Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Many gardeners in the western United States are breathing in wildfire smoke. So are your plants. What does smoke and falling ash do to the health of a plant? And what can you do about it? And, oddly enough, there are some benefits to that pollution.
For Eastern and Midwestern gardeners, now’s the time to plan for protecting your young, fruit producing trees and shrubs this fall and winter. We'll tell you why.
Do you know your USDA Plant Hardiness zone? We talk about that, and a better resource for figuring out your plants’ needs based on where you live.
It’s on episode 134 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots.  And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Links:
Smart Pots
Books by Lance Walheim on Roses, Citrus, Lawns, Landscaping
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Maps
Sunset Garden Climate  Zone Maps
Sunset National Garden Book
Southern Living Garden Book
Sunset Western Garden Book
Sunset Midwestern Landscaping Book
UC Botanical Garden - The Effect of Smoke, Ash on Plants
Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences - Wildfire-Smoke Aerosols Lead to Increased Light Use Efficiency

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch:
• 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] 
• Leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:
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

Sign up for the new Garden Basics newsletter, on Substack (https://fredf82.substack.com). Free!

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

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

Rachel in Indiana contacted us via  Speakpipe with a question that many gardeners might have: How do you control Japanese beetles? This voracious pest feeds of hundreds of  plants, especially your roses. We talk with a Master Rosarian who has control tips.
The Plant of the Week has the rather gruesome name, the Oxblood Lily. Yet, it is a beautiful and widely adaptable bulb that’s starting to put on its annual show.
It’s on episode 133 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 under 30 minutes.

Pictured:
The Japanese Beetle

Links:
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
UC Davis Arboretum

Japanese Beetles Control Information (3):
Cornell University
USDA: The Japanese Beetle Control Handbook
Colorado State University
Grub Ex (Japanese Beetle Grub control for turf)
"Garden Bulbs for the South," by Scott Ogden
Nematodes for Japanese Beetles Control
Drift Roses
Knockout Roses
The New Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred.  Please subscribe,  and tell your gardening friends!

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: 

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] 

or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 
Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 
And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:
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
Sign up for the new Garden Basics newsletter, on Substack (https://fredf82.substack.com). 

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

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

I love late August, because the backyard food garden is at its peak. Everywhere,  there’s tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, peaches, melons and so much more that fill the garden beds. Perhaps too much? We have a great idea on what to do with all that produce that you can’t keep up with.
Also, we hear from a gardener in Oregon who wants to know: "Why aren’t my vegetables growing? The plants look healthy, they’re just not growing." 
We have some ideas why, on episode 132 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots.
And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
Wagonful of tomatoes (95 pounds!)

Links:
Smart Pots
Ample Harvest
Rainpoint Soil Moisture Sensor

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch:
• 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] 
• Leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:
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

Sign up for the new Garden Basics newsletter, on Substack (https://fredf82.substack.com). Free!

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

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

It’s grape harvest season across the country. Disappointed with your results? This week, College Horticulture Professor (retired) Debbie Flower, who taught classes in growing grapes, has lots of good tips to increase your grape production. Carrots now come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. We talk with Renee Shepherd of Renee’s Garden seed company about growing backyard carrots. And Warren Roberts of the UC Davis Arboretum talks about an easy to grow bulb, the Sternbergia, also known as the Autumn Daffodil.

It’s all on episode 131 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 under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
Carrot Varieties

Links:
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
UC Davis Arboretum
Growing Grapes - UCANR
Renee’s Garden Carrots
Coming Soon! The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch:
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] 
or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:
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.

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

How are you fertilizing your plants? Do you go out every month, or every week, with a watering can, fertilizer and a teaspoon? Or, are you tossing granules on the ground around your plants and then raking them gently into the soil, without harming your plants, of course, and then watering in those fertilizer granules? Time consuming! Want some time back to do something else? Then, today’s podcast is for you. It’s all about fertigation. We’ll explain, on episode 130 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots.
And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.
(oh, and before you write in to tell me the name of the movie and the actress I couldn't remember, it occurred to me soon afterwards: "Avatar". Sigourney Weaver. Thanks for your concern.

Pictured:
DIG - Add It 1 Pint Proportional Fertilizer Injector w/ Backflow Device 

Links:
Smart Pots
Dripworks: Fertilizer Injectors
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply: Fertigation Basics
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply: Fertigation Video and Supplies
Y-Filters for Drip Irrigation Systems
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply: Fertilizer Solutions Chart
Maxicrop
Therm X 70 Yucca Extract

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe and share with other gardeners!

