Episodes
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Discover the joys and economic advantages of cultivating your very own garden as I, Michelle Roberts, with over twenty years of green-thumbed experience, guide you through the cost-effective and fulfilling practice of home gardening. This isn't just about sprouting seeds; it's about nurturing a new way of life that's kinder to your wallet and your well-being. In our latest episode, I debunk the myths that keep would-be gardeners from getting their hands dirty and share practical advice for creating a lush, productive space, whether it's on a sprawling half-acre or a cozy back patio.
Imagine plucking fresh salads from pots just steps away from your kitchen, where the only investment is a bit of time and love—yes, it's absolutely possible. I'll walk you through starting your own six-container salad garden, offering tips on using affordable resources like municipal leaf compost and organic fertilizers that won't have you forking over your hard-earned cash to big retailers. From choosing the best plants for your family's palate to handling the first frost with ease, this episode is packed with actionable insights that will extend your growing season and deepen your connection to the food on your plate.
Finally, I elevate the conversation from mere gardening to a celebration of self-sufficiency and personalized flavor. By growing what you love, such as herbs that can cost a bundle at the supermarket, you'll not only savor the tastes but also cherish the savings. No matter the size of your living space, I break down how to start your garden tailored to your needs, turning a small array of pots into a bountiful harvest. Join me on this adventure and take control of your food source, your health, and your budget—all while reaping the intangible rewards that come with growing your own food. -
Ready to debunk onion-growing myths and learn the tips and tricks to grow your own sweet Candy onions successfully and long-storing Cabernet red onions?
As a seasoned gardener based in western North Carolina, I promise to guide you on a year-long journey of growing onions, from sowing seeds to reaping not one, but TWO bountiful harvests.
The second part of our onion adventure will have us delve into the art of onion care. From planting under full sun to regular watering and the perfect timing for planting and harvesting, you'll learn everything you need to know to nurture your onion garden.
We'll also touch on preventing onion bolting and the importance of waiting to start the high-nitrogen fertilization of your overwintered short-day onions until February.
You'll also get insights into the role of day length in onion growth and how to properly cure your onions before storing them.
It's all about gaining the confidence to grow your own onions and experiencing the joy and rewards of backyard gardening.
So, are you ready to become an onion-growing guru? -
Missing episodes?
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It's Michelle Roberts here, and on this episode I'll I take you through our farm's recent achievement of being certified naturally grown - a label that is more than just the buzzword for us. In this candid conversation, I'll shed light on why we took this route, the real costs of organic certification, and why it's often a far-fetched dream for many small-scale farmers like us.
Expect more than just farming anecdotes as you tune in. Discover how our certification is a promise of natural and sustainable farming practices, and what it means for you, our valued customer. From our minimal use of only natural chemicals to innovative pest control methods, we've got it all covered. Plus, get a sneak peek into our new ventures, including our greenhouse setup and farm stand, all of which have taken root this year. Trust me, you wouldn't want to miss this conversation about farming, sustainability, and the significance of knowing where your food comes from. -
Is the scorching summer heat making your green thumb wilt? Fret not, dear gardener, because I, Michelle Roberts, am here to bring a cool, refreshing breeze to your gardening routine. The heat may be draining, but the glorious season of fall is right around the corner - a time that is not only easier on you but also brings forth a harvest of delicious and even profitable crops! As a seasoned gardener, who has been nurturing a family garden to overseeing a full-scale market garden, I'll be sharing the magic that fall gardening can bring, along with handy tips to make the most of this season.
Let's walk together down the pathways of your garden, as we prepare for the fall harvest season. From the right seeds to plant to the best time to sow and reap, we'll navigate through the nitty-gritty of fall gardening. As the weather cools down, we'll also discuss how we can extend our gardening season, pushing our bounty well into winter. Join me for a heartening episode that will not only revive your love for gardening but inspire you to see your garden in a whole new light, throughout the year. Let's turn that summer sweat into fall abundance, shall we? -
• Selling extra seedlings for a profit is easier than ever, and can be done on various scales.
• Benefits include providing access to naturally grown seedlings and offsetting growing costs.
• Consider growing what you already are, varieties that do well in your climate, and plants deemed difficult to grow from seed.
• Pre-selling is a great way to control cash flow and get customers invested.
• Include fast-growing plants for quick turnover time and consistent availability.
• Consider growing fast-growing plants during periods of the year when other places are not stocking them.
• Think about the space you have under your grow lights and how much money you want to spend up front when deciding how many extra plants to sell.
• Set prices that are high enough to ensure profitability and sustainability, while still remaining accessible to the community.
• Plan plant sales windows around last frost date in the spring and first frost date in fall.
• Gather necessary supplies (grow lights, trays, soil, fertilizer) for a successful sale.
