Food Garden Life Show: Helping You Harvest More from Your Edible Garden, Vegetable Garden, and Edible Landscaping

Online classes happening soon: Grow a Potted Yuzu Citrus, Grow Angel's Trumpet (brugmansia) on Your Patio.--- Once garlic comes out of the garden, you’re left with a useful patch of open soil and one big question: what goes there next?In this episode, we talk through summer succession planting using garlic harvest as the seasonal peg. He explains how timing, climate, heat, dry soil, and first frost dates all affect what you can plant after garlic or after any early crop that frees up garden space.You’ll learn which crops are easiest to direct seed in summer, when transplants are a better bet, and how to use shade, boards, mulch, and row cover to improve germination and protect young plants.Topics include:Why garlic harvest timing varies by regionDirect seeding vs. starting transplantsHow to deal with dry soil, heat, strong sun, and crustingEasy summer succession crops such as bush beans, basil, dill, rapini, and greensCrops for fall harvest, including spinach, beets, carrots, turnips, winter radishes, kale, and Asian greensWhy bush snap beans are a better follow crop than pole or dry beansHow to decide whether cucumbers and summer squash are worth planting after garlicTips for short-season and cold-climate gardenersA simple “succession seed bin” system to make replanting easierSuccession planting doesn’t have to mean filling every inch perfectly. It’s about using open space in a way that fits your garden, your season, and your available energy. ---There’s a whole world inside figs. I explore it in my Fig Culture podcast—varieties, recipes, collectors, and the stories behind them. Join 6,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang and get practical weekly tips to grow more food at home—free. It’s the best way to get started. [Join the newsletter]

Online classes happening soon: Grow a Potted Yuzu Citrus, Grow Angel's Trumpet (brugmansia) on Your Patio.--- Today we’re joined by Helen Battersby, who talks about a gardening book that began as a coping tool. Helen tells us about Margaret Bennet-Alder, who turned to gardening during a difficult family chapter. Inspired by the homemade booklets her son used to manage appointments and medication while rebuilding his life, Margaret began tracking her garden the same way—seasonal tasks, plant sources, and hard-earned gardening lessons. The book, the Toronto Gardener’s Journal, was a shared project with her son. They started with 50 copies. Margaret and her son, and, later, sisters Helen and Sarah Battersby, grew the book into a nationally loved resource, with over 20,000 journals sold across Canada. This is a story about gardens—but also about resilience, care, and the healing power of gardening. ---There’s a whole world inside figs. I explore it in my Fig Culture podcast—varieties, recipes, collectors, and the stories behind them. Join 6,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang and get practical weekly tips to grow more food at home—free. It’s the best way to get started. [Join the newsletter]

Online classes happening soon: Grow a Potted Yuzu Citrus, Grow Angel's Trumpet (brugmansia) on Your Patio.--- We continue our cross-Canada tour of inspiring gardeners to find out favourite varieties and top crops.Today we chat with Dave Hanson, co-host of The Grow Guide podcast, and owner of Sage Garden Greenhouses in Winnipeg, Manitoba.Dave shares some of his favourite veg varieties. He also talks about top herbs, one of his specialties.Lavender get smoked in a harsh winter? Dave has a suggestion. And if you just can’t get enough cucs, hear what he does. ---There’s a whole world inside figs. I explore it in my Fig Culture podcast—varieties, recipes, collectors, and the stories behind them. Join 6,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang and get practical weekly tips to grow more food at home—free. It’s the best way to get started. [Join the newsletter]

Online classes happening soon: Grow a Potted Yuzu Citrus, Grow Angel's Trumpet (brugmansia) on Your Patio.--- Not sure what to do with a long, skinny, straight-edged garden beside a driveway, patio, or building?In this episode, we take a long, slender ornamental garden and reimagine the space with edible plants.The garden we’re thinking about is actually a little sliver of the Joan of Arc Garden in Quebec City. But these same ideas work well in in many home-garden situations.We talk about:Crop ideas (kales, Thai basil, borage, shiso, and fern-leaf parsley)Groupings vs. individual plantsUrns for adding height an interest in this skinny spacePlants that last into the fall vs. plants that fade with fall weatherIf you’re looking for more on edible flowers like borage, check out this article about edible flowers. ---There’s a whole world inside figs. I explore it in my Fig Culture podcast—varieties, recipes, collectors, and the stories behind them. Join 6,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang and get practical weekly tips to grow more food at home—free. It’s the best way to get started. [Join the newsletter]

Online classes happening soon: Grow a Potted Yuzu Citrus, Grow Angel's Trumpet (brugmansia) on Your Patio.--- Wondering about adding edible plants to an existing gardening without spoiling the aesthetic?With the right plant choice, along with an understanding of how the space is used, you can add edible plants without spoiling the looks.In this episode, we take a public space and reimagine it with edibles.It’s a big space, with lots of lawn. We talk about plant choice for this shady spot, and about plant placement that doesn’t interfere with how this space is used. We include: Edibles as bedding plants Using height to make a focal point Edibles for colour Edible perennials Fruit for shadeIf you’re looking for more on crops for shade, check out this post. ---There’s a whole world inside figs. I explore it in my Fig Culture podcast—varieties, recipes, collectors, and the stories behind them. Join 6,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang and get practical weekly tips to grow more food at home—free. It’s the best way to get started. [Join the newsletter]

Online classes happening soon: Grow a Potted Yuzu Citrus, Grow Angel's Trumpet (brugmansia) on Your Patio.--- Got a spot you’d like to use to grow food but not sure where to start?In this episode, we tackle a bare space with hard clay, in zone 3.Let’s not forget the deer and rabbits. Oh, and there’s a narrow “hell strip” that’s needs to be planted too.The good news is that there are lots of ways to add edibles to a garden. The way to start is by choosing a creative direction, and then getting started.We work through two entirely different approaches to this space.First, we explore a low-maintenance “grazing” garden with perennials. Next, we think about how to use a potager style in this space.For the plant palette we’re including options for:· Partial sunlight· Good cold tolerance for perennials (zone 3!)· Less attractive to deer· Plants that give options for adding colour, texture, and heightIf you’re looking for fruits, vegetables, and other plants that you can grow in the shade, here’s a post to get you started. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We’re making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think! ---There’s a whole world inside figs. I explore it in my Fig Culture podcast—varieties, recipes, collectors, and the stories behind them. Join 6,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang and get practical weekly tips to grow more food at home—free. It’s the best way to get started. [Join the newsletter]