Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Zinnias vs Powdery Mildew

Before we attempt to rid our zinnias of powdery mildew disease, let’s first hear from Debbie Flower, who has plenty of zinnia growing tips for us in today’s podcast. Here’s the quick summary of our ch...

Friday, August 14, 2026

Growing a Cool Season Garden

In today’s podcast, Master Gardener Gail Pothour and myself discuss some of the most popular cool season vegetables to grow in the cooler months here in USDA Zone 9 and elsewhere: carrots, lettuce, pe...

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Tomato Troubleshooting Tips

Paid subscribers to the Beyond The Garden Basics get exclusive newsletters and podcasts each Monday! In today’s podcast (above), Don Shor from Redwood Barn Nursery (https://redwoodbarn.com/) in Dav...

Friday, August 7, 2026

Plants for Dry Shade

Beyond The Garden Basics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. In today’s podcast, America’s Favorite Retired College Hort...

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Alternative Summer Greens

Every Monday, paid subscribers get exclusive, first looks about various garden topics, such as today’s. Just one of the benefits for paid subscribers. Thank you for your support! When you live in a ...

Friday, July 31, 2026

Summer Heat vs. Japanese Maple Trees

In today’s podcast, nurseryman and Japanese maple expert Chris Aycock of El Dorado Nursery (https://www.eldoradonursery.com/) provides the basics for Japanese maple care, especially in the summer mon...

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Can You Grow a Peach Tree from Seed?

Thanks for being a paid subscriber to Beyond the Garden Basics! No time to listen to today’s podcast (above) with Ed Laivo? Here’s a summary. And below that, the actual transcript, with pictures, li...

Friday, July 24, 2026

Too Many Peppers? Try This Popular Sweet Pepper Relish Recipe

In today’s podcast (above), we talk with renowned pepperhead Dave DeWitt, author of several hot pepper books (https://amzn.to/4ft6DGH) . We talk hot pepper basics, and Dave adds advice on how to overw...

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

The Best Roses For Cut Flowers

Bullet Points from the Podcast, “The Best Roses for Cut Flowers” * Always cut long stems, not just the spent bloom. Snipping only 1-2 inches when deadheading causes the plant to push out short, croo...

Friday, July 17, 2026

When Should You Prune Your Blueberries?

I just finished pruning my blueberry plants. In July. WHAT?!? Aren’t you supposed to prune them in the winter? It depends. It depends on where you live, the type of blueberry plant you are growi...

Friday, July 10, 2026

How to Plant and Care for a Shade Tree

Beyond The Garden Basics is a reader-supported publication. To receive exclusive posts and complete access to past editions , consider becoming a paid subscriber. Today’s podcast interview foc...

Friday, July 3, 2026

Home Weather Station Setup for Gardeners

Today’s newsletter podcast is a special treat for readers and listeners of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter/podcast who might also be weather nerds…and what gardener isn’t? It’s an interview wi...

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