Hilary and Kelly Smith Trimble discuss Kelly's new book, Vegetable Gardening Wisdom; and share simple words of advice and practical inspiration for getting most out of your vegetable garden!
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Featured Quotes and Words of Wisdom From Kelly’s Book, Vegetable Gardening Wisdom: Daily Advice and Inspiration for Getting the Most from Your Garden.
“Folk wisdom has it that a poor gardener grows weeds, a good gardener grows vegetables, and a very good gardener grows soil.” - Edward C Smith, The Vegetable Gardeners Bible
The health of your garden is largely dependent on the heath of your soil. Biological diversity makes healthy soil, so think of your garden soil as a mini eco-system that’s at it’s healthiest when populated by many different insects and microorganisms that keep each other in balance.
If cared for properly, the health of your soil will improve over time! Follow these simple instructions from our book, Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard, to create a maintain healthy soil in your garden:Add compost to your soil each year to improve the amount of organic in the soil
Add organic fertilizers to ensure that your plants are getting the nutrients they need
Check your soil’s pH every year
(each of these steps is elaborated on in much more detail in Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard, and in archived articles on this blog!)
“Phenology, the study of weather and it’s effect on plant and animal cycles, looks at climate signs rather than a calendar to determine planting and harvesting dates. For example, phenological wisdom suggests sowing beets and carrots when dandelions start to bloom and planting potatoes as daffodils flower.” - Kelly Smith Trimble, Vegetable Gardening Wisdom
I LOVE this quote because it encourages gardeners to tune into their surroundings and empowers them to make their own choices when it comes to timing in the garden. Phenological wisdom will be unique for every growing region.
“The garden is a lot like a puppy: it needs care and attention every day. And like a puppy, it pays you back with endless rewards, the kiss of bloom on fruit, the sweet fullness of fresh pea.” - Deborah Madison, Vegetable Literacy
If you’re a regular listener of the podcast or reader of this blog it should come as no surprise that I included this quote. I truly believe that gardens located in a site thats easy to access and in full-view of their owners are much more successful that those sited out of the way.
I also believe that taking 5-15 minutes to look at your garden each day will greatly improve the success of your project. This daily check-in provides you with the opportunity to catch issues such as water stress, and pests and diseases quickly so that you can avoid larger disasters.
“After compost itself, mulches in general are the subject most actively boring to the organic gardener’s friends.”- Eleanor Perenyi, Green Thoughts
How To Make Your Own Powdered Greens:
Dehydrate your green 2nd’s (bolting plants, leaves with bug holes, etc.) or bumper crops and grind them into a powder using a blender, cuisinart, or mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight container..
A few pages from Kelly’s beautiful book:
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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photo by Alisha Bube
This Week’s Co-host:
KELLY SMITH TRIMBLE is an editor, writer, and gardener living in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her book Vegetable Gardening Wisdom, a collection of seasonal advice and inspiration for edible gardeners, was released in April 2019. Kelly is currently the digital editorial director for HGTV and Travel Channel, and she has also been a writer and editor for Southern Living, Bonnie Plants, the National Park Foundation, and other media outlets and organizations. She earned a B.A. in English with concentration in Environmental Studies from Sewanee: The University of the South, and an M.S. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Writing and Communications from Green Mountain College. She is a certified master gardener who grows, cooks, and preserves at her suburban home alongside her husband, Derek, and dog, Rufus. They also love hiking, backpacking, and kayaking.
Website: kellysmithtrimble.com
Instagram: @kellysmithtrimble
About the Host:
Hello, I’m Hilary Dahl. Outside of this podcast, my job is to help beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. I have the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. I also work in my own garden every day when I get home. This podcast is an opportunity to discuss seasonal garden topics and share the the joy of growing your own food.