
474 - How to use what you're growing for extra income with Luke Hammond
The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehyShow Notes
Struggling with rising grocery prices while your garden overproduces? In this episode, you'll learn practical ways to turn extra vegetables into extra income without becoming a full-time farmer. We cover backyard garden side hustles, CSA boxes, value-added products, and high-value crops for small-space gardeners. Dirt Academy Kids: https://www.dirtacademykids.com/JWJ Learn how to garden alongside your kids with step-by-step lessons and hands-on activities designed for families and homeschoolers. Use promo code JWJ for a discount. If you've ever looked at your overflowing tomato plants or too many cucumbers and wondered if your garden could actually help pay for itself, this episode is for you. Market farmer Luke Hammond joins me to share realistic ways home gardeners can earn extra income from the space they already have. We talk through practical examples for small raised-bed gardens, easy ways to find buyers without committing to a farmers market, and how to think strategically about succession planting and high-value crops. Whether you want a simple side hustle or just enough to offset grocery costs, this conversation will help you think differently about your garden. Key Takeaways Learn how one raised bed can produce surprising value Discover simple ways to sell produce without a farmers market Find out which crops offer the best return in small spaces Understand how succession planting supports steady harvests Explore value-added products like pickles, herbs, and jams Chapters 00:00 – Can a backyard garden make money? 03:33 – What one raised bed can earn 07:27 – Growing lettuce through summer heat 10:28 – Best high-value garden crops 13:07 – Easy ways to sell extra produce 18:02 – Roadside stands and local sales 22:59 – Turning harvests into value-added products 29:57 – Balancing gardening with family life 34:20 – Starting small with a CSA 35:59 – Succession planting for steady harvests 39:33 – Best fall crops to sell 41:36 – First steps for beginner sellers 43:02 – Gardening with kids and Dirt Academy Kids Resource Links Fall Salad Garden Planning Calendar: http://journeywithjill.net/fallsaladgarden Friday Emails Newsletter: https://journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Recommended Brands & Products: https://journeywithjill.net/recommended-brands-and-products/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/thebeginnersgarden As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Complete Garden Planner: https://shop.journeywithjill.net/ Dirt Academy Kids: https://dirtacademykids.com/ Seedtime Garden Planner: https://seedtime.us/ Disclaimer Gardening advice shared in this podcast is based on my own experience in Zone 8a (Arkansas) and from the feedback I receive from others in different gardening contexts. Your results may differ depending on your location, climate, and growing conditions. Always check your local extension service or trusted resources for region-specific guidance. Some links mentioned may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
More from The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy
Growing fall vegetables when temperatures won't drop can be frustrating, even for experienced gardeners. What can you do to help broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower survive extreme heat? And which crops might surprise you? After six weeks of 100-degree temperatures and drought in my Arkansas garden, I'm sharing what worked, what struggled, and what I'll change next year. We'll talk about planting dates, choosing broccoli varieties, using shade cloth, managing irrigation, and protecting transplants. I'll also share my surprising success with bok choy and what happened to my tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers when the heat just wouldn't let up. YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/fQTlF_XNBHg?si=6Zxg_ScpZVXoBsFt Free Download: Broccoli, Cauliflower & Cabbage Quick-Start Growing Guide Learn when to plant, how to protect your crops, and how to grow healthier brassicas in spring and fall. http://journeywithjill.net/broccoli-guide Key Takeaways Choose short-season broccoli varieties and plant early enough for fall harvests.
Struggling to keep your fall garden alive through unusually hot weather? If your lettuce seedlings are wilting or your fall planting schedule has fallen behind, you're not alone. I'm sharing practical fall gardening lessons from a season of extreme heat and drought in my Arkansas garden. After 13 years of gardening, I experienced something I'd never encountered before: weeks of triple-digit temperatures and flash drought conditions stretching into September. In this episode, I'll walk you through what happened to my lettuce and pansies, the decisions I made to protect my seedlings, and what I'll do differently next time. Free Download: Lettuce Quick-Start Growing Guide Learn when to plant lettuce, how to start seeds indoors, and how to prevent bolting and bitterness. You'll also get free access to my Beginner's Garden Resource Vault. http://journeywithjill.net/lettuce-guide Grow Garlic With Confidence My Garlic Mini Course includes 10 short video lessons covering everything from preparing your soil and planting to harvesting and saving garlic for next year. https://journeywithjill.net/pcaudio/garlicworkshop/ Key Takeaways Learn why lettuce struggles to germinate and grow during extreme heat.
