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!
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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 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
Vertical Garden 101: Introduction to Vertical Gardening
Vertical Garden 101: Introduction to Vertical Gardening Space is always a premium in gardens, especially when you are a renter. Even though I WANT to clear cut the numerous trees and bulldoze the overgrown lilacs and other vegetation in our yard, we are renters and...
#Gardenchat: Raised Bed Gardening
#Gardenchat: Raised Bed Gardening On May 23, 2016, I hosted the ever popular and exciting #gardenchat session on Twitter. My friend and fellow gardener, podcaster, and blogger Bren Haas asked me to host the #gardenchat when another host had a conflict and could not...
Garden Update – Week of 5/16/16
Garden Update - Week of 5/16/16 One of my favorite times of the year has arrived: garden season! I plated seeds during the winter and the spring, the seedlings have been hardened off, and now it is time to plant them in the garden. I have some work to do in the...
Urban Farming and Podcasting with Drew Sample – S1E10
https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/b0fd18a6-4edd-4b76-b0fd-8c7916d10787/4ae654de-2abe-40c7-baa9-98f9a6d00e9c.mp3 Download (57.4 MB, 1 hr 1 min) In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I interview Drew Sample about urban farming and podcasting. Initially...
Urban Farming with Scott Hebert – S1E9
https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/b0fd18a6-4edd-4b76-b0fd-8c7916d10787/de67de87-58da-4c58-905e-6233a19b225c.mp3 Download (62.1 MB, 1 hr 6 mins) Scott Hebert starting urban farming in 2015 in Chilliwack, British Columbia. A year ago, Scott was working at...
7 Reasons Why April is Awesome
7 Reasons Why April is Awesome "April Showers brings May Flowers" - English poem recorded in 1610 Awesome April is here! How can I possibly say that considering our taxes are due, its snowing or raining, its still too cold to plant outside, and summer is just too far...










