Welcome to the new year, and our latest Greatest Hits episode, featuring those segments that you spent the most time enjoying, in record numbers in 2021. Among the top listened to segments last year included a lot about tomatoes. In fact, the top 5 listened-to segments on the garden basics podcast had to do with tomatoes. That makes this 2021 Greatest Hits episode of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast one that just might answer most of your tomato questions, from seed planting all the wa...
Jan 07, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 160
Eat less sugar. Eat more fiber. Eat out of the garden more! Have you set your New Year’s resolutions yet? We’ll talk with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Andrew Bunting about some good gardening habits to start in 2022. The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, ushers in the New Year with a plant that just might be putting on a show right now with its colorful berries or reddish leaves. It’s the Heavenly Bamboo, also known as Nandina domestica, ...
Dec 31, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 159
Life, as I am fond of saying, is too short to put up with a problem plant. Today, the very alive Debbie Flower, who is no problem at all, talks about when to pull the plug on the dying plants in your garden, including some organ harvesting tips when it comes to tomato plants who have overstayed their welcome at your garden party. Plus, we have tips for choosing and storing those cool season fruit favorites, persimmons, apples and citrus. Merry Christmas! The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden ...
Dec 24, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 158
A listener in St. Louis wrote in to ask, “Is it OK to put the stems and leaves of what’s left of the summer vegetable garden in a compost pile?” Retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower answers: it depends! We take a deep dive into composting basics today. The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden ’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, tells us about the Plant of the Week. For some, it’s an outdoor, winter blooming, bedding plant. For others, it’s a houseplant. For all, it puts a...
Dec 17, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 157
Did you ever pull a sick, root-bound plant out of a too-small plastic or ceramic container and look at the root ball? All those thick roots, going round and round, along the sides and throughout the bottom? All those thick roots are impeding the flow of water and fertilizer throughout the plant’s root zone, which may be why that plant was sick! We talk with Smart Pots president Kurt Reiger about how their fabric plant containers don’t let that happen to your plants! It’s called air pruning. We’l...
Dec 10, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 156
Farmer Fred Garden Rule #1 : Bermudagrass is forever. You think I’m kidding? Ask any gardener who is battling this triple threat weed, which can reproduce and spread via seed, stems and rootstocks. Retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower gives us some ideas for control and suppression tactics when battling bermudagrass (please note, I did NOT say, eradicate). The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden ’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, tells us about a tree that has it all: g...
Dec 03, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 155
One gardening trend that is beginning to take hold throughout the country is reducing the size of your lawn. What is our attraction to lawns in the first place? We talk with author Thomas Mickey. He wrote the book, " America’s Romance with the English Garden" . Retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower discusses a nasty weed, especially disliked by barefoot children and mountain bikers, puncture vine. And, the UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, tells us about ...
Nov 26, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 154
Just as all gardening is local, all weeds are local, too. And we are hearing from many of you about your yard’s nightmare weeds, especially ones that can be mistaken for clover, and you let it go…until it starts taking over. It’s oxalis, and its close relatives, creeping wood sorrel, and bermuda buttercup, and another weed that crashes the oxalis family parties, bur clover. Debbie Flower and I feel your pain on this one. And UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren ...
Nov 19, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 153
Some of you, especially in USDA Zone 9 where freezing temperatures haven’t occurred yet, you may still have green and partially red tomatoes, clinging to life, in your backyard garden. Will they ripen? And as always, the answer is: it depends. One listener from Virginia wants to know if that pile of mulch near her maple tree can be moved. Her concern: the roots of the tree have invaded that mulch pile…and, there’s a bunch of suspicious stringy white stuff inside that mulch pile, as well. We star...
Nov 12, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 152
Today we feature two garden crops that may still be lingering at your place, outdoors or indoors. It’s popcorn and pumpkins. The Plant of the Week is that Halloween decoration that’s collecting mold on your front porch: pumpkins. But it’s more than something to be used as an October 31st ornament. UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts discusses the history of the pumpkin and the vital uses it has served humans for more than a thousand years. We are still getting questions fro...
