Helping Gardeners Grow: The Podcast

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Expect to hear next level of information about growing like a pro. In this podcast expert gardener Donna Balzer interviews growers about their special interests and brings their lives and stories to life. Do you want to learn about growing organic saffron or how to grow a gravel garden into rich garden soil? Or maybe you want to crack the code on growing peppers, tomatoes or carrots? Would a few words of wisdom from a professional flower grower boost your success with flower pots forever? If you are a gardener ready for the next level then this podcast will help you grow.

Donna Balzer


    • May 6, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 51m AVG DURATION
    • 39 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Helping Gardeners Grow: The Podcast

    S3 EPISODE 3 – Home Garden Tips From Farmer John

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2022 59:04


    Guest: John Mills, Eagle Creek Farm Big Idea: From the Farm to the Home garden: Ideas Shared Topic Today:  John Mills is well known for his organic potatoes in Canada and he sells them across the country including Prince Edward Island! Listen in to Episode 18, season 1 to hear all about John's potatoes. Today […]

    S3 EPISODE 2 – Herbal Houseplants

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2022 52:40


    Guest: Susan Betz, Author of Herbal Houseplants Big Idea: You Can Grow Herbs as Houseplants Topic Today:  “ Plant an Herb and grow a friend,” says author and expert herbalist Susan Betz in this interview about herbs and her new book Herbal Houseplants.   “… And when you look at different cultures, they might take […]

    S3 EPISODE 1 – Citizen Seed Trials

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2022 37:29


    Guest: Siri van Gruen, Farm Folk, City Folk Big Idea: Participate in seed trials and help food security! Topic Today:  “The Citizen Seed Trial is a public science program that helps to engage gardeners and growers in the process of variety trials, seed saving, and seed breeding,” says Siri van Gruen as we discuss the […]

    S2 Episode 16 – Making Maple Syrup

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2022 43:59


    Guest: Allison and Philip Bowers, Autumn Leaves Maple Farm Big Idea: Maple Trees Listed as a “Farm Crop” Topic Today:  Using existing maples to gain farm status from a wet piece of land For more info: (250) 228-1801 Email: autumnleavesmaplefarm@gmail.com Information about classifying land for farm status in British Columbia: https://www.taxtips.ca/documents/Farm-Classification-in-BC-2016.pdf Equipment supplier: Dominion and […]

    S2 Episode 15 – Food Gardens at Hollyhock Retreat Centre

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 51:08


    Guest: Dana Trueman Big Idea: Gardening for a Crowd using French Intensive Methods Topic Today:  Big Scale Food Production at Hollyhock Retreat Centre on Cortes Island From an invitation to “start work tomorrow”, Dana Trueman became a gardener at the Hollyhock Retreat Centre on Cortes Island over twenty years ago. His job is to beautify […]

    S2 Episode 14 – Growing Organic Garlic for Flavour and Money

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2021 61:31


    Guest: Jim Capellini – owner/manager, Rasa Creek Farm Big Idea: Grow Garlic for yourself or for market Topic Today:  Like all home-grown food, the flavour of fresh garlic is so much better than store bought. “There's education that’s needed and mostly it’s palate education,” says farmer Jim Cappelini. “Once people experience the [taste] difference, they […]

    S2 Episode 13- Mid-Summer Check-Up in the Garden

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2021 59:35


    Guest: Linda Gilkeson Big Idea: Mid-summer Garden Tips: Don't let your pollinators starve to death, mulch, shade and start new seed. Topic Today:  “The proportion of insect species that are pests is minute. It’s like less than a 10th of 1% of species in the world. And, you know, the birds that eat insects in […]

    S2 Episode 12- Home Garden Livestock Part 2: Ducks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2021 49:23


    Guest: Cameron Ezzy, Slugsnbugs Canada Big Idea: Ducks Eat Slugs Topic Today:  In part 1 of livestock in the Home Garden we looked at renting chickens. Believe me, there is a huge benefit to having livestock in your home garden, but what if you can't maintain it full-time or if your city or town doesn't […]

