Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

For many backyard gardeners right now in USDA Zone 9, it’s citrus fruit harvest time. And before you know it, everybody will be in fruit picking mode come summer. Do you have the right equipment for harvesting fruit? Do you know the best ways to do it to help insure that the fruit will last longer in the kitchen? We talk with a fruit picking expert who has organized a tree fruit gleaning program that collects unwanted fresh fruit from backyard gardens and distributes it to the needy. Also, just because it’s winter, that doesn’t mean all you get to do is sit indoors and sharpen your tools. Although that is a good idea, your yard could use a little winterizing cleanup to thwart this spring and summer’s pest problems. We have quick tips, on this, the first episode of Season 3, and we're back to twice a week podcasts, dropping on Tuesdays and Fridays!

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 Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. 

And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s get started!

Pictured:
Meyer Lemons (watch out for the thorns!)

Links:
 Subscribe to the free, Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Better Taste (UC Davis Postharvest Technology)
Find Out Farms
Community Fruit
Backyard Orchard Culture video (home fruit tree care, from Dave Wilson Nursery)
Orchard fruit pruning shears/snips
Orchard Ladders
Harvest Bags

Got a garden question? 

• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics

• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 

• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com
Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter
The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog
Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"
Instagram: farmerfredhoffman
Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

'Tis the season for expectant backyard gardeners. You’ve begun to sow seeds of warm season annuals and vegetables indoors, especially pepper and tomato seeds. But when will those little seeds begin to show their heads above the soil? As always, it depends. On today’s Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, our favorite retired college horticultural professor, Debbie Flower, has tips for speeding up seed germination rates, especially for those pokey pepper seeds, which normally could take up to three weeks to sprout! But, it takes a combination of tactics to be a successful speedy plant parent. It involves bleach, the right containers, heat, the correct application of water, the right soil mix, proper air movement and H2O2. Welcome back to high school chemistry class, kids. But, you can do it! Today, it’s speedy, successful seed germination tips, especially for the pokey peppers.

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 Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. 

And we will do it all in a skosh over 30 minutes (more like 40 minutes). Let’s get started!

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
Pepper Seed Packets

Links:
Subscribe to the free, Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
Grow lights
Dramm Water Breaker nozzle
Pump Pressure Water Sprayer
Seed Starting trays, kits
Indoor Greenhouses
Outdoor Greenhouses
Seed Starting Mix
Baker Creek Seed Catalog

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred
Live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the Buzzsprout home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. 

Got a garden question? 

• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics

• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 

• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com
Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter
The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog
Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"
Instagram: farmerfredhoffman
Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

In USDA Zones 8, 9 and 10, it’s Rose Pruning Season! And soon enough after frost season passes, everyone else across the country will be faced with the challenge of tackling an overgrown, aging, rose bush. How best to prune that rose bush to regain maximum rose production? We talk with a Master Rosarian who knows. We’ve got rose pruning tips, as well as advice for the best pruning tools to use and clothes to wear while pruning those prickly roses.

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 Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. 

And we will do it all in a bit over 30 minutes. Let’s get started!

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
Distant Drums Rose, which can be grown in as cold a climate as USDA Zone 4

Links:
Subscribe to the free, Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
American Rose Society (includes local rose club information)
American Rose Society Handbook for Selecting Roses
Video: Pruning/Rejuvenating a Climbing Rose
Bypass-style Hand Pruners
Bypass-Style Loppers
Rechargeable Reciprocating Saw
Pruning gloves, arm protectors for roses

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the Buzzsprout home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. 

Got a garden question? 

• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics

• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 

• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com

Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter

The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog

Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"

Instagram: farmerfredhoffman

Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

You can grow them indoors and outdoors; they’re easy to care for; and, are very unique and colorful! But which ones are the easiest to care for? We’re talking about succulents today with renowned expert Robin Stockwell. Starting a school garden, or even a home school garden? Which plants and concepts should you consider before turning that first shovelful of soil? We’re going back to school, with Debbie Flower, who knows a thing or two about school gardens.

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 Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery.  And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s get started!

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
The succulent, Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa)

Links:
Subscribe to the free, Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots

Dave Wilson Nursery

The Book: Succulents, the ultimate guide to choosing designing and growing 200 easy care plants" by Robin Stockwell

Resources for Starting a School Garden

California Natives for a Hedgerow

Insectary Plants

Bring on the Bees! Year-Round Plants to Attract Pollinators

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the Buzzsprout home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. 

Got a garden question? 

• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics

• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 

• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com

Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter

The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog

Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"

Instagram: farmerfredhoffman

Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

Welcome to the new year, and our latest Greatest Hits episode, featuring those segments that you spent the most time enjoying,  in record numbers in 2021. Among the top listened to segments last year included a lot about tomatoes. In fact, the top 5 listened-to segments on the garden basics podcast had to do with tomatoes. That makes this 2021 Greatest Hits episode of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast one that just might answer most of your tomato questions, from seed planting all the way to harvest. If you know anyone just starting out in gardening, who might be growing their very first tomato plant in 2022, have them listen to this, Episode 160 of Garden Basics: 2021’s Greatest Hits - All About Tomatoes. 

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 Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery.

Pictured:
Homegrown Orange Oxheart tomato (1.5 pounds)

Links:
Subscribe to the free Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
Brad Gates' Wild Boar Farms
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects
Tomato Troubleshooter
Crop Rotation
Row covers
Seed Starting Mix
Seed Starting Kits, Small Pots
Tomato Seeds
Bt for controlling tomato hornworms
Needle Nose Pruners
Soil Temperature/Soil Moisture Monitors
Soil Moisture Meters

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred
• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics
• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964.
• E-mail: [email protected]

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com
Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter
The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog
Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"
Instagram: farmerfredhoffman
Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

Thanks for listening!

