The quality of produce you grow is dependent on the quality of your soil. We are big advocates of doing everything possible to make garden soil the best it can be right from the start, and then working year after year to maintain and improve its quality. In this episode we're joined by award winning author Jeff Lowenfels to discuss the soil food we…

In this episode Hilary and Colin answer a listener's questions about wood-framed raised bed construction best practices. Their business, Seattle Urban Farm Company has designed and built hundreds of custom raised bed gardens in the Seattle area, so check out this episode for an inside scoop on all of the pro tips! Pre-order their newest book Grow M…

This week we'll be discussing management techniques for growing in high tunnels, hoophouses and greenhouses! We're thrilled to be joined this week by our good friend and Seattle Urban Farm Co co-founder Brad Halm. Brad is also the co-author of our gardening books, including our most recent "Grow More Food", which is available for preorder now and w…

This week on the podcast we're tackling powdery mildew! Colin and Hilary are joined by Jenny Rebecca Glass, Extension Coordinator and Plant Diagnostician for the WSU-Puyallup Plant and Insect Diagnostic Laboratory. Jenny will help us answer your questions about the lifecycle of this common garden disease as well as management tips and techniques. S…

In this podcast we chat with special guest Niki Jabbour about techniques for using structures of all sizes in your garden year-round to extend your season, reduce pest pressure, and improve yields. Show notes: Episode 110: Growing Under Cover with Niki Jabbour The Grow More Food Pre-Order Giveaway!

Everything you wanted to know about cucumbers but were afraid to ask. We dig into the history of the cucumber, it's botanical curiosities and why you should start succession planting them. The survey…! In order to keep making this podcast, we need your support by taking this quick, 30 second survey for our podcast hosting platform. Once we have eno…

After an extended hiatus, we’re back and ready to bring you some amazing new episodes of the Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast! The survey…! In order to keep making this podcast, we need your support by taking this quick, 30 second survey for our podcast hosting platform. Once we have enough replies to the survey we will creating episodes again! In thi…

Kellie's back as a special co-host for this last episode of the 2019 season and it's all about growing, harvesting and cooking with beets! Find photos, links to Kellie's business, and more in the show notes for this episode: www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/By Hilary Dahl

Learning proper harvest timing and technique can help increase yields and ensure you get the best tasting produce from your garden. In this episode, Hilary and Colin talk harvesting methodology. They break down the techniques into five categories to help you make the most of your bounty. Find photos, links to Colin's books, and more in the show not…

Hilary and Kelly Smith Trimble discuss Kelly's new book, Vegetable Gardening Wisdom; and share simple words of advice and practical inspiration for getting most out of your vegetable garden! Find photos, links to Kelly's book, and more in the show notes for this episode: www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/…

Turns out gardening in straw bales might be the least expensive and most effective way to create a season-long container garden! Hilary and Craig LeHoullier discuss what a straw bale garden is and how to set one up! Find photos, links to Craig's projects, and more in the show notes for this episode: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/…

Tomatoes are probably the most popular garden vegetable, and for good reason; they're versatile, highly productive, and produce fruits that are far superior to any you can buy at the grocery store. In this episode we'll discuss tips for choosing and the best tomato for your space and needs and how to plant tomatoes. Find photos, links to Kellie's b…

Emma Biggs talks with Hilary about the techniques she uses to grow 133 varieties of tomatoes, from seed to harvest, on her family’s urban lot in Toronto, Canada. Find photos, links to Emma's work, and more in the show notes for this episode: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/By Hilary Dahl

Stefani Bittner, owner of Homestead Design Collective, talks with Hilary about how to create a beautiful and productive outdoor living space. Find photos, links to Stefani's work, and more in the show notes for this episode: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/By Hilary Dahl

In this episode, Sara and Hilary talk about container gardening. Much of Sara’s work is focused on utilizing unused balcony, patio and rooftop space in very urban environments, so this episode focuses on the unique set of needs and challenges that comes along with growing in more unconventional garden space. Find photos, links to Sara's work, and m…

Hilary talks with legendary garden writer, Rosalind Creasy about the joys and perils of eating flowers. Find photos, links to Ros's books, and more in the show notes for this episode: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/By Hilary Dahl

Hilary and Colin share everything you need to know to grow your best crop of carrots and parsnips yet! Find photos, links to Colin's books, and more in the show notes for this episode: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/By Hilary Dahl

