Food Garden Life Show: Helping You Harvest More from Your Edible Garden, Vegetable Garden, and Edible Landscaping
Published by Steven Biggs: Horticulturist and edible landscaping expert.
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Want to grow your own food but need creative ideas so you can get the most from your space and your growing zone? Our passion is the edible garden. We help people grow food on balconies, in backyards, and beyond—whether it’s edible landscaping, a vegetable garden, container gardens, or a home orchard. There are many ways to approach edible landscaping. Find out how to harvest enough fruit, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. Get top tips for exotic crops. And learn how to garden in a way that suits any situation. Host Steven Biggs was recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the “green gang” making a difference in Canadian horticulture. His home-garden experiments span driveway straw-bale gardens, a rooftop kitchen garden, fruit plantings, and an edible-themed front yard. He's a horticulturist, award-winning broadcaster and author, and former horticulture instructor with George Brown and Durham Colleges in Ontario, Canada. Get started with one of our fan favourites. Season 6, Episode 10: Big Harvests from a Small Space with a Vertical Vegetable Garden.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Wild food doesn’t have to mean subsistence food. Robin Henderson, author of The Neighborhood Forager: A Guide for the Wild Food Gourmet , joins Steve and his daughter Emma to talk about what he calls gastronomic foraging : gathering wild plants for the interesting flavours and foods they bring to the table. Robin grew up hearing family stories about earlier generations who foraged. Later, as urban growth engulfed the area where he lived, he began noticing the abundance of edible plants still growing around him. In this conversation, we explore neighbourhood foraging, gathering food through the seasons—even in winter—and turning familiar wild plants into memorable food and drink. Robin shares ideas for: Elderflower champagne Sumac lemonade Sorrel paste and sorrel soup Spruce beer Dandelion salad and dandelion-root coffee Lambs quarters Winter foraging This interview was originally recorded in 2020 and is co-hosted by Steve’s daughter, Emma Biggs. Book mentioned: The Neighborhood Forager: A Guide for the Wild Food Gourmet by Robert K. Henderson
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Food plants are usually assigned to the vegetable patch, while ornamental borders are expected to sit there and look respectable. Garden designer Harry Holding sees no good reason for such strict garden zoning. Harry is the author of Eat Your Garden: Edimentals as a Beautiful, Low-Effort Way to Grow Food . Edimentals are plants that are both edible and ornamental, allowing us to grow food throughout a garden without giving up colour, texture, structure, or beauty. Harry is the founder of Harry Holding Studio, and his School Food Matters Garden at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show received a Silver-Gilt medal and the People’s Choice Award. In this conversation, Harry explains how edible plants can create a foraging or grazing experience right outside the door. We talk about designing in layers, using constraints to make plant choices easier, and creating ecologically rich plant communities that cover the soil and leave less room for weeds. Harry also shares ideas for small gardens, courtyards, balconies, and containers. His approach is to imagine the space planted first, then carve out the paths, seating areas, morning-coffee spots, and evening gin-and-tonic headquarters. We talk about: What an edimental plant is Why food can be a gateway to connecting with nature Combining edible plants with ornamental garden design Structural plants, seasonal highlights, and ground-cover layers Using colour, texture, height, and growing conditions as useful constraints Designing abundant edible gardens in small spaces Why annual vegetables sometimes struggle in established perennial plantings Questioning gardening rules and learning through experiments How to begin adding edimentals to an existing garden Harry also talks about some fascinating edible ornamentals, including Saskatoon berries, sea kale, sochan, king’s spear, Korean aster, citron daylily, lamb’s ear, hostas, chives, and bladder campion. His parting advice is simple: make a little room, try unfamiliar plants, and grow what brings you joy. A garden should not become another stern supervisor. It should be a place that makes your heart sing.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- In this episode, Steven revisits a 2020 conversation with farmer, author, photographer, and urban agriculture pioneer Michael Ableman. Ableman is the co-founder of Vancouver’s Sole Food Street Farms, an urban farming project that turns city land into productive growing space while creating meaningful work and community connection. His book Farm the City: A Toolkit for Setting Up a Successful Urban Farm shares practical lessons from that work, including how to find land, choose crops, build markets, navigate regulations, raise funds, and engage the community. This is not just a conversation about growing vegetables in unlikely places. It’s about what happens when food growing becomes a way to rethink land, work, dignity, neighbourhoods, and the purpose of a farm. For home gardeners, there’s a useful reminder here: gardens are never only about yield. They can feed people, yes. But they can also create beauty, connection, routine, and purpose. In this episode: Why urban farming is more than putting raised beds on pavement How Sole Food Street Farms uses farming to create jobs and community What urban farmers need to think about beyond growing crops Lessons from Farm the City Why food gardens can be practical, social, and quietly radical What home gardeners can learn from urban farms, even on a much smaller scale
