On this week's Good Growing podcast, the hosts discuss some last minute Christmas gifts for a gardener, the winter solstice, and our recent winter weather. Listen in as they reminisce about the past year of podcasts. Where has Ken been? 1:34 Last minute Christmas gift ideas 2:43 Happy Winter Solstice! 7:37 Warm Winter Weather and Bats 8:23 Warm Weather and Wind Damage 13:06 Reminiscing about 2021 Podcasts 17:15 How to Take Care of Amaryllis and Get Them to Rebloom https://extension.illinois.edu/...
Dec 22, 2021•23 min•Ep. 96
On this week's Good Growing podcast we welcome Dr. Chelsea Harbach, commercial ag educator with University of Illinois Extension and nematode expert! We dive into what are nematodes and do Illinois gardeners need to worry about these microscopic worms swimming through the soil, plus the impacts that can occur on agricultural crops. Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/rBKyuXzRfrQ 3:42 Introducing Chelsea! 9:49 What kind of work does Chelsea do at the Monmouth Research Farm? 12:22 What is a nemat...
Dec 17, 2021•45 min•Ep. 95
On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat with plant pathologist Diane Plewa about disease observations in 2021 and what gardeners can do when plant disease rears its ugly head in your garden. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/FQcZJ9fhhS4 2:51 Welcome Diane and learning about the University of Illinois Plant Clinic! 9:49 Were there any disease trends you noticed or did anything surprise you in 2021? 14:23 Are there any concerning plant diseases on the horizon? 26:37 How do plant diseases get i...
Dec 10, 2021•47 min•Ep. 94
Join the Good Growing crew as they chat with University of Illinois Extension Local Food and Small Farm Educator Bronwyn Aly as she shares with them some of the work being done at the Dixon Springs Research center. 2:49 Upcoming Good Growing Winter Webinar Series https://extension.illinois.edu/global/good-growing 4:50 Bronwyn tells us about her research at the Dixon Springs Research Center. See more of what she has been working on here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60mykiWvnhE&list=PLffsjF...
Dec 02, 2021•55 min•Ep. 93
On this week's Good Growing podcast, Chris talks about his list of things he is thankful for during this Thanksgiving week! If you've ever wondered what a gardener and Extension educator would have on their list of thanks, listen as Chris describes healthy soil, volunteers, and more! Check out the Good Growing Blog extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing Want Good Growing updates? Subscribe at go.illinois.edu/GoodGrowingSubscribe --- Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are i...
Nov 23, 2021•5 min•Ep. 92
In this week's Good Growing podcast Ken discusses the differences between sweet potatoes and yams, which may prove helpful come Thanksgiving. Check out the Good Growing Blog extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing Want Good Growing updates? Subscribe at https://go.illinois.edu/GoodGrowingSubscribe --- Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.
Nov 18, 2021•8 min•Ep. 91
December 1st is the start of the Good Growing Webinar Series, and you won't want to miss it! Topics to be covered by the webinar series include Unique Plants for the Holidays, Going Nuts over Tree Nuts, Wonderful Winter Interest, and Dealing with Winter Wildlife Damage. Listen in to learn a bit more about each webinar topic and learn how to get registered! 1:52 Welcome Andrew! 2:41 Ken tells us about some of the unique plants he has received as Christmas gifts over the years. 6:30 Andrew shares ...
Nov 10, 2021•15 min•Ep. 90
After an unseasonably long wait for our first frost, we finally got hit the first week of November. Frost in the Midwest sets about a chain of natural events in the landscape as the world prepares for winter. What are some things to consider when putting the yard and garden to bed in the fall? The Good Growing crew discusses what is on their to-do list to get their gardens prepared for winter. Watch us on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fcmbHDXzdY 1:27 - Talking the first frost - were w...
Nov 05, 2021•33 min•Ep. 89
This week's Good Growing podcast is a Halloween Spooktacular episode. We're all dressed up for Halloween as we discuss soil testing, jumping worms, creepy crawlies moving indoors, how to dispose of pumpkins at the end of Halloween, and more! Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/joDWxklnbz4 00:20 - Costume reveals 06:28 - Soil testing 06:55 - Do we lack any nutrients in central Illinois soils? 10:45 - Do we test for nitrogen? 12:11 - Interpreting soil tests 13:32 - Jumping worms 15:15 - How do t...
Oct 29, 2021•37 min•Ep. 88
In this week’s episode of the Good Growing podcast, we chat with Extension Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Doug Gucker about Paw Paw trees. Doug explains to us how to get started with growing paw paws; he even shares the many ways this fruit can be enjoyed! Watch us on YouTube 3:20 Welcome Doug! 5: 27 What is the history of the Paw Paw tree? 8:43 How did you get interested in growing pawpaws? 11:40 What does a home gardener need to know to grow pawpaw and select the right tree? Are there an...
