What's been coming out of your garden? Veggies? Herbs? Flowers? Mostly weeds?? 🫣 Let's see some harvest photos!

Every time I pull old plants out of a bed (or start a brand new one, even a pot), I follow the same simple routine before anything new goes in the ground. Here's exactly what I do and why. 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 I do this either in fall as my summer crops come out and cool-season crops go in, or in spring as cool-season crops come out and warm-season crops go in. But you can do this whenever it works best for you. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗶𝘁: Improves soil structure Helps sandy soil hold onto moisture Opens up drainage in heavy clay Adds organic matter back into the soil Feeds microbial life (the bacteria and fungi living in your soil) 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗜 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄, 𝗜 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲: 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 — It's gentle and powerful. It adds beneficial microbes, improves nutrient availability, and helps with soil structure so roots establish faster. 𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿 — this contains a range of nutrients that release slowly as soil microbes and moisture break it down, usually over several weeks to a couple months. This feeds your plants steadily instead of giving them one big hit and fading out. 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 — this one always surprises people! Molasses feeds soil microbes with carbs and sugar, which boosts activity. It also helps plants resist pests by raising Brix (a measure of sugar content in plant sap). Less-tasty leaves mean fewer aphids and caterpillars. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿: sprinkle the worm castings, granular fertilizer, and molasses over the soil, mix it into the top couple of inches, then plant. Do you amend your soil before planting? If so, what's in your go-to blend? ....................... P.S. This is posted as a full module, which also includes recommended amounts + products, in 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟭 | 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 in the Academy Classroom. Check it out here: https://www.skool.com/gardenacademy/about 🌱

And how are you feeling about it? - Confident and crushing it? - Wishing you had a little more direction? - Somewhere in-between?

If you want more melons, squash, and cucumbers this year, the secret isn't just soil and sun. It's flowers. 🌻 Here's a good rule of thumb I use in my own garden: for every 3 vegetable plants, plant at least 1 flower. Some veggies rely on pollinators to produce fruit. But veggie blooms alone often aren't enough to catch their attention, especially early in the season before your vegetables even start flowering. Think of flowers as the billboard. Their bright colors and strong scent are basically advertising "food here!" to any pollinator flying by. Once they land in your garden for the flowers, they'll naturally visit your vegetable blooms too. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 Not all pollinators are drawn to the same things, so a mix of flowers brings a mix of helpers: 🐝 Bees love purple, blue, and yellow flowers like lavender, bee balm, hyssop, and sunflowers 🦋 Butterflies go for clustered or flat, open blooms in red, orange, and pink, like zinnias, lantana, and coneflowers, because they give them a place to land 🐦 Hummingbirds are drawn to tubular, red or orange flowers like salvia, California fuchsia, and trumpet vine 🌙 Moths prefer pale or white flowers that open in the evening, like moonflower or evening primrose, since they're active at night Planting a variety means you're rolling out the welcome mat for more than just bees. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 Pollinators need water just like we do, and having a source right in your garden makes a huge difference. A bird bath or small fountain works great. If there's no water nearby, pollinators have to leave your garden to find some elsewhere, which means less time pollinating your plants. But if you've got water right there, they can take a quick drink, rest for a second, and get right back to work. However, bees and other small pollinators can actually drown in open water. So, toss a few flat stones, rocks, marbles, or corks into the bird bath or fountain so they have something to land on while they drink. A shallow dish with pebbles works just as well if you don't have a bird bath.

Woke up this morning to 1,005 incredible action-takers inside this community. 🥹 WOW. I am so, so grateful for every single one of you. But this milestone isn't really about me... It’s a testament to your drive to grow something real & intentional in your own backyards. I CAN 👏 NOT 👏 WAIT 👏 to watch you crush your goals!! Which is about to get a 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘦 lot easier come July 8th. Stay tuned 👀🌱