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 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

Reviewing Top Seed Sources for Your Garden – S3E12

Reviewing Top Seed Sources for Your Garden – S3E12

by | Feb 23, 2018 | ,

https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/b0fd18a6-4edd-4b76-b0fd-8c7916d10787/00be094d-c1c6-41ee-99f4-c973d91b1c6e.mp3 Download (34 MB, 35 mins 51 secs) Now that you developed your garden plan, it is time to start planting seeds for our gardens! Yes!  It is time! ...

Four Lessons Learned from Starting Seeds – S3E10

Four Lessons Learned from Starting Seeds – S3E10

by | Feb 16, 2018 | ,

https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/b0fd18a6-4edd-4b76-b0fd-8c7916d10787/91090987-60e2-4a16-9572-27585d9434a5.mp3 Download (31.1 MB, 33 mins 6 secs) We have hit mid-February!  It is time to get planting seeds for our 2018 garden!  As many of you know, I have been...

How To Develop A 2018 Garden Plan – S3E8

How To Develop A 2018 Garden Plan – S3E8

by | Feb 6, 2018 | ,

https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/b0fd18a6-4edd-4b76-b0fd-8c7916d10787/f367b509-99b9-4fdb-80c3-fb2d4756023f.mp3 Download (32.9 MB, 34 mins 27 secs) It has been an incredible two weeks.  Julie and I moved all of our gear out of a storage locker and into this...

BellCast: Winter Urban Farming Blues – S3E5

BellCast: Winter Urban Farming Blues – S3E5

by | Jan 21, 2018 | ,

https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/b0fd18a6-4edd-4b76-b0fd-8c7916d10787/f7f2df95-4d6c-436e-956d-f6e7288549f0.mp3 Download (79.7 MB, 1 hr 26 mins) In this episode, Micheal Bell returns to the Small Scale Life Podcast to discuss progress at Half Acre Farm. There...