The Food Garden Life Show

Thinking of veggies for your container garden? Or planter boxes with herbs? In this episode, we look at a patio surrounded by planter boxes that are filled with red geraniums...nothing but red geraniums.Our goal? Transform this linear container garden from a continuous line of red into something varied, colourful—playful—and edible.Hear two different approaches to reimagining the planter boxes so that they're a low-maintenance edible container garden.If you're looking for more on the sub-irrigated planters from this episode, find out more here.  ***Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Got a spot you'd like to use to grow food but not sure where to start?In this episode, we tackle a bare space with hard clay, in zone 3.Let's not forget the deer and rabbits. Oh, and there's a narrow “hell strip” that's needs to be planted too.The good news is that there are lots of ways to add edibles to a garden. The way to start is by choosing a creative direction, and then getting started.We work through two entirely different approaches to this space.First, we explore a low-maintenance “grazing” garden with perennials. Next, we think about how to use a potager style in this space.For the plant palette we're including options for:·         Partial sunlight·         Good cold tolerance for perennials (zone 3!)·         Less attractive to deer·         Plants that give options for adding colour, texture, and heightIf you're looking for fruits, vegetables, and other plants that you can grow in the shade, here's a post to get you started. 

Think your climate is too cold to grow tender fruit? Find out how this grower harvests peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, and more…despite winter temperatures that can dip to -38°C (-36°F) and a short summer.In this episode, Donna and Steven chat with Saskatchewan fruit grower Dean Kreutzer.  We talk about:Fruit adapted to cold climatesUsing unheated greenhouses to grow tender fruit, grapes…and figsHeat sinks and insulated tarpsCapturing heat from the ground—without an elaborate geothermal heating systemKreutzer and his wife run Over the Hill Orchards in Saskatchewan.If you're looking for more on cold-hardy fruit, check out this post on Saskatoon Berries. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Do you have more seeds and plants than you can fit into your garden?It's a common problem for the enthusiastic food gardener!In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about finding more growing space so that you can fit more crops into the same space.Get ideas for:Growing in ungardenable spaces…like the root-infested space next to hedgesReducing space used by pathwaysTiering crops in a gardenUsing paved areas, decks—and stairs!If you're looking for more on garden planning, check out these 7 vegetable garden layout ideas.  ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Want to grow great tomatoes? With the right transplanting and care, your tomatoes will be off to a great start.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about:Transplanting tomato seedlingsProtecting transplants from cold spring weatherHow to stake, train, and support tomato plantsPruning tomato suckersWatering and feedingTomato challenges, including pests, diseases, and blossom end rot.If you're looking for more on how to support tomato plants, check out this article. -->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Wondering when to plant vegetables? Not sure what to plant first?You don't need to plant everything at once.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about when to plant vegetables, and the Canadian tradition of planting the garden over the Victoria Day (May 24) weekend.(Sometimes it makes sense…though not for all crops in all zones.)If you're looking for more on planting vegetables, check out this article on direct seeding. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time! -->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates. -->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Your vegetable seedlings can look great indoors. Then fall like dominoes in the garden.If they're not hardened off.But if you harden off seedlings, they stand a much better chance once you plant them in the garden.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about:What hardening off meansWhy harden off seedlingsHow to harden off seedlingsWhen to harden off seedlingsHarden off seedlings in a greenhouseIf you're looking for more on growing vegetables from seed, check out post on how to direct seed vegetables. -->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Wondering about fruit to grow in a cold climate?Today we head to Alberta, to find out how to grow saskatoon bushes. Arden Delidais grows in Zone 2—and doesn't get any winter dieback on her saskatoon berries.Delidais' orchard and winery, DNA Gardens, has a number of cold hardy crops including saskatoon berries, apples, plums, rhubarb, currants, and haskaps.Saskatoon bushes (Amelanchier alnifolia) are native to North America. (South of the border you might hear them referred to as juneberry or shadbush.)Delidais tells Steve and Donna about:How to prune saskatoon bushesSaskatoon varietiesSaskatoon pests and diseasesHow to propagate saskatoon berriesHow to use saskatoon fruitIf you're looking for more on saskatoons, here's a guide to growing them. -->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Have you tried direct sowing but didn't get good results? Wondering how to direct sow seeds?Direct sowing—a.k.a. direct seeding or direct planting—is when we sow seeds straight into the garden. We skip starting transplants indoors.It gives better results for some crops—because there's no transplanting shock. And that's great, because it saves you the hassle of growing transplants.But some crops need extra growing time…and that's where transplants make sense. Or sometimes, hot summer weather causes spotty germination outdoors, meaning transplants are a better option.To ace your direct seeding, you need to know which crops it works with—and how to do it.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about:Why and when to direct sowWhen it makes sense to grow transplants instead of direct sowingHow to direct sow seedsWhat crops are best for direct sowingIf you're looking for more ideas for planting your vegetable garden, here's an article with 7 Vegetable Garden Layout ideas.     -->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!

