Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

It’s a good thing that Santa parks his sleigh on your rooftop, otherwise, Rudolph, Donner, Blitzen and the rest of his deer crew might help themselves to your garden goodies. Deer love your garden! Are there such things as deer resistant plants? How do you keep deer from ravaging your radishes and rose bushes? We have tips. Plus advice for caring for that new, cut Christmas tree that you’re about to haul home.  And, poinsettia  pointers from a commercial grower, to keep that holiday houseplant looking good.

It’s Episode 64 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!

Links
Smartpots!
"Deer in My Garden" Vols. 1 &2,  by Carolyn Singer (plants that may be unpalatable to deer)
"Effective Deer Fences" University of Vermont
"Animal Fencing" University of Georgia
"Deer/Elk Fences" Oregon Fish & Wildlife
"How to Build a Plastic Mesh Deer Exclusion Fence" Purdue University
Options for Deer Fencing University of Kentucky
Deer Fencing Choices at Amazon
Deer Repllents at Amazon

Poinsettia Links
"How to Select and Care for a Healthy Poinsettia Plant" UC Cooperative Extension
Eisley's Nursery, Auburn CA

Christmas Tree Care Links
"Real Christmas Trees: Which One is Right For You?" Michigan State University
Extra Large Capacity (2.5 gallon) Christmas Tree Stand from Amazon

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.

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below.
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.

Itching to get a bit more dirt under your fingernails during the cold, wet months ahead? Do it indoors, growing microgreens. Some call it vegetable confetti. Microgreens are a perfect topping for salads, soups, stews, tacos and a lot more. What’s in microgreens? They’re leaves…small, colorful vegetable, herb and flower leaves, that pack a wallop of good nutrition.  Plus, they grow quickly and easily!  Master Gardener and vegetable expert Gail Pothour has all the tips you need to get your microgreens garden off to a good start in a sunny window;  or, on an out-of-the-way desktop aided by some small grow lights.
Growing Microgreens. It’s Episode 63 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes!

Links
Smartpots!
Johnny's Seeds Microgreens
Johnny's Seeds Microgreens Comparison Chart
Kitazawa Seeds
Saisai hairless radish leaf seeds
Renee's Garden Mix of  beets, chard for microgreens
Seed Propagation Kits
University of Maryland - Microgreen Nutrition
"Microgreens are Houseplants You Can Eat" from University of California
"Growing Microgreens" from Penn State University
"Growing Microgreens Indoors" from the University of Minnesota
"What are Microgreens?" from North Carolina Cooperative Extension
"Growing Microgreens in the Winter" from North Carolina Cooperative Extension
"Microgreens" (includes list of fast growing and slower growing varieties, from the University of Florida)
The book, "Microgreens - How to Grow Nature's Own Superfood" by Fionna Hill

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.

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below.
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.

Those of you in milder climates may still have a few tomatoes clinging to your shivering vines. More than likely, they are probably green tomatoes. You might be wondering, will they ripen? Our favorite college horticulture professor (retired) Debbie Flower says, “It depends how green they are.” She has tips for determining which ones are most likely to ripen, and how to ripen them indoors. Just in case they won’t, we have a recipe for healthy oven baked green fried tomatoes…without the frying.  Also, how to multiply your strawberry patch, for free! And we bring back succulent expert Debra Lee Baldwin to talk about one more edible succulent…dragon fruit.
It’s Episode 62 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes!

Links:
Smart Pots
Farmer Fred Rant: Will Those Green Tomatoes Turn Red?
Debra Lee Baldwin: 10 Edible Succulents and How to Prepare Them
Book: "Propagating Plants" by Alan Toogood and the American Horticulture Society
BrownThumbMama.com

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.

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below.
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're staring at the picture accompanying this episode, you might be wondering: "Where is the edible succulent in this spinach-cherry tomato-feta cheese salad?" It's those little green nuggets on top, the leaves of Portulacaria afra, also known as Elephant's Food plant. It's a succulent that you can grow in the drier, milder areas of USDA Zone 9, or in a greenhouse anywhere. And, yes, elephants do eat it. Succulent expert and author of "Succulents Simplified", Debra Lee Baldwin, talks about edible succulents. And, of course, I bring up tequila. Also, college horticulture professor (retired) Debbie Flower has some important tips about where to position snail bait in a raised bed garden. It’s Episode 61 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast: Edible Succulents, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.…let’s go!

Links:
Smart Pots
Great succulent info at DebraLeeBaldwin.com
Ten Edible Succulents and How to Prepare Them
How to make an Elephant's Food Salad video
The books of Debra Lee Baldwin
Succulents: Care and Maintenance
Snail Control (Sluggo/Iron Phosphate) Product Label

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.

