Shows
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastBackyard Chickens - How to Choose Them, How to Protect ThemIn Ep. 381 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, Urban Chicken Consultant Cherie Sintes-Glover offered tips on how to protect your backyard chicken flock against the spread of the current version of avian influenza, the deadly H5N1, also known as the Bird Flu.The discussion on the Garden Basics podcast about protecting your flock from the bird flu took up about a half hour. At the top of this newsletter is our full conversation, which is over an hour in length, and touches on many aspects of being a backyard chicken flock owner....2025-02-281h 03
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred360 Avocado Growing BasicsSend us a textToday, we are talking avocado cultivation with Greg Alder, he’s an avocado grower in Southern California, a San Diego County Master Gardener, and he’s the director of the California Avocado Society. Who better to answer a question about the care and feeding of a Mexicola avocado, in Northern California. Greg shares practical tips on watering, and common pitfalls to avoid.We also delve into avocado pollination, highlighting the unique characteristics and taste of various varieties, including Gwen, Hass, and Fuerte. This is for aspiring backyard avocado tree growers, in many st...2024-10-041h 03
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred359 Tree Surrounds, Cardboard Mulch Pros-Cons. Winter TomatoesSend us a textThey’re known as tree rings, or tree surrounds. Basically, it’s a demilitarized zone for your trees, where the trunk and roots are safe from weed whackers and lawn mowers as well as competing plants (especially lawns). It might be a short term solution for a newly planted tree. But leave it in place longer than that, and problems can ensue. Debbie Flower, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, tells us about those issues.Is using cardboard for mulch in a garden a good idea? We tackle that question today...2024-09-2732 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred358 Fall Garden Prep. The Catalina Cherry.Send us a textHave you done the necessary work to have a thriving fall vegetable garden? What about the soil? What have you done to give those new plants a great start? We talk with Sacramento County Master Gardener Gail Pothour about how they prepare the vegetable gardens for fall planting at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. And at the Fair Oaks Vegetable Center, they will be trying out some interesting new vegetables, as well. Also, we find out more about a cherry that is really best left for the birds. The Catalina cherry.W...2024-09-2040 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred357 Plant Cool Season Vegetables Now. What is a Crisis Nursery?Send us a textThe change in the September weather is your best opportunity for a new round of planting vegetables in your garden, the cool season crops: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, kale, onions, peas, potatoes, shallots, and all those versatile, healthy greens: lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, Chinese cabbages, and so much more. But which varieties should you plant? We have the strategies today for a successful cool season garden.Also, what is a crisis nursery? Is it the dumpster behind your favorite garden center? Is it an emergency hospital for houseplants? No, it’s muc...2024-09-1339 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred355 Rhubarb Growing Basics for Warm ClimatesSend us a text “Can you grow rhubarb here?” For those who have moved from colder climates to the warmer USDA zones, that might be a popular question. Memories of rhubarb pie, jams, and more while growing up back East or in the Midwest might have you hankering for fresh rhubarb. The plant, however, dislikes climates where summers get over 90 degrees on a regular basis. And, it prefers a bit of chill in the winter, as well. And the short answer is, “yes, you can grow it here,” with a few reservations (you might have to grow it...2024-08-3040 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred354 Lawn SubstitutesSend us a textFred and Debbie Flower discuss the trend of lawn elimination and alternative landscape options to save water. They explore lawn alternatives that require less maintenance and water, such as no-mow lawns, fescue varieties, and groundcovers like dymondia, kurapia, and clover. They also discuss the need for proper irrigation and maintenance in all types of landscapes.Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net. Audio, transcripts, and episode chapters also available at Buzzsprout.Pictured: Lawn S...2024-08-2334 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred353 It's All About the Soil (for a Successful Garden!)Send us a textToday, we talk with Kevin Marini, a community education specialist with the University of California Cooperative Extension, about the topics of soil and successful gardening. We talk about the pros and cons of using native soil versus commercial soil, the importance of improving native soil, the use of bagged mixes in raised beds, and the role of organic matter and fertilizers in gardening. We also touch on the benefits of mulch and the importance of proper watering techniques. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding and improving your native soil for successful g...2024-08-1651 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred351 Honey, I Shrunk the Fruit Trees!Send us a textIn this episode, Farmer Fred and Kevin Marini discuss the importance of thinning fruit trees and maintaining their height. Kevin Marini, a certified arborist and community education specialist with UC Cooperative Extension, also talks about the benefits of keeping fruit trees at a manageable height, the process of bringing down the height of a tree, and the different types of pruning cuts. We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory. It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Sm...2024-08-0256 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred344 Q&A - Tomato Seed Saving? Seeding Mulched Area?Send us a textIn this episode of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, Fred Hoffman and Master Gardener Gail Pothour discuss saving tomato seeds. They address the question of whether saved tomato seeds will produce the same tomato variety and provide tips for ensuring seed purity. The conversation covers topics such as flower structure, pollination, isolation techniques, and seed fermentation.Answering another question, Debbie Flower and Fred discuss the best method for sowing annual flower seeds on mulched soil.Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home s...2024-06-1815 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred342 Q&A Grow Carrots in Summer? Weed Cloth - Good or Bad?Send us a textMaster Gardener Fred Hoffman and his guests answers garden questions from listeners on the Tuesday edition of the Garden Basics podcast. The first question is about weed cloth and its impact on soil improvement and fertilization. Fred and Debbie Flower advise removing the weed cloth and using just mulch instead. The second question is about planting carrots in California's climate. Fred explains that carrots can be grown year-round in milder coastal climates, but in the Central Valley, they have a hard time germinating and growing in hot temperatures. Master Gardener Gail Pothour...2024-06-1118 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred341 Fred's Garden Tour with DebbieSend us a textSomething a little different today. America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower and myself take a stroll through the Farmer Fred backyard garden, talking about the plants, and discussing the strategies to make them successful plants, with, of course, all sorts of garden tips thrown in. It’s the ultimate scenic bypass episode yet!It’s all in Episode 341 of today’s Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast: Fred’s Garden Tour, with Debbie Flower. Next Friday, we’ll be touring Debbie’s fabulous garden.By the way, what’s a g...2024-06-0747 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastA Tour of Fred's Garden, with Debbie FlowerIf this newsletter podcast sounds familiar, it should. It is also the current (Ep. 341) Garden Basics podcast where myself and America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, take a late May stroll through my garden, discussing the plants, as well as gardening techniques. But wouldn’t it be nice to see those plants and garden accoutrements? Well, here you go.But first, a recap of what you may have missed on this week’s two Garden Basics podcasts:Tuesday, June 4:Ep. 340 -Q&A Cross Pollination Concerns. What is the Best City or Sta...2024-06-0739 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred339 How To Water Clay Soil (and more clay gardening tips!)Send us a textIn this episode of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, the focus is on how to water clay soil and other tips for gardening in clay. Debbie Flower, America's Favorite retired college horticultural professor, shares valuable insights on the topic. The episode covers the characteristics of clay soil, the importance of organic matter, watering techniques, mulching, and the use of cover crops. The conversation also delves into the impact of soil structure on crop production and the benefits of no-till and cover cropping practices.Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and tra...2024-05-3134 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred336 Q&A Kitchen Scraps in the Garden? When to Plant a Magnolia Tree?Send us a textIn this episode, Farmer Fred answers a listener's question about burying kitchen scraps in the garden. He discusses the potential problems with this method, including attracting scavengers and affecting the quality of the soil microbiology. He suggests composting the kitchen scraps first or using alternative methods like African keyhole gardens. Debbie Flower recommends the Green Cone composter. In the second part of the episode, Farmer Fred and Debbie Flower discuss the best time to plant a flowering tree, specifically the Magnolia 'Genie'. They talk about the benefits of planting in the fall and t...2024-05-2118 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred335 Roof Rat Controls, Asparagus-Lemon RecipesSend us a textThe first chat today involves roof rats (and is an encore presentation while construction is ongoing here at Barking Dog). It will be particularly useful for those of you with large yards, or acreage, or even a small farm, in which you have a large orchard. And for those of you suburban dwellers who might have a few citrus trees, or, for that matter, any tree with fruit, well, you know the damage that rats can do to that fruit. But it’s not just the fruit. Roof rats, especially, can girdle your ba...2024-05-1735 min
Garden Basics with Farmer FredGB 334 Q&A Rhubarb for Hot Climates? Lights for Seedlings?Send us a textThe first question on the Tuesday Q&A edition of the Garden Basics podcast is about growing rhubarb in hot weather. Fred and his guests, Master Gardeners Kathy Morrison and Ruth Ostroff, discuss their experiences with growing rhubarb in Sacramento. They also share a rhubarb recipe. The second question is about grow lights for starting tomato and pepper seeds indoors. Fred and Debbie Flower explain the importance of using wide-spectrum light systems and mixing different types of bulbs. Debbie also emphasizes the need for air circulation and movement for young plants. Fred a...2024-05-1421 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred331 Cucumber Starting and Training TipsSend us a textMid to late spring is cucumber planting time in most of North America, and we have more cucumber growing tips for you today. We covered a lot of cucumber growing basics back in episode 266 last May, but today, cucumber cheerleader and America's favorite retired college horticultural professor, Debbie Flower, has more cucumber planting advice for you, whether you start cucumbers from seed or from nursery-purchased transplants.And by the way, choose carefully if you're shopping for cucumber plants. Debbie will tell us what to look for. Plus, properly training the growth...2024-05-0337 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastMeet the Garden Beneficials (and Bats, Too!)The podcast included with this newsletter features an interview with Rachael Long, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Emeritus, and