For this week’s podcast, I polled the joe gardener Facebook Group to ask what garden questions they would like answered. This is a great community of engaged and supportive gardeners. There is never a shortage of questions. Here, I selected the most commonly-asked topics (some of which I’m asked frequently through my other social media […]
At the time of this release, I’m in Phoenix, Arizona as a keynote speaker at the annual conference of the U.S. Composting Council. Not only is this a great event, but it’s made even better since the focus is one of my favorite subjects – compost, of course. In honor of the event, I felt […]
My guest this week is Barbara Damrosh. An icon in the world of gardening, Barbara began her horticultural career in the mid-1970’s and has always been driven by the desire to help others get into gardening. To that end, she published her first of many books, The Garden Primer, in 1988; and she’s spent time […]
Do you grow plants indoors? Have you tried starting plants from seed or are you thinking of trying this year? In either case, light may be on your mind lately. It’s been on mine, so I invited Leslie Halleck, author of the new book Gardening Under Lights, to join me for this week’s podcast to […]
Now that December has arrived, most of us who garden feel we need to wait out the cold weather to get our hands back in the soil. Seed starting won’t begin for another month or two, but while we enjoy time with our seed catalogs and make plans for next year’s growing season, we can still keep […]
Cooler fall temperatures are great for growing vegetables like broccoli, kale and carrots, but they are also a signal that the time to put our garden to bed is fast approaching. Not too long ago, it was believed that the best practice was to tidy everything up – clearing away all remaining debris and making […]
Are you interested in some free plants to add to your landscape? There are plenty of them already all around you. In fact, many common landscape perennials can – and should – be divided. Dividing plants is easy. You just need to follow a few steps and become familiar with the types of plants which can […]
Now that I’ve shared my recommendations for creating an eco-friendly garden and a resilient garden during the past couple of weeks, I want to talk about how to have and care for a healthy lawn. I know, to many organic gardeners, “lawn” is a dirty word. Incorporating lawn space is often viewed as environmentally irresponsible, but […]
Having seen many gardens over the years, I’ve been on a mission to inspire people to think more towards eco-friendly gardening. My experiences led me to write a book, The Green Gardener’s Guide: Simple, Significant Actions to Protect & Preserve Our Planet focusing on creating an eco-friendly garden and landscape. In the book, I […]
Here at the GardenFarm™, I proudly display a sign that designates my five-acre property as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. What does that designation mean and where does it come from? Well, I dive into that with this week’s guest, David Mizejewski of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). David, who considers himself a nature geek since […]
Decoding gardening advice is a never-ending challenge. Some gardening advice you receive is good — some, debatable, and too often, just plain wrong. Unfortunately, even the bad advice is frequently repeated by new and experienced gardeners alike. My guest this week, Dr. Jeff Gillman — Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, wrote a book […]
Last week, we began a two-part series on garden pest predators with Jessica Walliser and discussed the predator/prey cycle taking place in all our landscapes as well as the cues that signal to good bugs that a meal is available. If you haven’t checked out that episode, I recommend you begin there before diving in this […]
Garden mistakes challenge us, push us to do better and teach us lessons we utilize for years to come. I ought to know – I’ve made my fair share of them over the years. When you think about it, gardening is as much about making mistakes as it is about celebrating the wins. That said, […]
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your garden – by out of control growth or disease or an abundance of crops? You aren’t alone. Nearly all of us feel garden overwhelm at some point during the growing season – and some of us feel that way frequently through the summer months. This week, I talk […]
If you live in an area which experiences periods of drought, you’re probably subject to watering restrictions. Fortunately, your landscape can be surprisingly resilient and drought tolerant using the measures I covered in Part 2 of this series which ensure your plants establish well and sink their roots more deeply into the ground. Under extreme conditions, […]
Plants need nutrients, but how and when you provide those nutrients can make more difference than you might realize. Let’s explore some facts on garden fertilizer which, when put to use in your landscape, can make a significant difference in the color, production and vigor of all your plants. Fertilizer provides nutrients which are key […]
There’s more to being wise with water than efficient garden watering. I often mention that more plants die from overwatering than from underwatering. That’s the main reason I speak so often about making sure you have well-drained soil. In earlier parts of this 5-part series; I’ve covered selecting the right plants, water delivery methods, and watering […]
There are a number of tools and methods to use when watering your landscape in the absence of rainfall. Efficient water delivery is all about applying the right method in the right circumstance. A water delivery system doesn’t need to be complicated – and it sure doesn’t need to be expensive. Best of all – […]
