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A program dedicated to keeping the art of gardening simple, fun, and always rewarding. Hosts Jim and Mary Competti have been writing, speaking and sharing their love of gardening for the last decade. Co-owners of the popular blog oldworldgardenfarms.com and co-authors of Growing Simple and Raised Row Gardening, they take an enthusiastic approach to giving solid, straightforward advice on growing everything from vegetables, to perennials, annuals and more!
Each week, Jim and Mary take on a new gardening topic with gusto, taking the listener through the how and why's of gardening, along with advice on how to always keep it fun and enjoyable.
Each week, Jim and Mary take on a new gardening topic with gusto, taking the listener through the how and why's of gardening, along with advice on how to always keep it fun and enjoyable.
50 Episodes
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When it comes to growing healthy, productive vegetables and flowers in raised beds – success all begins with filling your raised beds with the perfect mix of soil! The soil you put into your raised beds matters. To grow great plants it needs to be lightweight, full of nutrients – and also drain well. Which is exactly why how you fill them up matters! It’s important to think of raised beds just as you would a container or potted plant. This is because they both have limited soil capacity. To be successful, a potted plant needs to have great drainage as well as be loose and lightweight. In addition, it also needs to packed with nutrients.That is exactly the same formula for success when growing in raised beds. The soil has to drain excess water away in quick fashion. If it doesn’t, plants will struggle to grow and can easily rot out in the soil.On this week's episode, Jim & Mary take a look at the best method for filling up your beds, and why simply loading them full of just plain soil is not good for your plants – or your raised beds life and longevity either.
When it comes to maintaining healthy plants and weed-free flowerbeds, mulch is the answer. There is little doubt that it has tremendous benefits for the flowers growing in your flowerbeds – especially when it put down correctly.But let’s face it, the number one reason gardeners put down mulch is to stop weeds. And unfortunately, for many who go through the expense and effort of mulching their beds each year in hopes to finally put an end to their weeding chores – their mulching process actually only helps their weed problems multiply!So how can you avoid all of that hard work and heartache? Jim & Mary look at the three most common miscues gardeners make when mulching, and how to put down your mulch perfectly for weed free and care free flowerbeds!
Are you using egg shells correctly in your garden and flowerbeds?Egg shells are one of the most commonly recommended organic ingredients for powering up garden soil and plants. And for good reason! Egg shells are rich in calcium, which happens to be a critical nutrient for strong plant cell walls. Calcium is also vital for overall plant health.Calcium also plays a critical role in the formation of fruit. In fact, when there is a lack of available calcium, common garden ailments like blossom end rot on tomatoes and peppers can be a big issue.For all of the reasons above, egg shells, which are made up of over 90% calcium carbonate, can certainly help provide calcium to your plants and the soil they grow in.But here’s the issue – most gardeners don’t use them in a way that maximizes their benefits. Today - Jim & Mary cover the best ways to use egg shells to give your plants and the soil the power it needs!
Jim & Mary discuss early spring daylily care - and how to best fertilize them for bigger blooms! The best time to fertilize daylilies is in early spring – and with one simple and easy application, you can set your daylilies up for bigger and better blooms than ever this year!Daylilies are one of the most popular of all perennial plants for home gardeners. Not only are they easy to grow and establish, they also happen to be extremely drought tolerant as well. Even more, they require little in the way of yearly maintenance to keep them growing strong and healthy.But if there is one thing that you can do for your daylilies to really maximize their blooming potential, it’s to give them a yearly dose of power in late winter or early spring, right before they begin to take off and begin to grow!
If you are looking for the best way to support your tomato plants this year without spending a fortune - today's episode covers how to create the perfect DIY solution that can hold the biggest of plants without worry!Tomato cages have been around for years, but they can be expensive. Not only that, many cages simply grow out of the ground when plants get too big.Tomato stakes are another option, but they too have issues. Not only are they hard to tie tomato plants to, they easily snap if plants get too big and heavy. And whether you use cages or stakes – the real issue is that they don’t last for long. In fact, most don’t make it past a season or two without needing to be replaced.Jim and Mary walk listeners through the simple steps to build strong and sturdy tomato supports that make growing tomatoes easier than ever. And best of all - not only will they last for years and years, they are quite inexpensive to build too!
In this season's first episode, Jim and Mary walk listeners through the four simple steps to planting and growing cucumbers. See how with just a few simple tips and tricks, you can grow your best crop of cucumbers ever!
There is no harder time for birds than trying to survive in the harsh, bleak and cold conditions winter can bring - and there is no better way to help them through it than by feeding them on a regular basis!Winter is extremely tough on birds that do not migrate to warmer areas. Not only can it be hard to find adequate shelter from the cold and precipitation, they have to be wary of predators that are hungry for food sources as well.Today's podcast from Jim and Mary centers on the best way to feed and help birds have the food and protection they need to make it through the cold, harsh winter - and have them ready to help you and your garden next year by controlling insects and consuming thousands of weed seeds too!
Did you know that how you water your poinsettias during the holiday season is one of the biggest factors of all in determining just how long your plant will keep it’s gorgeous colorful leaves in place throughout the holiday season – and that misting your poinsettia regularly can play a huge role in that too?Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to best water their poinsettias to keep them blooming right on past the New Year - including a few tips and tricks that can really make a huge difference in just bright and beautiful they stay!
