Showing results by author "Mike McGrath" in All Categories

Just in time for Valentine's Day (and with plenty of time for Mother's Day) professional flower grower Alina Alvarez joins us to discuss a new line of Fair Trade certified cut flowers. She is the CEO of InBloom Inc. The sale of these flowers directly benefits the Ecuadorians and Columbians who grow them. Plus, during the Question of the Week: Figs aren't just tasty; they contain more calcium than milk, more potassium than a banana, and more fiber than any other fruit!

Do white clouds appear whenever you rustle up the leaves of your poor plants? Mike McGrath will help you wipe out those whiteflies with sticky traps, suction, and a variety of non-toxic sprays. He'll also explain where they hide when they're not making pestiferous pillows in the air, and why the problem almost always begins in a greenhouse.

Water is a big issue for community gardens. They often don't have access to this valuable resource. Organic Gardening Editor Scott Meyer joins us to discuss the magazine's program that helps to keep community gardens well hydrated. And, do you struggle with sandy soil that just won't hold any water or nutrients? Or are you cursed with clay that holds water slightly better than a bathtub, and is drowning your poor plants?

Are the leaves on your poor plants stained and splotched? Blemished, and blotched? Mike McGrath will reveal how to protect your plants from leaf spots, without any sprays, chemical or organic!

If you've grown squash plants in your garden you've probably suffered the savage attentions of the dreaded vine borer, which can wipe out an entire crop and is hard to detect at first. Mike McGrath will reveal six all-natural ways to prevent this pest, including one that dates back to the 1890s!

Are mushrooms popping up in your lawn? Mike McGrath will reveal the single biggest cause of fungal growth and explain the surprisingly easy cures. He will also discuss the fascinating history of fabled fairy rings - and he suggests that you just might want to welcome these merry mycelia into your life!

Soil solarization is the tactic of last resort when your garden dirt is plagued by wilts and diseases, or is so infested with weed seeds you can't grow anything successfully. But you have to do it right - and live in a fairly warm region. Mike McGrath will reveal the hot details in the Question of the Week!

Have you tamed every weed in your lawn except those exasperating wild violets? They may be tough to get rid of, but they are really pretty! Mike McGrath will explain what makes them so close to invulnerable, and he'll reveal the surprising violet advice of a distinguished university turf-grass professor. He will also discuss the health benefits of these purple beauties.

This week, we put the spotlight on tiny plants that often go unnoticed. Mosses and liverworts might lack the eye-catching flowers of many other plants, but they have a beauty of their own. They also play a big role in ecosystems, pioneering the way for more advanced plants to take root in places where they would otherwise not be able to grow. Susan Munch joins us to discuss the habits and role of these small beauties. She has written Outstanding Mosses & Liverworts of Pennsylvania & Nearby States.

We usually think of orchids as gorgeous and fickle indoor plants. But there's a whole world of hardy, perennial outdoor orchids! They grow anywhere from Alabama to Alaska.

Are you troubled by large numbers of flies that seem to show up inside your home every winter? You have Cluster Flies, which are also known as attic flies.

Are you hoping to grow heirloom vegetables like Kentucky Wonder Beans, or Green Zebra Tomatoes and unusual varieties of flowers like beautiful sweet peas next season?

Are multi-legged crawly things creeping into your bedrooms, and all over your house? Mike McGrath will explain how to tell if you have pestiferous millipedes or highly beneficial centipedes and what to do about them. Plus, learn how tomatoes protect themselves against pests with signals that travel an inch a minute through the plant.

Chiggers and no-see-ums are some of the most pestiferous parasites of summer, but because they're virtually invisible, we often don't know what's giving us the itch! Mike McGrath will explain how you can identify and avoid these very different nasty nuisances.

Do you ever wonder which insect is providing the soundtrack in your backyard? Is it crickets, katydids, or cicadas? Our guest is Wil Hershberger, one of the authors of a new book called The Songs of Insects. We'll discuss the habits of singing insects and play some swinging six-legged tunes! In the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will explain the best ways to handle suckers and water sprouts.

Spring means it will soon be mosquito season again. Mike McGrath will help you break the cycle of biting when he reveals the roles that water, fish, and frogs play in the fight against these pests. He will also discuss an all-natural product that prevents the bloodsuckers from breeding. There's a brand new chemical-free repellant made from wild tomatoes that's very effective and works against ticks too!

It's our annual You Bet Your Garden Christmas Spectacular! This year, we are listening to some of our favorite interviews and musical selections from previous years.

Would you like to have a pest-free garden without using any sprays? Beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings are the answer. Beneficials are insects that eat only pests and don't bother good bugs or your plants. Mike McGrath will reveal which beneficial insects you can buy to release in your garden, and how you can attract many more with our list of plants that lure the good bugs in!

Garden author Ellen Zachos reveals how to make a big splash with minimal effort with easy-to-achieve, novice-friendly, small-scale garden projects. Her new book is called Down and Dirty: 43 Fun and Funky First-Time Projects and Activities to Get you Gardening. During the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will tackle the problem of fungus gnats that live in houseplant soil. He'll name five reliable ways to get rid of them, without chemicals, of course!

Looking for a holiday gift for the gardener in your life? Mike McGrath will reconstruct the classic Twelve Days of Christmas to present you with a dozen unique, useful and ecologically sound options. There's something for everyone, from the hard-core, already chemical-free grower to the newbies you're hoping to coax away from the bottles and bags with big warnings on them.