• Market through existing farmers markets, local popups/festivals, roadside stands, and Facebook Marketplace. -
• In today's Growing the Good Life podcast, Michelle Roberts discussed the importance of quality potting soil/seed starting mix, which has become an issue in the gardening space.
• Potting soil/seed starting mix typically consists of compost, peat moss, perlite or vermiculite, and coco coir (spent coconut fibers).
• With more people entering the gardening space in 2020 due to high demand, producers have not been able to check the quality of inputs leading to issues with the product.
• Issues arise from the use of inputs that have been treated with chemical pesticides and herbicides and have not had enough time to break down properly.
• To ensure products are safe for use, Roberts recommends doing a test by planting a few bean seeds side-by-side in different mediums and observing for stunted growth or curling leaves. -
• Michelle Roberts, host of the Growing in the Good Life podcast, explains how to determine when to fertilize onion plants.
• Depending on the latitude, long day onions require 14 hours of sunlight, while short day onions require 10-12 hours.
• Onions need a boost of nitrogen during their growing process. This can be done by adding a general-purpose fertilizer with potassium and phosphorus at planting time and having regular nitrogen supplements every 2-3 weeks.
• Blood meal is an excellent supplement, providing nitrogen without hurting the plants.
• Once the onions begin to bulb up, no more nitrogen should be added as it will have no effect and may contribute to increased algae in waterways. -
• It is essential to select healthy seedlings from big box retailers, ensuring they have no yellow leaves or wilting and the soil is adequately moist.
• Paying more than 50 to 75 cents up to a maximum of $1 for single-head crops (such as cabbage) is the most economical approach.
• Shopping at local garden centers, privately owned garden centers, or on Facebook Marketplace can often result in finding cheaper seedlings.
• Aim for multiple plants per cell; tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are more forgiving price-wise and can yield several pounds of produce from one plant. -
• Michelle Roberts from The Growing the Good Life Podcast discussed how to save money while vegetable gardening.
• This includes maximizing yield and minimizing cost through crop rotation and companion planting, using homemade compost instead of fertilizers, and preserving the excess harvest.
• Crop rotation involves yearly moving vegetables around the garden to reduce disease pressure and insect life cycles.
• Companion planting involves planting smaller organs, such as lettuce, with larger tomatoes or peppers.
• Home-made compost from waste that would typically be thrown out is a great way to get vitamins and minerals for the garden without spending extra money.
• Excess harvest can be preserved by canning, freezing, or dehydrating for later use. -
• Michelle Roberts, host of the Growing the Good Life podcast, recently ran out of seed starting mix and was astounded at the inflated price.
• She created her DIY seed starting mix recipe consisting of two parts peat moss, one part composted leaf mulch, one part perlite, and a quarter part Biotone Starter Plus fertilizer.
• The ingredients are easy to source from stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and Amazon.
• The cost of making this mix is much lower than buying a bale of pre-made potting soil or seed starting mix.
• Adding this granular fertilizer helps increase the number of mycorrhizal fungi in the mix without purchasing it separately. -
• Michelle Roberts, host of the "Growing in the Good Life" podcast, discussed how gardening is vital to affording nutritious food in 2023 and beyond due to disruptions in the food supply chain and rising costs.
• She argued that growing one's food changes eating habits and allows people to dictate their food sources, leading to cost savings.
• Michelle presented her own numbers from a 10th acre garden: $701 invested and $5500+ harvested.
• This represented an 8x return on investment and an average of $500 per month.
• She also highlighted the mental health benefits of gardening and the connection it provides with nature. -
• Michelle Roberts hosts the Growing the Good Life podcast, discussing planting onion plants purchased from Dixondale Farms.
•Michelle grew her onions from seed in July and planted them in September.
• Michelle also bought four bunches of onion plants from Dixondale, which included Candy (intermediate sweet), Candy Apple Red (sweet red onions), Cipollini (small, flat sweet onions for caramelizing), and Superstar/Sierra Blanca (large intermediate sweet onions).
• Michelle started her onion seeds in January for spring planting and will harvest them soon; she will plant out the Dixondale Plants in March and harvest them in early June.
• Michelle encourages listeners to try growing their own onions, as they are cost-effective, delicious, and you will never go back to store-bought once you have experienced homegrown! -
• Michelle Roberts hosts the Growing the Good Life podcast, discussing potatoes and their planting.
• Grand Teton Organics offers five pounds of seed potatoes of the purple majesty variety.
• Chitting or shooting potatoes allows for early green growth formation, helping to protect against rot in wetter soil conditions.
• Smaller seed potatoes can be planted whole, while larger ones should be cut into two pieces with an eye on each piece and left to scab over before planting.