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

Eat less sugar. Eat more fiber. Eat out of the garden more! Have you set your New Year’s resolutions yet?  We’ll talk with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Andrew Bunting about some good gardening habits to start in 2022.

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, ushers in the New Year with a plant that just might be putting on  a show right now with its colorful berries or reddish leaves. It’s the Heavenly Bamboo, also known as Nandina domestica, and it’s our Plant of the Week.

We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory, it’s episode 159 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. 

And we will do it all in way over 30 minutes, because there's a lot to talk about. Happy New Year! Let’s go! 

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
Bee on Daisy

Links:
Subscribe to the free, Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
Pennsylvania Horticutural Society Gold Medal Plant List (Outstanding plants, especially for the Mid-Atlantic region)
2022 Garden Trends from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Olbrich Gardens,  Madison Wisconsin (Gravel Gardens)
Dehydrators (you grew it. now eat it!)

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the Buzzsprout home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. 

Got a garden question? 

• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics

• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 

• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com

Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter

The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog

Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"

Instagram: farmerfredhoffman

Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

Life, as I am fond of saying, is too short to put up with a problem plant. Today, the very alive Debbie Flower, who is no problem at all, talks about when to pull the plug on the dying plants in your garden, including some organ harvesting tips when it comes to tomato plants who have overstayed their welcome at your garden party. Plus, we have tips for choosing and storing those cool season fruit favorites, persimmons, apples and citrus. Merry Christmas!

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, is in the holiday mood, with everything you want to know about the Plant of the Week, holly. Including information about a holly variety that will literally make you upchuck. Even its name implies as much.

Podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory, it’s Episode 158 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. 

And we will do it all in way over 30 minutes. Consider it your Christmas bonus. Let’s go! 

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
Just because that broccoli plant has bolted, don't be too quick to compost it even though it might taste bitter. Those flowers attract pollinators, such as bees.

Links:
Subscribe to the free  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
Preserving Apples (from UCANR)
Dehydrators

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the Buzzsprout home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. 

Got a garden question?
• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics
• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 
• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com
Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter
The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog
Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"
Instagram: farmerfredhoffman
Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

A listener in St. Louis wrote in to ask, “Is it OK to put the stems and leaves of what’s left of the summer vegetable garden in a compost pile?” Retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower answers: it depends! We take a deep dive into composting basics today.

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, tells us about the Plant of the Week. For some, it’s an outdoor, winter blooming, bedding plant. For others, it’s a houseplant. For all, it puts a colorful show this time of year: the cyclamen, which just might be the best, last minute holiday garden gift to give or receive.

Podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory, it’s episode 157 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. 

And we will do it all in just 30 minutes. Let’s go! 

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
The Three-Bin Composter

Links:
Subscribe to the free,  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
The Rapid Composting Method
Make Your Own 3-Bin Composter
Compost Thermometers
Composting Tumblers
Compost Bins Indoor and Outdoor
Cyclamen Plants and Seeds

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Got a garden question? 

• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics

• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 

• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com
Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter
The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog
Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"
Instagram: farmerfredhoffman
Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

Did you ever pull a sick, root-bound plant out of a too-small plastic or ceramic container and look at the root ball? All those thick roots, going round and round, along the sides and throughout the bottom? All those thick roots are impeding the flow of water and fertilizer throughout the plant’s root zone, which may be why that plant was sick! We talk with Smart Pots  president Kurt Reiger about how their fabric plant containers don’t let that happen to your plants! It’s called air pruning. We’ll explain.

Retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower answers a listener’s question: how soon should you water your garden after a big rainstorm? It depends. She has tips for using Soil Moisture Meters , too.

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, tells us about the Plant of the Week, a shrub that puts on its show in the winter with colorful berries, the cotoneaster.

Podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory, it’s episode 156 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. And we will do it all in just over 30 minutes. Let’s go!

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
Soil Moisture Meters

Links:
Subscribe to the free, The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
Invasive varieties of Cotoneaster
Soil Moisture Meters

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Got a garden question?
• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics
• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 
• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com
Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter
The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog
Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"
Instagram: farmerfredhoffman
Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.

Farmer Fred Garden Rule #1: Bermudagrass is forever. You think I’m kidding? Ask any gardener who is battling this triple threat weed, which can reproduce and spread via seed, stems and rootstocks.

Retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower gives us some ideas for control and suppression tactics when battling bermudagrass (please note, I did NOT say, eradicate). 

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden’s Superintendent Emeritus, Warren Roberts, tells us about a tree that has it all: great fall color, an interesting form, and tasty fruit this time of year. It’s our Plant of the Week, the Persimmon Tree.

Podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory, it’s episode 155 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. 

And we will do it all in just a little over 30 minutes. Let’s go!

November through January, the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast slows its production schedule. Look for new episodes each Friday. In February, we will return to twice a week podcasts, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Pictured:
The Persimmon Tree (Diospyros kaki 'Yamon') in the Fall

Links:
Subscribe to the free, The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
Bemudagrass Control Tactics from UCANR
Univ. of Maryland Bermudagrass Control
UCANR Soil Solarization Tips (for controlling bermudagrass)
Turflon Ester (Bermudagrass control)
Turflon Ester Product Label (for Bermudagrass control)
The Farmer Fred Rant: THE Edible Ornamental of the Fall, the Persimmon Tree

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Got a garden question?
• Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasics
• Call or text us the question: 916-292-8964. 
• E-mail: [email protected] 

All About Farmer Fred:
The  Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.com
Daily Garden tips and snark on Twitter
The Farmer Fred Rant! Blog
Facebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"
Instagram: farmerfredhoffman
Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned here.

And thank you for listening.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and commenting on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast and the Beyond the Garden Basics  Newsletter.