The Simple Garden Life

Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to stop carpenter bees from damaging the wood around their home, without having to kill of these important pollinators.When it comes to stopping carpenter bees and the damage they cause to the wood surfaces around your exterior of your home, one thing is for sure, it takes a persistent approach to win the battle!Carpenter bees can cause extensive damage to the exterior wood surfaces all over your property. Not just to the wood siding and eaves on your house, but any wood surface that is exposed. That includes your garage, shed, pergola, swing sets and yes, even wood fences.Unfortunately, once they find a surface to their liking, they keep coming back. In fact, with each new generation of carpenter bees, they will continue to drill more new holes, all while expanding their original homestead into an even larger nesting site with more tunnels.See how to safely stop carpenter bees from damaging the wood around your home, and still keep these valuable pollinators around!

Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to recycle, recharge and reuse old potting soil.Potting soil can be one of the biggest annual expenses of all for those who like to plant flowers and vegetables in pots, containers and hanging baskets. In fact, quite often, it can cost a gardener more for the soil filling their containers than the plants being potted in it!Old potting soil can be lifeless and nutrient poor. Without amending it, you simply can't grow new plants well. See how to recharge your soil in the spring or fall with two unique methods, grow amazingly healthy plants, and save big on your gardening budget in the process!

Jim and Mary talk about dividing perennials in the spring, and how to transplant them into your flowerbeds to help add more color and stop weeds in the process!One of the easiest, best and least expensive ways to fill your flowerbeds with life and color is to divide the perennials you already have this spring into even more plants! Not only is it simple to do, it can save you hundreds of dollars on plants. And, of course, on mulch too!For podcast article & notes on Dividing Perennials In The Spring, see : https://simplegardenlife.com/divide-perennials-in-spring/

Jim & Mary take listeners through the process of ornamental grass care, inlcuding when to cut them back and how to divide and transplant overgrown grasses.There is no better time to cut back and divide ornamental grasses than in late winter and early spring. Not only can it keep your grasses manageable, it can also create all kinds of new grass transplants to use all over your yard.

Jim and Mary discuss how to keep the soil in your raised beds healthy and strong, including the best ways to recharge and re-energize the soil to grow bigger and better plants!Raised beds are one of the easiest and most effective ways to grow vegetables, flowers and herbs - especially for those who may not have the space for a traditional garden, or who might have physical limitations that can make gardening in big spaces difficult.When created with good drainage and filled with great soil, they can grow amazing plants. But if that soil isn't properly cared for, it can become tires and poor, leading to far less production and more disease in your plants.See how to keep your beds supercharged for big growth this spring and beyond!

Jim and Mary discuss how to best fertilize your tomato plants, including when to fertilize, how often, and a few of the best types of fertilizer to use on your plants. Tomato plants are heavy feeders from the soil and can benefit greatly from perfectly timed nutrient boosts. See how to power up your tomato plants this year for healthy plants and a big harvest!