We continue our conversation with retired horticulture professor Debbie Flower about the critters that are munching on your backyard tomatoes . Last time, we discussed the smaller pests: hornworms, fruit worms, fruit beetles, snails, slugs, earwigs. This time we tackle the larger interlopers who are getting into your tomatoes: rats, squirrels, birds, possum, raccoons, and, of course, deer. Plus, we talk with farm advisor Rachael Long about inviting an eager rodent hunter onto your property… barn...
Aug 25, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 40
How many times have you gone out to your backyard tomato patch, reached in to harvest what looks like a big, juicy, ripe, red tomato…only to have your fingertips realize…someone’s been eating my tomatoes. Who’s the culprit? Our favorite college horticulture teacher (retired), Debbie Flower, rounds up the suspects and interrogate them one by one. There’s so many possible offenders, it will take us two episodes to get through them all. Plus, we will offer tips on controlling those unwanted tomato ...
Aug 21, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 39
It’s a rather general garden question we received that has a lot of possible answers: "Why am I not getting any tomatoes or zucchini?" But that very general question, with no other details, gives us the opportunity to go through a checklist of all possible causes. One of those reasons just might hit home for you. Blueberry harvest is ending here in California, but it’s still going on in many other states. We pay a visit to a demonstration garden where the Master Gardeners share their secrets for...
Aug 18, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Don’t let drip irrigation become drip irritation. Today’s entire show is on drip irrigation basics: how to install it, how to run it, how to maintain it. We talk with garden author Robert Kourik , he wrote the seminal book about the subject, it’s called “ Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates. ” He’ll tell us that not only will drip irrigation save you money by using less water, drip irrigation can also increase your yield. And drip irrigation isn’t just for states that have typic...
Aug 14, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Welcome to another edition of the Garden Basics podcast, once again with the subtitle, "I didn’t know that!" College Horticulture professor (retired) Debbie Flower tackles the question, is it better to fertilize your plants in the morning or the evening? Or does it matter? Debbie points out…it depends on the temperature. It’s not celery, it’s not a lettuce you'd recognize, it’s Celtuce! Also called stem lettuce, asparagus lettuce or Chinese lettuce, Celtuce is popular in upscale restaurants for ...
Aug 11, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 36
We pick up where we left off with the last episode, with a taste test of one more edible flower that you just might have growing in your yard: roses. Both the rose petals and the rose hips from the rose plant are edible. We talk with Master Rosarian Debbie Arrington who says, some rose petals and rose hips taste better than others. Which taste the best? Stick around. When it comes to applying pesticides, read and follow all label directions. That’s the takeaway message from Gisele Schoniger, the...
Aug 07, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Clipping off the flower heads on your basil plants to send the energy back to the plant to produce more green leaves? Good idea! Are you tossing out those cut flower heads of the basil? Bad idea. How about serving them as a garnish in a salad or soup? For that matter, why not start serving many of the flowers you might have in your garden on the dinner table? Today, vegetable expert and Master Gardener Gail Pothour talks about all the edible flowers that you may not have thought about munching o...
Aug 04, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 34
We do read the comments you post at the various podcast services. And we respond. Recently, at the Apple Podcast site, Sage posted: “Will you please address the mystery seeds being mailed to Americans? This is super scary and I believe you can help prevent something awful since you have the audience. Thanks in advance!” You’re welcome, in advance, Sage. Yes, here’s one mystery in which there are still a lot of question marks. What’s the deal with all the unsolicited seed packets being mailed not...
Jul 31, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 33
We’re into that time of the summer when, with a very serious look in her eye, and wearing a tomato-stained apron, my wife sternly says: "Next year, don’t plant so many cherry tomato plants!" In my defense, there were only five cherry or grape-sized tomato plants in the ground this year: Sungold, Sweet Million, Gardeners Delight, Juliet and Valentine. Still, my wife is the one who has to do something with all those tomatoes. So, after spending the better part of a Sunday in a hot kitchen roasting...
Jul 28, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 32
If you’ve ever talked with a gardener who uses the excrement of worms around their plants, you may be familiar with their wide eyed look of rapture talking about all the benefits of using, to put it more politely and accurately, worm castings. Today, we will dig deep into the Farmer Fred audio archives to hear gardeners sing the praises of raising worms, and using their output, if you will, in the garden, a practice known as vermicomposting. Members of the worm castings choir chime in with their...
