Just Grow Something | Evidence-Based Home Gardening

Latest Episodes:

Glyphosate, Liver Disease, and Metabolic Syndromes in Children - Focal Point Friday Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

New research from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health shows that childhood exposure to glyphosate is linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood, which could lead to liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life.

Thousands of people have filed lawsuits against Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, and its parent company, Bayer, claiming that exposure to glyphosate caused them to develop cancer.

Levels of glyphosate found in our foods have always been within the Environmental Protection Agency’s "regulatory safe levels", but all the prior research was focused on cancer risk. What about liver and metabolic syndromes? Other health risks?

Today's episode explores new findings and continuing research in this area.

Episode Resources:

IARC Monographs Volume 112: evaluation of (who.int)

Roundup ingredient found in Cheerios, Quaker Oats, and other cereals | Fox Business

Association of Lifetime Exposure to Glyphosate and Aminomethylphosphonic Acid (AMPA) with Liver Inflammation and Metabolic Syndrome at Young Adulthood: Findings from the CHAMACOS Study | Environmental Health Perspectives | Vol. 131, No. 3 (nih.gov)

Looking beyond Cancer: Glyphosate and Liver, Metabolic Diseases in Youth | Environmental Health Perspectives | Vol. 131, No. 5 (nih.gov)

Childhood exposure to common herbicide may increase the risk of disease in young adulthood - UC Berkeley Public Health

Kids’ glyphosate exposure linked to liver disease and metabolic syndrome - EHN

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Growing Okra - Ep. 152 Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode we go over the basics of growing okra, including preferred temperatures and conditions that are key to its success, and discuss ways to work around some of those preferences to get yourself a crop even in a short season or difficult climate. You can most certainly grow this southern favorite in a cooler climate with a shorter season with just a few tricks!

Episode Resources:

Vegetables. Wageningen, Netherlands: Backhuys. 2004. p. 21. ISBN 9057821478.

"Okra, or 'Gumbo,' from Africa". Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University. http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/publications/vegetabletravelers/okra.html

"Colonial Food In Philadelphia - 1883 Words | Internet Public Library".

Okra - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Okra: Nutrition, benefits, and recipe tips (medicalnewstoday.com)

Growing Okra Plants | How to Plant Okra and General Growing Tips

How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Okra - Harvest to Table

Okra | Home & Garden Information Center (clemson.edu)

19 Best Okra Varieties To Grow In Your Garden Or Container (gardeningchores.com)

How to Store Okra (eatingwell.com)

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Can Parthenocarpic Zucchini Save Our Harvest by Helping Us Avoid Pests? Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

If you're in the U.S. Midwest, squash bugs and squash vine borers often keep you from getting your best zucchini harvest. But what if there were a variety of zucchini you could keep covered the whole time you were growing it so the pests couldn't get to it? And it would fruit without pollination? Today we explore the possibility of parthenocarpy in zucchini varieties, where to find them, and how they can thwart our biggest zucchini pests.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Burpee 'Sure Thing' zucchini

Dunja - Organic (F1) Zucchini Squash Seed | Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com)

Golden Glory - (F1) Zucchini Squash Seed | Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com)

Noche - (F1) Zucchini Squash Seed | Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com)

Give Parthenocarpic Squash a Try Next Year | Home & Garden Information Center (clemson.edu)

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Conflicting Gardening Advice: Who Should We Believe? - Ep. 151 Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Sometimes it is very difficult to sift through all the information and advice we get as gardeners and to know what exactly we should be doing out there. This source says one thing, that blog says another thing, and the book on our bedside swears those other two are incorrect. What are we supposed to do?

Today we’re talking about two specific pieces of advice I was asked about over the weekend that seem to be complete opposites of each other but, in reality, they are two sides of the same coin. One of those pieces of advice came from me and how you act on that, and other pieces of advice, totally depends on your unique gardening situation. We’ll go deeper into that on today’s show.

We’ll also announce the winner of our 50k giveaway and I’ll share how my day in the garden went. It might just make you feel a little better about yours. Let’s dig in!

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Positively Farming Media Podcast Playlist on Spotify

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Garden Amendments and Pets: Dangerous Mulch, Moldy Compost, Mycotoxins and More - Focal Point Friday Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

Our pets are part of the family and we hate to see anything happen to them. Let's be sure there's nothing we're doing in the garden that might be hazardous to their health. Today's discussion is all about avoiding the dangers from our compost piles, mushroom compost, mulch, fertilizers and amendments.

Episode Resources:

Mushroom Toxicity | VCA Animal Hospitals (vcahospitals.com)

Tremorgenic Mycotoxins - Moldy Food Strikes Back - CriticalCareDVM

Common Garden Dangers for Dogs - BluePearl Pet Hospital (bluepearlvet.com)

Dangers of Fertilizers to Pets (intermountainpet.com)

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Rhubarb, Asparagus Beetles, Fertilizer, and Other Gardener Questions - Ep. 150 May 30, 2023

Show notes

The height of the gardening season in the northern hemisphere is on the horizon which means peak time for gardening questions! Today we dig into why rhubarb might not turn red when ready to harvest, what the numbers on fertilizers mean and why the source matters, battling asparagus beetles, and preventing garden damage from animals during drought.

