Gardening Podcasts

I've been enjoying podcasts as a way to entertain and inspire my gardening. There are many different ones out there, some definitely better than others (to my taste, at least).

The not-so-great ones can be rife with self-promotion (one I tried out talked for 15 minutes solid about their products, sigh), jumpy recording levels (ouch, especially on headphones), or poorly organized thoughts/no content.

The gardening podcasts that I enjoy are ones that have solid information, are inspiring, and can meander a bit as long as they are entertaining, fun, or thought-provoking. Since I mainly listen to them out and about, I've stuck to non-video (sound-only) podcasts.

How do I listen to these podcasts? I download them from the Itunes pc application, via the Itunes store. Then I listen to them on my ipod in the car, at the gym, or even while gardening with headphones. Instead of listening to the news, which can be such a downer, I get positive info that can be put to good use!

Here are my current faves...

Coopette.com - Alternative Kitchen Garden
Emma Cooper, a British gal with a great voice, very warm and soothing. Shows are typically 20 minutes in length, giving an update on her own personal garden, and thoughts on gardening today. Trends, gardening in society, permaculture, garden plant ideas, etc.

Invasive plants, posted on 3/20/11, was an interesting discussion, which went beyond the usual, a 'weed is in the eye of the beholder' topic, and went into greater detail on history of UK landscape, noxious weeds such as buddleia (butterfly bush) and japanese knotweed (which I myself have had dealings with, grrr). She also reminded me of rosa rugosa, one of my favorite roses which is similar to a wild rose's scent, and produces fabulous rose hips for the kitchen. Yummmm.

http://coopette.com/

Composting: A Seattle Tilth Podcast
Dry, kind of geeky, but kind of sweet. It's cool to hear people so jazzed about composting. And they do offer a lot of helpful tips on composting.

http://seattletilth.org/

Good Enough Gardening
Two women, Jean Ann Krevelen and Amanda Thomsen, discuss gardening and their lives in general. They are upbeat and funny, but they tend to get off-topic and meander. Not necessarily a bad thing! What I like about them is that they aren't about doing things perfectly. They make gardening accessible. They also have a hotline for questions and comments.

http://www.goodenoughgardening.com/

RadioGarden
Well-produced interviews with interesting topics. Very 'This American Life-esque,' with thoughtful discussion on ideas such as being plant-obsessed, being a garden artist, and one of my favorites, Episode 4 "Ever wish you could check out of the rat race?" featuring Margaret Roach, who did just that.

http://www.hortmag.com/category/horticulture-radio/radiogarden-horticulture-radio

Melinda Myers: Growing Among Friends
Instructive, helpful information on specific gardening tips. She does a good job of clearly explaining how-to's.

http://www.melindamyers.com/

Survival Podcast
Not just pertaining to gardening, but I like his style. I listened at first thinking he might be a wacko, but he's actually pretty common-sense in his take on being practical and self-sufficient. It appeals to my Red Dawn side, and he's a fairly positive person that seems to believe being prepared for things makes for being a good citizen, which I can definitely agree with. Politics-wise we might not see eye to eye on all things, but the permaculture and preparedness tips more than make up for that.

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/

HerbMentor Radio
Interviews with master herbalists. They provide advice and stories from past generations. I haven't listened to much of this, but so far it seems promising. The interview with Phyllis Light, Southern Appalachian Folk Medicine, was quite cool. Imagine growing up with herbal knowledge passed down to you from generations!

http://herbmentor.podbean.com/

Harvest Eating Podcast
What to do with the food you've created in your own garden? This podcast provides great ideas, very inspiring. This guy is a definite foodie. He has his own opinions on things, for sure. Sometimes I disagree, but it's usually an interesting show.

http://harvesteating.com/

Growing Your Grub
Organic gardening podcast with occasional expert interviews. The 4/24/11 Gary "Tomato Man" Ibsen episode was really interesting. I love hearing stories of serendipity, where people first discovered their joy in gardening. I've recently started listening to this podcast, looking forward to exploring more.

http://borntofarm.com/