Gardening 4 Gains Plant Rant

Yesterday I sat down with Jeff Mastin, Biologist for Venntis Technologies who is the maker of the TotalGrow LED Grow lights. In this episode we do a deep dive into the ever-evolving technology of LEDs, the biology & science of LED lighting for a wide range horticultural applications, and discuss where we see the industry going over the next 5-10 years. A lot of people think of cannabis, or growing in a basement or closet, when they hear talk about Grow Lights, but the fact of the matter is that almost ever grower can use them - it all depends on the crops you're growing and the goals you want to accomplish. If you're interested in learning more about TotalGrow LED Lights, drop me a comment or send me a message and I'll be happy to help! Or head over to AM Leonard's website to check out the options (and stay tuned for new products that will be dropping soon)! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gardening4gains/support

Allergies & bad time management have kept me from podcasting recently, but I'm back for another rant about Organic Gardening & ideas I have to expand my brand & business, Gardening 4 Gains

The title is pretty self-explanatory but today I talk about organic vs synthetic fertilizers and how I want to study more to learn the truth about their effects rather than jump on an emotional bandwagon or simply assume something is "bad" because it isn't organic. I tried to keep that rant short but I believe it's important to challenge controversy head-on - or else you'll never know the truth. We also discuss soil health, my plans to attempt to expand the garden (again), and discuss future guests I'll be having on the show. Let me know if you have any gardening questions & I'll be happy to answer them in a future podcast

The garden is growing along strong and now the only thing we need to do is protect it from pests & provide it will water & nutrition

In this episode I talk about the importance of living in the moment and how that will make you the happiest version of yourself while dwelling on the past or worrying about the future will put you in a place of depression or anxiety. On a lighter note, I also discuss the garden renovations that Kyla and I made to the garden over the weekend including: adding a new garden gate, installing a new fence, and overall improving the general aesthetic of the Garden of Gains

In this episode I talked about upgrading the garden gate, fence, and overall aesthetic of the Garden of Gains. Yesterday me and Kyla worked hard to drive in fence posts, then put up the new fence - and we also found a new gate at Menards instead of the hillbilly gate that we've been using that I made out of bamboo and crappy wood

Yesterday's podcast was about the basics of gardening and this episode dives in deeper on how to grow the most popular garden veggie (or fruit) - the mighty Tomato

We're going back to the basics on this episode for beginning gardeners and hitting on the bare essentials of the requirements for Sun, Soil, and other foundational knowledge to help you grow an amazing garden

In this episode I talk about the storms that have been slamming Ohio non-stop this year, including a tornado in Dayton a couple nights ago. We have been lucky through it all, and really just benefiting from all the rain that's been feeding the garden

I got a little deep & philosophical in this episode

This episode dives into some facts, feelings, and opinions on controversial topics that are top of mind for so many - RoundUp, genetically modified foods/crops, organic growing methods, and my thoughts on the hysteria surrounding those topics. This isn't all serious & controversial though

Whether you "believe" in climate change or not, I think we can all agree that we've seen storms increase in strength & duration. It seems like any time it rains, the new normal is for it to dump a couple inches of rain. The weather has essentially become like the world - extremely polarized; all the way left or all the way right.. or is it just our perception because of this political climate (weather pun intended). So aside from that rant

In yesterday's podcast I bragged about how my broccoli hasn't been attacked by bugs yet, went home and had holes in leaves, so that means it's time to spray! Though I hate spraying pesticides, it's completely necessary if you want to harvest what you planted - plus it's an organic, natural product - not harsh chemicals

Today's the day - it's our last frost day in Ohio

Growing Tomatoes from seed is always a challenge - which is what makes it fun! Seems like you always start too early or too late. This year I was too early and my tomatoes plants were struggling in the plug trays because they were becoming root-bound. I didn't think they'd survive but Kyla told me to plant them up into a bigger pot so they could stretch their legs. Luckily, I had CowPots on deck and I'm super impressed with how my plants have bounced back and began to thrive

Every plant I grow is grown using organic growing methods - and the same goes for my business. In this episode I talk about updates to the CropBox, my plans for the National Hardware Show, and dive into my plans to grow my business - organically, slow & steady and only as I'm ready! And that begs the question - what other products do you want me to offer other than fresh veggies & herbs? Would love to hear your thoughts

With all this rain and the temperatures rising, that means weeds are on their way to a garden or lawn near you

Hard to believe it's already May 1st, but the garden has been growing amazingly

We were super productive this weekend and finally built Kyla's raised bed for growing herbs

In this episode I met up with Mandy Groszko, creator of Ella Bella Gluten Free to talk about her business, learn her story, and explain why I'm offering baking mixes in the CropBox this year. We got into a ton of topics ranging from the original of your foods/ingredients, the struggles and triumphs of entrepreneurship, and so much more! If you're interested in learning more, check out the baking mixes on my website www.gardening4gains.com and give Mandy a follow @ellebellagf on all platforms