Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Today, we compare notes with Davis, California nursery owner Don Shor, an avid tomato grower, about our 2023 tomato successes and failures. And, we check with the tomato trials done this past summer at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. It’s a wide ranging conversation not only about hybrid and heirloom tomato varieties that were notable for size, flavor, production, vigor..or lack thereof… it als...

Fall Berry Care (1:58 of podcast) Debbie Flower Explains Stuff I Had Questions About (18:33) We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory (and on location at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center). It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots , and Dave Wilson Nursery .  Let’s go! Previous episodes, show no...

Bulb Planting Basics (at 1:27 of podcast) Young Fruit Tree Care (22:04) We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory. It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery . Let’s go! Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and TRANSCRIPTS   at the home site for Garden...

Electroculture Gardening vs. the Scientific Method (at 3:08 of podcast) Growing Avocados in Marginal Climates (27:54) We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory. It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots , and Dave Wilson Nursery .  Let’s go! Previous episodes, show notes, links, product informatio...

How do you plant seeds in a garden bed full of mulch? America’s favorite retired college horticultural professor, Debbie Flower, and I quickly answered that and then veered into a very scenic bypass - as is our custom. This time: we rank garden mulches from best to worst. If you want to know the best products to use for a mulch - and the ones to avoid - you’ll want to listen.  Also: what the worms...

• Fall Vegetable Soil Preparation (at 2:08 of podcast) • Fall Fruit Tree Care (9:54) • Fall Rose Care (17:23) • Preserving Tomatoes (27:40) • How long do garden pesticides last? (35:24) It’s all right here, in episode number 283,  Fall Garden Preparation; and, How Long Can You Store Pesticides? Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and TRANSCRIPTS   at the home site for Garden...

Renee Shepherd of Renee’s Garden talks about the "cut and come again" leafy green garden, how anyone can be enjoying fresh lettuce, spinach, chard, cabbage and other nutritious greens on a daily basis, no matter how small your yard. Want to make your own mulch? We have tips for purchasing a chipper/shredder - the features that it should have for a hassle-free experience.  It’s the Garden...

 What does it take to have the best cool season organic garden in your neighborhood? The best soil! We have tips. Also: advice for controlling tomato hornworms. It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery . Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and TRANSCRIPTS   at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred,...

Shade Cloth Basics (1:45) Fall Lawn Care, Organically (18:42) Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and TRANSCRIPTS   at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net . Transcripts and episode chapters also available at Buzzsprout Pictured: Shade Cloth on Blackberries at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center Links: Subscribe to the free, Beyond the Garden Basics N...

Despite the triple digit temperatures of late August and early September, this is the time to be planning your fall garden, including starting the seeds of some of the healthiest, most nutritious vegetables that you can grow. America’s favorite retired college horticultural professor, Debbie Flower answers the fall garden questions of a college student who wants to try to grow a cool season garden...

Wherever you garden, you have had to endure days and days of sizzling summer temperatures. Your garden is trying to survive those heat waves, as well. Today, Debbie Flower and I  have tips for getting your garden through triple digit heatwaves and a lot more. Recorded live  at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Sacramento on August 5, 2023. • Why you don’t want to use garden soil in containers....

You’re looking at your crowded kitchen counter and wondering, what the heck are we going to do with all these tomatoes, peppers and zucchini?  Hey, you grew it, now eat it! Today, we explore tasty recipes for your abundant summer harvest. (01:31) Also, we have tips for sharpening your garden tools. (16:00) And, we explore one ingredient of fertilizer, phosphorus. Is it radioactive? (25:01) It’s al...

If you’re currently growing roses in containers, or are thinking of adding a few potted roses to your patio or balcony, this is the episode for you. • We get the tips from a professional rose grower, Ben Hanna, owner of HeirloomRoses.com (at 1:22). • Also, Master Rosarian Debbie Arrington solves some tree rose woes for a listener ( 27:30). • And, I chat with a local garden club about the need to k...

