Mostrando resultados por autor "Mike McGrath" en Todas las categorías

Do you always think of cranberries at turkey-eating time? On this week's episode of You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath will reveal how you can grow a close cranberry cousin-without a bog!

Having trouble getting rhododendrons, lilacs, and dogwoods to flower the way they should? Mike McGrath will discuss the causes of feeble flowers and explain how you can boost your blooming bounty. Plus: a side-effect of using garden chemicals that will have all the men out there canceling their chemical lawn care contracts on the spot.

Squirrels and rabbits made a lot of tulip lovers miserable this spring - and now they're looking forward to the next course! Mike McGrath will reveal how you can easily deter rabbits from eating your garden. He'll also suggest tactics to keep squirrels from creating havoc in your landscape, and explain why neighbors who feed squirrels may be the worst garden pests of all!

New federal laws may make it easier for homeowners to chase away those pestiferous Canada Geese. Ron Kokel of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service joins us to discuss these new regulations. Plus, on the Question of the Week: Do you turn your garden soil every spring and then fight weeds all summer long? Mike McGrath will explain how a "no-till" system can do away with all that work of weeding and soil turning, not only for your garden beds, but also your lawn.

Blueberries are one of nature's most perfect foods - they're packed with naturally occurring antioxidants that fight cancer and other ailments, plus phytochemicals that can delay the onset of dementia. Mike McGrath will discuss everything you need to know to grow your own, in your own backyard.

Are your edible gardening efforts hampered by a lack of sun? On this edition of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will reveal the tasty treats that can survive - and maybe even thrive - with some shade!

Looking for a holiday gift for the gardener in your life? Mike McGrath will reconstruct the classic Twelve Days of Christmas to present you with a dozen unique, useful and ecologically sound options. There's something for everyone, from the hard-core, already chemical-free grower to the newbies you're hoping to coax away from the bottles and bags with big warnings on them.

Few insects are as annoying to gardeners as the pestiferous blackfly. This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will reveal how you can evade the unwanted attentions - and bites - of these annoying gnats.

Everybody loves the taste of ice-cold watermelon in the summer, but growing them can be a challenge. Mike McGrath will help you spit some homegrown seeds this season when he discusses growing tips and the best varieties.

Are squirrels driving you crazy with their outdoor antics? Mike McGrath will tackle the most rascally rodent of them all when he comes to the rescue of a listener whose poor dogs are being driven crazy by tormenting tree rats! We'll get expert advice from a professional squirrel trapper who will share his secret bait formula with us. (No squirrels will be hurt during this program, they are trapped live and relocated!)

If you've grown squash plants in your garden you've probably suffered the savage attentions of the dreaded vine borer, which can wipe out an entire crop and is hard to detect at first. Mike McGrath will reveal six all-natural ways to prevent this pest, including one that dates back to the 1890s!

Soil solarization is the tactic of last resort when your garden dirt is plagued by wilts and diseases, or is so infested with weed seeds you can't grow anything successfully. But you have to do it right - and live in a fairly warm region. Mike McGrath will reveal the hot details in the Question of the Week!

When the weather cools down, the gardening heats up! Mike McGrath will discuss the "do's and don'ts" of Fall gardening. He'll explain why this is the perfect time to fix feeble lawns in the North, to plant pansies and garlic, and why you should forget about your spring bulbs for a while and hide all pruning tools until after the New Year.

Water is a big issue for community gardens. They often don't have access to this valuable resource. Organic Gardening Editor Scott Meyer joins us to discuss the magazine's program that helps to keep community gardens well hydrated. And, do you struggle with sandy soil that just won't hold any water or nutrients? Or are you cursed with clay that holds water slightly better than a bathtub, and is drowning your poor plants?

You may call them pill bugs, sow bugs, or roly-polies, but the most correct name for either of these two land-locked cousins to crabs and crayfish is the "woodlouse". Mike McGrath will discuss these interesting isopods and tell you what, if anything, you need to do when they show up in your compost pile or plants.

Is your garden inundated with ladybug look-alikes? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath discusses how to control the Mexican Bean Beetle - an unwanted cousin of one of our favorite insects. Chemical free answers to all your garden questions, plus your fabulous phone calls!

Spring is coming, and that means soon it will be time to get your garden going. Mike McGrath will help new gardeners avoid rookie mistakes with details on how to create a super-productive, easy-care raised bed.

Have you got lots of grass clippings that you'd like to turn into compost? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will explain why you should back away from that pile and use those clips for something much better!

Would you like to have a pest-free garden without using any sprays? Beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings are the answer. Beneficials are insects that eat only pests and don't bother good bugs or your plants. Mike McGrath will reveal which beneficial insects you can buy to release in your garden, and how you can attract many more with our list of plants that lure the good bugs in!

The stuck-tight scale pest can be a persistent problem on plants indoors and out, and their highly effective waxy coating completely protects them from natural and chemical pesticides. Mike McGrath will explain how to tell if your problem really is scale and go over the treatments that do work against this well-protected pest.