Episode 132: Listen here!

Dave kicks off today’s episode talking garden PESTS. He talks about the challenge of managing pests as a garden centre owner as well as the mystery behind native ladybug sales. Is it actually ethical to purchase ladybugs collected by the millions from the wild? And what are some other organic ways to manage pests. There’s lots to dig into right off the top today!

For more great info on pest management, check out our past episode from 2021 Managing Your Garden Pests Organically with Author, Susan Mulvihill.

Maggie’s Fav Thing: Rouge Vif d’Etampes Heirloom Pumpkins

Dave’s Fav Thing: Lemon Savory

Listener Question of the Week: “The leaves on my tomato plants are turning yellow. I’m guessing it has to do with watering? I have had a little difficulty maintaining an appropriate soil moisture level. I think I may have overwatered and then in order to compensate may have under watered. I’m trying to find the best system to keep the soil moist without letting it dry out in between or become soggy. My soil seemed to be in good shape for quite some time until suddenly one day it wasn’t. I went in there to check on my plants and it seems like there’s sort of a white mold(?) all over the top of the soil. I do have a fan going to for circulating air. I don’t know if this again goes back to soil moisture or if there’s another issue going on,” — Katie Rutkowski

Join our community Facebook Group to submit a question and connect with fellow listeners

This week’s guest:

Author & Blogger, Meg Cowden from Seed to Fork

About Meg Cowden:

Meg is a Minnesota-based gardener that has mastered extending her short, cold growing season with the art of succession planting. She’s the creator of the popular gardening blog, Seed To Fork and has just launched her first book, Plant Grow Harvest Repeat. You can also listen to Meg on Episode 97 of The Grow Guide.

This episode covers:

A walkthrough of Meg’s Minnesota garden layout and moving solely to raised bed gardening
Meg’s background as a gardener and her goals to feed her family year round
How Meg defines “succession planting”
Observing succession planting through natural landscapes and learning lessons from nature
The different categories of succession planting — quick, mid-season, late season and generalist
How Meg plans out the timing of each succession crop
The long-term planting approach Meg takes when panting her garden from March to July
Using perennial fruit for succession planting
Meg’s fav crops to succession plant
Two unusual crops Meg loves to interplant together
A shoulder season gardening hack
An interplanting “dont”
An abundant perennial food crop Meg thinks every gardener should grow

This episode is sponsored by:

Pineridge Hollow is offering all Grow Guide listeners 20% off your first purchase when you sign up for their emails today! Subscribe to the email list for your 20% off discount code.