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

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 important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, ev...

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 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...

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 home gardener, explains that non-native insects don't always deserve their bad rap.

Podcast Links for Show Notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most i...

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 inferior or, worse, contaminated.

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...

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 gardeners feel more confident and less intimidated.

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...

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 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 except...

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

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...

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 what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to receive weekly updates about new...

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 or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to...

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 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 in...

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 happy and healthy.

Podcast Links for Show Notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do...

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

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 t...

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 trees — without getting overwhelmed by the endless to-do list.

Podcast Links for Show Notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best G...

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 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 sti...

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 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 res...

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 join me for a conversation to talk about the ripple effects of local action, how to foster change at the community level, and why your voice and your example matters more than ever. 

Podcast Links for S...

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 important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging co...

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 thriving garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to recei...

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 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 in...

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 journal, which I recorded in my garden so I could walk you through everything happening with my plants in late summer and the valuable lessons I learned. 

Podcast Links for Show Notes

Download my fre...

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 insights and observations on the changing landscape of floriculture.

Podcast Links for Show Notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do...

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 - 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 results, even in the mo...

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 landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to the joe...

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 peatlands are indispensable and why gardeners should reconsider their use of peat moss.

Podcast Links for Show Notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyo...

Summer is in full swing, and it's been anything but predictable in the garden. With wild changes in weather, persistent pests and a to-do list that never quits, I know I'm not the only one combating garden overwhelm this season. In this week's podcast, I'm sharing what's been happening in my own garden — from seedling successes and native plant rescues to deer drama, disease challenges, and a few game-changing tools and strategies that are helping me stay on track. Whether you're thriving, surviving, or somewhere in between, consider this your midsummer gardening pep talk.

Podcast Links for Sh...

Permaculture, implemented on a grand scale, restores degraded land and transforms countless lives, as my guest this week, permaculture educator and designer Andrew Millison, knows all too well. Andrew joins me to share his experience visiting permaculture projects all over the globe, like Africa's Great Green Wall.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Two years ago, for only the second time in the history of "The joegardener Show," I recorded the podcast on location in my garden here in the Atlanta area, sharing my garden reflections and observations as I moved among my 16 raised beds. It was a favorite episode of mine, so I am sharing it again this week for those who missed it or would enjoy hearing it again.

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 ga...

Learning fruit tree grafting opens up so many possibilities for people who love to grow their own food. It just takes know-how and practice. Susan Poizner of Orchard People returns to the podcast to explain along with her co-author Steph Muma.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to the joegardener® ema...

Rosemary Gladstar is an expert on herbalism who has taught countless people about herbs, written many books and lectured around the world. She joins me this week to share herbalism history and benefits, and the top plants for new herb growers to cultivate.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to th...

How much of our time and focus we can spend on gardening can shift overnight as we experience a major life change. My Growing Epic Tomatoes course co-leader Craig LeHouiller can speak to that fact as this season he began juggling being a first-time, very involved grandfather and keeping up with his garden.

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 results, ev...

Through studies, books and talks, entomologist and ecologist Doug Tallamy has been spreading the word for years about the threats facing wildlife and the many reasons to practice ecological gardening. Every day he receives emails from gardeners who want to use the land they steward to make a difference, so for his latest book, he gathered the most frequently asked questions and his thoughtful, research-backed responses.

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 la...

Pansies are popular cool-season bedding plants, and that may be what they are best known for, but pansies are so much more. My guest this week, flower farmer Brenna Estrada, literally wrote the book on pansies, and she joins me to share the potential pansies have.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Danish gardener, designer and television personality Claus Dalby has been called "the Scandinavian Martha Stewart." Speaking from across the pond, he joins me on the podcast this week to discuss two of his specialties: cottage gardens and container gardens. 

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to re...

Many native tree species across America are under threat from pests, diseases, extreme weather and saltwater intrusion — threats exacerbated by climate change. My guest this week, science and environmental journalist Marguerite Holloway, gained perspective on the destruction forests are facing when she learned from arborists how to climb into the canopy of trees.

