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Tag Archive for: fall DIY

VIDEO: DIY Fall Wreath: Crafts from the Garden with Wyse Guide

October 4, 2023/in Fruits & Vegetables - None

Join Kaleb Wyse of Wyse Guide as he crafts a festive fall wreath, incorporating some personal touches straight from his garden. A highlight of his DIY wreath is the inclusion of cuttings from his beautiful Limelight Hydrangeas. Kaleb nurtured these hydrangeas right from the start with Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus and sustained their growth throughout the season using Espoma Organic Holly-tone. Recognizing the hydrangea’s preference for acidic soil, he also amended the soil using Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier.

Dive into the video to witness the transformation of these garden treasures into a beautiful fall emblem.

Learn more about Wyse Guide here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/WyseGuide

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WyseGuide/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WyseGuide/

Website: https://www.wyseguide.com/

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/WG-Fall-Wreath.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-10-04 14:17:412024-11-25 12:34:19VIDEO: DIY Fall Wreath: Crafts from the Garden with Wyse Guide

Growing Joy with Maria Blog: Fall Gardening Tips

September 18, 2023/in Blog, Bloom and Grow Radio, Fruits & Vegetables - None, Growing Joy with Maria, Growing Joy with Maria

For many gardeners, the arrival of fall means the end of the growing season. Once the weather turns cool, it’s easy to assume that it’s time to clear out the vegetable garden and put the tools away until spring. However, fall is actually an ideal time for gardening! You can extend your productive garden season into the cooler months with simple preparations and proper plant choices.

This blog is inspired by Episode 161 of Growing Joy with Maria Podcast, where host Maria Failla talks about how to keep your edible garden going strong into fall with our go-to organic gardening expert, Joe Lamp’l. His latest book, The Vegetable Gardening Book, is a complete guide to growing an organic edible garden from seed to harvest.

When to Plant Your Fall Garden

Surprisingly, plants that like the cold actually need to be planted while it’s still warm outside! This is the perfect opportunity to prepare your garden beds using Espoma Organic Garden Soil, ensuring that your plants have the best possible start.

If you plant them in August or July, they can get comfy in the warm soil. As they grow bigger, the weather gets cooler—which is precisely the environment they thrive in. It’s important to plant them early enough in the fall so they have ample time to mature before the days become shorter. If you wait too long, they might stop growing and remain at a certain stage.

Here’s the cool part: When these plants get a touch of frost, they turn sweeter. The chemical reactions triggered by frost cause sugars within the plants to become more prominent, resulting in a sweeter taste. It’s like they have a flavor makeover! 

Here are some specific timeframes for planting popular fall veggies:

  • Lettuce, spinach, arugula – Plant every 2 to 3 weeks from late summer through early fall.
  • Radishes, kale, beets – Sow from mid-summer to early fall.
  • Peas – Plant as soon as summer crops finish since peas don’t handle frost well.
  • Garlic – Plant garlic cloves in late fall about 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes.

Best Crops for Fall Gardening

While frost renders warm-weather favorites like tomatoes and peppers useless, many vegetables actually thrive in cooler temperatures. Focus your fall planting on these cold-hardy, tasty options:

Lettuce

Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in fall, thanks to its love of light, or being “photoblastic.” Simply sprinkle the tiny seeds onto the soil’s surface  (Espoma Organic’s Potting Mix is a great choice here), keep them moist, and young seedlings will emerge within a couple of days. The chilly autumn nights prevent lettuce from bolting or forming flower stalks prematurely.

Kale

This superfood green becomes even more nutritious after being exposed to frost, which causes it to convert starch into sugar. That makes fall-grown kale incredibly sweet and flavorful compared to the bitter reputation it garners. It’s also one of the most cold-tolerant vegetables, lasting through winter in many regions.

Spinach

Like kale, spinach responds to cold conditions by producing more sugars. While spinach seeds can be tricky to germinate, the plants readily tolerate freezing weather. Choose “overwintering” spinach varieties to grow them in the winter months.

Beets

Beets are root vegetables that do well in the fall and are Joe’s favorite fall plants. They have an earthy flavor that some people may find off-putting, but there are now varieties available that offer all the qualities of beets you know and love, minus the strong earthiness.

Radishes

Radishes grow crisp and rapid in the fall, ready to harvest in as little as 30 days. Succession plant them every week or two for a steady supply throughout the season.

Peas

Peas make for an excellent fall crop. They become very sweet, but keep a close eye: they aren’t as frost-tolerant as other vegetables. 

Garlic

Garlic is typically planted in November before the ground freezes. Not only is it everyone’s favorite flavor in sauces, soups, stir-fries, roasted dishes, and garlic scape pesto—but it also serves as a great pest-deterrent! Garlic is resilient and can be grown ornamentally.

Carrots

Carrots require good soil and care during germination. They should be kept moist and cool until they sprout. There is a risk of underground splitting if they encounter obstacles, but using fertilizers like Espoma Organic Biotone Starter Plus can prevent this.

