Good Growing

We take a road trip to Jacksonville, Illinois! On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat in-person with Energy and Environmental Educator Duane Friend about algae blooms on ponds, other pond weeds, and more pond problems.

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/Gt4E6uke72E

2:40 What's the difference between a pond and a lake?

3:48 How to identify an algal bloom and how do you know if it is dangerous?

8:34 Can you eat fish from a pond that has an algae bloom?

9:33 What about eating fish from a pond treated with chemicals?

10:35 What is the purpose of aerators on ponds?

11:59 Can you run aerators during the winter?

13:30 What about controlling cattails? Are some plants good for ponds? Is there a difference in managing submerged, floated, and emerged plants?

15:40 Cattle have damaged a dam, which had to be rebuilt. What seed could be planted on pond dams?

17:28 Why does duckweed keep showing up and how can we control it?

19:44 When should someone treat a pond to avoid fish kills?

20:37 Is there a way to prevent pond weeds besides using chemicals?

Quick Pond Videos

Shoreline Vegetation Mangement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDsHrT4ew7U

Dealing with Canada Geese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyaA3YHntYE

Webinars on Ponds

Farm Pond Management https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4kQMyFlwgU

Planning a Multipurpose Pond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBYXk0N1bqk

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

Have you had a lot of rain recently? On this week's podcast, we discuss some of the issues we can encounter in our gardens when the weather gets wet and steps we can take to manage them. We also discuss some of the beneficial insects we can find in our gardens.

Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/30sF7kqj7fU

03:20 - Wet weather and plant diseases

04:35 - Humidity and plant diseases

06:00 - Ways to prevent plant diseases

07:30 - Hail damage to plants

09:30 - Why are there so many crop dusters out now

11:20 - Should we remove badly diseased vegetable plants?

12:15 - Can we use produce from a flooded garden?

14:40 - What can we do about standing water in the landscape?

16:30 - Discussing beneficial insects

Links for hail damage yield loss

http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/Management/L039.aspx

https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec128.pdf

Check out Ken's post on beneficial insects - Not all bugs are bad: Good bugs in the Garden - https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2021-07-09-not-all-bugs-are-bad-good-bugs-garden

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Want to listen to the podcast? You can find us on most podcast platforms.

SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-555304573

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/good-growing?refid=stpr

Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/Education-Podcasts/Good-Growing-p1187964/

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR

On this week's Good Growing podcast we dive into one of America's favorite garden vegetables, the tomato! Katie, Ken, and Chris enjoy growing tomatoes and describe how they grow tomatoes in their backyards. We tackle common tomato problems, some of our favorites, and how to save the harvest. All this and more!

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/MmkBN8tqLOs

3:30 How does Katie grow tomatoes?

4:00 Deer eating tomatoes?

5:40 What tomatoes does Ken grow?

7:33 What tomatoes does Chris grow?

8:20 Do we start tomatoes from seed or buy transplants? And why?

9:42 Is it too late to plant tomatoes?

10:40 The unofficial WIU tomato trial using bi-colored tomatoes. Finding a purple and gold tomato.

12:28 How do we trellis and train our tomatoes?

17:40 Tomato care - fertilizer?

18:18 Tomato care - mulch?

21:24 Killing the existing grass - does cardboard work?

23:04 What problems is Ken encountering with his tomatoes? Caterpillars and foliar disease

29:35 Why are tomato leaves curling up?

31:00 What is blossom end rot? Is it a calcium problem or a watering problem?

33:00 Can you harvest unripe tomatoes?

34:47 Why are my tomatoes splitting and cracking?

35:50 How do we preserve or save tomatoes for use after summer?

37:20 What are our favorite types of tomatoes to grow?

39:05 Does determinate stop producing tomatoes?

42:17 Chris' rant of bad restaurant tomatoes during tomato season.