• Organic potatoes from stores can also be used for potato growing, and Grand Teton Organics provides wide varieties. -
• Michelle Roberts, host of the "Grow on the Good Life" podcast, discussed seven vegetables that can go from seed to harvest in 30 days: lettuce, radishes, kale, spinach, green onions, Swiss chard, and turnips.
• Lettuce is a cost-effective vegetable planted directly in the ground or started early indoors and harvested as baby leaves through a cut-and-come-again style.
• Radishes grow quickly, and their greens are edible. Kale is similar to lettuce and grows well in hot temperatures.
• Spinach is a cool-weather-loving vegetable with many uses, such as salads and side dishes; it has a mild flavor when grown at home.
• Green onions (spring onions) can be planted directly in the ground or started indoors early; they can be harvested at any stage for maximum flavor.
• Swiss Chard comes in many beautiful varieties like Bright Lights and tastes mild when grown at home; it is suitable for sandwiches or salads.
• Turnips have an earthy flavor with edible greens; they can be used for satay, frying or boiled/mashed dishes. -
• Michelle Roberts is the host of the Growing the Good Life podcast and is discussing potatoes in this episode.
• She will be growing 3 varieties of potatoes in western North Carolina, 2 she has grown before and 1 new variety.
• The first potato, French Fingerling, is a determinate potato which sets potatoes in one layer and has a reddish smooth skin with yellow-golden flesh. She saves some potatoes to grow next year.
• The second potato, German Butterball, is an indeterminate potato which averages bigger than Russets but smaller than Roasters with a buttery texture.
• The third potato, Purple Majesty, is new to her garden and will keep its color after baking with potential health benefits due to anthocyanins present.
• 5 lbs of Purple Majesty was purchased for two 20-foot rows when cut into two pieces each.
• Grand Teton Organics is recommended for purchasing seed potatoes as they are certified and breed their own varieties. -
• Michelle Roberts has been using a Palram four-by-six-foot hobby greenhouse for three years, starting seedlings for her 1/10 acre garden.
• The current price of the greenhouse is around $600, and discounts are possible with some research.
• Michelle believes the greenhouse is worth it due to its strength, lightweight, and ability to protect plants from wind before they can be hardened off.
• She successfully starts seedlings all year round, apart from June-September when it gets too hot even with a shade cloth.
• Pros include starting $10,000 worth of food over the past three years and withstanding tropical storms without discoloring.
• Cons include adjusting the rubber door seal every few weeks and tightening the latch once a month.
• Michelle recommends adding extra strapping to create a floor as this helps add stability and comfort to the greenhouse structure. -
• Michelle Roberts, host of the Growing the Good Life podcast, discussed three organic fertilizers that she found plants love: Espoma Garden Tone, AgroThrive and Alfalfa Meal.
• Garden Tone contains quick release fertilizer components for immediate growth as well as slow release nitrogen for up to 6 weeks. It also contains beneficial microbes.
• Agro Thrive is a liquid organic fertilizer which can be watered down and used with seedlings and established plants by spraying or adding to drip irrigation systems. It offers an affordable solution at 50 cents per gallon of diluted fertilizer.
• Alfalfa meal provides high nitrogen content without the use of animal waste. It also contains phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other trace minerals.
• An honorable mention of kelp help was made; it is full of B vitamins, growth hormones and amino acids which can be foliar fed for struggling plants due to poor soil conditions. -
• Michelle Roberts, host of the Growing the Good Life Podcast, discussed grafted tomato plants - a process of combining two tomato plants to create one with high disease resistance and better flavor.
• Benefits of using grafted plants include improved disease resistance, higher yields, potentially less pesticide use, and faster growth in high temperature/humidity conditions.
• Creating one's own grafted tomatoes is challenging but possible with above-average hand-eye coordination, patience, and close monitoring for the first three days.
• For those not interested in doing it themselves, commercial grafting services such as Totally Tomatoes and Territorial Seeds are available to purchase pre-made graph tomatoes.
• Michelle plans to conduct side-by-side comparisons between her homegrown grafts and hybridized versions this year. -
• Michelle Roberts talks about seed starting space management and the "Goldilocks" approach.
• She discusses the various cell tray sizes to use for different vegetables and flowers, such as 32 cells for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants; 72/128 cells for lettuce; 128 cells for beets; and direct sowing in a 1020 tray for onions.
• Michelle shares her experiences with trial-and-error and provides helpful tips to maximize space under grow lights when choosing cell trays, as well as how to vernalize artichokes. -
• Plant transplants are becoming more widely available in retail stores and nurseries as we get closer to spring planting season.
• It is possible to have a profitable garden while buying some transplants.
• However, some crops should be avoided when buying transplants to maximize profit versus investment.
• This podcast details the vegetable transplants I would skip, the ones I would buy, and the thought process behind those decisions. - Show more
