When the history of American gardening is told, the contributions of Black Americans are often overlooked. My guest this week, horticulturist and writer Abra Lee, is working to rectify that, and she joins me to highlight a few of the little-known stories that deserve to be shared. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even i...
Apr 21, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coconut coir is growing in popularity as a seed starting and growing medium, especially, as a replacement for peat moss. But using coir for this purpose has its challenges. To shed light on the history of coir in horticulture and how its naturally high salt content can be overcome for seed starting and seedling growth, my guest this week is international agricultural consultant Dr. Hugh Allen Poole. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can d...
Apr 14, 2022•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Carnivorous plants pique the interest of every gardener and houseplant hoarder at some point, but bringing a Venus flytrap home on a whim with no idea how to care for it will soon lead to disappointment. Fortunately, to explain how to keep carnivorous plants alive and thriving, my guest this week is International Carnivorous Plant Society Education Director Kenny Coogan, who runs a successful carnivorous plant nursery. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most importan...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Gardening hurdles are those challenges that stop us from gardening as much as we’d like to — or that stop us from getting started in the first place. On this week’s podcast, I share advice on overcoming common gardening hurdles that listeners have shared. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging con...
Mar 31, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Plant breeding isn’t just for commercial growers. With some knowledge, a bit of effort and a fair amount of patience, any home gardener can breed new crosses of flowers or vegetables. To discuss how to create hybrid and open-pollinated plant varieties, my guest this week is garden writer and plant breeder Joseph Tychonievich. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do today, witho...
Mar 24, 2022•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gardeners know the importance of attracting more pollinators to their yards, but there are other beneficial insects that don’t get the attention and the credit they deserve, namely predatory and parasitoid insects. To discuss the value of these vital insects and how to attract them to your garden, my guest this week is horticulturist and author Jessica Walliser. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landsca...
Mar 17, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chile peppers are all hot to some degree, but how hot a pepper tastes depends on a variety of factors, from growing conditions to the palate of the person eating those peppers. To explain the science behind hot peppers, along with good to know and how to grow information is my guest this week is chile breeding and genetics expert Dr. Paul Bosland to share. Download my free guide- How Do I Grow Peppers . The basics of how to grow delicious peppers and keep them thriving in your garden all season....
Mar 10, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mar 03, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Download my free guide- Tomato Care Checklist. The key steps every gardener should take to minimize common tomato issues Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to receive weekly updates about new podcast episodes, seasonal gardening tips, and online gardening course announcements. Check out The joegardener® Online Gardening Academy for our growing library of organic gardening courses. Follow joegardener® on Instagram , Facebook , Pinterest , and Twitter , and subscribe to The joegardenerTV You...
Feb 24, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dahlias are tuberous tender perennials that are not only some of the most beautiful flowers on the planet, they're also a blast to grow once you get the hang of it. My guest this week, Kristine Albrecht, is a dahlia expert who is here to share dahlia basics as well as the advanced techniques for breeding new dahlia varieties at home. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do toda...
Feb 17, 2022•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Collectively, the decisions we make as gardeners impact the ecosystem and the climate for better or for worse. To encourage us all to make positive choices for the planet and biodiversity, my guest this week is garden designer and writer Benjamin Vogt, the author of “ A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future .” Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I st...
Feb 10, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Figs are the perfect plants for beginner fruit growers, and even the most experienced among us love growing figs for their sweet flavor and jammy flesh. Growing figs nearly anywhere is possible, but in cold climates, it poses some challenges, but none of that challenges are insurmountable. To explain what you need to know to grow figs successfully, my guest this week is Upstate New York gardener and horticulturist Lee Reich. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most im...
Feb 03, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast In their own way, trees can see, smell, taste, feel and hear. In the wild, most trees live in communities and even have families. To reveal the hidden life of trees, my guest this week is forester and New York Times bestselling author Peter Wohlleben. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditi...
Jan 27, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Because of a few aggressive species, wasps often get a bad rap, but they are vital to the ecosystem and helpful to gardeners for many reasons. Wasps — of which there are 18,000 species in North America — also have fascinating biology and behaviors, and you’ll love learning about them. To tell us all about the diversity and importance of wasps, my guest this week is biologist, pollinator conservationist and award-winning author Heather Holm. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever...
Jan 20, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast As gardeners, if we get stuck in our ways, we can’t grow. I love the fact that there is always more to learn when it comes to gardening and that we can push ourselves to be better stewards of our land. To discuss many of the lessons she learned this past year, my friend and guest this week is Margaret Roach, gardening columnist for The New York Times and the founder of A Way to Garden. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a th...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we seek to not only stop but reverse wildlife loss and the effects of climate change, going organic is not enough. We need to adopt regenerative practices that provide opportunities for nature to heal. To speak to how we can all participate in changing the world, one garden at a time, my guest this week is gardener and author Emily Murphy. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I stil...