Guest Kelly Sullivan of Botanique Flowers, a Seattle-based floral design studio, talks with Hilary about how she turned her 6,000 square foot city lot into a productive flower farm. Find photos, links to Kelly's work, and more in the show notes for this episode: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/…

In this first episode of the 2019 season, Hilary and Tara Austen Weaver discuss planning for, planting and growing fruit trees! Find photos, links to Tara's work, and more in this episode's show notes: http://www.seattleurbanfarmco.com/blog/By Hilary Dahl

I've been getting a lot of requests for more crop-specific episodes next season. I love these episodes and would be happy create more if we reach our campaign goal. Remember that everyone who contributes any amount to the 2019 kickstarter campaign will have the opportunity to vote on the topics we cover in 4 of the episodes. But in the meantime, I …

Hey There! We have an amazing season of the Encyclopedia Botanica Podcast in store for you! Just like last season, Hilary will be joined by a different guest expert each week. We're hosting a Kickstarter campaign to fund this upcoming season of the podcast and we need your support to bring this project to life. Check out this episode for a teaser m…

Hilary and Colin cover a wide range of listener questions in this late-summer Q+A episode. This is going to be the last regularly scheduled episode of the 2018 season. We're going to take the fall to write, record and produce our best episodes yet! Stay tuned for updates on how you can support the podcast and when to expect the launch of the 2019 s…

In this episode Shannon Douglas of Honest Magazine and Hilary discuss intuitive cooking tips and techniques for the popular garden brassicas Kale and broccoli. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution helps. Consider supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group! For more info, check out our Patreon page! …

Natalie Carver of DC-based edible landscaping company, Love and Carrots, joins Hilary to share her experience with tomato hornworms. In this episode they discuss how to spot hornworms and their damage in the garden, and the best ways to manage them. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution helps. Consider supporting us at the…

Hilary and Colin chat blueberry care, Brassica pests and the herb chervil in this Q+A episode. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution helps. Consider supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group! For more info, check out our Patreon page! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabotanica Show notes:…

This week on the podcast Hilary and Stephen Mirsky, of Seed Savers Exchange, discuss how to increase your winter squash yields through hand pollination. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Consider making a one-time contribution here or supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group. For more info, check out our Patreo…

Basil is one of those crops that almost everyone wants to grow. It's relatively versatile and it is one of the most productive crops per plant that you can grow in your garden. In this episode Hilary is joined by former Seattle Urban Farm Co. colleague and farmer, Skip Mackintosh to discuss their time-tested techniques for making the most of the sp…

Shannon Douglas of Honest Magazine defines "cooking intuitively" is a style of cooking based on understanding the fundamentals of cooking and paying close attention to your ingredients. In this episode she joins Hilary to discuss some general garden-inspired cooking tips that you can apply to a variety of crops. They'll focus on 2 spring crops, pea…

We're talking cauliflower! This crop is notoriously difficult to grow compared to other plants in the Brassica oleracea family. In this episode we discuss why and steps you can take to maximize your cauliflower growing success! Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Consider making a one-time contribution here or supporting us at the $5/mon…

Backyard beekeeping of honeybees is a great way to increase the number of pollinators in your garden, learn about how pollination works and, of course, the hives provide you with your own source of local honey. One thing that is not commonly discussed is that honeybees are not native to North America. While honeybees are very beneficial, there are …

In this episode, Phoenix area based gardener, Angela Judd and Hilary discuss how to grow citrus. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Consider making a one-time contribution here or supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group. For more info, check out our Patreon page! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/encyclopediabot…

In this episode Mark Macdonald of West Coast Seeds joins Hilary to discuss growing the grain quinoa. While many grains are impractical to grow in a home garden or smaller farm, the dense seed heads on quinoa plants provide high yields in compact spaces and provide a great option to those who might be interested in growing grains at home. Your suppo…

This Q+A Episode is all about seed starting! We answer questions about starting sweet potato slips, grow lights, and when to move your transplants outside. {We're busy lining up late-spring and early summer episodes of the #EBPodcast and we need your support!} Consider making a one-time contribution here or supporting us at the $5/month level for a…

In this episode Hilary and Michela Colley continue their conversation on Seed Saving for the Home Gardener. This week they'll talk more about the practice of seed saving and share tips on how to best to utilize your space, timing your crops for seed saving, and the types of plants you might want to start with. {We're busy lining up late-spring and …

