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Good Growing

Talking all things horticulture, ecology, and design.
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Latest Episode

This week, we have a Gardenbite excerpt from our webinar, in which we discussed wildlife damage in the home landscape. In this clip, Chris details two common rodents in Illinois that tend to pop up in the winter months around the outside and inside of our homes: the vole and the mouse.

Ep. 46 - Talking turkey and backyard livestock with James Theuri

For this week's Thanksgiving episode the Good Growing team sits down with Illinois Extension local foods educator James Theuri to talk turkey! James gives us the background of turkey production and how you can raise a Thanksgiving turkey in your very own backyard. James also discusses turkey breeds...

Ep. 45 Holiday wreaths, tree, spices, and more with Andrew Holsinger

On this week's Good Growing podcast Andrew Holsinger joins the group to talk about their upcoming webinar series. From Christmas trees, wreaths, holiday plants, spices, even feeding the birds this winter, we cover a lot of ground in this episode. Register for the webinars at the link below. •...

Ep. 44 - Pollinators with Kelly Allsup

In this week's episode of the Good Growing podcast Ken, Katie, and Chris chat with Illinois Extension horticulture educator Kelly Allsup about pollinators. Their conversation starts with monarch butterflies and community science projects geared toward studying monarchs and all pollinators. Plus...

Ep. 43 Talking Houseplants with Candice Hart

On this week's Good Growing podcast the crew speaks with State Master Gardener Specialist Candice Hart about houseplants. A special feature for this episode is a live audience during the recording. Ken, Katie, and Chris pop into the Knox County Illinois Master Gardener meeting to get live questions...

Ep. 42 Talking Spooky Plants with the Hosts

On this week's Good Growing podcast it is a hostful episode where we talk about spooky plants. We dive into plants with a sinister history like deadly nightshade. And plants that just look evil such as devil's walking stick. Plus, just some all-around cool plants like witch hazel and bloodroot....

Ep. 41 Spiders with Dr. Kacie Athey

On this week's episode of the Good Growing podcast, we talk with entomologist Dr. Kacie Athey all about spiders! What are these creepy dudes doing in our house? Are they really dangerous? Dr. Athey dispels the myths and answers your spider questions. We talk about: Why do we see more spiders in the...

Ep. 40 Pumpkins with Nathan Johanning

In this week’s episode of the Good Growing podcast, we chat with commercial agriculture educator Nathan Johanning about pumpkins! Nathan describes the ins and outs of growing this wonderfully diverse crop plus how to pick the perfect pumpkin for your fall décor. Plus, we discuss: • What to do to...

Ep. 39 Soils with Duane Friend

On this week's Good Growing podcast we are joined by energy and environment educator Duane Friend with Illinois Extension. Duane chats with Ken, Katie, and Chris all about soils and also helps us answer a question about ponds. In this episode we discuss: Parts of Illinois are listed in a drought....

Ep. 38 Spring Bulbs with Martha Smith

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, horticulture educator Martha Smith joins to talk about spring-blooming bulbs. With so many to pick from where does a beginner start? Martha gives some good bulbs for beginners and her favorites she has growing in her landscape. Plus, tips on how to plant them...

Ep. 37 Garden Tool Maintenance with Richard Hentschel

In this week's episode of the Good Growing podcast horticulture educator Richard Hentschel returns to talk about rehabbing our garden tools after a long season of use and abuse. The group talks about their favorite garden tools, the one thing to avoid to keep tools working great, sharpening shovels...