Saturday, June 11, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 108: Frugal Gardening Tips

In this episode, we talk with Jessica Damiano, the Associated Press' gardening columnist, all about frugal gardening tips. The plant profile is on Chamomile and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.


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Show Notes: 1:49 Meet Jessica Damiano and hear all about her background in journalism/gardening as well as her tips for growing on a budget! 3:00 Jessica reveals her high school aptitude test predicted she’d be best suited for a career in agriculture. 3:28 “My friends called me ‘Farmer Jess’ for about a week.” —Jessica 5:00 While working at Newsday, Jessica received an assignment to go investigate a statue at a reader’s home. The reader believed it to be an antique from Ancient Rome! 7:05 The Great Long Island Tomato Challenge was born out of Jessica’s desire to engage her readers. 9:25 Widespread difficulty with growing zucchini. 11:20 Nine times out of 10, growing issues are not your fault —Kathy 12:44 Jessica dives into the best ways to buy the basic gardening supplies on a budget. 13:15 Soil blocking kits that you can water normally even without the pot. 15:10 Jessica advocates for garage sales to find the cheapest gardening tools. 15:20 Free Cycle is a website where lots of things are listed for free, gardening tools and plants included! 16:53 DIY plant supports. 18:25 Milk jug/kitty litter container watering cans. 21:30 Kathy talks about high-quality tools from estate sales. 24:04 “Sink test” for determining viability of seeds. 24:08 “A lot of seeds are like Salem witches.” —Jessica 25:11 Upcycled lamp shades as plant supports! 27:27 Home remedies for increasing fertilizer prices. 27:58 Best fertilizer for grass. 29:50 Compost as fertilizer in gardens. Jessica touches on lazy composting as well. 31:02 Burying a fish hack for introducing all the ingredients for healthy plants! 32:50 Veggie water as fertilizer. 33:30 Jessica recommends using dried egg shells for calcium in gardens. 35:25 Fish tank water hack. 36:33 Always check your plants when buying them in the fall! 38:35 Jessica explains the benefits of buying bigger plants. 39:31 Multi-faceted tools. 42:52 “Succulents are the gift that keeps on giving.” —Kathy 44:44 Connect with Jessica on all of her socials and her website. 46:30 “Yours for the digging” 48:32 Our plant profile this week is Chamomile! 50:46 News in the garden this week: hydrangea season, tomato plants in the community garden, tours by landscape architects in DC area, and more! 53:05 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
GardenDC Podcast Episode 28: Preserving Your Harvest -- Canning, Freezing, and Drying
GardenDC Podcast Episode 4: All About Tomatoes

This episode is archived online at: 

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Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Editing and Show Notes: Tori Vandergriff

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