Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Today:  It's  America’s Top homegrown vegetables. Master Gardener and vegetable expert Gail Pothour and I talk about them, along with growing advice for each one, including our favorite varieties. We actually got into such detail about each, we have to divide this chat into two episodes: today’s and next week’s Garden Basics podcasts. So today, we are talking tomatoes (no surprise there that...

What is the most consumed vegetable in the United States? Potatoes! Oddly enough, it’s not even on the top 10 list of backyard garden vegetables. That’s too bad, because the potato varieties that are available for home gardeners are more colorful and flavorful than the varieties you’d find in a grocery store.   We revisit a conversation we had with America’s favorite retired college horticulture p...

If you are unfamiliar with multi-budded fruit trees, and you have a small yard and you want a cornucopia of tasty fruit, then a multi-budded fruit tree may be right for you.  We tackle a fruit tree question from a listener in Ohio who wants to know: "Is it better to buy a multi-budded fruit tree, or can I do it myself? And how do you graft branches onto a fruit tree?" That last question...

Easter egg season is here, and many of you may be thinking, "Why bother painting those eggs? After all, there are breeds of hens that lay beautifully colored eggs. So, Let’s just get some baby chicks, raise the hens, and gather the colorful eggs. Plus, we’ll save money on omelettes!"  Many farm supply stores now have those baby chicks in stock. Today, we back up a step or two and talk ab...

It must be spring, and time for our annual tomato preview show! Today a couple of tomato heads, nursery owner Don Shor and myself, talk about growing tomatoes. Topics include: • The winning and losing tomato varieties of 2022 (remember, all gardening is local) 1:38 • Which tomato varieties we will be planting in 2023, varieties that are old and new. 9:31 • Advice for the first time tomato grower:...

Last September, in Episode 226, we presented 10 of the best quick tips for a successful garden.  In this episode,  we have 10 More Garden Quick Tips. We talk about:  • Creating a front yard container garden that would be sure to slow down cars and walkers, using only three plants, that you could do now, in March or April. (at 3:02 of the podcast)  • Is there a cheaper way to make seed starting mix...

Today, I’m joined by America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, and we are going to spend the entire episode answering your garden questions. We will be going into mind-numbing detail as well as frivolous scenic bypasses over such queries as:  What’s the easiest way to apply fertilizer around fruit trees when the area is covered with mulch?  (1:24) What are some lawn...

Setting foot into the garden for the first time? Looking to expand your gardening horizons?  Wondering where to begin?  Start small…with container gardening. We talk with Pam Farley, author of the new book, “The First Time Gardener: Container Food Gardening.” Experienced gardeners will pick up handy tips, too. You’ll find out: • You’ll find out the best tools and implements to use to add drain hol...

Since the name of the show is Garden Basics, let’s cover something that’s basic, but not necessarily easy or successful.  America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower walks us step by step through  the topic of how to repot a plant. It’s not as simple as you might think, and we offer tips to make sure your repotting efforts are more successful. Some T opics covered incl...

One joy of having a garden are aromatic plants. Annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees that emanate a pleasant smell while you’re walking through the yard, especially in the afternoon and evening. Shows for the nose. (1:21) We talk with New York- based aromatherapist Amy Anthony about the power that various aromatic plants can instill in us, making us happier, calmer and braver. Really! (40:05) Plu...

What should you do when an unexpected heavy frost or freeze damages your plants? (4:25) How can mulch save you water? (8:32) Are those extra ingredients in fertilizers and potting soils worth the expense? (17:10) What’s a good soil recipe for starting seeds? (20:31) Why is soil pH important? (25:11) What’s a good soil mix for growing blueberries? (28:21) How can you get seeds to germinate more qui...

Guest: Quentyn Young, UC Master Gardener, Orchard Specialist, and Landscape Designer Topics: Winter vs Summer Fruit Tree Pruning (1:27) Tips for Improving Container Drainage (10:17) Unusual Cool Season Vegetables worth a try now (21:59) 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...

