Claim OwnershipGrowing Together: A Gardening Podcast
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In this podcast, lifelong gardener Don Kinzler joins host John Lamb for a weekly dig into the fruitful topic of gardening in the upper Midwest (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, eastern Montana and southern Manitoba).
Don Kinzler is a horticulturist with North Dakota State University Extension for Cass County. He has been a trusted resource for gardeners in the region for decades. Lamb is an arts and entertainment reporter for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and a novice gardener, ready to learn.
Questions for Don? Email him at donald.kinzler@ndsu.edu.
Don Kinzler is a horticulturist with North Dakota State University Extension for Cass County. He has been a trusted resource for gardeners in the region for decades. Lamb is an arts and entertainment reporter for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and a novice gardener, ready to learn.
Questions for Don? Email him at donald.kinzler@ndsu.edu.
128 Episodes
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A common refrain here at Growing Together is that there's usually something going on with your garden, no matter what time of year, and the same holds true for your local garden centers. In this episode, Don and John are joined by Luke Nygard, the owner of Nygard Nursery in Dilworth, Minn., for some reasons to give your local nursery a visit even though winter is coming fast. Luke also shares how he transitioned from professional drummer to full-time gardener to business owner. Learn more about Nygard Nursery on their website: https://www.nygaardnursery.com/
You might think of Labor Day as the time when you start closing down shop for the year, but it's also the time when you can start laying groundwork for next year. In this episode, Don and John go over some of the most fruitful tasks for your Labor Day/early September to-do list, like fertilizing your lawn, splitting geraniums and tackling your toughest weeds. Topics in this episode: 0:42 Don's vacation seeing gardens on Martha's Vineyard, Boston and Hyde Park 6:40 Are tomatoes late this year? 12:50 The transition time of the Labor Day holiday 13:52 The most important time of year to fertilize your lawn 15:45 This is the best time to control lawn weeds 16:58 What kind of fertilizer should we be using? 18:54 Overseeding your trouble spots 20:06 What to use for spot spraying 21:31 Making cuttings from your geraniums 23:34 Dig and divide peonies 24:38 Planting tulip, daffodil, hyacinth bulbs 26:15 Moving rhubarb 28:30 Planning your garden expansion 30:27 Harvesting vegetables and fruits
Your riding mower might make you feel like royalty as you leisurely cut the grass on a hot day...but, you're missing out on some much-needed exercise when you do. In this episode, Don and John welcome NDSU Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist Julie Garden-Robinson for a discussion about health and gardening, including why you should keep sweating behind your push mower. Julie also has some tips for how to get the most nutrition from your harvest bounty.
As you build out your yard and develop your garden, you'll inevitably find the need to put down some mulch to cover the ground and create pleasing areas around your growing spots. In this episode, Don and John go over a few key points on mulch, edging and maintenence, including things to consider when choosing rock or mulch and how to prevent weeds. Topics: 0:00 Intro 1:33 Today's topic: Mulching 2:12 Listener question: What is this powdery substance on my lilacs? 4:36 How ground cover has changed 9:42 Maitaining rock mulch 11:34 Preventing weeds with a pre-emergent herbicide 19:46 A disadvantage to rock mulch 21:07 Wood mulch; chips vs. shredded 23:52 The advantages and disadvantages of wood mulch 25:02 What to put underneath wood mulch 26:51 Tips for using cardboard under mulch 30:00 Wood vs. rock mulch 31:17 Rubber pellets 35:02 Edging
You have questions, Growing Together has answers. In this episode, Don and John open up the listener mailbag to hear what's vexing you in your garden. Plus, they share in a couple of listener successes. If you have a question for Don Kinzler, send an email (with a photo, if possible) to donald.kinzler@ndsu.edu. 2:29 What's eating my tomatoes? 9:52 What's the best product for post-emergent weed control? 14:54 What's wrong with my baby oak trees? 20:51 White poinsettia success 23:38 How do I care for an apple tree still in the pot? 26:49 Why are leaves falling off my crabapple tree? 32:15 What is this horned caterpillar in my purslane? 37:07 Why is my plum tree bleeding sap? 38:57 Bergenia flower success 40:47 Should I order bare-root day lillies? 42:35 Can I prevent further harm to my storm-damaged tree? 46:01 When is the best time to prune maple trees? 49:23 Is this apple fungus? 52:38 How do I revive a neglected lawn?
