S19: E11: The Worst Garden of my Entire Life Artwork

Old Fashioned On Purpose

Have you felt it? Something is rippling through humanity at this moment. It's a stirring... a longing... a remembering. A sense that we are more capable than we’ve been led to believe. We want to feel alive, not sedated.. but we've lost our way. We've traded a life intertwined with nature for asphalt and artificial lights. We've swapped natural movement for a sedentary existence. We've given up food from the earth in favor of food from the factory. We've sacrificed our traditional skillsets for apps and gadgets. But while our overdose on modernity may have made us sick, there is an antidote. Join best-selling author and mentor, Jill Winger, each week as she digs into a different facet of the old-fashioned on purpose lifestyle.

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Old Fashioned On Purpose

S19: E11: The Worst Garden of my Entire Life

August 10, 2026 • Jill Winger • Season 19 • Episode 11

0:00 | 30:10

I’ve had some epic garden failures over the years, but nothing quite like this one. And judging by what I’m hearing, I know I’m not the only person whose garden has struggled this year.

In this episode, I’m sharing the three main problems that seem to have created the worst garden of my life and also what I’m learning as I try to unravel them. No polished success story here, just real-time troubleshooting in hopes it helps someone else who is currently wallowing in their own gardening woes.

Podcast Episode Highlights:

A quick glance at my gardening history
What I noticed about my new place before I started planting
What happened in my garden so far this year
Problem #1: Herbicide contamination
Problem #2: Soil Fertility issues
Problem #3: Critters
Final thoughts

Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:

Learn more about Toups and Co. here: https://toupsandco.com/pages/prairie25

First time buyers can use the code Prairie25 to get you 25% off your first Toups order.

Find Redmond's Soil Test Kit here: http://theprairiehomestead.com/soiltest

Previous Podcast Episodes & Blog Articles on Soil:

The Worst Garden of My Entire Life (recent blog article with garden/house pictures about my current garden problems): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2026/08/the-worst-garden-of-my-entire-life.html
I Think I Poisoned My Garden (blog article about my previous hay mulch problem): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2016/08/curled-tomato-leaves.html
The Mystery of the Poisonous Potting Soil (podcast episode about my previous potting soil problem): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-10-episode-12-the-mystery-of-the-poisonous-potting-soil
How Fall in Love with Your Soil (podcast episode about soil problems): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-12-episode-10-how-fall-in-love-with-your-soil
How to Feed Your Soil a Whole Food Diet (podcast episode for healing bad soil): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-12-episode-12-how-to-feed-your-soil-a-whole-food-diet
Weeds, Pests, & Herbicides: Overcoming Your Worst Organic Gardening Woes (podcast episode with tips for bad garden years): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-13-episode-4-weeds-pests-herbicides-overcoming-your-worst-organic-gardening-woes

OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:

Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

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