Your Midwest Garden Podcast

Send us Fan Mail What we thought would be a super fast episode... turned into a number of revealing tidbits unknown to Mike.  But not to worry, Mike had a thing or two on that 5th Year Rookie. And Scott's hoping his one impressive tidbit find, YOU may not know either... listen in and find out! Black Diamond Garden Centers Welcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local busin...

Send us Fan Mail The FOUR C's for this show are not what all the ladies are thinking... today's diamonds are not carats (but carrots is a better guess). Nope, today's C's are Cosmos, Coleus, Cleome and Cabbage (?). A few sun loving plants we think need 15 seconds more fame than they are getting. So let Mike & Scott help introduce these plants to you, along with our guest fr...

Send us Fan Mail Steve, one of our loyal listeners introduced Mike & I to Lisa Hinzman Howard, aka The Midwest Garden Gal after he attended one of her garden show lectures.  That gave us a chance to invite Lisa on the show to discuss her recent book, Cheap Tricks Gardening. Listen in as we talk about the western half of the midwest and about facets of her book! Cause you don’t need to spend a...

Send us Fan Mail Let’s talk lawns, subscribers. If you fertilize your own or have a lawn service company push the spreader, you should know the basics . And seeing that the first-round application is close to closing as this article prints, it’s time to get spreading. But the biggest advice is this; if you’re going to spend the money fertilizing, please don’t cut your lawn short! You can have a be...

Send us Fan Mail The guys get into the nitty gritty of the Goldenrod, which gets a bad rap as a ragweed. A native North American perennial wildflower that's tall, slim with fluffy golden flower spikes in various shades of yellow. Once an invasive species, we discuss the change in direction for this easy to grow beauty.  Black Diamond Garden Centers Welcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Ser...

Send us Fan Mail One of the first spring bloomers, even popping up through the snow... the Hellebore. Associated with the Easter holiday, the Hellebore or Lenten Rose has an interesting association with the rising of Christ, the first bloomer of spring and of interesting note is actually an evergreen? Tune in as we have more tidbits of info to pass along! Support the show Black Diamond Garden Cent...

Send us Fan Mail Many think the Clematis Vine is a fragile, delicate flower. That it's a hard plant to keep going. But Scott thinks it's a great tropical looking climber and would look great in a sunny area. So we dive into the ABCs of the queen of the climbers... from A to Z!  Listen in to hear what we discovered while doing our homework. Black Diamond Garden Centers Welcome Black Diamo...

Send us Fan Mail Multiple chances of recycling occur with worm composting... from garbage to garden. Saving the landfills, food scraps that feed the worms, worms recycling that into compost, compost giving nutrients to veggies/herbs, veggies coming back onto our plates.  The garden circle of life, all with the help of worms. From the common worms we played with as kids, to worms that are known to...

Send us Fan Mail And we're back...  season number five has officially begun! To keep everyone from getting frostbite, I know... the warmer weather has hit us early but lets keep the itch to garden in the planning stages. Until the temps are consistently warm, all the critters are still in their winter naps. Disturbing their beds would be a bad thing when you need beneficial friends this seaso...

Send us Fan Mail GETTING THAT ITCH TO GET BACK INTO THE GARDEN? WELL NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO PREP. AND THAT MEANS GIVING YOUR PLANTS THE BEST WATER AVAILABLE... LISTEN IN TO THIS RECENT, BUT IMPORTANT EPISODE! We were in search of why rain water perks up our lawns and gardens more than tap water. Not a scientific white paper chat, but a quick 101. We found the answer and a easy way to collect r...

Send us Fan Mail Our last episode for the 2023 gardening season... a little smorgasbord of last minute things to do, Mike does a reverse pop quiz on Scott, plus a few insights on the most downloaded episodes of season four. Jump to the end for several of our coupon codes... help support our show (popularity wise) by purchasing with these codes and please spread the word around. New listeners can b...

