Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Ed Laivo of TomorrowsHarvest.com returns with another sweet treat of a winner for Fabulous Fruit Friday. It’s a donut-style nectarine, called Snack Time. What’s  "donut-style" mean? It’s refers to the flattened fruit, cultivars that were developed in Far East thousands of years ago. 

Debbie Flower, college horticulture professor (retired) and I stop and gawk at the seed racks at a local nursery. You’ll get a lot of great cucurbit (cucumber, squash, melons) planting tips when you eavesdrop on our conversation.

It’s all on episode 84 of the Garden Basics podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots and Tomorrows Harvest.  And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured: The Snack Time Donut-Style Nectarine
Links:
Shop at Tomorrow's Harvest online store
Smart Pots!

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

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.

We revisit one of the most popular segments ever aired on our program: why feeding your soil yields better results than feeding your plants. Sound confusing? It’s actually quite simple!
You can learn a lot when you hang out with retired college horticultural professor Debbie Flower at a nursery. We recently spent a morning looking at all the snail and slug control products that are available. Which are the most effective? Which ones are, shall we say, are dubious? We find out.
Also, Warren Roberts of the UC Davis Arboretum talks about one of the brightest lights in the late winter garden, the daffodil.
 It’s all on episode 83 of the Garden Basics podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
The Chard is cheery and the Parsley is perky when grown in a raised bed, topped with several inches of oak leaf mulch. The mulch inhibits weeds, moderates soil temperature, preserves soil moisture, and best of all: as it breaks down, it feeds the soil.

Links:
G&B Organic Fertilizers
Worm Castings
Worm Bins
Snail, Slug Control Products (look for the active ingredient, Iron Phosphate)
Daffodils
UC Davis Arboretum

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.

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.

Fabulous Fruit Friday is back on the Garden Basics podcast.  Fruit tree expert Ed Laivo will tell us about one of the tastiest cherries you’ve probably never had, but you need to try, and is now available. It’s an old heirloom variety, the Black Republican Cherry.  A sweet piece of fruit that has a good story behind its name, as well.
Stink bugs love your garden in spring and summer. We have tips for controlling this widespread pest of fruits and vegetables.
Also, how to attract birds to your garden to do battle against the bad bugs.
It’s all on episode 82 of the Garden Basics podcast. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!
The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast is brought to you by Smart Pots and TomorrowsHarvest. com.

Pictured: The Black Republican Cherry, from TomorrowsHarvest.com

Links:
Stink Bug Control Tips
Bug vacuums!
Attracting Birds to Your Garden

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.

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.

If you want to expand your vegetable garden palate this year, this is the episode for you. We talk about vegetable varieties that are tasty, but unappreciated. Broccolini, radicchio, Malabar spinach, Joi Choi, moringa,  and much more. Do your garden plans include insectary plants? Those are annuals, perennials and shrubs that attract pollinators and beneficial insects that can battle the bad bugs in your garden, without any chemical help from you. And the Plant of the Week is that cascading fountain of  yellow color of late winter and early spring, the forsythia.

It’s Episode 81 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.…let’s go!

Pictured: Malabar spinach, unlike many greens, thrives in the heat. And, it will need a trellis.

Links:
Fair Oaks Blvd Nursery
Aspabroc Broccolini
Radicchio
Malabar Spinach
Joi Choi
Moringa
Pollinator-friendly plant lists state by state (Xerces Society)
Insectary Plants Information
Forsythia
UC Davis Arboretum
Smart Pots

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Friday during November through January. We’ll be back to a twice a week schedule in February.  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.

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.

At some point, you will get the urge to start a wildflower garden in a spot in your yard. Before you begin scattering seeds, take a listen. We have tips from a wildflower expert. 

What’s the easiest, safest way to clean a backyard fountain or birdbath? Our favorite college horticulture professor (retired), Debbie Flower, applies some elbow grease to that question. 

Wouldn’t it be nice, if you moved into a rental home, that other people would pay to have you redesign the garden? That’s one of the perks of getting a four-year lease at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC. We talk with Marta McDowell, author of the book,  "All the Presidents’ Gardens” about many of the interesting horticultural changes the various residents brought to that famous yard. 

And, we help you unwind from working at home with a regular daily commute to your happy spot. And that just might be your garden. How a fake commute can boost your physical and mental health when your working from home.

It’s all on Episode 80 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Picture:

Links:
Wildflowers to Attract Beneficial Insects

Cleaning a Birdbath or Fountain

Book:  "All the Presidents' Gardens: Madison's Cabbages to Kennedy's Roses—How the White House Grounds Have Grown with America" by Marta McDowell

Washington Post: The Fake Commute For Better Mental Health

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Friday during November through January. We’ll be back to a twice a week schedule in February.  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.

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.

