Beyond the Garden Basics

Farmer Fred
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  • Updated twice weekly

Picking up where the Garden Basics podcast left off. gardenbasics.substack.com

  1. 3 days ago

    Heat-Tolerant Roses

    “Of all flowers, methinks rose is best”. Shakespeare said that. He lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, about halfway between London and Birmingham, England. However, the roses he saw 600 years ago never endured 100 degree heat…until recently. Although roses were found originally in Central Asia, they spread quickly throughout the Northern Hemisphere between the 12th and 18th centuries. Those old roses wouldn’t stand a chance in the heatwaves of the 21st century, succumbing to scorched flowers, leaves, and buds…as well as dying off due to a lack of regular watering in drought-effected areas. Of course, hybridization of roses in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries has created varieties that can withstand a number of modern ailments, including air pollution. So, what are the modern roses that can take the heat, when temperatures hit 100 degrees for several days in a row? What are the traits of a heat-tolerant rose? Master Rosarian Debbie Arrington of the Sacramento Rose Society (and the Sacramento Digs Gardening blog) enumerated several in the podcast at the top of this page. Sacramento (City Motto: “At Least It’s a Dry Heat”) is no stranger to prolonged, triple digit heat waves, which can occur anytime from May through September. So, the area is a good testing ground for roses that maintain their color, health and vigor throughout spring, summer - and sometimes fall - heatwaves. One trait many of these have in common: these rose bushes produce light-colored blooms of white, pink or yellow. Most red roses, Arrington explains, absorb more of the heat, and will be among the first to scorch. Sorry about that, Bobby Darin. Among the roses on Debbie Arrington’s list of heat-tolerant roses: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

  2. 6 days ago

    Dealing with Tomato Blossom End Rot

    Blossom end rot is generally considered the most common tomato problem for backyard gardeners in the US. It causes a dark, sunken, leathery spot on the bottom of the fruit, and it’s usually caused by inconsistent watering (not actually a soil calcium deficiency in most cases) that disrupts calcium uptake in the plant. For those of you at home keeping score, close runners-up are early blight and septoria leaf spot, both fungal diseases that cause yellowing and spotted leaves, especially in humid climates. The big difference between blossom end rot and all those runner-up problems? Blossom end rot is an abiotic disorder, not something you can blame on a disease or an insect (“Abiotic disorder” is plant nerd talk for “it’s the gardener’s fault”). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

  3. 21 Aug

    What To Do When a Wildfire Approaches Your Home

    Today’s podcast and newsletter of Beyond the Garden Basics is something a bit different, but very important: what to do around your home, both inside and outside, if a wildfire is in the area, and you have a few hours before an evacuation becomes mandatory. That was the topic in a Youtube video presented by Todd Lando, a battalion chief and wildfire mitigation specialist for the Central Marin Fire District. Marin County is in northern california, just north of San Francisco, a bucolic area with hills, mountains and forests abutting the Pacific Ocean. As you might imagine, especially with its proximity to San Francisco, it is one of the more heavily populated areas that can be described as the urban-wildland interface, where suburbia meets a very fire prone area. More information can be found at the website fire safe marin dot org. Among the practical tips that Lando discusses in the video include what should be done to prepare if a wildfire is getting to be an imminent situation. Of course, if you hear the order to evacuate immediately, you do want to leave immediately. Here’s a summary of his advice. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