We all know how hectic summer can get, and for me, this summer is certainly no exception. Filming for Season Nine of Growing a Greener World®, keeping up with the many happenings and garden growth at the GardenFarm™, planning upcoming projects for joe gardener – whew! I’ll be the first to admit, I’m long on […]
Welcome to Part 2 of my 5-part series on efficient watering in your garden and landscape. Last week, I covered some of the fundamentals – how to get the right plant in the right place. Doing that right will save you money and time in the long run. This week, let’s explore how to get […]
Managing wildlife pests in the garden and landscape is a challenge for all gardeners. It’s not just those of us in rural areas who deal with damage from deer, rabbits, raccoons, moles, and other furry foragers. These creatures have a solid foothold in metropolitan areas as well. So, what to do to protect your garden? […]
For most of us, having access to water means simply turning the faucet handle. Voila! Water in abundance, right? Well, this convenience is incredibly deceiving. Although 75% of our planet is covered with water, only a minuscule 1% is available as pure, clean water for use by the entire world population. That’s right – 1% […]
I have a love/hate relationship with tomatoes. This year, I have 32 tomato plants in spite of knowing that tomatoes are notorious for being a lot of work in the garden. Still, in these early days of summer, everything is growing strong, looking great and setting fruit; so it’s easy to start feeling a little […]
This week, I take a look back at a conversation on conservation – with Nan Sterman, co-author of Water-wise Plants for the Southwest and expert on waterwise gardening. Although she spent some years away, Nan grew up in and returned to southern California and has become known as a water-wise guru. Nan speaks frequently on water […]
This week, I continue my conversation with the Bug Lady, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans. Suzanne is an entomologist and industry leader in the movement to utilize biocontrols – putting beneficial insects to work before reaching for pesticides. This is Part Two of our biocontrols discussion, so if you missed Part One, start there. The information in Part […]
This week’s guest is Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, the Bug Lady of Bug Lady Consulting. To say that Suzanne – an entomologist and expert on biocontrol who I’ve known for many years and interviewed multiple times – is a wealth of information… well, that would be a true understatement. Our conversation is so jam-packed with pest management […]
Craig LeHoullier has been a frequent guest of this podcast series. He joins us again today to follow up on our early 2018 series on seed starting. If you missed that series, I recommend you start there, so you have context for this discussion on tomato seedling. In this podcast, we check in on how […]
A hallmark of good gardening is providing your plants with fertilizer, right? Well, not necessarily. Let’s take a look at some fertilizer facts and review not just the do’s and don’t of fertilization but, more importantly, the “why’s” behind it all. Fertilizer is sometimes seen as a gardening “bandage.” Many gardeners are under the false impression […]
I’m a sucker for the next great gardening gadget. But I hate to waste money. I’ve wasted a lot of money. So finally, after too many times getting sucker punched, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. Suffice it to say I was sick and tired of taking the bait on […]
We all make mistakes. Unfortunately, it’s the fear of making them that often stops us in our tracks. Even worse – it precludes great discoveries, opportunities and success that only comes from action. While being cautious is a good thing, since the consequences of a bad decision can be serious, gardening mistakes rarely carry such […]
Now that the Thanksgiving week is behind us, I typically start to reflect on all the things that happened during the year that went well, and those things that, well, have room for improvement. In the garden, it was a good year overall. But the wet, humid weather this summer wreaked havoc on my organic […]
While we love our trees, we often (and unknowingly) do things that can lead to their early demise. This podcast and post discuss five big tree care mistakes (and some of the other most common) that are usually at the root of the problem. Jamie Blackburn, ISA Certified Arborist, was our guest expert for today’s […]
Hello from Holly. When I really need some work done around the garden, I offer to keep my nephews for the weekend. This strikes me as a genius plan, full of brilliance and benevolence, if not efficiency. Child labor laws? I scoff in the face of child labor laws. My extra helpers, T-Rex […]
Acclaimed gardener and passionate bird enthusiast Margaret Roach will often say that the birds taught her how to garden. Accordingly, she found herself gardening for the birds. Over time, Margaret created a 365 day-a-year bird-friendly garden that also provided year-round beauty. Today, countless birds and over 1000 people a year visit her stunning 2-acre wildlife […]
This podcast episode format is a first for me and quite a departure from our usual format. In this episode, I take the mic and recorder outside for a behind-the-scenes day in the life at the GardenFarm™. I’m calling it an “audio journal” – snippets of a typical weekend Saturday for me. From the time […]
Fall is for planting. But knowing the best ways to water trees and shrubs, so plants establish quickly is key to their survival. The trick is giving them the amount of water they need at a rate that doesn’t come out so fast that roots don’t have time to take it up. The other […]
