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
Intro to Rain Gutter Grow Systems
Intro to Rain Gutter Grow Systems What if you could successfully grow vegetables and/or herbs on your driveway and deck? What if you didn't have to water that garden every day? In my experience, I have found that gardeners struggle to water plants routinely,...
What is Square Foot Gardening? S2E13
What is Square Foot Gardening? S2E13 https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/b0fd18a6-4edd-4b76-b0fd-8c7916d10787/92a159f2-f2aa-413c-9aac-15714945145b.mp3 Do you remember the days of old when your parents or grandparents had a garden in the backyard? Do you remember...
2017 Potting Soil Challenge
2017 Potting Soil Challenge The 2017 Garden Season is in full swing at the Small Scale Life Headquarters! I broke out seed trays and containers, seeds, potting soil and trusty GoPro and got down to business. As I had mentioned in the How to Garden Indoors post, I...
How to Garden Indoors
Surprise! We got four inches of fresh snow yesterday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was just as a subtle reminder that we are not finished with winter here in the Upper Midwest. Although we had some really nice weather in February, Old Man Winter is not done kicking...
8 Steps to Starting Plants Indoors
Spring is right around the corner, and it is time to get those seeds growing! Because I live in Minnesota and am a renter, I do not have a greenhouse yet, and the weather in Minnesota is too unpredictable to even think about starting seeds outside in a cold frame. ...
Garden Planning: Grow What You Eat
"I want to start gardening, but I just don't know what to grow! Everything looks so awesome, and I just want to grow EVERYTHING in this seed catalog. How do I start garden planning?" From time to time, family members, friends and followers here on Small Scale Life...