Those aren’t little white flowers on your woody perennials and shrubs. Look closer. What is it? It’s not a flower, it looks and feels like a wad of spit! That would be the cocoon for the aptly named spittlebug. What’s a gardener to do about this pest which can be found throughout North America? America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture professor, Debbie Flower tackles that and more of your y...

America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture professor, Debbie Flower and myself tackle more of your garden questions today.  Have you ever wondered, or even tried, planting into a container filled with straight compost? It might work for awhile, but eventually, you’re going to have problems. We have solutions to that issue. Gardeners and homeowners in just about any section of the country that...

It could be one of the prettiest insects you’ll ever see. It could also be one of the most voracious insects to find in your garden or on your farm. And right now it’s spreading throughout the eastern United states and into the midwest. It’s the spotted lanternfly. What does it look like? What crops can it overtake? How do you control the spotted lanternfly? Also, Debbie Flower and I tackle more o...

Today, America’s Favorite retired college horticultural professor, Debbie Flower and myself tackle your garden questions. And they are all about bugs: Aphids, wasps, gnats, drain flies and for some people - especially if they are allergic to them - bees. And that one serves as an introduction to one of the more vexing questions we received: are there any plants to repel bees? It’s all in today’s e...

11 Tips for Garden Success, recorded live, at the Lincoln Hills/Sun City (CA) garden club, May 2023. • All Gardening is Local. (6:04) • Know Your Soil. (10:27) • Right Plant, Right Place. (20:47) • Mulch, Mulch, Mulch. (23:13) • Mother Nature Bats Last. (26:38) • What's Old is New Again. (32:06) • Everything You Know is Wrong. (38:37) • If It Works for You, Fine. But Keep An Open Mind. (42:40...

Ready to discover the world of dragonflies and learn how they can benefit your garden? Join us as we chat with Pat Murphy, a Placer County Master Gardener and dragonfly enthusiast, who shares her wealth of knowledge on these incredible insects. With a 95% success rate as predators and the ability to control mosquito populations, dragonflies are a gardener's best friend. We'll also hear f...

Imagine reducing the risk of high cholesterol, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease with a simple change in your diet and lifestyle. Join us as we discuss the incredible connection between a whole food, plant-based diet and better brain health, with expert insights from Dr. Laura Varich of FreshPhysician.com. Dive into the power of leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and microgreens, and how the...

Tired of pesky ants ruining your garden beds and invading your home? Join us as we chat with Debbie Flower, America's favorite retired college horticultural professor, who shares her personal formula for getting rid of these unwanted pests. We'll uncover the secrets of boric acid ant bait and explore why it's crucial for it to reach the queen in order to wipe out the entire colony....

• Have you ever wondered how to attract more birds to your yard? We have a tip to bring more birds, using sound. (07:28) • Thinking of removing all or part of your lawn to save water, or  expand your garden? Now’s the time to take action, and we will show you how. (10:05) • Are there cures for common tomato problems, such as flower drop or blossom end rot? Yes, and no. We explain.  (20:02) • How m...

According to one recent national poll of backyard gardeners, cucumbers are the second favorite crop for growing. In a poll conducted by the National Gardening Association, 86% of gardeners cited growing tomatoes as their favorite, and cucumbers came in number 2.  We’ve talked about tomatoes extensively on this podcast. But, how do you grow and enjoy cucumbers? We’ve got the varieties, the growing...

Proper soil moisture is necessary for healthy plant growth. Do you know how moist your garden soil is right now? What are the easiest, best ways to determine the moisture level of your soil? How do you install a drip irrigation system on  a raised garden bed, which has a totally different moisture pattern than your in-ground garden? How do you pick a soil moisture meter or a soil probe? Don't...

What are America's Top 10 homegrown vegetables? Last week, in Episode 263, we covered the first five, including tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, beans and carrots. Today, in Part 2, Master Gardener and vegetable expert Gail Pothour and I talk about summer squash, onions, hot peppers, lettuce and peas, along with growing advice for each one, our favorite varieties, and tips for having more...