Read more about growing tomatoes:

How to Grow Tomatoes https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2020-04-29-how-grow-tomatoes

Hornworms on Tomatoes https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2020-08-07-hornworm-caterpillars-tomatoes

Troubles with Tomatoes https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2020-05-01-troubles-tomatoes

Different Types of Tomatoes https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2020-04-30-different-types-tomatoes

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

Do you have a spot in the garden for some solar panels? What about the roof? For this episode of the Good Growing podcast we chat with Illinois Extension educator Erin Garrett about solar power for the home. If you are considering solar power for your home, we dive into some important considerations and a few extra questions on other renewable energy sources.

5:11 What is renewable energy and what options do those in Illinois have?

6:35 Is solar power the best option for Illinois homes?

9:14 What is a Smart Grid and how do you know if you have a Smart Meter?

15:06 What are some questions you should ask yourself as a homeowner if you are considering getting solar panels? How do you size a solar system?

26:10 Should I cut down large trees that shade my house in order to install solar?

29:20 Can you make money by supplying power to the grid?

34:40 What financial help is available to people considering solar?

39:38 What are some maintenance considerations when dealing with solar panels?

43:00 Why do solar panels need to be switched out every 25 years?

43:52 What options do you have if your home/property is not suitable for solar panels but you still want to support solar energy?

48:32 Do wind turbines kill birds?

50:28 Is there any opportunity for habitat creation in combination with renewable energy?

National Renewable Energy Laboratory website - https://www.nrel.gov/

PVWatts Calculator – https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/

Illinois Shines (information about SRECs and community solar) – https://illinoisshines.com/

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency - https://www.dsireusa.org/

Erin Garrett, Energy & Environment Stewardship Educator [email protected]

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/TrTSPiqgxeo

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

On this episode of the Good Growing Podcast, we chat with Sara Johnson, a field botanist and research assistant with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Sara studies rare plants, and we discuss her recent thesis on a rare mint found in Florida. We talk about field botany and some good natural areas to go and visit in Illinois. Plus Sara shares some of the unique plants she grows in her own garden including some of the wild (and deadly) tomatoes (Solanum sp.).

2:49 What is Sara's favorite kind of fieldwork?

4:25 What brought you to the world of field botany? What is a field botanist?

8:19 Would many of the plant species you study be considered endangered? Or would they be rare occurrences?

10:20 What’s an example of a rare habitat in Illinois? What would be considered the greatest threat to losing these places?

12:46 What's the difference between a sand prairie and a hill prairie in Illinois?

17:14 Mint species in the garden and natural areas

What goes into rare plant conservation? What can be done to help protect and possibly expand some of these rare habitats?

26:00 The similarities between Florida and Illinois and how that can inform plant identification.

29:37 Let’s talk field guides. Which ones do you always have in your backpack?

35:24 How do you introduce someone who has no experience in your field to what you do?

38:30 Do you know any good places in Central Illinois? Are there any rare habitats we should be on the lookout for in our area?

42:40 Sara has started a fantastic online magazine (zine). What was the inspiration to begin producing this publication?

47:07 What are some unique vegetables that you grow?

Check out Sara's website https://saraannjohnson.wordpress.com/

Download and read her free online magazine Midwest Explorer https://saraannjohnson.wordpress.com/midwest-explorer-blog/

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/QCfrko7KvpU

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

On this week’s Good Growing podcast the crew chats with Extension horticulture educator Martha Smith about must-see botanic gardens and her favorite tree, the beech tree! From Longwood to Missouri Botanical Garden and much more, Martha points out some fantastic botanical gardens throughout the United States, and ones right here in the Midwest. We also discuss beech trees an under-rated and under-planted tree which happens to be Martha’s favorite tree. Martha shares her favorite beech tree cultivars and how they perform in her yard. If you’ve never seen a fern-leaf beech tree, check out that section of the video. Martha is soon to be retired and so to wrap this episode we ask about some of her favorite moments with Extension and tips for us Extension educators who still have awhile to go before we hit retirement.

