How are you fertilizing your plants? Do you go out every month, or every week, with a watering can, fertilizer and a teaspoon? Or, are you tossing granules on the ground around your plants and then raking them gently into the soil, without harming your plants, of course, and then watering in those fertilizer granules? Time consuming! Want some time back to do something else? Then, today’s podcast is for you. It’s all about fertigation. We’ll explain, on episode 130 of the Garden Basics with Farm...
Aug 20, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 130
There are a lot of great cool season vegetables that you can start right now. For those of you who worry about a mid-Fall frost or freeze grinding your garden to a halt, or for those of you who just want to grow vegetables in a hurry, today’s show features a selection of healthy edibles that will give you a harvestable crop in under 60 days. Growing vegetables in containers? The size of that pot is of utmost importance. We have tips. Also, the plant of the week, the oleander shrub. Yes, it’s poi...
Aug 17, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 129
Thinking of gardening a bit differently, using bales of straw? Straw bales have several gardening advantages, including working in your garden while standing up. Straw bales can be located wherever you have a sunny spot for sun-loving vegetables, and they can last… if you follow a few important steps. Also: have you heard about the Yezberry? It looks like an elongated blueberry and combines the flavor of both blueberries and raspberries. Also known as the blue honeysuckle or Honeyberry, it can b...
Aug 13, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 128
How’s your tomato garden doing? Now that it’s summer, most of the early season tomato issues are waning: fewer aphids and whiteflies (we hope) and less blossom end rot. In its place are a wide variety of other tomato troubles that eminate from our longer, hotter days. We do some summertime tomato troubleshooting today. Also, we answer a listener’s concern about crop rotation in a mixed planting of flowers and vegetables. Can the two peacefully coexist? Perhaps. And the Plant of the Week: naked l...
Aug 10, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 127
One day, you might be doing a little digging in your garden, and up comes a worm. But it’s not just any worm. This one is easily identified by its violent thrashing about, slithering, and actual jumping in the air. Say hello to the Jumping Worm, also known as the Crazy Worm. And it’s not a garden good guy. The jumping worm is a pest with a voracious appetite for all the things that helps your soil thrive. And it is slithering it way across the country. We have tips for dealing with the jumping w...
Aug 06, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 126
Growing lavender? Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, has tips on how to rejuvenate aging lavender plants. UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts tells us all about that prolific summer bloomer, the crape myrtle tree. How can you tell when is best for harvesting backyard fruits and vegetables? And, when you bring them inside, where’s the best place to store them to last the longest? On the counter, in the refrigerator, or some combination of bot...
Aug 03, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 125
Mulching your garden beds provides many benefits: it moderates moisture loss and soil temperature fluctuations; it inhibits weed production; and fertilization chores are reduced because mulch feeds the soil as it breaks down. The hard part, of course, has been spreading that mulch throughout your garden on a regular basis. Today we talk with a noted international garden expert on easing your mulching chores greatly, using his cut and drop method. Today’s garden questions tackle tomatillo product...
Jul 30, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 124
Summer heat can cause many plants’ leaves to droop on a hot afternoon. Does this pose a particular problem for cucumbers? Will that stress effect the cucumber flavor? Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, has the answers to your cucumber questions. UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts tells us all about how to grow dahlias. And if you want a great plant to attract pollinators and beneficial insects, it’s hard to beat the butterfly bush. And the ...
Jul 27, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 123
Maybe you’ve had some bad luck with your summer vegetable garden, and you want to start over. Is late July too late for warm season veggies? Yes, and no. We have tips for what to plant in the middle of the summer. One reason a garden might be failing now, and it’s the top reason: improper irrigation. We have advice for watering smartly to keep your garden thriving. Thinking ahead, what are you going to do with your vegetable and flower beds later this year? Now’s the time to start planning for c...
Jul 23, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 122
We’ve talked about the importance of rotating your food crops. The same is true for much of the rest of your landscape. How’s that? Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, will explain. During July, we are giving away Smart Pots when listeners submit audio questions. If we use it on the podcast, you will be getting a new, six foot long, Smart Pot raised bed fabric planter! Just like Amanda from the Sierra foothills, who is wondering how to use all those pine needles o...