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Once garlic comes out of the garden, you’re left with a useful patch of open soil and one big question: what goes there next? In this episode, we talk through summer succession planting using garlic harvest as the seasonal peg. He explains how timing, climate, heat, dry soil, and first frost dates all affect what you can plant after garlic or after any early crop that frees up garden space. You’ll learn which crops are easiest to direct seed in summer, when transplants are a better bet, and how to use shade, boards, mulch, and row cover to improve germination and protect young plants. Topics include: Why garlic harvest timing varies by region Direct seeding vs. starting transplants How to deal with dry soil, heat, strong sun, and crusting Easy summer succession crops such as bush beans, basil, dill, rapini, and greens Crops for fall harvest, including spinach, beets, carrots, turnips, winter radishes, kale, and Asian greens Why bush snap beans are a better follow crop than pole or dry beans How to decide whether cucumbers and summer squash are worth planting after garlic Tips for short-season and cold-climate gardeners A simple “succession seed bin” system to make replanting easier Succession planting doesn’t have to mean filling every inch perfectly. It’s about using open space in a way that fits your garden, your season, and your available energy.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- I once flew home with an olive tree in a suitcase. Maybe not what the average traveller would do, but I was visiting a nursery that had a variety I wanted…which says something about my priorities. Even where olive trees aren’t winter hardy, they make superb potted plants. Their silvery foliage shimmers in a breeze, they look beautiful on a patio, and they make a cold-climate garden feel just a little more civilized. Olive trees are tough, forgiving, and well suited to pots. The trick is remembering that a pot changes everything, especially in winter. And while getting olives isn’t guaranteed, there are practical ways to improve your odds. In this episode, I talk about growing olive trees in pots where they’re not normally hardy: why to grow them, where to put them, how to overwinter them, and what helps them fruit. Want more? My 2026 Olive Camp recordings are available here. Or check out my book Grow Olives Where You Think You Can't , available at FoodGardenLife.com or on Amazon.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Common quince is beautiful, fragrant, useful in the kitchen —and still surprisingly uncommon in Canadian gardens. In this episode, I talk with Matt Soltys, The Urban Orchardist, about why this old fruit deserves another look. Matt shares what he’s seeing as he visits urban fruit trees across southern Ontario: backyard quince trees, older pawpaws, locally adapted genetics, and overlooked trees that could become the foundation of future breeding work. We talk about common quince as a small garden tree, how it differs from Japanese quince, why one tree can be plenty, how the fruit is used, its role as pear rootstock, and simple pruning ideas for healthier fruit trees. In this episode, we cover: Growing common quince in cold-climate gardens Why quince is such a good fit for home gardeners The difference between common quince and Japanese quince Quince preserves, cider, and other kitchen uses Fruit-tree breeding and locally adapted genetics Pawpaws, pears, and other unexpected urban fruit trees Pruning quince and other backyard fruit trees
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Growing tomatoes in a cool or maritime climate can feel like an uphill battle. It doesn’t have to be. In this episode, I’m joined by tomato expert Holly Farrell, author of The Tomato Grower’s Handbook , to talk about how to get reliable, flavourful harvests even when summers are mild, damp, or unpredictable. We dig into practical strategies for gardeners in places like coastal Canada, the UK, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest—where heat is limited and blight is always lurking. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why variety choice matters more than anything else The difference between bush (determinate) and cordon (indeterminate) tomatoes How to use microclimates (walls, courtyards, sunny corners) to your advantage Simple ways to add protection —from cloches to greenhouses How to reduce risk from blight in damp conditions Tips for growing tomatoes in: Balconies Containers Garden beds Tunnels & greenhouses How to deal with wind exposure (especially coastal winds) Holly’s favourite tomato varieties for different uses If you’ve ever struggled to ripen tomatoes or deal with disease pressure, this episode will give you a clearer path forward. If you would like to see what Holly is up to in the garden, here is her Instagram handle .
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Pears deserve more respect in cold-climate gardens. While apples dominate the conversation, there are pear varieties that are just as hardy. The problem is, most growers don’t know about them. Varieties like Krazulya, Vekovaya, and Ure aren’t widely planted, but they probably should be. In this episode, I chat with Elisabeth Racine from Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery, where they’re testing about 200 pear varieties. We talk about what it takes to grow pears successfully in colder zones, including variety selection, pollination, feeding, and training. We also talk about some top cold-hardy pear varieties and the most common mistakes home growers make when planting pears. If you’ve ever wondered whether pears are worth the space in a northern garden—or which variety to choose if you only have room for one tree—this conversation will help you decide. Topics covered include: Why pears are a worthwhile cold-climate fruit crop How far north pears can realistically be grown The importance of variety selection Top cold-hardy pear varieties for home growers Pollination requirements What most people get wrong when planting pears How long it takes for pear trees to produce And if you’re looking for more on cold-hardy fruit, tune in to this episode about growing fruit in cold climates with Veronique from Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery!