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 results, even...

Phenology is a field of study that explains the seasonal changes and behaviors seen in plants and animals. Unfortunately, due to climate change, many phenological events are occurring earlier or later, which disrupts relationships between co-dependent plants and animals. Joining me on the podcast to explain what gardeners need to know about phenology is ecologist and phenology expert Theresa Crimmins.

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 to...

Raised bed gardening offers many advantages over in-ground gardening, from better control of the soil to less bending over to seed, weed and water. My guest this week, Master Gardener Scott Wilson, lays out the benefits and the how-tos in his new book, "Gardener Scott's Guide to Raised Bed Gardening."

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 results, even in the mo...

Fruit tree pruning is a necessary skill to have to raise healthy, productive fruit-bearing trees. My guest this week, Susan Poizner, is an urban orchardist and author who joins me to explain when and how to prune fruit trees for the best results.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to th...

Could you imagine yourself living off the land for a whole year, only eating food that you have grown or foraged for yourself? My guest this week, Robin Greenfield, did just that, and it's just one of the extreme challenges that he has undertaken in recent years to demonstrate that there are alternative ways of life that are kinder to the environment and fellow humans.

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...

Time and money are the two biggest restraints most gardeners face when they want to take on more projects in their yards to become better stewards of biodiversity. My guest this week, "Nature's Action Guide" author Sarah F. Jayne, aims to overcome those hurdles by identifying easy yet extremely effective actions anyone can take to support 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 landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to...

The animals we share the planet with — wildlife, livestock and pets alike — have more depth and personality than they are often given credit for. Joining me this week to speak about what he's learned about animal intelligence is Brandon Keim, the author of "Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World."

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 result...

The National Forests and federal wilderness areas that are often taken for granted today only exist because of the efforts of some dedicated conservationists and foresters with the foresight to realize that if these lands were not protected, they would be logged and developed into oblivion. To share the history of how U.S. public lands were rescued, joining me on the podcast this week is Jeffrey Ryan, a well-traveled hiker and the author of "This Land Was Saved for You and Me."

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your B...

An area smaller than a parking space can be transformed into an ecologically powerful, carbon-sequestering, biodiverse native mini-forest in a few short years using a dense planting technique known as the Miyawaki method. To share why and how to plant a Miyawaki forest, joining me on the podcast this week is Andrew Lampl, a sustainability consultant and educator.

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 ex...

Taking on an environmental stewardship project as a hobbyist is a rewarding task but it can also feel like learning how to swim by being kicked off the dock. My guest this week, author Paula Whyman, made a splash and went on to write about it in her recently released book "Bad Naturalist: One Woman's Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop."

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 st...

Wildlife crossings save animals' lives by enabling them to cross roads in search of food, water and nesting sites safely, while also protecting biodiversity and reducing costly motor vehicle accidents. Without a safe place to cross the roads cutting through their habitat, animals suffer many negative consequences, explains my guest this week, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb, the author of the book "Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet."

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...

Organic gardeners know the mantra "feed the soil, let the soil feed the plants." Healthy soil leads to plants that are not only more vigorous and resilient but also more nutrient-dense. My guests this week, "What Your Food Ate" authors David Montgomery and Anne Biklé, explain that when we take care of the land, the land takes care of us.

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 tod...

The Old Farmer's Almanac has been a resource for growers for more than two centuries, published annually with information on the best times to sow seeds and harvest fruits and vegetables, and recipes for enjoying all that produce, plus much, much more. To share the history of the Almanac and explain why so many readers still enjoy it today, joining me on the podcast this week is the publication's editor-in-chief, Carol Connare.

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...

Ferns aren't quite as showy as flowering plants, but they are beautiful and their biology is fascinating, according to my guest this week, evolutionary biologist Dr. Emily Sessa of the New York Botanical Garden. She is here to teach us all about ferns, from their history to their unique properties.

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 results, even in the mo...

