WHYY's You Bet Your Garden

I'm always telling you to make compost in the fall, but what should you cook your compost in? Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will look at the many faces of compost bins. Plus your fabulous phone calls!

As cold weather approaches homeowners need to be careful not to accidentally invite vermin to nest nearby. Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will reveal how to keep the dreaded rat far, far away. Plus: Mike speaks with Bill Quarles of the BIRC about a troubling new trend in genetically modified plants and answers to all your growing questions.

Can you grow garlic in containers over the winter? Mike McGrath changes his position on this topic of great importance to ground-free growers. Plus: Dr. Lee Reich on the easiest -- and most difficult -- fruits; and your fabulous phone calls.

Cool season grasses often need a little help at the end of summer -- especially this summer. Mike McGrath reveals the secrets of successfully over-seeding an existing, but patchy lawn. Plus answers to all your growing questions.

What's going on when a red crepe myrtle turns white? Mike McGrath investigates the curious case of color change in crepe. Plus your fabulous phone calls!

Are your mulberries making a mess when they drop their fruits? Mike McGrath, host of You Bet your Garden, will reveal how you can turn trash into treasure by harvesting what some say is one of the best tasting berries of all! Plus your fabulous phone calls!

Can corn gluten meal prevent weeds in the Fall? Mike Mcgrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will reveal how to use the great organic weed and feed to suppress some of your least favorite lawn invaders. Plus how to prevent ticks in your landscape with Bob Oley from the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance and answers to all your growing questions.

An unseen danger of urban growing is the risk of lead contamination in your dirt. Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will discuss what to do when Superman can't see through your soil. Plus your fabulous phone calls!

It's almost time to get your garlic in the ground! Mike Mcgrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will reveal how to grow great garlic and how to best use this years harvest. Plus your fabulous phone calls.

What can you do when your home-grown tomatoes are failures in flavor? Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will look at the potential causes of tasteless tomatoes and reveal some last minute tricks you can try to induce a flavor boost. Plus your fabulous phone calls.

Although you can use it to scrub pots and pans, few gardeners sing the praises of the weed known as horsetail. Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will take a close look at this unusual plant. Plus your fabulous phone calls.

Beautiful bearded iris are outstanding garden plants, but they are plagued by the pest known as the iris borer. Mike McGrath tells you how to outwit this hungry, hungry caterpillar. Plus the latest news on honeybees with Dr. Bill Quarles of the Bio-Integral Resource Center; and answers to all your growing questions.

You don't need a lot of room to grow your own herbs. Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will discuss herbs for culinary and medicinal use and the herbs that keep insects at bay! Plus your fabulous phone calls!

Squash vine borers and flea beetles can take quite a bite out of your produce production. Mike McGrath will reveal the clever tricks two listeners devised to stop these pests. Plus a tomato blight update from Dr. Meg McGrath and your fabulous phone calls!

Many gardeners love the idea of growing their own lavender. Mike McGrath will reveal what this sensuously scented perennial needs to survive and perhaps even thrive! Plus your fabulous phone calls!