Epic Gardening: Daily Growing Tips And Advice

Insecticidal soaps are a great 'all purpose' pest destroyer, and for good reason: they make short work of soft-bodied insects. Things like aphids, thrips, whiteflies, and so on. Here's how to make it at home. Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hummingbirds are wonderful garden-dwellers. Not only are they adorably cute with their super-fast blur of wings and tiny bodies, but they can be great pollinators. Often, we want to encourage them to stay by buying the best hummingbird feeder we can find and providing extra food. But what really works to draw hummingbirds? Do you know where to place a hummingbird feeder for the best chance of drawing birds? How to clean a hummingbird feeder? What should you put in it to keep your birds healthy and safe? I’ll discuss what works and what doesn’t work, and whether glass hummingbird feeders are better than plastic ones. But more than that, I’ll help you learn how to care for your hummingbird feeder, how to maintain it and clean it, and how to encourage these cute little birds to visit. Learn More: Best Hummingbird Feeder: Enticing Hummingbirds To Stay In Your Garden Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad

Toads are some of the most powerful pest preventing creatures in a garden. Unless you're in an area where they're invasive, you should be thinking about how to attract them to your garden. And what better way than a little toad house! Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s never too early to think about upcoming needs, and for many of us, a heated bird bath is on that list. Some are stylish and have tons of visual appeal. Others are a bit more sedate and merely do exactly as advertised: they keep the water from freezing. Let’s explore all of the important details of bird bath heaters, and go over everything you could ever need to know before buying one. I’ll make suggestions for some of the best that are out there, and you can prepare in advance for the fall and winter months! Unlike other devices, there is not a best heated bird bath. It really depends on your personal needs and your available space and preferences. But there are a lot of high-quality options available, and I’ll talk a little about each. Learn More: Heated Bird Bath: Give Wildlife Access To Water All Winter Long Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever wanted to grow fruit, but didn’t want to give up space in the yard for one of those heirloom apple trees? Even a crab apple might be too large? Then you will want to know about espalier fruit trees and how they’re grown! This old technique has been used on grape vines, fruit and flowering trees, and even large shrubs. Pronounced “ess-PAUL-yay”, the term originates with the French word “aspau”, meaning “a prop”, referencing the trellis that supports branches. It may also have been partially derived from the Italian term “spalliera”, which means “something to lean the shoulder against”. Espalier has been used to create low walls, lattice-pattern foliage, and best of all, flat-growing fruit trees that can live along a fenceline. It can take many years of training a tree or shrub to create the effect that you’re aiming for, but it’s so rewarding once it takes shape. Learn More: Espalier Fruit Trees: Ideas To Pack Big Fruit Harvests Into Small Spaces Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhe

Welcome back to reality my gardening friends! Hope you had an awesome weekend. Today's episode is a riff on permaculture wine and beer techniques from the head farmer at Jester King brewery in Austin, Texas.  Learn More: Jester King Brewery Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most gardeners get around 10lb of tomatoes off of a single plant. And that's great! But what if you want MORE? Here are some tips to maximize yield on your tomatoes this season. Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to formulate a custom organic fertilizer designed to take standard raised bed soil to the next level. I use it in all of my beds and containers. Order your Epic Soil Starter now. Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not all of us have boatloads of cash to throw into the garden. If you're like me, you want creative solutions to make the gardening experience a little easier that don't break the bank. Well, you're in luck - here are 5 you can use today. Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to formulate a custom organic fertilizer designed to take standard raised bed soil to the next level. I use it in all of my beds and containers. Order your Epic Soil Starter now. Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here's an episode for you patio gardeners out there! 12 ornamental plants that you can grow well in containers on patio. Now there are NO excuses to getting something green and colorful on your property :) Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to formulate a custom organic fertilizer designed to take standard raised bed soil to the next level. I use it in all of my beds and containers. Order your Epic Soil Starter now. Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quick one today for you all - common question of what to do with your tomato vines and other garden debris at the end of the season. Can you compost, should you compost? The answer lies within this episode. Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to formulate a custom organic fertilizer designed to take standard raised bed soil to the next level. I use it in all of my beds and containers. Order your Epic Soil Starter now. Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you're like me, you've probably heard of Epsom salts as a "gardening hack." But...why? Why does everyone seem to love using them in the garden? In today's episode we'll go over a few different ways to creatively use Epsom salts and boost the flavor and health of your plants. Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to formulate a custom organic fertilizer designed to take standard raised bed soil to the next level. I use it in all of my beds and containers. Order your Epic Soil Starter now. Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When I was growing up my Mom always complained to my Dad about her garden and flower beds. She would say things like “Nothing grows in this red dirt!”, or “I’m not planting anything this year, it never grows!” I always thought Mom just didn’t have a green thumb. Fast forward about twenty years, and now I understand her struggle. Digging in my flower beds and garden used to be like playing in a big mud pie that was left out in the sun to dry. The flowers and vegetable plants I planted always showed signs of being over-watered. Because yes, I have clay soil. I’ve figured out a few ways that have improved the quality of my garden and flower bed soil. These tips have made my efforts in the garden more fruitful and less back-breaking. Learn More: Clay Soil Got You Down? Top Tips For Amending Clay Soil Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to formulate a custom organic fertilizer designed to take standard raised bed soil to the next level. I use it in all of my beds and con