    S2 Episode 11- Livestock-Part 1: Chickens

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2021 37:58


    Guest: Carolyn Sweet + daughters Bronwyn & Marion Big Idea: When Your City Doesn't allow chickens, Borrow Them Topic Today:  There is a huge benefit to having livestock in your home garden, but what if you can't maintain it full-time or if your city or town doesn't allow it? Home Garden Livestock part one looks […]

    S2 Episode 10 – Plant Partners: Science Based Companion Planting

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2021 49:34


    Guest: Jessica Walliser, Savvy Gardening Big Idea: Combining Plants to boost success in your vegetable garden Topic Today:  “The biggest target goal that anybody can do [to boost garden success] is to increase the biodiversity in your vegetable garden. I want everybody to stop planting everything in straight long rows, which are basically runways for […]

    S2 Episode 9 – The Natural Gardener

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2021 55:57


    Guest: Chelsie Anderson, Chelsie's Garden SOIL-utions Big Idea: Maintain Your Garden Naturally Topic Today:  helsie Anderson has been gardening for clients and for herself for almost twenty years and during that time she has spent a lot of time in nature and considers herself a natural gardener. Before she tackles something in the garden she […]

    S2 Episode 8 – Customize Your Greenhouse

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2021 58:10


    Guest: Kyle Exner, BC Greenhouse Builders Big Idea: Build the best greenhouse for you, forever. Topic Today:  Kyle Exner is the General Manager at BC Greenhouse Builders in British Columbia, Canada. Kyle has ideas to build a forever greenhouse and he shares his 23 years of experience with us on this podcast. Wondering what to […]

    S2 Episode 7 – Canadian Carrot Grower

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 50:56


    Guest: Rodney Bradshaw, BECK Farms Big Idea: Grow better varieties in better soil to get better carrots. Topic Today:  Rod was a classmate of mine at the University of Alberta and when he graduated he went back to his family farm. Always looking for new challenges and pursuing new ideas, he leased his father’s land […]

    S2 Episode 6 – Breeding New Tomatoes

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2021 52:45


    Guest: Karen Olivier, Independant Tomato Breeder Big Idea: Are you a tomato enthusiast? Imagine breeding and selecting your own varieties! Topic Today:  Karen Olivier is a nurse by day and a tomato breeder in every other moment. She was told she couldn’t grow a good tasting tomato in her northern garden near Edmonton, Alberta so […]

    S2 Episode 5 – Save Seeds: they will adapt

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2021 100:55


    Guest: Sal Dominelli, Sweet Rock Farms Big Idea: Saving Your own seeds makes you part of the solution for worldwide food security. Topic Today:  “It took a pandemic for us to realize that things are not going to continue on the way they were and that we need to be more self-reliant. So, as a […]

    S2 Episode 4 – Feed the Worms, feed your soil

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2021 107:12


    Guest: Dan Rollingson, Earthly Matters Big Idea: Raise your own worm fertilizer: 15 years of experience. Topic Today:  “Keeping it simple is kind of the key and worm castings is one of the best ways to grow simply.” Dan purchased a simple “system” for raising worms but when most of the worms died he knew […]

    S2 Episode 3 – We All Need A Bit of Therapy!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2021 39:12


    Guest: Rose Naomi O’Brey Big Idea: From a work injury to a magazine article about garden therapy, Rose Naomi has been healed by, trains in and actively practices garden therapy. Believing it is good for everyone, Rose Naomi shares ideas and positive themes, music and stories. Everyone benefits from a little bit of therapy – […]

    S2 Episode 2 – All About Luffa

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2021 42:01


    Guest: Cindy Lou Oulton of Annapolis Valley Luffa Big Idea: From the Alberta oil patch to growing environmental washcloths, Cindy is an entrepreneur and Luffa grower. Topic Today:  True confessions. I failed to grow Luffa in my garden on the west coast so when I heard Cindy is growing luffa, a natural sponge plant that […]

    S2 Episode 1 – From CSA to Onions and Garlic

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2021 53:11


    Guest: Dustin Morten Big Idea: From Seed Sales to Farmer. More than one way to grow a small farm. Topic Today:  “Weeds, again, are an issue in onions and garlic, and if you don’t get ahead of them, you get way behind, very fast.” Dustin’s grandparents moved into his great grandparent’s home on the family […]