Oct 21, 2021•35 min•Ep. 87
In this week’s episode of the Good Growing podcast, we chat with Extension Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Nick Frillman about garlic. We dive into growing this tasty spice starting right now, in the fall and then we go through the garlic growing season to harvest. We even talk about our favorite types, uses, and how can we select our harvest for replanting for next year’s crop. Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/_T7QYXEcUWg Check out one of Nick’s partner organizations the Illinois Young...
Oct 15, 2021•55 min•Ep. 86
On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk with Commercial Agriculture Educator Elizabeth Wahle about some of her favorite plants. In addition to some of her favorite plants, we discuss her process of selecting plants, how she handles wildlife in her garden, and more! Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GMK4U0tKnvk Plants we discuss: Crocus, Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mas), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Hellebore (Helleborus), Dogtooth Violet (Erythronium), Herbaceous Peonies (Pa...
Oct 08, 2021•40 min•Ep. 85
In this week's Good Growing podcast Chris remarks on the observation of dying ash trees and one final landscape use for a dead ash tree. Check out the Good Growing Blog extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing --- Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.
Oct 01, 2021•7 min•Ep. 84
In this week's episode of the Good Growing podcast, we talk with Illinois state climatologist Trent Ford. We ask Trent about our weather observations from 2021 starting with the weeks of rain this spring, a humid smokey summer, to the abnormally dry autumns we've seen for the past several years including this one. Trent looks at the data to see how our observations trend with recorded weather patterns and what that means for the overall Illinois climate. Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/4Iwi...
Sep 24, 2021•36 min•Ep. 83
On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk with Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Grant McCarty about how things are going in northern Illinois and some of the different crops he's been trying in his garden, like day-neutral strawberries, grapes, and fall-planted blackberries. We also discuss an orchard crawl Grant did, and Ken gives updates on his rice and glass gem corn. Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GPLfk0Mavp4 01:35 - Rice and glass gem corn update 03:45 - Welcome Grant 04:35 - ...
Sep 16, 2021•32 min•Ep. 82
On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk with Eliana Brown, Water Resources Outreach Specialist, and Layne Knoche, Extension Outreach Associate, about the Red Oak Rain Garden. We go into detail on their process for redesigning the rain garden while remaining sensitive to the site two massive existing trees a red oak and a sycamore. Learn about how they graded the soils so carefully using an air knife to gently expose the tree roots. Learn about Layne’s design inspiration and how he applied h...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 81
On this week's Good Growing Podcast Illinois Extension horticulture educators Ken Johnson and Chris Enroth talk about designing the pollinator display gardens for the upcoming Farm Progress show (August 31 - Sept 2). Including the struggle with finding late-season blooming plants in the nursery and some of our favorite late-season bloomers. Plus we talk about dividing iris, poorly developed apple fruit, squash bugs, and lilac problems. Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/vNy592LYdO0 Check out K...
Aug 27, 2021•33 min•Ep. 80
On this week's Good Growing podcast, we talk with horticulture educator Richard Hentschel about fall lawn care. We discuss why fall is a great time to do various activities in our lawns like seeding, fertilizing, and aerating. Plus, we answer some of your lawn questions! Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/QCWX2HzFpY8 03:10 - Lawns are often vilified, what are they good for? 08:05 - Seeding your lawn in the fall 13:00 - Fertilizing your lawn 19:15 - Aeration, what is it and how to do it 23:25 - De...
Aug 20, 2021•52 min•Ep. 79
On this week's Good Growing podcast, we talk with Phillip Alberti, commercial ag educator and one of Illinois' leading hemp experts. Now that hemp is legal to grow in Illinois we have some questions about what we're seeing in the farm fields and hearing about in the news. Growing hemp comes with lots of oversight, investment, and risk! Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/RRiCa9ySTRE 3:19 What is hemp? Cannabis? Marijuana? Is this all the same? What is being grown here in Illinois? 7:02 Is it commo...
Aug 13, 2021•55 min•Ep. 78
On this week's Good Growing podcast, we are talking sweet corn. As we enter the later part of the season what are some things we need to know about growing sweet corn? Perhaps you've seen some unwanted pests or some fertility issues. What about harvesting and storing for a wintertime sweet corn treat? Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/6FIKy7H86Ms 2:11 Isn't it all corn just corn? What is sweet corn versus field corn? 3:31 What is the "milk stage?" And the different stages of pollination. 5:45...
