Show notes
Replay of The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener Radio Show from 7-6-19
Heard on 860AM WNOV & W293cx 106.5FM Milwaukee, WI Saturday mornings 9-10AM CST
Heard on WAAM 1600 AM Ann Arbor, MI Sundays 7-8AM est
Heard on WWDB 860 AM Philadelphia, PA Sundays 7-8AM est
Heard on KMET 1490 AM Tuesdays 9 - 10 AM pst Banning, CA
listen here during show hours for your station:
WNOV https://tinyurl.com/y8lwd922
WWDB: https://wwdbam.com/
WAAM https://tinyurl.com/p68cvft
KMET https://www.kmet1490am.com/
Check out https://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/
In segment 1 Joey and Holly talk about Life Under the soil
There are more soil microorganisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the earth! Millions of species and billions of organisms
Soil Horizons (layers): Soil is made up of distinct horizontal layers; these layers are called horizons. They range from rich, organic upper layers (humus and topsoil) to underlying rocky layers ( subsoil, regolith and bedrock).
Soil Lives
Healthy soil is a living, dynamic substance! Soil is sand, silt, clay, air, water, minerals and organic matter crawling with earthworms, moles, grubs, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs, beetles, ants, fungi, insect larvae, bacteria, mushrooms and many other organisms. An average soil sample is 45% minerals, 25% water, 25% air and 5% organic matter. The soil’s texture comes from the different sizes of the rock and mineral particles. Sandy soils have larger particles. Silt is fine particles, and in clay soils, the particles are too fine to be distinguished with an ordinary microscope.
Of all the countless millions of organisms that live in an acre of soil, earthworms are perhaps the most significant group of larger organisms. Earthworms can range in number from a few hundred to more than a million per acre. They digest organic matter, recycle nutrients and can make the surface soil richer.
Soil life is a collective term for all the organisms living within the soil.
In a balanced soil, plants grow in an active and vibrant environment.
Without the activities of soil organisms, dead matter would accumulate and litter the soil surface, and there would be no food for plants
.
Building healthy soil
Reduce Inversion Tillage and Soil Traffic. Excessive tillage is harmful to soil health in a number of ways. …
Increase Organic Matter Inputs. ...
Use Cover Crops. ...
Reduce Pesticide Use and Provide Habitat for Beneficial Organisms. ..
Beneficial insects that contribute to biological control or pest organisms can be harmed by the application of broad-spectrum insecticides..
Rotate Crops. … or add more compost
Manage Nutrients.
In segment 2 Joey and Holly talk about how you can store food without canning
Think about what you are storing and how its sold in a store - freezer section?
Root crops store well in fridge, cool storage - leave dirt on them - mimic root cellar
Blanch and freeze many crops
If making stock/ soup-puree to freeze, think about how to store efficiently - freeze in blocks to stack, freeze flat, etc
Nestle potatoes in shredded paper in cardboard boxes with air holes
Consider vacuum sealing
In segment 3 Joey and Holly talk with their guest kevin espiritu
kevin espiritu is the founder of Epic Gardening https://www.epicgardening.com/. He founded it in 2013 to help the average person learn how to garden, grow your own food, troubleshoot common garden problems, grow in an urban setting and more. He does this through social media, youtube, podcasts, and his website.
We all get into gardening somehow - you started in a very urban setting - how did you get into gardening and what was your very first set up like?
What is the biggest challenge people face with urban gardening?
What are some good methods for getting rid of crab grass?
We have a dwarf lime tree we are reviving from an attack of scale - what is scale and what are some good ways to combat it?
What are you best ways to get rid of aphids?
How can we find our more about you?
In segment 4 Joey and Holly answer garden questions
1. Alan asks What are some ideas for getting rid of mugwort (artemisia spp.) without resorting to inorganic means?
A:Use organic weed killer as soon as it comes up like Bio safe. Same for weeding it out. Its best to eradicate it asap
2. Q Dear Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener,
: I saw one of your YouTube videos about saving onion/shallot seeds and I have a question about shallot seeds. I have a small bed where last year I planted about 20 shallot bulbs. This spring the shallots are doing great and i've left two plants go to seed. The flowers have formed this globe-like flower but if I open one of the flowers I don't see any black seeds. In each of the tiny flowers I see several tiny seeds. Also, some of those tiny flowers have opened up.
