Good Growing

On this week's gardenbite, Katie shares a blog post written by Ken Johnson about the Spotted lanternfly. The Spotted lanternfly is an invasive species with the potential to become a serious pest in the United States. Listen in to learn how it could become an issue and how to identify this pest.

On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat with small farms and local foods educator Nick Frillman about getting our tomatoes and pepper off on the right foot (root?) this growing season. We chat about best practices for getting these very popular garden veggies growing. Plus dealing with the common hurdles of blossom end rot and cracking of the tomato skin. As a bonus, Nick asks us about our fav...

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we discuss some of your questions on managing weeds! Learn about managing quackgrass, bamboo, violets, and more. Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sFdJu4MCa4s Skip to what you want to know: 01:45 - Managing quackgrass in lawns 04:45 - How can I manage bamboo? 07:45 - How can I manage violets in my lawn? 09:30 - Herbicide damage complaint process 11:15 - Wra...

This week's Good Growing looks back on a past blog post by University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Chris Enroth about jumping worms. Jumping worms is an invasive species that we are currently hearing about in the news. Listen in to learn how to identify jumping worms and what to do if you find some.

This week Good Growing looks back to our interview with Dr. John Vanek all about snakes. In this clip, John talks about ways to make our yards more snake friendly and what are some good ones to have in the garden. See our smiling faces at https://youtu.be/v6hl9FZSXdw Want to learn more about snakes and maybe how to discourage them from being in your yard or deal with a snake in the house? Check ou...

This week Illinois Extension horticulture educator Ken Johnson talks about some things we can do to avoid being bitten by buffalo gnats, mosquitoes, and ticks. Check out the Good Growing Blog: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of...

On this week’s podcast, we chat with University of Illinois Extension Marketing and Communications manager Judy Bingman. Judy shares with us all things Illinois Extension including the history, goals, and future. She also shares some personal information about what motives her. Listen in to hear more. 3:09 Welcome Judy! 13:05 How did Extension get started? 14:46 Has the goal of Illinois Extension...

On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat one last time with retiring horticulture educator Richard Hentschel. Richard dives into tips for spring lawn care and we get into environmentally friendly practices for our lawns and ask if they really work. Plus, Richard gives his parting tips to Katie, Ken, and Chris for their career with Illinois Extension. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6s6_WKlZT...

On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we chat with Assistant Professor and Faculty Extension Specialist Kacie Athey about climate change and insects. We discuss what impacts our changing climate may have on insects, like will we see range expansions, more generations, more plant damage, phenology, and more! See our smiling faces on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DzEnKQG_F6w Skip to what you want to know...

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk to Dr. Kacie Athey about biocontrols. Dr. Kacie Athey is an assistant professor and faculty extension specialist at University of Illinois and contributes much of her research into non-chemical insect control in specialty crop systems. Join us as we discuss biocontrols, where to use them, and how they work. 5:20 Welcome back Kacie! 6:28 Where are you st...

On this week's Good Growing podcast we sit down to talk with Dr. Joy O'Keefe all about bats! Dr. O'Keefe is an assistant professor at University of Illinois and a wildlife specialist with Extension who studies bats and how humans can work to co-exist with our flying fellow mammals. In this show we learn about the importance of bats, how to attract them to our yards, and how to deal with a bat in t...

This week Illinois Extension horticulture educator Ken Johnson talks about how we should approach spring garden cleanup with beneficial insects in mind. Check out the Good Growing Blog: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these...

In this week’s podcast, University of Illinois commercial ag educator Chelsea Harbach joins the Good Growing team to discuss the historical significance of plant diseases such as the Irish Potato Famine (the Great Hunger). Listen in to hear what happened and what caused it to happen! 3: 36 Plants get sick? What do they get sick with? 8:42 Are viruses living or not living? 10:44 The History of Robi...

