Mike and Heather talk about relief for victims of Haiti earthquake; Guests: Maureen Phillips talks about the 7th Annual Gardening Show presented by the Porter County Master Gardeners Association. Speakers for the show include Connor Shaw from Possibility Place Sursery and writer Jean Starr from Chicagoland Gardening Magazine.

Guests: The Resource Center's Ken Dunn is receiving the 5th Annual Elizabeth I. Benson Award this Wednesday, January 27, at the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ. Ken and Pam Richart of the Eco-Justice Collaborative talk about the event (which I am emceeing). Also on the show, CMAP Executive Director Randy Blankenhorn on the Go To 2040 initiative; Dave Snyder from Chicago Rarities Orchard Project (CROP).

Beth Botts co-hosts. She and Mike talk about the latest funding crisis for Illinois Extension, the state of the economy in horticulture, why you should stop whining about snow (it's good for your plants), and they answer a few gardening questions along the way.

Guests: Natural Resources Defense Council's Josh Mogerman talks about latest developments in the Asian Carp crisis; Mr. Brown Thumb invades the studio with his legion of Twitter followers; Chicago Tribune writer Monica Eng and Flora Confections Chief Operating Officer Lee Greenhouse discuss the heartbreaking action of the Chicago Health Department, which destroyed thousands of dollars of fruit purees in a licensing dispute. (This link contains the video that is posted on my home page.)

Guests: Follow up on Chicago's war on local food: Chicago Tribune's Monica Eng, Alexis Leverenz of Kitchen Chicago and Martha Boyd from Angelic Organics Learning Center; Garth Conrad, president of the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association (MELA); speakers for the 18th Annual Natural Landscaping Seminar for the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee of McHenry County--Lorraine Johnson, Ed Collins and Nancy Williamson.

Beth Botts fills in for the vacationing Mike Nowak. Guests: Diane Blazek of All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau; Jim Kleinwachter, head of the Conservation@home program for the Conservation Foundation; garden designer Andrea Green of Gardens by Design in Oak Park.

Guests: Foresight Design Initiative Executive Director Peter Nicholson; Dan Kenney, chair of a group called Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump; Joe Lill, Vice President of the Chicago Audubon Society talks about Birding America ViII. But who knew that he had prodigious musical talent? Check out the final ten minutes of the podcast to hear Joe wail on the trumpet...over the phone, no less.

Guests: Authors, bloggers, Tweeters, podcasters and kibitzers Jean Ann Van Krevelen (@JeanAnnVK) and Amanda Thomsen (@KissMyAster) talk about their new book, Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing and Preserving Fresh Food. We even sneak in some conversation about the Chicago Flower & Garden Show. Local Foodies Jim Slama and Vicki Nowicki preview FamilyFarmed Expo. The continuing saga, "To Dump or Not To Dump" in DeKalb County continues. Dan Kenney of Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump is back to report on the week-long public hearing about whether to expand the county's landfill.

Guests: Anna Pavord, author of the gorgeous book, Bulb; blogger and Twitterer LaManda Joy, a.k.a. @TheYarden, who talks about "The Lost Victory Garden Seed List of 1943"; Paul Tukey, founder of SafeLawns.org discusses the Chicago premiere of his documentary, "A Chemical Reaction" with Mike and Steve Neumann from Clean Air Lawn Care Chicago.

Special Broadcast: "Growing In Austin" from the Third Unitarian Church in the Austin Neighborhood of Chicago. A discussion of Urban Agriculture issues with a wide-ranging panel of experts: urban organizers and urban farmers.