Showing results by narrator "Mike McGrath" in All Categories

Have you ever wondered how they get all those Spring bulbs, flowering trees, shrubs and other plants to burst into bloom weeks and even months ahead of schedule for Springtime Flower Shows?

Are you hoping to grow heirloom vegetables like Kentucky Wonder Beans, or Green Zebra Tomatoes and unusual varieties of flowers like beautiful sweet peas next season?

Are multi-legged crawly things creeping into your bedrooms, and all over your house? Mike McGrath will explain how to tell if you have pestiferous millipedes or highly beneficial centipedes and what to do about them. Plus, learn how tomatoes protect themselves against pests with signals that travel an inch a minute through the plant.

Chiggers and no-see-ums are some of the most pestiferous parasites of summer, but because they're virtually invisible, we often don't know what's giving us the itch! Mike McGrath will explain how you can identify and avoid these very different nasty nuisances.

Do you ever wonder which insect is providing the soundtrack in your backyard? Is it crickets, katydids, or cicadas? Our guest is Wil Hershberger, one of the authors of a new book called The Songs of Insects. We'll discuss the habits of singing insects and play some swinging six-legged tunes! In the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will explain the best ways to handle suckers and water sprouts.

Spring means it will soon be mosquito season again. Mike McGrath will help you break the cycle of biting when he reveals the roles that water, fish, and frogs play in the fight against these pests. He will also discuss an all-natural product that prevents the bloodsuckers from breeding. There's a brand new chemical-free repellant made from wild tomatoes that's very effective and works against ticks too!

Would you like to have a pest-free garden without using any sprays? Beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings are the answer. Beneficials are insects that eat only pests and don't bother good bugs or your plants. Mike McGrath will reveal which beneficial insects you can buy to release in your garden, and how you can attract many more with our list of plants that lure the good bugs in!

Garden author Ellen Zachos reveals how to make a big splash with minimal effort with easy-to-achieve, novice-friendly, small-scale garden projects. Her new book is called Down and Dirty: 43 Fun and Funky First-Time Projects and Activities to Get you Gardening. During the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will tackle the problem of fungus gnats that live in houseplant soil. He'll name five reliable ways to get rid of them, without chemicals, of course!

Looking for a holiday gift for the gardener in your life? Mike McGrath will reconstruct the classic Twelve Days of Christmas to present you with a dozen unique, useful and ecologically sound options. There's something for everyone, from the hard-core, already chemical-free grower to the newbies you're hoping to coax away from the bottles and bags with big warnings on them.

You may have heard rosemary being called "the herb of remembrance", but two top researchers say that many other easy-to-grow edibles are also capable of helping prevent or reverse age and Alzheimer's related declines in mental function. Mike McGrath will reveal the top 20 plants you can grow in your own garden to prevent "brain drain".

Have you tried to mix up a batch of compost only to end up with a big nasty mess? You probably made a simple and very common mistake! Mike McGrath will reveal what that mistake was, how to fix it, and he�ll explain his dirt-simple plan for compost success.

It's the You Bet Your Garden Christmas Spectacular! Paul Myers, director of the Morris Arboretum will offer growing tips for hollies, Professor Karen Snetsellar explains the science behind the aromas of evergreens, and author Kris Wetherbee helps us attract beautiful birds into our backyards.

The holidays are coming, and Mike McGrath will help you avoid some of the prerequisite panic by going over great gift suggestions for gardeners. Most of these ideas have been contributed by our listeners, but Mike adds some of his favorite critter-and weed-defeating gifts, and a brand-new suggestion that has become a staple in his collection of gardening gadgets. We'll also hear about an interesting tip concerning festive paper whites!

Spring is coming, and that means soon it will be time to get your garden going. Mike McGrath will help new gardeners avoid rookie mistakes with details on how to create a super-productive, easy-care raised bed.

Every garden and landscape needs compost, the rich black super soil that feeds your plants, and prevents disease better than any chemical fungicide. Ergo, every gardener needs a composter! So to kick off our seasonal gift suggestions, Mike McGrath is going to describe several units you can purchase, or make yourself, to get that special gardener of yours on the road to black gold!

Would you like to make your landscape a better place for wildlife like beautiful birds, toads, and amphibians? David Mizejewski, author of Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife offers tips and simple steps to provide shelter, food and nesting spaces in your yard. He'll also explain how gardeners can get their yard certified as a habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Then. there's a chill in the air, and that means miserable mice are gearing up for lots of mischief.

Are squirrels driving you crazy with their outdoor antics? Mike McGrath will tackle the most rascally rodent of them all when he comes to the rescue of a listener whose poor dogs are being driven crazy by tormenting tree rats! We'll get expert advice from a professional squirrel trapper who will share his secret bait formula with us. (No squirrels will be hurt during this program, they are trapped live and relocated!)

Tired of seeing your prized plants perish when frost comes calling? Mike McGrath will reveal his favorite gardening trick; bringing peppers, begonias, and impatiens inside for the winter. You can enjoy good eating and beautiful color through the cold season, and start out with nice, big plants next Spring. He'll also explain which herbs can over-winter outside in which garden zones, and which ones have to come inside.

Are multi-legged crawly things creeping all over your house? Mike McGrath will explain how to tell if your "house guests" are pestiferous millipedes or highly beneficial centipedes and what you can do about them. We'll also find out how tomatoes protect themselves from pests with signals that travel an inch a minute through the plant.

This week on You Bet Your Garden, Penn State Professor Don Davis joins us to discuss the house and car-staining fungus that breeds in shredded bark and other wood mulches. Later in the show, Mike suggests ways to deal with grasshoppers! He'll reveal the all-natural product that can kill this Biblical garden foe and name the bird that puts hoppers at the top of its 'to eat' list. He will also explain how molasses can protect your plants.