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below.
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 the idea of growing cool season vegetables makes you yawn, we’re going to wake you up today with interesting, unusual, colorful and tasty varieties of fall and winter vegetables that you may not know about, that are worth a try in your garden. Unusual radishes (such as the "White Icicle" radish, pictured) and beets, colorful lettuce and cabbage varieties, different, easy to grow broccoli-like plants, and tasty cool season flowers that should be part of your edible garden. We talk about those with local nursery manager Quentyn Young, who is famous for stocking his nursery shelves with unusual edibles. Plus, we will attempt to stave off a pest that may want to munch on those goodies, snails and slugs. Our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, has some tips.

It’s Episode 60 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!

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.

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below.

Links:
Smart Pots!
Fair Oaks Blvd Nursery
Broccolini
Chinese Broccoli
Sprouting Broccoli
Guylon Chinese Broccoli
Beets for Greens
Chioggia Beets
White Beets
Watermelon Radish
Icicle Radish
Black Spanish Radish
Salanova Lettuce
Dandelion Greens
Fava Beans
Bell Beans
Farmer Fred Rant: Controlling Snails and Slugs
Snail Control Tips from the University of California

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.

So, you want to grow an avocado tree? Can’t say it’ll work where you live. But what the heck, you gotta try, right? We’ve got tips for you to give it a good start, no matter where you are. It’s Fabulous Fruit Friday, and today we tackle the persnickety but popular avocado, with fruit expert Ed Laivo from Tomorrow's Harvest. And horticulture professor Debbie Flower fights off the spider mites on your plants. Control strategies include a blast of water, insecticidal soap, or neem oil.

It’s Episode 59 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots and Tomorrow’s Harvest. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.…let’s go!

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.

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below.

Links:
Tomorrow's Harvest Avocado Tree Special!
Smart Pots!
Farmer Fred Rant: Growing an Avocado Tree? Good Luck!
Spider Mite Control Tips

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.

Maybe you’ve got a large lot. Maybe you’ve got a few acres. Maybe you’ve been hankering to get yourself a tractor. Before you spend your children’s inheritance on a piece of machinery, you need to ask yourself some questions. We talk backyard tractor basics on today’s show. Also we discuss less toxic weed killers. And, how the change of seasons - and the change of the clock this weekend - may not be particularly healthy for you (Seasonal Affective Disorder)…unless you’re a gardener. And how your garden can brighten the gloomy days ahead for the people you care about, as well. It’s Episode 58 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.

Links:
Smart Pots
Kubota Tractor
Natria Herbicide
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects
How To Smile with a Mask On
Social Distancing vs Physical Distancing (last article)

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

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

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, and today, Ed Laivo of Tomorrow's Harvest tells us about an early bearing fruit with a long hang time on the tree, the White Diamond Nectarine. Plus, Ed has tips for improving the chances for your new fruit trees to succeed…by checking the soil drainage before you plant.
Can you grow a fruit tree from a seed? Professor Debbie Flower says…it depends.
It’s Episode 57 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots and Tomorrows Harvest. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.…let’s go!

Links:
Smart Pots
Tomorrow's Harvest White Diamond Nectarine
How Can I Improve My (Expletive deleted) Clay Soil?

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

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

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’ve been bit by the gardening bug, it won’t be long before you’ll be craving a hobby greenhouse. With a greenhouse, you can get a jump on spring planting, keep tender plants from freezing in the winter, and, perhaps most fun of all, starting all sorts of delicious fruit and vegetable varieties from seed, varieties you possibly wouldn’t find at a nursery. And there’s no reason why you can’t be growing tomatoes, peppers, greens, strawberries and lots more anytime of the year…if you have a properly outfitted greenhouse, even if you live in snow country. Today on Garden Basics, we get tips for cold climate greenhouses, special considerations for those of you who want to be munching on fresh, homegrown cherry tomatoes while shoveling snow.

I’ve got a few tips for you, as well, about which tomato varieties do best in the winter greenhouse.

Also, Debbie Flower has a way to keep your homebound kids enthralled with a simple science experiment…growing radishes in CD cases.

It’s Episode 56 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!

Links:
Smart Pots
Sturdi-Built Greenhouses
ATC Hazards by Location for determining local snowloads  on rooftops.
Growing Winter Tomatoes in a Greenhouse: Tips

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

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

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’s Fabulous Fruit Friday, and today we talk with Ed Laivo of Tomorrows Harvest about a delicious, sweet, crunchy white peach, the Ivory Angel. And, Ed explains why your fruit trees need cold winter weather.  Master Food Preserver Laura Doyle tells us what to do with all the apples you might be harvesting this month: make some apple jelly.  Plus, she goes over the basics of using a water bath canner.  And, Professor Debbie Flower explains USDA zone maps.
It’s Episode 55 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots and Tomorrow’s Harvest. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.

Links:
Smart Pots
Tomorrow's Harvest Ivory Angel white peach
Chill Hours Explained
UC Master Food Preserver Program
National Center for Home Food Preservation
Water Bath Canning Basics for Apples, More Apple Recipes
Canning Jars and supplies
Jelly Bag

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

Got a garden question? E-mail: [email protected] or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. 

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.