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: 

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] 

or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 
And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:
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.

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

There are a lot of great cool season vegetables that you can start right now. For those of you who worry about a mid-Fall frost or freeze grinding your garden to a halt, or for those of you who just want to grow vegetables in a hurry, today’s show features a selection of healthy edibles that will give you a harvestable crop in under 60 days.
Growing vegetables in containers? The size of that pot is of utmost importance. We have tips. Also, the plant of the week, the oleander shrub. Yes, it’s poisonous, but it is one of the best privacy screens you can plant.
It’s all on episode 129 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 under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
Chioggia beets mature in 54 days from transplant.

Links:
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
UC Davis Arboretum
Farmer Fred Rant: Now’s the Time to Start Cool Season Vegetables
Vegepod Raised Garden Bed
Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: 

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] 

or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:

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.

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

Thinking of gardening a bit differently, using bales of straw? Straw bales have several gardening advantages, including working in your garden while standing up. Straw bales can be located wherever you have a sunny spot for sun-loving vegetables, and they can last… if you follow a few important steps. 
Also: have you heard about the Yezberry? It looks like an elongated blueberry and combines the flavor of both blueberries and raspberries. Also known as the blue honeysuckle or Honeyberry, it can be productive, if you live in the right zones. And for a change, the right zones do not include most of the sunbelt! 
It’s all on episode 128 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots. 
And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go! 

Pictured:
Straw Bales with cool season vegetables (UCANR)

Links:
Smart Pots
Sacramento Master Gardener Straw Bale Gardening Info
Gardening with Straw Bales (UCANR)
Book - "Straw Bale Gardens" by Joel Karsten
The Yezberry plant

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: 

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] 

or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:

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.

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

How’s your tomato garden doing? Now that it’s summer, most of the early season tomato issues are waning: fewer aphids and whiteflies (we hope) and less blossom end rot. In its place are a wide variety of other tomato troubles that eminate from our longer, hotter days. We do some summertime tomato troubleshooting today. Also, we answer a listener’s concern about crop rotation in a mixed planting of flowers and vegetables. Can the two peacefully coexist? Perhaps. And the Plant of the Week: naked ladies! That’s the unfortunate common name for the summer flowering bulb, the Amaryllis belladonna. But they are beautiful in their bare state.

It’s all on episode 127 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 under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
Amaryllis belladonna, the Naked Lady

Links:
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
UC Davis Arboretum
Farmer Fred Rant: It's Crop Rotation Time! Do You Have the Room?

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: 

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] 

or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:

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

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

One day, you might be doing a little digging in your garden, and up comes a worm. But it’s not just any worm. This one is easily identified by its violent thrashing about, slithering, and actual jumping in the air. Say hello to the Jumping Worm, also known as the Crazy Worm. And it’s not a garden good guy. The jumping worm is a pest with a voracious appetite for all the things that helps your soil thrive.  And it is slithering it way across the country. We have tips for dealing with the jumping worm. Also: if you’re in the habit of pouring beer or coffee or milk on your plants, you’re probably not doing them much good, if any. Garden Myths expert Robert Pavlis runs down the kitchen staples that should probably be left in the kitchen. It’s all on episode 126 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots.  And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
Jumping Worm (picture from Wisconsin Natural Resources Dept.)

Links:
Smart Pots
Jumping Worms Information (Oregon State University)
Jumping Worms Leap into Oregon
Video of Jumping Worms
Map of Jumping Worms in the U.S.
Robert Pavlis' Garden Myths Blog
Video: Farmer Fred on Cool Season Vegetable Gardening
Sacramento Co Master Gardeners Harvest Day Aug. 7  Zoom link

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: 

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] 

or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:
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.

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

Growing lavender? Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, has tips on how to rejuvenate aging lavender plants. UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts tells us all about that prolific summer bloomer, the crape myrtle tree. How can you tell when is best for harvesting backyard fruits and vegetables? And, when you bring them inside, where’s the best place to store them to last the longest? On the counter, in the refrigerator, or some combination of both? We supply the answers to those questions for some of the most popular backyard crops.

It’s all on episode 125 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 under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
Crape Myrtle Tree

Links:
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
UC Davis Arboretum
UC Davis Postharvest Care of Fruits and Vegetables
Book: Pruning and Training
Video: Farmer Fred on Cool Season Vegetable Gardening
Harvest Day Zoom link registration for Farmer Fred Q&A,  Sat. Aug. 7

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.

Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: 

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] 

or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. 

And thank you for listening.

All About Farmer Fred:

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.

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