In this episode of Fostering Blooms, we share how we create meaningful homemade gifts using what we grow, preserve, and make throughout the year. What started as a simple idea turned into a six-month journey of crafting thoughtful holiday gifts straight from the garden, kitchen, and home apothecary.

We talk through everything included in our handmade gifts—herbal tea blends, salves and balms, goat milk soap, lip balm, oxymels, shrubs, wine grape jelly, sourdough crackers, granola, dried citrus, chili flakes, and more—along with what we grew ourselves, what we sourced, and what we learned along the way.

This episode is about more than gift baskets. It's about the confidence that comes from learning new skills, the joy of using what you already have, and how growing even a few herbs can open the door to homemade remedies, pantry staples, and heartfelt gifts.

If you're interested in simple living, herbalism, preserving food, or garden-to-table gifting, this episode will inspire you to start where you are—and maybe begin planning for what you'll grow and make next season.

December may be busy, but there's still plenty you can do in the garden — without overworking yourself. In this Garden Ready December episode of Fostering Blooms, we share practical, low-stress gardening tasks to help protect your plants, finish the season strong, and prepare for a healthier spring.

We cover everything from planting bulbs late, cleaning up frost-killed plants, and lightly pruning roses, to preventing black spot, mulching garlic and strawberries, and using frost cloths correctly. You'll also learn why December is an ideal time for preventative rose care, how to handle hellebores, and what garden chores are actually okay to skip.

Plus, we talk about unhooking hoses and irrigation, organizing seed trays, shopping for seeds and grow lights, and why feeding and cleaning bird feeders matters so much this time of year.

Whether you're gardening in Zone 7, the Southeast, or anywhere with winter weather, this episode will help you feel confident, calm, and ready for January — all while leaving room to rest and enjoy the holidays.

Curious about how to make goat milk soap at home? In this episode of Fostering Blooms, we walk you through our very first attempt at DIY goat milk soap—from gathering supplies to mastering lye safety, blending oils, choosing scents, and cutting our final bars. We break down the exact process we used, what we learned (including what not to do!), how much everything cost, and how many bars we actually made for holiday gifts.

We talk about: • Freezing goat milk for soap making • Using lye safely and preventing scorched milk • The oils and butters we used (coconut, olive, shea, almond, safflower) • Achieving trace with an immersion blender • Adding essential oils, lavender buds, and oats • Mold types, curing time, and storage • Full cost comparison vs. store-bought goat milk soap

Whether you're a homesteader, gardener wanting to make handmade gifts, or a total beginner looking for a step-by-step guide, this episode gives you everything you need to try goat milk soap yourself.

If you've ever wondered how to make natural soap, how to use lye safely, or whether homemade goat milk soap is worth it—this episode breaks it all down.

Dream garden unlocked! In this episode of Fostering Blooms, Shannon walks us through designing and installing a courtyard knot garden / parterre inspired by classic English white gardens at Sissinghurst and Hidcote—think boxwood edging, yew "sofa" hedging, limestone gravel paths, and lush white blooms that carry interest through the seasons. We talk layout math (hello precision!), off-center paths that look perfectly centered, and how to blend a modern home with historical garden style.

You'll hear how the space evolved—killing the lawn, setting four equal parterre squares with keyhole cutouts, adding spiral topiary moments, and creating a Mediterranean-leaning gravel zone for flow and access. We dig into plant picks (from white catmint, foxglove, phlox 'David', Culver's root, cosmos 'Sonata White', lavender, alliums, poppies and more) and why western sun exposure plus koi-pond humidity shaped the choices. Shannon also swaps a bamboo planter for a whimsical medlar tree (yes, the Shakespeare fruit!) and shares tips for pacing, filming progress, and keeping maintenance flexible for future gardeners.

Takeaways:

• How to design a small-scale knot garden/parterre you can view from above

• Using hedging structure with airy, abundant white plantings

• Gravel, screenings, and pathways for circulation (and moving furniture!)

• Year-round interest planning in a hot, reflective courtyard

• Two must-have whites for staying power: catmint and foxglove

If you love formal structure + romantic abundance, this one's your blueprint. Follow along on IG for the before/after and planting day reveals—then let's go grow, baby.

Fall may be here, but your garden isn't done yet! In this cozy, laugh-filled October chat, Shannon and Caitlyn share what's still thriving, what they're harvesting (spoiler: chili peppers and bean chaos), and what you can still plant before the first frost. From garlic and shallots to arugula and tatsoi, they break down exactly what you can do now to stay garden-ready through November.

You'll hear stories about runaway sweet potato vines, tangled bean towers, and why sometimes a weed tree can be a trellis. The duo also covers how to divide perennials, prep for winter, save leaves for next year's mulch, and make peace with procrastination (because we're all behind this time of year).

Let's go grow, baby! 🌿✨

Show Notes

Sweet Potatoes: We have confirmed it! Sweet potatoes grow from a single tuber (or "slip") that sends out long, vining stems. Along those vines, nodes will root wherever they touch the soil — but typically, only the original planting site forms the main cluster of sweet potatoes. The rooted nodes might form small tubers, but the bulk of the harvest develops right beneath the original plant. Cutting the vines back during the season won't harm your crop and can actually help keep them contained.

