We Dig Plants

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Episode 101: James Jiler Jan 07, 2013

Show notes

We travel to Miami, Florida on this week’s episode of We Dig Plants! Alice Marcus-Krieg and Carmen Devito are speaking with garden designer and educator James Jiler. James is known for his past work at Rikers Island with his jail-to-street horticulture program, and is the currently running Urban GreenWorks in Miami. Hear about the benefits of gardening for inmates and at-risk youth. Tune in to hear James talk about the prevalence of organic farming in South Florida. Learn why James finds it important to reintroduce native plants in Miami neighborhoods that are predisposed to drought. Hear about some upcoming sustainable urban design plans that are scheduled for development in downtown Miami! This episode has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

“In past years, I could count on my hands the number of organic farms in South Florida producing organic produce.” [9:05] — James Jiler on We Dig Plants

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Episode 100: The 100th Episode! Dec 17, 2012

Show notes

Today on We Dig Plants, hosts Carmen Devito and Alice Marcus Krieg celebrate the airing of their 100th episode! They begin the show with a list of their favorite things! Here about their favorite plants, fellow gardeners, and memories of their early gardens. These enthusiastic horticulturalists talk about the incredible journey that has taken them from constructing seaweed sculptures to a six story tall garden in New York City. They have a true passion for all things plants and their love is contagious! Tune in as they tell stories about getting their hands dirty and drinking water from the hose! They reflect on some of the inspiring conversations they have had on the show this year and their favorite horticulture organizations and events. Don’t miss out as they talk about their first community gardens, favorite farmer’s markets, and their extraordinary love for plants. This program was sponsored by International Culinary Center.

“One of the joys of having a child for me was going to his school every fall and planting bulbs with his entire class.” [06:12]

— Carmen Devito & Alice Marcus Krieg on We Dig Plants

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Episode 99: Yards with Billy Goodnick Dec 10, 2012

Show notes

Today on We Dig Plants, Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito are talking with Billy Goodnick: gardener, musician, and author of Yards: Turn Any Outdoor Space Into the Garden of Your Dreams. Tune into this episode to learn about the correlations between music and gardening! Billy also talks about his blog entitled Crimes Against Horticulture, and why he decided to focus on plant torture. How did bonsai trees peak Billy’s gardening interest. Tune in to find out how Billy differentiates between ‘yards’ and ‘gardens’, and the importance of beauty, usefulness, and sustainability in garden design. This episode has been sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

“Some things that people do in the name of horticulture are bad for the plants, and the fallout is bad for the environment!” [8:10]

“Music is about exploration, and variations on themes… And that’s what I find I end up doing with gardening.” [10:25]

— Billy Goodnick on We Dig Plants

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Episode 98: Growing a Greener World with Joe Lamp’l Dec 03, 2012

Show notes

This week on We Dig Plants, Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito are talking with Joe Lamp’l, Executive Producer and Host of the television show Growing a Greener World. Tune in to hear Joe talk about his “roots” in gardening, and how he got started hosting and producing garden television. Joe discusses the overlapping worlds of gardening, sustainability, and food, and how he hopes that his show can bring gardening to other like-minded people. Hear about some of Joe’s favorite Growing a Greener World episodes! Other topics include recycling, and the trend of biodegradable pots in the gardening industry. This episode has been brought to you by The Heritage Meat Shop.

“What I wanted to do was inspire people who hadn’t gotten their hands dirty yet. Maybe they were possibly interested into the idea of eating local, supporting local business, sustainability, or eco-friendly living.” [9:10] — Joe Lamp’l on We Dig Plants

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Episode 97: Food Rescue with City Harvest Nov 26, 2012

Show notes

This week on We Dig Plants, Alice Marcus Krieg is once again by herself interviewing Matthew Reich, the Vice President of City Harvest. City Harvest is a food rescue organization that saves surplus food from restaurants, retailers, and farmers and donates them to food pantries and soup kitchens all across the five boroughs. Tune in to learn about the food supply chain, and how much food is often wasted in all steps of the food production process. Hear how City Harvest has built relationships with farmers all across the country! Hear how City Harvest has geared up after Hurricane Sandy, and hear about how the Groundworks, Inc. garden fared in the storm. This episode has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

“In addition to food we rescue from restaurants, supermarkets, etc. – we have farmers who deliver food to us from all over the United States… about 50% of the food we ship out is fresh fruit and vegetables.” [5:45]

“Surplus food exists in every part of the food supply chain- manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers- they all have surplus food.” [8:45]

— Matthew Reich on We Dig Plants

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Episode 96: Harvest with Richard Horan Nov 19, 2012

Show notes

On this week’s episode of We Dig Plants, Alice Marcus Krieg is hosting by herself. Alice is talking with Richard Horan, the author of Harvest: An Adventure into the Heart of America’s Family Farms. Tune into this episode to hear why the politics of illegal immigration inspired Richard to become a farm worker. How did Richard’s background in gardening prepare him to become a farmer? What parallels does Richard see in the disciplines of writing and farming? Tune in to hear some of Richard’s farm experiences! Hear about cranberry harvesting, and how he connected with farmers and seasonal workers a like. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods.