Jul 24, 2020•29 min•Ep. 31
Bees are one of the best pollinators to have flying around your food garden. It’s been said that bees are responsible for one out of every three bites of food you eat. Today, we take attracting bees to your garden one step further: how about raising your own hive of honeybees? We talk with one of the world’s foremost bee authorities, Dr. Norman Gary, on how you can become a successful backyard beekeeper. He is the author of the book, "The Honeybee Hobbyist." Maybe you just want to attract bees t...
Jul 21, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Confused about that tall wall of soil products you see in the nursery? Garden Soil, Planting Mix , Potting Mix , which do you choose for your plants? We talk with soil educator Gisele Schoniger about the right soil amendments for you. Fruit tree questions abound this time of year, we tackle your peach and apricot issues. And, college horticulture professor Debbie Flower insists, your roses do not have thorns . What? We are sticklers for accuracy on this, episode 29 of Garden Basics with Farmer F...
Jul 17, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Looking for easy-to-grow fruit trees, loaded with tasty fruit, every summer? It’s hard to beat peaches and plums. Today we talk with fruit tree expert Phil Pursel of Dave Wilson Nursery about the delicious choices available. For peaches, try the O'Henry , Harken , the Donut Peach , Red Baron , Contender, Elberta, Babcock, Garden Gold . For plums, it would be the Weeping Santa Rosa , Burgundy , Emerald Beaut . And we touch upon the plum crosses, pluots and pluerries . For best results, especially...
Jul 14, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 28
You think you’re learning something new every time YOU listen to the Garden Basics podcast? Heck, I learn something new in each episode, as well. So, this time around, it’s a compilation of garden knowledge that will definitely make you a better gardener, and a better food shopper. We will call this episode, I DID NOT KNOW THAT. College horticulture professor Debbie Flower talks about the benefits of cutting the roots of plants before you stick them in the ground, and most importantly, HOW you c...
Jul 10, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 27
It seemed like a simple enough garden question to answer: The writer of the email said: “I have never cared for a young peach tree or any other variety so I don't know what to do since I got it in the ground. Now what?” The writer included a picture of the tree, which you can see attached to this episode. Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, and I ended up having more questions and comments after closely studying the picture. The end result? a show, mostly dedicate...
Jul 07, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Today, we’re talking about two of the ten most popular backyard garden vegetables: sweet peppers and hot peppers. We talk with the man whom the New York Times dubbed the Pope of Peppers, Dave Dewitt. Besides offering up tips on how to grow hot peppers, but also how to overwinter them for a second year crop (some varieties are better than others for this). Plus, he has the remedy for what to swallow after you’ve bitten down on a pepper that is just too hot. And no…it’s not water or beer, and its ...
Jul 03, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Maybe the only sunny area you have for a garden is currently a lawn. How about reducing the size of that lawn and converting it to a food and flower producing garden? Or, maybe you’re trying to get rid of persistent weeds in a current garden. Or maybe your soil has pests or diseases such as nematodes or verticillium wilt. This is the time of year to tackle all those tasks…with soil solarization. Were going to tell you how to heat up the soil to kill off an unwanted lawn, do away with bermudagras...
Jun 30, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 24
It's every gardener's wall of confusion: the shelves and shelves of plant fertilizers, available at the local nursery. Which one should you use? The granular, the liquid, the box, the bottle or the bag? And do you really need separate fertilizers for each kind of fruit or vegetable you're growing? And what do all those numbers on the fertilizer label mean? Do you really need to use fertilizers, at all? Our favorite college horticulture professor (retired) Debbie Flower joins us in the studio to ...
Jun 26, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Today we find out how plants work. And how you can have a successful garden with even less work by helping those underground workers. Washington State University Horticulture Professor Linda Chalker Scott , author of the book, "How Plants Work" , talks about the amazing intersection of plants, plant roots, your soil and your mulch … once again proving, your working too hard and spending too much money on something that nature perfected a long time ago. She tackles a few more garden myths, too, s...
Jun 23, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Today, we are all about tomatoes! We do some tomato troubleshooting with Don Shor, owner of Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, CA. We tackle typical tomato issues: the flowers fall off (it will solve itself, unless you are loving it to death with too much nitrogen fertilizer); blight diseases (avoid overhead watering, unless it's rain-caused. In which case, prune out and discard the damaged parts); whiteflies (a forceful spray of water or neem oil ); blossom end rot (deep, infrequent watering, maint...