Welcome to the Garden Basics Seed Starting episode. Growing your summer vegetables and flowers from seed is a fun experience. Plus, there are so many more varieties available as seed. If you have a sunny window or a seed starting kit with a heat pad and lighting system, your ready to plant.  And, Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms tells us how he starts his tomato seeds. 

Also: can you reuse old soil that you might have in containers? As Debbie Flower tells us, it depends. But she has tips for getting that old soil back into top shape. Warren Roberts of the UC Davis arboretum tells us about the Plant of the Week, currently in bloom in many parts of the country: the Winter Jasmine.

It’s all on Episode 79 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured: Peppers take their sweet time to germinate. This picture was taken four weeks after planting the pepper seeds. It will take another 6-8 weeks for they are ready to be planted outside.

Farmer Fred Rant: Tomato Seed Starting Tips
Seed Starting Supplies
Seed Starting Soil
UC Davis Arboretum
Winter Jasmine

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Friday during November through January. We’ll be back to a twice a week schedule in February.  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.

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.

Want to help Mother Nature battle your garden pest problems? Give a listen and find out how. Jessica Walliser, author of Plant Partners, talks about scientific proven strategies for incorporating different plants into your vegetable garden to fend off the bad guys by attracting the garden good guys.
Also, how deep should you plant that new fruit tree?
It’s all on Episode 78 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Picture:
Lady Bugs congregating in their native habitat in the Central Sierra Nevada mountains.

Links:
Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden
Farmer Fred Rant: Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects
Fruit Tree Planting Dept
Tomorrow's Harvest

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.

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.

Dealing with weeds in the garden is bad enough. How do you deal with tree roots in your flower and vegetable beds? We’ve got some tips. Questions about how and when to prune trees and shrubs? We give you a list of good resources. The Plant of the Week is putting on a show for the nose right now. It’s wintersweet. And, how keeping a garden diary and planting a "Gratitude Garden" is good for your mental health.

It’s Episode 77 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
Winter Daphne (Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'), a fragrant shrub that's truly a show for the nose in winter or  spring throughout most of the United States. Definitely a plant that inspires gratitude!

Links:
UC recommendations for soil solarization
Book: "Pruning and Training" by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce
Book: "Structural Pruning,  A Guide for the Green Industry"
"Training and Pruning Trees" - Urban Tree Foundation
Wintersweet
In Praise of Gratitude

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.

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.

It may be February, but it’s not too late for a New Year’s Garden Resolution: Don’t let your overhead sprinklers hit your vegetable and flower gardens. Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, tells us why.
We have tips for planting and caring for raspberries and grapes.
Confused about all the shovel and pruner choices that are out there? We’ll unearth the best shovel choices for your outdoor tasks and we’ll prune out those shears that you don’t want to use in your garden.
Finally, we narrow the gap about dealing with physical and social distancing with your loved ones who need a hug. Caress them with your garden. We’ll tell you how.
It’s Episode 76 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!
Links:
Farmer Fred Rant: How Long Should I Run a Drip Irrigation System?
Farmer Fred Rant: All About Shovels
Farmer Fred Rant: Bypass vs. Anvil Pruners
Dave Wilson Nursery Catalog: Raspberries
Dave Wilson Nursery Fruit Tube Video: Pruning Grapes
Green Acres Nursery and Supply

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.

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.

In USDA Zones 9 and 10, February is the month to be starting tomato seeds indoors. For colder climates, you may want to wait until March. We continue our evaluation of great tomato varieties worth trying with Don Shor, owner of Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, California. We talk strategy as well as good tomato varieties worth trying in 2021. 

In the world of unique looking, tasty tomatoes, Wild Boar Farms has the market cornered. We pay a visit with owner Brad Gates, who offers up his tomato seed starting tips.

And, UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts tells us about the multi-faceted Cornelian Cherry, which is not a cherry, but a dogwood. The Cornelian Cherry  is a tree or shrub that can be grown just about anywhere in the U.S., but is especially successful in colder climates. It’s our plant of the week!

It’s Episode 75 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, our tomato variety preview edition, Part 2. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
A myriad of tomato varieties as seen at the Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa, CA.

Links:
All-American Tomato Selections Winners
Farmer Fred Rant: Short Season Tomato Varieties
Farmer Fred Rant: Tips for Starting Tomato, Pepper Seeds
What is a "Schmoo"?
Tomato varieties mentioned in the Tomato Preview (Part 2):
Costaluto Genovese, Principe Borghese, San Marzano, Sweet Million, Sungold, Sweet 100, Barry’s Crazy Cherry, Beauty King, Michael Pollin, Furry Boar, Pork Chop, Berkeley Tye-Dye, Sweet Carneros Pink, 4th of July, Bush Early Girl , Grushovka, Polar Baby, Oregon Spring V, Sub Arctic Maxi

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? 

Leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe.

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.
Visit the website for more information: farmerfred.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.