Gardening
You can successfully grow plants anywhere…
All you need to successfully grow plants are three elements:
light, nutrients and water.
If you are new to gardening, a seasoned gardener or a Plant “Angel of Death,” I can help you.
NEW: Seed Starting Guide
Do you know how to grow plants from seed successfully?
Growing plants, particularly vegetables and herbs, is a fundamental piece of building a resilient life. There is nothing like growing healthy plants and harvesting produce and herbs in the late summer and autumn.
This FREE Seed Starting Guide will walk you through my process for growing vegetables and herbs from seed successfully. You do not need expensive equipment!
Click the button below, sign up for our mailing list and get your FREE Seed Starting Guide today!
Blue Ribbon Articles and Podcast Episodes
Intro to Rain Gutter Grow Systems
This is one of our most popular posts on Small Scale Life. In my experience, I have found that gardeners struggle to water plants routinely, especially if that person works a job away from home for extended periods of time (i.e., sales, transportation, medical positions or public service positions). I have found a method of gardening that meets all of these needs. This method is a type of Wicking Beds called Rain Gutter Grow Systems, and in this post, I am going to introduce you to these systems.
Vertical Garden 101: Introduction to Vertical Gardening
Space is always a premium in gardens, especially when you are a renter. I had to get creative using space to grow food, and one creative way to expand is to capitalize the unused airspace. This post is an introduction to vertical gardening, and additional articles will cover how I built and maintain the vertical gardens I am used in 2016.
How to Build Vertical Garden Planters
In this post and episode, I will discuss the following topics:
- What is a vertical garden?
- Benefits and challenges of vertical garden planters
- Materials needed to build vertical garden planters
- Step-by-step guide for building vertical garden planters
How to Prune Tomatoes to Improve Production
In our small gardens, I am here to grow produce, not leaves and branches. I can’t eat those! One way to increase your tomato production is by pruning tomatoes. In this episode, I am going to discuss how to prune tomatoes to improve the health of your plants and to grow more tomatoes. Buckle up, buttercup, because we are going to talk about aggressively pruning those plants!
Urban Farming Advice
Michael Bell and Scott Hebert return to discuss urban farming advice and best practices. Topics discussed during this podcast includes their farms, their markets, typical yields, watering crops, harvesting product, successfully marketing products and potentially expanding their operations.
Urban Farming with Michael Bell
Inspired by some of my heroes including Gary Vee, Curtis Stone and JM Fortier, Michael is carving out his organic footprint in a quiet spot six miles from down Downtown Dallas. It is pretty cool talking with Michael, and I learned a lot from him. Whether it is starting your own small business (not necessarily urban farming) or getting fit, I think there is something for everyone in these next two podcasts!
Latest Harvest from the Garden
ANT Live 1: Adam Rick from Modern Frontier Farms
I had a chance to launch a new effort and Live Stream with Adam Rick from Modern Frontier Farms on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel
9 Types of Garden Fertilizers and How to Use Them
In this 227th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Tom discusses 9 types of Garden Fertilizers and How to Use Them in your garden. This includes “recipes” for making various organic teas
My 4 Garden Failures in 2024
In this 226th episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast Tom discusses four garden failures in the 2024 Season, why he suspects these plants are failing and how he plans to change things up for the fall to make more productive self-watering garden beds.
Garden Chat: Building a Gardening and Homesteading Advice
In this 225th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Tom hosts a Garden Chat about the construction of the garden, cabbage worms, wicking beds, fencing and homesteading. This is the first podcast episode recorded IN the garden!
3 Critical Elements of Vegetable Garden Layout Design and Planning
Tom discusses vegetable garden layout design and planning including three elements for successfully growing plants: light, water and nutrients.
Tipping Points and Getting Back to Basics
In this 217th Episode of the Small Scale L:ife Podcast, I talk about Tipping Points and Getting Back to Basics. We have seen bank collapses before, and it didn’t go well for us in 2008. It is a reminder to get back to Small Scale Living. A big component of that is growing and preserving our own food in vibrant and productive gardens.