Aug 05, 2021•31 min•Ep. 77
On this week's Good Growing podcast Ken and Chris chat about growing in containers. They discuss some unique plants they grow and cover why a soil-free mix is important, how they fertilize, some watering tips, and more! Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/-shjyu_ChKQ 1:01 What do we grow in containers? Ornamentals, veggies, and some unique plants. 8:44 Soil-free mix - why do we use it? Plus specialty mixes. 12:50 Benefits of soil-free potting mix 14:38 Selecting containers - material (plastic, ...
Jul 30, 2021•35 min•Ep. 76
We take a road trip to Jacksonville, Illinois! On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat in-person with Energy and Environmental Educator Duane Friend about algae blooms on ponds, other pond weeds, and more pond problems. Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/Gt4E6uke72E 2:40 What's the difference between a pond and a lake? 3:48 How to identify an algal bloom and how do you know if it is dangerous? 8:34 Can you eat fish from a pond that has an algae bloom? 9:33 What about eating fish from a pon...
Jul 23, 2021•24 min•Ep. 75
Have you had a lot of rain recently? On this week's podcast, we discuss some of the issues we can encounter in our gardens when the weather gets wet and steps we can take to manage them. We also discuss some of the beneficial insects we can find in our gardens. Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/30sF7kqj7fU 03:20 - Wet weather and plant diseases 04:35 - Humidity and plant diseases 06:00 - Ways to prevent plant diseases 07:30 - Hail damage to plants 09:30 - Why are there so many crop dusters o...
Jul 15, 2021•22 min•Ep. 74
On this week's Good Growing podcast we dive into one of America's favorite garden vegetables, the tomato! Katie, Ken, and Chris enjoy growing tomatoes and describe how they grow tomatoes in their backyards. We tackle common tomato problems, some of our favorites, and how to save the harvest. All this and more! Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/MmkBN8tqLOs 3:30 How does Katie grow tomatoes? 4:00 Deer eating tomatoes? 5:40 What tomatoes does Ken grow? 7:33 What tomatoes does Chris grow? 8:20 Do...
Jul 08, 2021•46 min•Ep. 73
Do you have a spot in the garden for some solar panels? What about the roof? For this episode of the Good Growing podcast we chat with Illinois Extension educator Erin Garrett about solar power for the home. If you are considering solar power for your home, we dive into some important considerations and a few extra questions on other renewable energy sources. 5:11 What is renewable energy and what options do those in Illinois have? 6:35 Is solar power the best option for Illinois homes? 9:14 Wha...
Jul 02, 2021•56 min•Ep. 72
On this episode of the Good Growing Podcast, we chat with Sara Johnson, a field botanist and research assistant with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Sara studies rare plants, and we discuss her recent thesis on a rare mint found in Florida. We talk about field botany and some good natural areas to go and visit in Illinois. Plus Sara shares some of the unique plants she grows in her own garden including some of the wild (and deadly) tomatoes (Solanum sp.). 2:49 What is Sara's favorite kind o...
Jun 11, 2021•56 min•Ep. 71
On this week’s Good Growing podcast the crew chats with Extension horticulture educator Martha Smith about must-see botanic gardens and her favorite tree, the beech tree! From Longwood to Missouri Botanical Garden and much more, Martha points out some fantastic botanical gardens throughout the United States, and ones right here in the Midwest. We also discuss beech trees an under-rated and under-planted tree which happens to be Martha’s favorite tree. Martha shares her favorite beech tree cultiv...
Jun 04, 2021•52 min•Ep. 70
On this week's Good Growing podcast the crew sits down with University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Sarah Vogel to talk about trees and some common problems we encounter in the home landscape. Sarah is a certified arborist and is based in Decatur, Illinois. On this show we get into: What are the main problems Sarah sees with home landscape trees There is conflicting advice on tree planting. What's the best way to plant a tree? What is root washing? Is it worth the extra effort? Wh...
May 28, 2021•47 min•Ep. 69
On this week's Good Growing podcast the crew chats about the upcoming Brood X emergence and why Ken is sad we don't live within their range. But we do talk about the best ways to eat cicadas plus who shouldn't eat cicadas. What should people expect who live within the Brood X range and how to protect young trees from cicada damage. All this and much more! Check out the Cicada Mania webpage https://www.cicadamania.com/ The Ohio State University's article on cicadas https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1759 ...
May 20, 2021•29 min•Ep. 68
On this week's Good Growing podcast Katie, Ken, and Chris answer your timely questions about gardening in May. Dealing with late spring frosts and tomatoes. What to do about rhubarb that gets hit by frost? There are some landscape plants with black and brown foliage. Is this from the frost a few weeks ago? What should you do about cedar apple rust? If I spray 2,4-D on my lawn will it kill my hostas? Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/EZMyurxkCFY ___ Any products mentioned during the podcast ar...
May 13, 2021•13 min•Ep. 67
