Used coffee grounds are an abundant waste product, especially if you live in an urban or suburban environment. They have wonderful benefits for your garden, so here are 5 ways you can use them. Keep Growing, Kevin

The benefits of using straw as mulch are awesome...as long as you use straw and not hay. In this episode, I explain why that is as well as how to use straw effectively in the garden. Keep Growing, Kevin

Are your broccoli plants (or cauiflower) not forming heads? It's frustrating to put in effort only to see no beautiful, tight heads forming on your beloved broccoli.  Here are some reasons why that might be happening! Keep Growing, Kevin

A flea beetle is not a flea. Let's get that out of the way right at the beginning! In fact, fleas and flea beetles have almost nothing in common, although they're often confused with fleas by those less familiar with them. This is not the pest that bites your dogs and cats (and sometimes you). But if it's not a flea, what exactly is a flea beetle? How can you identify this surprisingly-common United States pest, and where are you likely to find it? Can you catch them before they jump away? Most importantly, how do you kill them before they can devour your prized vegetable plants? Learn More: Flea Beetle Destruction: How To Wipe Out These Jumping Pests Keep Growing, Kevin

If you’ve ever watched a row of plants get demolished by army worms, you’ll know in part how they get their name. These ravenous little caterpillars will devour an entire plant and then move on en-masse to the next, gobbling that one down with equal vigor. But what exactly is an armyworm? Are there different kinds, and where are they found? What do they eat? How long do army worms last? And perhaps the most important, how to get rid of armyworms? We’ll discuss all of this and more today. I’ll give you everything you need to know about this persistent pest and how to wipe it out in your yard. Learn More: Army Worms: Eliminating These Munching Menaces Keep Growing, Kevin

Sulfur is one of the essential micronutrients. It can be hard to tell if your plants are deficient in it as well. Here's how to side dress your beds with sulfur to ensure your garden doesn't suffer from sulfur deficiency! Learn More: Plant Nutrients Explained: Everything You Ever Need To Know Keep Growing, Kevin

A reader wrote in wondering why his zucchini flowered but never set fruit. Here's the answer - it has to do with male and female flowers! Keep Growing, Kevin

As its name implies, bee balm (Monarda) is a wonderful pollinator to add to your garden and comes in perennial and annual varieties. Learn More: Bee Balm: How To Grow And Care For Monarda Keep Growing, Kevin

These are the most common DIY pest control recipes to use in your garden. You can prevent most pest issues simply by mixing these up! Learn More: 4 DIY Natural Pest Control Recipes for Your Garden Keep Growing, Kevin

Love them or hate them, cats can be annoying in the garden. Whether they're tearing up your houseplants or destroying your edibles, here are a few strategies to keep them at bay. Keep Growing, Kevin

Leaf miners will tunnel through your leaves, leaving trails of dead plant matter and bringing disease to your garden. Learn how to destroy them in this episode! Keep Growing, Kevin

Whiteflies are extremely annoying pests that can attract ants to your garden and make short work of your edibles and ornamentals.  Learn how to destroy them in this episode! Keep Growing, Kevin

Pumpkins are a wonderful and versatile fall crop...if you harvest them correctly. Learn how to tell if pumpkins are ripe and a few harvesting tips! Learn More: White (Ghost) Pumpkins: Care, Types, and Growing Tips Keep Growing, Kevin

Cold frames are one of the most effective structures for your fall and winter garden. They extend the growing season and provide considerable cover for your fall plants. Learn More: 26 Cold Frame Plans For Your Winter Garden Keep Growing, Kevin

Hugelkultur is one of the most interesting and productive methods you can use for raised bed gardening. Learn what "log mound" gardening is and why it's so effective! Keep Growing, Kevin

We all do it - we forget about a houseplant and it start to look weak and neglected. In this episode, I go over 4 ways to revive your poor houseplants! Keep Growing, Kevin

Succulents are simple to care for, but some are even simpler than others! Here are six that are almost IMPOSSIBLE to kill. Keep Growing, Kevin

I talk about spinosad often on the podcast and the website...but what is it? How does it kill insects? And, most importantly, is it harmful? Keep Growing, Kevin

Today, a little gardening inspiration for you. How to keep gardening when you get discouraged! Keep Growing, Kevin

Do you have a ton of seed packets all disorganized in your garden shed somewhere? I did. So I came up with this method to easily store seeds in an organized way...check it out! Keep Growing, Kevin

As we move into fall, there are a ton of things you can still do in your garden. Here's a list of 5 things you may want to consider doing before winter comes! Keep Growing, Kevin

Urban permaculture seems like an oxymoron, but if you think of your limited growing space in the same way a farmer thinks of his land, you can get a lot of great production out of small spaces. Keep Growing, Kevin  

We all love trees and shrubs that have beautiful fall color. We also love birds and butterflies. We can help these creatures by asking for native plants when we shop at garden centers. Butterflies need native plants to reproduce successfully and produce caterpillars. Birds need butterfly caterpillars to feed their nestlings. We can enjoy colorful fall beauty and birds and butterflies. Here’s a list of eight must-have native shrubs and trees that provide beautiful fall color and support wildlife. Learn More: 8 Must-Have Native Shrubs and Trees for Midwestern Fall Color Keep Growing, Kevin

It’s that time of year! The apple tree is overloaded, and you simply can’t eat them all at once. No amount of apple cobblers, apple pies, and applesauce will use them all. So it’s time for you to empty the tree and get them stored away properly, ensuring that you can enjoy this bounty for the next few months. I’ll walk you through it all and help you figure out the best way to store apples, as well as how to pick them all. Learn More: Fall Harvest: How To Pick And Store Apples For The Winter Keep Growing, Kevin

Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen? How about the Clean Fifteen? No? Well, listen in and learn how which fruits and veggies are important to wash, and which you can skip. Keep Growing, Kevin

A reader wrote me and told me about something called anthroponics, also known as "peeponics." I HAD to look into it...here's what I found out. Keep Growing, Kevin  

Aphids are easily some of the most annoying pests in the garden. They proliferate like crazy and can destroy your hard work in no time. Learn how to get rid of them for good. Learn More: Annoying Aphids: All About Aphididae And How To Get Rid of Them Keep Growing, Kevin

Many gardeners are afraid to compost weeds...don't be! In this episode I show you how to compost weeds in 5 ways that ensure no weed seeds will survive. Learn More: 5 Foolproof Ways to Compost Weeds Keep Growing, Kevin

I've recommended green lacewings often on the podcast, so I figured I'd cover what they are and why they're such beneficial bugs. Keep Growing, Kevin

Ah, potato beetles. These spherical pests will munch on all of your potato leaves until there are none left. With proper control, you can get rid of them for good - find out how. Keep Growing, Kevin

As we move into fall, you might be growing asparagus. And if you're growing asparagus, you might have asparagus beetles. Learn how to get this annoying beetles out of your garden. Keep Growing, Kevin

These big, fat caterpillars can decimate your tomato plants.  Here's how to get them OUT of your garden for good. Keep Growing, Kevin

We hear about beneficial insects all of the time, but never how to keep them in our gardens. Enter: insect houses. These helpful contraptions provide shelter for our beneficial bugs. Keep Growing, Kevin

I've been dealing with the super annoying cabbage worms and moths in my garden lately, munching on all of my brassicas. Here is what I've been doing to ensure I never see any of these stupid bugs again. Keep Growing, Kevin

Today we look at how you might go about saving strawberry seeds to grow new plants from seed. It's actually a clever method, one that I am going to do very soon! Keep Growing, Kevin

Today's question comes from Christine, who is growing sprouts for her parrots! She wondered if presoaking seeds in warm water was a good idea.  Let's find out! Keep Growing, Kevin

If you want to clear a section of your grass out for a garden or hydroponic setup, how do you do it? I answer this reader question today and riff on some outdoor hydroponics tips. Keep Growing, Kevin

You know those fruit and veggie washes you see at Whole Foods and other fancy grocery stores? Are they even worth the money, and can you make the same thing at home? Find out in today's episode. Keep Growing, Kevin

One of the more common questions I'm asked on the blog is about plastic use, specifically, "What plastics are safe for use in the garden?"  Since a lot of Epic Gardening readers are into hydroponics and aquaponics over soil gardening, there are a lot of people with a lot of plastic in their setup that are curious about their safety and place in the garden. Well, I was curious too, so I decided to go deep into the world of plastics and figure it all out for you all! Learn More: Which Plastics Are Safe For Gardening? Keep Growing, Kevin

I can't tell you how many times I hear from people who are killing succulents! They're one of the easiest plants to grow, so I figured I'd do a quick episode breaking down how to care for them. Learn More: Stunning Succulents: Fertilizing Your Drought-Tolerant Plants Products Mentioned: Top Choice: Espoma Organic Cactus Food (1-2-2) Slightly Stronger: Schultz Cactus Plus (2-7-7) Compost Tea Option: Malibu Compost’s version For Indoor Succulents: Miracle-Gro’s succulent formula Keep Growing, Kevin

This is part 5 of the 5-part interview with Michael Bell. Michael is a teacher, Texan, competitive bodybuilder...and an urban farmer! In this episode he talks about the surprisingly easy parts of starting an urban farm as well as the things that gave him a much harder time than he expected. We also talk about his plans for the future. Reach out to Michael Bell [email protected] Keep Growing, Kevin

This is part 4 of the 5-part interview with Michael Bell. Michael is a teacher, Texan, competitive bodybuilder...and an urban farmer! In this episode he talks about how he thinks about planning his urban farm, and what lessons he might give to home gardeners who want to get better at planning their own gardens. Reach out to Michael Bell [email protected] Keep Growing, Kevin

This is part 3 of the 5-part interview with Michael Bell. Michael is a teacher, Texan, competitive bodybuilder...and an urban farmer! In this episode he talks about the business model of his farm. Hint: it's a BIT different than the traditional small farms out there. Reach out to Michael Bell [email protected] Keep Growing, Kevin

This is part 2 of the 5-part interview with Michael Bell. Michael is a teacher, Texan, competitive bodybuilder...and an urban farmer! In this episode he talks about how he started his farm for nearly $0 with some creative bartering and hard work. Reach out to Michael Bell [email protected] Keep Growing, Kevin

Today's episode kicks off another 5-part interview series, this time with Michael Bell. Michael is a teacher, Texan, competitive bodybuilder...and an urban farmer! We get into how he started his urban farm in this first episode. Reach out to Michael Bell [email protected] Keep Growing, Kevin

We talked about hardneck vs. softneck garlic on yesterday's episode, but how do you grow garlic? What about planting it? Harvesting it? Storing it?! All of these questions (and more) are answered today. Keep growing, Kevin

As we move into Fall, we're moving into garlic season...but what's the difference between 'hardneck' and 'softneck' garlic? Which should you grow in your garden? Keep Growing, Kevin

You’re starting to find holes in the leaves of your kale, and for that matter, in your cabbage, brussels sprouts, or other brassica-family plants. The leaves of the neat rows of radishes you’ve planted are showing signs of chewing, too. Some leaves have little off-white or yellowish spots on their undersides. And you just saw a little green worm wandering over a leaf on your produce. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you probably have cabbage worms (Pieris rapae or Pieris brassicae). Learn More: Cabbage Worms: Everything You Need To Know About the Pieris Species Keep Growing, Kevin