Good Growing

In this week's episode of the Good Growing podcast horticulture educator Richard Hentschel returns to talk about rehabbing our garden tools after a long season of use and abuse. The group talks about their favorite garden tools, the one thing to avoid to keep tools working great, sharpening shovels and pruners, refreshing wooden handles, and winterizing the mower for winter. Plus we answer listener questions!

What trees should I plant next to a wetland?

Is it too late to plant cover crops?

Are there tarantulas in Illinois?

Can we divide rhubarb in the fall?

After several visits from the lawn care company, we still have crabgrass. What can we do to get rid of it?

Resources

The Midwest Cover Crop Council http://mccc.msu.edu/

Contact the hosts

Ken Johnson [email protected]

Katie Parker [email protected]

Chris Enroth [email protected]

On this week’s Good Growing podcast our very own producer, Wendy Ferguson, shares her expertise in nature journaling. Wendy is also the horticulture program coordinator for Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren counties for the University of Illinois Extension. During the show, we learn that nature journaling is deeply engrained in both art and science because it’s all about observation and discovery. We discuss:

Is nature journaling new? And famous scientists and explorers that used this technique

Is it just like keeping a diary? How does it tie into science?

What are some tips to get started? What about getting kids started?

How does this relate to the new science standards being taught in school?

Plus, your home gardening questions:

Starting a pollinator garden this fall

Can we limb up trees during the fall?

Battling yellow jackets that are eating fall raspberries

And what are the hosts doing right now to prepare their landscapes and gardens for fall

References

https://iiseagrant.org/publications/full_sun_pollinator_garden/

Contact the hosts

Ken Johnson [email protected]

Katie Parker [email protected]

Chris Enroth [email protected]

In this week's episode of the Good Growing Podcast, we chat with horticulture educator Brittnay Haag about gardening and outdoor activities with kids. Brittnay gives tips for extending today's e-learning from the screen to the outdoors and working with plants. Topics discussed are:

What are age-appropriate outdoor chores for kids?

What about indoor gardening activities as the weather get crummy?

An elementary school has access to a small prairie plot. What activities can teachers employ and are there safety precautions when doing so?

Will my kid ever like bugs? Making kids feel more comfortable with insects.

What are some good indoor plants to put in a child's room to teach about caring for something?

What is a realistic expectation for a child's attention span?

Check out Brittnay's School Garden Resource Guide https://extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/school_garden_resource_reduced.pdf

Contact the hosts

Ken Johnson [email protected]

Katie Parker [email protected]

Chris Enroth [email protected]

In this week's episode of the Good Growing podcast, the group chats with Illinois Extension horticulture educator Bruce Black. Bruce shares best practices for storing garden produce for consuming over the winter. Plus the team calls on nutrition and wellness educator Kristin Bogdonas to help answer questions about canning and pickling.

Topics covered in today's episode:

What do we need to store vegetables?

What is Bruce's favorite vegetable to keep over winter?

How long can we expect produce to stay good?

Pickling and fermenting foods

What to do with tomatoes with the shortage of canning supplies?

Curing and storing sweet potatoes

How to store garlic and onion

Storing butternut squash

Preparing the garden for next year

Links:

For more information on safe home food preservation methods and tested recipes, visit go.illinois.edu/nutritionwell. Here you will find recorded webinars and handouts on canning, freezing, drying, and fermenting.

Need to have your pressure canner dial-gauge tested? We recommend these be tested every year for accuracy. Find the closest office to you by visiting, https://extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/pressure_canning_testing_-locations_-_june_2020.pdf

Freezing tomatoes https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/tomato.html

USDA Handbook 66 The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/oc/np/CommercialStorage/CommercialStorage.pdf

Contact the hosts

Ken Johnson [email protected]

Katie Parker [email protected]

Chris Enroth [email protected]

During this episode of the Good Growing Podcast, we talk with Gemini Bhalsod about seed saving. Gemini is a horticulture educator with University of Illinois Extension in Cook County and a wealth of knowledge! Listen in as we discuss:

• The Rose Garden Controversy

• Can you save any kind of seed?

• Processing heirloom tomato seeds

• What’s the best way to store seeds over the winter?

• How do we save seed potato and bareroot onion for planting next spring?

• When is the best time to plant garlic? Can I use what I got from the grocery store? Could pecan trees be grown in a tub for a few years? What is the best way to start seeds?

• Can I save seeds from my pumpkins this year to grow some next year?

• Do I need to let the cucumber sit on the vine to save the seeds? How do I know when to pick it?