Nov 05, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 151
Gardeners everywhere have a certain weed that drives them up the wall. Today, we talk about one that can literally climb a wall: field bindweed. Although it's in the morning glory family, don’t be fooled by its pretty, white flowers. Field bindweed needs to be controlled as soon as you see it. We have tips for tackling field bindweed. Power outages hit both the west and east coasts recently, due to massive storms. Many of you may have invested in your first generator to help keep your harvested ...
Oct 29, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 150
Today we tackle a question from a listener who asks, why were my tomato seedlings last spring so skinny? Debbie Flower and I run through all the possibilities, and it turned out to be a very good tomato seed planting primer, something to keep in mind when you’re starting tomato seeds indoors next January, February or March. The Plant of the Week is a colorful, warm season annual that will be widely used in celebrations next week. No, it’s not the Halloween pumpkin. It’s a plant with even more cu...
Oct 26, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 149
Late October may be your last, best opportunity for overseeding a poorly performing lawn here in USDA Zone 9. Your next opportunity across the U.S. will be next spring. In either case, we tackle a listener’s questions about the best way to go about the process of rehabbing your lawn. College Horticulture Professor (retired) Debbie Flower has some great tips on that topic. Also, we discuss a great piece of fruit that is ripening right now: Japanese persimmons. Phil Pursel of Dave Wilson Nursery h...
Oct 22, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 148
Today we tackle a widespread beautiful weed whose cousin is a rather desirable plant. The weed? Salt Heliotrope, a close relative of the widely cultivated common heliotrope. And you don’t want the salt heliotrope growing around your desirable plants. One of the showiest plants right now is 'Autumn Joy' Sedum. We’ll tell you all about this, the Plant of the Week. And a primer on using livestock watering troughs for permanent plants, as well as annuals. It’s on episode 147 of the Garden Basics wit...
Oct 19, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 147
Master Gardener and Professional Houseplant Expert Lori Ann Asmus of Emerald City Interior Landscape Services talks about the pros and cons of fertilizing your houseplants, as well as problems you might face using some tap waters on your houseplants. College Horticulture Professor (retired) Debbie Flower sheds light on one listener’s dilemma: great looking pole bean plants, but no beans this year! Debbie lists several possibilities that could be the culprit. Podcasting from Barking Dog Studios h...
Oct 15, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 146
Major League Baseball playoffs have started, and you know what that means? It’s time to harvest your popcorn! However, it’s still not ready for eating. How do you know when it’s ready to be popped? We have the popcorn harvesting tips for you today. The Plant of the Week is widely adaptable throughout the West, the South, and up through the Carolinas and Virginia. Salvia, the sage plant. In particular, we are talking about the autumn sage, Salvia greggii, a real hummingbird magnet. Starting a new...
Oct 12, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 145
Is wood ash good for the garden soil? Our favorite college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, answers decisively with, “it depends”. She has tips to help you decide if your soil will benefit from the addition of wood ash. She also tackles the topic of ash from nearby wildfires falling on your garden. Good or bad? And we talk with Organic Gardening expert Steve Zien about how you can achieve better soil starting this time of year, with a lot less work. His tips might even allow you to skip th...
Oct 08, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 144
If you have a lot of leaning trees and shrubs on your property, chances are there’s an ill wind blowing around your home. Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, has some ideas on helping your plants survive, even thrive, is areas with persistent winds. UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, tells us about a popular, fall-blooming Plant of the Week, the Goldenrod, also known as Solidago. And as you will find out, it’s nothing to sneeze at. It’s on...
Oct 05, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 143
About a year ago, on Episode 52, retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower gave us a beginning class on having a cut flower garden. Today, we graduate to more tips on successful cut flower care, including how to cut an outdoor plant to bring indoors so that it will last a long time. Plus, Debbie has a homemade recipe for a floral preservative that will help that display last even longer. And since we’re indoors, Master Gardener and professional houseplant expert Lori Ann Asmus tells u...
Oct 01, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 142
Pull one nutsedge weed from your lawn or garden, and nine more will come to the funeral. Nutsedge, also called nutgrass, is tough to control. And one of the worse things you can do is to pull it out of the ground. Former college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, has some better ideas on how to control this wide-spread weed. UC Davis Arboretum superintendent emeritus Warren Roberts tells us about a popular, fall-blooming Plant of the Week, the Michaelmas daisy. It’s on episode 141 of the Gar...