Other plants to consider:

  • Brussel sprouts
  • Arugula
  • Kohlrabi
  • Cabbage

Why “Think Like a Plant”

Even experienced gardeners like Joe Lamp’l run into problems with pests, diseases, or environmental factors impacting their plants. When something goes wrong in your garden, he recommends first taking a step back (rather than blaming it on, say, cool weather).

He suggests putting yourself in the plant’s position, which is a concept Joe likes to call “planthrophormizing.” Observe its symptoms closely, then deduce what factors might be causing them. Is the plant wilting from under or overwatering? Do chewed leaves indicate pests? Are yellowed lower leaves a sign of nutrient deficiency? In such cases, Espoma’s line of organic fertilizers can be a solution, helping replenish essential nutrients and restore plant health.

Fall Gardening Mindset

In addition to crop selection and timing, Joe spoke about shifting your mindset when it comes to fall gardening. So take a minute to relax: This is a chance to slow down and decrease the intensity after the long summer months. 

Many fall vegetables like lettuce and radishes mature much quicker, in 30 to 60 days, so the stakes are lower than starting a long-season crop like tomatoes or peppers. For gardeners who dealt with challenges and setbacks in the summer, fall is an opportunity to learn from mistakes and try again with a new perspective.

Start small, keep it simple, and don’t overcomplicate things.

 

With the right mindset and plant choices, you can enjoy fresh homegrown produce from your garden into late fall or early winter. Follow these tips to make the most of the fall gardening season. No need to put those tools away just yet!

 


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VIDEO: Summer Rayne Oakes’ Festive Fall Urns

November 15, 2022/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables - None

When it comes to turning a house into a home, Summer Rayne Oakes knows what she’s doing! With gorgeous urns, pretty patio plants, and a little help from Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix and Perlite for quick root establishment and big blooms, this cozy meadow house got a welcoming entrance. Watch the full video below!

 

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: homesteadbrooklyn.com

Instagram – @homesteadbrooklyn

YouTube – Summer Rayne Oakes

Twitter – @sroakes

Facebook – Summer Rayne Oakes

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Planting-Metal-Urns-IMG_4424-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2022-11-15 18:46:202022-11-15 18:48:00VIDEO: Summer Rayne Oakes’ Festive Fall Urns

Seven Steps for a Fantastic Fall Garden

September 20, 2022/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables - None

 

Fall: it’s the season of transition. The weather is cooling down, the leaves are changing colors, and the air is getting crisp and breezy. While you might be thinking it’s time to pack up the gardening supplies until Spring, there’s no reason the growing has to stop yet! With this seasonal shift comes perfect weather for establishing new plants, great deals at garden stores, and a decrease in pests. In fact, this special season offers plenty of opportunities for preserving, planting, and preparing. Make the most of this time with these seven tips, and get back in the garden! 

 

     1. Don’t Forget Your Veggies

Don’t let the cooler weather fool you, there’s still time for growth. Broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and kale… fall is the season to plant these beloved vegetables. If your vegetable garden needs a boost, use our famous Organic Garden-tone or Grow!

 

 

2. Success with Succession

Maximize your harvest all throughout fall with succession planting. Harvest one crop, then replant one with a shorter maturity date, plant companion crops, stagger your seeding so harvest arrives in intervals, or plant a crop with varying maturity dates (broccoli, for example). Try out one of these methods and keep growing with our Garden-tone! 

 

 

     3. Bring in the Big Guys

Looking for a bigger way to upgrade your garden this fall? Plant trees and shrubs while the soil is still warm, use our Organic Tree-tone to nurture their development, and give them a chance to lay roots before winter settles in. Just be sure to keep them well-watered and protect those roots with mulch!

 

     4. Free Fertilizer 

Have you tried using those fall leaves to your advantage? Thick piles of leaves can be a lot for your lawn to tolerate, but mowing over what’s fallen creates smaller pieces that break down in the soil easier. Time to tackle that leaf pile and get your lawn some natural nutrients!

     

     5. Allium On the Way

Patience is a virtue… and so is planting ahead! Give your garlic, onions, and shallots a jump-start by planting them after the fall equinox. With full sun, rich soil, and crisp fall weather, your allium vegetables have plenty of time to get rooted before weathering the frost. Check out this article here for more tips on allium planting! 

     

     6. Take Cover

Mustard, peas, and clover are great cover crops to plant in the fall. Not only do cover crops prevent erosion, they can create better, richer soil for gardening. Let them grow throughout the fall and winter, then turn into the soil in the spring to enjoy the nutritious benefits of your labor.

     

     7. Winterize, Winterize, Winterize

Think of it as a gift to your future self. Keep up with weeding, winterize your watering system, and give your lawn a much-needed refresh with our Organic Fall Winterizer. These little chores make all the difference when getting your garden through upcoming winter frosts.

 

There’s so much in store this season, and with these tips, you can fall in love with fall gardening. Have your own must-do or want to share a photo of autumn in action? 

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Cutting Flowers and Planting Fall Crops with Garden Answer

August 31, 2021/in Fruits & Vegetables - None

Follow along as Laura from @Garden Answer cuts some especially beautiful flowers for some friends! Stick around as she provides some helpful tips for cutting flowers and to see which Espoma products she uses while planting fall crops!

 

 

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