Mixing liquid fertilizer can be time-consuming, so I’d like to share with you a way that I have found to get more done in less time. In this video, I’ll show you how to use liquid fertilizer more efficiently. As an organic gardener, I don’t have to fertilize much because I use […]
Fertilizers give food crops and ornamental plants the nutrients they need to thrive, but when used unnecessarily or incorrectly, they can do more harm than good. In this week’s encore episode, I share the basics you need to know for the most efficient and effective use of fertilizer. Fertilizer is considered to be any organic […]
Between my podcast listeners, social media channels, and members of my Online Gardening Academy™, I receive a lot of gardening questions. This week on the podcast, I am answering some of those questions from members of the joegardener® Facebook group. I’ve invited Erin, my Director of Online Media, to return as co-host for this gardening […]
Fair warning: This week, you’re in for a bit of a rant. I’m sharing with you my top 10 gardening pet peeves. No, I don’t mean those things like finding some pest has taken a bite out of an almost perfectly ripe fruit (although, that drives us all crazy too). I mean the human behavior […]
I don’t know if you know this about me, but soil is my favorite topic. I love all things gardening, and I’ve even hurled myself into a large heap of finished compost. Still, soil is king in my book, and the more we learn about the science behind great soil, soil health, and all of […]
It never hurts to go back to the basics from time to time, and that’s what today’s episode is all about – the importance of the fundamentals of gardening. My guest, Daryl Beyers, is author of the just-released book on gardening basics – The New Gardener’s Handbook. Daryl earned a degree in landscape design, and […]
This week, garden myth-busting expert Robert Pavlis joined me to talk about gardening products. Robert has a background in chemistry and biochemistry and is an avid gardener as well. He owns and runs a 6-acre botanical garden packed with over 3,000 different species of plants, trees and shrubs. So, he offers some valuable insights when […]
If you are a market or small-scale farmer, this episode is for you, but there’s plenty of inspiration for you home gardeners too. This week’s guest is Conor Crickmore. About 12 years ago, Conor exchanged a lucrative career in technology for a successful journey to the life of a market farmer. Here’s the real kicker […]
I’m betting that you have a little green in your home right now. No, I’m not talking about seedlings. I’m talking about houseplants. Nearly all of us have at least a few these days. Houseplants have been a hugely popular trend the past few years, with some plant-a-holics spending big money on a single showstopper. […]
Last week was the first in this two-part conversation with British gardening legend, Charles Dowding. If you missed it, I recommend you start there. That episode focused on Charles’ background and the no-dig garden method for which he is so renowned. Today’s discussion focuses on how Charles is using compost for more than just a […]
Are you ready to get your garden geek on? In today’s episode we’re diving into the deep end on the subject of soil – specifically, understanding the soil food web. If you’ve ever told anyone that you “like to play in the dirt” to describe your love of gardening, I’m willing to bet that this […]
Between my podcast listeners and members of my e-newsletter and social media channels, I receive a lot of gardening questions. This week, I’m highlighting questions asked by students of my new Beginning Gardener Fundamentals course. I introduced the course at the beginning of this year to teach the fundamental garden basics I’m asked all the […]
As winter slowly yields to spring, the call to get our hands into the soil becomes irresistible. These spring tips for vegetable garden success are a valuable guide to the essential steps everyone can and should take for a bountiful and productive garden. Pick the best location You may have heard the phrase, pick the […]
For this week’s podcast, I’m catching up with a good friend and frequent guest, Craig LeHoullier. Craig is responsible for the revival and development of many favorite heirloom tomato varieties, and he is a pioneer in a dense-planting technique for seed starting. Craig is always experimenting. One of his recent projects involves testing germination rates […]
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s seed-starting season. Starting seeds indoors is a great way to start gardening even though your garden outdoors may be covered in snow. It also provides you with better control over the health of the plants you will add to your garden – and is the perfect […]
This week’s guest is a legend in the world of organic gardening and farming – Eliot Coleman. Eliot has been a market gardener for over 50 years, yet he remains as excited about his work every day as when he first began. He claims the secret of life is to love what you’re doing – […]
Composting at home leads to many questions from eager gardeners regarding techniques and best practices. Well this week, I wanted to answer some of those very specific – and common – questions posed by members of the joe gardener community. If you’ve been a follower of The joe gardener Show podcast for long, you’ve heard […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
This week, I spoke with Mark Highland of Organic Mechanics. Mark is passionate about soil and has quite the pedigree, having graduated from the Masters Program at Longwood Gardens. Well-versed in the basics of biochar, he’s also recently written Practical Organic Gardening – The no-nonsense guide to growing naturally. It’s a book packed with insight on […]
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 […]
Do you garden in raised beds? If not, why not? Given the options, I can’t imagine not gardening in raised beds. Raised beds are versatile in shape and structure, and they provide the ideal starting point for gardening success and bountiful crops. Let’s dive in to the Top Five benefits offered by a raised bed garden: […]
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 […]
In today’s podcast, I’m joined by Lee Reich, and we explore some of the subjects in his new book, The Ever Curious Gardener – Using a Little Natural Science for a Much Better Garden. As curious gardeners, Lee and I are always pursuing the “why” behind the workings of the garden. I believe this drives […]
There’s nothing like the approach of spring to get you itching to spend time in the garden. If the snow still lies menacingly on the ground where you live, you may feel like there’s not much you can do – yet. But those weeks after winter (or a long, cold spring) wanes and before the […]
For everything there is a season, and when it comes to lawn renovation, spring and fall are it for cool season grasses. Organic lawn care steps taken early in the year can save you water, money and time all through the summer and into fall, while attention in fall will give your lawn a jump […]
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 […]
Welcome to the last in our series on raised bed gardening. As you probably know by now, we received so many responses from my email group that this raised bed podcast turned into a three-part series. If you would like to join the conversation and contribute to future topics, I invite you to click the red […]
In this podcast, we continue our discussion on raised bed gardening. In case you missed it: I had invited my email group to send me any questions they hoped I would answer on the topic of raised bed gardening. I received a huge response, many from folks who plan to start raised bed gardening for […]
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 […]
I consider leaves to be Mother Nature’s greatest gift to gardeners. Beyond their unparalleled beauty when they peak in a kaleidoscope of fall color we all enjoy; real gardeners know the greatest gift is still to come when we use those leaves as mulch or in compost. While there is no dispute over the spectacular […]
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, […]
If I were only able to give one piece of gardening advice, it would be to feed the soil (and let the soil feed the plants). The essence of any garden’s success begins and ends with the soil. And the best way to build the health of any soil is with compost – the greatest organic […]
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