Over my many years of traveling the country touring gardens both great and small, I’ve managed to summarize what I believe are the five biggest garden mistakes made by gardeners in their home landscapes and gardens. They also happen to be some of the most common. In speaking with horticulturists and gardeners at every level, […]
Over my long career in horticulture and gardening media, I’ve had the privilege of meeting pretty much all my heroes – the people that really walk their talk and that I truly respect and admire. In my short list of standouts is Margaret Roach. Our kindred spirits have united us as good friends. […]
Hello from Holly. Houston, this is Tranquility. We have a problem. I do not remember agreeing to this. I remember agreeing to, “Let’s have a baby,” but I do not remember agreeing to growth and development and grade school and, “Mom, that shirt looks totally cute on you.” I agreed to “glubs” and “bwackberry […]
Hello from Holly. Listen, I have friends, and then I have friends. You know the italics kind–the kind you text during dinner on the weekend, and they respond, “I’ll be right over.” One of those during dinner texts happened just this past weekend when all my deepest fears came true. In case it’s […]
Hello from Holly. It’s been a little too quiet around these parts. I shoulda known something was up. Innocently enough, I meandered to the garden to pick flowers for teacher welcome back and was met with quite a fright: a huge rabbit jumped from the green beans. For a split second our eyes locked and […]
Hello from Holly. We just got back from vacation. I didn’t tell you beforehand because of the Hamburglar. But now that we’re back let me give you a tour of the hot mess I found upon our return. I don’t mean to hashtag humble brag, buuuuuuut…it would appear my garden prefers it when I’m not […]
When it comes to maintaining a healthy garden, organic disease control comes down to a few main options. In this podcast episode, we close out our 3-part series with Dr. Jeff Gilman. This time, we’re discussing the most common steps anyone can take towards organic disease control for creating and keeping a healthier […]
Knowing how to top tomatoes and what to do when tomato plants get too tall will give you the confidence to tame your plants while keeping them healthy and productive. In the height of summer, it might be time to prune those tomatoes. While the idea of topping (cutting off the top growth) seems extreme […]
Hello from Holly. I believe I’ve discovered a new species of garden pest. It’s not an insect, rodent, parasite, or fungus…but it’s potentially way more destructive. I know it’s unexpected considering that I live in suburbia and not some remote corner of the earth, but hear me out. Gardeners worldwide depend on our accurate classification […]
In this podcast, we’re talking organic pest control with Dr. Jeff Gillman. While currently the Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens in Charlotte North Carolina, Jeff has spent his career getting to the truth behind the rhetoric in matters involving both the garden and the environment. Jeff holds a master’s degree in […]
Tillers seem to be that go-to tool we’ve always used for what it was made to do – break up the earth. We till to clear a plot to start a garden, turn weeds under, or just mix up the soil. But is tilling really the best way to get your soil in shape? While […]
In this podcast, we talk organic weed control with Dr. Jeff Gillman. While currently the Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens in Charlotte North Carolina, he’s spent his career getting to the truth behind the rhetoric in matters involving both the garden and the environment. Jeff holds a master’s degree in entomology […]
Today we’re talking about the common denominator all gardeners face, the one thing that impacts everyone equally when it comes to maintaining our gardens and landscapes and that’s the unavoidable issue of weeds and how to best eradicate them from our lives – or at least our gardens. Fear not – a weedless garden is […]
Sunscald is a condition common to tomatoes and peppers when they are exposed to the direct rays of the sun during hot weather. The condition causes pale white or yellowish blotches on the fruit where the sun’s rays are most intense. It’s more common on developing green fruit but sunscald can affect mature tomato fruit […]
Now that your tomatoes are settled into their beds (or pots), you can breathe a sigh of relief as you dream about the vine-ripe bounty that’s sure to come. Or is it? There may be tomato problems lurking in your future. Don’t get too comfortable patting yourself on the back for a job well done […]
In my experience, pruning mistakes are common, but there are three that seem to be the most common. Pruning is easy once you understand key fundamentals. Here’s how you can get it right: 1. Pruning at the wrong time Most people that wonder why their flowering shrub isn’t flowering, the answer is almost always one […]
You remember all those freshman college classes that ended in “101”. For some reason, I always felt less intimidated by the course if the title ended with that number. So welcome to Pruning 101, where we cover how to prune – the pruning basics from A to Z. While pruning can be intimidating for many […]
I’m starting off our new podcast series with this episode dedicated to pruning 101 – the pruning basics from A to Z because when it comes to pruning, there’s more to know than just taking your shears or loppers to a plant whenever and wherever you want. A lot more if you want to do […]
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