Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

A listener asked for a deep dive on dahlias and I’m delivering, from the ground up (pun intended). But we’re not stopping there. In this episode, I’m covering the full world of spring-planted bulbs: dahlias, gladiolus, cannas, calla lilies, and tuberous begonias. You’ll learn when and how to plant them, how to grow them for maximum blooms, how to cut them for the vase (because that’s half the fun), and, critically, how to handle end-of-season care based on where you live. If you’re in a warmer zone, some of these can stay in the ground. If you’re in a colder zone like me, we’re digging them up, curing them, storing them, and doing it all again in the spring. Let’s dig in!

Quick-Reference: Zone-Based Overwintering Guide

Zone 9-10+: Leave everything in the ground. Mulch lightly after frost. Let plants rest and re-emerge in spring.
Zone 8: Cannas and callas can stay with heavy mulch. Dahlias and glads: consider digging, especially in colder parts of the zone.

Zone 7: Mulching is a gamble. Reliable: dig dahlias and glads. Cannas may survive with very heavy mulch in milder Zone 7.

Zone 6 and colder: Dig everything. Cure properly. Store in cool, dry, dark, frost-free conditions. Replant after soil warms to 60°F in spring.

Bloom Timing and Vase Life at a Glance

Dahlias — Bloom: midsummer to first hard frost | Vase life: 5–8 days | Zone to leave in ground: 9+

Gladiolus — Bloom: ~70–90 days after planting | Vase life: 7–10 days | Zone to leave in ground: 8+ (with mulch)

Cannas — Bloom: midsummer to frost | Vase life: 4–7 days | Zone to leave in ground: 8+ (with mulch)

Calla Lilies — Bloom: summer | Vase life: 10–14 days | Zone to leave in ground: 8–9+ depending on type

Tuberous Begonias — Bloom: summer all season | Vase life: 3–5 days | Zone to leave in ground: 9+

References

University of Minnesota Extension — Dahlias: From Garden to Vase. extension.umn.edu

University of Missouri Extension — Growing Dahlias (G6600). extension.missouri.edu

NC State Extension Gardener Toolbox — Dahlia pinnata. plants.ces.ncsu.edu

Colorado State University Extension — Dahlias, Fact Sheet 7.418. extension.colostate.edu

Iowa State University Extension — Gladiolus for the Home Garden (PM 874). extension.iastate.edu

University of Florida IFAS Extension — Gladiolus Production. edis.ifas.ufl.edu

University of Illinois Extension — Canna Lily in the Garden. web.extension.illinois.edu

Michigan State University Extension — Digging and Storing Tender Bulbs. canr.msu.edu

University of Vermont Extension — Storing Tender Bulbs Over Winter. uvm.edu

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023). planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

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We made it to 300 episodes! And to celebrate, I’m doing something a little different. I went looking for the questions home gardeners are asking most, the ones showing up in Reddit threads, Facebook groups, university extension Q&A lines, master gardener helplines, and my own DMs and emails, over and over and over again. Then I went to the research: university extensions, peer-reviewed horticulture studies, and land-grant university publications, to find the best science-backed answers available. The result is this episode, ten of the most common gardening questions, answered with evidence, nuance, and a little bit of real-world gardener perspective from someone who’s been doing it for over 20 years and with a degree in horticulture. Whether you’ve been listening since episode 1 or you just found me today, this one is for you.

Let’s dig in.

References

Watering

University of Maine Cooperative Extension — How Often Should I Water My Vegetable Garden?: https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/2020/07/14/watering-a-vegetable-garden/

Utah State University Extension — Water Recommendations for Vegetables: https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/water-recommendations-for-vegetables.pdf

Tomato Leaf Problems

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension — Common Tomato Plant Problems and How to Fix Them (May 2026) https://hpj.com/2026/05/06/common-tomato-plant-problems-and-how-to-fix-them/

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension — Why Are My Tomato Leaves Curling? https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2022/05/05/why-are-my-tomato-leaves-curling/

University of Maryland Extension — Key to Common Problems of Tomatoes https://extension.umd.edu/resource/key-common-problems-tomatoes

Blossom End Rot

University of Maryland Extension — Blossom End Rot on Vegetables https://extension.umd.edu/resource/blossom-end-rot-vegetables/

NC State Extension (Pender County) — Why Are My Squash Rotting? (2024) https://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/news/why-are-my-squash-rotting/

Soil Improvement

Oregon State University Extension — Improving Garden Soils With Organic Matter (EC 1561) https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ec-1561-improving-garden-soils-organic-matter

Oregon State University Extension — How to Use Compost in Gardens and Landscapes (EM 9308) https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9308-how-use-compost-gardens-landscapes

University of Maryland Extension — Soil to Fill Raised Beds https://extension.umd.edu/resource/soil-fill-raised-beds/

Fertilizing

Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension — Fertilizing the Vegetable Garden (revised March 2026) https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-323/426-323.html

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension — Fertilizing a Garden https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/gardening/fertilizing/

