Howdy, I'm back! I've finally gotten myself back to doing this podcast, and I decided to start with bugs. "True" bugs. All those pesky sap suckers that plague our plants. The new Podcast art is a AI Neural Net's cyberpunk "Retro-wave" interpretation of a bumblebee on a Hollyhock. This was generated by Welshpixie - https://mastodon.art/@welshpixie w…

Website: http://TeaJaysGarden.com/ Notes If you have any specific questions about getting started with Compost (or anything else) you can contact me through the website or Direct Message me on the Fediverse http://mastodon.sdf.org/@capheind (or on Twitter or Instagram if you must) Its time to cover compost, at least cover some of the basics. Compos…

Website: http://TeaJaysGarden.com/ Notes Update: An explanation of the change I made to the show notes of my Seed Starting Special episode (https://www.buzzsprout.com/501553/6925235 ) after seeing a tweet by Dr. Sarah Taber (https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1350557247680761857). It added to small field of red flags I already had regarding …

Website: http://TeaJaysGarden.com/ Notes If you have any specific questions about starting seeds (or anything else) you can contact me through the website or Direct Message me on the Fediverse http://mastodon.sdf.org/@capheind (or on Twitter or Instagram if you must) A quick dip into the intricate world of the nitrogen cycle, from its humble origin…

Website: http://TeaJaysGarden.com/ Notes Joyous HumanLight! If you have any specific questions about starting seeds (or anything else) you can contact me through the website or Direct Message me on the Fediverse http://mastodon.sdf.org/@capheind (or on Twitter or Instagram if you must) I misspoke about Perlite and Vermiculite. Perlite is a naturall…

Review on Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/tea-jays-garden-940560 Hello Gardeners! This week I thought I’d talk about Bitterness in Cucumbers. Cucumbers can become bitter as a response to literally any stressors of the plant. In this episode I talk about the different types of cucumbers, why they go bitter, how to deal with it, resistan…

Its 102 Degrees here today (Pics), which is pretty typical of my summers here in Bakersfield. It got me thinking about gardening in extreme heat. In this episode I’ll explain why amaranth does just fine in high heat, why your wilting plants are probably fine, a bit about the wonderful world of Photosynthesis, and why you should pour beer on your pl…

Leave a Review on Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/tea-jays-garden-940560 Welcome back for episode 25. Not episode 52 as i say on the show. Sorry I’ve been away for so long, alot has happened. I mean aside from the obvious things we’ve all been going through. I hope this episode finds you well. I’m pivoting yet again. I’ve decided, for …

An interview with Hedi Baxter Lauffer Director of Teaching & Learning with the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We talk about Fast Plants and their educational applications. Specifically using them to teach plant biology, and different projects and activities you can use them for. Links Wisconsin Fast Plants Bot…

Small crops for small spaces and kids. Dwarf Tomatoes My Interview with Craig LeHoullier and Patrina Small Micro-dwarf Tomatoes Gold Nugget Squash Gold Nugget Squash Support the showBy Tea Jay Truchon

Hey folks, This is just a short episode I felt that I needed to put out after the Tomato episode and my talk with Sebastian Cocioba. I wanted to do an introduction to the Open Source methodology/philosophy for gardeners. I’ll cover what “Open Source”‌ is, as well as my history with it and its intersection with gardening. Open Source Links What is O…

In this episode I review Backyard Market Gardening: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow by Andy W Lee and Patricia L Foreman. It is a primer and basic instruction manual to small scale market gardening. Its, yet another, used book I’m reviewing, this is the 11th printing. I also talk a little bit about what I’m doing with the show. Pl…

For week 44 of the gardening year I’m interviewing a longtime friend of mine Sebastian Cocioba owner of New York Botanics LLC and atinygreencell on Instagram. Sebastian is a “bio hacker” who’s goal is to increase the general level of education about Genetics technologies. A few things. First, I’ve tweaked the show format, moving to a single segment…

I apologize in advance for the audio quality of this episode. I‌ was dealing with a dodgy microphone and some parts of my audio has static, but this is only here and there during the interview and its otherwise acceptable. I have it fixed, it won't continue into future episodes. In this episode I give an overview of the domesticated tomato, my feel…

