436 - Cover Crops for Small Gardens: Learn When, What, and How to Plant for Healthier Soil
Release Date: 08/26/2025
469 - Cucumbers: How to Choose, Plant, and Harvest All Season Long
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling to grow healthy cucumbers that actually produce? You’re not alone—cucumbers can be tricky if you don’t get a few key things right. In this episode, you’ll learn how to grow cucumbers successfully with simple, practical tips you can use right away. Whether you’re growing in raised beds, containers, or small spaces, this will help you get a better harvest. Cucumbers are one of the most rewarding crops to grow, but they can also be frustrating when plants struggle, stop producing, or take over your space. In this episode, I walk you through what’s worked in my garden when...
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468 - Pollinators: Are They Telling You Something About Your Garden? — with Disney Conservation Scientist Morgan Belle
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling with pests or poor pollination in your garden? Wondering how to attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects naturally? In this episode, you’ll learn simple, practical ways to support pollinators and grow a healthier vegetable garden. I’m coming to you from Disney World’s Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, where I had the chance to talk with entomologist Morgan Bell at Butterfly Landing. She shares how pollinators like bees, butterflies, and even wasps play a vital role in your garden ecosystem—and how the small choices you make can have a big impact. We talk...
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467 - Planting Day: Tomatoes – when to plant and exactly what to do step by step
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling to know when to plant tomatoes without risking frost? Wondering how deep to plant or what actually matters on planting day? In this episode, you’ll learn a step-by-step tomato planting process so you can start strong and grow a healthy harvest. Tomato planting day can feel exciting… and a little uncertain. In this episode, I walk you through exactly how I decide when it’s safe to plant, how I prep my planting holes, and what I do right after planting to give my tomatoes the best start possible. Free Download: Tomato Diseases Guide Quickly identify common tomato problems and...
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466 - Soil: What to Do Before You Plant Anything
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling to figure out what your garden soil actually needs? Confused by compost, topsoil, and raised bed mixes? In this episode, you’ll learn simple, practical soil basics to grow healthier plants and improve your garden naturally. Dream to Garden (Now Open!) My step-by-step garden planning course with optional monthly coaching calls to help you plan and grow with confidence. 👉 Key Takeaways Understand the difference between topsoil, compost, and raised bed soil Learn how to build healthy soil for raised beds or in-ground gardens Know how and when to add compost for best...
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465 - Companion Planting While You’re Actually Planting Your Garden
The Beginner's Garden
Feeling unsure about companion planting when you're actually standing in your garden? You’re not alone. It’s one thing to read charts, but another to decide what goes where in real time. In this episode, you’ll learn how companion planting really works, including spacing, timing, and practical garden layout strategies that make sense. Free download: Companion Planting for Pest Control A simple, practical guide to pairing plants that help naturally reduce pests. 👉 If companion planting has ever felt confusing or overly complicated, this episode will walk you through step-by-step...
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464 - Planting Day: Potatoes – how to plant and what to expect as they grow underground
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling with poor potato harvests or slow growth? You’re not alone. In this episode, you’ll learn how to plant potatoes step-by-step for stronger plants and better yields. From choosing seed potatoes to soil prep and spacing, this potato planting guide will set you up for success. Potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops you can grow, but planting them correctly makes all the difference. In this episode, I walk you through exactly what to do before planting day, including how to choose the right seed potatoes, whether to chit them, and how to prepare your soil. I’ll also share...
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463 - Planting Day: Carrots - how to plant and what to expect the first few weeks
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling to get carrot seeds to sprout or size up well? In this episode, you’ll learn how to plant carrots with better timing, spacing, watering, and thinning so they grow straight, sweet, and strong. If carrot germination has felt unpredictable, this step-by-step planting guide will help you start with confidence. Carrots can feel simple until you plant them and wait... and wait... and still see bare soil. In today’s Planting Day episode, I’m walking you through exactly what to do before and after sowing carrot seeds so you can improve germination, avoid common mistakes, and set...
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462 - How Early Is Too Early? Planting Cool-Season Crops With Confidence
The Beginner's Garden
Spring weather can make planting decisions confusing. Should you plant your cool season crops now, or wait a little longer? In this episode, you’ll learn how to decide the best time to plant lettuce, broccoli, carrots, peas, and other cool season crops with confidence. If you’ve ever worried about planting too early or too late, this practical guide will help you read the signals your garden is giving you. free download: Garden Cheat Sheet New to edible gardening or restarting after a break? Download my free Garden Cheat Sheet—a simple path to plan, plant, and stay on track. Key...
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461 - Seedlings Not Growing? Why Mine Stalled (and the Fix)
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling with indoor seed starting because your seedlings stopped growing? Are they stuck with only seed leaves, turning yellow, or just frozen in time? In this episode, I share how a simple seed starting mix mistake stalled my broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce—and exactly how I fixed it. Free download: Seed Starting Troubleshooting Guide Clear, simple fixes for common indoor seed starting problems. Download it here → After 13 years of starting my own seeds, I made a mistake I didn’t even realize—until my brassicas refused to grow for nearly two weeks. What looked like a nitrogen issue...
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460 - How to Grow Better Potatoes: What Matters Most (and What Doesn’t) with Jim & Caleb Gerritsen of Wood Prairie Family Farm
The Beginner's Garden
Struggling to get a big potato harvest, especially in heat or grow bags? In this episode, Jim and Caleb from Wood Prairie Family Farm break down what actually matters for growing potatoes successfully. You’ll learn practical potato growing tips for choosing seed, watering, fall planting, and avoiding common beginner mistakes. If you’ve ever felt unsure about which potatoes to plant, how to store them, or why your yields were disappointing, this conversation will clear it up. We talk certified seed vs. grocery store potatoes, how to think about short-season varieties (especially in the...
info_outlineHave you ever wondered if cover crops are worth the effort in a small garden or raised bed? In this episode, we're bringing back one of the most practical and eye-opening conversations from the podcast archives—with Parker from True Leaf Market.
Together, we explore:
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🪴 The best cover crops for raised beds, in-ground gardens, and no-till systems
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🌿 How cover crops boost soil health, garden productivity, and even nutritional value
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🌱 The differences between cereal grains, legumes, and brassicas—and why a mix might be the most beneficial
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🌡️ What to expect if you’re in a mild climate like Zone 8
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🧑🌾 When and how to plant—and terminate—your cover crops for best results
Whether you’re completely new to cover cropping or looking to improve your approach this season, this episode will give you clarity and confidence to get started.
👉 Tune in and get ready to give your garden a long-term boost!
Show Notes:
Thank you to our sponsors: Organic REV | Garden in Minutes
Organic REV is an organic growth stimulant that can increase nitrogen efficiency by up to 25%, replaces depleted soil carbon and bacterial biomass, and absorbs nutrients to make them more readily available to plants via their root systems.
Promo Code: Use promo code JILL10 for 10% off your order
Want to learn more about Organic REV? Enroll in my FREE course that teaches you how to use REV in seed starting, transplanting and so much more! Click here to enroll.
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