Good Growing

Talking all things horticulture, ecology, and design.
Good growing text over soil and gardening tools background

Latest Episode

It’s a Halloween Spooktacular! While they are usually overlooked, parasites are all around us. Check out this week’s Good Growing Podcast as we explore the complex, surprisingly common, and sometimes creepy world of parasites and parasitoids with Dr. Kacie Athey.

Gardenbite: Windbreaks - the history, function, and benefits of diminished wind speeds

Windbreaks, also known as shelter belts, play a crucial role in protecting the land from powerful Midwestern winds. Traditionally used on rural lands, windbreaks are living barriers that intercept wind, thereby reducing velocity and impact. During this week’s Gardenbite, Horticulture Educator...
Transcript

Ep. 190 Halloween spooktacular: Creepy crawlies | #GoodGrowing

It’s time for another Good Growing Halloween Spooktacular! We’re all dressed up again this year to talk about some creepy crawlies that have had or are still having an impact on humans or have a lot of lore behind them, including black widow and brown recluse spiders, stinging caterpillars,...
Transcript

Ep. 189 Getting garden tools ready for winter | #GoodGrowing

Now that the garden season is starting to wind down, it’s a good time to start thinking about getting our tools ready for winter. This week on the Good Growing Podcast, we discuss some things we do to get our garden tools ready for winter, including cleaning, sharpening, winterizing,...
Transcript

Ep. 188 Fall Cleanup in the Yard and Garden | #GoodGrowing

This week on the Good Growing podcast Ken and Chris discuss why we clean up our gardens in the fall. Cutting down perennials, raking leaves, and pulling out spent vegetable plants is a common job for the gardener in the fall. As the autumn days get shorter our time is precious outdoors. What...
Transcript

Good Growing Grow Along final check-in for 2024 | #GoodGrowing

It’s time for our last Grow Along check-in for 2024. Each year we at Good Growing decide to try growing some new (to us) vegetables. This year we invited you to grow along with us. This video is for those who signed up to receive seed for our Grow Along. In this video, we are trying the fruits...
Transcript

Ep. 187 Fall garden to-do list | #GoodGrowing

October has arrived, and while it may not feel like it at times, so has fall. This week on the Good Growing Podcast, we discuss some of the different things on our fall gardening to-do list, including caring for mums, moving houseplants indoors, planting garlic and woody plants, soil testing,...
Transcript

Gardenbite: Fall Flavors - Apple vs Pumpkin | #goodgrowing

This week on the Good Growing Podcast, Chris compares the essential fall flavors of apple and pumpkin. If you had to choose, what side would you fall on? Team Apple? Or Team Pumpkin?

Contact us! 
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu 
...
Transcript

Gardenbite: Toothache plant: What is it and how to grow it | #GoodGrowing

This week on the Good Growing Podcast, we’re trying something new: toothache plant. Learn more about this interesting plant, what happens when you eat it, and how you can grow it yourself! 
 
Watch us on YouTube: https://...
Transcript

Gardenbite: The Science Behind Fall Color | #GoodGrowing

Have you ever wondered what causes the reds, yellows, oranges, and maroons of autumn? There are lots of different plant pigments beyond the green color of chloroplast. In this episode horticulture educator Chris Enroth peers inside the processes of a leaf in the fall and how we get those...
Transcript

Ep. 186 Managing weeds in the fall | #GoodGrowing

Have the weeds been popping up all over the place in your landscape? You’re in luck, fall is a great time to manage weeds. On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we discuss why fall is a good time to manage weeds, types of weeds, and different ways we can manage them. We also discuss some...
Transcript