One of the most fun and satisfying aspects of raising houseplants is being able to propagate them to get more. But some houseplants are easier to propagate than others. To share the need-to-knows of houseplant propagation, Lindsay Sisti, the author of "The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation," joins me on the podcast this week.

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 re...

Winter tree care isn't just about aesthetics — it reduces the risk that a tree drops a limb or topples, which can both doom the tree and cause property damage and injury. To share important winter tree care tips and warnings, arborist and tree preservationist Basil Camu 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 important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in t...

Gardeners trying to do right by the ecosystem often run into antiquated bylaws, covenants and restrictions that prohibit natural yards. This frustration led to the creation of Bylaws for Biodiversity, an initiative to encourage lawmakers and homeowners associations to adopt rules that protect and promote biodiversity on private and public lands. Joining me on the podcast this week to discuss the motivation behind Bylaws for Biodiversity are two of the program's advocates: Nina-Marie Lister and Lorraine Johnson.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most im...

Yard maintenance rules and laws created decades ago, before people and governments were attuned to the ecological damage wrought by climate change and habitat loss, continue to be blindly enforced in suburban and urban neighborhoods. My guest this week, Ontario gardener Wolf Ruck, has fought hard to defend his right to use his yard to sequester carbon and reduce biodiversity loss, a battle that is ongoing.

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 la...

Rewilding a home landscape to support wildlife and increase biodiversity is a noble and worthwhile effort and should be every property owner's right. However, ill-advised local ordinances that favor tidiness over ecology can make a native garden a target for fines and prosecution. On this week's podcast, native gardener Craig Sinclair explains how he went to bat for his garden and overcame the forces that would see it plowed under and sodded over.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do...

Preparing for seed starting season well ahead of time and becoming better organized will save you headaches and money in the months to come. This week, I'm sharing how I prepare and the new efficient seed organization system that I have adopted.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to the jo...

Farmer and author Ben Hartman proves it doesn't take a ton of space to grow enough food to sustain a business. Ben joins me on the podcast to explain how he maximized efficiency on his lean micro farm to grow enough crops to satisfy his most loyal customers while reducing the effort and resources required to be successful.

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 ex...

Margaret Roach, the New York Times gardening columnist and host of the podcast "A Way to Garden," is back with me again to discuss what's new in her garden and what she's planning for in 2025. Margaret is a repeat guest many times over and a listener favorite who always has interesting observations to share.

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 re...

The end of the year is always a good time to reflect and take stock of the lessons we've learned. On this week's podcast, we look back on 2024 in the garden to make note of the experiences and knowledge we will take with us going forward on our gardening journeys. Joining me in recapping 2024 is my right-hand person — and left-hand too — Amy Prentice, the Director of Marketing and Communications here at Agrivana Media®. Amy is a gardener herself as well as a talented photographer who documents the interesting visitors to her yard.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Starting a native, organic garden is a big step on the ecological gardening journey, and once you've made it that far, you'll have even more questions than you did before. Garden designer Kelly Norris joins me to shed light on what comes next and discuss his new book, "Your Natural Garden."

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 results, even in th...

Germinating native flower seeds is more involved than the seed starting you may be used to, but it's not hard and it will scratch your gardening itch in winter. Wild Seed Project founder Heather McCargo joins me to explain how to start native flower seeds and the biodiversity benefits that it provides.

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 results, even in...

In the soil under our feet, amazing things go on that we don't get to see. The more we learn about the hidden life of roots, the greater our understanding of how plants obtain the water and nutrients they need to grow. Landscape designer and author Robert Kourik joins me on the podcast to explain what roots and other organisms are up to beneath the soil's surface.

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 o...

Eye injuries in the garden may not be top of mind when weeding and harvesting, but gardeners should be in the habit of taking precautions. To identify the risks to our eyes that gardening poses and ways to prevent injuries, joining me on the podcast this week is retinal surgeon Dr. C. Kiersten Pollard.

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 r...