Rio Zape Beans: Shannon definitely made an oopsie! Rio Zape beans are a vining (pole-type) shelling bean — not a true bush type — so they'll happily climb trellises or other plants nearby. Give them support and space to sprawl, and they'll reward you with beautiful, richly flavored beans.

AI in the garden? Yep. In this episode, Shannon and Cait share how they use "Chat Cath" (their nickname for ChatGPT) as a practical garden consultant—while staying thoughtful about environmental impacts and double-checking advice with real-world experience.

You'll hear how they:

• build succession and crop-rotation plans for every bed

• track sow dates and auto-generate next-season calendars

• right-size plant quantities and verify spacing

• create custom organic fertilizer mixes per crop/bed

• translate soil test photos into plain-English actions

• dial in irrigation timing (pots, beds, drip)

• ID pests/diseases from photos and choose organic responses

• design planting combos (including a white knot garden)

• keep a voice-driven, searchable garden journal

If you're curious how AI can remove admin work so you can spend more time growing, this one's for you. Let's go grow, baby!

Save seeds, save money! 🌱 Shannon and Cait share how to harvest, dry, and store seeds from flowers and veggies—plus which ones actually come true next year and which don't.

It's seed-saving season! We walk through exactly how to collect, dry, label, and store seeds from flowers and veggies you're growing right now—and how this simple habit can save you real money year after year. Learn what must dry on the plant vs. what you can scoop from ripe fruit, how to tell chaff from viable seed, and simple storage tricks that preserve germination.

We chat zinnias, dahlias, celosia, echinacea, foxglove, nigella, arugula, cilantro/coriander, tomatoes, peppers, shelling beans, peas, favas, and more—plus quick tips on F1 hybrids vs. heirlooms so you know what will (and won't) come true next year.

Show Notes:

• Cucumber note: Diamant & Diva are F1 (don't expect true-to-type from saved seed).

• Zinnia note: Queeny Red Lime (saving is fun, but to keep it "true," you'd need to bag blooms to prevent cross-pollination).

• Varieties mentioned by name: Celosia 'Sangria', Nigella 'Albion', Black Krim (heirloom), Chef's Choice (F1), piquillo & Calabrian peppers, Nairobi snap peas.

Think mums are your only option for fall color? Think again. In this episode, Shannon and Caitlyn share over 30 annuals, perennials, shrubs, and seeds you can plant right now for vibrant fall color—and a head start on spring blooms.

Show Notes (Plant List): Annuals: pansies, violas, ornamental kale & cabbage, snapdragons, calendula, dusty miller, dianthus, chrysanthemums Perennials: asters, peonies, irises, hardy geraniums, lavender, hellebores, ferns, hostas, sedum, daylilies, echinacea Seeds to Sow Now: Iceland poppies, California poppies, eryngium ('Miss Wilmott's Ghost'), nigella, bells of Ireland, ammi, rudbeckia, bachelor's buttons, lupine, coneflowers, milkweed, monarda, wallflowers Shrubs & Trees: roses, hydrangeas, mock orange, serviceberry, spirea, boxwood, yew, laurel, thuja, camellias, ginkgo (male) Bonus Favorites: Japanese anemones, Swiss chard, kale

Ready to trade summer scorch for cozy garden wins? In this "Garden Ready September" episode, Shannon and Cait share exactly what to plant now for a thriving fall garden—and even a head start on spring. We cover fall veggies, greens, and brassicas, plus our favorite seed-saving tips and variety picks. You'll also hear when to order bulbs, how to layer compost and leaves, and what shrubs and perennials to prune this month.

Let's go grow, baby! 🌱

• Beets: Boldor (yellow), Chioggia (striped)

• Carrots: Napoli, Purple Haze

• Cauliflower: Amethyst (purple)

• Kale: Red Russian, Lacinato (Dinosaur), Dazzling Blue

• Lettuce: Marvel of Four Seasons, Gatsby, Salanova (red & green)

• Swiss Chard: Firebird

• Cucumbers: Diamant (pickling), Diva (slicing)

• Beans: Romano vining, Monte Gusto

• Fava Beans: Vroma, Broad Windsor (saved seed)

• Garlic: Softneck varieties (new trial this year)

• Lavender: Grosso, Hidcote, Munstead

Summer has been in full swing — and it's been a wild ride in the garden! In this episode of Fostering Blooms, Shannon and Caitlyn share what they've been up to lately: from harvesting cucumbers and canning 57 jars of pickles, to trying fermentation for the first time with homemade sauerkraut, and diving into herbalism and tea making with lemon balm, holy basil, mullein, and more.

We talk about the highs and lows of gardening in Zone 7B's summer heat, the burnout that hits when harvests come in fast and furious, and the joy of turning homegrown food into something special — whether that's sourdough bread, homemade yogurt, or herbal teas straight from the apothecary.

If you've ever wondered what real-life gardeners are up to behind the scenes, this is your peek into the messy, delicious, and creative reality of summer gardening.

Episode notes:

Pickling Cucumber Variety: Diamant

Monarda Variety: Monarda Punctata (Spotted beebalm)