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Designing a vegetable garden can feel simple—until you try to make everything fit. Rows or raised beds? What goes where? And how do you plan it so it still makes sense in July? In this episode, I sit down with Natalie Bogwalker and Chloe Lieberman, authors of The New Natural Food Garden , to talk through practical, thoughtful ways to design a productive vegetable garden. We cover the decisions that matter most—layout, crop choice, and how to make a plan that you’ll actually follow through on. In this episode: Rows vs. beds: what works, and why Choosing crops for your space, climate, and habits How to place crops so they grow well (and don’t get in each other’s way) Making a garden plan you’ll stick with A look at no-till methods and how they fit into garden design This is a conversation about making your garden simpler, more productive, and more doable —not more complicated. Find out more about the book and about their online gardening programs on their website .
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- In this episode, I chat with Michalina Hunter, founder of Cicada Seeds , about edible perennial crops. We explore: Ways to use perennial vegetables in a home-garden setting Why perennial vegetables are a game-changer for sustainable gardening Top crops for home gardeners Michalina’s top recommendations for home gardeners And we also take a tangent to discuss an interesting tomato that Michalina introduced, the ‘Venus of Willendorf’ tomato Whether you’re curious about food forests, edible perennials, or just want to try something new, tune in for practical advice from a seasoned grower.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Rising food costs have you looking at your food bill? This is a good year to grow more food at home. And in this episode, I have tips to help you hit the ground running this year. Find out about simple ways to add edible plants to the landscape, top crops for home gardens, how to grow more food in a small space, and edible hedges. In this episode, I share some of the ideas from my upcoming series of free online Earth Month gardening talks. These talks have been on my mind for a while—and this year feels like the right time. The earth month gardening talks are free. Please join me for one or all of them. Find out more about the free Earth Month series .
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- In this episode, I continue my cross-Canada tour to hear about top veggie varieties. I’m joined by my former co-host, horticulturist, author, and longtime gardening educator Donna Balzer to talk all about her favourite vegetable varieties. Donna shares her long-time favourite varieties—the ones she grows year after year—as well as varieties that have recently impressed her. Donna and I wrote No Guff Vegetable Gardening together in 2011, and I’m a big fan of her approach to gardening. (If you’re looking for a copy of this Canadian classic, drop by Donna’s website .) Whether you're planning your garden or interested in hearing about interesting varieties, this conversation will give you ideas for your 2026 garden.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- This is a preview of a new show from Food Garden Life Media. Hosted by Steven Biggs, Fig Culture explores the world of growing figs in places where they’re not supposed to thrive. You’ll hear from fig experts in cold climates about the best varieties, learn how growers protect their trees through winter, meet passionate fig enthusiasts, and discover creative ways to use figs in the kitchen. In this first episode, we visit Vancouver Island—where figs are fully hardy, but a cool coastal climate makes ripening a challenge. Master fig grower Bob Duncan has trialled hundreds of varieties to find the ones that perform best in his conditions—and he’s found some outstanding picks. To hear more, search “Fig Culture” in your podcast app and follow the show. Episode 2 is waiting for you.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- In this episode, I sit down with gardening expert and author Stephanie Rose to explore her new book, The Wild & Free Garden . Need inspiration for your next gardening task or project? Need to reconnect with nature? Have a listen. Yes, this chat is rooted in gardening. But it’s also a thoughtful look at human nature, current culture, and psychology. Stephanie shares a refreshing approach to gardening—one rooted in creativity, sustainability, and community connection. Instead of clicking “buy” for a next-day delivery, she encourages gardeners to tap into the sharing economy, repurpose materials, and collaborate with others to create beautiful, meaningful outdoor spaces. This episode is perfect for gardeners, sustainability enthusiasts, and anyone looking to reconnect with nature—and with others—through their outdoor space.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Growing fruit in cold climates might seem daunting , especially if you have a small home garden. But with the right trees and a creative mindset, it’s surprisingly achievable. In this episode, we chat with Véronique Alexandre from Hardy Fruit Tree Nursery , a Canadian nursery specializing in fruit trees adapted to harsh northern winters. Want a hedge on your property? Forget the cedar hedge, Veronique will tell you about a flowering, fruiting hedge. She has many tips to help home gardeners succeed with fruit. We explore: Fruit trees, bushes, and cultivars for cold zones Growing a flowering and fruiting plum hedge How to fit fruit trees into small gardens and suburban yards What you need to know about ordering and planting bare-root fruit treesA tough-as-nails apple that grows in zone 2 and even colder A new cold-hardy, tasty, and bred-in-Quebec cold-hardy apple that stores very well Whether you want a single apple tree, a productive backyard orchard, edible landscape, or a hedge that feeds your family, this episode will inspire you to start planting fruit—even in the coldest regions. If you’re looking for more on edible hedges, check out this edible hedge guide .
