Grow it, Minnesota Mary Schier

What does it take to grow a delicious apple in cold climates? In this episode, we check in with orchardist Bob Osborne, author of the new book, Hardy Apples: Growing Apples in Cold Climates (Firefly Books, 2022). We talk about what an apple tree needs to grow well, grafting, pests and diseases, pruning and favorite apples for northern gardeners. Bob Osborne is the owner of Corn Hill Nursery in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada.
More about BobBob's top apple pick: FrostBiteMary's favorite appleU of Minnesota apple growing tipsVideo on spring apple pruningFollow Mary on InstagramAn interesting story about bees and applesMary's website

Let's talk lawn! With the popularity of no-mow May, bee lawns and other alternatives to traditional Kentucky bluegrass turf, it seems a good time to bring in a lawn expert. James Wolfin of Twin City Seed is a proponent of lower-input lawns and has great information on how to have a good-looking lawn without a lot of work. 


More about James WolfinTwin City SeedWhat's a Bee Lawn?Lawn Care Tips from the U of MinnesotaNo Mow May campaignThe Benefits of Fine Fescues4 Ways to Remove Turf GrassMary's website Follow Mary on Instagram

No interview today, just some information about the weather — our late spring, what to worry about and what not to worry about, seed germination and soil temperature. It's a shorter episode and I hope it encourages you to remain calm and garden on. 

Some links for more information: 


Seed Germination and Soil Temps (with small chart) Seed Germination and Soil Temp (larger chart) How to Build a Cold FrameHow to Build a Low TunnelThe Compressed Season of Northern Minnesota Frost Dates in the Vegetable GardenSpring of 2012 -- warmer is not necessarily betterGrowing Vegetables Under Cover with Niki Jabbour

Listeners may remember Meg Cowden of SeedtoFork.com from a previous episode on early seed starting.  She's back to talk about succession planting and her new book, Plant Grow Harvest Repeat (Timber Press, 2022).  Meg's book is filled with charts, plant lists, solid advice  and inspiration for any gardener who wants to grow an abundant food and fruit garden, with plenty of flowers as well.

We talk about the importance of starting seeds over a longer stretch (always be sowing is Meg's mantra), learning garden lessons from the forests and prairies around us, managing soil health and insects, and ways to get the most from our food gardens through interplanting and other techniques. I also confess my absolute failure growing Brassicas, and Meg offers her secrets to growing huge harvests of broccoli, cabbage and more.

Check out Grow it, Minnesota on Facebook or Instagram where I will be giving away a copy of Meg's book.

More Links
Modern Garden Guild
Follow Meg on Instagram
Follow Mary on Instagram
My Northern Garden webpage

We're talking all about blueberries today and some of the challenges of growing them in the alkaline soil that many Minnesota gardens have. My guest is Melissa Wilsford of Rustic Hills Garden Co., a landscaping firm based in the Twin Cities, that specializes in creating edible landscapes. One of her favorite groundcover plants is the blueberry! 

To grow blueberries well, you need an acid soil with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Melissa talks about how to amend your soil to lower the pH, how to grow blueberries in containers, and even what to grow if you want berries but don't want the extra work of blueberries. It's a great episode! 
University of Minnesota information on growing blueberries, with cultivar recommendations.More about growing currantsMary's currant jam recipe -- for grown up palates.Melissa's plant sale -- order blueberries now for pickup in May. Follow Melissa on InstagramMary's websiteFollow Mary on Instagram

This episode features podcaster, blogger and author Teresa J. Speight of Cottage in the Court. Her new books (she has two coming out this spring!) are Black Flora: Profiles of Inspiring Black Flower Farmers + Florists   (Bloom Imprint, 2022) and The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City  (Cool Springs Press, 2022) with co-author Kathy Jentz of Washington Gardener magazine.

Teresa is an inspiring gardener and communicator. We talk about her work as a community gardener, the inspiring African-American flower farmers and florists she met while writing her book, hydrangeas and other heritage plants, plus an abundance of tips and ideas for creating beauty in small spaces. 

Links and More


Follow Teresa on FacebookTeresa on MediumThe Flower Guy BronMary's websiteFollow Mary on Instagram