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Garden Ready: March Into Spring - Your Essential To-Do List - Episode 13

Fostering Blooms

Release Date: 03/05/2025

Garlic, Shallots & Scapes—Oh My! Fall Planting to Summer Harvest - Episode 30 show art Garlic, Shallots & Scapes—Oh My! Fall Planting to Summer Harvest - Episode 30

Fostering Blooms

f you've ever dreamed of skipping the grocery store garlic aisle and harvesting your own flavorful bulbs—this is the episode for you. 🧄 We’re diving deep into everything garlic and shallots: The difference between hardneck vs. softneck garlic When and how to harvest for peak flavor Curing and storing tips for long-lasting bulbs Why garlic scapes are your new kitchen obsession What & when to plant in the fall for big summer rewards Plus: real talk on what went wrong in one of our garlic beds, and how we plan to fix it next season. Whether you're a first-time grower or a...

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Can our wives tell the difference between an aphid and a stratified seed? Do we know what a full nelson is or how many yards it takes to get a first down? It’s time for the ultimate showdown in this hilarious episode of Fostering Blooms! We recorded this battle of the brains back in winter—but with roses blooming and sports season in full swing, it felt like the perfect time to drop it. Shannon and Caitlyn face off against their wives, Beth and Cierra, in a trivia match of gardening vs sports knowledge. The prize? David Austin roses or Lady Vols center court tickets. The trash talk is...

info_outline "No Thank You!" Plants (and Gorgeous Alternatives We Love) - Episode 28

Fostering Blooms

Welcome to Fostering Blooms! In this episode, we’re sharing our latest round of “No Thank You” plants — the ones we’ve grown, inherited, or almost bought
 but now politely decline. đŸ™…â€â™€ïžđŸŒż These aren’t plants we hate — okay, maybe one or two — but ones we’ve learned aren’t the right fit for our gardens due to invasiveness, poor pollinator value, maintenance headaches, or just plain overuse. And of course, we’re not here to judge — we’re here to help you make better planting choices with smarter, more beautiful alternatives. ✹ Grab your tea (or gloves),...

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Fostering Blooms

This week on the podcast, we’re covering everything you should be doing in the garden this month — from what to plant, what to pull, and what to support, to how we’re handling pests, mulch math, and our melon experiments (yes
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Welcome to Fostering Blooms, the podcast where we dig deep into gardening and all the ways it can enrich your home and life. Today, we’re diving into the garden's underground world of veggie families and why planting them side-by-side can cause more drama than a mafia reunion. In this episode, we cover: The four major plant families and their turf wars: Solanaceae (Nightshades), Brassicaceae (The Crucifer Crew), Fabaceae (Legume Syndicate), and Cucurbitaceae (The Gourd Family) The real reason you shouldn’t plant tomatoes after potatoes (aka Blight City!) Why rotating crops helps...

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Fostering Blooms

In this episode, we’re busting some of the most common garden myths—like whether you really need to water every day, if gravel helps drainage, and whether native plants actually take care of themselves. Spoiler: we’ve made some of these mistakes too! We’ll share our honest opinions on fertilizing, talk about what works (and what totally doesn't), and laugh through a few garden confessions along the way. Plus, Shannon shares a sweet update about a special garden she’s planting in memory of her dog Xena. đŸŒŒđŸ’› So grab your compost and your curiosity—we’re...

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Pollinator gardening isn’t just a trend—it’s essential. In this episode of Fostering Blooms, Shannon and Caitlyn break down how to build a garden that supports bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, parasitic wasps, and even hoverflies—season by season. From herbs and annuals to perennials and native plants, you’ll discover how to keep pollinators well-fed all year long (yes, even in winter!). Plus, they share personal stories, propagation tips, and why it’s time to rethink your lawn. Whether you have a large garden or just a few containers, this episode is packed with practical,...

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Fostering Blooms

We already gave you our May To-Do list
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Welcome to Fostering Blooms — the podcast where two gardening-obsessed friends, Shannon Foster-Boline and Caitlyn Blum, dig into the joys (and challenges!) of growing a beautiful life from the ground up. In this episode, we’re talking about all the real-life tasks we’re doing in May to get our gardens set up for a season of lush blooms and abundant harvests. That means trench-planting tomatoes, laying down limestone screenings, dealing with the first big pest wave (hello, flea beetles đŸ˜±), and making time for drip irrigation before the summer heat rolls in. We also share what we’ve...

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Fostering Blooms

Want to grow your own pressed flower collection on a budget—without needing expert skills or a giant garden? In this solo episode, Shannon answers a question from Instagram follower, Dee at the Fairy Door Project, and breaks down exactly how to create a simple, budget-friendly garden for growing flowers ideal for pressing. From building a no-dig raised bed to choosing the right blooms for sun and shade, Shannon shares beginner-friendly, low-cost ways to get started right now. You'll learn: The easiest no-dig method to build a 4x4 raised bed (without wood!) When and how to plant seeds for...

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More Episodes

March is here, and so is your official garden prep checklist! đŸŒ± In this episode, Shannon and Caitlyn are marching (literally) into spring with a jam-packed to-do list to get your garden thriving. From chitting potatoes (aka prepping them to sprout) to sowing tomatoes, peppers, and flowers, they’re covering everything you need to do right now to stay ahead of the season.

But they’re not stopping there — they’re also sharing smart bed prep strategies (hello, cardboard hoarding) and talking about their own garden experiments so you can learn what works (and what flops) without doing all the trial and error yourself. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gardener, this episode is full of practical tips, a lot of laughs, and the friendly encouragement you need to make March your most productive garden month yet.

Plus, get a sneak peek of their upcoming guest, Anne of All Trades (@anneofalltrades), and the game-changing composting method they’re testing this month. If you’re ready to kick winter to the curb and get growing, this episode is for you.

Highlights:
đŸŒ± The truth about chitting potatoes (and why you’re probably already doing it).
đŸŒ± What you can sow and transplant this month (spoiler: a lot).
đŸŒ± Clever bed prep hacks (your Amazon boxes finally have a purpose).
đŸŒ± Why direct sowing is about to become your new favorite task.
đŸŒ± Our favorite pepper varieties (and why bell peppers are kinda boring).
đŸŒ± Hardening off 101 (because your baby plants deserve a soft launch into the real world).
đŸŒ± Garden experiments we’re running — so you don’t have to.

Let’s go grow, baby! 🌾