Follow along with Laura from Garden Answer as she demonstrates how to plant multiple varieties of Lisianthus from seeds.
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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:
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:
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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Raised bed gardening is quickly gaining popularity among homeowners who are keen on growing their vegetables and flowers. In this article, we will discuss raised bed gardening, its benefits, designing a garden plot, plant propagation, and other gardening techniques you may find useful.
This blog is inspired by Episode 120 of Growing Joy with Maria Podcast, where host Maria Failla interviewed Nicole Burke from Gardenary to get personalized garden coaching, enriched with insightful perspectives on self-care, nature connection, and life overall.
Raised beds offer several benefits, making them an excellent choice for urban gardening enthusiasts. Here are some great reasons why raised beds might be just what you need for your garden:
When you’re planning your raised bed garden, here are things that you should think about:
Deciding the Size (because size matters!)
The minimum recommended size for a raised bed is 4×4 or 2×8 feet. It’s important to have a wide enough bed that can accommodate a trellis in the center to support vining plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, and squashes.
Choosing the Material
You can make raised beds from wood, bricks, or concrete blocks. Wood is popular because it’s cheap, easy to work with, and looks great in the garden! Consider using untreated wood to prevent chemicals from leaching into your soil.
Creating the Soil
Good-quality soil is a must for your raised bed! The right soil blend will support your plants’ growth and provide the necessary nutrients. Espoma Organic’s Raised Bed Mix is the perfect option.
Choosing the Plants
Choose plants based on your overall garden plan, and consider their size, growth habits, and needs. Make sure to select varieties that will thrive in your climate and the specific conditions of your garden.
Plant with Purpose:
It’s crucial to plant mindfully to ensure a bountiful harvest. To get the most out of your garden, plant smart! Know the ins and outs of different plant families and their growth patterns, and be sure to plant them in the right season. Companion planting can also help plants grow better together.
Starting Plants from Seeds
Starting plants from seeds can be intimidating, but it’s cheaper than buying seedlings, and fun! Just use high-quality seeds, clean containers, and good potting soil, and you’ll be good to go. We recommend using Espoma’s Organic Seed Starter to ensure successful germination. Be patient and provide the right conditions for germination.
Growing Plants on a Trellis
Cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and beans love growing on trellises, which can save space and look fantastic. Planting vining plants on opposite sides of the trellis can make your garden even more gorgeous. Trellises also improve airflow, which can help prevent diseases.
Pest Control
Planting marigolds and basil can help keep pests away from your tomatoes. Plus, keeping your garden tidy, not over-fertilizing, and using organic pest control methods can help keep your raised bed garden pest-free. To help your plants grow strong and healthy, consider using Espoma’s Garden Tone as a natural, organic fertilizer.
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Raised bed gardening is an excellent option for urban gardeners with limited space and mobility and can provide bountiful harvests with creative design options. Learning about the benefits, principles, and techniques of raised bed gardening can make your gardening more enjoyable and give you a chance to get back in touch with nature!
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Have you ever wanted to grow your own onions?
Watch Laura @GardenAnswer with help from Espoma, as she shows you how to start her favorite onion varieties from seed.
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Watch as Laura from @GardenAnswer along with the help of Espoma Organic Seed Starter, takes you step by step through the process of planting and caring for multiple varieties of geraniums.
Laura feeds her indoor geraniums with Indoor! Espoma Organic liquid plant food.
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Seed starting is easy when you follow along with Wyse Guide! Bundle up your seeds this winter with Espoma Organic Seed Starter, and by the time it’s warm enough to put them outside, you’ll already have beautiful, strong root growth. Watch the full video below for a step-by-step introduction to spring your seeds into action!
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Seeds not only provide us with food to eat, but they represent the future and allow us to reflect on our history. They are heirlooms, a connection to our ancestors and their stories. In this blog, we celebrate stories of Asian culture and connection to nature and food through seeds, with YC Miller from Kitazawa Seed Company.
YC walks us through the importance of preserving our heritage through seeds with heartwarming stories from Kitazawa customers on how a simple vegetable can carry so much family history and pride.
This blog is inspired by Episode 152 of Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast, where host Maria Failla interviewed YC Miller from Kitazawa Seed Company. 
How Growing Food Can Reconnect Us with Our Heritage
YC didn’t grow up growing any Korean vegetables. Coming to them as an adult has played a huge part in how she has reconnected with their heritage.
Fifteen years ago, YC went on a heritage trip to Korea. For a portion of the trip, she worked on a farm. She recalls that experience as one of the first times she understood what roots really meant. It really spoke to YC’s soul about who she was as a person and created a deep sense of belonging.
That moment served as an awakening of their heritage, but also a reconnection with food and the plants, vegetables, and agricultural practices that went along with that. Ever since then, it’s been a constant learning process through their work at Kitazawa Seed Company.
