Beyond the Garden Basics

Beyond The Garden Basics is a reader-supported publication. To receive exclusive posts and complete access to past editions , consider becoming a paid subscriber.Today’s podcast interview focuses on consulting arborists and how they help property owners evaluate tree health. Gordon Mann explains that a consulting arborist provides independent inspections, identifies problems such as leaning,...

Today’s newsletter podcast is a special treat for readers and listeners of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter/podcast who might also be weather nerds…and what gardener isn’t? It’s an interview with climate scientist Daniel Swain, who, besides being a University of California Ag and Natural Resources employee at the California Institute for Water Resources, is well known on social media....

You may recall a couple of weeks ago on June 12, the Beyond the Garden Basics podcast featured myself and America’s Favorite retired horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, talking about protecting your outdoor plants in containers from the searing summer heat. That conversation was recorded during a live presentation at the 2023 Harvest Day festivities, put on by the Sacramento County, California...

Today’s newsletter is all about starthistle, and all the ways you can control this summer weed…organically. If you want to read about chemical controls for starthistle, check out this University of California Ag and Natural Resources publication, “Yellow Starthistle”.In today’s podcast (above), America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor and I talk about the chemical side of weed...

We tackle how to help your garden cope with the late spring and all-summer heat waves coming our way in today’s podcast and newsletter. In the first part of the podcast (above), America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, and I, concentrate on helping your plants in containers stay cooler in the summer.The second part of today’s podcast features a September 2022 chat...

Today’s podcast features Sacramento County Master Gardener and vegetable expert Gail Pothour, extolling the virtues of growing okra in the summer. Gail’s encyclopedic knowledge of this warm weather crop will amaze you. Perhaps it’s her South Carolina heritage that adds to her love of okra. Sometimes disdained for its mucilanginous flavor (aka “slimy”), okra is a plant of many uses, including its...

Garden book author and citrus expert Lance Walheim, is a big proponent of growing citrus trees in containers. We discuss his techniques in today’s podcast, along with shameless plugs for his new book, “Citrus: A Gardeners’ & Fruit Lovers’ Guide.”For those of you in a hurry, here are some of the important points we touch on in the podcast:Choose compact citrus varieties for containers — Meyer...

The Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter and podcast has been around awhile, with over 450 editions since August of 2022. That’s a lot of gardening info!Checking out nearly four years of newsletters and podcasts to learn more about gardening can be a daunting task. So, to help ease the process a bit, here are the seven most clicked-on (and time spent with) editions. This is a public episode. If...

In case you need a refresher course, here are some points about the benefits of using compost in your garden, according to the UC Master Gardeners of Alameda County:• Improves Soil Structure (Tilth): Lightens heavy clay soils and adds structure to sandy soils.• Saves Water: Increases the water-holding capacity, reducing runoff and water usage.• Feeds Plants & Soil Life: Adds slow-release...

Is there a better-looking, longer lasting, cut flower than the alstroemeria? Is there a more invasive, underground spreading plant than the alstroemeria?Sometimes, to get to heaven, you have to go through a little hell.Also known as the Peruvian Lily, Lily of the Incas, Parrot Lily, Princess Lily, and “How the Heck Did You Get Over to the Other Side of the Garden?”, alstroemerias can easily last...