one of the nation’s best sources of information on the benefits of having bats, which are flying mammals (not rodents), in your neighborhood. Originally aired in Episode 180 of the Garden Basics podcast in March of 2022.Before we begin bug hunting, here’s what has happened this week on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast:Ep. 328 Q&A - Should you add fertilizer to a compost pile? Can planting late-ripening peaches thwart peach leaf...2024-04-2612 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred329 How to WaterSend us a textThis episode is entitled, How to Water Your Garden. “What!?!” you’re probably thinking. “Of course I know how to water my garden, lawn, and indoor plants, I’m a gardener!” As Farmer Fred Garden Rule #8 says: “If it works for you, fine. But keep an open mind.” Join us as America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, has advice on how to properly and thoroughly irrigate all your plants from newly planted seeds to vegetables to flowers to lawns, shrubs and trees. I bet by the end of our chat, there will...2024-04-2639 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastHow to Stake a New TreeSimple instructions from the Placer County (CA) Master Gardeners on proper tree staking:Q: I just planted a new tree and want to know the best way to stake it.A: It’s important to know that not all newly planted trees need to be staked. In fact, improper staking can harm rather than help. The more freely a tree can move, the stronger its trunk will become and the more likely it will be to withstand storms.There are three situations in which staking is necessary: to protect against damage from equipment, ve...2023-10-2718 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastFall Worm Bin Care and FeedingOne of the best soil amendments to add for happy plants are worm castings, also known as worm poop. However, the price of a bag of worm castings approaches twenty dollars, so you may want to tack on a new “to-do” item for the soil in your garden: vermicomposting, which is raising worms, usually in a worm bin. Those worms will feast on many of your kitchen scraps, giving you back a soil amendment teeming with microbial activity, perfect for plant roots to enjoy. And you don’t have to worry about the worms if you go...2023-09-1511 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred250 Garden Basics 2022 Greatest Hits, Pt. 3. A First Garden ChecklistSend us a textWelcome to Part 3 of our four part series, the 2022 greatest hits of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. The four parts include the top 10 most listened-to segments last year. Today it’s a Debbie Flower extravaganza. Our favorite retired college horticulture professor discusses how to reuse old potting soil, tips for reducing water use in the yard, and a checklist for starting your first garden. And if you’ve moved and are thinking of starting a new garden, a lot of these first garden tips may include ideas you haven’t considered before starting that n...2023-01-271h 05
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastRoasted TomatoesEven though it is mid-November, many gardeners in milder areas of the country may still be harvesting tomatoes. What to do with those remaining, healthy tomatoes? Can or freeze them! Roasted tomatoes add so much more tomato flavor to any recipe you prepare that calls for tomatoes (such as pasta sauce, whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes). And it's an easy way to preserve the harvest for use throughout the year, either canned or frozen.To preserve the most flavor, roast them at a low temperature for a long period of time. Convection ovens, which distribute...2022-11-1807 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastFresh Corn Soup RecipeFresh Corn Soup (plus the cob)Recipe by Andi MacDonald, Sacramento Co. Master Gardener and Professional ChefServes 4During the dog days of summer, this soup is so refreshing served chilled. The secret ingredient is the corn stock, made from the corn cobs that generally get tossed. If corn is out of season, frozen can substitute and vegetable stock can be used instead of the corn stock. Perhaps not as good, but still pretty good!2 tablespoons olive oil4 ears of fresh corn, 2 cups altogether1 cup...2022-09-2303 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred225 Cool Season Vegetable TipsSend us a textSeptember is here, and many of you are still enjoying your summer vegetable garden. But get ready…the days will be getting shorter and cooler this month and those plants may start to go into decline. Now is time to be planning and planting your second garden of 2022, the fall and winter vegetable garden, wherever you might live here in the Northern Hemisphere. Nursery Owner Don Shor has the cool season garden basics.We learn something new, every time, on Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Stud...2022-09-0228 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastWhat to Do With All Those Berries?Back in Episode 212 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, we chatted with Sacramento County (CA) Master Gardener Pam Bone - an expert caneberry grower - about summertime problems with backyard blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries and other caneberries. The question arose: “So Pam, what do you do with all those berries?” She marched us into her kitchen to show us a freezer filled with jam, especially the jars and jars of her specialty, raspberry jam. She shared her favorite recipes and tips here, in the newsletter podcast. Below are the details of three of her favo...2022-07-2202 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred196 Indoor Composting Machines. Garlic Harvest Tips.Send us a textYou’ve heard of the benefits of adding compost to your garden soil. You may even have a backyard compost pile. Or a compost tumbler. Or, a bin full of worms who are making compost out of your garden scraps. But what about the new indoor composting machines that are on the market? Today, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, and I answer one listener’s questions about these modern devices. Also, if you’re growing garlic, you may want information on the best time to harvest the garlic. When will tha...2022-05-2423 min