In this episode Hilary and guest expert Micaela Colley of the Organic Seed Alliance discuss terminology related to seed-saving, including: "open-pollinated", "heirloom" and "hybrid" seeds. {We're busy lining up late-spring and early summer episodes of the #EBPodcast and we need your support!} Consider making a one-time contribution here or supporti…

This week Hilary and guest expert Justin Wheeler of the Xerces Society will be talking about how to create an effective pollinator habitat in your garden by choosing cultivars that support beneficial insects. We're trying to keep this podcast listener supported, so any contribution helps! Consider supporting us at the $5/month level for access to o…

This week Hilary is joined by Alley Swiss, the owner of Filaree Garlic Farm. Filaree Farm, which is know for their premium quality garlic seed, has been expanding their offerings to include several new seed products such as shallot sets, seed potatoes, sweet potato plants, and the newest addition, asparagus crowns. This episode is all about asparag…

This week we're bring back the Slack Q+A episodes! In this episode we'll address questions about crop planning, growing fruit trees in containers, dahlias and much more. The questions that make up the content for these episodes are pulled from our online Slack group, which is an online community where you can share questions and gardening tips with…

In this episode Hilary and special guest Simon Crawford of Owls Acre Seed share tips on growing gorgeous sweet peas! Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution helps. Consider supporting us at the $5/month level for access to our Slack group! For more info, check out our Patreon page! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/encycloped…

In this episode Hilary and guest expert Niki Jabbour discuss some of the unusual vegetable crops featured in Niki's new book, Veggie Garden Remix! If you're looking to add some variety to your garden this year or you've found yourself frustrated with some of the more traditional vegetable crops, this episode is packed with inspiration. Your support…

If you're thinking about adding edible perennials to your garden, sourcing bare-root plants is not only an economical way to go, but it is also likely to provide you with the most options when it comes to choosing plant variety. Many plant nurseries will also ship bare root plants, making them a great way to go if you don't live nearby a nursery wi…

This week on the podcast I'm joined by guest expert, Rod Lamborn. Rod is the son of the well known plant breeder, Dr. Calvin Lamborn, who's also known as the Father of the Sugar Snap Pea. I'm sorry to say that Calvin passed away in 2017, but it's an honor to have Rod here to share with us a little bit about his father's legacy and the future of the…

In this episode Nick Gitts, owner of Swan Island Dahilas, answers all of my burning dahlia care questions. Swan Island Dahlias is a 40 acre dahlia farm located in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and they grow over 360 varieties of dahlias and Nick has been running the farm since 1975. Your support is what keeps this podcast going! Any contribution …

Starting your own onion transplants from seed is inexpensive and allows you the most control when it comes to picking varieties that are well suited for your garden and culinary needs. In this episode guest expert Colin McCrate and I discuss how and when to start your onions from seed, our favorite onion varieties, and factors to consider when plan…

Today we’re recapping our favorite crop varieties of 2017, along with our lessons learned and best garden tips. This is our last episode before we take a short winter break. During the break, we'll be working on getting our late-winter and early spring episodes lined up and ready for you, so don't worry, there will be lots of great content coming y…

This week we continue our conversation about laying hens with guest Anne Briggs. We discuss introducing new hens into your flock, building a chicken coop, and chickens in the vegetable garden. Huge thanks to Elevate Chiropractic and Rehab for sponsoring this episode. For more info and for your complimentary garden rehab PDF visit: www.elevatechirop…

This week on the podcast we have special guest Anne Briggs (a.k.a. Anne of All Trades) to talk with us about raising laying hens at home. We had so much to talk about on the subject that we ended up breaking this topic into two episodes. This week, in Part 1, we discuss Anne's favorite breeds of chickens, how to source your own laying hens, and the…

We're taking this week off to spend time with our family and friends, but we wanted to share a quick update with you on what's going on in our gardens, what we're cooking from our gardens this holiday season, and some of our favorite fall and winter archives that will help you plan for spring. We also wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of…

Rhubarb is perennial garden crop and a low-maintenance gardener’s best friend. Once a rhubarb plant is established, it will require little or no care moving forward. However, additional care will improve your harvest, and on this episode, we’re sharing tips on managing your rhubarb, including dividing plants as they mature. Huge thanks to Elevate C…

Fall is here, and the days are shorter and colder. Many of us are winding down in our gardens, but not in our garden questions! This episode has a veritable potpourri of topics, including garden pests, keeping pathways weed-free, how to dry cayenne peppers, drip irrigation, and planting garlic. Huge thanks to Elevate Chiropractic and Rehab for spon…