In this podcast I would like to focus on the planting beds. I'll answer gardeners' questions on how to get a great lawn, perennials for shade, planting primrose and telling the difference between male and female bittersweet vine. In my pest tip I'll discuss septoria leaf spot on tomatoes. Finally I'll discuss using a down spout shut-off/diverter with your rain barrel.

In this podcast I cover annual and perennial selection, planting and care. Then I answer gardeners’ questions from across the country on garden resources, weed control methods for garlic mustard and dandelions, and tips on mulching tomatoes and peppers. I finish off with a favorite product, floating row cover, used to jump-start the season and keep insects at bay.

I'll tackle gardeners' questions regarding planting pussy willows, late blight and other tomato problems, managing weeds and improving the soil organically, and dealing with deer damage to sugar maple. I'll talk great resources for information on late blight -  Penn State, Food Safety & Late Blight; Cornell University, Late Blight Overview; Iowa State University, Tomato Diseases and Disorders; University of Wisconsin, Managing Late Blight in Organic Gardens

Thank you for sending in your gardening questions.  I'll focus this podcast on getting some of them answered. Should I plant basil in the sun or shade? When to cut my mums? Can I plant a snowberry bush in the same place that I cut down a tree? Suggestions for weed control? Grass seed for shade areas? Italian parsley has mutated. Geranium has foliage but no flower buds. I'll finish with a mention of a great reference book, Garden Insects of North America by Whitney Cranshaw; Princeton University Press. ISBN: 0=691-09560-4

In this podcast I offer options for caring for your plants while on vacation. Then I answer gardeners’ questions regarding white spots on everbearing raspberries and problems with tomatoes. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on identifying and managing verticillium wilt. I finish off with a favorite plant, swap milkweed (Asclepias incarnata.)

In this podcast I'll talk about composting yard waste, a natural, friendly and valuable soil amendment for your garden. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on non-blooming hydrangeas and environmentally friendly weed killers. Then I'll discuss a "good guy" in the garden - the ground beetle, which preys on other pests. I'll finish with a simple plan for building your own compost bin.

Spring marks transition in the landscape, I'll discuss a few conifers for your landscape. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on buying red worms, tomatoes and ant hills and groundcovers shaded by trees. I'll talk Milorganite and soil preparation. Wooly adelgid is the subject of my pest tip. Then I finish with a recommendation of The American Conifer Society and Rich's Foxwillow Pine Nursery, both are great resources for information on conifers.

This podcast covers container gardening. Then I answer gardeners’ questions from across the country on crabapple suckering, pruning a yew hedge, and tomato blossom drop. I finish off with a discussion on water holding crystals, a product used to help hold moisture in the soil for less frequent watering.

I focus on controlling weeds in the landscape, solutions for salt damage and moss growth. I answer gardeners' questions regarding red leaf coral bells that droop but are watered frequently and an iris that doesn’t have leaves on the plant. I discuss the annoyance of aphids and offer solutions to the problem. I conclude by suggesting a great product called “BurnOut II” that quickly destroy those bothersome weeds.

In this podcast I'll give you ideas for making your garden and landscape more eco-friendly. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on what type of fertilizer to use on Japanese tree lilac? My pest tip will focus on borers. I'll end with a mention of White Flower Farm's "The Great Tomato Celebration Recipe Contest".

In this podcast I'll share great lawn tips, solutions to common problems and discuss how to be more eco-friendly. I answer a gardener's question about rust on dwarf Alberta spruce. I'll talk about Martha Washington geranium (Pelargonium x domesticum) a great plant to know and grow. Then I outline the differences between crabgrass and quackgrass. I'll finish with some recommended lawn care guides: The Lawn Guide - Midwest Series by Melinda Myers,  The Lawn Guide - Southern Series by Steve Dobbs and The Florida Lawn Guide by Tom McCubbin.

Here are some tips to help you burn calories and build your health and well being. I'll follow that by answering gardening questions on transplanting grasses, perennials, shrubs and trees. Also caring for gardenia bushes and getting rid of the weeds in an environmentally safe way. My pest tip focuses on multi colored Asian lady beetles. New Product/Plant:  Garden Your Way to Health & Fitness by Bunny Guiness & Jacqueline Knox. Timber Press ISBN 13:978 0 88192 881 5

Proper harvesting will help insure the best flavor, quality and maximum productivity.  I'll share tips on harvesting squash, peppers, and potatoes as well as many other popular crops.  Also, what to do with green tomatoes. I answer gardeners' questions on tomato troubles and clematis with yellow leaves.  I'll discuss how these pepper plants (pictured) received help from Purple Cow in the garden. I'll finish with a mention of a great harvesting tool, the garden hod.

