Shows
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastAromatic Plants, and Roses Too!This edition of the newsletter is a deeper dive into this week’s Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, Episode 398, “Aromatic Plants, Plus Roses!” Here, we’ll see what these “shows for the nose” look like, along with more details about these aromatic plants, as selected by a group of Sacramento County (CA) Master Gardeners. Plus we take a look at some of the most fragrant roses, as selected by Master Rosarian Charlotte Owendyk.Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a f...2025-06-2708 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred396 Cucumber Success TipsToday, we dive into the world of cucumbers, the second most popular crop among backyard gardeners. Debbie Flower shares her expertise on cucumber varieties, growing techniques, and addressing common issues like bitterness. We discuss the importance of starting with fresh seeds, maintaining warm soil, and ensuring consistent moisture for optimal growth. Debbie also explains how to identify and manage male and female flowers, trellising for space optimization, as well as pest and disease management. (Originally aired in May, 2023)Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred...2025-06-1328 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred393 Garden Pests - Whiteflies, Slugs, and More!Farmer Fred and Debbie Flower share tips for managing pests like whiteflies and slugs, highlighting organic solutions and beneficial insects to help you reclaim your garden.Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net. Transcripts and episode chapters also available at Buzzsprout. Now on YouTube (audio) Pictured: Whiteflies on a Citrus Leaf (Photo: Flickr/epitree)Links:“Beyond the Garden Basics” Newsletter This week’s edition: Controlling Slugs in Mulch. By becoming a paid subscriber, you’re hel...2025-05-2332 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred392 I Did Not Know That! Garden Tips for Success, LiveDebbie Arrington of the Sacramento Rose Society club introduces Master Gardener Farmer Fred and horticulture professor Debbie Flower at a recent meeting of the club. Fred and Debbie don't necessarily talk about roses, though. They share 10 essential tips to boost your overall gardening success—from innovative seed germination techniques to managing soil health and tackling invasive pests. This lively discussion emphasizes daily garden observation and sustainable practices, ensuring your garden thrives beautifully. Get ready to dig deep into the art of gardening!Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Ba...2025-05-1632 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred386 Grape Growing Basics (And More!)Farmer Fred and Debbie Flower provide practical advice on cultivating table and wine grapes, focusing on the essentials such as sunlight, well-drained soil and variety selection. Also: peach leaf curl controls, prematurely falling figs, no-till gardening benefits.Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net. Transcripts and episode chapters also available at Buzzsprout. Now on YouTube (audio) Pictured: A cluster of grapes on the vine (Photo: UCANR)Links:“Beyond the Garden Basics” Newsletter Dave Wi...2025-04-0435 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred382 Delayed Winter Pruning of Fruit Trees, and More!In this episode:• The benefits of delayed winter pruning of fruit trees, with orchardist and Master Gardener Quentyn Young.• Controlling ants in raised garden beds, with America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower.• Protecting your garlic crop in winter weather.• Redwood tree roots vs. raised garden beds. Guess who wins? How to build up your defenses against tree roots. With Debbie Flower.Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net. Transcripts and episod...2025-03-0740 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred375 Cool Season Pea Planting. Tulip Tips.We delve into cool season gardening with Master Gardener Gail Pothour and retired college horticultural professor Debbie Flower. We explore best practices for growing peas, focusing on varieties like sugar snap and snow peas, while discussing germination tips, planting times related to frost dates, and inventive trellising methods using materials such as bicycle wheels.Shifting to tulips, we address a listener question about improperly stored sprouted bulbs. Debbie shares her expertise on proper bulb storage, planting depth, and vital conditions to avoid mold, alongside the effects of vernalization (cold storage of bulbs) and etiolation (long, weak stems...2025-01-1731 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred366 Thwarting Ant Invasions. Fair-Winning Preserves.Farmer Fred and Debbie Flower discusses ant management in raised beds. Master Food Preserver Wendy Rose talks about garden food preservation techniques and how to wow the judges at county and state fairs with your homemade preserves.Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net. Transcripts and episode chapters also available at BuzzsproutPictured: Ant Control Product in Fruit Tree ContainerLinks: Subscribe to the free, Beyond the Garden Basics Newsletter https://gardenbasics.substack.com2024-11-1532 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred363 Weed Killers Just Got More ConfusingListening and following the advice in this episode is more important than ever if you use herbicides, especially when we repeatedly chant our mantra: "Read and Follow All Label Directions."America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower and myself start by tackling the widespread confusion surrounding Roundup, a brand historically synonymous with its active ingredient, glyphosate. As glyphosate use by homeowners is being phased out here in California and other states, we explore the newer formulations that have replaced it. Many consumers may assume that Roundup still contains glyphosate, but Debbie explains that consumers must be...2024-10-2536 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastWeed Killers Just Got More ConfusingIn this episode of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter/podcast, we engage in an in-depth discussion about weed killers with Debbie Flower, America’s favorite retired college horticultural professor. We delve right into the complexities of weed management, addressing the various options available while navigating the maze of products at our local big box stores. As we stand before a daunting wall of weed killers, the conversation brings clarity to the overwhelming choices, shedding light on the distinctions between the products and their formulations.We start by tackling the widespread confusion surrounding Roundup, a br...2024-09-2431 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred354 Lawn SubstitutesFred 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 Substitute/Groundcover Test of Mow-Free Fescues2024-08-2334 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred344 Q&A - Tomato Seed Saving? Seeding Mulched Area?In 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 site for Garden Basics with Farmer F...2024-06-1815 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastA Tour of Debbie Flower's GardenLast week, we did a little podcast tour of my garden, with Debbie Flower asking the questions. Turnabout is fair play, so this episode features Debbie’s unique, water-saving landscape and her collections of plants and garden tools that have some very interesting stories.But again, an audio tour is missing the picture. Pictures, to be more exact. So, while you’re listening to this repurposing of Episode 343 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, scroll down to enjoy the visuals that go along with the stories of Debbie Flower’s landscape. But first, here’s...2024-06-1445 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred343 A Tour of Debbie Flower's GardenWe pay a visit to the garden of America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower. It’s a living classroom on thriving low water use plants.Debbie talks in detail about the plants, many of which are California natives, and discusses the strategies of hydrozoning (grouping plants together based on their watering needs), designing focal points and the ongoing tasks of restraining plants (lots of pruning). Of course, we throw in all sorts of garden tips. It’s another fun, scenic bypass chat.By the way, what’s a garden tour without pictures? Get a loo...2024-06-1453 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred342 Q&A Grow Carrots in Summer? Weed Cloth - Good or Bad?Master 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 also shares tips for planting carrot...2024-06-1118 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred341 Fred's Garden Tour with DebbieSomething 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 garden tour without pictures...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 Fred340 Q&A Cross-Pollination Concerns, Best Cities and States for GardeningFarmer Fred and Debbie Flower discuss:•The impact of climate and weather on gardening success.•Understanding cross-pollination and its implications for seed saving and plant breeding.•The importance of local conditions and location-specific knowledge in gardening.