Pest Management

Utah State University Extension — Creating Sustainable Home Gardens: Organic Pest Management https://extension.usu.edu/utah4h/research/organic-pest-management

South Dakota State University Extension — Organic Pest Control Methods (2025) https://extension.sdstate.edu/organic-pest-control-methods

Crop Rotation

Illinois Extension — Sow, Grow, Rotate: How Crop Rotation Promotes Gardening Success (Jan 2024) https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2024-01-05-sow-grow-rotate-how-crop-rotation-promotes-gardening-success

Harvest Timing

Illinois Extension Good Growing — Harvesting Vegetables: When and How to Pick Your Vegetables for Best Quality (June 2024) https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2024-06-28-harvesting-vegetables-when-and-how-pick-your-vegetables-best-quality

Iowa State University Extension — Vegetable Harvest Guide https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/vegetable-planting-and-harvesting-times

Resources

Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com
Gardening Courses: https://justgrowsomething.com/courses

Just Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething

Feed my coffee habit: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething

Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething

Get 10% off and FREE shipping on my favorite raised planters at Planter Box Direct using code JUSTGROW10: https://planterboxdirect.com/?ref=593

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The subject of whether you should top your pepper plants can bring on a pretty strong debate among gardeners. That’s because this is one of those topics where the answer genuinely is: it depends. And I mean that in a very specific, evidence-based way that comes down to two things: your climate and your pepper type.

I’ll be straight with you, I do not top my peppers. We are in a zone 6b in west central Missouri and our season is just short enough that for our large sweet peppers, by the time a topped plant recovered and loaded up with new fruit, I’d be in a race with the first frost, so I don’t love my odds of winning. And for our smaller peppers, both hot and sweet, they branch naturally. They’ve never needed my help getting bushy and they generally end up so loaded with fruit there’s no need for me to create new growing points.

But that does NOT mean topping is wrong. In fact, if your growing season is long enough and you are growing the right type of pepper, there is a solid, research-grounded argument for it and I want to make that argument fairly today.

Let's dig in!

References:

Illinois Extension (University of Illinois) — Frillman, N. (2021). “Pruning tomatoes and peppers for healthier plants and a stronger harvest.” Flowers, Fruits, and Frass Blog. https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/flowers-fruits-and-frass/2021-05-17-pruning-tomatoes-and-peppers-healthier-plants-and

Nebraska Extension — “Garden Peppers.” University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Publications. https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/967/html/view

University of Minnesota Extension — Ask Extension response on topping pepper plants (2021). https://ask.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=740168

University of Minnesota Extension — Weisenhorn, J. Ask Extension response on topping for yield (2016). https://ask.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=333053

University of Maryland Extension — Home and Garden Information Center. Ask Extension response on topping chile plants (2024). https://ask.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=869966

University of Minnesota Extension — “Growing Peppers in Home Gardens.” https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-peppers-home-gardens

Peer-Reviewed Research:

Humadi, F. (1980). “Effects of plant growth retardants and mechanical topping on growth and yield of pimiento pepper (Capsicum annuum L.).” Dissertation, University of Tennessee. Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/7869/

Buczkowska, H., & Najda, A. (2001). “Impact of plant topping on chemical composition of sweet pepper fruit.” Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Techniczno-Rolniczej w Bydgoszczy. Rolnictwo, 46, 33–37.

Cao, D., Chabikwa, T., Barbier, F., Dun, E. A., Fichtner, F., Dong, L., Kerr, S. C., & Beveridge, C. A. (2023). “Auxin-independent effects of apical dominance induce changes in phytohormones correlated with bud outgrowth.” Plant Physiology, 192(2), 1420–1434. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad034

Avent, A. R., & Armitage, A. M. (2015). “Effects of Paclobutrazol and Pinching on Ornamental Pepper.” HortScience / Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. ResearchGate: DOI 10.21273/HORTSCI.

Hu, Q., Wei, Y., Gan, X., Zhang, O., Huangpu, J., Hu, B., & Wu, L. (2016). “Effects of pruning methods and harvest time on yield and benefit of pepper in greenhouse.” Jiangsu Agricultural Sciences, 44, 182–185.

Resources:

Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com

Gardening Courses: https://justgrowsomething.com/courses

Just Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething

Feed my coffee habit: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething

Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething

Get 10% off and FREE shipping on my favorite raised planters at Planter Box Direct using code JUSTGROW10: https://planterboxdirect.com/?ref=593

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Last week on the show we talked about the basic considerations for growing in containers, and that included how to evaluate whether a crop is a good candidate for growing in a pot.

This week we’re digging into the three crops I get asked about the most often when it comes to growing in containers: tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. And while, technically, you can grow most anything in the right sized pot, these three are the ones folks tend to try first, so we’re going to get specific on them. And yes, each one of them can be very productive in a container.