What’s a botanical garden? Is there a difference between that and an arboretum?

Does Martha have a favorite botanical garden?

Where is a botanical garden in Western Central Illinois?

What is Martha’s favorite tree? Why do we hardly see this tree in our part of Illinois?

Martha goes into the different types of beech trees in her yard.

What is beech leaf disease? Is this a concern in Illinois?

Would it be okay to cut down a healthy tree you don’t like to plant one you want? What tree would Martha recommend?

Both Katie and Martha love ginkgo trees. Martha shares some of the unique ginkgo trees she has in her yard.

With Martha about to retire, we ask her about some memories working with Extension

What was your favorite part of the job?

Best/ funniest memory?

Greatest resource(s) as an Extension educator?

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/BwLRXnVB7J0

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

On this week's Good Growing podcast the crew sits down with University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Sarah Vogel to talk about trees and some common problems we encounter in the home landscape. Sarah is a certified arborist and is based in Decatur, Illinois. On this show we get into:

What are the main problems Sarah sees with home landscape trees

There is conflicting advice on tree planting. What's the best way to plant a tree?

What is root washing? Is it worth the extra effort?

When it comes to Emerald Ash Borer is it going to lead to the extinction of ash trees?

There is a young tree losing bark. What's happening?

There are lots of people that mound mulch up against the tree. But Extension says otherwise. What's the correct way to mulch a tree?

Will squirrels nesting in a tree hurt the tree? Should the cavity be filled with something?

If someone doesn't take care of their tree properly, how long will it live?

Anything Grows Virtual Help Desk https://extension.illinois.edu/events/2021-05-14-anything-grows-webinar-series-vegetable-gardening

Master Gardeners of DeWitt, Macon, and Piatt Counties https://extension.illinois.edu/dmp/master-gardeners

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/eC5X4TnshgI

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

On this week's Good Growing podcast the crew chats about the upcoming Brood X emergence and why Ken is sad we don't live within their range. But we do talk about the best ways to eat cicadas plus who shouldn't eat cicadas. What should people expect who live within the Brood X range and how to protect young trees from cicada damage. All this and much more!

Check out the Cicada Mania webpage https://www.cicadamania.com/

The Ohio State University's article on cicadas https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1759

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/6Y0utDdt3mY

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

On this week's Good Growing podcast Katie, Ken, and Chris answer your timely questions about gardening in May.

Dealing with late spring frosts and tomatoes.

What to do about rhubarb that gets hit by frost?

There are some landscape plants with black and brown foliage. Is this from the frost a few weeks ago?

What should you do about cedar apple rust?

If I spray 2,4-D on my lawn will it kill my hostas?

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/EZMyurxkCFY

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.

On this week's Good Growing podcast we talk with wildlife biologist Dr. John Vanek all about snakes! Dr. Vanek has a specialty in herpetology and loves to study snakes. In this episode we discuss:

Why are so many humans afraid of snakes? Is it learned behavior or something deeper in our brains?

What snake will people commonly encounter outside in Illinois?

Is it safe to handle any wild snake we find outside?

How common are venomous snakes? What types do we have in Illinois?

How can we tell the difference between a non-venomous and venomous snake?

Snake ID from a listener submitted photo - Can you identify the snake hanging out in this tree?

This person had a cluster of snakes in her tree by a pond. What are they? And why are they clustered up? And will they eat the baby geese?

Are snake populations declining?

How do we discourage snakes in our yard. What do we need to do? Do the repellants work? Mothballs?

What if we want to encourage snakes in our yard. Is there some way we can do that?

Are there any snakes that would help control larger animals like rabbits?

A snake is hanging off of their ceiling fan! First off, how did it get on the fan? And how do we keep snakes out of the house?

What happens when you know there’s a snake in the house, but you can’t find it? How do you flush out a snake?

Check out John's webpage johnpvanek.weebly.com

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/Y9iso_KVUXc

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Any products mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion of these products.