Want to keep your vegetable garden growing a little longer this fall? In this episode we'll talk about simple ways to extend the gardening season with frost blankets, row covers, low tunnels, cold frames and other methods of protecting your plants from chilly temperatures. We'll also talk about deciding which plants are worth protecting - and when it's okay to let the garden go and call it a season. Plus, I'll share some options for those green tomatoes still hanging on the vine when frost is on the way.

Subscribe to HOMEGROWN so you won’t miss a new episode, every other Tuesday during the growing season.

Companion Article/Transcript: Find more information about row covers, frost blankets, cold frames and other ways to extend your gardening season, along with the products and resources I recommend.
How to Extend Your Vegetable Gardening Season

Related articles:
What to Do with Green Tomatoes in the Fall
6 East Steps for Fall Garden Clean-up

FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCE: How to Make Fruit Vinegar

Subscribe and Review
New episodes drop every other Tuesday during the gardening season - subscribe so you don’t miss a single one! Subscribe to my emails for even more gardening tips and seasonal ideas.

If you’re enjoying HOMEGROWN: Your Backyard Garden Podcast, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen:
Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Enjoy the podcast? You can help support HOMEGROWN with a virtual cup of coffee. Your support is always optional and very much appreciated.

Keep in Touch
Website: https://oakhillhomestead.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/oakhillhomestead
Instagram: https://instagram.com/oakhillhomestead
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/oakhh

What starts in the garden doesn’t always stay there.

You might begin with one tomato plant or a packet of lettuce seeds, but growing your own food has a way of changing how you think and how you live. Gardening teaches you to plan ahead, solve problems, use what you have, preserve the harvest, and become more resourceful one skill at a time.

In this episode I’m sharing how my own gardening journey led from growing tomatoes to preserving food, foraging wild plants, stocking the pantry, and learning to rely a little more on what I can grow and do for myself - and it might do the same for you!

Subscribe to HOMEGROWN so you won’t miss a new episode, every other Tuesday during the growing season.

Companion Article/Transcript: https://www.oakhillhomestead.com/2026/09/growing-a-garden-changes-you.html

Related articles:

• Homesteading No Matter Where You Live
• Why I Hate Mowing the Lawn
• How to Freeze Corn on the Cob

FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCE: How to Make Fruit Vinegar

Subscribe and Review
New episodes drop every other Tuesday during the gardening season - subscribe so you don’t miss a single one! Subscribe to my emails for even more gardening tips and seasonal ideas.

If you’re enjoying HOMEGROWN: Your Backyard Garden Podcast, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen:
Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Enjoy the podcast? You can help support HOMEGROWN with a virtual cup of coffee. Your support is always optional and very much appreciated.

Keep in Touch
Website: https://oakhillhomestead.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/oakhillhomestead
Instagram: https://instagram.com/oakhillhomestead
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/oakhh

If you've ever struggled to get carrot seeds to germinate, you're not alone. Carrots have frustrated me for years - until a simple garden experiment completely changed the way I grow them.

In this episode we'll discuss planting tips for carrots, why fresh carrot seed makes such a difference, the carrot life cycle, why it's important to grow open-pollinated seeds if you want to save your own seeds, and one of my favorite ways to attract pollinators and beneficial insects to the garden.

Companion article:
https://www.oakhillhomestead.com/2026/08/carrot-germination.html

My favorite open-pollinated seed sources:

• Mary's Heirloom Seeds (affiliate link)
• Baker Creek Seeds

Related episodes and articles:

Survival seeds - Are They Necessary? - Episode #13

Heirloom vs Hybrid seeds

Listener's question: Saving Seeds From Hybrid Tomatoes - Bonus episode

Subscribe and Review
New episodes drop every other Tuesday during the gardening season - subscribe so you don’t miss a single one! Subscribe to my emails for even more gardening tips and seasonal ideas.

If you’re enjoying HOMEGROWN: Your Backyard Garden Podcast, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen:
Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Enjoy the podcast? You can help support HOMEGROWN with a virtual cup of coffee. Your support is always optional and very much appreciated.

Keep in Touch
Website: https://oakhillhomestead.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/oakhillhomestead
Instagram: https://instagram.com/oakhillhomestead
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/oakhh