So, first off, here is a list of ever-growing (no pun intended, ok, pun intended cause I am that kind of loser) podcasts I am listening to whenever I am not obligated to listen to my kids, husband or public transporter. I find that listening to podcasts is great way to learn stuff fast, they are like chapters in a book, and you can skip over what ever doesn’t apply or interest you normally after a minute or two of listening without wasting to much time.

Short bites of wisdom (less than 10 minutes an episode)

The old farmers almanac

by George and Becky Lohmiller (Read by Heidi Stonehill)

http://www.almanac.com/podcast/garden-musings

Love these little tid-bits, just fun little fast notes read by Heidi Stonehill who has a darling little voice which makes listening easy and enjoyable – just listen to them all, they are all fast, sweet, and helpful.

Epic Gardening: Daily Growing Tips

with Kevin Espiritu

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kevin-espiritu-2/epic-gardening-daily-growing-tips-and-advice

These are fast little intros, perfect for listening to when you only have a a couple of minutes. Even though I love the in-depth interviews and detailed info from some of the other podcasts listed further on in the post, this one is great because Kevin gets to the meat (or mushrooms if meat aint your thing -respect) right away, no chitter-chatter, no big intro, no ads – cha-ching! Go on, binge away and listen to a couple in row, its good for you and your garden. Just a note, most episodes tell you to go visit the blog for more info so these are kinda like little teasers to get you over there – but if it is info you want, it is great to know there is more to be learned on the blog. Here are some of my favorite eps:
  • When Is The Best Time To Water Your Garden?
  • 5 Telltale Signs of Overwatering
  • Perlite vs. Vermiculite?
  • Treating Powdery Mildew With Baking Soda?
  • How to Make Garlic Spray?
  • 6 Fast Growing Vegetables For Your Garden
  • 8 Vegetables You Can Regrow From Scraps

More in-depth single topic info and/or interviews (between 15 – 40 minutes an episode)

Living Homegrown

with Theresa Loe

http://www.livinghomegrown.com/podcast/

Ok, so no-brainer here, this is one of my favorite podcasts, Theresa Loe is just the most encouraging and calming person you can listen on the air, by the end of any of her episodes you feel inspired, empowered and a little happier. Her podcast is not totally about gardening, it is more about sustainable living so it runs the gamet between gardening, preserving, and cooking, to, chicken cooping, life balance and future prep. So do yourself a favor and go check it out, here are a couple of my favorite gardening-sodes but dont feel limited to just these ones, there is so much about a sustainable lifestyle to learn here:

Permaculture Velocity

This is a podcast that has not been updated lately, but there is some really great info in here for the beginner gardener. Soire has a voice that is musical and calming, almost like you are about to undergo some kind of meditation or spiritual awakening, or maybe just trapped inside a very educational elevator … but there is a wealth of knowledge in there if you can snap out of it and focus. A lot of the info in this podcast is hardcore homesteading so, although interesting, is just way beyond my skill set, current lifestyle and farmable area. But there are a couple episodes I have listened to over and over because they offer great info to be aware before heading out to the nursery or setting up your space. Here are my favs:

Very involved info and banter and/or interviews (between 40 – 120 minutes an episode)

All Things Plants

with Dave and Trish

https://garden.org/ideas/podcast/

Ok, so this one is for when you just want to listen to two people banter on and learn a little bit of gardening wisdom along the way :) They are a couple who own a farm and have 6 kids and most episodes they start off by updating you on how and what the farm is doing and other stuff that is going on …. 20 minutes later you get to the subject of the episode. I like their layed back attitude and back and forth fact checking, they often discuss stuff they did wrong and what they are going to try next time to improve it. I find sometimes that it is a little too large scale (farm size) but for the most part but there is some real hands-on awesome advice in here.  Here a couple of episodes that I gleaned some useful info from, but there are many more:

They also have a great plant database and forum which is worth checking out @ https://garden.org/ I have posted some questions there and have gotten feedback pretty fast!

The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener Radio

with Joey and Holly Baird

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/thewisconsinvegetablegardenerpodcast

This is very informative podcast that also has a youtube presence, they have thier hands in all kinds of farming stuff so it is a great resource. The only bummer about this podcast is there are a bunch of ads (I think because it is a radio show) – most of which are gardening related (it’s sometimes ok because it makes you aware of stuff out there you want to buy!) But after a couple of episodes I just started fast forwarding through them). I find Joey high-energy and an enthusiastic, he goes into great depth sometimes and info is easy to understand for the novice gardener, Holly also has some learning gems, but most of the time I find she just doesn’t sound too happy to be there is just reading off interview questions without being totally interested – but it is still a good listen

  • #5 Filling Up Your Garden & herbs- Skip to 4.25 to hear about how much can you fit in your raised beds / containers then skip to 20.45 for some herb talk, then skip to 32.50 to hear the interview with Niki Jabor about all season gardening.
  •  #7 Mulch & GMO’s – skip to 4:10 for mulch then skip to 18.20 for GMO and mulch/water question.
  • #26 Three common problems gardeners face: skip to 3:35 for Weeds, Production, Bugs then skip to 27:45 bush beans, tomato blight

A Way To Garden

with Margaret Roach

http://awaytogarden.com/category/etcetera/radio-podcasts/

This one is all about gardening. Margaret Roach at first seems a little authoritative, but she really grows on you after a couple of episodes (oh gosh there I go again, really, I didn’t mean to do that one). Her interviewing style is a little more structured that Theresa’s (which really just feels like she is sitting down and talking over some homemade scones and jam with these people) but it is no nonsense advice with a lot of personal experience thrown in there. Here are a couple of my fav episodes to get you started:

Still Growing

https://mytuner-radio.com/podcasts/still-growinga-weekly-gardening-podcast-jennifer-ebeling-6ftmama-master-gardener-blogger-659709301

Jennifer is kind of a mix between Theresa and Margaret in tone and warmth – easy listening and humble if when was not aware of something. She is definitively interested in style and garden aesthetic and some of her podcasts are all about finding things that make your garden look good, this is not to say she isnt a savvy gardener, but the word cute comes up quite often :) She starts off most shows with a whole update (Garden News Roundup) from her facebook forum, there is always something to learn and interesting in there (although a lot of the “investment pieces” mentioned are a out of my price bracket), but if you want to get to the heart of the episode you can skip ahead. Just fair-warning, there doesn’t seem to be much cutting in the editing, so some interview go on for a long time, but I like to listen whilst doing chores and let them talk on, it is normally very conversational and interesting. Here are a couple of episodes to get you going (the audio files is right at the bottom of each page so scroll down after visiting the link):

Read the next installment in the gardening resource guide …. ‘Books’