•Different perspectives on the best US cities for gardening, highlighting the influence of location on gardening success.Pictured: Bees on Flowering OnionsLinks:Subscribe to the Beyond the Garden Basics Newsletter https://gardenbasics.substack.com Smart Pots https://smartpots.com/fred/ HeirloomRoses.com (wit...2024-06-0420 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastWhen Should You Fertilize Your Plants?Before we delve into the soil, fertilizer in hand, a quick review of what was on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast this past week;Tuesday, May 28, Ep. 338: Zucchini Sex! Which cherries are best for cooking?Questions tackled on this episode include answering questions about squash that is slow to produce healthy looking fruit (it’s due to the lousy sex life of male and female squash flowers this time of year: “it’s too hot!”, “it’s too cold!” “I’m hungry!” “I’m too full!” (See? Plants are just like us. Except they don’t get headaches...2024-05-3109 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred336 Q&A Kitchen Scraps in the Garden? When to Plant a Magnolia Tree?In 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 the challenges of planting in the s...2024-05-2118 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastRoly Polys, Sowbugs, Earwigs - Which One Is Guilty of Garden Destruction?In today’s newsletter podcast, our America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, talks about earwigs, a garden scavenger that probably does more damage than you might want a “neutral” garden critter to do. Probably the most famous “neutral” garden insect is the non-selective praying mantis, who doesn’t mind chowing down on your aphids for dinner, with a ladybug for dessert. The big takeaway from that earwig chat? “Don't wear loose clothing in an earwig infested garden.” We also touch on (in a manner of speaking) roly polys (aka, pillbugs).This Week on...2024-05-1711 min
Garden Basics with Farmer FredGB 334 Q&A Rhubarb for Hot Climates? Lights for Seedlings?The 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 and Debbie discuss different options available i...2024-05-1421 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastMeet the Garden Beneficials, Pt. 2 (and Barn Owls!)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 barn owls prowling over your property to control rodents. Rachael mentions the UC Publication, “Songbird, Bat and Owl Boxes” which is a paid publication. Here’s a link for more information on barn owl boxes; and, another link with specific barn owl box building instructions. This chat originally aired in Episode 40 of the Garden Basics podcast in August of 2020.Before we continue with our b...2024-05-0309 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred331 Cucumber Starting and Training TipsMid 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 of your cucumbers can help thwart...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 Fred313 Heirlooms vs. Hybrids. Battling Aphids in Trees.What is the definition of an heirloom vegetable, such as an heirloom tomato? It depends who you ask. It’s kind of like the word “natural”: it has no legal definition. "Heirloom vegetable" could mean: a) a plant that reproduces true from seed; b) it's an old variety; and/or c) it's a traditional family seed, passed down through the generations.And what exactly is a hybrid tomato of a hybrid vegetable or flower? Our resident horticulturist, Debbie Flower, will help settle any confusion you might have when it comes to heirlooms versus hybrids. And we answer the quest...2024-03-0140 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred311 Tomato Seed Starting TipsLast Week, we gave you tips for starting your pepper plants from seed. Today, we have tips for starting your summertime tomatoes from seed. And now’s the time to begin, Again, we get a little help from America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower.She has ingenious ways of determining if your old tomato seeds are still any good. She has advice on which media is best for starting tomato seeds. And, the importance of cleaning your pots thoroughly, before planting tomato seeds. And if that wasn’t enough, Debbie talks about the importance of ligh...2024-02-2340 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred300 Choosing, Planting Bareroot RosesToday, we present a double dose of the Debbies on the Garden Basics podcast. First, Master Rosarian Debbie Arrington has tips on what to look for when selecting those bare looking roses that are hitting the nurseries this winter. Some garden center them packaged in plastic wrap, some nurseries will pot up the bare rose plants in containers, and some nurseries with have plunged those bare root roses directly into a bed of sawdust. Debbie Arrington has advice on how to tell if the rose you are selecting is healthy. Then, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture pro...2024-01-1239 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred291 Top 10 Habits of Successful GardenersWhat are the habits of successful gardeners? A couple of Master Gardeners from Santa Clara and San Joaquin Counties, in California pursued that question awhile back. They discovered several tips and tricks that seasoned, happy gardeners use for garden success. Today, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, and myself share their top ten habits of Successful and Happy Gardeners with you, along with our thoughts that take us down, yet again, many scenic bypasses of good gardening information. You might want to listen to this episode more than once, maybe read the transcript as well. Or ta...2023-11-101h 00
