Shows
Sustainable in the Suburbs5: How to Navigate Climate Emotions and Build Community Around You with Jen KnochHow do we hold the grief, rage, and love that come with caring deeply about the climate crisis and still keep going? In this conversation, I’m joined by my friend Jen Knoch, a Toronto-based sustainability advocate and the creator of the Climate Emotions Retreat, to explore what it looks like to feel these emotions fully, stay rooted in care, and take meaningful action alongside others.Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, inspired, or somewhere in between, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to hold it all alone — and that small acts of tending and care...
2025-06-171h 05
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 24: Beauty in transitionsIn this episode . . .A frost narrowly avoided. Changing leaves, and beautiful Boston ivy. The local woodchip and leaf economy. Some cutting back (but mostly not). Surprise radishes. Cold frames and improvised low tunnels. Native seed sitting. Bulb planting tips. And a goodbye, or maybe a see you later.Otherwise this week, I’m . . .Savouring: The colours of the leaves and their crunch underfoot.Tending: Cutting back diseased plants, planting spring bulbs, digging up and dividing dahlias.Harvesting: Parsley, sage, kale, chard, green onions.I said it in th...
2023-11-0222 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 23: The Call to RestIn this episode . . .Return of the juncos. Winter’s call to rest. Harvesting bean seeds. Late season harvests. The beauty of stolen yard waste. My compost cycle. Starting new beds. Specific plant varieties mentioned: Coyote tomato, Gem marigold series, Silver Years dahlia, Lakeview Peach Fuzz dahlia, Be a part of Gardening Out Loud!It’s as easy as recording a voice memo on your phone. Record your name, where you live, and then describe a moment in the garden or in nature that mattered to you this year. Send them to gard...
2023-10-2216 min
Gardening Out LoudGuest Episode #5: Botanicals for Skincare with Mikael Walter-CampbellWelcome back to another guest episode. This time I headed northwest on my bike up to the home of Mikael Walter-Campbell, the owner and maker at Sage & Thistle Handmade Goods, where she makes all kinds of wonderful soaps, infused oils, masks, soaks, and more. I wanted to see the garden that provides many of the botanicals for her products and learn more about what she grows for skincare and how it makes the transition from plant to finished product. Along the way we also talk about the importance of having something to nurture, gardening with kids, gardening...
2023-10-1041 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 22: Grounding into fallIn this episode . . .Retreat recovery. The beauty (and practicality) of asters and goldenrod. Time to label dahlias and move or divide perennials. Specific plant varieties mentioned: White snakeroot, large-leaved aster, wood aster, cardinal flower, bonesetBe a part of Gardening Out Loud!It’s as easy as recording a voice memo on your phone. Record your name, where you live, and then describe a moment in the garden or in nature that mattered to you this year. Send them to gardeningoutloud@substack.com. This is a pu...
2023-09-2615 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 21: Ripen the fruits you haveIn this episode . . .Shift in the seasons. Time to top tomatoes. A minor squash victory. Focus on ripening he fruits you have. Compost bin fungi and other surprises. Gardening as act of faith.Specific plant varieties mentioned: Blue Kuri squash, Cosmos Apricot LemonadeBe a part of Gardening Out Loud!It’s as easy as recording a voice memo on your phone. Record your name, where you live, and then describe a moment in the garden or in nature that mattered to you this year. Send them to gardeningoutloud@substack.com....
2023-09-2020 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 20: Slowing downIn this episode . . .A tree full of birds. Tuning in by slowing down. The delights (and practicality) of the New England aster. Guest appearance by a marauding squirrel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-09-1312 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 19: Savouring summerIn this episode . . .In praise of Canada goldenrod. Strategies for savouring summer. A magical harvest dinner. Saving cosmos, nasturtium, and calendula seeds. My squirrels love honeynut squash. A taste of the tropics with ground cherries. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-09-0620 min
Gardening Out LoudGuest Episode #4: Urban Flower Farming with Sylvia ChengMost of Gardening Out Loud focuses on gardeners, but in Toronto there are a few ingenious folks farming in people’s gardens. Sylvia Cheng of Growing Tkaronto Floristry is one of those people growing gorgeous blooms on borrowed land, creating little pockets of abundance beside busy city streets.I came to Sylvia for her perspective on farming in gardens, working with landowners, and, of course, growing beautiful dahlias. On a beautiful late summer day, we checked out her home plot, one growing in the neighbour’s backyard, and hopped our bikes to visit a front yard dahlia plot...
