I don’t know if you know this about me, but I love garden tools and gadgets. I’ve always been on the hunt for the best garden gear, which means I’ve wasted my fair share of money on some not-so-great options. For the past several years, I’ve even shared my top picks in my joe gardener […]
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 […]
You may have noticed that I’ve been focusing on native plants a lot lately. They have so much to offer in the garden – both to you, as the gardener, and to the wildlife in your area. I’ve been an advocate for native plants for many years, but a recent trip lit a new fire […]
Lately, I’ve really been focused on identifying all the ways we can attract more wildlife to our gardens. Diversity in our little, individual ecosystems not only helps us to be better gardeners, it strengthens our environment at a national and global level. With that in mind, I invited Dr. John Rowden of the National Audubon […]
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 […]
Would you say you had a resilient garden? Did it stand up to the challenges of this past growing season? This year has been especially difficult for many of us, and while we’re in the middle of my favorite garden time – fall – I’m also already in planning mode for next year. Each season, […]
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 […]
Recently, my podcast featured some of my favorite garden books. In this episode, I talk with the author of one of those books. Barry Estabrook is a multi-James Beard Award-winning author, and one of his most renowned titles, Tomatoland, is a favorite among my extensive library. When I first read Tomatoland, I couldn’t put it […]
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 […]
If you know anything about me by now, you know that I love the world of gardening. I’ve been involved as a hobbyist, horticulturalist, public speaker, and/or TV host since the age of eight. Formal education helped to get me where I am today, but I’m also a big believer in learning through experience. My […]
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 […]
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? […]
This week, my podcast guest was Dr. Holly Scoggins. Holly is Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Virginia Tech and Director of the campus’ Hahn Horticulture Garden. She is also a member of the esteemed Garden Professors Group. I was curious to hear Holly’s take on the state of horticultural education and job […]
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 […]
Do you ever wonder what happened to the G in HGTV? I used to love weekend binge-watching favorite gardening episodes on HGTV. We, as gardeners, used to have a wide variety of garden TV shows to feed our passion, but that is just no longer the case. Ten years ago as part of my syndicated […]
In this week’s episode, I revisit a conversation with one of my hero’s – Maria Rodale, on why organic matters. Maria is a lifelong advocate of organic farming and gardening and is third generation in a legacy of commitment to organic agricultural practices. Although her family is now iconic in the world of health and […]
Just about everyone loves blueberries, but this week’s guest – Dr. Lee Reich – might just be blueberry-obsessed. Lee knows how to grow bountiful blueberries and has been perfecting best practice techniques for over 30 years on his small farm in New York state. Beyond bearing delicious fruit, blueberries are also an attractive addition to […]
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 […]
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 […]
Spring – it’s what we, as gardeners, eagerly anticipate all winter long. Yet, when it arrives, it can be so overwhelming. The spring season moves quickly, and there are lots to accomplish. No matter how I try to prepare, each year comes with a renewed sense of overwhelm. So, how do you stay organized in […]
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 […]
Understanding how plants work has been one of the most liberating experiences of my gardening profession and avocation. While I will always remain curious, especially when it comes to plants, I will never know it all. Nor do I want to. What’s the fun in that? However, having a sound basis from which to draw […]
Get two gardening-crazed geeks together for any amount of time, and you’re sure to hear the confessions of an obsessed composter (or two). Such was the case with my recent conversation with Lee Reich, Ph.D. – initially planned with a focus on backyard composting My intent for this episode with Lee was to […]
When it comes to bringing nature home, no one understands the critical relationships between native plants and the creatures that depend on them better than expert on garden insects, Doug Tallamy Ph.D. A professor at and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware; Doug is also […]
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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