  4. 18 Aug

    Zinnias vs Powdery Mildew

    Before we attempt to rid our zinnias of powdery mildew disease, let’s first hear from Debbie Flower, who has plenty of zinnia growing tips for us in today’s podcast. Here’s the quick summary of our chat, which included how to cut outdoor flowers for indoor use. A complete transcript can be found at the bottom of today’s newletter. * Plant zinnias in full sun. They’re heat and drought tolerant, and bloom most prolifically when days are under 12 hours (expect peak blooms in fall). Planting zinnias where they get full sun, with proper spacing (18”-24” apart) is also great cultural controls for thwarting a powdery mildew breakout. * Succession-plant every two weeks through early summer for a continuous supply of cut flowers. This is also a good powdery mildew control strategy. Trash (don’t compost) heavily infected zinnia plants. Plant new seeds where you want them to grow! * Wait until soil is at least 70°F to sow seeds. Germination requires warm soil. * Cover seeds lightly with vermiculite. It marks where seeds are planted and retains moisture during germination. * Don’t plant two seeds per spot if using fresh seed. One is enough; double-sowing is only needed to compensate for old/marginal seed. * Avoid overhead irrigation. It spots flowers and splashes soil onto foliage, promoting disease. Use drip or soaker hoses instead. Another powdery mildew prevention strategy. * Space plants so they never touch neighboring plants. Good airflow prevents powdery mildew and Alternaria leaf blight. * Transplant zinnias early. Don’t let nursery starts become root-bound; roots disturbed at that stage cause double-flowered varieties to revert to singles. And don’t buy zinnia plants with powdery white substances on the leaves! * Pinch young plants (at 4 nodes, remove 1–2) for a bushy, branched plant with more but shorter stems. Skip pinching if you want tall stems for large bouquets. * Cut flowers in the morning. Plants move carbohydrates (food) into flowers overnight, so blooms are fullest and will last longest when cut early. * Cut stems at a node, leaving at least one axil bud on the remaining stem. That bud becomes the next flower stalk. More axil buds left = more future stems; fewer = longer current stem. * Strip leaves that will sit below the waterline and remove side branches from the cut stem before putting in a vase. * Use floral preservative in vase water, or try hot water. Zinnias last 5–7 days as cut flowers. They will last longer if you do refresher cuts from the bottom of the stem every other day, and add fresh water. * Use California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) as filler in zinnia arrangements. Outdoors, California buckwheat attracts pollinators and has attractive clustered flower heads. * Support tall varieties in windy or rainy locations with a small tomato/pepper cage. The small cages sold at big-box stores that are useless for tomatoes are well-sized for large zinnias. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

  5. 14 Aug

    Growing a Cool Season Garden

    In today’s podcast, Master Gardener Gail Pothour and myself discuss some of the most popular cool season vegetables to grow in the cooler months here in USDA Zone 9 and elsewhere: carrots, lettuce, peas, and beets. Now’s the time to start the cool season vegetable garden! Do you want your family to eat healthy year-round? The healthiest, freshest foods are the fruits and vegetables you grow yourself. And in many areas of the West and South, the 365-day vegetable garden is easy to achieve. And now, summer, is the time to be planting the seeds and transplants for the vegetables your family will enjoy throughout the fall, winter and following spring. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

  6. 11 Aug

    Tomato Troubleshooting Tips

    Paid subscribers to the Beyond The Garden Basics get exclusive newsletters and podcasts each Monday! In today’s podcast (above), Don Shor from Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, CA and I discuss common tomato problems and how changing weather is affecting them, especially in hotter summers. We focus first on blossom end rot, which usually appears on the first fruit and is linked to cool temperatures during fruit development and soil that stays too wet. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

  7. 7 Aug

    Plants for Dry Shade

    Beyond The Garden Basics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. In today’s podcast, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, shows us around her yard and garden. But it’s more than talking about the plants. Debbie also shares her planting and irrigation tips for a thriving garden of natives, perennials, trees and shrubs…most of which have been trained to do well on less water! There’s a human-corrected transcript at the bottom of this newsletter of the podcast if you prefer to use your eyes over your ears. Plants For Dry Shade One of the more vexing situations for gardeners: those sun-loving perennials and small shrubs that you put in years ago...when the surrounding trees and shrubs were much smaller...may be rather stressed these days, thanks to all the shade that they now have to tolerate. Add to that the modern requirements for a more water-efficient garden. The new question is: which plants don’t require much water...but can thrive in the shade, especially here in USDA Zone 9 of California? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

  8. 4 Aug

    Alternative Summer Greens

    Every Monday, paid subscribers get exclusive, first looks about various garden topics, such as today’s. Just one of the benefits for paid subscribers. Thank you for your support! When you live in a hot area of USDA Zone 9, where it gets over 100 degrees in the summer, and you want a fresh salad… you can forget about growing lettuce and spinach, at least most of them, because at some point they’re going to bolt. Usually it might be July or August, but eventually most of the cool season greens in USDA Zone 9, by late summer, they just bolt and get bitter. So that brings me to wandering around the yard looking for what else can we use for salad greens here? And that’s a perfect question for vegetable expert and Sacramento County Master Gardener Gail Pothour. Podcast recorded at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center on an Open Garden Saturday. The topic: edible summertime greens and heat tolerant lettuce varieties. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

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About

Picking up where the Garden Basics podcast left off. gardenbasics.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Farmer Fred
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    197
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Fred Hoffman
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Garden Basics

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