Many Americans, descendants of immigrants, share a similar experience in reconnecting with their culturally significant vegetables and stories of families bringing seeds over from their home countries. With their work at Kitazawa Seed Company, YC says it’s been a pleasure to be able to celebrate and honor that connection, and to be a source of seeds and food that help foster that connection.
How Two Brothers Built Kitazawa Seed Company
Kitazawa Seed Company was started by two brothers in 1917. It is the oldest Asian seed company in the United States, specializing in Asian varieties. The brothers were selling seeds to Japanese farmers in California, and also providing traditional Japanese vegetable seeds to home gardeners who were growing them for their families and communities.
From 1942 to 1945 Kitazawa Seed Company was forced to abandon the business due to WWII. The Kitazawa family, along with all other Japanese-Americans, were moved and put into Relocation Camps during that time. The brothers restarted the business after the war. Many of their customers had relocated due to land ownership changes. This is when Kitazawa began selling and shipping seeds across the United States and really flourishing. It has continued the tradition of selling both to commercial farmers and to the home gardener.
A major goal of Kitazawa has been to bring in seeds that are otherwise inaccessible. It started as a company that focused mostly on Japanese vegetables, because that was primarily the customer base. With waves of immigration from Asia to the United States, there’s been a changing demand for different kinds of Asian vegetables. Now Kitazawa has expanded its offerings to be able to provide vegetables for lots of different communities.
Preserving Seed Diversity and the Immigrant Experience
Kitazawa strives to provide lots of hybrid seed varieties that are reliable, but they also value open pollinated varieties. If you were to grow an open pollinated squash variety in California and grow that same variety in New York, saving seeds year after year, those seeds would adapt to the different microclimates they were grown in. While they’re still the same variety of squash, certain traits would emerge, making them better suited for each region.
An interesting parallel to note is the similarity in the seed and the home grower who originally brought it to the United States. Seeds come from a different homeland and take on the soil, the air, and the sunshine from their new home. As seeds thrive, they continue to change and evolve. Similar to the immigrant experience in adapting to your new environment.
As home gardeners, we may not think much about saving seeds. But it’s something YC highly encourages us to do to create more locally adapted, resilient seed varieties.
Where and How Does Kitazawa Source Their Seed Varieties?
A lot of Kitazawa’s seeds are imported from Asia, where they have been working with many of the same reliable growers for decades. There are plans in place to consider more domestic production, especially considering supply chain issues and shipping. There are amazing people doing small batch seed production in the United States that are doing incredible work, specifically with landrace varieties. Landrace seeds have evolved traits naturally over time in response to growing conditions like pests, climate, and diseases in a specific location.
Kitazawa not only considers a particular variety, but also a high standard of quality when bringing in seeds. They grow out new varieties first so they can ensure the health and vigor of the seeds they offer to customers. The process can take several years to not only source the seed, but to also ensure the integrity of the seed packet they sell.
What Are the Differences Between Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino Eggplants?
One of Kitazawa’s new varieties is a Filipino eggplant. They have had customer requests for years to carry a Filipino eggplant in their seed options. While they have lots of Japanese and Chinese eggplant varieties, none of them were quite right for their Filipino clientele.
Traditionally, people think of a Japanese eggplant as being long, narrow, and purple. Generally the Japanese eggplants also have a purple calyx, which is the part of the eggplant that attaches to the stem. They are also quite firm with low moisture content, and often used for pickles.
Chinese eggplants often have a green calyx and are lighter in color than the Japanese eggplants. Their texture is a bit creamier too.
The Filipino eggplant Kitazawa is sourcing is a greenish purple with a green and purple calyx. Generally, Filipino eggplants are more tender and a bit sweet.
YC’s Recommended Kitazawa Varieties for Beginners
One of the great things about Asian vegetables is there’s such a huge diversity. There is something for everyone from the beginning gardener to the more experienced gardener and everyone in between.
For people who are just starting out, some of the easiest plants to get started are Asian herbs. There is a huge variety of Asian herbs from bunching onions that you can use in pretty much everything to Thai basil and all of the different kinds of perilla.
And then there are types that YC would consider big payoff varieties. With a crop like peas, you can eat the shoots and the peas once they form. They’re easy to grow and you get a lot of vegetables for your effort. Japanese cucumbers are another wonderful option and fairly easy to grow with a trellis.
Kitazawa has a huge number of pak choi (or bok choy) available that can be easily grown in a container. They have a bunch of smaller varieties for small space growers. It’s a cold hardy vegetable you can grow in Spring and Fall.
If that all sounds overwhelming, Kitazawa is always happy to give seed recommendations. You can give them a call and they’d be happy to help assist you.
YC’s Favorite Recipe to Cook
Korean perilla is a Korean herb, and a very meaningful plant to YC personally, so it’s their go-to plant. She uses it in two ways: one, as a kind of lettuce wrap and two, she pickles it!