Want to harvest more veg from the same amount of space? You can get lots more from a small space by growing in containers. (If you get it right…but that's not difficult!)If you get these 4 things right, you're on the road to container gardening success: The right containerGood soilA suitable locationProper careIn this episode, Donna and Steven share top tips for container gardening success, including choosing pots, selecting soil, finding a suitable spot, and caring for your container vegetables.If you're looking for more on container gardening, here are top container garden crops. 

Don't miss out on fresh figs just because you're gardening in a cold climate.There are many cold-climate fig growers who defy zone boundaries with creative overwintering techniques.Figs can take quite a bit of cold. Not the extreme cold. A creative gardener gets figs through the winter by moderating the extremes.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about fig-growing tactics for cold climates so that you can harvest figs—even if you have zone envy!If you're looking for more cold-climate fig-growing tips, drop by our fig home page.

Figs + Container Veg. Live events in April 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events. ---- Can't get enough pawpaw fruit? Want to grow a pawpaw tree?If you haven't tried pawpaw fruit, many people describe the flavour of its silky, yellow flesh as tropical.While it's the largest fruit native to North America, it's difficult to find the fruit for sale.  Yet it's easy to grow.That's why many gardeners and small farmers plant pawpaw trees.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk with pawpaw expert Adam D'Angelo to get tips on growing pawpaw trees. We talk about:Where to grow pawpaw treesPawpaw tree hardiness (yes, there are pawpaw growers in Canada!)Grafting pawpaw treesHow to grow pawpaw from seedPawpaw breedingWhat makes pawpaw a great fruit crop for home gardeners and small farmersD'Angelo is the founder of Project Pawpaw, a crowd-funded pawpaw research and breeding program.If you're looking for more on pawpaw, tune into our interview with the Indiana Jones of pawpaw, Neal Peterson, and hear our chat with Toronto pawpaw expert Paul DeCampo.  ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time! -->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs + Container Veg. Live events in April 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events. ---- When you make only withdrawals—no deposits—you eventually end up in overdraft. It works that way at the bank, with friendships—and with soil.And growing crop after crop in a garden is like making withdrawal after withdrawal. The crops use nutrients. Working the soil affects its structure.Amending soil is like putting money back into the bank. Soil amendments can improve soil structure, soil chemistry, and return nutrients to the soil.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about practical ways home gardeners can improve soil quality with soil amendments. We discuss different types of manures, making compost, using leaves, wood chips, and common products such as bone meal, peat moss, and blood meal.If you're looking for more on soil, check out this post about how and when to use wood ash in the garden. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time! -->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs + Container Veg. Live events in April 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events. ---- Looking for herb garden layout ideas? If you're planning a herb garden, there are many ways to add herbs to the landscape. You can have a stand-alone herb garden, a herb lawn, herbs mixed with paving, use herbs as bedding plants, weave them into a perennial border, or make a herb container garden on a patio, deck, or paved space.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about ideas for using herbs in home garden landscapes and share their favourite perennial herbs, annual herbs, and exotic herbs.If you're looking for more on planning a kitchen garden, check out this post on kitchen garden planning. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time! -->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs + Container Veg. Live events in April 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events. ---- Leafy greens fizzle out in the summer? Does your lettuce bolt too soon?Find out how to grow more leafy greens in your garden and how to extend your harvest so you can pick fresh salad greens as long as possible.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about crops ideas for leafy greens, how to plant leafy greens in a home garden or edible landscape, choosing greens crops for ongoing harvest, how to hurry up your spring harvest, and how to slow down bolting—even in hot weather. If you're looking for more on leafy greens, check out this guide to 5 heat-tolerant salad greens. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time! -->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs. Lemons. Container Veg. New live events in March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Tried growing a potted lemon tree but it didn't thrive? Citrus expert Byron Martin has the solution. And it's not difficult.AND he also has recommendations for other unusual potted citrus trees. We talk about finger limes, blood limes, pomelo, sweet lemon, sunquat, kumquat, citron, and more.For all of these citrus trees in pots, proper watering is the key to success. We hear how to water—and what to expect from potted citrus trees in the fall. (Spoiler alert: If your lemon tree drops leaves when you bring it indoors, you're not alone!)We also find out about Byron's favourite rootstock for citrus grafting.If you're looking for more on indoor lemon trees, here's a guide to growing a lemon tree in a pot (that actually fruits!)  ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs. Lemons. Container Veg. New live events in March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Don't have time to spend on fussy fruit crops? Then growing raspberries is something to think about. You can prune raspberries and manage the crop to maximize production. But this is one of those bulletproof crops that can do quite nicely without your help.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about planting raspberries, how raspberries grow, how to prune raspberries, and how to care for them.If you're looking for more on raspberries, tune in to our chat with Conrad Richter from Richters Herbs about the genus rubus (and learn about raspberry leaf tea!)And here's more on how to tip-layer blackberries and black raspberries.  ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs. Lemons. Container Veg. New live events in March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Wondering which flowers you can eat? There's a wide variety of edible flowers that are easy to grow.You might already have some and just aren't using them.Edible flowers often come from well-known vegetable, herb, and fruit crops. But there are many that come from ornamental plants too. Even some shrubs and trees.Find out which flowers are edible—and how you can use them to spice up your cooking and have fun with your culinary creativity. In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about their favourite edible flowers, and how to use them.If you're looking for more fun crops, check out these edible perennials. (You might already be growing some of them! ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs in Cold Climates. Lemons in Cold Climates. Easy to Grow Fruit. Container Vegetables. Vertical Vegetable Gardening.  New live events in Feb., March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Wondering which vegetables to grow? Or how to pick suitable varieties for your vegetable garden? If you put some thought into your choices, you can avoid harvest-time disappointments.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about crops they find worthwhile, along with some favourite varieties. The choices for Donna's cold prairie garden aren't always the same as for Steven's milder growing zone.  Start to narrow down the top choices for your vegetable garden with ideas on crops and varieties for:A reliable harvestSimplicitySuitability for your gardenIf you're looking for more ideas to plan the perfect kitchen garden, check out these ideas.  ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs in Cold Climates. Lemons in Cold Climates. Easy to Grow Fruit. Container Vegetables. Vertical Vegetable Gardening.  New live events in Feb., March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Growing tomatoes from seed? Get the right combination of timing, soil, light, and containers, and you can grow great tomato seedlings at home.There's more than one way to raise tomato plants from seed. And that means you can do it in a way that fits your growing space.AND make sure to pick a variety you'll love—because that's a big reason for growing tomato seedlings. Some of the best tomato varieties are only available as seeds.In this episode, Donna and Steven chat with Gen Z tomato grower Emma Biggs, who has raised tons of tomato plants for her annual plant sale and seed business. They talk about how they grow tomatoes from seed and the varieties they love. (They each do it differently!)If you want more on planting tomatoes from seed, check out the guide to growing tomato seedlings on the website.And say hi—we love to hear what you think. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs in Cold Climates. Lemons in Cold Climates. Easy to Grow Fruit. Container Vegetables. Vertical Vegetable Gardening.  New live events in Feb., March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Do you shut down your garden for the winter? Wondering what vegetables to plant in the winter? If you're in a northern climate, to grow vegetables in winter you need to give them heat and light…and that usually means high-input greenhouse growing.But there's another way to approach winter vegetable gardening. And it's low-tech.The idea is to choose hardy crops and grow them big enough before light levels take a dive. Then keep those hardy crops alive in a protected space—and keep harvesting through the winter.The key to successes is the right combination of crops, varieties, and the spacing.In this episode, find out how to you can harvest winter vegetables in cold-climate home gardens.We're joined by JM Fortier, co-author of the book The Winter Market Gardener. The books shares years of research at Ferme des Quatre-Temps.Fortier is also founder of The Market Gardener Institute, which offers training for small farmers. He's founder of the small-farm tool and accessory retailer Growers & Co. ---If you're looking for more information on seed-starting, vegetable gardening, and growing food at home, drop by the Food Garden Life website and grab the free guide, 20 Small-Space Food-Garden Hacks.And say hi—we love to hear from what you think.  ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs in Cold Climates. Lemons in Cold Climates. Easy to Grow Fruit. Container Vegetables. Vertical Vegetable Gardening.  New live events in Feb., March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Wondering when to plant your seeds indoors? Started too early and grown in pots too long before moving to the garden, your seedlings might run out of gas. They stall. But started too late, your seedlings might be midgets when it's time to plant them in the garden.The right time to start seeds indoors—and have plants that aren't too big or too small— depends on your crops and your location. It varies from place to place, but there's a simple way to choose seed-starting dates.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about when to start seeds indoors so that your vegetable transplants are a good size for transplanting into the garden. They also discuss direct-sowing dates for garden vegetables.If you're looking for more information on seed-starting, vegetable gardening, and growing food at home, drop by the website and grab the free guide, 20 Small-Space Food-Garden Hacks. ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

Figs in Cold Climates. Lemons in Cold Climates. Easy to Grow Fruit. Container Vegetables. Vertical Vegetable Gardening.  New live events in Feb., March and April, 2024. Find out more about these new live virtual events.---- Got seedlings that look like stilt-walkers? Are your seedlings leggy? Leggy seedlings don't have as much chance of success once you transplant them into the garden…if they even make it that far.The best way to solve the problem of spindly seedlings is to prevent them from getting that way in the first place.Set up your seed-starting area so you can give seedlings good light, an appropriate temperature, a suitable potting soil, and good containers.In this episode, Donna and Steven talk about best practices so that you can grow compact, healthy vegetable seedlings at home.If you're looking for more information on seed-starting, vegetable gardening, and growing food at home, drop by the website and grab the free guide, 20 Small-Space Food-Garden Hacks.And say hi—we love to hear from what you think.  ***-->Join the 5,000+ gardeners in The Food Garden Gang who stay on top of home food-growing ideas with our weekly e-mail. We're making the world a better place one garden at a time!-->Grab the free e-books: Small-Space Food-Gardening Hacks and Growing Figs in Cold Climates.-->And say hi—we love to hear what you think!-->Upcoming online food-gardening fun!

 Seed catalogues are arriving already! Find out what you need to know to make good seed-shopping choices. In this episode, Steven and Donna share seed-shopping tips and talk about common seed-related terms.Not sure if untreated seed is organic? Wondering what "heirloom" really means? Tune in to find out about seed terminology and crop related lingo.

Damson plums: Sometimes they're simply called damsons. Their rich flavour makes them a culinary gem. Even though they're not difficult to grow, the fruit is rarely available commercially.Find out how to grow damsons.Sarah Conrad Gothie, Author of Damsons: An Ancient Fruit in the Modern Kitchen joins us to talk about the history of damsons, how to grow damsons, and how to use them in the kitchen. (Spoiler alert: They make a marvellous gin!)

We head to the UK to chat with homesteader Kim Stoddart about how to grow a resilient vegetable garden. We talk about: Top tips for growing vegetables when conditions are not predictable Choosing crops for a climate-change vegetable garden Perennial vegetables Tips for veggie gardening in hot summers Kim is an award-winning writer, journalist, and educator. Her new book is The Climate Change Garden: Down to Earth Advice for Growing a Resilient Garden. 

Brad Lancaster is a permaculture and regenerative design consultant and educator. His specialty is sustainable landscapes. We chat with Brad about using the landscape to harvest rainwater. And about using the landscape as a living air conditioner. Brad also talks about a very inspiring project that he helped spearhead, a community food forest.We talk about:  Using permaculture principles in landscaping How to harvest rainwater in the landscape The connection between landscapes and cooling Using the soil and "speed bumps" in the landscape to make it a living sponge Selecting plants to suit the landscape The Dunbar Springs Urban Food Forest Brad is the author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.  

Vertical vegetable gardening squeezes more plants into a limited space by making use of space above the ground.In today's episode, Steve digs into vertical gardening.We talk about: Top crops for vertical gardening The benefits of vertical gardening Support structures in a vertical garden Materials to make your own trellises and support structures.

Wally Satzewich joins us from Saskatchewan to tell us about Small-Plot Intensive Farming (SPIN Farming.) Having studied psychology and ran a taxi franchise, Wally became interested in market gardening. So he bought a farm. But a conventional market garden wasn't the right fit for him. That's because a big operation requires hired help and capital outlay for equipment. So Wally and his wife Gail sold the farm—and moved back to the city. To farm—to farm other people's yards.And in the process, Wally mapped out a system of best practices called SPIN farming (Small Plot Intensive farming.)Today he tells us his journey, and what he's learned along the way.We talk about: Running the 20-acre market garden Downsizing and setting up in the city The SPIN model and variations on it Comparing SPIN farming to commodity farming Using the SPIN model in small towns Top tips for new urban and SPIN farmers

Andrew Huxsel joins us from St Placide, Quebec to tell us about worm composting. Also known as vermicomposting. Andrew runs Vermicbec, a company that sells worms and worm compost.We talk about: How vermicomposting works Using vermicompost (a.k.a. worm castings or worm wompost) Large scale vs. home-scale vermicomposting Top tips for home gardeners wanting to try worm composting (If you've tried it and had bug problems, Andrew tells you how to solve the problem) 

It's planting season here..and the gardening questions are pouring in. Here's the Q + A from our latest live show. We talk about: Favourite tomato varieties Support for tomato plants Mulch Asparagus Microgreens Lemons Artichoke Squirrels What to do about bolting lettuce

We head to Georgia to chat with 7-year-old Kendall Rae Johnson and her mom, Ursula. Kendall is the youngest certified farmer in the state of Georgia. At her aGROWKulture Farm she grows her favourite crops and teaches other kids about gardening. Kendall has been on Good Morning America, The Ellen Show, and Sesame Street. Our own connection with Kendall is that we're fans of the organization KidsGardening. Emma and Kendall were both involved in an event that KidsGardening hosted last year.

We chat with Zach Loeks, an educator and grower who specializes in edible ecosystem design. He talks about the two-wheel tractor, a versatile piece of equipment that he says can be used by backyard gardeners, homesteaders, edible landscapers, and in community gardens.(If you're about to skip this episode because you don't want more equipment…stay a while. Zach has insights into soil and tillage too.) In this episode we talk about: A look at the 2-wheel tractor How it's different from a rototiller How home gardeners, landscapers, and homesteaders can use 2-wheel tractors What can a 2-wheel tractor do beyond tilling (spoiler alert: they can blow snow and bale hay too!) Earthworks for swales, berms, and beds on contour Tillage: minimum till vs. no-till Zach is the author of The Two-wheel Tractor Handbook.

Permaculture OrchardWe chat with orchardist Stefan Sobkowiak who replaced an organic apple orchard with a permaculture orchard at Miracle Farms. We talk about: Why he prefers a permculture planting to a monoculture organic apple orchard How can an orchard be a permaculture? The system of “trios” he uses as a basic design unit Minimizing external inputs Using sheep in an orchard Timelines for establishing a permaculture orchard Using fruiting shrubs under trees Planting perennial flowers, herbs, and vegetables underneath fruiting shrubs When it comes to the idea of permaculture, Sobkowiak says, “It's just applied common sense.” 

Grow What's in Your Kitchen!In this episode, we head to Vermont and get great ideas for what we can grow right now, in early spring, using what's in the kitchen. We talk about kitchen-scrap gardening with Em Shipman, Executive Director at KidsGardening.Em also tells us about Kids Garden Month, with lots of fun activities and prizes for kids. We talk about: Growing small seeds from the kitchen (e.g. citrus) Growing large seeds (e.g. mango, avacado) Growing roots and tubers and rhizomes (e.g. ginger, sweet potato) Things for kids to do in the garden in early spring Kids Garden Month

In this episode, we dig into some history, a sad story – and hope.All this from a tree that was known as the redwood of the east. A towering tree prized for its wood. A tree pivotal to the forest ecosystem.And by the 1950s, it was thought to be extinct in Ontario.But it wasn't extinct. And it's not extinct now.We head to southwestern Ontario to find out what the Canadian Chestnut Council is doing to bring the American chestnut back to the landscape. Whether you're a forager, interested in food forests, or want to grow nuts, this is a fun chat.Our chestnut guide is Ron Casier, chair of the Canadian Chestnut Council.We talk about: The American chestnut, and the place it held in the ecosystem Chestnut blight, and its effect on chestnut populations The “Canadian” American chestnut Breeding disease-resistance American chestnut varieties

Niki Jabbour on how to Make and Use Mini TunnelsLess frost damage. Fewer bugs. Better growing conditions. Mini tunnels have lots of advantages, and they're easy to make and use. For this episode, we head to Nova Scotia to chat with vegetable gardening expert Niki Jabbour about how to make and use mini tunnels.She's the author of Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden and the creator of the online course How to Build and Use Mini Hoop Tunnels in the Vegetable Garden.We talk about: What mini tunnels are Mini tunnels and weather Mini tunnels and pests Materials to make mini tunnels Getting an early start in the spring garden Turbo-charging heat loving crops with mini tunnels

Homesteading as a State of MindWe head to Minnesota to chat with small-scale homesteaders Michelle Bruhn and Stephanie Thurow.Both are urban homesteaders, and they've collaborated on a book to help small-scale homesteaders, Small-Scale Homesteading.We talk about: What homesteading means to them The idea of small-scale homesteads in urban and suburban areas Tips for aspiring homesteaders How to get started homesteading

Grow a Vertical Vegetable GardenSpace. For many gardeners, there's never enough of it. So in small spaces we train crops upwards instead of outwards.  The term vertical gardening is often used to talk about adding the dimension of height to a garden.Today on the podcast we head to Vancouver Island to chat with vegetable gardening expert Donna Balzer about vertical gardening. Steven and Donna are teaming up to hold a live online event on Vertical Vegetable Gardening on April 4, 2023.Bay LaurelDave Hanson from The Grow Guide Podcast joins us to talk about growing the Mediterranean herb bay laurel. Steven and Dave are teaming up for a live online event on creating a Mediterranean Kitchen Garden in cold climates on March 14, 2023.

Oregano that Tastes Like Oregano!We find out how to grow great Oregano with Dave Hanson from The Grow Guide Podcast. (No more bland orgegano that tastes like...hay!)Why Now is a Great Time to Homestead Homesteader Steve Maxwell talks about his journey from suburban Toronto to a rural homestead on Manitoulin Island.He tells us why he think there's more opportunity than ever for homesteaders today. 

Specialty Fruit CropsWe continue our chat with agronomist Laurie Brown from Cultur'Innov. She talks about 5 more minor fruit crops, how to grow them, and the opportunities they present for growers. We talk about: Sea buckthorn Highbush cranberry Hardy kiwi Bush cherries Chokecherry Agroforesty Tips for growers who want to grow specialty fruit crops "It's the blue cheese of fruit: Tastes like a cranberry and smells like an old boot!"

One is quite healthy but tastes awful. One is very juicy and suited to processing. And one is suited to eating fresh.In this episode we look at 3 fruit crops: aronia (a.k.a. chokeberry), elderberry, and haskap (a.k.a. honeyberry).Agronomist Laurie Brown from Cultur'Innov explains how to grow these minor fruit crops, talks about the opportunities for growers, and tells us where they're at in terms of commercialization. Cultur'Innov is a co-op focused on lesser-known fruit, nuts, and forest crops such as ginseng and mushrooms. This Quebec multi-stakeholder co-operative has both farmers and employees as members.  The co-op helps its farmer members with different aspects of production: Understanding crop opportunities Setting up for a crop Growing the crop Processing opportunities

Steven Edholm is a California homesteader who teaches a wide variety of self-reliance skills.He is passionate about grafting fruit trees. He's created trees that have over 100 varieties.In this episode, he explains how to graft apple trees at home.We talk about: Reasons to graft apple trees  Apple trees with lots of grafts (Frankentrees!) Cutting and storing apple scion wood Apple rootstock Supplies for apple tree grafting (spoiler alert: what you DON'T need to buy) Best grafts for beginners Solving common apple-grafting problems Steven has a grafting video series on his YouTube channel.

Oklahoma garden designer Linda Vater loves to create elegant edible gardens. Her work is inspired by the tradition of the potager garden. We talk about: Potager gardens Making ornamental and elegant edible gardens Design elements such as enclosure How to design your own potager-style garden Linda's new book is The Elegant & Edible Garden.In the second part of the show we catch up with Sunday Harrison from Green Thumbs Growing Kids in Toronto. We're big fans of this non-profit that brings gardening to school kids and communities in downtown neighbourhoods. We find out more about their model, which solves a common challenge of school gardens: Summer.   We talk about:  Why working with a cluster of schools helps with summer care  Summer community involvement A project that gets kids growing trees from seed

We chat with cold-hardy citrus expert Sam Hubert from One Green World Nursery. Sam's interest in citrus began when he realized he could grow trifoliate orange in New England. If you've tried trifoliate orange, you'll know it has true pucker power. But don't worry! Sam has lined up a mix of cold-hardy citrus: Along with fragrant and bitter citrus that add complexity to all sorts of recipes, he tells us about some eat-straight-from-the-tree cold-hardy citrus.We talk about: Trifoliate orange Yuzu Sudachi Kumquat, and other citrus with kumquat lineage Ichang lemon Citrumello Mandarins Australian finger limes Sam also shares tips about different ways to grow and protect citrus in cold climates.

Forced rhubarb is a winter specialty that's quite different from rhubarb grown outdoors: It's milder, more tender, and brightly coloured. Brian French and his wife Jeannette run Lennox Farm in Dufferin County, in Ontario. Along with field-grown rhubarb, they force rhubarb indoors during the winter. Brian French explains how to force rhubarb: The difference between forced and field-grown rhubarb Conditions needed to force rhubarb over the winter Varieties of rhubarb for forcing Growing rhubarb roots for forcing Digging rhubarb roots for forcing Tips for growing rhubarb at home (Spoiler alert: Brian tells us whether it's really necessary to harvest by candlelight, as it's traditionally done!)To see photos of the rhubarb-forcing operation at Lennox Farm, see the blog post for this episode at Foodgardenlife.com.

We chat Teresa Zohorsky from Solana Garden in Ontario.What started as a fascination with unusual tomato varieties grew into an addiction! Teresa specialized in heirloom and unusual tomato varieties, and now sells tomato transplants and fruit.We talk about: Top varieties Resources for finding and researching tomato varieties Selecting tomato varieties suited to the growing conditions Tips for people who want to get started growing heirloom and unusual tomatoes

TOP TOMATO VARIETIES!! Grab your spot now at the Jan. 9 LIVE VIRTUAL CAMP. ---Growing QuinceQuince expert Joseph Postman joins us to talk about quince. This fragrant fruit is unknown to many in North America, and often relegated to use as a rootstock for pear trees.Postman is a retired plant pathologist and curator of the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, where he helped develop a pear collection with cultivars and species from around the world.We talk about: What is quince How to use quince fruit The use of quince trees as rootstock for pear trees Quince varieties Quince cold hardiness Quince diseases Delectable Root Vegetable RecipesCookbook author and professional home economist Jennifer MacKenzie joins us to talk about cooking root vegetables and shares recipes from her book The Complete Root Cellar Book. We talk about: Shopping for root veg What to look for if you're planning to store root veg Spiced roasted turnip and beet batons Beet and carrot slaw Root cellar medley soup Parsnip and pear soup

TOP TOMATO VARIETIES!! Grab your spot now at the Jan. 9 LIVE VIRTUAL CAMP. ---In this replay of a 2019 interview, we chat with Bob Bors, head of the fruit breeding program at the University of Saskatchewan.We talk about: Breeding haskap (a.k.a. honeyberry) fruit Cold-tolerance of haskap How to care for haskap How to prune haskap Cold-tolerant cherry varieties from University of Saskatchewan

TOP TOMATO VARIETIES!! Grab your spot now at the Jan. 9 LIVE VIRTUAL CAMP. ---Emma chats with tomato expert Linda Crago about the 'House' tomato, a compact tomato plant that some gardeners keep over the winter in the house.They also talk about a few other unusual tomato varieties, including one of the ugliest tomato plants you'll see: 'Stick.'

How to Grow and Cook MedlarJane Steward, author of Medlars – Growing & Cooking, talks about how to grow medlar, how to cook medlar, and shares some fascinating medlar facts. (Find out how medlar wood was used in Dutch windmills!)Steward planted a medlar orchard, holds the UK National Collection of medlars, and runs Eastgate Larder—a food business where she processes medlar.We talk about: How to grow medlar (Mespilus germanica) How to cook medlar Steward's journey into planting a medlar orchard and starting a food-processing business  How to “blet” medlar  Medlar rootstock Medlar fruit in Turkey and around the Caspian Sea (Spoiler alert: we also hear about medlar gin and a delicious medlar chutney) “If you want to have medlars in your life you really need to have a tree!”