The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of
Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall.
See the book and Fig Camp options.---
Once garlic comes out of the garden, you’re left with a useful patch of open soil and one big question: what goes there next?
In this episode, we talk through summer succession planting using garlic harvest as the seasonal peg. He explains how timing, climate, heat, dry soil, and first frost dates all affect what you can plant after garlic or after any early crop that frees up garden space.
You’ll learn which crops are easiest to direct seed in summer, when transplants are a better bet, and how to use shade, boards, mulch, and row cover to improve germination and protect young plants.
Topics include:
- Why garlic harvest timing varies by region
- Direct seeding vs. starting transplants
- How to deal with dry soil, heat, strong sun, and crusting
- Easy summer succession crops such as bush beans, basil, dill, rapini, and greens
- Crops for fall harvest, including spinach, beets, carrots, turnips, winter radishes, kale, and Asian greens
- Why bush snap beans are a better follow crop than pole or dry beans
- How to decide whether cucumbers and summer squash are worth planting after garlic
- Tips for short-season and cold-climate gardeners
- A simple “succession seed bin” system to make replanting easier
Succession planting doesn’t have to mean filling every inch perfectly. It’s about using open space in a way that fits your garden, your season, and your available energy.
What is Food Garden Life Show: Helping You Harvest More from Your Edible Garden, Vegetable Garden, and Edible Landscaping?
Want to grow your own food but need creative ideas so you can get the most from your space and your growing zone? Our passion is the edible garden.
We help people grow food on balconies, in backyards, and beyond—whether it’s edible landscaping, a vegetable garden, container gardens, or a home orchard.
There are many ways to approach edible landscaping. Find out how to harvest enough fruit, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. Get top tips for exotic crops. And learn how to garden in a way that suits any situation.
Host Steven Biggs was recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the “green gang” making a difference in Canadian horticulture. His home-garden experiments span driveway straw-bale gardens, a rooftop kitchen garden, fruit plantings, and an edible-themed front yard. He's a horticulturist, award-winning broadcaster and author, and former horticulture instructor with George Brown and Durham Colleges in Ontario, Canada.
Get started with one of our fan favourites. Season 6, Episode 10: Big Harvests from a Small Space with a Vertical Vegetable Garden.