Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

Karin Velez

Grow a better vegetable garden, whether you're a seasoned gardener or have never grown a thing in your life. Karin helps home gardeners learn to grow their own food using evidence-based techniques and research. She talks all about specific plants, pests, diseases, soil and plant health, mulch, garden planning, and more. It's not just the "how" but also the "why" that makes us better. The goal? For everyone to know how to grow their own food no matter what sized space they have or their experience level.

Tune in each week to plan, learn, and grow with your friend in the garden, Karin Velez.

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20 episodes
Updated Tuesday

Episodes20

Newest first

Tuesday · 41 min
The Science We Got Wrong: How Plant Research Rewrote the Rules for Gardening - Ep. 311
In this episode, we walk through four real case studies of plant science changing its mind and what all of this means for the choices you make in your own garden each season, now and into the future.
July 21 · 39 min
The Mid-Season Soil Check - Ep. 310
Your garden is at its busiest in July, and so is the wear and tear on your soil. In this episode we get past the fertilizer conversation and into whether your soil is still functioning at all.
July 14 · 24 min
Battling Blossom End Rot the Right Way - Ep. 309
Today on Just Grow Something we're covering what blossom end rot really is at the cellular level, the conditions that trigger it in your garden, why the most popular home remedies for it are built on a total misunderstanding of the problem, and what the research consistently recommends instead.
July 7 · 31 min
Heat Stress vs Drought Stress in the Vegetable Garden - Ep. 308
If your first thought, every single time you see wilting in your garden during a heat wave is “I need to water right now,” hold on before you grab that hose. Because that dramatic afternoon collapse you're looking at likely has absolutely nothing to do with how much water is in your soil.
June 30 · 25 min
How to Time Your Fall Brassicas - Ep. 307
Most home gardeners don't realize fall brassica production starts in late June and early July. This episode breaks down the timing for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts, including how to calculate seed-starting dates from your first frost date, and explains why fall is the right season for this group of crops from a plant physiology standpoint.
June 23 · 41 min
Mid-Season Fertilizing: How to Know What Your Vegetables Actually Need - Ep. 306
June is peak season for fertilizing questions—and peak season for fertilizing mistakes. This episode breaks down the core principles of mid-season vegetable fertilizing: why nitrogen timing is the most important variable, how fruiting and leafy crops have completely different needs, how to read your plants for real deficiency signs, how to side-dress correctly, and when not to fertilize at all.
June 16 · 41 min
Early Blight Versus Late Blight in Tomatoes: Don't Get This One Wrong! - Ep. 305
“My tomato leaves are turning brown — do I have blight?” Treating late blight like early blight — or vice versa — can mean the difference between saving your plants and losing your entire harvest.
June 9 · 45 min
How to Manage Squash Vine Borer - Ep. 304
Every year, gardeners across the country watch their squash plants collapse overnight and have absolutely no idea why until it’s too late. The culprit is the squash vine borer, and it is one of the most misunderstood pests in the home garden.
June 2 · 52 min
How to Identify and Manage Perennial Weeds (Without the Viral Sprays) - Ep. 303
Perennial weeds are in a different category than annuals. They don’t just re-seed, they regrow from the ground up, season after season, from root systems that can run three feet deep or spread fifteen feet sideways underground. In this episode, we’re tackling them systematically.
May 26 · 50 min
Mulch Matchmaking: Choosing the Right Mulch for Your Vegetable Garden - Ep. 302
In this episode, we dig into the full lineup of organic mulches—straw, shredded leaves, wood chips, pine needles, grass clippings, and compost—as well as a shorter look at inorganic options like landscape fabric and black plastic.
May 19 · 51 min
Spring-Planted Bulbs and Summer Blooms: A Guide to Growing and Storing Dahlias, Gladiolus, and More - Ep. 301
In this episode, I’m covering the full world of spring-planted bulbs: dahlias, gladiolus, cannas, calla lilies, and tuberous begonias. You’ll learn when and how to plant them, how to grow them for maximum blooms, how to cut them for the vase, and how to handle end-of-season care based on where you live.
May 12 · 1 hr 6 min
Episode 300: The Questions You Keep Asking (and What the Research Actually Says)
We made it to 300 episodes! And to celebrate, I’m doing something a little different. This is a question-and-answer episode with evidence-based answers to your most frequently asked questions.
May 5 · 28 min
Topping Peppers: What does the science say, yay or nay? - Ep. 299
Today we’re talking about the science of why topping pepper plants works (when it works). We’re laying out the honest pros and cons with your climate and your pepper variety in mind. And if you decide it’s right for your garden, I’ll walk you through exactly how and when to do it and what to expect afterward.
April 28 · 26 min
Growing Tomatoes, Peppers, and Lettuce in Pots - Ep. 298
This week we’re digging into the three crops I get asked about the most often when it comes to growing in containers: tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. And while, technically, you can grow most anything in the right sized pot, these three are the ones folks tend to try first, so we’re going to get specific on them.
April 21 · 40 min
Container Gardening 101 - Ep. 297
If you've got a patio, a porch, a balcony, or even a sunny driveway, you can grow a real, productive vegetable garden in containers. Today on Just Grow Something, we walk through the essentials of container gardening from the ground up!
April 14 · 36 min
Succession Planting 101: How to Keep Your Garden Producing from Spring Through Frost - Ep. 296
Empty beds mean missed harvests. But with the right plan, they're completely avoidable. Whether you're dealing with a four-month growing season or gardening in year-round heat, there's a succession approach that works for your climate.
April 7 · 41 min
Interplanting Done Right: The High, Low, Fast, Slow Method for Bigger Harvests - Ep. 295
What if you could get more food from the exact same garden space, without expanding a single bed? That's the promise of interplanting, and today on Just Grow Something I break down exactly how to do it right.
March 31 · 40 min
Your Greenhouse Operating Manual - Ep. 294
A protected growing structure isn’t “set it and forget it” but a microclimate you manage. In this final episode of our greenhouse mini-series, you’ll get a practical operating manual for cold frames, low tunnels, caterpillar tunnels, high tunnels, and home greenhouses.
March 24 · 27 min
Greenhouse Tradeoffs: Heat, Humidity, Pests, and Practicality - Ep. 293
Protected growing structures like greenhouses can be game-changers - earlier harvests, fewer rain-splashed diseases, better crop quality, and more reliable timing. But they also create a new microclimate with new rules: overheating, humidity spikes, irrigation demands, shifting pest pressure, and sometimes pollination problems. Today on Just Grow Something, we break down what problems protected culture solves, what it tends to make harder, and how to predict those tradeoffs before you invest.
March 17 · 42 min
How to Pick the Right Greenhouse, Tunnel, or Cold Frame - Ep. 292
Thinking about a greenhouse but not sure if you really need one? There are some beautiful and expensive options out there, but greenhouses aren’t the only option for extending the season your garden. Today on Just Grow Something, we map out the full spectrum of protected growing structures for home gardeners: from cold frames and covered shelving to low tunnels, caterpillar tunnels, hoop houses/high tunnels, and home greenhouses.

Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

The Science We Got Wrong: How Plant Research Rewrote the Rules for Gardening - Ep. 311

The Mid-Season Soil Check - Ep. 310

Battling Blossom End Rot the Right Way - Ep. 309

Heat Stress vs Drought Stress in the Vegetable Garden - Ep. 308

How to Time Your Fall Brassicas - Ep. 307

Mid-Season Fertilizing: How to Know What Your Vegetables Actually Need - Ep. 306

Early Blight Versus Late Blight in Tomatoes: Don't Get This One Wrong! - Ep. 305

How to Manage Squash Vine Borer - Ep. 304

How to Identify and Manage Perennial Weeds (Without the Viral Sprays) - Ep. 303

Mulch Matchmaking: Choosing the Right Mulch for Your Vegetable Garden - Ep. 302

Spring-Planted Bulbs and Summer Blooms: A Guide to Growing and Storing Dahlias, Gladiolus, and More - Ep. 301

Episode 300: The Questions You Keep Asking (and What the Research Actually Says)

Topping Peppers: What does the science say, yay or nay? - Ep. 299

Growing Tomatoes, Peppers, and Lettuce in Pots - Ep. 298

Container Gardening 101 - Ep. 297

Succession Planting 101: How to Keep Your Garden Producing from Spring Through Frost - Ep. 296

Interplanting Done Right: The High, Low, Fast, Slow Method for Bigger Harvests - Ep. 295

Your Greenhouse Operating Manual - Ep. 294

Greenhouse Tradeoffs: Heat, Humidity, Pests, and Practicality - Ep. 293

How to Pick the Right Greenhouse, Tunnel, or Cold Frame - Ep. 292