Apologies for the delay! The past month has been a little trying for me, but I will do better about editing on time in the future. Now on to the podcast!

What we are trying this year?

Big plans

Raised beds- Liz says her soil is tired-looking- and needs to be amended. The plants in it look tired and it doesn't seem to be holding water. She watched a video about looking for good soil- the three things it mentioned were does it have nutrients, does it hold water and does it have good drainage? Don't just rely on the pictures on a package- read what the soil says it is designed for if you are looking to add soil.

Liz is also starting seeds this week. She purchased specialized seed-starting soil. She will also start some veggies from plants.

Jenna has difficulty with eggplant- I've finally found a place in the yard where the plant didn't die, but I still didn't get fruit. I'm going to try Ichiban eggplant this year. While Liz's garden is typically beautiful, Jenna focuses more on function than beauty (she wishes it was pretty). Jenna goes over her different beds including her year-round plants: She has a fig tree, elderberry trees, Mediterranean herbs bed, Jerusalem artichoke beds, apple trees, asparagus, berries all planted in the ground, a hoop house, a small field, and raised beds. In the hoop house, she has container plants and she started seeds like celery, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, and more in there already.

In the plans this year, carrots, lettuces and other greens, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers (particularly the market more varietal) are all being started. There is always something going on in the hoop house, but it rotates around the year. Jenna has tried multiple ways to grow potatoes but she likes the bag method best.

What we want to try:

Liz- Try everything: she wants to grow enough food for her family to eat. Her main concern is the squirrels. What do you use to keep them out of yours? She's thinking of netting, pie plates, and cayenne. Diatomaceous Earth- Jenna has used it for ant control. What natural ways can you sweeten blackberries on the bush? She will also try chicken poop as fertilizer. Companion planting is also on her list, and she is going to zero in on potatoes, cucumbers, and nasturtiums.

Scarecrows: Do they work? What is your opinion? My mother has a heron and an owl and motion lights and hasn't had problems since then.

How to know when to plant what: Seeds usually tell you when to plant in your zone, but you can also check with a Master Gardener, the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Jenna's main pest is the vine borer beetle so she wrapped small bits of foil around the base of her vines (did it for tomatoes, too) and it seems to have worked, even though it seemed odd.

Jenna is trying this year: Jenna is planning to shrink her raised beds this year to limit her reaching because of her back. When we redo them, we want to try making them out of aircrete. She is also going to redo her hoop house to increase the insulation, allow the sides to roll up, and increase its size to cover the raised beds. She wants to introduce horseradish into the gardens.

Check out becomingafarmgirl.com (not an affiliate)! Her work in vertical gardening is so impressive, and she also does many other related topics to gardening and food security.

Toys that we want to get started with soon: Arthur and Jenna are getting a FreezeDryer for Christmas. We aren't an affiliate with these guys as of this recording, but here is the one we are looking at! Another item we want to look into is a Vitamix Composter, but we don't have a timeframe for that. This is an amazon affiliate link to the one we are looking at.