“If it weren’t for youth, there would be no farms. You need speed and energy to get that product off the vine quickly and expeditiously. That was a big surprise for me.” [7:10]

“It’s everything that we attribute to art and culture- and it’s all out there on the farm!” [13:30]

— Richard Horan on We Dig Plants

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Episode 95: David Austin Roses with Michael Marriott Nov 12, 2012

Show notes

This week on We Dig Plants, Carmen Devito and Alice Marcus Krieg are joined via the telephone by Michael Marriott, the rosarian at David Austin Roses. David Austin is now 86 years old, and is still an enthusiastic plant breeder! Tune into this episode to learn about the myth of the English Rose, and how roses have developed to over time and through numerous cross-breeding experiments. Learn about the differences between old and modern rose species, and why some rose hybrids seem to lack “charm”. Hear why Michael left his job growing rubber to become a rosarian! Hear how rose fragrances affect our brains. What roses sell best in the United States? Find out on this episode of We Dig Plants! This program has been sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

“The great problem in the States is the differences in climates… is huge and varieties will cope very well in one climate and do absolutely dreadful in another climate.” [21:40]

“A rose that is not fragrant misses the point, really.” [15:45]

— Michael Marriott on We Dig Plants

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Episode 94: The Nursery Industry with Maria Zampini Oct 22, 2012

Show notes

This week on We Dig Plants, Carmen Devito and Alice Marcus Krieg are talking with experienced horticulturist Maria Zampini. Maria is a co-founder of UPSHOOT Horticulture, and writer for American Nurseryman Magazine and Nursery Management. Tune into this episode to hear Carmen, Alice, and Maria talk about the importance of marketing in the gardening industry. Why is gardening behind other industries in terms of branding and promotion? Hear Maria talk about how she hopes that HGTV will push gardening into the forefront of the lifestyle and design businesses. Listen in to learn about the evolving role of women in the business. Listen to Maria speak about her early experiences in the industry and the attitudes towards women in gardening. Maria also shares some of her lobbying experiences in Washington D.C., and how certain legislation affects gardeners. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods.

“The majority of sales for our products are to women. And who knows better what a woman wants than a woman!” [19:25]

“For every one dollar spent in horticulture, we give back twelve dollars in other jobs.” [30:55]

— Maria Zampini on We Dig Plants

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Episode 93: Noel Kingsbury 2.0 Oct 15, 2012

Show notes

Noel Kingsbury returns on this week’s installment of We Dig Plants! Noel is a horticulturist, garden designer, and contributor to publications such as House & Garden, The Financial Times, and Acta Horticulturae. Tune in to hear Carmen Devito and Alice Marcus Krieg talk with Noel about the importance and difficulty of gathering plant knowledge. Noel also talks about his upcoming trip to South America, where he plans to assist a young gardener in using native Uruguayan plants in garden design. Also, Noel expounds upon the importance of community in spreading plant information. Hear about Noel’s upcoming gardening soap opera Dig, Plant and Bitch! Noel also speaks to the prevalence of social class in British comedy, and how that has made its way into his writing. Later, Noel, Alice, and Carmen talk about the role of The Highline in Manhattan in educating the public about different varieties of plants and planting. This episode has been brought to you by Fairway Market.

“There’s a number of people who perhaps do a little bit of garden design and are rather good at the spatial sort of things but don’t have a lot of plant knowledge. If you can give people shortcuts to learning how to read the plant, then they’ll be good.”

— Noel Kingsbury on We Dig Plants

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Episode 92: The Columbian Exchange with Scott D. Appell Oct 08, 2012

Show notes

Carmen Devito and Alice Marcus Krieg are talking about the Columbian Exchange on this week’s episode of We Dig Plants. But don’t misconstrue this discussion as a celebration! On the phone is culinary horticulturist and historian Scott D. Appell to talk about the history of some our favorite New World plants. Learn about the origins of corn, and how it developed as a human-bred crop. How did European settlers influence Native American cooking techniques? Learn about the history of other fruits, roots, and vegetables such as pineapple, mango, cassava, and taro. Did you know that at one time, pineapples were more valued than jewels? Also, hear about the hundreds of varieties of potatoes that developed in South America, and how potatoes became popular in France! This episode has been brought to Hearst Ranch.

“Guatemalans and Mexicans had this down for thousands of years. If you balance beans with corn, you’ll have balanced proteins and amino acids.” [11:40]

“It was the slave trade that was the great impetus to bring food plants to the New World from the tropics. After all, how do you feed millions of people over the centuries… so that they could work and harvest sugarcane?” [21:40]

— Scott D. Appell on We Dig Plants

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