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

This is the time of year when many people hear the tap-tap-tapping of woodpeckers on their chamber wall. What are they doing there? "Probably not eating bugs" says woodpecker expert Dr. Jerry Jackson, biology professor at the Florida Gulf University in Fort Myers, Florida. He explains that the birds are tearing up your siding to build a nest. He'll discuss how you can protect your home and create other habitats for these beautiful and beneficial birds.

A lot of gardeners get a bit confused when looking for the right soil or soil amendments at the garden store. What do terms like mulch, compost, humus, topsoil, and biosolids really mean? Mike McGrath will help you buy the right stuff with a loquacious lexicon of the language you may encounter on your quest for compost! He will also advise on where to use which type of "dirt". Plus, local activists have put North Carolina on the leading edge of safe farming and gardening practices.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and on this week's episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will tell you how to keep those expensive cut roses looking good twice as long in a vase - and also how to turn them into live rose bushes that will bloom year after year in your own garden!

Has the economy got you thinking about growing for money instead of just for fun? On this week's You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will explain the important steps you need to take to insure a profit before you put a single plant in the ground!

Do Ladybugs bite? It's hard to imagine that these pretty, beneficial insects could have an aggressive side! Mike will answer this puzzling question, and explain why ladybugs move into people�s houses every winter. He�ll also reveal how to handle these annual invasions.

Roses are the most popular garden flower, and Mike McGrath strongly believes that their reputation for being difficult to grow is completely unwarranted. Poor planning at planting time often results in plants that never really had a chance at a happy, disease-free life. Mike will reveal the 10 Secrets of Rose Planting Success in the Question of the Week.

Many gardeners spend a lot of time fighting weeds, like chickweed and purslane, in their landscaping. Mike McGrath offers a surprising solution for dealing with these foes: serve them for dinner! Many plants we view as weeds are tastier and healthier than some of the vegetables we grow in our gardens. He'll discuss which varieties to look for, what their nutritional value is, and how to prepare them.

The holidays are coming, and Mike McGrath will help you avoid some of the prerequisite panic by going over great gift suggestions for gardeners. Most of these ideas have been contributed by our listeners, but Mike adds some of his favorite critter-and weed-defeating gifts, and a brand-new suggestion that has become a staple in his collection of gardening gadgets. We'll also hear about an interesting tip concerning festive paper whites!

Are you ready to plant peas on St. Patrick's Day? In the next thrilling episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will tell you how to make sure June brings a bounty of good eating. Plus: chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Are you using - or tempted to use - chemical pesticides and herbicides on your lawn or garden? On this week's You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will present the most important "Question of the Week" he's ever answered! And of course, we've got chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Garden author Ellen Zachos reveals how to make a big splash with minimal effort with easy-to-achieve, novice-friendly, small-scale garden projects. Her new book is called Down and Dirty: 43 Fun and Funky First-Time Projects and Activities to Get you Gardening. During the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will tackle the problem of fungus gnats that live in houseplant soil. He'll name five reliable ways to get rid of them, without chemicals, of course!

Do you feel like growing some unusual offerings in your garden this year? Exotic flowers, heirloom varieties, or strangely-colored vegetables maybe? We'll hear about the eclectic selection in the quirky J. L. Hudson seed catalog. And to make sure your seed-starting endeavors are off to a good start, Mike will go over his Seven Secrets of Successful Seed Starters. He'll also reveal a cure for the dreaded disease that often claims over-watered seedlings.

Want to restore all the minerals that time has sucked out of your soil? On this week's thrilling episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath discusses how rock dust can perk up your plants. As always, fabulous phone calls and chemical free answers to garden questions.

Tired of seeing your prized plants perish when frost comes calling? Mike McGrath will reveal his favorite gardening trick: bringing peppers, begonias, and impatiens inside for the winter. You can enjoy good eating and beautiful color through the cold season, and start out with nice, big plants next spring. He'll also explain which herbs can over-winter outside in which garden zones, and which ones have to come inside.

Nasty biting ticks are one of the most annoying - and dangerous - pests of summer. This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will explain how to prevent the problem with 10 tick-control strategies. And of course, we'll have chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Valentine's Day is coming up! Not sure what to get that special someone in your life? Bored with roses, or tired of them wilting so quickly?

The legendary Mel Bartholomew, creator of the wildly popular "Square Foot Garden", joins us to discuss his new guide to growing the most possible plants in the smallest possible space. Mel�s new book, All New Square Foot Gardening, adds 10 improvements to the original 25-year-old SFG method. Later on the show, Mike will reveal how people without any ground of their own can still get growing by joining a community garden.

Do you want to grow tomatoes, but have no actual land to do that growing in? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath reveals the secrets of getting those home-grown favorites to flourish in containers. Plus: chemical-free answers to all your garden questions.

Do you have hundreds of ladybugs sitting on the outside walls of your house? Are box elder bugs crawling on your couch, or stink bugs meeting in your living room? Many bugs and beetles are invading homes all across the nation, looking for a nice warm place to spend the winter. Mike McGrath will explain how you can prevent these bugs from congregating on your house and how you can stop them from coming inside. He will also discuss ways to get bugs out once they have gotten in.

Black pepper is one of our most popular seasonings - but it doesn't come from pepper plants! How is pepper grown, and what are the most popular varieties? Our guest is Cole Daily, vice-president of operations for Frontier Natural Foods Company. He sources "the peppercorns of the world" for this organic spice company. Later, the Question of the Week: Mike tackles a strange disease called cedar-apple rust.