This week I get into my year at the Learning Garden, have a great chat with Suzy Buttress of The Casual Birder Podcast, and I review a couple of books on Straw Bale Gardening. I have to apologize, near the end of the Podcast accidentally called Patrina Small by the name Patricia. After speaking with Suzy Buttress I was still unable to work out the …

Wrapping up Seed Saving Week we are talking about plant breeding experiments you can do provided you have the space and time. And I Cover the University of Wisconsin's Fast Plants, which don’t require much time or space. Resources Saving Sun Gold Pg. 151 Epic Tomatoes Dwarf Tomato Project BREEDING NEW DWARF TOMATOES craiglehoullier.com Wisconsin Fa…

In this episode we get into the realm of Self Fertile Fruits and Vegetables. Self Fertile crops rarely deviate from the mother plant since it is often usually the father crop as well. Crosses of self fertile crops often have to be done manually and as such they are great plants to get started with Seed Saving. Resources Pollination of Vegetable Cro…

Landrace Gardening is gaining some traction. As part of Seed Saving Week we’ll dive into the world of landrace breeding and seed saving, and why it might be the easiest way to save seed. Resources Landrace Gardening: Survival of the Fittest SECTION B. LANDRACES B.1. Introduction fao.org Support the show…

In this episode I’m going to shed some light on the world of Heirloom Fruit and Vegetable cultivars. I will also stumble excessively on the distinction between a Variety and a Cultivar. Heirloom and open pollinated varieties are perhaps the best choices for saving seed and amateur breeding experiments so I wanted to hit them early on. Support the s…

This week I’m going to tackle plant breeding and seed saving. I’m sure in future episodes I’ll dig into these topics alot more, but for now I wanted to dive into the basics. This episode covers some preliminary plant genetics to serve as a primer for what I’ll be talking about the rest of the week. Support the show…

A review of the 1998 edition of Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza. Lasagna gardening is essentially a sheet mulching/composting method designed to turn a patch of turf into a garden bed nearly instantly. Because these gardens don’t require building raised beds, do not rely on the local soil, and only require materials that can be made or sourced …

A review of the 2005 edition of The All New Square Foot Garden by Mel Bartholomew with a particular focus on using it to start community and school gardens. You can find more at his Square Foot Gardening Website. The Truth About Peat at In Defense of Plants breaks down the issues with Peat Moss. Support the show…

A brief and realistic introduction to starting a school garden. There will be alot more from me on this topic, but for now I just wanted to give some quick “getting started” advice to educators and administrators interested in starting or restarting a school garden. These tips apply equally well to anyone wanting to start a garden with or without c…

A very basic introduction to gardening with children. This is a topic I’m somewhat passionate about, as I’ve already mentioned it is actually my day job. This episode focuses on tips for how to get children engaged in gardening, and how to ensure basic safety. If you have any questions, or if there are topics I mentioned that you’d like me to explo…

Call it Razor Grass, Wire Grass, or Bermuda Grass, it can be a pain. I had just spent the last week ripping up Bermuda Grass from my garden beds. In this episode I cover why its so hard to deal with, and why the only way tends to involve quite a bit of elbow grease. Support the showBy Tea Jay Truchon

Another episode on corn, this one covering the complicated world of Hybrid Corn. This should be the end of my info dump on corn for a while. I’m sure as time goes on I’ll have more to say on the topic… hope your all ears :) Resources Landrace Gardening F1 Hybrid, What is it. Heinz 57 catalog Heirloom Corn at Seed Savers Exchange Heirloom Corn at Na…

All about corn! Ok, that is an exaggeration, quite a bit about corn. I’m no expert, but I am fascinated by just how much we’ve managed to do with this insanely versatile plant. Resources Corn: It's Not for Cocktails kind of poo poos my favorite theory, but a good overview of some current research. The Corn of the Future Is Hundreds of Years Old and…

Getting down with some soil science basics in week 1 of the podcast. Hopefully this lets you understand the material we grow in a bit better. This is definitely a topic I will revisit as things go forward. Resources Soil Layers What Clay Looks Like Support the showBy Tea Jay Truchon

First Episode Decided to talk about water since it seems to be a question everyone has. Knowing when to water can literally be as complicated or as easy as you'd like. Links Evapotranspiration Water Holding Capacity Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Native Seed Search Support the showBy Troy Truchon