Showing results by narrator "Mike McGrath" in All Categories

We'll celebrate the beginning of seed catalog season with Burpee Seed Company president George Ball. He'll tell us what�s new on the market, and share his favorite picks for unique tomato varieties and bush beans! Plus, the Question of the Week: Cotton plants are very ornamental, with beautiful flowers and seedpods preceding that dramatic burst of white. But if you garden in a climate warm enough to see cotton appear, you probably aren't supposed to be growing it.

Looking for something new to do in your landscape? How about building a labyrinth! Unlike a maze, labyrinths have no dead ends or tricks; all paths lead to the center. Unique and beautiful, they are thought to help people achieve a meditative state. We'll discuss labyrinth building and meaning with PA community garden coordinator Doreen Pasekoff, who recently created a classic outdoor turf labyrinth.

Birds can be excellent garden pest controllers. And sometimes they can BE the pests! This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will help you keep those flying friends where you want them!

Are little road maps appearing in the leaves of your poor plants? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will reveal the surprising cure for leaf miners! And of course, we'll have chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Are you using - or tempted to use - chemical pesticides and herbicides on your lawn or garden? On this week's You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will present the most important "Question of the Week" he's ever answered! And of course, we've got chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Is it possible to get truly chemical-free organic lawn care from a commercial provider? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will reveal the questions that you need to ask- and the answers you should receive - to be sure that your lawn care is organic. And, of course, we'll have more chemical-free answers to all your gardening questions.

Have you heard about the bountiful benefits of using compost in your garden, but have none of your own? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath tells you how to find this gardeners' gold pre-bagged. Also, an interview with tomato expert Amy Goldman. Plus: chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

Do you always think of cranberries at turkey-eating time? On this week's episode of You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath will reveal how you can grow a close cranberry cousin-without a bog!

When it comes to producing flowers, wisteria is often the vine of disappointment. On the next episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will reveal what you can do NOW to coax this rampant runner into spectacular bloom next spring.

There are so many gardening products out there- so how do we get down to the essentials? Next week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath shares his choice of "desert island" gardening supplies.

Everybody loves the taste of ice-cold watermelon in the summer, but growing them can be a challenge. Mike McGrath will help you spit some homegrown seeds this season when he discusses growing tips and the best varieties.

The warmer weather has a lot of people thinking about finally getting their tattered turf in shape. But what you should and shouldn't do for your lawn in spring depends on which kind of grass you're growing. Mike McGrath will explain the differences between cool- and warm-season lawns and how to care for both types over the coming months.

Moles create ugly tunnels and dirt piles in lawns. There are many home remedies that supposedly chase away or kill moles, but do they really work? Tom Schmidt, aka "The Moleman", joins us to share what he's learned about those burrowing pests in decades of evicting them from turfs. During the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will reveal how you can attract toads and frogs into your landscape - they eat pest insects.

Valentine's Day is coming up! Not sure what to get that special someone in your life? Bored with roses, or tired of them wilting so quickly? Mike McGrath will suggest several sexy alternatives to the same old dozen roses. And a neat trick that "conditions" cut roses to look good twice as long will be revealed. Plus, you'll learn how to turn cut roses from a bouquet into live rose bushes in your garden.

Do you dutifully water your plants every day, keep their soil covered with wood chips, feed them frequently, spray every insect, and still aren't having much luck? That's because you're already committing four of the most common mistakes gardeners make! Mike McGrath will reveal the other six in the Question of the Week.

When the weather cools down, the gardening heats up! Mike McGrath will discuss the "do's and don'ts" of Fall gardening. He'll explain why this is the perfect time to fix feeble lawns in the North, to plant pansies and garlic, and why you should forget about your spring bulbs for a while and hide all pruning tools until after the New Year.

You may call them pill bugs, sow bugs, or roly-polies, but the most correct name for either of these two land-locked cousins to crabs and crayfish is the "woodlouse". Mike McGrath will discuss these interesting isopods and tell you what, if anything, you need to do when they show up in your compost pile or plants.

Do your plants need a boyfriend or girlfriend nearby to produce fabulous flowers? This week, host Mike McGrath will delve into the wonderful world of plant pollination. Plus fabulous phone calls, tips and tricks - all chemical free, of course.

Forget Halloween; you know what's really scary? People burning their leaves! On this thrilling episode of You Bet Your Garden host Mike McGrath shows how to harvest this rich bounty of miracle mulch and black gold-to-be. Plus fabulous phone calls, tips and tricks - all chemical free, of course.

Has your lawn carried a lot of extra weight over the years? Host Mike McGrath reveals how to ease the compaction this can cause with soil aeration and other weighty issues on this week's You Bet Your Garden. As always, fabulous phone calls and chemical free answers to garden questions.