Showing results by narrator "Mike McGrath" in All Categories

Are you worried that the recent decline in honeybee numbers means your posies won't be properly pollinated this season? Don't "bee"! Most garden pollination is performed by native bees, like the ones nesting in lawns right now! They are harmless creatures but often scare gardeners because of their size or seemingly aggressive behavior. Mike McGrath will tell you how to attract and protect these priceless pollinators and keep them happy.

The legendary Mel Bartholomew, creator of the wildly popular "Square Foot Garden", joins us to discuss his new guide to growing the most possible plants in the smallest possible space. Mel�s new book, All New Square Foot Gardening, adds 10 improvements to the original 25-year-old SFG method. Later on the show, Mike will reveal how people without any ground of their own can still get growing by joining a community garden.

We celebrate St. Patrick's Day with tips from noted Irish gardener John Cushnie! John is the author of several books; his latest is How to Prune. He is also a panelist on the BBC's Gardener's Question Time. During the Question of the Week, we stick with the green and discuss moss. Moss covers the ground with a bright blanket of green that never needs mowing or feeding. It can take a little foot traffic and even a little sun.

Does your compost just sit there instead of turning into rich "black gold"? Do you want to start making compost but don't know where to begin? Mike McGrath will explain the easy, no mess way to make the world's finest disease-fighting plant food. Mike will also reveal how to correctly incorporate kitchen scraps and other green waste into your pile.

Do you love fireflies? Or maybe you call them lightning bugs? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will explain how these incredible insects are becoming endangered, and how you can help keep the lights on!

Out with the old and in with the new! On this episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath tells you how to replace the plants of summer with the crops that crave the cold; as well as suggests serious succession strategies for maximum good eating next season!

Blueberries are one of nature's most perfect foods - they're packed with naturally occurring antioxidants that fight cancer and other ailments, plus phytochemicals that can delay the onset of dementia. Mike McGrath will discuss everything you need to know to grow your own, in your own backyard.

This is the time of year when many people hear the tap-tap-tapping of woodpeckers on their chamber wall. What are they doing there? "Probably not eating bugs" says woodpecker expert Dr. Jerry Jackson, biology professor at the Florida Gulf University in Fort Myers, Florida.

Homegrown tomatoes are the treasure of summer! But, if you plant them in the same spot year after year, soil-borne wilts will attack your precious plants. This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will tell you your options for keeping your tomatoes healthy, even when the growing space is too tight to rotate. Plus: are you envious of plants that you see in the yards of friends, families and neighbors?

Many tomato patches were claimed by late blight this season. You Bet Your Garden host Mike McGrath not only tells you how to prevent its return, but also how to deal with diseased plants in general. As always, fabulous phone calls and chemical free answers to garden questions.

The time to plant garlic is fast approaching! On this week's You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath explains how to preserve this year's garlic harvest and grow the best plants next year and for many seasons to come. And of course, chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

Have you got lots of grass clippings that you'd like to turn into compost? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will explain why you should back away from that pile and use those clips for something much better!

The ultimate kernel of delight every summer has got to be sweet corn! Host Mike McGrath will reveal how you can grow a patch of your very own stairway to buttered heaven. Plus, chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Are pesky mosquitoes making you miserable? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will review the steps you should take to avoid giving blood 'on the fly'. And of course, chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

Would you like dramatic, instant height in your garden? How about screening from nosy neighbors and busy streets? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will take you on a tour of the wonderful world of ornamental grasses. And of course, chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

Are you looking to add a little homegrown fruit into your life? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will share with you the three big things you have to do to put some strawberries on your plate. Plus: chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

Want to extend your growing season? On this episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will tell you how to add months to your favorite pastime with hoop houses, row covers and cold frames! Plus: chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

Once again, it's time for the You Bet Your Garden Christmas show! This week, host Mike McGrath and friends look back on the highlights of holiday gardening tips and tricks, such as how to care for your Christmas cactus, poinsettia, mistletoe and more. Plus, musical numbers from You Bet Your Garden Christmas shows past - and a new song as well.

Tired of planting your garden of good eating year after year? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath, will discuss the perennial vegetables you plant once and enjoy for decades!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and on this week's episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will tell you how to keep those expensive cut roses looking good twice as long in a vase - and also how to turn them into live rose bushes that will bloom year after year in your own garden!