Send us Fan Mail The guys welcome back, Mike Chancey...aka Mushroom Man. Mushroom Mike is here to explain to Scott which types of mushrooms are in the energy drink he has been consuming for a few weeks now. Why those particular mushrooms were probably chosen and how they help with the mind and body. Magic Mind was designed for long-term boost in cognition, energy, and stress and these fungi are he...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is an unscheduled ALERT EPISODE! Amy Stone from The Ohio State Extension Office contacted us, wanting to update our listeners about the spread of the Spotted Lantern Fly. Listen in as we discuss the spread of this pest, how you can help destroy the next generation... thus saving crops like grapes. If you like wine, then you'll want to help out as this unwanted in...

Send us Fan Mail YMGP traveled to visit and speak with the North Baltimore Garden Cub last week. The group requested the subject of winterizing your garden & landscape. We turned it around on them and had the group become our third co-host for the night! So together, we chatted about buttoning up the garden and so much more. See, those experienced gardeners knew everything we know... so we exp...

Send us Fan Mail YMGP once again hits the road... traveling to Bensell's Greenhouse to discuss safe ways to bring your house plants inside for the winter. But we added a twist! Toledo gardener Amanda joins us to share what she does to bring her plants in from summer vacation out on the patio. Will our resident expert, Mary, agree with her approach? Listen in to find out! If you are in the Tol...

Send us Fan Mail We were in search of why rain water perks up our lawns and gardens more than tap water. Not a scientific white paper chat, but a quick 101. We found the answer and a easy way to collect rain water! PLUS, our guest proved Mike wrong about city regulations! Something Mike was happy to be wrong about. So listen in, it's basically a double feature!!! To build your own rain water...

Send us Fan Mail Back in Season One, we discussed hydrangea care. https://www.buzzsprout.com/887557/6117871 With the number of questions that are still asked about hydrangea pruning, which time of year, why didn't mine bloom this year? This episode, it's strictly a chat about pruning. Black Diamond Garden Centers Welcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business...

Send us Fan Mail A quick reminder show about 4.5" type of perennials that are usually on sale at this time of year. They might not look the best, but hey, they've been sitting in a tiny container in the hot sun all summer just awaiting your TLC and a forever home!  Support the show Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and now Waterville Ohio! https://blackdiamondgrows.com/ Pl...

Send us Fan Mail One rainy day while at the garden center, Scott started reading the labels. And BOOM, the light bulb went off. No they didn't lose power, Scott thought if this product will green up plants, why not his lawn? Results from the dormant lawn experiment from May's Midwest Drought. Listen in to find a secondary use of Iron Tone. Though it does say "For use on lawns"...

Send us Fan Mail What if the haze from the Canadian wildfires is more than just a sight for sore eyes? What if it has far-reaching implications, particularly on the size of your vegetable crops? Join us as we delve into a disheartening case of reduced crop yield and the possible connection to the wildfire smoke. We unpack the effects of the fire’s three main chemical byproducts - benzene, formalde...

Send us Fan Mail Listen in to the last update show on our Musa Bajoos Banana Trees: Frank, Frank II, Lola and JD @ BD, as they faced unpredictable weather conditions and learn to thrive. All the Winter 2022/23 results,  their current growth from an April start with temperatures close to 80 degrees, to a sudden drop to 32 degrees and what we think finally killed Frank. Plus, find out how JD at BD p...

Send us Fan Mail Tired of seeing your once-lush lawn marred by brown patches and damaged grass? It's time to declare war on grubs! Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of these destructive insects and reveal how to tackle them head-on. We'll unravel the life cycle of grubs, from the egg-laying female beetles to the ravenous larvae that can wreak havoc on your yard in a matter of...

Send us Fan Mail The guys touch on now being a great time to look for fruit trees. Start your homework, visit a garden center and plant a fruit tree for years of enjoyment. Black Diamond Garden Centers Welcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commis...

Send us Fan Mail Mike interrupts our previously scheduled show to bring you this 911 ALERT EPISODE!!!   The Midwest is already in a drought scenario at the end of May '23. Close to 2 inches below normal rainfall amounts in the Northwest Ohio area already. This episode helps save your lawn before it gets too dormant.  Black Diamond Garden Centers Welcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Servic...

Send us Fan Mail This is a short follow up to our Tomato Tom episode... Scott did some more investigation into tomato fertilizer and had questions for Mike. And here's that conversation... listen in! Support the show Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and now Waterville Ohio! https://blackdiamondgrows.com/ Please visit our Facebook and Instagram links! https://www.facebook.com/y...