The Grow Guide

This week is dedicated to the birds! Yes, chickens dominate as Maggie shares ten essential tips she has put into to practice raising chickens in her zone 3 backyard, full of extremes. But before getting to the coop, Dave takes his favourite thing segment in an unexpected direction and Maggie gets into the holiday spirit with her nature-inspired seasonal traditions. Meanwhile a listener reaches out with a pest query that requires some careful attention, in the question of the week.

Shout-outs from this week's episode:

Alberta Chickens ETC Facebook Group

Fresh Eggs Daily blog

Dave & Maggie's Favourite Things:

Maggie's Favourite Thing: Red Dogwood

Dave's Favourite Thing: Well, this week it's his 'unfavourite!"

Connect with the Grow Guide:

Join the Grow Guide FB group

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Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

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This week Dave and Maggie have a surprise guest in-studio, get giddy over gardening catalog season and inhale deep on the aromas of Dave's favourite plant! A listener asks about fungus gnats and the Grow Guide Facebook community helps answer the question of the week. Then Dave and Maggie dive deep into permaculture with author, educator and life-long grower Zach Loeks who shares a variety of accessible strategies for increasing satisfaction and harmony from your gardening efforts.

Maggie's Favourite Thing: Gardening catalog season!

Dave's Favourite Thing: Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Connect with Zach Loeks

Join the Grow Guide FB group

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Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

A new year is right around the corner and Maggie and Dave have tons of exciting announcements to end off 2019, including the opportunity for listeners to join the November Seed Club as well as get their hands on some new Grow Guide merch. Dave shares his "garden geek" news about rosemary officially being classified as a a sage. Maggie shares about the enjoyment she's getting from sprouting seeds indoors for both herself and the chickens. Then Steven Biggs joins the show to talk all about figs — from bringing them indoors, overwintering outside, fertilizing and selecting the right variety for your grow zone.

Maggie's Favourite Thing: Mumm's Sprouting Seeds

Dave's Favourite Thing: The Apartment Farmer

Steven's Blog on Figs

Join the Grow Guide FB group

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Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

Unusually warm temperatures in southern-Manitoba have inspired Maggie and Dave to switch things up in this week's episode. They start by shouting out a whole crew of awesome listeners. Then it's the first ever Grow Guide book club review followed by a throwback to three older episodes. Hear snippets from Season 1 content on hardy trees & shrubs, grow lights and succulents.

Maggie's Favourite Thing: Observer's Notes: Trees

Dave's Favourite Thing: Starfruit

Book Review: Three Year Gardener's Gratitude Journal

Join the Grow Guide FB group

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Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

Dave is back in action this week and the co-hosts have reunited again to talk houseplants! With the colder weather outside, it's common to see your houseplants react by either dropping leaves, browning or stopping growth. This episode provides solutions to these common issues and more. Plus, for Dave's favourite thing this week, he shares about a concept for growing peach trees in cold climates. Maggie shares about her Cuban oregano plant that is resilient even with lower light temps in these cooler months.

Maggie's Favourite Thing: Cuban Oregano

Dave's Favourite Thing: Siberian Peach Tree Method

Join the Grow Guide FB group

The Grow Guide on Instagram

Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

This week things are a little different on The Grow Guide. Filling in for Dave while he's out of studio is the wonderful Will Bergmann a.k.a. WTF (Will the Farmer) a.k.a. 'The Modern Farmer.' Will brings his own spin to the podcast, sharing about his unique farm where his family grows both conventional crops and an organic CSA market garden. Will gets REAL talking about the common misconceptions the general public has when it comes to conventional farming, why GMO isn't necessarily a bad thing and how you can get to know the people who are growing your food.

Maggie's Favourite Thing: Bogs Boots

Will's Favourite Thing: Opinel Knives

Join the Grow Guide FB group

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Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

Connect with Will @will_bergmann

The winter is creeping up on us cold climate growers, and it's just about time to put the garden to rest. But before you pack up for the season, give some love to your soil! In this episode, Maggie and Dave share their top five ways to improve your soil's health. You can implement these practices starting right now up until the ground freezes. These tips range from your classic "must-dos" to a few more unusual practices you may have never heard of. Plus, a listener's question about overwintering mint indoors sparks a great discussion about caring for herbs over the winter.

Maggie's Fav Thing This Week: The Biggest Little Farm

Dave's Fav Thing This Week: Lemon Eucalyptus

Join the Grow Guide FB group

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Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

This week is Part 2 of the composting discussion with a focus on indoor composting year round! Kristen Malec from Green Action Centre continues sharing her tips for success, including how to start a vermicompost bin and how to properly compost livestock. She also busts some common composting myths, like how long it really takes for compostable takeout containers to break down.

Join the Grow Guide FB group

The Grow Guide on Instagram

Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

Learn more about composting at the Green Action Centre

Maggie is back after her week away, and her and Dave are stoked to chat composting with Kristen Malec from the Green Action Centre. Kristen shared so much amazing info that this episode has become a two-parter: this week focuses on composting basics and outdoor systems while next week the conversation picks up with a focus on composting indoors, as well as some rapid fire and an interesting listener question. Don't miss the Green Action Centre / Grow Guide giveaway... listen up for all the details!

Join the Grow Guide FB group

The Grow Guide on Instagram

Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs

Learn more about composting at the Green Action Centre

Dave is flying solo this week as Maggie gets caught up on some things outside the pod... but that doesn't stop Maggie from passing along her exciting "favourite" thing of the week, and its all about chickens! Dave shares a classic herb-guy fav, and also reminds everyone about the Grow Guide "garlic plant-a-thon" planned for Saturday, October 12th. Then Dave gets into the pesky problem of pests indoors, and shares a solid check list of easy, organic solutions to keep houseplants healthy and bug-free.

Join the Grow Guide FB group

The Grow Guide on Instagram

Support the Grow Guide on Patreon

Connect with Maggie @FromSoilToSoul

Connect with Dave @sagegardenherbs