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449 - My Favorite Garden Products (and How to Save on Them Now)

The Beginner's Garden

Release Date: 11/25/2025

464 - Planting Day: Potatoes – how to plant and what to expect as they grow underground show art 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...

info_outline 463 - Planting Day: Carrots - how to plant and what to expect the first few weeks show art 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...

info_outline 462 - How Early Is Too Early? Planting Cool-Season Crops With Confidence show art 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...

info_outline 461 - Seedlings Not Growing? Why Mine Stalled (and the Fix) show art 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...

info_outline 460 - How to Grow Better Potatoes: What Matters Most (and What Doesn’t) with Jim & Caleb Gerritsen of Wood Prairie Family Farm show art 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_outline 459 - Can You Trust AI With Your Garden? How to Avoid Bad Advice show art 459 - Can You Trust AI With Your Garden? How to Avoid Bad Advice

The Beginner's Garden

Struggling to know whether you can trust AI for garden planning? Wondering if ChatGPT can actually help you grow better vegetables—or if it might quietly steer you wrong? In this episode, we talk through the real benefits and real risks of using AI in your vegetable garden. Dream to Garden – Plan your garden faster with AI tools without giving up your own judgment. Learn the why behind your planting decisions and get step-by-step guidance plus custom GPT support. 👉 Learn more here: In this episode, I share what’s worked in my own garden using AI and where I’ve had to push back....

info_outline 458 - One Garden Bed, Three Seasons: How the Planning Actually Works show art 458 - One Garden Bed, Three Seasons: How the Planning Actually Works

The Beginner's Garden

Most gardens get planted once and then limp along until frost. But what if one garden bed could give you three strong harvests in a single season? In this episode, you’ll learn how simple succession planting can help you grow more food without adding more space. Free Training: Productive Garden Masterclass Learn how to plan your garden so beds stay productive all season long, without overwhelm. 👉 Key Takeaways How to plan three-season successions before the season starts Why knowing when crops come out matters as much as when they go in Real-life succession examples you can adapt...

info_outline 457 -Companion Planting Starts in the...Kitchen? show art 457 -Companion Planting Starts in the...Kitchen?

The Beginner's Garden

Companion planting can feel confusing fast. Charts, rules, and exceptions make it hard to know what really works. But what if you already understand companion planting better than you think? The foods you naturally cook together often grow well together, too. In this episode, I share a simple way to think about companion planting by looking at familiar kitchen pairings. Tomatoes and basil. Onions and peppers. Carrots and celery. When you connect what belongs together on your plate with what thrives together in the garden, companion planting starts to feel intuitive instead of overwhelming....

info_outline 456 - Endless Spring Salads: How to Plan Now show art 456 - Endless Spring Salads: How to Plan Now

The Beginner's Garden

Struggling with lettuce that bolts, turns bitter, or barely grows? You’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong. In this episode, I walk you through how to grow salad greens for months using the right varieties, timing, and planting rhythm. If growing your own salad greens has felt confusing or inconsistent, this episode will help you simplify the process. I break down the difference between lettuces and brassica greens, explain when to direct sow vs. start seeds indoors, and show you how I plan my plantings so I can harvest salads for weeks at a time. Free Download: Spring Salad...

info_outline 455 - The Truth About Seed Starting Mixes with JoeGardener (and Why So Many Fail) show art 455 - The Truth About Seed Starting Mixes with JoeGardener (and Why So Many Fail)

The Beginner's Garden

Struggling with seed starting failures even when you follow the rules? It might not be your lights, watering, or timing. In this episode, we break down seed starting mix and why the wrong soil can sabotage seedlings before they ever get going. I’m joined by Joe Lamp’l, and we’re digging into peat-based mixes, coconut coir problems, wetting agents, and the simple moisture mistakes most gardeners make indoors. Free Download: Seed Starting Guide Confident seed starting without the guesswork—what to start, when to start, and how to do it successfully. Key Takeaways Most seed starting...

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More Episodes

Struggling to know which garden supplies are actually worth grabbing on Black Friday?
In this episode, you’ll learn which tools and supplies make the biggest difference next season.
We’ll walk through raised beds, seed starting, irrigation, fertilizers, and more so you can shop with confidence.

free download: Seasonal Garden Task List

A month-by-month guide so you always know what to do and when.
https://journeywithjill.net/seasonal-task-list

Key Takeaways

  • Which raised beds and containers are worth the investment

  • My go-to seed starting lights, trays, and soil mixes

  • Fertilizers and soil amendments that have made the biggest difference

  • Easy irrigation setups for raised beds, containers, and Greenstalk planters

  • Favorite harvest gear, shoes, and tools that make gardening more enjoyable

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Gardening advice in this podcast is based on my experience in Zone 8a (Arkansas) and feedback from gardeners in many regions. Your results may differ depending on your climate and growing conditions. Check your local extension service for region-specific guidance. Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.