Showing results by author "Mike McGrath" in All Categories

Paul Tukey, author of the brand new Organic Lawn Care Manual joins us to discuss how and why he became an organic lawn care expert after years of spreading chemicals on people's landscapes. During the question of the week, Mike McGrath will issue his annual warning that those popular wood mulches can kill your plants and stain your home - and now comes news that they can catch fire as well! He'll explain which mulches prevent weeds just as well as wood without any of the risks.

Want to grow your own fertilizer? Or how about some home-grown weed block? On this week's You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath tells you all about how you can grow soil-saving cover crops. Plus, legendary garden writer Barbara Damrosch talks about growing your own food year-round. And as always, plenty of chemical-free answers to all your garden questions.

Defoliating "webworms" build tent-like nests in trees; "bagworms" spin pine cone-like structures. But despite their names, neither pest is a worm. They are caterpillars, and Mike McGrath will offer the all-natural solution to get rid of these tree terrorizing troubles, no matter how high up in the tree they are hiding!

All gardeners love the idea of companion planting. Do roses really love garlic? Do marigolds really protect nearby plants from pests? No. But there are garden combinations that do work, and some have been proven in scientific studies. Mike McGrath will reveal them all when we take a close look at plants that make great neighbors.

Are you looking to brighten up your house with some ravishing tropical plants? House plant expert Ellen Zachos joins us to talk about colorful tropical beauties that are not difficult to care for. Her new book is Tempting Tropicals: 175 Irresistible Indoor Plants. During the Question of the Week, Mike will discuss pruning summer-blooming plants. He'll go over the easy but terrifying advice for butterflybush, and more.

Nationally acclaimed garden writer Barbara Damrosch joins us to talk about her new book The Garden Primer: The Completely Revised Gardeners' Bible. Together with her husband, Eliot Coleman, Barbara runs the famous Four Season Farm in Maine (fourseasonfarm.com). During the Question of the Week, Mike tackles questions related to vegetable gardening. With grocery prices rising steadily, many people plan on growing some of their own food this season.

Do you want to replace your dying summer container plants with something beautiful that will survive the winter? Jeff Jabco, director of grounds and coordinator of horticulture for the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, has been teaching workshops on winter container gardening. He will suggest plants that can survive the winter from the frozen North to the milder South and give advice on what kind of soil mixture and containers to use.

Many gardeners mulch badly; using the wrong materials in the wrong way. Bad mulch can harm or kill plants and even ruin the paint job on a house or car! Mike McGrath will discuss the downsides of wood and rubber mulches, and reveal the best options for preventing weeds and improving the look of your landscape. Plus: How Australians are turning toads into beer!

It's our annual You Bet Your Garden Christmas Spectacular! This year, we are listening to some of our favorite interviews and musical selections from previous years.

We'll hear about a new product called "Messenger" that's designed to boost the productivity and immunity of your plants, and to protect them from pest and disease. Then, during the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will discuss the conditions that cause clover to appear in your lawn, and explain both how to get rid of it and how to make use of its fertilizing and healthy eating attributes.

What should you say if someone offers you a load of sawdust for your landscape? Host Mike McGrath reveals just what you can and can't do for your lawn and garden with dust of wood.

This is not the time of year to sow a new lawn in the North; but what can you do for bare earth besmirched with little bits of green? And what should Southerners be doing to insure an attractive turf? Mike McGrath will reveal the secrets of springtime lawn care for all of you!

Are multi-legged crawly things creeping all over your house? Mike McGrath will explain how to tell if your "house guests" are pestiferous millipedes or highly beneficial centipedes and what you can do about them. We'll also find out how tomatoes protect themselves from pests with signals that travel an inch a minute through the plant.

Ever wonder if you have those insanely expensive truffles growing under your soil? This week on You Bet Your Garden with host Mike McGrath, mushroom expert Paul Stamets will reveal the delicious answer!

Many people experienced summer time droughts this year. Can you use household waste water to keep outdoor plants alive? Mike McGrath will discuss the do's and don'ts of using "greywater" from your shower, washing machine and sink.

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 newbies you're hoping to coax away from bottles and bags with big warnings on them.

Are bees buzzing around in your landscape, scaring you and your family? Or are they boring holes into your house and other structures? Mike McGrath will explain how to deal with wood-boring carpenter bees and scary Springtime ground nesting bees. He'll also explain why these native creatures are not only harmless, they are extremely beneficial to your garden!

Are you going on vacation? Prepare your plants, lawn, and garden so they don't suffer while you're away. Mike McGrath will explain what to do to cover watering needs, prevent weeds, and harvest your precious crops so nothing spoils during your time off. We'll also answer lots of gardening questions from around the country.

Do you fear the bite of the "deadly" and mysterious brown recluse spider? Relax. They're not the monsters people make them out to be. Mike McGrath will discuss reassuring research about the habits of these spiders, and explore the positive role all spiders play in our lives.

We celebrate St. Patrick's Day with tips from noted Irish gardener John Cushnie! John is the author of several books; his latest is How to Prune. He is also a panelist on the BBC's Gardener's Question Time. During the Question of the Week, we stick with the green and discuss moss. Moss covers the ground with a bright blanket of green that never needs mowing or feeding. It can take a little foot traffic and even a little sun.