Those tiny, tiny seeds inside the flower, are those that I need to save? Should I wait a little longer before checking for the black seeds?
Evan from New york
A: yes the flowers will have seeds in them. You will need to wait till the plant dies the seeds need that time to develop that is where the black seed will be. The flower opening up is normal for the plant to grow the seed.
3 Q: Hi there I have a question about the slime mold (had to google it to name it)
It grew in yellow hard foam piles on the sides of my raised bed I left it alone & looks like it died but it continues to be so rainy that it popped up elsewhere.
Now I have mold on the stalks of radishes & beets beneath the greens. Is that affecting the veggies & do I have to pull & toss them?
Very intimidating in spite of Prof Google saying it’s harmless.
Thanks in advance!
-Teresa M. in Saint Francis
A: Thank you for the question
Correct it is not harmful to humans. Some cultures eat slime mold as well. As for it being on the stalks of your plants it is not hurting them at all. If it was to grow on the leaves then if can kill the plant. when on the ground it will appear and the disappear with in a few days. Also you can remove any much and weeds from around the plant to get to bare soil and to let more air and light get to it and dry it up. At the time of harvest just clean the edible parts with white vinegar and that will kill any spores that remain. If you want to kill it, Spray it well with 1 tablespoon of baking soda mixed with 1 gallon of water
4: Q No matter how hard I try Holly my peaches float in the jar. I pack tightly any suggestions?
A: Thank you for the question, Floating is normal no matter how tight you are able to pack items in a jar there will be some floating that happen. some reasons it happens are, Overripe fruit - the acid and pectin content is lower. Air can remain in the tissues of the fruit after processing.
5. How to keep pollinators in your garden
Check out the following sponsors that make the radio show possible: Thank you
Power Planter of www.powerplanter.com
IV Organics of www.ivorganics.com
Dr. Earth of www.drearth.com organic
Root maker of www.rootmaker.com
Flame Engineering Inc. of www.flameengineering.com Use coupon code WVG19 to get free shipping.
Pomona Universal Pectin of www.pomonapectin.com
Bobbex of www.Bobbex.com:
Beans & Barley of www.beansandbarley.com
MIgardener of www.MIgardener.com
Outpost Natural Foods Co-op of www.outpost.coop
Root Assassin of www.rootassassinshovel.com .
Handy Safety Knife of www.handysafetyknife.com Use promo code WVG to get 10% off &free shipping one time use only
BioSafe of www.biosafe.net Save 10% on your next order use coupon code TWVG at checkout
Chapin Manufacturing Inc. of www.chapinmfg.com
Pro Plugger of www.proplugger.com
Dharmaceuticals of www.dharmaceuticals.com
Soil Savvy of www.mysoilsavvy.com Use coupon code TWVG19 to save 10% at checkout
Tomato Snaps of www.tomatosnaps.com
Drip Garden of www.dripgarden.com Drip Garden
Wisconsin Greenhouse company https://wisconsingreenhousecompany.com/
Standard Process Inc. of www.standardprocess.com
Big Fat’s Hot Sauce of www.bigfatshotsauce.com
Soil Diva of www.soildiva.net
World’s coolest floating rain gauge of www.WorldsCoolestRainGauge.com
Clyde’s vegetable planting chart of www.clydesvegetableplantingchart.com
NuNu Natural Healing of www.nunuhealing.com
RowMaker of www.rowmaker.com
Eco Garden Systems of www.ecogardensystems.com Use coupon code (wiveg2019) and get $295 off the list price of $1,695 PLUS free shipping (a $250 value).
Shield n seal of www.shieldnseal.com
Bluemel's garden & landscape center of www.bluemels.com
Phyllom BioProducts of PhyllomBioProducts.com
Norwalk juicers of www.norwalkjuicers.com Use coupon code Garden talk Free Continental US shipping on the Model 290 Juicer
Tree Ripe of https://www.tree-ripe.com/
Hydrobox of https://gohydrobox.com/
Workman's friend brand https://workmansfriendbrand.com/
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