Not sure where to plant garlic without giving up valuable spring garden space? Garlic stays in the garden for months, so where you plant it now matters next spring. In this episode, I'll show you practical garlic planting layouts for raised beds and small gardens. Free Download: Garlic Planting Cheat Sheet Get the timing, spacing, and growing basics you need for your first (or best) garlic crop. http://journeywithjill.net/garliccheatsheet Learn More about Garlic: Garlic Growing Mini Course This mini course is a favorite of my audience! If you want to have success growing garlic click here: journeywithjill.net/pcaudio/garlicworkshop/ Use code GARLIC26 to enroll for just $19 (Reg. $29) Garlic is one of the easiest crops I grow, but it occupies garden space from fall until late spring or early summer. That means your garlic planting plan needs to account for the broccoli, carrots, lettuce, peppers, and other crops you may want to grow next year. In this episode, I'm sharing several ways to fit garlic into your garden, including borders, relay planting, checkerboard layouts, and dedicated garlic beds. I'll also explain which crops can share space with garlic and which ones I would avoid. Key Takeaways Treat fall-planted garlic as your first spring planting.
Planting onions in fall might give you an earlier harvest than you thought possible. If you garden in Zone 7 or warmer, overwintering onions may help you harvest sooner, reduce bolting, and spread your onion harvest across several months. In this episode, I'm sharing what happened when I tested fall-planted onions in my Zone 8a Arkansas garden and how to decide whether this method could work where you live. Free Download: Onion Quick-Start Growing Guide Learn how to choose the right onion type for your location, get your planting timing right, and grow bigger, healthier onions. Get the Onion Quick-Start Growing Guide Key Takeaways Decide if fall planting fits your climate.
Your fall garden may be growing the same vegetables you planted in spring, but that doesn't mean they need the same care. Shorter days, warm soil, changing temperatures, and slower growth all affect how you should water, shade, and protect fall crops. In this episode, I'll help you adjust your fall garden care so lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and other cool-season crops have what they need. Free Download: Spinach Growing Guide Spinach can be a tricky crop to grow successfully depending on your location. This guide will help you have success. https://journeywithjill.net/pcaudio/spinach-guide/ Key Takeaways Water more at planting, then taper as fall cools. Remove shade cloth once seedlings are established. Give broccoli and carrots as much fall sun as possible. Plant more lettuce and greens to offset slower growth. Protect crops from sudden early freezes when needed. Chapters 00:00 – Why fall care is different 02:05 – Adjust watering as temperatures change 05:15 – Use fall shade cloth differently 07:26 – Know when to remove shade 09:47 – Give broccoli more fall sun 11:13 – Why carrots need enough sunlight 13:29 – Plant more fall lettuce and greens 15:42 – Prepare crops for early freezes 18:06 – When to use row covers 20:30 – Learn by observing your garden 21:44 – What's coming next Resource Links Seasonal Garden Task List: https://journeywithjill.net/seasonal-task-list Friday Emails + Free Growing Guides: https://journeywithjill.net/gardensignup Recommended Brands & Products: https://journeywithjill.net/recommended-brands-and-products/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/thebeginnersgarden Complete Garden Planner: https://shop.journeywithjill.net/ Disclaimer Gardening advice shared in this podcast is based on my own experience in Zone 8a (Arkansas) and from the feedback I receive from others in different gardening contexts. Your results may differ depending on your location, climate, and growing conditions. Always check your local extension service or trusted resources for region-specific guidance. Some links mentioned may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.