This week Illinois Extension horticulture educator Chris Enroth dives into the world of shredded rubber mulch. He'll talk pros and cons of this automotive byproduct. Want to learn more about mulch? Who doesn't! Chris dives into the multitude of mulches in this blog. https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2022-01-20-common-mulches-used-vegetable-garden Check out the Good Growing Blog: go...

In this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we talk with Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford about some of the impacts we are seeing now and how climate change will affect our landscapes and agriculture in the future. We also discuss how to engage with climate change skeptics and what people can do to try and mitigate climate change. Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G65eStr_RLA Skip to what you...

The Good Growing Podcast crew celebrates their 100th episode by talking tree fruit maintenance with University of Illinois horticulture educator Andrew Holsinger. Listen in as they discuss pruning, disease management, mulching, and more. Be sure to stay until the end as Chris has a surprise segment. 4:05 Updates on Tree fruit school. 9:18 Best time to start pruning fruit trees 10:30 Best time to m...

This week we are posting the first Good Growing (then called Green Speak) episode that we thought was lost to time. In 2017 with an idea for a podcast, Chris Enroth sat down and talked with Family Life educator Cara Allen about the effects of nature on human physical and mental health and how being outdoors as kids influenced our career choices. Plus answers to common home gardening questions. Ski...

On this week's Good Growing podcast, Katie talks about the benefits of winter to our gardens! You may be getting tired of the cold and snow from winter, but it does provide major benefits such as disease and insect control. Check out the Good Growing Blog extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing Want Good Growing updates? Subscribe at go.illinois.edu/GoodGrowingSubscribe --- Any products or compa...

On this week's Good Growing podcast, the hosts discuss our upcoming snow storm and some fun February garden activities that we can do. Join Ken and Katie to learn more! Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/CYXUL7n3_04 Check out Ken's article on Salt in the Landscape https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2018-11-28-salt-landscape Another article to check out is Forcing Branches which ca...

Are you a farmer with employees? Do you manage crews for a landscaping company? What type of leadership skills does someone who grows plants for a living need? On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat with University of Illinois Extension's assistant dean Dr. Travis Burke about growing up on the farm in North Carolina and his five tips for being a good leader. Skip to what you want to know: 2:0...

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we discuss questions we’ve gotten from webinars, blogs and articles we’ve written, and emails to the office the past year. We discuss feeding birds, pantry pests, managing mice, pruning trees, and more! Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yVbFgEHuYOo Skip to what you want to know: 4:30 - I’ve been using sunflower seed to feed my birds, but the blue jays, card...

In this week's podcast we talk with Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Nick Frillman about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Nick shares a lot of great information about what CSA is, how it works, and how to get involved in one. 2:51 Welcome Nick Frillman 3:11 What does CSA stand for? 4:19 What does community supported agriculture mean? 7:12 How are you so familiar with CSA already? 9:05 Wh...

On this week's Good Growing podcast, the hosts discuss some last minute Christmas gifts for a gardener, the winter solstice, and our recent winter weather. Listen in as they reminisce about the past year of podcasts. Where has Ken been? 1:34 Last minute Christmas gift ideas 2:43 Happy Winter Solstice! 7:37 Warm Winter Weather and Bats 8:23 Warm Weather and Wind Damage 13:06 Reminiscing about 2021...

On this week's Good Growing podcast we welcome Dr. Chelsea Harbach, commercial ag educator with University of Illinois Extension and nematode expert! We dive into what are nematodes and do Illinois gardeners need to worry about these microscopic worms swimming through the soil, plus the impacts that can occur on agricultural crops. Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/rBKyuXzRfrQ 3:42 Introducing...

On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat with plant pathologist Diane Plewa about disease observations in 2021 and what gardeners can do when plant disease rears its ugly head in your garden. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/FQcZJ9fhhS4 2:51 Welcome Diane and learning about the University of Illinois Plant Clinic! 9:49 Were there any disease trends you noticed or did anything surprise you in 2...