Spring's flower garden starts with fall bulb planting. To share everything you need to know to plant and grow flowering bulbs successfully, Brent Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs, the celebrated mail-order bulb company, joins me on the podcast. 

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free guide - Fall Bulbs 101: Selecting, Planting, and Caring for Bulbs

Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to receive weekly updates about new podcast episodes, seasonal gardening tips, and online gardening course announcements.

Check out The joegardener® Online Gardening Academy for our growing library of orga...

Even in an urban environment, nature is all around, if you know where to look. This week, writer Joanna Brichetto joins me to discuss her essay collection, "This Is How a Robin Drinks: Essays on Urban Nature," and the benefits of becoming attuned to 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 landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions.

S...

Poisonous plants like poison ivy and giant hogweed can cause irritation, pain and scarring, but there are other plants — wicked plants — that are downright deadly. Joining me this week to discuss the stories behind the world's most dangerous plants is New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

A naturalized bulb lawn provides beautiful blooms each spring continuously with no need for additional plantings. In this week's encore, I'm joined by horticulturist Peggy Anne Montgomery to discuss the history and techniques behind bulb lawns and to share how to start your own.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe t...

"Leave the leaves" is a slogan you must have heard by now. Each fall, conservationists encourage homeowners to keep leaves on their property rather than sending them off to landfills. There are a number of reasons to do so, chiefly to support wildlife and reduce contributions to climate change. For a deep dive into why leaving the leaves is such a game-changer, returning to the podcast this week is National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps a...

When we pause to observe the natural world more closely and record those observations and the way they make us feel, we gain a greater understanding of nature and ourselves. Writer Margaret Renkl, who has a new prompt journal out now as a companion to her best-selling book "The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year," joins me this week to discuss the benefits of a nature journal.

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 o...

There are around 4,000 species of wild, native bees in North America, though imported, domesticated honeybees seem to be the bees that get all the attention when it comes to conservation. To help us learn about native bees and their value, joining me on the podcast this week is entomologist and wild bee expert Dr. Jessica Forrest.

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 g...

Citizen scientists are key to tracking bird populations in North America and identifying which birds are growing in numbers and range — and which are on the decline. To explain the value of bird counts, what can be learned from the data and how anyone can get involved, joining me on the podcast this week is Project FeederWatch project leader Dr. Emma Greig.

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 sti...

Gardening burnout happens when a garden becomes so much more work than you can keep up with and a source of disappointment — one disaster after another — rather than a source of joy. It's the feeling of not just being overwhelmed but wanting to give up gardening altogether (at least for now). This week, I identify the sources of gardening burnout and the adjustments gardeners can make so they never get to that point.

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...

Tree collectors come in many different fashions, as author Amy Stewart explores in her new book, "The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession." Amy joins me on the podcast this week to discuss tree collecting, what inspired her to write this book, and 10 of the 50 tree collectors she featured in the book.

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 results, even i...

Margaret Roach is one of those heroes in horticulture and gardening media who I really admire. She excels at communicating her fundamental understanding of the natural world and reminds her readers and listeners to keep on digging, in more ways than one. She has been a guest on this podcast many times, and this week I am revisiting her first appearance, from back in 2017, where Margaret joined me to share simple yet timeless garden design lessons.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important s...

The annual monarch butterfly migration south starts this month, so I thought it would be a good time to revisit my conversation with ecologist and evolutionary scientist Dr. Anurag Agrawal, an expert on monarch butterflies and milkweed — the only type of plant that monarchs lay their eggs on.

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 results, even in the most challenging con...

Periodically, rather than recording a podcast from my studio, I like to get out into my garden and record an audio journal on-site, so I can talk in real time about what I'm seeing, the wins and challenges of the season, what's worked, what hasn't and what I plan to change. In this edition, I touch on many things you may have noticed in your own garden this year, and I share how I make the transition from the summer growing season to fall.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Y...

