pipe dream. You think your winter food will come solely from what you've preserved and what you can buy at the grocery store. But it doesn't have to be that way. Even if you have a small indoor space, you can add fresh vegetables and herbs to your table, even in the dead of winter. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and in the article below, Ashley Dempster from the Townhouse Homestead shares her tips to get started growing food indoors. Show Notes: journeywithjill.net/104 Get Jill's "In the Garden" Weekly Emails + Free Printable Resources Here: journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Join the Beginner's Garden Shortcut Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/beginnersgarden/ Connect with Jill on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeginnersgarden/

The end of the summer gardening season is the perfect time to reflect on the year so far -- specifically, summer garden lessons learned. Whether you're a new gardener or have had many years of experience, we can all learn from each other. This is why I love to share my gardening lessons in real-time with you! You may have already seen my lessons from this year's spring garden so now it's time for lessons from my summer garden. journeywithjill.net/103

What fall garden tasks should you complete as your summer garden comes to a close? Whether you plant a fall garden or want to make sure your garden is ready for a spring planting, these 7 tasks will prepare you for your next gardening season. journeywithjill.net/102

When I began exploring medicinal herb gardening, I felt like I had walked into a foreign country. I didn't know where to start or how to navigate this new territory. But like everything in my garden journey, I took small steps. And while I still consider myself a beginning medicinal herb gardener, I do feel like I've found my footing a bit. Because growing a medicinal herb garden -- or simply introducing medicinal herbs into our lives -- is something many beginning gardeners explore, I wanted to give you a guide to get started in medicinal herb gardening. journeywithjill.net/101

In 2013 I planted my first garden. Looking back, I see mistakes and successes from that first year. All of them served to teach me, and they helped me grow a more successful garden each season. Because we all can learn from each other, and because many of my mistakes are common among beginning gardeners, I wanted to share seven mistakes and eight successes from my first season. https://journeywithjill.net/100

Is it possible to control pests in the garden without using pesticides? Many gardeners determine to use organic practices. But soon they find themselves discouraged when bad insects arrive in their gardens. How do organic gardeners keep bugs from eating their plants? A healthy, productive, organic home garden goes beyond home remedies for pest control and organic alternatives to pesticides. Natural pesticides have their place, but I've found that natural pest control goes beyond these stop-gap measures. Pest control without pesticides looks different than you might think. So how do you do it? In today's episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share six principles to pest control without pesticides for a healthy, organic home garden. journeywithjill.net/99

If you grow a garden, you know that homegrown vegetables taste better than anything you can purchase in the produce department of your grocery store. But why do homegrown vegetables and fruit taste better? Is it purely a mental thing -- where we naturally enjoy most what we put our hard work into growing? Or are there also scientific reasons why store-bought tomatoes don't compare to homegrown? In today's episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and post below, I share with you 4 reasons why the fruits and vegetables you grow yourself taste better. journeywithjill.net/98

When I asked the members of my free Facebook group, the Beginner's Garden Shortcut, what questions they had about their fall vegetable garden, I received more feedback than almost any other topic. Clearly, many beginning gardeners are interested in fall gardening. But they recognize it's not as straightforward as the spring or summer garden. For the beginner, fall gardening isn't as simple to get started. But, it is generally easier than the summer garden. With fewer pests and weeds, we get to enjoy gardening in cooler days and eat crops that don't grow well in the heat of the summer. Because getting started with planting the fall vegetable garden takes a bit of understanding of this unique garden season, Stacey Murphey of Grow Your Own Vegetables tackles some of the most common fall gardening questions I hear.

When many beginning gardeners think about fall gardening, they find themselves overwhelmed. After all, they're tired from the effort put into the summer garden, and the thought of more work seems exhausting. Plus, they don't know when or how to get started. The truth is, fall gardening can be the most rewarding time to grow a vegetable garden. It just takes a bit of know-how to get started. In this week's episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, master gardener and garden teacher Stacey Murphy of Grow Your Own Vegetables talks beginners through how to get started planting and growing their fall gardens. Click below to hear our conversation or keep reading.

