People think they’re growing the plant when they’re actually creating the environment that the plant wants to grow in.

kevin espiritu of epic gardening

When it comes to sustainability, the holy grail a lot of people dream about is growing your own food.

What better way to eliminate food miles, cut out the pesticides, and become self-sufficient, right? However, as anyone who has ever tried gardening can attest, it’s pretty intimidating at the start. Knowing what to plant, when to plant, and how to get started requires a lot of research. Once you get going you realize that it’s not as simple as just putting something in the ground and waiting. Slugs eat your precious lettuce, birds and squirrels descend on your beloved berries, leaves turn yellow for some reason, and you’re never sure if you’re watering things too often or not enough. 

That’s why we couldn’t wait to sit down with Kevin Espiritu of Epic Gardening. He’s built a thriving Youtube channel, podcast, and Instagram aimed at getting 10 million people to learn how to grow their own food. In this conversation, he’s sharing some garden-tested wisdom we can all benefit from.

Show Notes:

1. Learn more about Kevin by checking out Epic Gardening’s website, Youtube channel, and Instagram.
2. Kevin also has an excellent book all about gardening: The FIeld Guide to Urban Gardening.
3. If you enjoy Kevin’s take on gardening, be sure to listen to his podcast.
4. Kevin has put out too many excellent videos on common gardening questions to list here, but some of our favorites are his guide to common watering mistakes and 5 veggies you can grow in under a month.
5. To better understand your soil, Kevin recommends getting in touch with your local extension office to arrange a soil test.
6. Kevin’s must have gardening gear: A good pair of pruning shears, a pair of microtip shears, a Japanese hoe, a garden apron, and a garden cart to hold your favorite tools.
7. Understand the facts and fiction of regrowing plants from common vegetable scraps.
8. Kevin highly recommends the book “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden.
9. Kevin’s go-to karaoke song is “Drops of Jupiter” by Train.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more about the power of gardening, don’t miss our conversation with Ron Finley!