The Helpful Gardeners

May 12 2024 6

The Helpful Gardeners Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Helpful Gardeners, a weekly podcast diving into the home and garden topics you want to learn more about. We hope to inform, inspire, and bring the fun as two friends who work together and go wild over gardening. Colin is a certified horticulturist with decades of experience working in landscaping, gardening and houseplants in various climactic zones. Brandi is a beginner with a passion to ask questions. Subscribe to catch new episodes every Sunday!

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Mother's of Nature: Celebrating Garden Mums

May 12 2024 35 mins

This week is a very special week because we’re giving some extra love and appreciation to Garden Mums! We'll spotlight two special ladies in gardening and bring it home with memories about mum in the garden. ******************************* CONNECT WITH US Thank you so much for supporting our podcast and for making the world a more planty place. Please subscribe, leave a ra

Acclimatizing Plants and Transplanting Tips

May 05 2024 38 mins

There has been a word drifting around the greenhouse lately, and it's "acclimatizing". What does that mean and how does it benefit your plants especially at transplanting time? Plus, when it does come time to transplant your annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, what is the best way to go about it? We'll talk about water, fertilizer, and more this week on the Hel

Gardening with Grass W/ Sheryl Normandeau and Janet Melrose of the The Prairie Gardener Go-to Series!

Apr 28 2024 39 mins

This week, we're visited by two of the coolest ladies gardening in Southern Alberta; Sheryl Normandeau and Janet Melrose! They are the coauthors of the popular "Prairie Gardeners How To" series! In a digital world full of general information, their books provide specific knowledge for gardening in climates like Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Plus, everything they

Ground Cover - How to Benefit from it in your Garden

Apr 21 2024 32 mins

We've got a lot of ground to cover this week... ha ha ha All kidding aside, there's a lot of benefits to utilizing ground cover in your garden! Together, lets explore mulch, fabric, rock, and straw. We'll talk about how you can use it, how much to buy, and how to maintain it. Plus, Colin has a great garden hack for soaker hoses in your garden to actually conserve water!

I Bought a Home... How do I Tackle a Garden?

Apr 14 2024 40 mins

Are you a moving into a new home and not sure how to approach the garden? One of the helpful gardeners just bought a home and is not sure how to approach their new garden! Learn how to tackle lawn, existing structures/plants, and where to begin. Visit the shownotes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for links from today's episode, and other fun extras! ******************

Enjoying Nature in your Own Backyard W/ Myrna Pearman

Apr 08 2024 50 mins

If you build it, nature will come. No matter what type of garden you have, whether it's in an established neighbourhood or newly built in the suburbs, you can enjoy nature from your very own backyard. Learn how to attract birds, including hummingbirds, to your garden! Myrna is a biologist, author and nature photographer living on the south shore of Sylvan Lake, Alberta. She wa

Gardening from Seed: Flower Power

Mar 31 2024 44 mins

Rounding out our Seed Starting Mini Series is a look into growing flowers from seed! In many ways, this will be a total 180 degree shift from growing veggies and fruit. Flowers aren’t targeted as much by bugs and disease, they benefit from deadheading, and they’re grown more for aesthetic purposes rather than consumption. Visit the shownotes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Gardening from Seed: Ground Dwellers - Squash, strawberries, and more.

Mar 24 2024 49 mins

This week, we're crouching down to explore all those fruits and veggies that grow close to the ground. These ground dwellers include Broccoli, squash, kohlrabi, and even strawberries! Learn more about how use the entire squash plant in cooking, a hack to protect pumpkins from pests, and we have a surprise melon taste test! Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownot

Gardening from Seed: Leafy Greens and Herbs

Mar 17 2024 41 mins

This week, we're exploring fresh leafy greens and flavourful herbs. Learn more about flexibility of growing lettuce and why you should livehead your herbs when they go to flower. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for links from today's episode, and other fun extras! TIMECODES 01:55 Herb or 'erb? 05:34 Seed Varie

Gardening from Seed: Root Vegetables

Mar 10 2024 47 mins

This week, we 'rooting' around the subject of root vegetables! How do we start them from seed, maintain them, and harvest them! Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for links from today's episode, and other fun extras! TIMECODES 00:00 Introduction 04:00 Sweet like a Beet 05:08 Seed Varieties 11:00 Growing Veggie Flowers 13:44 C