It’s really wonderful as a pickle or as a kimchi. Kitazawa carries many of the perilla varieties, including Japanese shiso, a Vietnamese variety, and a Korean variety. They’re also very easy to grow in containers!
To learn more about different Asian recipes, check out the Kitazawa Recipe Blog.
Visit Kitazawa Seed Company
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About Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast
Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast helps people care for plants successfully and cultivate more joy in their lives. Host Maria Failla, a former plant killer turned happy plant lady, interviews experts on various aspects of plant care, and encourages listeners to not only care for plants, but learn to care for themselves along the way.
About Our Interviewee
YC Miller works for Kitazawa Seed Company, which specializes in offering the highest quality Asian seeds to delight the diverse palates of their customers. They offer over 500 seed varieties that produce dento yasai or traditional heirloom vegetables of Japan, to the Asian vegetables popularly found in farmers’ markets, specialty grocery stores, and restaurants. Now you can grow them in your kitchen garden, sell them at your garden center and grow them commercially.
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Seed starting is upon us in the gardening world! There is no better way to connect with the food we eat than by growing it ourselves. Starting edible plants from seed can be intimidating, but we’re here to break it down and answer all your burning questions.
This blog is inspired by Episode 114 of Bloom and Grow Radio–where host Maria Failla interviewed Joe Lamp’l–the Joe behind The joe gardener Show.
Before we dive into the how of seed starting, let’s understand the why.
Why Start Your Garden from Seed?
In our world of instant gratification, what’s better than starting your gardening season way sooner than most gardeners?! When you start seeds indoors, you get your hands in the dirt and get a jump on the growing season. And what a rewarding feeling it is to start your plants from seed, and enjoy the journey of bringing them from seed to plate.
If you love your edibles, decide what you want to eat and which varieties you want. Don’t leave it up to what’s available at the garden center. Think about how much you can choose when you start from seed: flavor, varieties, and the stories behind different heirlooms. You can really expand your food choices when you get to pick exactly what you grow.
Another great reason to start your own seeds is to make sure you’re growing the right kind of plant for your needs. Do you absolutely love tomatoes, but only have a small balcony to grow them? Look for microdwarf tomato varieties that only grow about 1-2 feet tall! If you have a short growing season, you’d also want to make sure you choose “early” or “short season” plant varieties.
Starting from seed offers us the ability to be in control of the varieties we grow, plan in advance, and save lots of money in the long run. Speaking of starting seeds on a budget…
How to Get Your Seed Starting Setup for Under $100
Your seed starting setup can be super budget-friendly if you take the time to look at the components. For under a hundred dollars, you can put together everything you need! Let’s break down the materials, costs, alternatives, and conditions you need for seed starting.
Seed Starting Mix
To start, you need a good seed starting mix. It’s called a “mix,” because there’s really no soil in it. It’s made of natural ingredients like peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. A bag of seed starting mix is going to cost between $5-$10.
Espoma Organics takes the guesswork out of your selection by providing their high quality seed starting mix.
Seed Starting Trays
With one bag of seed starting mix, you can fill about two seed starting trays, which is your next material needed. Seed starting trays can give you anywhere between 18 to 72 cells to sow your seeds. You can get two trays for about $10.
Look for seed starting trays with cells about 3.5 inches or smaller. In a traditional seed starting tray, cells are deep so seedling roots have more room to grow down. About 4 weeks from germination you’ll have to transplant your seedlings into a larger individual pot, AKA “potting up”.
Best Grow Lights for Seed Starting
Next is a grow light. Grow lights are where you could spend a lot of money in your seed starting setup, but if you’re on a budget, there is nothing wrong with buying an LED or fluorescent shop light for $20. You can get your seeds sprouted and ready for planting outside in good condition with a very inexpensive shop light. Will it be as good as a seedling that’s under a more expensive light? Maybe not, but all you’re really trying to do is rear those seedlings to the point that they are ready to go outside. Once they get outside, Mother Nature knows what to do and so does that seedling.
What are Heat Mats for Seed Starting important?
Heat mats are seed starting game changers. Heat mats raise the soil temperature, which helps your seeds sprout faster. Seeds have an ideal range of soil temperature in which they sprout the best, and can be anywhere from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Seed mats will cost you between $15 and $35, depending on whether you get a thermostat attached.
Once most of your seeds have germinated, remove them from the heat mats. If you leave your seedlings on heat too long, they can start to become leggy.
Humidity Dome for Germination
You’ll also want a humidity dome. It’s a clear plastic top that you put over the seed tray to hold the moisture in the soil until the seed germinates. If you don’t have a cover on your tray, the moisture won’t stay in the soil and the seed is not as likely to germinate. For two humidity domes, you’ll probably pay about $6. You can also use plastic wrap and lay it over the top to hold in moisture for your seedlings.