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred287 Fall Berry Care. Debbie Explains Stuff.Fall Berry Care (1:58 of podcast)Debbie Flower Explains Stuff I Had Questions About (18:33)We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory (and on location at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center). It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots, and Dave Wilson Nursery. Let’s go!Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and TRANSCRIPTS at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net. Transcripts and episode chapters also available at Buzzsprout...2023-10-1342 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred278 Hot Summer Garden Tips LIVE!Wherever you garden, you have had to endure days and days of sizzling summer temperatures. Your garden is trying to survive those heat waves, as well. Today, Debbie Flower and I have tips for getting your garden through triple digit heatwaves and a lot more. Recorded live at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Sacramento on August 5, 2023.• Why you don’t want to use garden soil in containers. (7:02)• The best potting mix to use for a container plant. (8:48)• What’s happening to the roots of plants in containers on a 100-degree day. (15:24)• How to b...2023-08-1153 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred268 Ant Invasion Solutions and Winning Food Preservation SecretsTired of pesky ants ruining your garden beds and invading your home? Join us as we chat with Debbie Flower, America's favorite retired college horticultural professor, who shares her personal formula for getting rid of these unwanted pests. We'll uncover the secrets of boric acid ant bait and explore why it's crucial for it to reach the queen in order to wipe out the entire colony.We also have a conversation with Master Food Preserver and State Fair Food Judge, Wendy Rose. Discover how to save an early partial harvest for delicious recipes later in the season...2023-06-0235 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred267 More Garden Tips, LIVE!• Have you ever wondered how to attract more birds to your yard? We have a tip to bring more birds, using sound. (07:28)• Thinking of removing all or part of your lawn to save water, or expand your garden? Now’s the time to take action, and we will show you how. (10:05)• Are there cures for common tomato problems, such as flower drop or blossom end rot? Yes, and no. We explain. (20:02)• How much should you water your lawn or garden? (40:01)“We”, would be myself and America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture professor, Debbie Flower. We recorded a live...2023-05-2644 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastThe Best Roses For Cut Flowers(From a 2022 interview with Master Rosarian Debbie Arrington. Originally aired on May 20, 2022, Garden Basics podcast)Farmer FredWhat is America's favorite flower? Well, of course, it's the rose. Something like 85% of all Americans say their favorite flower is the rose. How do you grow them? Well, we've talked about that on this show. You can go back and look for various episodes of the Garden Basics podcast where we talked about planting roses and pruning roses. We've even talked about fragrant roses. However, our next guest we've had on several times talking about...2023-05-1943 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastJumping Worms: An Update, AgainJumping worms, and the publicity about them, are spreading. Debbie Flower (America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor) and I talked about this in August of 2021 in Episode 126 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. We provided an update on Episode 217 in August of 2022 (listen to that chat in today’s newsletter podcast). Jumping worms have been in the United States for more than a half century. And they’re moving around the country, with our unknowing help. As Debbie pointed out in the podcast (above), one of the biggest threats is their poop. Becaus...2023-03-3110 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred255 To Repot or Not?Since the name of the show is Garden Basics, let’s cover something that’s basic, but not necessarily easy or successful. America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower walks us step by step through the topic of how to repot a plant. It’s not as simple as you might think, and we offer tips to make sure your repotting efforts are more successful. Some Topics covered include:• What is a sure fire way of knowing your plant has overgrown the pot? It’s a habit you should get into doing...2023-03-0347 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred251 Garden Basics 2022 Greatest Hits Pt. 4 Spring Garden Tips, Live!Welcome to Part 4 of our four part series, 2022’s greatest hits of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. The four parts include the top 10 most listened-to segments last year. In part 1, in Ep. 248, we talked about how to grow tomatoes. In part 2, in Episode 249, we talked with "Grow Now" author Emily Murphy about a way to build your soil without having to purchase