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- What if some of your vegetable garden crops came back year after year — with less digging, less fuss, and a continuous harvest? In this episode, I’m joined by gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi, author of The Continuous Vegetable Garden, to explore how to design a self-sustaining food garden that produces continuously through the seasons. Charlie shares practical strategies for succession planting, perennial crops, fruit, gardening in shade, and no-dig gardening. We also talk about vertical gardening and how to keep tomato and pepper plants from one year to the next—so you can have an extra-early tomato and pepper harvest. If you’d like less maintenance and more of an ongoing harvest, this episode will inspire you to plant smarter — not harder. If you’re looking for more on crops you can grow in the shade, check out this guide to fruits and vegetables for shade .
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Ever get to the end of the growing season and realize your tomato patch didn’t live up to the expectations you had when you planted it in the spring? In this episode we chat with tomato expert Frank Hyman , author of the brand-new book Ripe Tomato Revolution. He shares his top tips to get lots of healthy, homegrown tomatoes—with less work. Frank has over four decades of hands-on experience, as both a farmer and a gardener. He shares a super practical way for home gardeners to prevent disease, along with his easy-to-make, easy-to-use homemade tomato cages. Whether you’re a first-time tomato grower or a seasoned gardener, get ideas to improve your tomato harvest from Frank’s down-to-earth tips and techniques. Hear about: Simple DIYs: tomato cages, and Frank’s “tomato house” concept to prevent disease Creating conditions for tomatoes to thrive Mulching like a pro Ways to support tomato plants Different types of tomato plants Frank’s personal stories from years on an organic tomato farm Perfect for: urban gardeners, backyard growers, sustainable farmers, and tomato lovers of all levels. Listen now and let’s grow the best tomatoes you’ve ever tasted! If you’re looking for more on staking and supporting tomatoes, check out this great post .
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Today we continue our cross-Canada tour, chatting with food gardeners, and sharing crop and variety ideas to help you as you plan your 2026 garden. We head to Manitoba, just outside of Winnipeg, to chat with Brent Poole, an avid backyard veggie gardener who has been at it for over 45 years. Along with his own big suburban yard, Brent has a big garden across the street. He loves to experiment with new techniques and new varieties, something he attributes to his background in biology. Brent writes for and is on the board of The Prairie Garden , an annual publication that’s all about gardening on the Canadian prairies. If you garden in a cold climate—or want to make the most of a short growing season—this episode is packed with practical ideas.
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- We continue our cross-Canada tour, chatting with inspiring gardeners to hear about favourite varieties and top crops. Today we head to Regina, Saskatchewan, to chat with Candace Benson, who runs City Street Farms. Candace tells us about how she turns grass into gardens in a city that has a lot of single-family homes—and a lot of front lawns. She shares the story of her business, talks about her process to transform a lawn into a garden, and then talks about favourite veg and flower varieties. You can find Candace online, at citystreetfarms.ca
The revised fig book is now on Kickstarter The special hardcover edition of Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t and registration for the October 15 and 22 Fig Camp are available now. A lower-priced softcover will follow this fall. See the book and Fig Camp options. --- Today we’re joined by Helen Battersby, who talks about a gardening book that began as a coping tool. Helen tells us about Margaret Bennet-Alder, who turned to gardening during a difficult family chapter. Inspired by the homemade booklets her son used to manage appointments and medication while rebuilding his life, Margaret began tracking her garden the same way—seasonal tasks, plant sources, and hard-earned gardening lessons. The book, the Toronto Gardener’s Journal, was a shared project with her son. They started with 50 copies. Margaret and her son, and, later, sisters Helen and Sarah Battersby, grew the book into a nationally loved resource, with over 20,000 journals sold across Canada. This is a story about gardens—but also about resilience, care, and the healing power of gardening.
Producer's note
Steal the structure. Not the show.
Keep the useful structure, then change the audience, point of view, and voice until the idea is unmistakably yours.