Welcome to Part 4 of our four part series, 2022’s greatest hits of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. The four parts include the top 10 most listened-to segments last year.  In part 1, in Ep. 248 , we talked about how to grow tomatoes.   In part 2, in Episode 249, we talked with "Grow Now" author Emily Murphy about a way to build your soil without having to purchase bags of potting mix. It’...

Welcome to Part 3 of our four part series, the 2022 greatest hits of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. The four parts include the top 10 most listened-to segments last year. Today it’s a Debbie Flower extravaganza. Our favorite retired college horticulture professor discusses how to reuse old potting soil, tips for reducing water use in the yard, and a checklist for starting your first garden. And i...

Welcome to Part 2 of our four part series, the 2022 greatest hits of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, Part 2. The four parts include the top 10 most listened to segments last year. In part 1 last week, we talked about tomatoes. That included choosing the easiest to grow varieties, pruning, the best tomatoes for containers, and battling diseases, and one in particular, blossom end rot. This time aro...

It’s the first month of 2023, and we have a look back, well, actually, it’s a listen back, to the most popular Garden Basics segments of 2022. It’s those chats that got the biggest audiences last year. It’s our Top 10 of 2022, and it’s going to take four weeks to get through all of them. We have thoughtfully divvied them up by subject matter. And guess what garden subject got the most downloads? T...

Winter storms are ravaging the country. Heavy winds, rain, and snow are toppling trees from coast to coast, crushing cars, homes and power lines. Why are so many trees falling? It could be due to the lack of care by the homeowners. Or the city. Or whoever owns the trees. Today, we have tips from tree expert and Master Gardener Pam Bone for discovering some of the structural weaknesses that can lea...

We continue our chat from last episode about the future of gardening in 2023 with Andrew Bunting, vice president of Horticulture with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. And we’ll find out about the big Philadelphia Flower Show coming up in March. We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory. It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podca...

The term, "gardening", has many facets, many meanings. And, as you might imagine, all gardeners are local, too. So what are the gardening trends sweeping the country right now? And what can we look forward to as far as garden trends in the coming year? The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has a pretty powerful Magic 8-ball to figure out those answers. Today, as well as in the next epis...

Retail nurseries here on the West Coast are already getting in shipments of berry plants and fruit trees. The rest of the country will start seeing the arrival of these tasty edible and beautiful crops throughout the winter. Shop early for the best selection, because most nurseries will only be getting in one shipment. But which fruit trees or berry plants should you get? Which ones taste the best...

It may not be planting time, but it certainly is planning time for your 2023 garden. Looking to plant something different? A good place to start is with the All America Selections winners. This is a yearly compilation of new plant entries, annuals and perennials, ornamentals and edibles, that have won the praises of plant expert judges in trial gardens from coast to coast. The 2023 entries include...

You may have heard the term, “biochar”, being used in gardening circles. What exactly is “biochar”? And why is it being added to more and more soil products that you could find at the nursery? We will find out. Also, Roof Rats! They’re not just for your attic anymore. If conditions are right, they will invade your fruit and nut plants outdoors, and in some instances, move out there. We have contro...

You might live in a house or condo that has a narrow strip of soil right next to the house. What precautions do you need to take before you plant in that two foot wide strip? We answer a listener’s question on that very topic, with the help of America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower.  Also, how about growing some nutritious vegetables this winter, indoors, in a sun...

I find it amazing how one simple question opens the door for a podcast that turned out to be about an hour long. Today, here on episode 240, we delve into the world of potatoes. How to grow them, how to store them, and - the question that started all of this from a listener - what are the best potatoes to grow? We’re talking potatoes today - the most consumed vegetable throughout the world - with...

Today, we tackle some of the garden questions that have come in from around the country, such as:  How do you overwinter a pepper plant indoors?  What are these new bugs on my tomato plants?  And, a question from a couple of months ago, when we were all stifling in record breaking heat: are there any roses that can tolerate and grow in high temperatures? We gets answers from two of my favorite Deb...