Jul 20, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 121
Trees are subject to many problems, including insects, diseases, weather-related issues…but probably the biggest threat to the trees in your yard…is you. From the day you plant that tree until its demise, you may not be helping it live a healthy life in so many ways. Master Gardener and Urban Forester Pam Bone talks about how a tree works, and what we can do to keep it healthy by knowing how your trees actually function. It’s on episode 120 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought ...
Jul 16, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 120
During July, we are giving away Smart Pots when listeners’ submit audio questions. If we use it on the podcast, you will be getting a new, six foot long Smart Pot raised bed fabric planter! Just like Eyal from the San Francisco Bay Area, who is wondering why his passion fruit flowers fell off. We’ll dive into the world of passion fruit today. The Plant of the Week is a tree with outstanding summertime blooms that can be grown throughout most of the United States, the Goldenrain tree. Have you ev...
Jul 13, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 119
We do a deep dive into your garden questions on this episode. We attempt to identify a giant wasp in a listener’s yard. A mysterious, underground white fungus has another listener perplexed. And we help out people who want to attract beneficial insects and pollinators to their garden. It’s all on episode 118 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go! Pictured: A bee on an artichoke flower. Links: Smart P...
Jul 09, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 118
Today we find out more details about using a certain fabric plant container in your garden. Of course, it’s Smart Pots , which is no ordinary fabric container. Did you know they come in a wide variety of sizes and can stay much cooler in the summer heat versus other plant containers? And we will find out why Smart Pots are perfect for the organic gardener. The Plant of the Week is something a little different. It’s a water plant. The beautiful and fragrant Asian or Chinese Lotus. It’s all on epi...
Jul 06, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 117
Facing watering restrictions during this drought? We have great tips on how to be able to apply less water to your fruit trees and still have a bountiful harvest! Yes, you can grow citrus trees in containers successfully, if you treat them right. That includes choosing the right container, the right soil and the right fertilizer. Plus, a few other nifty ideas for citrus success in containers. We’re brought to you today by Smart Pots. Give a listen to find how you can win a free Smart Pot! It’s o...
Jul 02, 2021•29 min•Ep. 116
Summertime, and the living is uneasy…if you live in an area prone to wildfires. And it’s not just California. People throughout the United States who are living in rural areas or where the suburbs meet the wildland face danger from rapidly moving wildfires. Today, we’re talking how to prepare your landscape for such an event. It’s called firescaping, and we will talk with one of the nation’s preeminent authorities on how to make your home and yard more resistant to flying, burning embers. The Pl...
Jun 29, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 115
Crop rotation isn’t just for farmers. Backyard gardeners can improve their food and flower production while improving their soil at the same time, simply by moving plant families from bed to bed each season. College horticulture professor Debbie Flower has the lowdown on the advantages of crop rotation. If your clay soil has you worried that it’s not very good for a garden, worry no more. Soils specialist Steve Zien says there are a lot of benefits to gardening with clay soil, and he has tips fo...
Jun 25, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 114
If you live in USDA Zone 9, chances are you have attempted to grow an avocado tree. Sure, it’s easy…if you live in Santa Barbara, Ventura or San Diego, where the temperature range is between 50 and 85 degrees, usually. But for the rest of us, growing avocados is a challenge. Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery says he can make it a heck of a lot easier for you to grow backyard avocados throughout USDA Zone 9. He has tips. And the Plant of the Week is a low water use succulent that attracts squad...
Jun 22, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 113
Making the rounds in gardening pages on social media: mulch will rob your soil of nitrogen. College horticulture professor Debbie Flower (retired) and I do a deep dive into the mulch pile to explore that rampant rumor. Also, summertime is soil solarization time, to rid your garden soil of pests or a quick way to kill off a portion of your unused lawn area, in preparation for a new garden bed. We talk sheet mulching, as well. It’s all about the soil! It’s on episode 112 of the Garden Basics with ...
Jun 18, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 112
Much of the Western United States, right now, is under extreme drought conditions. Watering restrictions are already being established in many places. If this is the new normal, and you want a landscape, low-water use plants, especially native plants, may be part of your future. But just because they will eventually become able to thrive with less water, they still will need regular watering after planting for a short time. Today, we talk about the watering precautions necessary when putting in ...
