Still Growing...A Weekly Gardening Podcast

It's a rare gardener who: 1. loves rabbits, 2. co-exists with a mother groundhog nesting under the potting shed, 3. respects the right to life of black walnut trees, and 4. gingerly saves a dragonfly caught in a spider web. Indeed, Jen McGuinness just might be one of the most kind-hearted gardeners on the planet. With a gentle wit that winds it's way into her posts on her blog, Frau Zinnie, Jen McGuinness is also a professional freelance photographer by trade. Frau Zinnie highlights Jen's personal gardening experiences in Portland, Connecticut. She also has a lovely (and hilarious) Twitter presence you must follow!

Deborah Madison is nothing short of amazing. Her cookbook, Vegetable Literacy, has become a staple for many aspiring chefs around the world. Vegetable Literacy is exciting to both gardeners and cooks alike because it draws a connection between the vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in 12 plant families. It’s more than a cookbook - it’s an invaluable resource to cooks and gardeners; helping cooks learn about garden edibles while helping gardeners learn how edibles work together in the kitchen.

By this time next year, Eric Sannerud's Mighty Axe Hops will be the largest grower and processor of hops in the State of Minnesota. This young farming entrepreneur's business has done nothing but shoot up - just like his hops plants.

Tara Nolan's new book, Raised Bed Revolution, invites gardeners to build it, fill it, plant it... and garden anywhere!

In this week's special double-length episode of Still Growing (SG529), Robert Kourik, the author of 15 gardening books including Understanding Roots: Discover How to Make Your Garden Flourish. Imagine if you could go out into your garden and see what is going on below ground. There is a hidden world of roots many of us don't every really think about - but Robert Kourik has been thoughtfully researching roots for well over a decade.

In this week’s episode (SG527), I interview Pam Hoepner – the creative and driven woman behind Pam’s Pepper Jam. It’s an inspiring story for anyone who has ever dreamed of making a business out of their garden harvest.

The old saying, "The Bee's Knees" used to mean something small and insignificant. But, what Kristy Allen and Erin Rupp are doing with their business, The Beez Kneez, is something extraordinary. Since their initial chance meeting in a "cloud of bees" at a local apiary, Kristy and Erin have created their own special buzz about their honey delivery business by delivering honey on their bikes... dressed as - you guessed it - bees. But their innovative, young company is about more than just pedaling honey. On a mission to promote "healthy bees, healthy lives", the duo work tirelessly in the area of bee education and advocacy as well as urban bee keeping and running their very own honey house. In this episode, you're sure to bee inspired by this honey of a business!

I can't imagine Spring without my trusty Peaceful Valley Grow Organic seed catalog. Beautifully illustrated by Randy Griffis, the Peaceful Valley Grow Organic catalog has been an invaluable resource for organic gardeners since 1976. The multi-talented and wise garden guru Sarah Griffin Boubacar returns to Still Growing to give us a guided tour through one of the country's best organic seed catalogs.

If you've ever wanted a seed expert by your side as you flip through your favorite seed catalog, then this show is for you. Julia Coffey, Seeds Trust, takes us through a personal tour of the Seeds Trust Seed Catalog. Sharing her favorite varieties, insights on the best selling seeds, and highlighting plants that might otherwise go unnoticed. Her appreciation for her plants is inspiring and the offerings are perfect for those looking to maximize a short growing season or overcome the challenging conditions of high altitude or dessert climates.

In this weeks episode of Still Growing (SG522), we meet Julia Coffey. In 2011, Julia Coffey bought the Seeds Trust Seed Company from her mentor and seed saving pioneer Bill McDorman. Passionate, eloquent, and a yoga teacher to boot, Julia's deep love for nature inspires her every single day. If you've never given seeds much thought, you're appreciation, wonder, and regard for seeds is about to change.

In this weeks show - SG521 Steven Devloo Earthworm Technologies - I chat with Steven about his innovative Connecticut-based company. To succeed in business, you need to solve a problem. I think that's what Steven is doing so brilliantly because food waste going into landfills is a huge issue and vermicompost offers a great solution. Steven is incredibly strategic, a thoughtful steward of the environment, and frankly ahead of his time. Steven is hoping to change the world through his viable business model which converts food waste into vermicompost.

Interested in starting a Straw Bale Garden this year? In this week’s episode (SG517), I continue my chat with Joel Karsten about Straw Bale Gardening in warmer climates, direct sowing in Straw Bale Gardens, growing vegetables in Straw Bale Gardens, and the inspiration other gardeners have discovered through Straw Bale Gardening. All this and more on the wrap-up of our Straw Bale Gardening interview with Joel Karsten.

America's Straw Bale Gardening expert and author Joel Karsten has helped thousands of gardeners with his breakthrough method of gardening. In this week's episode (SG516), I chat with Joel Karsten about the specific steps to successful Straw Bale Gardening. It all starts with a process Joel calls conditioning and he shares his formula on the show today.

In this episode of Still Growing…(SG 515), I feature life-long entrepreneur and Straw Bale Gardening pioneer Joel Karsten. Twenty years ago, Joel Karsten had a brilliant idea. When he could find no academic support for his idea of using straw bales as a substrate to grow vegetables, he returned to his childhood home on a farm in Southwestern Minnesota. In a show of support, Joel's Dad welcomed him home with a whole hayrack full of 50 straw bales.

In this episode of Still Growing…(SG 514), I feature Sarah Griffin-Boubacar of Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply. Sarah teaches us about Cover Crops and growing your own Shallots and Garlic in your garden.