bags of potting mix. It’s called lasagna gardening. And we visited with Master Gardener Pam Bone, with good tips for growing raspberries and boysenberries.In Episode 250, it was a Debbie Flower ex...2023-02-0357 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred239 Overwintering Pepper Plants. Roses for the Heat. Leaf Footed Bugs.Today, we tackle some of the garden questions that have come in from around the country, such as: How do you overwinter a pepper plant indoors? What are these new bugs on my tomato plants? And, a question from a couple of months ago, when we were all stifling in record breaking heat: are there any roses that can tolerate and grow in high temperatures? We gets answers from two of my favorite Debbies: Master Rosarian Debbie Arrington, and America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower. And, we get pepper overwintering advice from a profe...2022-11-1137 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred238 Teaming with BacteriaTeaming with bacteria. Now there’s a title sure to send the casual gardener to another podcast. But bear with me, please. What if I told you that the future of plant fertilizer was not fertilizer? It will be… bacteria. That’s according to Jeff Lowenfels, author of the book, Teaming with Bacteria. Today, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, geeks out on garden science with Jeff, who, for the last 20 years or so, has written other garden books about plant nutrition, microbes and fungus. As you might imagine, Debbie Flower had a wonderful time talking with Jef...2022-11-041h 09
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred237 Bagged Worm Castings - Two ViewsLast Spring (Episode 193), Debbie Flower and I discussed the viability of bagged worm castings. According to one study published in a peer review journal, bagged worm castings start losing their effectiveness after 60 days.There are those who disagree with that study, calling it invalid. Today, we revisit our chat about bagged worm castings with Debbie Flower, and add in an opposing viewpoint, from longtime organic gardening advisor Steve Zien. We leave you to draw your own conclusions about the viability of bagged worm castings.Also, as timely as the decorations on your front porch in...2022-10-2845 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred223 Browning Tomato Leaves? Making Hypertufa Pots.A question from a listener is one you may be thinking about while you’re in the garden: why are my tomato leaves turning brown?Possibilities include shaded older leaves; tomato russet mites; whiteflies; aphids; root knot nematodes; fusarium wilt; verticillium wilt; late blight; powdery mildew. But in most of those instances, the tomatoes themselves will show abnormalities. In this case, the tomatoes were perfect. America’s favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, tackles this one. In the middle of that chat, Debbie mentions a use for old potting soil, just in case that is the...2022-08-2625 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastRoses That Can Take the Heat“Of all flowers, methinks rose is best”. Shakespeare said that. He lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, about halfway between London and Birmingham, England. However, the roses he saw 600 years ago never endured 100 degree heat…until recently.Although roses were found originally in Central Asia, they spread quickly throughout the Northern Hemisphere between the 12th and 18th centuries.Those old roses wouldn’t stand a chance in the heatwaves of the 21st century, succumbing to scorched flowers, leaves, and buds…as well as dying off due to a lack of regular watering in drought-effected areas.Of course, hy...2022-08-1209 min
Beyond the Garden Basics PodcastWhy You Don't Want To Use Fertilizer or Rooting Hormones When Planting Trees and ShrubsIn this podcast, retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower explains about the use of rooting hormones and fertilizers for newly-installed plants. You’ll find out:How rooting hormones work.How auxins (the rooting stimulant in root hormones) can either inhibit or promote growth.Why you don’t want to use rooting hormones on an established plant or transplant.Why you want to cut the roots of a tree or shrub before planting.Why you don’t want to add fertilizer at planting time.The benefits of “paper hats” on...2022-07-0808 min
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred195 The Best Roses for Cut FlowersRoses are beginning to put on a show throughout most of rose-growing country, especially USDA Zones six through 10. What are the best roses to grow that not only look nice in the garden, but do especially well as cut flowers in the house? What are the roses that have outstanding shape and color, but also can last a long time in a vase, and aren’t a hassle when it comes to dealing with their prickles, in other words, ones that aren’t a thorny mess? We talk with Master Rosarian Debbie Arrington about 26 rose varieties that make great cut...2022-05-2049 min