Soil bacteria perform many essential tasks to enable plant growth, including cycling nutrients and fixing nitrogen. To explain the fascinating things that researchers have discovered about soil bacteria in recent years, my guest on this encore presentation is gardening columnist and author Jeff Lowenfels.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to...

Fumigation film and drip tape inaugurated changes in agriculture that made it easier and far more efficient to grow food crops in difficult climates, and now artificial intelligence is bringing about advancements in weed and pest control, among other promising developments. To discuss innovations in agriculture and how they could also benefit home gardeners, joining me on the podcast this week is Dr. Nathan Boyd, a professor of horticulture and weed science at the University of Florida. 

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most imp...

Plants can do some marvelous things — in addition to being "light eaters" they have their own ways of seeing, hearing and feeling. My guest this week, environmental reporter and author Zöe Schlanger, is here to discuss her new book, The Light Eaters, on the concept of plant intelligence and how it changes our understanding of plant life.

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 excep...

Many apple varieties that have not been commercially available for decades have been lost to history, but there are people called "apple hunters" who go in search of once-popular apples to save them from extinction. My guest this week, Jude Schuenemeyer is an apple hunter who is here to share a success story: the rediscovery of the Colorado Orange apple.

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 to...

The insect crisis is one leg of the biodiversity loss problem that has cascading effects on the ecosystem and threatens human survival. To share the causes of and the solutions to insect decline, joining me this week is Oliver Milman, author of "The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World."

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 in...

Aldo Leopold is considered to be one of the most consequential conservationists of the 20th century. In his posthumously published book "A Sand County Almanac," he put forward the "land ethic" — the idea that the fates of humans and land are intertwined. To talk about Leopold's influence on the conservation movement, joining me on the podcast this week is Aldo Leopold Foundation senior fellow Dr. Curt Meine.

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 l...

Groundcover plants require far less maintenance than a turfgrass lawn and can also offer erosion control and ecological services, among many other benefits. To discuss groundcover solutions to lawn troubles, joining me this week is Kathy Jentz, author of "Groundcover Revolution."

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Subscribe to the joegardener® ema...

Extreme temperatures, drought and flooding are all becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, creating new challenges for gardeners. To explain how to gird a garden for the effects of a warming planet, joining me on the podcast this week is Kim Stoddart, who literally wrote the book — two books, in fact — on climate change-resilient gardening.

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 except...

Of the many reasons to garden, the presence of beautiful and interesting birds is among the most delightful. To explain how to make your garden bird-friendly, joining me on the podcast this week is Jen McGuinness, aka Frau Zinnie, the author of "Bird-Friendly Gardening: Guidance and Projects for Supporting Birds in Your Landscape."

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 results, ev...

About 80% of the population is allergic to the oily resin urushiol, the compound found in poison ivy that causes dermatitis — a burning, itching rash. Reactions to poison ivy range from mild to life-threatening, and I am among those who have ended up in the ER due to poison ivy exposure. As this three-leaved menace is in its peak season, I am revisiting my conversation with Dr. Susan Pell, a botanist with a deep expertise on the family of plants that poison ivy belongs to.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to You...

Controlling deer is a challenge for many gardeners, whether they have ornamental gardens or are raising vegetables, not to mention rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, raccoons, moles and voles. To explore the most effective ways to control nuisance wildlife, I spoke with wildlife damage management specialist Marne Titchenell, who shared her advice on which deterrents work and which are just wishful thinking.

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 to...

Of all the tools you use in the garden, your body is the most important, and maintaining it is pivotal. To explain how gardeners can make small changes in their gardening routines to protect and strengthen their bodies, movement expert Katy Bowman joins me on the podcast this week.

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 results, even in the most ch...

Climate change has forced food growers to adjust how they garden, and as trends toward more extreme weather continue, this will only become more true. My guest this week, organic gardener and environmental studies professor Toni Farmer, explains the steps gardeners can take to mitigate the effects that climate change has on their crops.

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 re...

Converting lawn to meadow is not as hard as it may seem, and my guest this week demonstrates as much in his book "Tiny + Wild: Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere." Graham Laird Gardner works to get the word out about the simplicity and benefits of creating a native meadow.