Autumn. I'm going to discuss some tasks for fall maintenance, of course it will depend on where your location is, however the task will be the same but the timing will vary. I'll then answer gardening questions on analyzing lilac, finding a blackberry that will survive Minnesota winters and a greenish-grey moss growing on the trunk of a tree. Finally I'll share a favorite garden, The Portland Classical Chinese Garden.

Let's keep working our way through the fall yard care list. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on the Ixora plant, crabgrass and splitting tomatoes. New Product/Plant: Mac & Cheese and Tomato Soup echinacea.

Fall is an excellent time to care for your lawn. In this podcast I give some helpful guidelines to keep your lawn healthy. I answer gardening questions on purchasing a green roof bird-feeder, allium bulbs and tomatoes that are rotting on the bottom. I'll discuss my updated Lawn Guides - Midwest Series. *Note: to order plans for the Green Roof Birdfeeder: Send a self addressed business size envelope to Melinda Myers - Birdfeeder Plans, P.O. Box 370331, Milwaukee, WI 53237-0331

Spring break is a good time for family fun in the garden! Gardening questions will be posted in next week's podcast. Pest Tip: Bugs! Only 3% are harmful. New Product/Plant: Lois Ehlert from Children's Literature Independent Info and Reviews.

I'll quell some popular garden myths including: evergreen needles making soil too acidic, removing tomato leaves, maple and oak leaves are bad for compost. I'll answer gardener's questions regarding yellow hibiscus leaves, Johnny Jump-ups and surprise lilies.  The focus of my pest tip is squash vine borer.  I finish with information on Bayer Advanced for Japanese beetle control on fruit trees, citrus and some vegetables.

I'll give you some helpful information on dealing with with allergies from grass, tree and weed pollen, plus dermatitis caused by poison ivy and other plants and insects. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions regarding rabbits and deer have nibbling on roses. Also, what plants will thrive best in the South Carolina climate? Pest Tip: mosquito control and using Mosquito Dunks with the active ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis var. israliensis.

This podcast is dedicated to children and how to inspire and engage them in the garden. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on columbine with sawfly and rust on junipers. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on getting rid of dame’s rocket. I finish by recommending great gardens to visit with children: W.J. Beal Botanical Garden at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan; The Morton Arboretum just outside Chicago, Illinois and Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gardening can be fun with children, create a theme, accessorize and enjoy the harvest. I'll answer gardeners' questions on Japanese knotweed, and what type of fertilizer to use on raspberries & rhubarb. Pest tips: soldier beetles. New Product/Plant: Book: Nature Printing with Herbs, Fruits and Flowers by Laura Donnelly Bethmann. ISBN-0-88266-929-X.

Let's jump start the season.  I'll talk about planting and hardening off transplants. Gardener's questions: What type of small shrubs can I plant in Zone 5? Pest Tip: Corn and seed maggots. New Product/Plant: Wall-o-Water.

I discuss proper harvesting of your garden vegetables in this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on field bindweed and resources on harvesting seeds. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on identifying and managing gypsy moths in your yard and community. I finish off with a favorite product, Pike’s Original Maine Garden Hod, a functional and sturdy harvesting basket.

Over the past year I have tried to incorporate ideas for family fun.  In this podcast I'll remind you of a few of these and other ideas for homemade holiday gifts.  Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on moving Black Hills spruce and rust on Pricilla hollyhocks.  I then offer tips on Christmas tree care.  I'll finish by discussing self watering systems for you Christmas tree.

Let's continue our discussion on maximizing the harvest, ways to get more produce from small spaces. I'll answer gardeners' questions on soil testing and lawn fertilizers. I'll discuss rose slug in this week's pest tip. Then I'll talk about how to create your own Topsy Turvy tomato planter.

Are your plants feeling the heat? Stay cool, try these helpful hints and keep your plants looking beautiful. I'll answer gardeners' questions on tomatoes, seeds and river birch with yellow leaves. Chlorosis is the subject of my pest tip. I'll finish by recommending a brushed stainless steel compost keeper for your kitchen scraps.