Sep 28, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 141
One Garden Basic we need to stress more on this podcast is this: to head off major plant problems, observe your garden, carefully. Retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower talks about some mental exercises she taught her students to become better observational gardeners. Plus, we discuss growing avocado trees in marginal climates. And, tips for moving giant pumpkins that might be taking over your backyard. It’s all on episode 140 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought...
Sep 24, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 140
If you live in a mild winter climate, mid-September through mid-October is the best time to care for or renovate your lawn. We get organic lawn care tips from organic landscaper, Steve Zien. And, the Plant of the Week: it’s a dependable, blooming perennial from late spring through mid-fall in warm climates. Warren Roberts tells us about the Gaillardia. It’s Episode 139 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. And we will do it all...
Sep 21, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 139
You’ve heard on this podcast many times the benefits of using worm castings, which some people consider the best soil amendment. Just listen to Episode 107 about that. But maybe you’ve seen the price of worm castings at the nursery, and your hesitant. How about growing your own worm castings? Today, we find out how to set up your own worm bin to harvest the freshest worm castings possible. Plus, we find out about five grape varieties, both table grapes and wine grapes, that you may want to grow ...
Sep 17, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 138
We have a listener named Cindy. Cindy doesn’t like aphids. Cindy HATES aphids. If you’re a gardener, too, you probably aren’t very fond of this plant sucking insect, either. We have aphid control tips today. Also, it’s cool season vegetable planting time, we have a list of coast to coast winners for your garden. And, the Plant of the Week. It’s everywhere this time of year, for a good reason: they seem to always be in bloom. The petunia. We will tell you all about it, on Episode 137 of the Garde...
Sep 14, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 137
There is one four-legged pest that ravages gardens and orchards throughout the West, the mid-West and the South: Pocket gophers. So named for the furry pouches outside its mouth that can store food, pocket gophers can destroy the bark and roots of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs from its underground tunnel systems. Today, we talk with a gopher control expert on which tactics work, and which don’t work, to control gophers. Also, why would a cucumber plant just die? We tackle that question f...
Sep 10, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 136
We all know someone who complains that they have killed every houseplant they have ever owned. Today, we talk with a houseplant professional who has a list of five nearly impossible to kill houseplants! We’ve talked about the benefits of using chipped and shredded tree limbs as mulch. Are there any tree varieties that you should avoid? College horticulture professor Debbie Flower has the tips. And, UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts has a sweet-smelling Plant of the Week -...
Sep 07, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 135
Many gardeners in the western United States are breathing in wildfire smoke. So are your plants. What does smoke and falling ash do to the health of a plant? And what can you do about it? And, oddly enough, there are some benefits to that pollution. For Eastern and Midwestern gardeners, now’s the time to plan for protecting your young, fruit producing trees and shrubs this fall and winter. We'll tell you why. Do you know your USDA Plant Hardiness zone? We talk about that, and a better resource f...
Sep 03, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 134
Rachel in Indiana contacted us via Speakpipe with a question that many gardeners might have: How do you control Japanese beetles? This voracious pest feeds of hundreds of plants, especially your roses. We talk with a Master Rosarian who has control tips. The Plant of the Week has the rather gruesome name, the Oxblood Lily. Yet, it is a beautiful and widely adaptable bulb that’s starting to put on its annual show. It’s on episode 133 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you t...
Aug 31, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 133
I love late August, because the backyard food garden is at its peak. Everywhere, there’s tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, peaches, melons and so much more that fill the garden beds. Perhaps too much? We have a great idea on what to do with all that produce that you can’t keep up with. Also, we hear from a gardener in Oregon who wants to know: "Why aren’t my vegetables growing? The plants look healthy, they’re just not growing." We have some ideas why, on episode 132 of the Garden Basics with Farmer ...
Aug 27, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 132
It’s grape harvest season across the country. Disappointed with your results? This week, College Horticulture Professor (retired) Debbie Flower, who taught classes in growing grapes, has lots of good tips to increase your grape production. Carrots now come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. We talk with Renee Shepherd of Renee’s Garden seed company about growing backyard carrots. And Warren Roberts of the UC Davis Arboretum talks about an easy to grow bulb, the Sternbergia, also known as the...
Aug 24, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 131