Welcome back to Just Grow Something, I’m Karin Velez, a horticulturist and market farmer who has grown in containers in some way, shape, or form for probably 18 of the 20-plus years I’ve been gardening. I have grown in 6-inch pots all the way up to 100-gallon grow bags – yes, I said 100-gallon and, in all fairness, that’s more like a raised planter bed than a pot – but I’ve been really successful in most instances with just a few failures along the way and I want to teach you how to avoid those mistakes with these popular crops. Let’s dig in.

University Extension References

Penn State Extension — Container Vegetable Gardening: Four Keys to Success: https://extension.psu.edu/container-vegetable-gardening-four-keys-to-success

Penn State Extension — Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Containers: https://extension.psu.edu/growing-vegetables-and-flowers-in-containers

Oregon State University Extension — Grow Your Own Peppers (EC 1227): https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ec-1227-grow-your-own-peppers

University of Missouri Extension — Container Gardens to Supply Your Salads: https://extension.missouri.edu/news/container-gardens-to-supply-your-salads

North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension — Growing Fruiting Vegetables in Containers: Tomato, Pepper and Eggplant: https://www.ncat.edu/caes/cooperative-extension/covid-19/fruiting-vegetables.php

Resources:

Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com

Gardening Courses: https://justgrowsomething.com/courses

Just Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething

Feed my coffee habit: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething

Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething

Get 10% off and FREE shipping on my favorite raised planters at Planter Box Direct using code JUSTGROW10: https://planterboxdirect.com/?ref=593

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No yard? No tiller? No problem. If you've got a patio, a porch, a balcony, or even a sunny driveway, you can grow a real, productive vegetable garden in containers.

Today on Just Grow Something, we walk through the essentials of container gardening from the ground up: how to evaluate whether a crop is a good candidate for a pot, how to pick the right container size based on root system and mature plant size, what kind of soil to use (and what NOT to use), how to feed your plants organically, and the special considerations that make container growing a little different than growing in the ground — things like light, drainage, airflow, watering, and trellising.

Whether you're a total beginner or someone adding containers to an existing garden, you'll walk away knowing how to get your best start. Let’s dig in!

SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

Resources

• Just Grow Something Garden Planning Workbook — https://justgrowsomething.com/shop

• Plan Like a Pro Course — https://justgrowsomething.thinkific.com

• Days to Maturity reference chart — https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/maturity

• The Cantry, Belton MO: https://thecantrypantry.com/?page_id=357

• Fabric Grow Bags: https://amzn.to/4vHDHSO

• Fish Emulsion: https://amzn.to/4sM7nvg

• Kelp Concentrate: https://amzn.to/4u0dcq7

Quick-Reference: Container Size by Crop

Small containers (2 gallons, 4–6 in. deep):

• Lettuce, spinach, arugula, salad greens, radishes, scallions, basil, cilantro, thyme, mint

Medium containers (3–5 gallons, 10–12 in. deep):

• Bush beans, Swiss chard, beets, short carrots, dwarf tomatoes, dwarf peppers, compact eggplant, kale, cabbage, larger herbs

Large containers (8–15+ gallons, 12–16+ in. deep):

• Standard tomatoes (determinate), peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, summer squash, broccoli, large herbs like rosemary

Extra-large containers (15–25+ gallons, 18–24 in. deep):

• Indeterminate tomatoes, winter squash, large sweet peppers, long-season superhot peppers, bush melons

Quick-Reference: Light Requirements

• Fruiting vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash): 6–8+ hours direct sun

• Root vegetables (carrots, beets, radishes): at least 6 hours

• Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, chard, kale) and most herbs: at least 4 hours

Simple Organic Feeding Schedule

• At planting: Mix a balanced granular organic fertilizer (e.g., 4-6-4) into potting mix per label rate.

• Every 2 weeks during the growing season: Water with diluted fish emulsion or fish-and-kelp blend (follow label; skip the first 2–3 weeks after transplanting).

• When fruiting plants start to flower: Switch to a lower-nitrogen, higher-phosphorous and potassium feed (e.g., 3-4-6 tomato & vegetable formula).

University Extension References 

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/types-containers-growing-vegetables

University of Maryland Extension — Types of Containers for Growing Vegetables

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/maintaining-container-grown-vegetables

University of Maryland Extension — Maintaining Container Grown Vegetables

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/growing-vegetables-containers/

University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension — Growing Vegetables in Containers (XHT1278)

https://extension.psu.edu/container-vegetable-gardening-four-keys-to-success

Penn State Extension — Container Vegetable Gardening: Four Keys to Success

https://extension.psu.edu/growing-vegetables-and-flowers-in-containers

Penn State Extension — Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Containers

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/container-gardening-grow-vegetables-even-without-yard-space

Oregon State University Extension — Container Gardening: Grow Vegetables Even Without Yard Space

Just Grow Something: https://justgrowsomething.com

Gardening Courses: https://justgrowsomething.com/courses

Just Grow Something Merch and Downloads: https://justgrowsomething.com/shop

Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/

Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething

Feed my coffee habit: https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething

Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething

Get 10% off and FREE shipping on my favorite raised planters at Planter Box Direct using code JUSTGROW10: https://planterboxdirect.com/?ref=593

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.