2023-08-3126 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 18: A Cut Flower CornucopiaIn this episode . . .On embracing creativity as an adult and finding flow state. A tour of all the plants and flowers I use in arrangements. Basic tips for bouquets and arrangements. The benefits of growing your own cut flowers. The book that taught me so much about arranging seasonal flowers: A Year in Flowers by Erin Benzakein. I get my spring bulbs from Flowerbulbsrus. (Not sponsored.) Specific plant varieties mentioned: Black Knight scabiosa, Costa Silver snapdragons, Black Prince snapdragons, Little Lime hydrangea, cosmos Apricot Lemonade, cosmos Snow Puff, ninebark Diablo, geranium...
2023-08-2330 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 17: Container check-inIn this episode . . .A passionfruit-scented rose. Tomatoes, beans, cukes. The squash plants persevere. Sprouting broccoli lessons. Planters are not litterboxes (and yet . . .) Surprise cucamelons continue. Attack of the 11-foot tomato plant. Some container successes. Specific seed varieties mentioned: Purple Peacock pole beans, Blue Lake pole beans, dahlia Hollyhill Black Beauty, dahlia Lakeview Peach Fuzz, dahlia Karras 150, cosmos Apricot Lemonade, ninebark Diablo, Aspabroc sprouting broccoli, Mesclun mix, Duke blueberry, geranium Attar of Roses, Coyote tomato, Fall Gold raspberries. The ruffled tomato in the container I couldn’t remember is called Costoluto Fiorentino. This is...
2023-08-1524 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 16: Garden timeIn this episode . . .Cultivating awe. Visits from cardinals and teen robins. Updates from the zinnia and the dahlia patch. Garden time moves differently.Specific seed varieties from this episode: dahlia Hollyhill Black Beauty. Queen Lime zinnia series.If you want to learn more about awe, check out the interviews I mentioned with Dacher Kaltner: On Being and How We Live Now. You can also read Keltner’s new book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday. And let me know what brings little doses of awe to your life. This is a...
2023-08-0912 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 15: Late summer bounty beginsIn this episode . . .A calla lily experiment. The resilience of mouse melons. All hail the 2023 garlic harvest. First tomato. Dahlias and tomatoes are here. Plus: zinnias! Beans! Cucumbers! Specific seed varieties from this episode: dragon’s tongue bush beans, Cosmonaut Volkov tomatoes, Piccolo cucumbers, Eleonora basil, tulsi (holy basil), dahlia Lakeview Peach Fuzz, snowpuff cosmos. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-08-0221 min
Gardening Out LoudGuest Episode #3: Permaculture in the City with Maria SolakofskiAnother guest episode! Last year, as part of Urban Agriculture Week in Toronto, I visited Maria Solakofski’s garden in East York, and I found myself signing up for a workshop just so I could return days later. Listen in and I think you’ll get a sense of why. Maria is an herbalist and educator growing a wildly abundant garden according to permaculture principles. She sells tisanes, skincare, and other herbal products, and runs workshops and a mentorship program out of her East York yard.You’ll find this episode runs a bit longer than t...