When is corn ready to pick? It's a tougher answer than you realize. Corn ripens quickly and for only a few days, so the home gardener must watch for the signs that sweet corn is ready to harvest. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I talk about how to know when corn ripens for harvest. (For more information on growing corn, check out these posts: how to grow corn and what I learned about corn last year.) Click below to listen or continue reading.

Is there anything better in summer than a fresh-picked watermelon or cantaloupe from the garden? But how do you know when melons are ripe and ready to pick? In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share my methods of knowing when to harvest cantaloupes and when to harvest watermelons -- my favorite fruit!

Whether you grow your garden to stock up a year's worth of some foods like I do, or maybe your small space has produced more than you can eat fresh, you will want to look at options for preserving the harvest. While most people think of canning, this is only one option when it comes to preserving your hard-earned bounty. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and article below, I share the basics of three common methods of preserving: freezing, canning, and dehydrating.

You would think something as simple as watering the garden would be easy for home gardeners. But garden irrigation can actually prove tricky to master. How much water does your garden need? Should you hand-water, use soaker hoses, or lay drip lines? How do you know if your vegetables are getting too much or not enough water? In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, garden expert Joe Lamp'l of the Joe Gardener Show shares his best practices for garden irrigation. Click below to listen to the conversation or continue reading.

When we begin our gardens, we imagine what our tomato harvest will look like. But most of the time, we don't anticipate tomato plant problems that often arrive in mid-summer. Beginning gardeners blame themselves and sometimes give up. But they shouldn't. Summer tomato problems are more common than you realize, and thankfully, there are steps you can take to overcome many of these tomato issues. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, gardening expert Joe Lamp'l of the Joe Gardener Show talks about common tomato problems and offers solutions for your garden.

One fun part of gardening is that we get to learn and grow in our knowledge each season. My 2019 spring garden yielded several successes and lessons learned, and I want to share those with you. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I identify ten lessons I've learned from my 2019 spring garden. Click below to listen to continue reading.

You've watched your beautiful garlic plants grow for months, and the time nears for harvest. But how do you know when to harvest garlic? And once you harvest, how do you cure and store it? The good news is this: harvesting, curing, and storing garlic is almost as easy as growing it! You only need to know a few basics and you'll be eating garlic from your own backyard garden for months. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and in the post below, I show you what to do when your garlic nears harvest time. Click to listen or continue reading below.

I think we'd all say experienced gardeners offer priceless garden wisdom, but there's a group of people first-time gardeners can also learn from that's often overlooked: second-time gardeners. Still with a beginner's mindset, gardeners in their sophomore year recall details experienced gardeners forget. It's kind of like how a mom of a toddler can offer something special to a mom of a newborn that a mother of teenagers can't. It's a "been there, done that" mindset that hasn't "been there, forgotten that." Though I still consider myself a beginning gardener in so many ways -- we're all learning no matter how many seasons we've gardened -- I asked second-time gardeners in my Facebook group to share their top suggestions with their first-time peers. Most of the suggestions fell into a few categories. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast, I share the six best tips beginning gardeners learned after their first season. Click to listen or continue reading below.

In my first garden, I planted once. I had no aspirations for a year-round harvest. Any harvest would equal a successful garden in my mind. But the second year I added a fall garden, and as I gained more experience I realized I could extend my garden season even further. I began growing more winter crops and I enjoyed expanding my growing season much further than the once-and-done summer harvest. Planning for a year-round harvest is a skill I'm still working to improve. That's why I invited Becky Porter from The Seasonal Homestead to share with me her tips for year-round gardening.

Growing okra in my garden is one of my favorite vegetables to grow! And it's not just for those of us who live in the southern US. With a little understanding of okra's basic growing requirements, this tasty vegetable can be grown in most areas of the country. Plus, its versatility offers growing options of both raised beds and in the garden. In this episode of the Beginner's Garden Podcast and in the article below, you'll learn how to grow okra either in your garden or raised bed -- no matter where you live.

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