Moss, make a problem into a beautiful garden or accent. I answer gardeners' questions on watering roses, lily care and identifying a tree. I'll discuss invasive species. I'll close with information on Moss Acres - a great resource for everything moss.

In this podcast I'll talk about my visit to the 2010 Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show in Chicago. I found many exciting plant introductions on display and I'd like to share them with you. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on getting amaryllis to rebloom and splitting arborvitaes caused by snow load. I'll wrap it up by discussing wildlife damage and the different control measures to prevent their feeding.

In this podcast I discuss planting a shade garden. Then I answer a gardener's question on ferns. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on garlic mustard. I finish by recommending a favorite plant, Japanese painted fern - Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum'.

In this podcast I cover planting and growing tomatoes. Then I answer gardeners’ questions from across the country on blossom end rot on tomatoes and shredded paper mulch. Then Kristin Gies joins me for tips on identifying and managing aphids in your garden.

The season of planting and harvesting asparagus is the focus of this podcast. Then I answer a gardeners’ question on black spots on tomatoes. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on treating and preventing salt damage on our landscapes. I finish by recommending a great plant, Brazilian Verbena, Verbena bonariensis.

In honor of National Poison Prevention Week, I focus on reducing chemicals in your home and landscape in this podcast. Then I answer gardeners’ questions on pruning tomato plants and plants for challenging landscape spaces. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on black knot. I finish by recommending the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and their website www.aspca.org, for great information on keeping your pets safe from poisonous plants and harmful household products.

In this podcast I discuss early spring container gardening. Then I answer a gardeners’ question on garlic mustard. Next Kristin Gies joins me for tips on phomopsis tip blight. I finish by recommending a new product, the Pot Lifter, for more information visit Gardeners Supply Company.

In this podcast I'll give you some pointers on some simple things you can do to spruce up your landscape. I'll answer gardeners' questions on weed control in the garden, overwintering alstroemeria and controlling bindweed in the flower garden. I'll finish off with info on a great plant, Alstroemeria psittacina.

Growing and tending indoor plants is good for the spirit but also good for your health. I'll answer gardeners' questions on Japanese silver grass, overwintering hibiscus, repotting cactus and growing lilies. I'll discuss what we can do for our tomato plants that have spots on them? I'll finish by talking about a recent visit to Garvan Woodland Gardens at the University of Arkansas Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Listen closely and I'll share with you some interesting history on our most popular garden vegetable, the tomato. Justice Gray stated; "Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits of a vine". I answer gardeners' questions on creating a flower bed and wilted annuals and perennials. I finish with a mention of Seed Savers Exchange.

This week’s discussion is on common tomato problems; black bottom, fruit isn’t forming, cracking from the rain, distorted fruit and other diseases and insects. I answer gardeners' questions on black walnut toxicity and pine with red spider mites. Then I'll discuss the Topsy Turvy planter that grows tomatoes upside down.

In this podcast I'll give descriptions of clinging vines, twining vines and winding vines. I'll answer gardeners' questions on ridding weeds in the vegetable garden and crabgrass growing thru dianthus. Then I'll talk about dieback on hardy shrub roses. I'll finish with a recommendation of a great plant, Campanula 'Pink Octopus'.

Many households are going to begin growing vegetables for the first time this year. I'll give you some basics to get started. Then I'll answer gardeners' questions on installing an arbor for trumpet vine and growing onions in the north. This week's pest tip will focus on clubroot of cabbage and other crucifiers. I'll finish with a recommendation of a great vegetable to grow, Eggplant F1 'Hansel' , an All-America Selections winner.

In this podcast I'll walk you through shrub pruning. Whether you have a lilac, dogwood or spirea, I'll discuss the different types of pruning and offer pointers on when the time is right to prune. I go on to answer a gardener's question on repellents. I'll finish with a new product to sooth skin exposed to poison ivy, Zanfel.

A safe haven for cannas, tuberous begonias, and dahlias is indoors protecting them from winter weather. I'll discuss winter storage. I answer gardening questions about where to buy corn gluten and asters that have some browning. Then I'll discuss gardening tips on how to control thrips. I recommend the beautiful blooms of Pink Quill (Tillandsia cyanea) to brighten the winter months.