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 results, even in the most ch...

Getting more people to participate in healing the ecosystem takes spreading awareness of both the problems and the solutions. My guest this week, Basil Camu, does just that in his new book "From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape." 

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 results, even in the most challenging con...

The Ecological Gardening Summit begins Wednesday, May 8, online, at noon Eastern time, and to prepare, I am sharing some of the principles that inspired this inaugural event. This week, I am revisiting my past podcasts with Rebecca McMackin, who will present "Adventures in Ecological Horticulture" during the summit.

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 results, even in the most challenging co...

Gardening goes deeper than growing your own food and enhancing the beauty of your surroundings — it can support your local ecosystem and contribute to the healing of our planet. This is the ethos shared by the gardeners, educators such as Dr. Doug Tallamy and ecology experts who will join me on May 8th for the inaugural Ecological Gardening Summit.

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, with...

You've heard me say many times that what I love about gardening is there is always more to learn. Gardening keeps us on our toes and constantly presents opportunities to refine our methods. I decided to check in with gardeners in my Online Gardening Academy™ about their top takeaways from this past gardening season and what changes they will make in 2024.

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 t...

New York Times gardening columnist and "A Way to Garden" podcast host Margaret Roach — who is a repeat guest on "The joegardener Show" and a fan favorite — is back again, on the heels of being presented with the prestigious Scott Medal from the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. She shares how she came to be the renowned garden writer and podcaster she is today and her reflections on how gardening can benefit us as well as wildlife.

Podcast Links for Show notes

Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5...

To attract a greater diversity of pollinators to a garden, there's nothing better than native plants. In this encore episode, pollinator conservationist Heather Holm joins me to discuss the benefits of fostering the mutually beneficial relationship between native plants and the pollinators they coevolved with.

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 results, even in the most challenging conditions.

Su...

Life has thrown Steve Kaufer some curveballs, but with some smart pivoting and serendipity, he's become a successful seed breeder and seed farmer, earning the moniker "Sunflower Steve." He joins me on the podcast this week to share his story and explain how a volunteer sunflower that grew in his field in 2007 set him on a new path years later.

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 to...

It's time once again for my annual check-in with Craig LeHoullier, also known as NC Tomatoman, an heirloom tomato and straw bale gardening expert as well as a dwarf tomato breeder. I always look forward to catching up with Craig and finding out what new and exciting things he has going on in his garden and beyond.

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...

Mastering succession planting takes knowledge and practice, but it's not that tall of a task. Once you get the hang of it, you'll enjoy the benefits of an extended growing season and a greater harvest. To help you make the most of your garden space, this week I am reprising my conversation with Meg Cowden, the founder of Seed to Fork, an expert in succession planting.

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 la...

For success as a flower farmer as well as a seed breeder and seller, it helps to possess both a creative spirit and business acumen. My guest this week, Erin Benzakein of Floret Flower Farm and the Magnolia Network series "Growing Floret," has both in spades, and we discuss how she maintains her creativity and furthers her mission to get more flowers out into the world.

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 la...

Pesticide regulations are designed to reduce the harm that pesticide use has on humans and wildlife, but they are not intended to eliminate all risks and ecological damage. To explain how gaps in pesticide regulations fail pollinators and other beneficial insects, pollinator conservation specialist Emily May of the Xerces Society joins me on the podcast this week.

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...

No-till gardening improves soil health and reduces the gardener's workload, all while supporting more vigorous plants with better resilience to pests and diseases and greater crop yields. My guest on this week's encore presentation, organic market gardener and writer Jesse Frost, shares the many ways that ditching the tiller has benefited his farm and how living soil gets the best results.

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...

I just passed the one-year mark of being a greenhouse owner in January. It has been an eye-opener, and I have learned so much. I want to share with you the greenhouse hacks and tips and the lessons learned in my first year and the main "aha" moments.

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 results, even in the most challenging co...