Four Seasons Gardening Series https://extension.illinois.edu/global/four-seasons-gardening-webinar-series

Seed Savers Exchange https://www.seedsavers.org/

Ken Johnson [email protected]

Katie Parker [email protected]

Chris Enroth [email protected]

In another episode with our Good Growing hosts, we answering your gardening questions. This week we discuss:

Dealing with cicada killers

Can we plant strawberries and asparagus in August?

Did bush honeysuckle kill my tree?

What are these bee-like flies buzzing all over the place?

When is watermelon ready to pick?

Organic options when dealing with Colorado potato beetle

Check out our webinars and YouTube channel

Register for Getting Started with Compost https://extension.illinois.edu/events/2020-08-26-good-growing-webinar-getting-started-composting

See our webinar recordings at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEYBGqFXZS6Sn37n1mVcY1g?view_as=subscriber

In this episode of the Good Growing podcast Eliana Brown shares her knowledge of sustainable landscaping. Eliana is a water quality specialist with University of Illinois Extension. During the episode the team talks about:

What is sustainable landscaping?

Where would a homeowner start in making their landscape more sustainable?

What about large scale projects?

How big do you make a rain garden?

Is there a sustainable way to control weeds?

What about homeowner's associations wanting to become more sustainable?

Additional resources

Video: Stormwater at Home https://go.illinois.edu/stormwaterhome

Visit the Red Oak Rain Garden Website https://redoakraingarden.org/

Video: Rain Garden Installation http://go.illinois.edu/purdue

Eliana's Publication with Illinois Indiana SeaGrant on nutrient reduction, native plants, rain gardens, and more https://iiseagrant.org/resources/publications-products/results/?_sft_creator=c-eliana-brown

Natural Lawn Care https://iiseagrant.org/work/healthy-waters/programs-initiatives/natural-lawn-care/

THE SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN RAIN GARDEN MANUAL https://iiseagrant.org/publications/the-southern-lake-michigan-rain-garden-manual/

Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/grants-loans/water-financial-assistance/Pages/gigo.aspx

In this episode of the Good Growing podcast, the crew is joined by University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Richard Hentschel. Richard dives into important and timely lawn care questions as summer days shorten and cooler nights begin to prevail. Topics covered include:

What can I do to get lawns like my neighbors that hire companies to take care of theirs? What about lumpy yards?

What should I do to rehab my lawn this fall?

Should I be bagging my lawn clippings?

What can be done to stop nimblewill?

How can you transition to less ‘lawn’ and more native plants.

Can you treat a lawn to get rid of both dandelion and crabgrass weeds?

What grasses are recommended to plant in central Illinois?

What animal keeps digging up the lawn? Is there anything that can be done to stop it?

It is a Good Growing podcast episode full of hostful goodness! Today’s show features our intrepid hosts Katie Parker, Ken Johnson, and Chris Enroth as the answer a slew of home gardening questions. On this episode we dive into:

What’s going on in the hosts’ gardens right now

Settling soil around foundations

Getting started with blueberries

Why aren’t zucchini and cucumbers producing fruit?

Dealing with yellow nutsedge in the lawn

Why aren’t tomatoes turning red?

Dealing with clay washout in a flower bed.

Getting hydrangeas to bloom

Horticulturalists LIVE YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cABO-uabd6E&list=PLIq7XlTOe3alQyeqet_5j1YNseo2fxvf4

Horticulturalists LIVE Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/125749841792/videos/1181792378829278

Illinois Extension Horticulture Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ILextensionHorticulture

Webinar Registration Links

https://extension.illinois.edu/events/2020-08-05-good-growing-webinar-landscaping-fact-or-fiction

On this week's Good Growing podcast the group chats with Extension Forestry and Research Specialist Chris Evans. Chris updates the group about his work on controlled burns in woodland settings, herbicides for invasive species, and how they use drones in forestry work. Plus Chris helps answer questions on:

Are invasive species increasing ticks populations?

Maple syrup production in Southern Illinois

What to do with woods completely overrun with bush honeysuckle

Where do you start when creating a new woodland?

Controlling wild parsnip without getting 'burned'. Plus other dangerous wild carrot species

How can a landowner contact an appraiser for a timber harvest?

Dealing with lingering ash dead from EAB in forests. Are these trees dangerous?

White pines and windbreaks

Check out the Illinois Extension Forestry website https://extension.illinois.edu/forestry

Got a gardening question? Contact the hosts

Chris Enroth [email protected]

Ken Johnson [email protected]

Katie Parker [email protected]