045: Jill McSheehy and the Beginner's Garden

It’s that time of year where us homesteaders get to put our money where our mouth is, so to speak, and get out in the garden and grow food for our families. There’s no question that gardening can be one of the most rewarding activities on the homestead, but it is certainly not without it’s challenges. Getting started in growing your own food can be a daunting task and with so many variables and opinions in the gardening world, it can be hard to know where to start.

That’s why I invited today’s guest onto the podcast. Her name is Jill McSheehy and she hosts the “Beginners Garden Podcast” where she does an outstanding job of leading the way for those just getting started on their gardening journey. Her show has become one of my favorite sources for gardening information and, after hearing our conversation I’m sure you’ll understand why.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

* What drove her to dive into the world of gardening 10 years ago

* What her first year of gardening was like and some of her early struggles

* The pros and cons of growing in raised beds versus in the ground and why she has moved to mostly growing in raised beds

* Jill shares her current struggles and the things that challenge her in the garden

* We talk about mulching and her preference for leaves and we both share that we’ve taken the leap to use weed mat

* She talks about her methods for pest management using multiple plantings, beneficial flowers and some organic inputs

* How she maintains fertility in her raised beds by using lots of organic matter in her starting soil as well as adding compost and using cover crops

* We discuss the problem of using hay in the garden due to residual pesticides

* Her journey into the world of Straw Bale Gardening

* Jill shares what she does for irrigation and how she got to that point

* She shares what all she has going on at her homestead