The Dirt on Gardening

❓Question of the Day: How do you keep your garden thriving in the summer heat? In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast, we tackle the challenges of gardening during the hot summer months. We, Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and Derek the Chocolate Botanist, share our experiences and tips for managing heat-sensitive crops and maintaining a productive garden. From using shade...

❓Question of the Day: How have you made your garden more accessible? What tools, techniques, or adaptations have made gardening easier for you or someone you know? Your garden should be a place of peace—not pain. In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , we discuss practical ways to make gardening more accessible for gardeners of all abilities. Whether you're dealing with bad knees, mobi...

  Is chocolate really being grown in a lab? Is Dr. Sebi's nutritional philosophy supported by science? Are pesticides, GMOs, and "electric foods" being misunderstood online? In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and The Chocolate Botanist dive headfirst into some of the biggest myths and conspiracy theories circulating in the gardening...

 In this thought-provoking episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , we—Urban Gardening with Gray, Andre the Farmer, and The Chocolate Botanist—dig into one of the hottest and most controversial topics online right now: AI-generated gardening content, fake plant videos, and the future of artificial intelligence in agriculture . From viral “instant harvest” videos and impossible blue flowers...

 In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , we—Andre the Farmer and Urban Gardening with Gray—dive into one of the most debated topics in gardening: why pests attack certain plants and how healthy soil impacts plant resilience . Along the way, we mix in gardening science, practical pest control strategies, gardening myths, and plenty of laughs. We explore a fascinating discussion arou...

In this spring-focused episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , we—Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and The Chocolate Botanist—kick off the growing season with a lively gardening Q&A packed with practical tips, laughs, and real-world garden updates.  We dive into everything gardeners are dealing with right now, from spring planting prep and recovering from winter damage to p...

 In this lively, Q&A-driven episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , we—Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and The Chocolate Botanist—answer your best gardening questions and share real-world advice you can actually use. We cover everything from where to source sugarcane in bulk (and how to network with juicers and local farmers) to building the right soil mix for containers a...

In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , we—Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and The Chocolate Botanist—dig into one of the most frustrating gardening problems: flowers that never turn into fruit . We break down the real reasons behind poor fruit set and blossom drop, especially for tropical crops like mango, dragon fruit, and cacao , and share practical solutions you can act...

In this vibrant episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast , hosts Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and The Chocolate Botanist are joined by special guest Malakai of Edible Earth Solutions, tuning in from The Gambia to share real-world insights on tropical gardening, food forests, and climate-smart growing . We kick things off celebrating a 500-download milestone before diving into pract...

  What does it really take to live off-grid in Hawaii? In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening , we’re joined by special guest Jah (Mr. OffGrider), who shares his real-world experience building a self-sufficient lifestyle on the Big Island. Since 2019, Jah has been developing raw land into a functional off-grid homestead—starting with tents and machetes, and eventually building a shipping co...

 This throwback episode of The Dirt on Gardening Podcast (Season 1, Episode 32) brings us together—Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and The Chocolate Botanist—for a fun, wide-ranging conversation that blends real-life gardening with deep dives into soil fungi, mycorrhizae, and garden biology .  We kick things off with weekend updates—building new metal raised beds, discoverin...

In this lively episode, we kick things off welcoming our special guest, Chai Ming of Coastal Homestead. We trade weekend garden wins and woes—from satsuma scores and mystery Temu avocado reveals to white sapote experiments and recovering orchards—then dive into foodscaping: how to swap ornamentals for edibles, design small-space gardens, and choose durable, drought-tolerant plants for tricky strip...

In this episode of The Dirt on Garden Podcast, we dive into plants in pop culture—from Little Shop of Horrors’ iconic Audrey II and Wizard of Oz’s soporific pop We swap personal gardening updates (false spring chills in Dallas, seed-starting in the Carolinas), recent plant finds and losses, and listener call-outs from YouTube and Instagram, weaving in references to anime roses, Dr. Seuss’s Trufful...

In this lively episode of The Dirt on Gardening, I’m joined by Andre, Gray, and our special guest Rashad of Afya Farms for a deep dive into modern homesteading—what it really takes, how to start small, and why planning matters. We chat weekend adventures, community shout-outs, and Rashad’s path from houseplants to a thriving, animal-powered homestead in Atlanta. Rashad breaks down efficient meat s...

In this lively episode of the Dirt on Gardening, we're joined by special guest Nate from Classy Rabbit to continue our deep-dive into plant nutrition—especially the often-overlooked micronutrients. We swap weekend updates (RIP to a towering mango, congrats on Gray’s upcoming Home Depot miniseries, and Derek’s studio reset), then dive into practical, myth-busting guidance on NPK vs. micros, fertili...

In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening, we’re joined by Tiffany Davis, creator of Thryve Roots, for a lively deep-dive into soil health. We unpack the basics of NPK (nitrogen for leafy growth, phosphorus for roots/flowers, potassium for overall vigor), why nutrient mobility matters after heavy rains, and how soil amendments and microbes improve nutrient uptake and water retention without encoura...

In this episode of The Dirt on Gardening, join us for a lively, wide-ranging conversation on weird and wonderful plant facts—and real-world garden recovery after Florida’s rare deep freeze. We share firsthand observations of mangoes, bananas, lychees, and avocados taking a hard hit, what to expect from bananas rebounding next season, and why this year might be a lighter workload in my orchard. Fro...

We’re live with Andre the Farmer, Gray (Urban Gardening with Gray), and Derek (The Chocolate Botanist) talking winter-damaged gardens, small‑space wins, and a big announcement: Gray’s new YouTube series “Q&A with Gray” debuts on the Botanical Interests channel. We swap freeze‑recovery strategies for fruit trees (wait to prune until you’re safely past frost), what to do with flopped annuals, an...

A major cold snap is pushing freezing temperatures deep into warm climates—bringing serious frost and freeze risk for gardens, fruit trees, and container plants. In this episode of the Dirt on Gardening Podcast, Andre the Farmer, Urban Gardening with Gray, and The Chocolate Botanist (Derek) share practical cold weather gardening tips to help you protect plants from frost damage, hard freezes, and...

We’re back! In our Season 2 premiere, the three of us shake off some live-stream rust, catch up on travel, family news, and what’s sprouting in our lives and gardens. Then we dive into practical, no‑stress seed starting: start something you love, use your planting calendar, mind your media, keep lights close, and don’t fear a little failure. We talk germination triggers, damping off, fans for stur...