Jun 15, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 111
Last time, here on the Garden Basics podcast, we were talking about Tomato Troubleshooting with Don Shor, owner of Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, California. We talked about dealing with blossom end rot, sunburn issues and problematic watering, which can cause your tomatoes to suffer. Today, it’s Tomato Troubleshooter 2021, Part 2, with Don. We’ll delve into the scary world of tomato hornworms and fruit worms, beautiful but deadly diseases such as late blight, wilts. And, more troublesome tomato...
Jun 11, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 110
Gardeners around the northern hemisphere have their tomato plants in the ground. They’re growing, but some of them are developing problems, already! Why are there cracks appearing in the tomatoes? Why is the skin yellowing? And what is that big ugly brown spot on the bottom of the tomato? What’s a gardener to do? Today, it’s Tomato Troubleshooter 2021, Part 1. It’s all on episode 109 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. And we...
Jun 08, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 109
Using livestock water troughs to grow plants is a great idea. You can grow just about anything from food crops to flowers, shrubs and even small trees or bamboo. Livestock water troughs, also called stock tanks, come in various sizes, and many have plugs along the side to allow for drainage. And you can always improve the drainage by drilling several one-inch diameter holes in the bottom. Painting the troughs can help reflect the heat and the color can blend in better with your outdoor decor. An...
Jun 04, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 108
You’ve seen it with the bagged soils goods at the nursery: worm castings. What role should they play in your garden? The Plant of the Week is a big family of different plants: the poppy. There’s probably one, or two, that are right for you. Just because a homegrown fruit is smaller than what you might see at a grocery store doesn’t mean it’s inferior. On the contrary, that smaller, homegrown fruit may be healthier for you. We’ll explain. It’s all on episode 107 of the Garden Basics with Farmer F...
Jun 01, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 107
Another dubious garden idea is making the rounds on social media: if you prune out the first tomato you see on your plant, you’ll get more tomatoes as a result. Fact or Myth? We explore that with retired college horticuture professor Debbie Flower. Ed Laivo from TomorrowsHarvest.com is back on Fabulous Fruit Friday, with a white apricot variety. A white apricot? Yes. And it’s delicious, too. Plus, Ed talks about where you can find more information, including videos, about the benefits of summer ...
May 28, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 106
High chill apples. Known for their great flavor, these apples that supposedly require a lot of cold winter temperatures to thrive, are finding a new home. Trials in southern California, in areas that seldom get below freezing, are proving to be a good place for several high chill apple varieties. Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery tells us about some great tasting apples that should now be grown more often in USDA Zones 9 and 10. The Plant of the Week is a very popular, widely adaptable shrub w...
May 25, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 105
What’s all that buzzing going on in many parts of the country right now? It’s the emerging of what is being called Brood X, an unusually large occurrence of cicadas. Are they a threat to your garden? College horticulture teacher Debbie Flower has some thoughts on that. Who doesn’t love a tasty mandarin? One of the most popular right now among grocery store mandarins is a large, lumpy, but incredibly sweet, seedless mandarin. A close relative of that one is the Sharanui mandarin, and many mandari...
May 21, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 104
Liquid fish fertilizer (fish emulsion), is a popular way to feed your plants. But is it safe to foliar feed your edible greens with it…and then eat those greens? Soil professional Steve Zien advocates for the fishy stuff, along with a dollop of sea weed. And, it's always a good idea to thoroughly rinse and wash all your garden produce before serving it. The Plant of the Week is the buckeye tree, one very eccentric plant. It’s all on episode 103 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brou...
May 18, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 103
Looking for a fruit tree with outstanding flowers in the spring? Look no further than the Red Baron peach. It’s Fabulous Fruit Friday, and Ed Laivo is here from TomorrowsHarvest.com to talk about this tasty beauty, with double red flowers in the spring and juicy, juicy peaches in the summer. Should your tomato plants really be in full sun? As we are fond of saying this show, it depends. More and more areas of the country are having unusually hot summers, which means more tomato troubles. Can a b...
May 14, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 102
It’s not a baking potato, it’s not a yam, it’s a sweet potato. And it isn’t just for Thanksgiving anymore. You can grow sweet potatoes in your garden for year round eating. Master Gardener Gail Pothour will tell you how. The Plant of the Week is putting on a show right now here in California, and soon across much of the rest of the country, and it’s an excellent cut flower, too: the Peruvian Lily, also known as alstroemeria. Warren Roberts of the UC Davis Arboretum waxes rhapsodic about this pla...
May 11, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 101
