MARGARET ROACH A WAY TO GARDEN

Latest Episodes:

Margaret Renkl on the Weedy Garden – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – March 2, 2026 Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Margaret Renkl’s newest book “The Weedy Garden: A Happy Habitat for Wild Friends,” is aimed at children, but it’s really for everyone, she says, and indeed we grownups, too, often need a reminder that our gardens are not just “our... Read More ›

Joe Lamp’l on Seed-Starting Mixes – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Feb 23, 2026 Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

When growing from seed, the long list of decisions starts with what turns out to be the simplest question of all: which variety of bean (or tomato, or zinnia, or basil) to order. But then things get more complicated: questions... Read More ›

Sarah Kleeger on Homegrown Spices – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Feb 16, 2026 Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

What do you say we explore expanding our herb-gardening efforts to include some goodies to fill those jars in the spice rack, too? Most of us have probably grown cilantro, for instance, with its distinctive-tasting bright green foliage, but I... Read More ›

Peace Seedlings on Rainbow of Peas – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Feb 9, 2026 Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

“The dream has always been a rainbow of peas,” Dylana Kapuler said to me more than a decade ago, and that dream continues to fuel a passion for breeding colorful, edible-podded peas at the organically managed Oregon-based seed company called... Read More ›

Sam Hoadley on Goldenrods – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Feb 2, 2026 Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

Goldenrods are powerhouses – keystone plants that serve as hosts for more than 100 species of butterflies and moths, and rich late-season sources of pollen and nectar for countless beneficial insects followed by sustenance in the form of seed for... Read More ›

Don Tipping on Top Tomatoes – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Jan 26, 2026 Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

IT WAS 1 degree Fahrenheit outside when I looked at my electronic weather station readout this morning – a perfect time for some winter-defying tactics like talking tomatoes. Organic seed farmer and breeder Don Tipping of Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon... Read More ›

Reprise of Matt Mattus on Sweet Peas – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Jan 19, 2026 Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

Every year when I get to the sweet pea listings in the seed catalogs, I think this is the year, the year I’ll organize some supports in the garden for them, and indulge in their unmatched extravagance of color and... Read More ›

James Young on Dye Plants – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Jan 12 2026 Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Until I met today’s guest, James Young, early in 2025, it hadn’t really registered in my brain that some of the familiar annuals I grow from seed, like cosmos and marigolds and even purple basil, could also double as dye... Read More ›

Lane Selman on Must-Try Vegetable Seeds – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Jan 5, 2026 Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

I’m letting myself be transported away from the winter scene outside my window, burying my nose not in the snow but instead in the spring-into-summer possibilities depicted in seed-catalog pages. I have familiar, favorite varieties I grow every year –... Read More ›

Julie Zickefoose on Bird-Feeding Season – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Dec 29, 2025 Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

I put out my first bird feeder of the season around Thanksgiving or so each year and get the party started. But there’s more to feeding the birds than just filling the feeders, like how to keep them safe in... Read More ›