If you've got a gardening question, I'd love to hear it! Send me a message on social media, email me, use the link below to send me a voice message or jump into the Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook group!

Episode Resources:

Asparagus beetles in home gardens | UMN Extension

The Asparagus Beetle: Organic Control Tips – Mother Earth News

How and When to Fertilize Your Vegetable Garden | The Old Farmer's Almanac

Garden Fertilizer Basics | University of Maryland Extension (umd.edu)

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Eight Common Tomato Plant Diseases - Focal Point Friday May 26, 2023

Show notes

Since it's peak tomato growing season in most areas of the northern hemisphere, I thought it would be a good time to revisit an old episode about tomato plant diseases! This is not a comprehensive list, but a discussion of eight of the most prevalent diseases. As always, be sure to check with your local university extension to find out which diseases are most prevalent in your area. This will save you some stress. Let's dig in!

Episode Resources:

Ep. 99 - Eight Common Tomato Diseases: Identification, Prevention, and Treatment

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Identifying and Controlling Persistent Weeds in the Garden - Ep. 149 May 23, 2023

Show notes

I spent the better part of my afternoon on Monday pulling Johnsongrass from my tomato field and in between my pole beans, which is what prompted today’s episode. That Johnsongrass is a perennial weed that reproduces both by seeds and by rhizomes and it’s been an aggressive problem for us in one particular field and I thought it would be helpful to give some tips on controlling all types of weeds in your garden.

Today we’ll talk about knowing the difference between annual weeds and perennial ones, the different ways they spread, and some strategies on how to prevent and control them. In most cases, you are not going to eradicate them completely, so managing them is the name of the game here. In some cases, this could take years and the frustration level may make you want to give up. But trust me when I say even the heaviest weed infestation can be controlled with a plan. Let’s dig in.

Episode resources:

33 Lawn and Garden Weeds: How to Identify and Control Them. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/pests/insects-diseases-weeds/types-of-weeds/.
How to Get Rid of Garden Weeds Naturally | The Old Farmer's Almanac. https://www.almanac.com/weed-control-techniques.
Identify common weeds / RHS Gardening. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/Common-Weeds.
How to Identify 25 Common Weed Types and Control Them | HGTV. https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/landscaping-and-hardscaping/12-most-common-weeds-pictures.
Weed Persistence: Why Are Weeds So Persistent? - Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/why-are-weeds-persistent.html.

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Tomato Varieties for Containers and Small Spaces May 19, 2023

Show notes

Tuesday we talked about tomatoes that perform well in short seasons or challenging conditions. I had several listeners reach out and ask about growing in containers and small spaces. There are lots of options for this! On this Focal Point Friday episode, we talk container growing, the different categories of compact tomatoes, and varieties that perform well in just about any small space.

References:

Tomato Varieties for Short-Season Areas and Challenging Climates - Ep. 148

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Tomato Varieties for Short-Season Areas and Challenging Climates - Ep. 148 May 16, 2023

Show notes

For many gardeners the ultimate vegetable to grow is the tomato. There really is something special about the flavor of a fully ripe tomato picked from the vine and brought straight to your plate. Unfortunately, growing tomatoes can be a challenge if you live in an area with a short season.

For those of you living in colder regions your growing season for warm-weather crops may be very, very short between frost-free days. Those in very warm climates have the opposite problem; you may need to get a quick crop in before the days turn so hot you can’t grow anything! And even if neither of these applies to you, you might be in an area that is plagued by heavy pest pressure or foliar diseases that take out your plants fairly early in the season. In any of these cases, you need a tomato plant that will produce quickly and reliably.

So, today we’re going to go over what traits you should look for in a tomato variety if you need them to produce quickly and review some varieties that not only match those traits but many that can actually perform well under cool-weather conditions, which is not the norm for most tomato varieties. If you’ve ever struggled with getting tomatoes to produce in your garden before the first frost of the season hits or before the sun tries to cook them on the vine or before the insects and diseases completely destroy your plants, this episode is for you. Let’s dig in.

Episode Resources:

Vegetable Breeding Program | College of Agricultural Sciences (oregonstate.edu)

Moskvich (aka Moskovich) Tomato - Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, non-Hybrid Victory Seeds® – Victory Seed Company

Bush Early Girl Tomato – Bonnie Plants

Santiam Tomato, Santiam Tomato Seeds - Reimer Seeds

Sub Arctic Plenty, Tomato Seeds | Urban Farmer (ufseeds.com)

Heirloom Tomato Seed - Oregon Spring | Non-GMO Vegetable Gardening · True Leaf Market

Quedlinburger Fruhe Liebe Tomato, Medium-Small Tomato Seeds: Totally Tomatoes 83 Fast-Growing Short-Season Tomato Varieties for Cold Climates – Garden Betty

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