Jun 19, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We want to make gardening easier for you. Garden author (and contrarian) Robert Kourik explains the benefits to your soil and plants if you not only don’t rototill the soil, but also limit your digging. “No-dig” your way to your best garden ever! This episode is brought to you by Smart Pots . Visit smartpots.com/fred for a money-saving offer on the original, award-winning fabric planter, made in the USA. Listen to learn how to win a free, Smart Pots 6-foot long bed ! (By the way, if the podcast ...
Jun 16, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Today we tackle a summertime evening tradition: drinking while watering. No, we’re not going to try to sober you up. But we do have advice on how long to stand there with a hose, while mindlessly watering the lawn and garden. (hint: half a beer per plant) While you’re mindlessly watering, you might be thinking: why aren’t my squash plants having sex? What? YOU never used the excuse, “It’s too hot”? Sex and the single zucchini. We’ll tell you how to help those plants make more zucchini. Yes, the ...
Jun 12, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Today, we’re talking greenhouse basics. You don’t have to be a gardener for very long to realize the advantages of having a backyard hobby greenhouse. It's an ideal place to start seeds, get cuttings to root, overwinter tender plants, or turn it into your own, personal, year-round food and flower factory! This episode is brought to you by Smart Pots . Visit smartpots.com/fred for a money-saving offer on the original, award-winning fabric planter, made in the USA. We talk with Mark Seibert of Stu...
Jun 09, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 18
What's the easiest fruit tree variety to grow? Apples! We talk with Phil Pursel of Dave Wilson Nursery about the wide variety of apple trees available for the home gardener, as well as tips for growing a 6 or 7 foot tall apple tree (and yes, you will still get plenty of fruit!). This episode is brought to you by Smart Pots . Visit smartpots.com/fred for a money-saving offer on the original, award-winning fabric planter, made in the USA. Phil Pursel of Dave Wilson Nursery tells us about the top-s...
Jun 05, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 17
This episode is brought to you by Smart Pots . Visit smartpots.com/fred for a money-saving offer on the original, award-winning fabric planter, made in the USA. Ladies and gentlemen, this is how we water a plant. No! Don’t hit pause! Really, we have some tips about watering your garden that just might be new to you, no matter how many years you’ve held a garden hose! College horticulture professor Debbie Flower explains how correct watering can lead to healthier container plants, and that includ...
Jun 02, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Today, we take a look at your tomato garden. Are they in small containers? Are they sprawling along the ground? Does it resemble more of a tomato jungle than a tomato garden? Those are three of the most common mistakes new tomato growers commit. Don Shor of Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, California talks about how to correct those mistakes, and many others. He points out that one of the biggest causes for tomato issues is irregular watering. What about pruning tomatoes? "Only if you want fewer t...
May 29, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 15
The college horticulture professors take over Episode 14, but we keep it to the basics. Don't worry, none of this will be on the Final. Linda Chalker-Scott teaches at Washington State University, but she may be better known as the author of a couple of best-selling garden books: "The Informed Gardener" and "The Informed Gardener Blooms Again" . Both books deal with persistent garden myths and why they don't work. We talk about why rocks in a plant container actually can harm your plants (it's a ...
May 26, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Quit growing fruit trees, will you? Grow fruit bushes, instead! We talk with a nursery person who wrote a book advocating keeping all your fruit trees no taller than you can reach from the ground. That way, you can grow more varieties of peaches, plums, apples, oranges and other fruit-bearing plants in your yard, without a need to ever get on a ladder. And you will still harvest enough fruit for you and your family…with plenty left over. Do you have old packets of seeds around? Are they still vi...
May 22, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 13
New to gardening? Or, you just want to learn some better ways to garden? This is the episode for you. College horticulture professor Debbie Flower has tips to make your first garden a successful garden. And, for you more experienced gardeners, we have tips that can make your garden more productive. Or to put it more bluntly, you will be learning from the previous mistakes of two gardeners with over 100 years of experience. Also, there is a lot of worry and concern about what will become our new ...
May 19, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Yes, you can grow tomatoes in containers! Maybe all you have is a small, sunny patio or maybe you have lousy soil, or maybe you just want to be able to move the plants around. With some help, of course. We have tips on great containers for great tomatoes from nursery owner Don Shor who loves tomatoes. There are a lot of fertilizers out there. Which ones are best for growing vegetables? Our soils expert, organic advocate Steve Zien , has tips for choosing, and effectively using, fertilizers on yo...
May 15, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 11