2023-07-2548 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 14: Comfrey tea is not for meIn this episode . . . After the rain (cue Jim Cuddy). Why I’m done with comfrey tea even if it’s not done with me. Milkweed multiplies. Collecting kale seed. Surprise mouse melons. More edible “weeds” and surprise appearances. A special guest monarch. First zinnia (Queen Lime Blush). Leaf thievery and its many uses. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-07-1818 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 13: Good fences make bad neighboursIn this episode . . .The great fence drama of 2023, and why a chain-link fence can be a wonderful thing. First strawflowers and blueberries. Borage abounds. Pinching dahlias. A return to broccoli.Gardens I visited last weekend: Artemesia Daylilies and Fiddlehead Nursery — they’re just down the road from each other. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-07-1213 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 12: A berry good seasonIn this episode . . .Snapdragons and poppies in their prime. Serviceberry mystery solved? Revelling in raspberries. On growing friendship. Mulberries as economy of abundance. If you’re in Toronto and have a fruit tree you’d like harvested, or would like to help harvest other people’s trees, sign up for Not Far from the Tree. Similar groups also exist in cities all over the world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-07-0423 min
Gardening Out LoudGuest Episode #2: Front yard gardening with Sarah Joy BennettIt’s time for another guest episode, this time with Butterfly Ranger and passionate front yard food grower Sarah Joy Bennett. SJ tends a farm in the front and a forest in the back (the horticultural mullet?). The lovely front yard features two raised beds and a nifty terraced side pollinator patch. (If you’d like to see the transformation of her eroding slope with the Dirt Locker, you can see some photos from installation, year one, and year two on her Instagram. It’s pretty cool, and I’m not just saying that because I helped.) While we recorded...
2023-06-2735 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 11: There's always room for one more plantIn this episode . . .Garden, farm, or . . . ? Savouring scape season. Elegant cerinthe. The gift of a peony. The carrots’ loss is the beans’ gain. Pinching tomato suckers. Lavender haze. Strawberries are for sharing. What happened to my serviceberry? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-06-2020 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 10: A new point of viewIn this episode . . .Climate retreat and grounding in the grass. Tomatoes love heat. A moment for scented geranium leaves. (And too many streetcars — words hardly ever uttered in Toronto. Sorry about the sonic intrusion!) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-06-1309 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 9: Stop and smell the rosesIn this episode . . .A brief history of the garden’s roses (Boscobel, Desdemona, Munstead Wood, and James Galway — all David Austin Roses). Obsessed with my clematis. Dahlias emerging. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-06-0620 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 8: Patches for pollinatorsIn this episode . . .Visit from a baby raccoon. Flowering raspberries. Purple season continues. Planting for pollinators on a dry, shady, neglected “lawn” and the value of native plants. To find the native plants right for your region, try Pollinator Partnerships’s Find Your Roots tool. Toronto has its own Native Plant Market in the west end, and you can also order plants online from Ontario Native Plants. I also recommend Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla’s A Garden for the Rusty Patch Bumblebee, an essential native plant gardening guide. This is a pub...
2023-05-3121 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 7: The Generous GardenerIn this episode . . .Purple season kicks off. Planting out tomatoes and avoiding cutworm losses. David Austin roses. Cultivating generosity. Comfrey potions and mulches. (The sterile version of comfrey is called Bocking 14.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-05-2416 min
Gardening Out LoudGuest Episode #1: Spring joy with Ateqah KhakiWelcome to the very first Gardening Out Loud guest episode!While I wanted GOL to offer a close look at the evolution of the space I tend over the course of a growing year, there are so many other incredible gardens and gardeners I’d love to share with you. And so I’ll drop periodic guest episodes into the feed, giving you a glimpse into some more amazing spaces, stories, and ways of being in the natural world.Recently I was revisiting Ross Gay’s Inciting Joy, in which he asks, “What if wonder was the...
2023-05-1829 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 6: Pink flower seasonIn this episode . . .The beauty of microseasons, especially this one. Lilacs and pink trees. (Relative) newcomers to the garden: firebugs and jumping worms. Uproot that garlic mustard. Eating shoots. Blueberry blooms. Tomato planting time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-05-1620 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 5: A tender season In this episode . . .A meeting of the magnolia appreciation society. Tender plants and tender moments. The challenges of growing in pots. Robins in stereo. Cutting your flowers. Is No Mow May a helpful British import? (Fuller consideration of this by Sheila Colla here.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-05-0921 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 4: Robins and rain In this episode . . .Rainy day reflections on water and the virtues of a rain barrel. Bird noticing. Asparagus arrives. Tulip time. *A note to clarify the combined sewer system, which is in place in the oldest parts of Toronto: our own sewage goes into the sewer, not into the grates of course, but what I meant was rainwater + household grey & black water are all going to the same system, and a deluge of rainwater can overwhelm that system. In newer parts of the city, there are separate pipes for grate water and household water, and...