If there's a favorite gardening activity of yours, chances are you'll be able to do it during the month of August. In this episode, Don and John break down some of your main to-do items for the month of August, including fertilizing, weeding and dividing some perennials. You could likely start picking tomatoes or digging a few potatoes, too, and you might still be able to plant some radishes and greens. Topics in this show: 0:00 Intro 2:03 Listener question: Slime molds 4:09 Grinding stumps for mulch 5:54 Introducing Samantha, NDSU Extension intern 7:56 Fertilizing annuals in late summer 9:11 Water soluable fertilizers on leaves 11:06 Deadheading 12:53 Digging and dividing perennials 18:08 Fertilizing your lawn 21:36 Aerating and seeding your lawn 26:34 Weeding your lawn 29:39 Fall tree and shrub care and planting 32:41 Tomatoes 36:14 Early potato harvest 38:45 Things you can still plant 39:38 What to look for with squash 41:15 When to harvest onions 43:32 Checking in on your apples
As we enter the high summer season, you might be looking at your vegetables and wondering if they're coming along as well they should. In this episode, Don and John (and special guest Casey) take stock of midsummer vegetables and give you some tips on seeing them through to success.
Like the plants we love, conversations between gardeners often flower and flourish as we share knowledge and insight, and nowhere was this more apparent than this year's Red River Garden Tour. In this episode, Don and John relive the highlights of the 2025 Garden Tour and invite you along to participate next year when area gardeners invite you into their yards to share their love of growing. See more from this year's Red River Garden Tour here: https://www.inforum.com/lifestyle/red-river-valley-garden-tour-opens-yards-to-the-public
(The Growing Together crew is taking some time off to enjoy the summer, so in the meantime, please enjoy this republished episode from August 2024.) If you’re excited by the idea of canning but feel unsure about where to start, this episode is made for you. In this episode, Don and John sit down with Rita Ussatis, Family and Community Wellness Extension Agent at NDSU. With years of experience both practicing and teaching canning, Rita shares her wealth of knowledge to help you take that first step.
If you're the kind of gardener who runs out of room in your gardening, climbing and vining plants are an intriguing prospect. In this episode, Don and John talk about growing up, not out, with vining and climbing plants.
Severe weather shook our region last weekend, with tornadoes, high winds and hail wreaking havoc on lives and property alike. In this episode, Don and John talk about steps you can take to protect your yard and garden from severe storm damage. Plus, they go over your "Independence Day for gardeners" checklist.
In this episode, Don and John learn something new from seasoned gardener Mary Holm as well as her favorite annuals and perennials and a beneficial reason to plant parsley.
You aren't the only one looking to get the most out of your plants and shrubs. Fungi, bacteria and pests are after them, too. In this episode, Don and John go over some common fungal diseases, like powdery mildew, and other blights that can strike your garden early in the season, along with strategies to keep them at bay.
If you want to level up your landscaping game, you might want to give a good thought to how you use shrubs in your yard. In this episode, Don and John discuss shrubs, the backbone of your landscaping. You'll learn how to choose varieties that work with your available space and give your yard some class.
It's the backdrop for your heated cornhole games and memory-making family barbeques, so it's nice to have a healthy, green lawn. In this episode, Don and John talk about seeding, fertilizing and other important steps to improving your lawn and making it the envy of your neighbors.
We all have big dreams when it comes to what we want to grow, but the hard truth is that we have to work with the space we have, and every space comes with different amounts of available sunshine. In this episode, Don and John go over some strategies for planning your garden to make the best use of your sun, with some considerations for container gardening. Plus, they take a listener question about apple tree care.
Fertilizing is an important part of a successful garden, and the spring is the most important time to fertilize, so it's important to get it right. In this episode, Don and John go over fertilizing the yard and garden, with special considerations for vegetables and containers, all to help your plants reach their full potential this season.
The time has finally come for our part of the world: planting season in your yard and garden. In this episode, Don and John go over some basics on soil preparation and tips for putting annuals, vegetables, shrubs and more in the ground. Plus, they answer a question about mulch from the listener mailbag and Don has a "dirty" joke.
If you're enthusiastic to hit the garden centers for the first time this season, great! But it helps to have a plan first. In this episode, Don and John go over some considerations to keep in mind before you get swept up in the thrill of a new growing season. They also answer a few questions from the mailbag.
Unique conditions can lead to winter burn on some area evergreens. In this episode, Don and John discuss what winter burn is, how it can happen and steps to prevent it.
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