Gardening Conversations: Four seasons of gardening with Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy. Matha Foley hosts
By North Country Public Radio Newsroom
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Podcast Description
NCPR provides locally-produced news stories from around the Adirondack and North Country regions of New York State, as well as Western Vermont, and Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
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1 |
Making the most of flower boxes and urns | Boxes and pots offer a great chance for small-scale and perfectly located flower gardening. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy has tips on how to assemble and maintain successful containers, including how to recycle potting mix from year to year. She talks with Martha Foley. [full story] | 5/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
Keeping those hanging flower baskets so colorful | Sunday is Mothers' Day, and maybe you're thinking of one of those hanging flower baskets as a gift. Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulturist Amy Ivy has some tips for buying and maintaining the "wow" factor for hanging flower baskets. [full story] | 5/6/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
The challenge of growing fruit | The North Country climate isnt great for fruit trees. There are lots of apple orchards on Lake Champlain, particularly, but insuring a good apple harvest can be a challenge for the home gardener.Cornell Cooperative extension horticulturist Amy Ivy has tips on other crops for home-grown fruit: berries. [full story] | 4/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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4 |
Another way to give seeds a head start | The snow and cold rain today are a disappointing sort of counterpoint to this season's early warm spells. True, we need the moisture, but lots of gardeners will be looking closely to see what the consequences are for perennials that have gotten ahead of schedule, or the extra-early seedlings in the vegetable garden. And who ever knew there were so many azaleas and forsythia bushes in the North Country? This year they are all blossoming, it seems: a rare show indeed. What happens to them? Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy advises gently knocking the snow off those flowering shrubs if you can. And she tells Martha Foley her technique for giving flower and vegetable seeds just a little boost on the window sill, instead of just planting them directly.SPECIAL NOTE: join Amy and Martha Wednesday morning at 11 for a live call-in...all about your yard and garden. 11 a.m., April 25. [full story] | 4/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
Multiple-bin method solves a compost problem | Compost is a prized commodity among gardeners. It seems like there's never enough compost to go around As perennial beds and vegetables plots are prepped for the season.Martha Foley has been making her own compost for years and years, but this spring found things hadn't "worked" over the winter as planned. Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy walked us through her own strategy: two or even three bins. [full story] | 4/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
Conditions good for early garden chores | Showers today will be welcome for gardeners who've planted spinach and other early season crops. In fact, it's a good time for a lot of early garden chores in the flower garden too. Amy Ivy shares her list with Martha Foley. [full story] | 4/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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7 |
Timing is trickier than ever for pruning | There's a sweet spot, time-wise, for pruning shrubs. And the unusual warmth last month made finding that perfect time trickier than ever. Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy explains when, whys and hows to Martha Foley. She's got tips on the proper tools this week, too. [full story] | 4/1/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
Early days in the garden; be easy on the soil | Amy Ivy and Martha Foley talk more about early season gardening chores. This morning, perhaps the very earliest, as Amy shares ways to prepare and preserve your soil. Amy recommends keeping tilling to a minimum. [full story] | 3/25/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
Now is not the time for lawn care | A string of unusually warm, even hot, weather this week may bring the green back into many North Country lawns, but horticulturist Amy Ivy says it's simply too early for raking and reseeding, and far too early for feeding the grass.She had plenty of tips, including new restrictions on using phosphorous, in her conversation with Martha Foley this morning. [full story] | 3/18/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 |
Creating healthier food cultures in schools, communities | Amy Cotler is an author, chef and local food advocate, who says it's an exciting time for the locavore movement, but more needs to be done. Cotler is author of the book, The Locavore Way, which focuses on the pleasures of locally grown food. On Monday, she'll give the keynote address at Dig In!, a food and gardening conference at Clarkson University in Potsdam. The event will bring together school staff, educators, parents, business owners, community leaders and health professionals. Amy Cotler told Todd Moe that most schools, businesses and places of worship are doing a good job of developing and sustaining effective local food-based policies and practices, but, she says, they're just "scratching the surface". [full story] | 3/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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11 |
Options for early, early gardening | With a warm winter giving way to what seems like an early spring, the urge to get something going in the vegetable garden is blooming early, too. Amy Ivy, horticulturist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service of Clinton and Essex counties tells Martha Foley about an easy option. She describes "low tunnels," and how to build and use them for crops that like the cool of early spring. [full story] | 3/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 |
Gardeners: ready, set...prune! | Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy tells Martha Foley it's time to get the pruning saw and clipper out. And she has advice on what to do first. [full story] | 3/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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13 |
Planning ahead for perennials | Martha Foley talks with Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy about planning for perennials. There are options for acquiring new perennials, and some thinking to do before adding them to your flower garden. [full story] | 2/26/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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14 |
For gardeners, a warning as spring approaches | The equinox is a month away, and the winter has been on the mild side. Even so, Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy sounds a note of caution for gardeners thinking about getting an earlier than usual start on the planting season. And she tells Martha Foley that of the three berry crops favored in the region, strawberries are the easiest choice for last-minute planners. [full story] | 2/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
Moths and beetles in your pantry? | There are bugs, and then there are worse bugs. Cornell Cooperative Extensions Amy Ivy talks with Martha Foley about insects you dont want to share your home with. Meal moths and grain beetles breed in lots of places, in and out of the pantry, in cereal boxes, four sacks, and cookie packages. What to look for, and what to do, in todays conversation. [full story] | 2/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
Winter sends bugs onto the indoor landscape | Ladybugs and clusterflies are certainly annoying indoors residents. And a new "leaf-footed" insect, the western conifer seed bug, can be disconcerting. But as Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy tells Martha Foley, they're not harmful, and not worth attacking with pesticides. (Next week: Moths) [full story] | 2/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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17 |
USDA releases new gardening zone map | The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map. It's an update of a useful tool for gardeners. Clinton and Essex County Cornell Cooperative Extension Service Horticulturist Amy Ivy says it's a "great piece of the gardening puzzle" in the North Country, but not the whole story. She spoke with Todd Moe. [full story] | 1/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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18 |
Getting a head start with the right seed catalogs | January is the beginning of the gardening season for seed catalog fans. The stacks of colorful, glossy pages can set off a fantasy of unrealistic expectations, or can be the foundation of a good plan for the coming season.Amy Ivy, of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service of Clinton and Essex counties shares thoughts on how a gardener can sort through the possibilities and make good choices for the new year. [full story] | 1/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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19 |
Ice, cold a burden for trees and shrubs | Birches bent double, spireas flattened, evergreens folded up like umbrellas heavy ice and snow put a huge strain on trees and woody shrubs, and temperatures around zero don't help. Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy tells Martha Foley there's not much to be done. Propping up a stressed branch is a good idea, but be gentle otherwise. [full story] | 1/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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20 |
Up and down weather not good for the yard and garden | There's open ground across much of the North Country. Temperatures are up above freezing one day, and may fall into the teens or single digits the next. It's hard to get a handle on this winter. But one thing is for certain, fluctuating temperatures combined with a lack of snow cover isn't good for the yard or garden. Amy Ivy, horticulturist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service of Clinton and Essex County, explains why in her weekly conversation with Martha Foley. [full story] | 1/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 20 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Excellent podcast
This is one of my favorite podcasts. Though I don't live in upstate New York, and I don't even have a gardening area in my condo, I find this podcast enjoyable, entertaining, and educational.
Good Podcast for Gardeners
I love this podcast. Amy Ivy knows her stuff, and I always pick up a hint or two that I can use in my garden.
Gardening Conversations
Love listening and always learn something about a plant I have or want -or- hear a tip that I can I use in my own garden. Thanks for a great podcast!