2023-05-0215 min
BookNet Canada PodcastClip: Making publishing greenerBook industry leaders EJ Hurst from New Society and Jen Knoch from ECW Press talk about their work and progress in making their operations greener. Brian O’Leary from the Book Industry Study Group shares insight into the mission of the Green Book Alliance, the resources they have made available, and what they’re hoping to accomplish in the near future.
2023-04-2500 min
BookNet CanadaIndustry leaders on making publishing greenerBook industry leaders EJ Hurst from New Society and Jen Knoch from ECW Press talk about their work and progress in making their operations greener. Brian O’Leary from the Book Industry Study Group shares insight into the mission of the Green Book Alliance, the resources they have made available, and what they’re hoping to accomplish in the near future.
Link to the transcript: www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2023/4/25/podcast-industry-leaders-on-making-publishing-greener
Further reading and listening:
- element6 Dynamics and Ingram Content Group Announce Strategic Supplier Relationship for Industrial Hemp-Based Paper: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/element6-dynamics-ingram-content-group-183000632.html
- About B Corp...
2023-04-2549 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 3: Hungry season saladIn this episode . . .Gathering a hungry season salad. The beauty of biennials. The honourable harvest. (N.B. I said, “Never take more than one-third,” but Kimmerer actually specifies half. Read all the guidelines here. My memory, like my gardening, is imperfect.) Pea planting and salad-fiend sparrows. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-04-2519 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 2: Snow white violetIn this episode . . .A snow white violet. Sniffing daffodils. Compost full o’ worms (and crustaceans!). Perennials poking through. Trees making “leaf bouquets.” A sighting of the only royals I care about. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardeningoutloud.substack.com
2023-04-1819 min
Gardening Out LoudEpisode 1: Welcome to the gardenWelcome to the first episode of Gardening Out Loud, a short and sweet audio exploration of what is curious and compelling in the garden each week.So much garden content is based on the way things look, or what can be produced or extracted, but I wanted to try to capture a bit about what it’s like to be here, in the moment, in this little scrap of urban jungle. I want to broadcast a little of the delight it gives me.I hope that you’ll give me 15 to 20 minutes each week, and in d...
2023-04-1119 min
Ontario Creates PodcastsOntario Creates Discussion Series 2021 Creative Industries on Climate ActionCreative Industries on Climate Action - Friday October 22, 2021In a world increasingly confronted with the need for immediate environmental action, what are Ontario’s creative industries doing to protect the future of the planet and lower harmful emissions? Join us for a discussion between experts from the music and screen sectors to hear how and why these industries are working to improve their own environmental practices. Moderator :Jen Knoch, Senior Editor - ECW Press Panelists:Brighid Fry, Music Declares Emergency, and half of the indie band Moscow ApartmentMus...
2021-11-0259 min
TOK MagazineTOK Ottawa: Writing The Future Kidlit & Young AdultIdil Mussa moderates a panel discussion about representation in Kidlit & Young Adult genres. Zoraida Cordova, Tochi Onyebuchi, LL McKinney, Nadia Hohn, Carolyn Forde and Jen Knoch take on this topic and their insights within the publication scene.
2019-06-251h 25
Kobo Writing Life PodcastWriting Three Pines with Louise PennyIn the fall of 2014, Louise Penny visited Kobo's home office in Toronto and was interviewed by Toronto editor and book enthusiast Jen Knoch for a special Kobo in Conversation video. Introduced by Kobo's Director of Communications, Tracy Nesdoly, Knoch interviews Penny in front of a live audience about her writing, followed by a Q&A from the audience. In the discussion, Knoch and Penny discuss: The difference between murder in a large city and murder in a the country in an idyllic small town setting like Three Pines How Louise had written...
2015-01-3134 minKobo Writing Life PodcastWriting Three Pines with Louise PennyIn the fall of 2014, Louise Penny visited Kobo's home office in Toronto and was interviewed by Toronto editor and book enthusiast Jen Knoch for a special Kobo in Conversation video. Introduced by Kobo's Director of Communications, Tracy Nesdoly, Knoch interviews Penny in front of a live audience about her writing, followed by a Q&A from the audience. In the discussion, Knoch and Penny discuss: The difference between murder in a large city and murder in a the country in an idyllic small town setting like Three Pines How Louise had written...
2015-01-3134 min