The joe gardener Show - Organic Gardening - Vegetable Gardening - Expert Garden Advice From Joe Lamp'l

Weed overwhelm can befall even the most experienced gardeners. In this week's encore presentation, New York Times gardening columnist and "A Way to Garden" podcast host Margaret Roach joins me to explore how to keep weeds from taking over with a practical, organic approach that delivers real results. By combining a little good old-fashioned research with a touch of mindfulness, Margaret demonstrat...

Nuisance wildlife — from deer and rabbits to raccoons, moles and voles — pose major headaches for gardeners. In this week's encore presentation, I am revisiting my conversation with wildlife damage management specialist Marne Titchenell on effective solutions for deterring wildlife.   Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps...

A continuous vegetable garden is about more than succession planting for a longer growing season and a greater harvest. As my returning guest Charlie Nardozzi explains, when a gardener applies certain techniques, a vegetable garden can resow itself continuously for a truly perpetual food garden. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most imp...

In many parts of the United States, ticks and tick-borne diseases are a growing concern for gardeners and others who enjoy spending time outdoors. To explain what's important to understand about these blood-sucking arachnids and the threat they pose, tick expert Dr. Thomas Mather (a.k.a "The TickGuy") joins me on the podcast this week. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps t...

When forests are treated purely as commodities, with no regard for preserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change, we all suffer for it, humans and wildlife alike. But my returning guest, forestry scientist Dr. Suzanne Simard, explains that a conservation-minded approach to logging can protect forests while still satisfying economic interests. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free e...

Rosemary Gladstar is one of the most influential voices in modern herbalism, having educated generations of herbal enthusiasts through her teaching, books and lectures around the world. This week, she joins me to explore the rich history and benefits of herbalism. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to ha...

Our gardens are more than just places to grow plants — they are home habitats, where gardeners can provide a refuge for struggling wildlife to thrive. To explain how we can care for wildlife in our own yards, National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski returns to the podcast this week. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most...

Gardeners often have a love-hate relationship with insects — loving the bees and ladybugs and hating the aphids and flea beetles, for example — but all insects have value, even if it isn't always apparent to us. To discuss how insect allies are important partners in gardens and elsewhere, joining me this week is entomologist and artist Barrett Klein. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free e...

Craig LeHoullier is the gardener who gave the beloved Cherokee Purple tomato its name and the author of "Epic Tomatoes" and "Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales." He's also my fellow instructor in the Online Gardening Academy™ Growing Epic Tomatoes course and a great friend. He joins me this week for a catch-up on his latest gardening and seed breeding projects. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download...

If you want a garden that looks great, feeds you and requires less upkeep, edimentals — edible ornamentals — provide just what you're looking for. Joining me to discuss the benefits of these perennials that pull double-duty is garden designer Harry Holding, the author of " Eat Your Garden ." Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most importa...

Gardening in raised beds can simplify and improve the growing experience, offering greater control over soil quality while reducing the need to bend for planting, weeding and watering. In this week's encore, Master Gardener Scott Wilson explains the advantages and shares practical guidance from his book, " Gardener Scott's Guide to Raised Bed Gardening ." Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my f...

If you want to truly support wildlife in your garden, it takes more than planting a few natives and pollinator favorites — it requires thinking like an ecosystem. My guest this week, landscape ecologist Dr. Shaun McCoshum, explains how mimicking natural habitats can transform even small garden spaces into thriving refuges for birds, insects and other wildlife, while still keeping them beautiful, p...

If you've ever considered raising chickens alongside your garden, there's a good chance that my guest this week helped shape how you think about it.  Lisa Steele is the author of the bestselling book "Gardening with Chickens," which she recently updated for its 10th anniversary edition. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most important st...

When biologist David George Haskell titled his latest book " How Flowers Made Our World ," he knew the idea might sound preposterous at first blush. David joins me this week to explain how flowers really did transform the Earth and shape how we live.  Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving...

At the heart of ecological gardening is learning to work in concert with nature, not against it. That's how gardeners come to understand how they can create beauty while fostering biodiversity and healthy soil. To explain some of the many ways anyone can practice ecological gardening, joining me this week is Matt Mattus, the senior director of horticulture for the American Horticultural Society. P...

Making the switch from conventional gardening to gardening with native plants can feel intimidating — especially when you're staring at a landscape filled with familiar favorites and wondering what belongs in their place. This week, Elise Howard, the author of " Plant This, Not That ," offers a practical way forward, showing how simple swaps can transform a traditional garden into a thriving, ecol...

Tiny gardens in urban settings are far from a novelty — they have an important and influential place in history. There was a time when urban gardens were essential for food security, and they anchored communities. To discuss what we can learn from the history of urban gardens and how these lessons apply to gardeners today, environmental historian Kate Brown joins me this week. Podcast Links for Sh...

Growing better tomatoes doesn't have to mean more work. Horticulturist, designer and author Frank Hyman says many common tomato-growing practices — like heavy pruning, frequent spraying and constant tinkering — may actually be unnecessary. Frank joins me this week to share practical ideas and inventive solutions that make growing healthy, productive tomato plants simpler and more successful. Podca...

Gardening doesn't have to slow down as we get older — but it does need to evolve. In this episode, award-winning garden writer and author Rhonda Fleming Hayes shares practical, empowering strategies from her new book, "Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age," showing how we can right-size our gardens, protect our bodies and continue growing with purpose an...

Microgreens are incredibly healthy edible greens that are also unbelievably easy to grow with a little training. My returning guest this week, Jonah Krochmalnek, the owner and founder of Microgreens Consulting, explains what turned him on to microgreens and how he scaled from a few racks in his parents' spare room to a thriving business. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps...

For numerous reasons, I've completely switched over from using plastic cell trays for seed starting to using soil blocks. Soil blocks are the best fit for me. To help you determine whether plastic trays or soil blocks are the best fit for your seed starting plans, this week I am breaking down the pros and cons of both methods. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Be...

This week's episode is one every gardener will appreciate, especially anyone who's ever stood in the kitchen staring at an avalanche of peak-season produce. Growing the food is only half the story. To help with the other half — food preservation —  I'm joined by Staci and Jeremy Hill, the husband and wife team behind the new book "The Preserver's Garden." Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my f...

Seed starting is a welcome way to get our hands dirty during winter and early spring, but a few common missteps can quickly turn excitement into frustration. In this encore episode, I'm revisiting the five most common seed-starting mistakes gardeners make — and sharing practical ways to fix them or avoid them altogether for better results. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Ste...

I returned from a trip abroad last week and checked on the seeds I had started before I went away. Some seedlings struggled in my absence more than others, and it gave me a few ideas for seed starting tips that I wanted to share with you. On this episode, I'll be supplementing last week's encore on preparing for seed starting season with more important things to know. Podcast Links for Show Notes...

Seed-starting success begins long before the first tray is filled with soil. In this encore episode, I take you behind the scenes of my own preparation process, sharing how thoughtful planning and a smarter seed organization system help to eliminate stress and prevent costly mistakes while setting the stage for a smoother season from the very start. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eB...