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

Last month while I was interviewing Dr. Allan Armitage , the widely respected horticulturist, he said something that really stuck with me: Gardening is never boring. 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 garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible...

After 14 years using the same cedar raised beds in my vegetable garden, the time finally came for a garden makeover. In this week's podcast, I'm sharing how I applied the experience I have gained in this garden to decide what to change during my garden rebuild and what to do exactly the same. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most import...

Anyone who gardens for long enough or likes to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors will encounter plants that can cause itchiness or even pain, but there are certain plants that they should be especially wary of — wicked plants. In this week's encore, New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart joins me to discuss the stories surrounding the world's most notorious plants. Podcast Links for...

Buying ladybugs for biological control of pests can contribute to depleting the ladybug population in the wild and raises other concerns as well. Meanwhile, non-native ladybugs do the same valuable work — eating aphids and other pests that harm crops — but are often cast in a bad light anyway. My guest in this week's encore, Dr. Kaitlin Stack Whitney, an environmental studies scholar as well as a...

What if the most fertile, resilient garden is one that feeds itself? Legendary organic grower Eliot Coleman returns to the podcast this week to challenge the idea that gardeners need to buy fertility in a bag. Drawing on decades of experience at Four Season Farm, Eliot explains how green manure and living soil can provide everything your garden needs — without importing soil inputs that could be i...

If you've ever wished for a gardening guide who cuts through the noise and tells it like it is, you're going to love this week's guest. Dr. Allan M. Armitage — plantsman, prolific author, world-traveled teacher, and all-around straight shooter — joins me to share his signature mix of wisdom, humor and no-nonsense advice. Allan is the down to earth gardener next door and has spent decades helping g...

Even small, everyday interactions with nature — from a single houseplant to a 20-minute walk through the woods or a garden — can measurably improve our mental and physical health. Biologist Kathy Willis, the author of the new book "Good Nature," joins me to explore the groundbreaking research revealing how touching, smelling and even just seeing plants benefits our well-being. Podcast Links for Sh...

Becoming a successful flower farmer and seed breeder takes not only a keen business sense but also creativity and resourcefulness, two traits that my guest this week has in spades. Erin Benzakein of Floret Flower Farm and the Magnolia Network series "Growing Floret" joins me to share how she cultivates her creative streak to get more flowers out into the world. Podcast Links for Show Notes Downloa...

Practicing permaculture doesn't require a sprawling property of several acres. As my guest this week, Brandy Hall of Shades of Green Permaculture, explains, the benefits of permaculture can fit in urban and suburban settings. 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 garden or landscape. It's...

Getting a greenhouse opened up so many opportunities for me to advance my gardening goals. In this week's encore, I'm sharing what there is to know before getting a greenhouse and my top tips for taking full advantage of it once you have one.  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 garden...

Whether planting just a few trees or embarking on a large-scale ecological restoration project, you will have the greatest chance of success if you choose to use saplings over containerized or balled-and-burlapped trees. To explain the many reasons why saplings are the best option, tree care expert Basil Camu returns to the podcast this week. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5...

Plants that live indoors with us over the winter — both houseplants and those that are only stored inside the house seasonally — need a few things from us to get through the darker, colder months. At the same time, too much coddling during this period of semi-dormancy can doom plants. This week, I am sharing how to prepare plants for the transition and how to strike the right balance to keep them...

As the days grow shorter and the evenings cooler, fall is the perfect time to settle in with a good book — especially one that deepens your connection to the natural world. Whether you're looking for inspiration, practical guidance or just the joy of a beautifully written story, here are my nature, ecology and gardening book recommendations will have something for you. Podcast Links for Show Notes...

Fall may feel like the end of the gardening year, but in reality, it's one of the most important times to be outside. What we do now not only prepares our gardens for winter but also sets the stage for success next spring. In this episode, I'm sharing things to do in the fall gardening season and how I stay on task  — from managing weeds and saving seeds to dividing perennials and protecting young...

As the growing season winds down, it's time to think ahead to the cold-weather tasks before us, and that includes winter pruning to ensure the health of trees and the safety of the people who live with them. In this encore episode, master arborist and tree preservationist Basil Camu joins me to share the winter tree care tips you need to know.  Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook ...

Encouraging more people to take part in healing the ecosystem begins with raising awareness of both the challenges and the remedies. Basil Camu, shares exactly that in his book, "From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape." Basil is my guest in this week's encore episode.  Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ev...

I recently visited Westport, Connecticut, to deliver a talk hosted by Sustainable Westport , a nonprofit whose mission is to encourage and support "small changes and big commitments toward a healthier, more sustainable future." Because their mission is so well aligned with the values I promote on "The joe gardener Show," I asked Sustainable Westport Co-Directors Johanna Martel and Gately Ross to j...

No matter how big or small, every garden, whether ornamental or edible, starts with soil. My guest this week, British garden designer and Royal Horticultural Society gold medalist Juliet Sargeant, reveals the hidden power of soil in her new book and shares how gardeners can identify good soil. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - the 5 most impor...

The 2026 edition of the annual Old Farmer's Almanac — published continuously since 1792 — recently hit the shelves. Joining me to discuss the latest Almanac and its guiding philosophy is Carol Connare, the 14th editor of the Almanac in its 234-year history. 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 th...

My returning guest this week, Adam Alexander, believes that food should be nutritious and delicious while also combating climate change and returning fertility to soils and biodiversity to the land. He joins me to talk about his inspiring and enlightening upcoming book, " The Accidental Seed Heroes: Growing a Delicious Food Future for All of Us ." Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBoo...

Later summer is a test for any gardener. Heat, humidity and relentless pests push both plants and gardeners to their limits. In my garden, some crops flourish despite the challenges, while others demand constant attention — from cherry tomatoes still producing in late August to squash battling bugs on vertical trellises. In this week's encore presentation, I am resharing my August 2024 audio journ...

Flowers can bring beauty, healing and economic opportunity. But what does it take to build a livelihood around flowers? In this episode, I'm joined by Debra Prinzing, the founder of the Slow Flowers Society and co-author of " The Flower Farmers ," and Xenia D'Ambrosi, a flower farmer and the founder of Sweet Earth Co. Together, they share their personal journeys into flower farming and their insig...

Landscape designer Darrel Morrison is a vanguard of the land ethic promoted by early conservation hero Aldo Leopold. He joins me on the podcast this week with Curt Meine, a senior fellow of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, to share how a landscape can be both aesthetically pleasing and ecologically restorative. Podcast Links for Show Notes Download my free eBook  5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever  - th...

A garden is a powerful thing. My guest this week, Kate Bradbury, the author of " One Garden Against the World: In Search of Hope in a Changing Climate ," is here to share how small actions can make a difference to conserve wildlife.  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 garden or landsca...

Peatlands sequester twice as much carbon as all the world's forests and are vital ecosystems with essential roles in water management and biodiversity support — but they are under threat. Most have been damaged due to peat extraction and other human activity, contributing to climate change. British horticulturist, journalist and author Alys Fowler joins me on the podcast this week to share why pea...