Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

Today is a clinic episode, a Seedling Troubleshooting Clinic to be exact, because if you’re starting seeds indoors, something is eventually going to look weird. A tray that was perfect yesterday is suddenly leaning. Something looks fuzzy on the soil surface. Or a seedling that seemed fine just flops over.The good news is most seedling problems come from a small handful of causes, causes that we can actually control - light, temperature, water, airflow, or sanitation. And once you know what you’re looking at, you can usually fix it quickly or at least stop it from spreading to the rest of your tray.So, I’m going to give you a simple diagnostic checklist and then we’ll walk through the most common seedling symptoms and what to do about each one.Let's dig in!Get my FREE seed starting ebook: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/seedbookTake my comprehensive course for indoor seed starting, Seed to Sprout: https://justgrowsomething.com/indoor-seed-startingJust Grow Something episodes, videos and blog posts on seed starting: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/search/seed%20startingReferences and resources:University of Illinois Extension: Troubleshooting seed starting problems: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2022-02-25-whats-wrong-my-seedlings-troubleshooting-seed-starting-problemsUniversity of Minnesota Extension: How to prevent seedling damping off: https://extension.umn.edu/solve-problem/how-prevent-seedling-damping Utah State University Extension: Seedling culture, airflow, temps: https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/starting-vegetable-seeds-indoors-seeding-culture-and-transplanting.pdf Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.comJust Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shopJust Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/ Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomethingBonus content for supporters of the Podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomethingAmazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething

Onions and shallots are closely related, they can be used in similar ways, and they look similar at the store, but they behave differently in both the kitchen and the garden.So, today on Just Grow Something we’re doing a side-by-side comparison of these alliums. We’ll cover how they differ in taste and cooking uses, how they differ in growth habit, how to grow each one, and finally, how to adapt for hot climates and short-season climates, because those two extremes can make or break your allium crop.Let’s dig in.References and Resources:Plan Like a Pro Gardening Planning Course: https://justgrowsomething.thinkific.com/courses/plan-like-a-proGrowing Onions - Ep. 233: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/episode/ep-133-growing-onionsHow to Harvest, Cure, and Store Garlic and Onions - Ep. 256: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/episode/how-to-harvest-cure-and-store-garlic-and-onions-ep-256University of Minnesota Extension — Growing onions in home gardens: https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-onionsUF/IFAS Gardening Solutions — Onions and shallots: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/onions-and-shallots/ Oregon State University Extension — Plant onions early for bigger summer bulbs: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/plant-onions-early-bigger-summer-bulbsJust Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.comJust Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shopJust Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/ Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomethingBonus content for supporters of the Podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomethingAmazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething

If you’ve ever planted a big patch of arugula at the same time you planted the rest of the spring garden, only to watch it shoot up a flower stalk a few weeks later, you’ve already met this week’s topic: heat-sensitive crops.Heat-sensitive doesn’t always mean a plant can’t survive warm weather. It usually means warm temperatures and lengthening days change the plant’s priorities. Instead of producing the leaves, heads, or tubers we want to harvest, the plant pivots toward flowering and seed production or it keeps growing, but quality drops.So, today on Just Grow Something we’re talking about the five crops you should plant earlier than you think to avoid this change. And I’m also including an herb that can bolt as fast as you blink. Let’s dig in.References and Resources:Ep. 133 - Growing Onions: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/episode/ep-133-growing-onionsSoil Temperature Maps: https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperaturePlan Like a Pro Garden Planning Course: https://justgrowsomething.thinkific.com/courses/plan-like-a-proJust Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.comJust Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shopJust Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/ Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomethingBonus content for supporters of the Podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomethingAmazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething

My Plan Like A Pro Course is Open for Registration: ⁠⁠https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/pro⁠⁠If you’ve ever gone into a Facebook gardening group and asked, “When am I supposed to plant this?” and then gotten ten different answers, you are not alone.And if you’ve ever started seeds too early, ended up with giant leggy plants taking over your house, and then still got hit with a late cold snap? Also not alone.Today on Just Grow Something we’re going to make garden timing feel simple, flexible, and predictable.I’m going to show you how to build a planting calendar using frost dates as your starting point, then layering in:• cool-season versus warm-season timing,• how many weeks to start seeds indoors,• a buffer for weather variability,• and how to plan your fall garden by counting backward from your first frost.This is one of those “once you understand it, you can reuse it forever” skills.Let's dig in.

If you’ve ever planned a garden that looked amazing on paper and then halfway through summer you thought, “I do not have the time for this,” this episode is for you.Because a garden can be beautiful, productive, and fun and still be too much if the plan doesn’t match your real life.Today on Just Grow Something we’re building a low-maintenance garden plan. Not by choosing “easy plants,” but by designing your garden around the things that actually determine how much work it takes: location, layout, watering, weed control, and disease pressure and how that fits into the rest of your actual life.Low-maintenance does not mean low-yield. It means fewer chores that pile up, fewer “emergency problems,” and a garden that still functions when your life gets busy.As we go, I’ll give you simple action steps you can do in January to set this up. Because the easiest gardening season is the one you design on purpose.Let's dig in.References and Resources:My Plan Like A Pro Course is Open for Registration: ⁠https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/pro⁠University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension. “Beginning Vegetable Garden Basics: Site Selection and Soil Preparation.” https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/beginning-vegetable-garden-basics-site-selection-and-soil-preparationColorado State University Extension. “Drip Irrigation for Home Gardens.” https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/drip-irrigation-for-home-gardens/University of Minnesota Extension. “Mulching 101: the secret to a healthy and happy garden.” https://extension.umn.edu/news/mulching-101-secret-healthy-and-happy-gardenOregon State University Extension Service. “Sheet mulching and lasagna composting with cardboard.” https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9559-sheet-mulching-lasagna-composting-cardboard