A key point to remember with humidity domes: once your seeds germinate, remove the humidity dome so seedlings get enough oxygen. Airflow brings us to the next material needed.
Small Fan for Seed Starting
Last but not least, a fan. You can get a cheap clip-on fan for $15. Fans are important because once the seed germinates, you need air movement across that soil surface. Air movement reduces the chance of a fungal disease called damping off, which can kill your seedlings. Fans also simulate wind, making the stems sturdier and ready for outdoor conditions.
Total Seed Starting Materials Cost
Here’s the cost breakdown to get your seed starting setup for less than $100:
Bag of seed starting mix: $10
2 seed starting trays: $10
Shop light: $20
Heat mat: $15 – $35
Humidity dome: $6
Clip-on fan: $15
TOTAL: $81 – $96
All about Seeds: Where to Buy Them, Expiration Dates, & Non-GMOs
It’s important to find a good seed company. Here are some tips when you’re searching:
Seed Expiration Dates
Seed packets will show the day that the seed was packed. Assuming you have leftover seeds and you keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, they will last anywhere from as little as one year to many years, depending on the seed.
How do you know when a seed is still good or if it’s gone bad? Do a germination test! Before you plant your seeds, put about 10 seeds in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag. Check the moisture daily and after about 10-14 days, your seeds will either have sprouted or not. If 7 out of 10 sprouted, your viability is about 70%. Depending on your viability you can either plant extra or compost unusable seeds.
What are Non-GMO Seeds?
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Many seed companies have jumped on the bandwagon saying all of their seeds are “certified non-GMO.” There actually aren’t any GMO gardening seeds available for home gardeners. None of the seeds you purchase will ever be GMO seeds. GMO seeds are present in the commercial agriculture industry, but it’s expensive to produce a GMO seed and it’s not anything that we’re going to even be able to buy. So if a company is touting non-GMO seeds, that’s true, they are. But so are everyone else’s.
The Best Time to Start Your Seeds
The most important date you need to know is the last day that you are potentially going to have frost. This is called your frost-free date in Spring. You can find yours by Googling “last frost date” in your area. Once you have that date, then you work backward to about 6-8 weeks. That’s when you’ll be sowing most of your seeds.
You want to time your seed starting so you give your seeds about 6-8 weeks of growing time indoors. By the end of the 6-8 weeks, seedlings will have grown to a sturdy size and are then ready to grow outdoors. If you choose a good seed company, there should be lots of information about this on the back of the seed packet.
If you start your seeds too early, you risk your plants getting too big and outgrowing their space. They’re going to be looking for resources that you probably can’t provide indoors, like more light, nutrition in the soil, and space to grow. The longer your seedlings are confined indoors without the right environment, the more stressed they become. Timing when you plant your seeds is crucial to the seed starting process.
Let’s Get Planting!
Now that you’ve got your seed starting setup and timing down, how do you get your seeds in the soil?
First, look at the information on your seed packet. It will typically have all that important seed starting information you need, including how many weeks to start indoors, days to maturity, and growth patterns.
Make sure your seed starting mix is pre-moistened, like a damp sponge. Most seeds don’t need light to germinate, but they don’t need to be planted very deeply either. Once you have your seeds in, sprinkle a little bit of extra seed starting mix on top. Spray the tops of the soil gently with water so you don’t move the seeds around too much.
When your seeds are planted, place your humidity dome on top, put your tray on your heat mat, and turn your lights on. Your seedlings are going to sprout in a matter of days to a week, maybe two weeks at most. Once your seeds germinate, remove your humidity dome and turn on your fan. From there, you’re just ensuring that the soil stays moist.
The first leaves that come up are called seed leaves, or cotyledons. In a few weeks, your plants will grow new “true” leaves. Once those new true leaves emerge, you can start to add small amounts of supplemental fertilizer.
Your job over the next 4-5 weeks will be monitoring plant growth and making sure everything looks good. Keeping the lights at the proper distance above the tops of the seedlings is also key–not too close, not too far away.
The Final Step: How to Harden Off Your Plants
Hardening off is about 7 to 10 days of transitioning your seedlings slowly to outdoor conditions. You slowly increase the tender, new leaves’ exposure to sun and wind over about two weeks. Make sure outdoor temperatures are above 45 degrees Fahrenheit with no inclement weather during this period, and bring plants indoors every evening.
Here is a rough schedule to follow:
Once you’ve gotten your plants used to the outdoor elements, they’re all ready to be planted in their new homes outdoors!
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Check out how Laura from @Garden Answer is starting seeds early in the winter season with the help of Espoma.
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Kevin @Epic Gardening updates his seed-starting methods annually for better results, consistency, and health of his seedlings. Check out his NEW method featuring the help of some Espoma Organic Seed Starter.
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