Good Growing

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

Crocuses may be small, but their world is anything but simple! Check out this week’s Good Growing Podcast, as we dive into the big, colorful world of Crocus.

Ep. 89 Fall Garden Cleanup Tips #GoodGrowing

After an unseasonably long wait for our first frost, we finally got hit the first week of November. Frost in the Midwest sets about a chain of natural events in the landscape as the world prepares for winter. What are some things to consider when putting the yard and garden to bed in the fall? The...

Ep. 88 Halloween Spooktacular #GoodGrowing

This week's Good Growing podcast is a Halloween Spooktacular episode. We're all dressed up for Halloween as we discuss soil testing, jumping worms, creepy crawlies moving indoors, how to dispose of pumpkins at the end of Halloween, and more! Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/joDWxklnbz4 00:...

Ep. 87 Growing Paw Paws with Doug Gucker #goodgrowing

In this week’s episode of the Good Growing podcast, we chat with Extension Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Doug Gucker about Paw Paw trees. Doug explains to us how to get started with growing paw paws; he even shares the many ways this fruit can be enjoyed! Watch us on YouTube 3:20 Welcome...

Ep. 86 Growing Garlic with Nick Frillman #goodgrowing

In this week’s episode of the Good Growing podcast, we chat with Extension Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Nick Frillman about garlic. We dive into growing this tasty spice starting right now, in the fall and then we go through the garlic growing season to harvest. We even talk about our...

Ep. 85 Favorite flowering plants with Elizabeth Wahle #GoodGrowing

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk with Commercial Agriculture Educator Elizabeth Wahle about some of her favorite plants. In addition to some of her favorite plants, we discuss her process of selecting plants, how she handles wildlife in her garden, and more! Watch us on YouTube: https...

Gardenbites: Emerald ash borer and a final use for ash trees

In this week's Good Growing podcast Chris remarks on the observation of dying ash trees and one final landscape use for a dead ash tree. Check out the Good Growing Blog extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing --- Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion...

Ep. 84 Illinois weather and climate with Trent Ford #GoodGrowing

In this week's episode of the Good Growing podcast, we talk with Illinois state climatologist Trent Ford. We ask Trent about our weather observations from 2021 starting with the weeks of rain this spring, a humid smokey summer, to the abnormally dry autumns we've seen for the past several years...

Ep. 83 Fall garden updates with Grant McCarty #goodgrowing

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk with Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Grant McCarty about how things are going in northern Illinois and some of the different crops he's been trying in his garden, like day-neutral strawberries, grapes, and fall-planted blackberries. We also discuss...

Building the Red Oak Rain Garden with Eliana Brown and Layne Knoche #goodgrowing

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk with Eliana Brown, Water Resources Outreach Specialist, and Layne Knoche, Extension Outreach Associate, about the Red Oak Rain Garden. We go into detail on their process for redesigning the rain garden while remaining sensitive to the site two massive...

Talking designing pollinator gardens, dividing iris, lilac problems, and more! #GoodGrowing

On this week's Good Growing Podcast Illinois Extension horticulture educators Ken Johnson and Chris Enroth talk about designing the pollinator display gardens for the upcoming Farm Progress show (August 31 - Sept 2). Including the struggle with finding late-season blooming plants in the nursery and...