The Simple Garden Life

Want to know the best way to keep your hanging baskets healthy, strong – and most importantly – loaded with blooms all summer long this year? If there is one issue that seems to plague gardeners when it comes to their hanging baskets – it’s how to keep them healthy and blooming longer for more than just a month or two at most! Of course when you pick those new baskets out early in the year, they a...

This week Jim & Mary are talking hostas - or more importantly - how and when to fertilize hostas to keep them beautiful all summer long! Unlike most perennials and annuals, hostas are almost always grown for their beautiful foliage. Although they do produce a long, slender stem of blooms in the summer, it is their incredibly colorful and large leaves that are really the star of the show. With...

Getting your tomato plants off to a great start is one of the biggest keys to growing a big harvest of juicy tomatoes in the summer – and there is no better way to jump start your crop than putting a big dose of power in your tomato planting hole with four simple but powerful ingredients! Tomato plants are one of the heaviest feeders of all vegetable plants. They need a lot of nutrients. Not only...

When it comes to growing healthy, productive vegetables and flowers in raised beds – success all begins with filling your raised beds with the perfect mix of soil! The soil you put into your raised beds matters. To grow great plants it needs to be lightweight, full of nutrients – and also drain well. Which is exactly why how you fill them up matters!  It’s important to think of raised beds just as...

When it comes to maintaining healthy plants and weed-free flowerbeds, mulch is the answer. There is little doubt that it has tremendous benefits for the flowers growing in your flowerbeds – especially when it put down correctly. But let’s face it, the number one reason gardeners put down mulch is to stop weeds. And unfortunately, for many who go through the expense and effort of mulching their bed...

Are you using egg shells correctly in your garden and flowerbeds? Egg shells are one of the most commonly recommended organic ingredients for powering up garden soil and plants. And for good reason! Egg shells are rich in calcium, which happens to be a critical nutrient for strong plant cell walls. Calcium is also vital for overall plant health. Calcium also plays a critical role in the formation...

Jim & Mary discuss early spring daylily care - and how to best fertilize them for bigger blooms! The best time to fertilize daylilies is in early spring – and with one simple and easy application, you can set your daylilies up for bigger and better blooms than ever this year! Daylilies are one of the most popular of all perennial plants for home gardeners. Not only are they easy to grow and es...

If you are looking for the best way to support your tomato plants this year without spending a fortune - today's episode covers how to create the perfect DIY solution that can hold the biggest of plants without worry! Tomato cages have been around for years, but they can be expensive. Not only that, many cages simply grow out of the ground when plants get too big. Tomato stakes are another option,...

In this season's first episode, Jim and Mary walk listeners through the four simple steps to planting and growing cucumbers. See how with just a few simple tips and tricks, you can grow your best crop of cucumbers ever!

There is no harder time for birds than trying to survive in the harsh, bleak and cold conditions winter can bring - and there is no better way to help them through it than by feeding them on a regular basis! Winter is extremely tough on birds that do not migrate to warmer areas. Not only can it be hard to find adequate shelter from the cold and precipitation, they have to be wary of predators that...

Did you know that how you water your poinsettias during the holiday season is one of the biggest factors of all in determining just how long your plant will keep it’s gorgeous colorful leaves in place throughout the holiday season – and that misting your poinsettia regularly can play a huge role in that too? Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to best water their poinsettias to keep them bloom...

Looking for a few low-maintenance, drought resistant perennials to add big interest and color to your landscape – all without the worry of having to constantly water? One of the most difficult and time consuming chores for a gardener to perform is having to continually water their plants. Especially if that water is difficult to come by, or even restricted as it is in many drought plagued parts of...

See how to fertilize your hanging baslets like a pro! Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to fertilize their baskets low and slow - and how it can help keep flowering baskets blooming big all summer long! There is little doubt about it - how, when and what you use to fertilize your hanging baskets can make a huge difference in just how well they bloom this year. And perhaps even more important...

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...

Want to give your young tomato plants a jump start and get them growing fast? Jim and Mary walk listeners through how to power up tomato plants after they have been planted to get them growing strong, healthy and faster than ever! As garden season gets into full swing, many gardeners are planting their tomatoes and already dreaming of the big, juicy harvests they hope will come from their plants t...

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...

Listen in as Jim and Mary walk you through getting your garden growing early in the season with seed crops! From sugar snap peas, to spinach, radishes and more, they cover some of the best crops that can handle cooler season temperatures with ease. Don't wait for late spring and summer to plant, get growing now!

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...

In today's episode, Jim and Mary walk listeners through the simple steps for how to create their own powerful and amazing potting soil - without the need for peat moss! Using just 5 natural ingredients, they have been making this potting soil on their farm for the last 10+ years - and with stunning results for their hanging baskets, pots and container plantings. Listen in and grow your best contai...

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.

Looking for a few simple and safe methods to control and repel ticks in your backyard this spring, summer and fall? Jim and Mary take you through 3 natural methods to control the tick population in your yard, and highlight a few simple and natural methods to help deter them from finding you no matter where you are! Ticks are one insect that can create a long list of issues for the health and well...

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 ma...

Jim and Mary talk about how to prune tomato plants - and why it's so important for their success! See how to prune your plants to allow air and light in, and why it helps keep your plants disease and pest free.

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!

Jim and Mary discuss the benefits of planting marigolds in your garden, flowerbeds and landscape. Listen in and see how marigolds can bring important pollinators to your yard, as well as keep pests such as aphids, hornworms and nematodes at bay. See how to grow better by planting the mighty marigold this year!