Guests: Purple Asparagus founder Melissa Graham talks about the Purple Asparagus Benefit on Sunday, August 29 at Uncommon Ground Restaurant in Edgewater; Rich and Susie Eyre and Rich's mom, Margaret, the Hosta Queen, preview next week's Hosta Happening at Rich's Foxwillow Pines in Woodstock; PLUS we catch New Orleans musicians Shamarr Allen & Paul Sanchez at the airport for a five minute conversation about their new album Bridging the Gap (and then we play as much music from it as we can during the show).

Guests: Victoria Anderson, who manages the Edibles Department at Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago, talks about the fall starter vegetables they have on sale now; Alex Lyakhovetsky, a Northbrook resident, tells the story of his mother, who planted a vegetable garden in the front yard and who was told by the village that it must be taken down; Kathleen Thompson looks at CSAs and how to deal with all of the vegetables that end up in your kitchen.

First show at new start time of 9:00 a.m. Guests: Sandy Syburg of Purple Cow Organics talks about organic soil amendments and a possible peat moss alternative; Bob Erlich, amateur Monarch butterfly raiser, brings a live chrysalis to the studio, and explains the mission of Monarch Watch and some of the difficulties in collecting and releasing these insects.

Guests: MELA Executive Director Carol Becker talks about teaming up with O'Keefe Elementary School to renovate the memorial garden honoring a slain student--she is joined by science teacher Emily Kenny and neighborhood resident Thresa Conley; new chief horticulturist Jennifer Davit for Millennium Park's Lurie Garden, and Sue Markgraf from GreenMark PR talk about managing the garden; Natural Resource Defense Council's Josh Mogerman discusses last weeks oil spill in Romeoville and the wisdom of continuing U.S. dependence on tar sands oil.

Guests: Lisa Albrecht of Solar Service, Inc. and Illinois Solar Energy Association (ISEA) board member promotes next Saturday's Illinois Solar Energy Tour; Mike Repkin, Dave Hampton and Molly Meyer talk about their work with Urban Habitat Chicago and the evolution of roof top gardens; chicken aficionado Michelle Thoma previews next Sunday's Hen-apalooza Chicagoland Chicken Coop Tour.

Guests: Rianna and John Caravette from Earth Wind And Solar Energy, LLC recap Saturday's Illinois Solar Energy Tour; Jennifer Brennan from The Chalet in Wilmette answers gardening questions with Mike; a5's John Harris previews next week's GreenTown Chicago conference at Columbia College.

Guests: Photographer Ernest J. Schweit of Wisconsin Barns, Jamie Henn of 350.org, local organizer Dave Lloyd of 350 DuPage--Sights and Sounds for Climate Action, John Didier and Gene McMullen of 2009 Great Pumpkin Weigh off at Didier Farms

Discussion about Chicago Marathon and how tree trimmers can fight gangs in Chicago. Guests: Ryan Richardson of Richardson Farm in Spring Grove, Illinois, home of the world's larges corn maze; Stacey Pfingsten of No Foam Chicago.

Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune writer and author of her own blogsite Growing in Chicago, co-hosts. Guests: Friends of the Forest Preserves Executive Director Benjamin Cox on Hinsdale land grab, conversation about the problems of harvesting plants and insects from the wild.

Guests: Monarch butterfly correspondent and member of Monarch Watch Bob Erlich, Morton Arboretum Community Trees Advocate Edith Makra, Safer Pest Control Project's Steve Pincuspy