Looking for a few low-maintenance, drought resistant perennials to add big interest and color to your landscape – all without the worry of having to constantly water?One of the most difficult and time consuming chores for a gardener to perform is having to continually water their plants. Especially if that water is difficult to come by, or even restricted as it is in many drought plagued parts of the country and world.But that is exactly where planting smart from the start with drought resistant perennials can be a huge help. Drought resistant plants require far less water to survive and thrive. So much so that watering is rarely if ever needed. And can these plants ever be beautiful!
See how to fertilize your hanging baslets like a pro! Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to fertilize their baskets low and slow - and how it can help keep flowering baskets blooming big all summer long!There is little doubt about it - how, when and what you use to fertilize your hanging baskets can make a huge difference in just how well they bloom this year. And perhaps even more importantly - for just how long into summer or fall you can keep your baskets flowering big.If there is one thing that gardeners struggle with, it's keeping their hanging baskets blooming all summer long. For many, although their baskets might start out strong and beautiful in the spring - by mid-summer, they begin to suddenly appear weak and feeble.See how fertilziing your baskets with a simple one-two punch on a conisten basis can keep your baskets flowering big all season long.
Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to stop carpenter bees from damaging the wood around their home, without having to kill of these important pollinators.When it comes to stopping carpenter bees and the damage they cause to the wood surfaces around your exterior of your home, one thing is for sure, it takes a persistent approach to win the battle!Carpenter bees can cause extensive damage to the exterior wood surfaces all over your property. Not just to the wood siding and eaves on your house, but any wood surface that is exposed. That includes your garage, shed, pergola, swing sets and yes, even wood fences.Unfortunately, once they find a surface to their liking, they keep coming back. In fact, with each new generation of carpenter bees, they will continue to drill more new holes, all while expanding their original homestead into an even larger nesting site with more tunnels.See how to safely stop carpenter bees from damaging the wood around your home, and still keep these valuable pollinators around!
Want to give your young tomato plants a jump start and get them growing fast? Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to power up tomato plants after they have been planted to get them growing strong, healthy and faster than ever! As garden season gets into full swing, many gardeners are planting their tomatoes and already dreaming of the big, juicy harvests they hope will come from their plants this summer.But to get those big yields, it's vital to get young transplants growing fast - and right from the start. After all, getting your plants to grow healthy and strong early is the key to having them produce more blooms and fruit later.
Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to recycle, recharge and reuse old potting soil.Potting soil can be one of the biggest annual expenses of all for those who like to plant flowers and vegetables in pots, containers and hanging baskets. In fact, quite often, it can cost a gardener more for the soil filling their containers than the plants being potted in it!Old potting soil can be lifeless and nutrient poor. Without amending it, you simply can't grow new plants well. See how to recharge your soil in the spring or fall with two unique methods, grow amazingly healthy plants, and save big on your gardening budget in the process!
Listen in as Jim and Mary walk you through getting your garden growing early in the season with seed crops! From sugar snap peas, to spinach, radishes and more, they cover some of the best crops that can handle cooler season temperatures with ease. Don't wait for late spring and summer to plant, get growing now!
Jim and Mary talk about dividing perennials in the spring, and how to transplant them into your flowerbeds to help add more color and stop weeds in the process!One of the easiest, best and least expensive ways to fill your flowerbeds with life and color is to divide the perennials you already have this spring into even more plants! Not only is it simple to do, it can save you hundreds of dollars on plants. And, of course, on mulch too!For podcast article & notes on Dividing Perennials In The Spring, see : https://simplegardenlife.com/divide-perennials-in-spring/
Jim & Mary take listeners through the process of ornamental grass care, inlcuding when to cut them back and how to divide and transplant overgrown grasses.There is no better time to cut back and divide ornamental grasses than in late winter and early spring. Not only can it keep your grasses manageable, it can also create all kinds of new grass transplants to use all over your yard.
Looking for a few simple and safe methods to control and repel ticks in your backyard this spring, summer and fall?Jim and Mary take you through 3 natural methods to control the tick population in your yard, and highlight a few simple and natural methods to help deter them from finding you no matter where you are!Ticks are one insect that can create a long list of issues for the health and well being of humans and pets. The tiny insect with a unique look all to its own can be infected with bacterial disease as well as viruses and parasites.That is exactly why keeping ticks out of your backyard and off of your skin is so important - and what today's podcast is all about! See how to safely rid your yard of ticks, and how to repel them from you, your family and your pets too.
Jim and Mary discuss how to keep the soil in your raised beds healthy and strong, including the best ways to recharge and re-energize the soil to grow bigger and better plants!Raised beds are one of the easiest and most effective ways to grow vegetables, flowers and herbs - especially for those who may not have the space for a traditional garden, or who might have physical limitations that can make gardening in big spaces difficult.When created with good drainage and filled with great soil, they can grow amazing plants. But if that soil isn't properly cared for, it can become tires and poor, leading to far less production and more disease in your plants.See how to keep your beds supercharged for big growth this spring and beyond!
Jim and Mary talk about how to prune tomato plants - and why it's so important for their success! See how to prune your plants to allow air and light in, and why it helps keep your plants disease and pest free.
Jim and Mary discuss how to best fertilize your tomato plants, including when to fertilize, how often, and a few of the best types of fertilizer to use on your plants. Tomato plants are heavy feeders from the soil and can benefit greatly from perfectly timed nutrient boosts. See how to power up your tomato plants this year for healthy plants and a big harvest!
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I listened to your straw bale episode today also. I want to do tomatoes. What adjustments would you make (from this episode) if it was straw? Thanks!