Jan 06, 2022•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Not everyone has a yard where they can start a garden, which is exactly why my guest this week, Acadia Tucker, wrote her book, Tiny Victory Gardens, including lots of tips on growing food without a yard. Acadia is a farmer, writer and climate activist who promotes gardening methods that increase food resiliency, feed pollinators and draw down carbon. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s wha...
Dec 30, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Taking care of a property for many years and watching the plants that you put in the ground mature and flourish is one of the most satisfying parts of gardening, but sometimes circumstances require us to leave our beloved gardens behind. My guest this week, garden designer and acclaimed writer Page Dickey, shares her journey and growth from starting over after leaving her garden of 34 years and what a fresh start has taught her. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 mos...
Dec 23, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast While many people understand that native plants are important, there's often a gap in understanding what pollinators rely on them. Understanding how to attract, observe and identify these essential insects is vital to our role in helping promote biological diversity within the species. To help us understand more about this important topic, my guest this week is biologist, pollinator conservationist and award-winning author Heather Holm. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - t...
Dec 16, 2021•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Peat moss plays a big role in the horticulture industry and for home gardeners. But when it comes to sustainability and climate change, peat moss may not a great choice for our gardening endeavors. To discuss the challenges of its ongoing use in the face of climate change, my guest this week is Dr. Merritt Turetsky, a wetland ecologist and the “Queen of Peat.” Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape...
Dec 09, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast For centuries, the objective of gardening has been to tame the wild, and that led to many horticultural practices that are disastrous for wildlife and the ecosystem at large. The objective of ecological gardening, a new movement, is to create beautiful spaces in concert with nature rather than trying to overcome nature. To explain the value of ecological gardening and how to implement it yourself to create beauty and biodiversity, my guest this week is gardener, consultant and writer Matt Rees-W...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Grow bags are a convenient solution for gardeners who are short on space, but every gardener can enjoy the benefits of grow bags. In this week’s episode, I answer all your questions on gardening in grow bags, including all the advantages as well as the challenges and how to overcome them. We polled our social media followers recently on what they wanted to know about grow bags and boy did we get a lot of questions. Answers to all of them are in this podcast and show notes. Download my free eBook...
Nov 25, 2021•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Propagating native plants from seeds protects genetic diversity and is simple to do. To discuss all the benefits and the steps for the easiest way to grow native seeds in winter (no special equipment required) is my guest this week, Heather McCargo, the executive director of the Wild Seed Project . Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do today, without exception to get incredib...
Nov 18, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The more we learn about the importance of biodiversity and the harms of monoculture, pesticides and synthetic fertilizer, the more we realize that sprawling lawns should be phased out. Here to explain the simple steps to converting lawn into an ecologically fundamental meadow is Owen Wormser, an expert in regenerative landscape design. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do to...
Nov 11, 2021•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brooklyn Bridge Park is a shining example of ecological horticulture at work and its many benefits. To continue our conversation on how it works and practical ways to apply ecological horticulture at home, Rebecca McMackin is back for Part II of this important discussion. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the mos...
Nov 04, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ecological horticulture is one of the most important methodologies that gardeners can adopt to combat the loss of biodiversity, but the term is still unfamiliar to many. To explain ecological horticulture and how to practice it, my guest this week is self-described “ecologically obsessed” director of horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Rebecca McMackin. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’...
Oct 28, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adding a cutting garden to your landscape will mean fresh-cut flowers for you to enjoy and also an abundance of pollinators and other beneficial insects in your vegetable garden. To explain why vegetables love flowers and how to start a cutting garden, my guest this week is flower farmer and author Lisa Mason Ziegler. With Lisa’s tips, you'll be ready to grow flowers confidently in no time. Download my free Guide- 6 Steps to Creating a Three Season Cut Flower Garden. Subscribe to the joegardener...
Oct 21, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast As much as we love watching monarch butterflies fluttering in our gardens and landing on flowers to sip nectar, there is much about monarchs that remains a mystery to both gardeners and scientists. My guest this week, Nancy Lawson, is part of a new citizen science project named Monarch Rx, and she’s here to explain an unexpected way that gardeners can support monarch populations. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving...
Oct 14, 2021•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starting a food forest may sound like it requires more space than many of us have to work with, but the reality is even gardeners with small yards can implement this permaculture growing method. To share food forest methods and principles, my guest this week is Darrell Frey, a sustainable design expert. Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It’s what I still do today, without exception to get inc...
Oct 07, 2021•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Growing garlic in the home garden opens up the opportunity to experience an array of flavors that you will never find with store-bought garlic. Growing garlic is easy, but there are a few important things to know to have success. To share his expert advice on growing great garlic, my guest this week is Alley Swiss of Filaree Farm in Washington. Download my free eBook Grow Great Garlic at Home - A Guide to Selecting, Planting, Harvesting, Curing, and Storing Garlic. Subscribe to the joegardener® ...
Sep 30, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