    Episode 20 – Grow Lemons in Canada

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2020 44:06


    Guest: Steven Biggs Big Idea: Grow lemons in Canada with or without a greenhouse Topic Today:  Steven Biggs is my co-author for the Canadian bestselling book “No Guff Vegetable Gardening.” He is also an award-winning garden writer, father, husband and keen gardener. This is Steven’s second visit to my podcast and in this episode he […]

    Episode 19 – Food Security Lessons Learned from Cuba

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 54:41


    Guest: Ron Berezan, The Urban Farmer Big Idea: How Cuba’s drastic food reform system will help us grow. Topic Today:  In today’s podcast Ron says “The more the pandemic endures, the more I keep thinking back to Cuba, because, here we are. Many of us have begun to see some of the fragilities in our […]

    Episode 18 – Growing & Harvesting Organic Potatoes

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2020 46:49


    Guest: John Mills, Eagle Creek Farms Big Idea: “Get your kids growing with you….” says Alberta’s John Mills, a 4th generation farmer but the first in his family to grow potatoes organically. “I didn’t start off pursuing organic vegetable production or transitioning the farm to organic production. It was just a slow evolution of realizing […]

    Episode 17 – Growing to Perfection with Well Researched Fertilizer

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2020 64:52


    Guest: Dr. Christopher Trobacher Big Idea: Big Idea: “Fertilizer is food. So you expect that that’s going to be the main thing, driving plant growth, but you add a little bit of kelp and it seems like the plant’s able to use it’s food and combat the stresses in its environment a lot better than […]

    Episode 16 – Managing Veggie Pests with Biodiversity

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020 57:04


    Guest: Dr. Ken Fry Big Idea: Big Idea: “I guess the word of the day would be biodiversity and that is having an abundance of different kinds of plants: different colours, different times of flowering, different sizes and statures, different fragrances. And that way you have all the different kinds of resources that are necessary […]

    Episode 15 – Beyond The Intelligent Gardener – Grow Vibrating Vegetables

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2020 93:13


    Guest: Steve Solomon Big Idea: Big Idea: Our Human Health depends on the health of the soil we grow our food in. Mineralize soil and grow the best possible food for health and happiness.   “I have often thought that our farming system is basically a system of mining. And what we have removed from […]

    Episode 14 – Foraging: Collecting and Eating Wild Food

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2020 47:46


    Guest: Ben Patarin Big Idea: Forage the best wild food while respecting nature “I could easily survive with just what I get from the forest, you know, if I had too” says Ben, who has collected or foraged since he was 2 because in France, “that’s the hobby you have with your family!” “So one […]

    Episode 13 – Build Better Soils with Biochar

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2020 55:50


    Guest: Rob Lavoie Big Idea: Biochar Builds Better Soils and Improves Food Security I boosted the quality of my garden soil with Soil Matrix biochar. Why is my soil better now than before? My garden grows on sandy soil so there is no way for minerals to be held in place. Before biochar, plants started […]

    Episode 12 – Grow Figs with Steven Biggs: Tips & Tricks for Success

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2020 55:55


    Guest: Steven Biggs Big Idea: Want to find out how to take cuttings, grow, prune, fertilize and overwinter figs? Tune in now. “I just like to say to people, [Figs are] such a fun plant to grow, so do give it a try and do just keep in mind that you want to find a […]

    Episode 11 – Growing Food in Rain Gutters

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2020 43:57


    Guest: Khaled Majouji, Ingenius Farms Big Idea: “Give access to quality food at an accessible price to everyone” says Khaled, better known as The Plant Charmer among his 86,000 fans on Instagram and YouTube. Posting interesting tidbits about how to grow food in rain gutters on his urban farm in LaVal, Quebec is an ongoing […]

    Episode 10 – Grow Food Now From Seed This Spring

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2020 45:42


    Guest: Donna Balzer, www.donnabalzer.com Big Idea: “It’s so clear everyone has become re-engaged in growing food during this pandemic, hence the run on seeds at the stores,” said Dinah via email. She went on to ask her many questions and suggest that Donna tape a special podcast on this subject. Well here it is! Donna […]

