Epic Gardening: Daily Growing Tips And Advice

Urban permaculture seems like an oxymoron, but if you think of your limited growing space in the same way a farmer thinks of his land, you can get a lot of great production out of small spaces. Keep Growing, Kevin   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all love trees and shrubs that have beautiful fall color. We also love birds and butterflies. We can help these creatures by asking for native plants when we shop at garden centers. Butterflies need native plants to reproduce successfully and produce caterpillars. Birds need butterfly caterpillars to feed their nestlings. We can enjoy colorful fall beauty and birds and butterflies. Here’s a list of eight must-have native shrubs and trees that provide beautiful fall color and support wildlife. Learn More: 8 Must-Have Native Shrubs and Trees for Midwestern Fall Color Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s that time of year! The apple tree is overloaded, and you simply can’t eat them all at once. No amount of apple cobblers, apple pies, and applesauce will use them all. So it’s time for you to empty the tree and get them stored away properly, ensuring that you can enjoy this bounty for the next few months. I’ll walk you through it all and help you figure out the best way to store apples, as well as how to pick them all. Learn More: Fall Harvest: How To Pick And Store Apples For The Winter Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen? How about the Clean Fifteen? No? Well, listen in and learn how which fruits and veggies are important to wash, and which you can skip. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A reader wrote me and told me about something called anthroponics, also known as "peeponics." I HAD to look into it...here's what I found out. Keep Growing, Kevin   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aphids are easily some of the most annoying pests in the garden. They proliferate like crazy and can destroy your hard work in no time. Learn how to get rid of them for good. Learn More: Annoying Aphids: All About Aphididae And How To Get Rid of Them Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many gardeners are afraid to compost weeds...don't be! In this episode I show you how to compost weeds in 5 ways that ensure no weed seeds will survive. Learn More: 5 Foolproof Ways to Compost Weeds Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I've recommended green lacewings often on the podcast, so I figured I'd cover what they are and why they're such beneficial bugs. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ah, potato beetles. These spherical pests will munch on all of your potato leaves until there are none left. With proper control, you can get rid of them for good - find out how. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we move into fall, you might be growing asparagus. And if you're growing asparagus, you might have asparagus beetles. Learn how to get this annoying beetles out of your garden. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

These big, fat caterpillars can decimate your tomato plants.  Here's how to get them OUT of your garden for good. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We hear about beneficial insects all of the time, but never how to keep them in our gardens. Enter: insect houses. These helpful contraptions provide shelter for our beneficial bugs. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I've been dealing with the super annoying cabbage worms and moths in my garden lately, munching on all of my brassicas. Here is what I've been doing to ensure I never see any of these stupid bugs again. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we look at how you might go about saving strawberry seeds to grow new plants from seed. It's actually a clever method, one that I am going to do very soon! Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's question comes from Christine, who is growing sprouts for her parrots! She wondered if presoaking seeds in warm water was a good idea.  Let's find out! Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you want to clear a section of your grass out for a garden or hydroponic setup, how do you do it? I answer this reader question today and riff on some outdoor hydroponics tips. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know those fruit and veggie washes you see at Whole Foods and other fancy grocery stores? Are they even worth the money, and can you make the same thing at home? Find out in today's episode. Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the more common questions I'm asked on the blog is about plastic use, specifically, "What plastics are safe for use in the garden?"  Since a lot of Epic Gardening readers are into hydroponics and aquaponics over soil gardening, there are a lot of people with a lot of plastic in their setup that are curious about their safety and place in the garden. Well, I was curious too, so I decided to go deep into the world of plastics and figure it all out for you all! Learn More: Which Plastics Are Safe For Gardening? Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I can't tell you how many times I hear from people who are killing succulents! They're one of the easiest plants to grow, so I figured I'd do a quick episode breaking down how to care for them. Learn More: Stunning Succulents: Fertilizing Your Drought-Tolerant Plants Products Mentioned: Top Choice: Espoma Organic Cactus Food (1-2-2) Slightly Stronger: Schultz Cactus Plus (2-7-7) Compost Tea Option: Malibu Compost’s version For Indoor Succulents: Miracle-Gro’s succulent formula Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is part 5 of the 5-part interview with Michael Bell. Michael is a teacher, Texan, competitive bodybuilder...and an urban farmer! In this episode he talks about the surprisingly easy parts of starting an urban farm as well as the things that gave him a much harder time than he expected. We also talk about his plans for the future. Reach out to Michael Bell mbell971@yahoo.com Keep Growing, Kevin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices