Encyclopedia Botanica

Kellie's back as a special co-host for this last episode of the 2019 season and it's all about growing, harvesting and cooking with beets! Find photos, links to Kellie's business, and more in the show notes for this episode:  www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/  

Learning proper harvest timing and technique can help increase yields and ensure you get the best tasting produce from your garden. In this episode, Hilary and Colin talk harvesting methodology. They break down the techniques into five categories to help you make the most of your bounty. Find photos, links to Colin's books, and more in the show notes for this episode:  www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/b...

Hilary and Kelly Smith Trimble discuss Kelly's new book, Vegetable Gardening Wisdom; and share simple words of advice and practical inspiration for getting most out of your vegetable garden!  Find photos, links to Kelly's book, and more in the show notes for this episode:  www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/  

Turns out gardening in straw bales might be the least expensive and most effective way to create a season-long container garden! Hilary and Craig LeHoullier discuss what a straw bale garden is and how to set one up! Find photos, links to Craig's projects, and more in the show notes for this episode:  http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/  

Tomatoes are probably the most popular garden vegetable, and for good reason; they're versatile, highly productive, and produce fruits that are far superior to any you can buy at the grocery store. In this episode we'll discuss tips for choosing and the best tomato for your space and needs and how to plant tomatoes. Find photos, links to Kellie's business, and more in the show notes for this episo...

Emma Biggs talks with Hilary about the techniques she uses to grow 133 varieties of tomatoes, from seed to harvest, on her family’s urban lot in Toronto, Canada. Find photos, links to Emma's work, and more in the show notes for this episode:  http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/  

Stefani Bittner, owner of Homestead Design Collective, talks with Hilary about how to create a beautiful and productive outdoor living space. Find photos, links to Stefani's work, and more in the show notes for this episode:  http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/    

In this episode, Sara and Hilary talk about container gardening. Much of Sara’s work is focused on utilizing unused balcony, patio and rooftop space in very urban environments, so this episode focuses on the unique set of needs and challenges that comes along with growing in more unconventional garden space. Find photos, links to Sara's work, and more in the show notes for this episode:  http://ww...

Hilary talks with legendary garden writer, Rosalind Creasy about the joys and perils of eating flowers.  Find photos, links to Ros's books, and more in the show notes for this episode:  http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/

Hilary and Colin share everything you need to know to grow your best crop of carrots and parsnips yet!  Find photos, links to Colin's books, and more in the show notes for this episode:  http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/

Guest Kelly Sullivan of Botanique Flowers, a Seattle-based floral design studio, talks with Hilary about how she turned her 6,000 square foot city lot into a productive flower farm.    Find photos, links to Kelly's work, and more in the show notes for this episode: h ttp://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/

In this first episode of the 2019 season, Hilary and Tara Austen Weaver discuss planning for, planting and growing fruit trees!  Find photos, links to Tara's work, and more in this episode's show notes: h ttp://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/

I've been getting a lot of requests for more crop-specific episodes next season. I love these episodes and would be happy create more if we reach our campaign goal . Remember that everyone who contributes any amount to the 2019 kickstarter campaign will have the opportunity to vote on the topics we cover in 4 of the episodes. But in the meantime, I thought I’d share this episode on Cauliflower fro...

Hey There! We have an amazing season of the Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast in store for you!  Just like last season, Hilary will be joined by a different guest expert each week. W e're hosting a Kickstarter campaign to fund this upcoming season of the podcast and we need your support to bring this project to life. Check out this episode for a teaser mini seed-starting Q&A episode and details on the...

Hilary and Colin cover a wide range of listener questions in this late-summer Q+A episode.  This is going to be the last regularly scheduled episode of the 2018 season. We're going to take the fall to write, record and produce our best episodes yet! Stay tuned for updates on how you can support the podcast and when to expect the launch of the 2019 season.  To stay in touch be sure to check our web...

In this episode Shannon Douglas of Honest Magazine and Hilary  discuss intuitive cooking tips and techniques for the popular garden brassicas Kale and broccoli. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution helps. Consider supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group! For more info, check out our Patreon page! Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabot...

Natalie Carver of DC-based edible landscaping company, Love and Carrots, joins Hilary to share her experience with tomato hornworms. In this episode they discuss how to spot hornworms and their damage in the garden, and the best ways to manage them. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution helps. Consider supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group! For...

Hilary and Colin chat blueberry care, Brassica pests and the herb chervil in this Q+A episode.  Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution helps. Consider supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group! For more info, check out our Patreon page! Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica Show notes: We're on a short break from show notes while na...

This week on the podcast Hilary and Stephen Mirsky, of Seed Savers Exchange, discuss how to increase your winter squash yields through hand pollination.   Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Consider m aking a one-time contribution here  or supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group. For more info, check out our Patreon page! Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ency...

Basil is one of those crops that almost everyone wants to grow. It's relatively versatile and it is one of the most productive crops per plant that you can grow in your garden. In this episode Hilary is joined by former Seattle Urban Farm Co. colleague and farmer, Skip Mackintosh to discuss their time-tested techniques for making the most of the space you've dedicated to basil. Your support is wha...

Shannon Douglas of Honest Magazine defines "cooking intuitively" is a style of cooking based on understanding the fundamentals of cooking and paying close attention to your ingredients. In this episode she joins Hilary to discuss some general garden-inspired cooking tips that you can apply to a variety of crops. They'll focus on 2 spring crops, peas and radishes, to help illustrate these points. A...

We're talking cauliflower! This crop is notoriously difficult to grow compared to other plants in the Brassica oleracea family. In this episode we discuss why and steps you can take to maximize your cauliflower growing success!  Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Consider m aking a one-time contribution here  or supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group. For mor...

Backyard beekeeping of honeybees is a great way to increase the number of pollinators in your garden, learn about how pollination works and, of course, the hives provide you with your own source of local honey. One thing that is not commonly discussed is that honeybees are not native to North America. While honeybees are very beneficial, there are also many species of native bees that could use he...

In this episode, Phoenix area based gardener, Angela Judd and Hilary discuss how to grow citrus. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Consider m aking a one-time contribution here  or supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group. For more info, check out our Patreon page! Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica Show notes: h ttp://www.seattleurbanfarmc...

In this episode Mark Macdonald of West Coast Seeds joins Hilary to discuss growing the grain quinoa. While many grains are impractical to grow in a home garden or smaller farm, the dense seed heads on quinoa plants provide high yields in compact spaces and provide a great option to those who might be interested in growing grains at home.  Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Consider m a...