Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Tips for beginning and experienced gardeners. New episodes arrive every Friday. Fred Hoffman has been a U.C. Certified Master Gardener since 1982 and writes a weekly garden column for the Lodi News-Sentinel in Lodi, CA. A four-decade fixture in Sacramento radio, he hosted three radio shows for Northern California gardeners and farmers: The KFBK Garden Show, Get Growing with Farmer Fred, and the KSTE Farm Hour. Episode Website: https://gardenbasics.net

Last refreshed: July 17th, 2025 at 5:07 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

010 Snails! Slugs! Earwigs! How to Control Them. The Pollinator Victory Garden.

Snails, slugs, earwigs…who’s chewing on your plants? Well, in fairness, it could be birds, too. But today we have control tips for the slimy and sinister looking Big 3 of Snails, Slugs and Earwigs. Did you know that one out of every three bites of food you eat is courtesy of a bee? We have advice on attracting bees and other pollinators to your yard. We chat with author Kim Eierman about her latest book, The Pollinator Victory Garden . It’s on this, Episode 10 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fr...

May 12, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 10

009 Grow Your Own Protein

Taken a trip lately to a grocery store? Notice the empty meat shelves? Notice the price jumps on what’s left of the beef, chicken and pork? Worried about you and your family getting enough protein? Maybe it’s time to grow your own protein. And I’m not talking about a backyard full of creatures that moo, cluck and oink. I’m talking about garden plants that are rich in protein. We talk with Master Gardener and vegetable expert Gail Pothour about tips for growing protein-rich plants. During these d...

May 08, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 9

008 Kids' Choice Garden Veggies

Want to get your kids out in the garden, growing food that they will enjoy eating, too? Pam Farley, The Brown Thumb Mama , has suggestions for Vegetables and Fruits Kids Love To Grow. Roses are blooming, and the bad bugs have found them! Our favorite college horticulture teacher, Debbie Flower, tackles two of the prime culprits this time of year: aphids and thrips. Want to grow food? But all you have is a small backyard or patio that is mostly shade? Today’s Quick Tip offers up some vegetables t...

May 05, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 8

007 Feed Your Soil, Not Your Plants

Quit fertilizing your plants! Feed your soil instead. Episode 7 goes deep into what makes for a successful plant. If you think plant roots are sucking up the liquid or granular fertilizer that your pouring on them, think again. Plant roots aren’t straws. Instead there are billions of microscopic beneficial fungi and bacteria in the soil that are converting those fertilizers into a usable form for the plant, and delivering the finished product to the plant roots. The better you treat those benefi...

May 02, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 7

006 Chickens! Weeding Easy.

People lately aren’t just starting vegetable and flower gardens as a way to help them get through the Coronavirus pandemic. They’re getting chickens, too. There’s been a big demand for baby chicks. People want to have more available forms of protein… just in case that much talked-about meat shortage comes about. But what do you know about picking out and raising baby chicks? Not much, I bet. We bring on an urban chicken consultant, Cherie Sintes-Glover of chickensforeggs.com to fill you in on ba...

Apr 28, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 6

005 Garden Money (And Time) Savers

We save some money and some time on today's episode. Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms tells us about his "Cheapskate Salad Bowl": how you can grow and harvest lettuce quickly (within a month) and cheaply (using nursery planting trays). And, you don't have to worry about it bolting in the summer heat. Watch his video of the process here. Plus, Brad talks about all the unique and wildly popular tomato varieties that he grows for sale. Another way to save money in the garden: make your own plants from...

Apr 24, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 5

004 Grow popcorn. Battling aphids. Family gardening tips.

We talk with nationally known family life blogger Pam Farley, also known as the Brown Thumb Mama , about garden activities to do with the kids while you are sheltered in place. Our favorite college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, delves into your questions about controlling one of the most prevalent of springtime garden pests, aphids. More info on controlling aphids. Tips on how you and your family can grow one of the healthiest of snack foods, Popcorn. And we will do it all in less than ...

Apr 22, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 4

003 How to Plant Tomatoes and Peppers (You might be surprised!)

On Episode 3 of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, we have a nifty way to stick tomato and pepper plants in the ground, a method guaranteed to produce a stronger plant. More information. We talk about a really basic seed saving technique: how and where to store those half-filled, left over packets of seeds you have…somewhere. Did you look in the garage? I hope they’re not there. And the reason you may want to search the house for those seed packets now? You won’t find seeds of popular varieties at ...

Apr 17, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3

002 Growing microgreens. Backyard blueberry plants. Importance of thinning vegetables, fruit.

Master Gardener Gail Pothour tells us how to have a microgreens garden in the kitchen. Choosing the tastiest blueberry varieties; how to grow blueberry plants . The importance of thinning young vegetable seedlings and young fruit . What are you grateful for? Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics Newsletter ....

Apr 14, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 2

001 Garden Basics: Starting Your Victory Garden 2.0

:00 Why another garden podcast? 1:14 The importance of gardening during these days of "Shelter in Place". What is Integrated Pest Management? The right plant in the right place. 5:51 The Victory Garden 2.0 with Diane Blazek, All-America Selections. 18:30 Answers to Your Garden Questions - "What are the Most Dependable Tomatoes to Grow?" 27:12 Questions to Ask Yourself while Sheltered in Place. Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and t...

Apr 11, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1

← Prev

Hosted on Buzzsprout

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android