    Episode 9 – Grow Outside Your Zone With Fabric Bags

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2020 60:17


    Guest: Dean Kreutzer, Over the Hill Orchards Big Idea: Dean trained as a computer programmer so he was pretty desk-bound before he turned 33 and started his active new career as an organic farmer. Now he is a plant breeder and zone denier on his cold-climate farm near Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada. He grows fruit […]

    Episode 8 – Before You Build or Buy: Home Greenhouse Primer

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2020 34:05


    Guest: Donna Balzer Big Idea: Donna has two greenhouses so in this episode Robyn interviews her about her greenhouses, how she uses them to grow more food and disasters she has experienced while growing. Start the process of getting your own garden growing under cover by listening in to this greenhouse growing primer. We cover […]

    Episode 7 – Epic Tomatoes: Interview with Author Craig LeHoullier

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2020 49:03


    Guest: Craig LeHoullier Big Idea: Craig trained as a chemist so when he was laid off it made sense to keep using his scientific mind. And because this is not an episode of Breaking Bad, Craig turned to tomatoes. He has been actively involved in the Dwarf Tomato project for 15 years, is devoted to […]

    Episode 6 – Tomato Farmers: Getting a Late Start

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2020 31:08


    Guests: Al Grant & Gayle Berry Big Idea: Gayle and Al retired three times between them and were newlyweds in 2015 when they saw a farm with a greenhouse for sale near Qualicum Beach, B.C. They wanted to do something worthwhile with their time together so they bought the farm. Because they have already retired […]

    Episode 5 – The Tables are Turned: Robyn interviews Donna

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2020 31:15


    In this episode of Helping Gardeners Grow our producer Robyn Buchanan interviews Donna Balzer so we can learn more about our host and find out why she gardens and how she does it. Donna has a degree in Agriculture plus over thirty years of gardening and media experience including years of radio and television. Donna […]

    Episode 4 – Transforming Soil: From gravel to garden with leaves and manure

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2020 24:57


    Cliff started raising food in his largely gravel and cobble garden loosely framed in by boards and sawdust. The first thing he did was remove the boards and haul out all the pill-bug infested sawdust. Then, inspired by Eliot Coleman, he started improving his soil and creating rows in the garden. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145101.The_New_Organic_Grower . Cliff believes […]

    Episode 3 – Canadian Citrus Growing: tips from a northern gardener

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2020 33:30


    Citrus Growing. As a Horticulturist and grower for 40 years in Alberta and British Columbia, Jane knows how to grow “Living Lettuce” and “Living Basil” perfectly. But as she approaches 60 she realizes she wants to retire from the hourly demands of hydroponics so she sells off her equipment, rebuilds the soil and plants citrus […]

    Episode 2 – A Renter’s Market Garage Garden: growing greens in a small space

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2020 24:02


    As a renter, every time Dan moves, he leaves behind the vegetable garden and all the infrastructure he has built. This time Dan does things differently. He installs a very mobile, vertical, hydroponic system for growing greens in his garage. And bonus! The lights and “farm” relieve his winter angst and brighten his moods. Gardening […]

    Episode 1 – Growing Saffron: tips from the field

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2020 34:20


    The most expensive spice in the world is saffron. Melinda and Simon decide to grow it because they are just starting to farm and are already in their 50’s. They need something simple, seasonal and high value. And then there are the fires, the gophers and the discovery that the blooms have to be picked before the sun comes up. With over 200,000 plants and 18-20 blooms per plant that is a lot of midnight picking over a six-week season. Hear Melinda’s story and learn how to grow, harvest, store and cook the world’s most valuable spice this year. Guest: Melinda Price https://peaceplentyfarm.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peaceandplentyfarmer/ Note: Melinda Price sells saffron, crocus bulbs (called corms) and ideas. But she suggests if you are listening in Canada you buy corms from her friend Micheline Sylvestre, a Saffron Grower in Quebec. Micheline sells bulbs to Canadians: http://www.emporium-safran.com/en/

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