Summary: <br> <br> In this episode of Vegetable Gardening<br> In today's show, garden expert and author Megan Cain joins Mike once again to talk about a wide variety of topics on gardening. With the release of her new book, Smart Garden Planner - Your Step by Step Guide to a Successful Season, Megan shares with us a step a by step process to make sure we have our best gardening season yet.<br> Megan will talk about seeds, plants from your local nursery, the soil you need to start those seeds and why using a window sill to start your seeds is not the most optimal choice for many vegetable varieties. <br> From there she'll tell us about some new vegetable and flower varieties she plans on trying this year and why you too should expand your gardening horizons each and every year.<br> This and so much more in today's episode of Vegetable Gardening! <br> Here's what we'll cover<br> <br> Trying new vegetable and flower varieties<br> Tequilla Sunrise Peppers<br> Garden Planning and why it is important<br> All about your seeds and why getting the seeds can be just as fun<br> Why organized gardeners can be more successful gardeners<br> Veggie Essentials<br> Planning to determine how much food your garden can produce<br> How to freeze tomatoes<br> Storing veggies in your basement<br> Seed Starting<br> Using the right soil<br> <br> Mentioned in this Episode<br> <br> <a href="http://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/">The Creative Vegetable Gardener</a><br> <a href="http://amzn.to/2lbOfIS">Super Easy Food Preserving: Quick Techniques for Fresh, Fridge and Freezer Storage</a><br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603426949/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=indocquent-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1603426949&linkId=7397b630312a85ef667d614744a9e99f">The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook: Make the Most of Your Growing Season</a><br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IGSMYHK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=indocquent-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00IGSMYHK&linkId=923585c2d67a2cf989fffa023e701500">Garden Design and Landscaping - The Beginner's Guide to the Processes Involved with Successfully Landscaping a Garden (an overview) ('How to Plan a Garden' Series Book 7)</a><br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881929751/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=indocquent-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0881929751&linkId=ea92a3c541bbb7b30e672c5ca438c85a">The Essential Garden Design Workbook</a><br> <br> About this episode's guest, Megan Cain<br> I’m Megan Cain and I want you to know that you can grow great food and become a passionate (and successful) vegetable gardener! I’m here to teach you how to do just that.<br> <br> I’m a garden educator, writer and speaker. I developed one of the first youth gardening programs in Madison, have designed and installed gardens in many homeowners’ yards, managed a 1/4 acre youth farm, worked on CSA farms, created a series of gardening class that often have waiting lists, and tend to a large home garden. I know what works and what doesn’t…and I love to share it.<br> <br> You can tour my garden at my old house here, and my new house here.<br> <br> I grew up an urban girl in a row home in Philadelphia. I never saw a vegetable growing in the ground until well into my 20’s.<br> <br> I moved to a hippie farm when I was 26. My life path radically changed. I learned how to garden, lived simply in a 90 square foot cabin, and met the love of my life. (Watch my 5 minute TED-like talk about it here.)<br> <br> I love art fairs. I could go to one every weekend! My all-time favorite find was a ceramic totem I placed in my front yard garden.<br> <br> I’m a health nut. I love to bike, hike, and walk and I go to my neighborhood Y to work out 3 times a week.<br> <br> A few years ago I quit my job and traveled to Africa for two months t