Have you ever tried growing tomatillos? Often used as part of salsa or Mexican cuisine, this relative of the cape gooseberry is a popular fruit. But what are tomatillos, really? The Mexican husk tomato, sometimes called jamberry but more commonly called tomatillo, is a strange little plant. Its fruit grows within a natural papery lantern-like husk. Once ripe, the husk splits open and the fruit of your labor is ready to use. While most tomatillo varieties have origins in Mexico, these fruits are common throughout the Americas in the wild. There are two species, Physalis ixocarpa and Physalis philadelphica, but there’s many cultivars. The greenish or purple tomatillo fruit is used in an ever-increasing number of dishes, not to mention the salsa verde we all love. Let’s talk about all of the requirements for growing tomatillos so that you can enjoy them yourself! Learn More: Growing Tomatillos: Enjoy Salsa Verde All Summer Long Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to fo

Anyone who’s been gardening for a while is familiar with the dreaded fusarium wilt. Also called damping off, this fungal disease causes newly-sprouted seedling stems to collapse. It’s frustrating, but it’s certainly not unknown. But did you know that fusarium itself is a widespread genus of multiple species which can also cause a number of blights and rots? In fact, fusarium species create a number of dangers for not just your plants, but even directly for you. Let’s go over some information on what fusarium is and learn about how and what it does. Then, we’ll go into ways to prevent against it and newly-developing information on how to fight back! Learn More: Fusarium Wilt, Blight, And Rot: How To Handle These Fungal Problems Keep Growing, Kevin Epic Soil Starter I've partnered with Garden Maker Naturals to formulate a custom organic fertilizer designed to take standard raised bed soil to the next level. I use it in all of my beds and containers. Order your Epic Soil Starter now. Follow Epic Gardening Everyw

We've all heard of the "Topsy Turvy" tomato planters that allow you to grow tomatoes upside down, but what about other plants. Specifically peppers? Would they work? In today's show I outline how to grow these spicy veggies upside down! Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Manure is a great source of organic matter and fertility in the garden...but does it make sense to use it fresh? Find out the pros and cons in today's show. Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever grown a rattlesnake plant? How about a peacock plant? A zebra plant? All of these are forms of calathea! Let’s explore the delightful and fun world of this gorgeous and popular houseplant. With many vivid variations, this leafy plant can be a perfect addition to your living space. In some areas of the world, they’re useful as well as decorative. Calathea leaves are used to wrap a specific type of tamale in Guatemala, for instance. In Thailand, calathea leaf rice containers are popular amongst the tourist trade. But enough about the uses of calathea. Let’s get on to what it is and how to grow it! Learn More: Calathea: Caring For The Rattlesnake Plant, Zebra Plant and More Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Downy mildew and powdery mildew are often confused. If you’re looking for how to get rid of powdery mildew, check here. But downy mildew is a completely separate problem, even if it might look similar. Both are common issues in the garden. Today, we’ll go over everything there is to know about downy mildew. I’ll tell you how to treat it, but more importantly, I’ll help you determine how to prevent it so you don’t get it again! Learn More: Downy Mildew: How To Stop This Plant Disease Before It Starts Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don't throw your potting soil away once you're done growing with it for a season! It's easy to refresh or completely rejuvenate your soil using the methods in this episode. Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hand pollination is a fantastic way to increase fruit production on plants like cucumbers, zucchinis, etc. Here are two methods for both large and small-flowered plants! Keep Growing, Kevin Follow Epic Gardening Everywhere: YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices