June 5, 2025 • 39 mins
In celebration of Martha Stewart’s Gardening Handbook, her 101st book published this spring, and in partnership with Threads, comes this one-of-a-kind live audience podcast recording. Martha shares her signature gardening advice, from practical tips to delightfully candid takes, for beginners and seasoned green thumbs alike. In this special episode, Martha answers 20 questions sourced from her Threads followers, influencers, and celebrities including Serena Williams and Yung Gravy. Tune in for gardening wisdom straight from Martha’s own garden to yours.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, Hello, Hello, this is incredible. They're literally packed to
the walls. I'm Emily Dalton Smith. I lead the threads up,
and I am delighted that we get to have Martha
Stewart here for an event with us talking about gardening,
which is one of my favorite topics. I have a
burning question for later, but we have an incredible room
(00:27):
of influencers and creators, which is so fitting since Martha
is the original influencer and I think has influenced all
of us. And she published her one hundred first book,
The Spring Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook, which is an encompassing
how to guide for the beginner to the advanced gardener,
(00:50):
so we're very excited to get to talk about that.
She's also more recently added the Martha Stewart Podcast to
her empire, where she talks to guests like Pamela Anderson
and and Glenn Powell. And we're just so lucky to
have her here as our guest today, answering our gardening
questions live here and teaching us how to hone our
green thumb. So thank you Martha very much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
So I wanted to thank Emily for introducing us.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
That was very nice, and I also want to thank
Errett Gottessman and all of my friends here at Threads
and at Meta for hosting this garden party and live podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I've been an avid.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
User of Threads since it launched, and I've also been
a very avid user of Instagram since twenty thirteen.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I'm happy to be.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Here today talking about my new book, Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook,
and answering your questions about gardening.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
And to help me.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Here is the chief creative officer for my company, who
is also my friend, Kevin Sharky.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
So Kevin, if you've read.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
The magazine or know anything about me, Kevin's very close
friend as well as colleague and work together for how
many years.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
We're going on thirty two?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Only thirty two years more than half his life.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Sadly, only about a third of my life.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Not half of my happy life. So we're here talking
about one hundred and one books or the one hundred things,
only only about this book.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
Just came back, literally, I came back yesterday from Dubai.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And why were you in Dubai?
Speaker 5 (02:27):
I was in Dubai because Martha is opening stores in Dubai.
Freestanding Stewart stores, first time ever.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
We're super exciting. But it's not just Dubai. It's all
over the GCC. So pretty soon there were going to
be stores everywhere with Martha Stewart's name on the Wow.
Very excited.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
But anyway, somebody asked me while I was there, how
does Martha spend all of her time? And I said, well, Martha,
she were here, she would tell you that cooking is
her job, but gardening is her passion.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Well, I have been gardening since I was since I
can remember when it's about three years old, and father
Dad big ed. He would put me out in the
garden with a little tan cultivator and a little shovel
and actually there were no children's tools in those days,
and you had the big, heavy adult shovel in the
(03:27):
adult cultivator and a screwdriver to weed the little cobblestone
path that he had built in our little fifth of
an acre garden.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
We lived in Nottley, New Jersey.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
I got my first Blue ribbon when I was in
sixth grade for a lily I grew at the at
the Milk the Nutley Garden, a big pink lily.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
It was so pretty.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I just did one stem with it had actually had
about seven lilies on it.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So your dad you start.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
Your dad started your journey with gardening and with Alexis.
I know that you used to play this game.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
We made songs up of the Latin names of all
the plants. This is my Alexis and my daughter and
we had a little cottage in the Berkshires on fifty
acres where we gardened every single moment that we could.
And I had beautiful little I had visited Williamsburg and
I loved the Williamsburg gardens with the brick paths, and
I recycled a lot of old bricks up in Massachusetts,
(04:20):
and I built my paths and planted all the Williamsburg
y kind of gardens.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
It was very pretty.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
And Jude and Truman you also taught them how to garden.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
And Martha's grandchildren, yeah, the two New York grandchildren who
do grow a lot of things. And Jude has windowsills
filled with she steals with that she asks, but she
also takes.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Small, perfect curiates, the perfect.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Plants for my greenhouse. They all have to be small
kind of miniature plants. And she has up matching clay
pots on her windowsill, all with the perfect saucers underneath,
and every plant is meticulously cared for. And she's going
to be my gardener, and she's inheriting the farm because
she's already I've already put her name on the wheel
because she she has that, she has, she has the
(05:08):
gardening bug. We have been picking really virtually pounds and
pounds and pounds of asparagus from my new raised bid
garden which we established last year, and that the asparagus patch.
If you read about asparagus is growing, you will know
that it really once you get the big asparagus roots
and you get the mail order generally, or you can
(05:31):
probably find them at home depot and stuff, and three
or four in a bag. You plant them and they
tell you to wait for three years before you start
harvesting so that the roots can get established.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
So I called up mister Spear last year. Mister Spear is.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
In California and the northern California, and he supplies me
with my special asparagus and my special artichokes for Easter,
and I said, do you have any extra roots? And
he sent me roots about this big. Each root was
that big, and so now and it's this ninety foot
long asparagus bed. I have been harvesting so many second year.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
But if you're a normal person, I'm a normal person,
you're not an I am.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
And my initial bed that I have in my old
flower garden at Bedford, Bedford's my farm in Bedford. It's
about fifty miles from here. It's a beautiful one hundred
and fifty six acre farm right there in Bedford, Katona
Cross River.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
It's all a little town. And I tested all the
soil when I moved there, remember that. And the first
thing I planted was.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
An asparagus bed, and that is still very prolific. So
that's twenty that's about twenty three years later. I am
getting great asparagus from that garden. Even though that that
asparagus bed is now taken over by flowers for the
most part, it's still producing asparagus, all right.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
So we have a bunch of questions here that we
can jump into. The first one is from one of
our favorites, Seth Myers from Late Night. He wrote a.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Question he did well, he has a person that he's
going to We're going to look at it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I've been on Seth Meyers Show so many times, and.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
We had him on the Gardening Show to remember that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Well.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, and he came and stayed the night he lived.
He stayed in the hayloft, and his parents stayed in
the guest house.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
And his brother is also and his brother is also.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, they were such nice guests.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Hey, Martha, I have a question.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
What is the worst insect to see in your garden?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Oh, that's a very good question, answer off air. Okay,
that's a very very good question. Now, two years ago,
the ash beetle came and it's a very terrible and
it has killed every ash tree in the Northeast.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
That's why you have a bird sanctuary.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Now, yes, because we had to cut down all the
ash trees because they are all dead.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
It's the ash borr and it is horrible.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Green beech a climbs up underneath the bark and loosens
all the bark and kills the tree. And we're not
going to have any more baseball bats. Did you notice
that the Yankees have this new bat that's kind of
a different shape. They're trying to make bats out of
other kind of wood.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Now, I bet people didn't know that baseball bats were
made out of ashwood.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Yes, now there is another insect that is is attacking
and killing the massive beach trees, all the American beach
trees and the European beach trees. So you know that
whole grove of beach trees and you got to take
a look at them next week when you go up
to the farm. Not good, and I'm taking I'm trying
to take care of them by injecting the roots with
(08:39):
all kinds of different foods. Oh yeah, but we don't spray.
We're in an organic farm, so you know, there's nothing
to kill these these terrible invasive bugs.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
But and nobody knows.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
What to do for the beach so what's okay?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
So that's bad?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
And so that those are the sa to answer your question,
it's anything that is killing of things.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
I can put up with a butterfly, it's that's a bug,
but it doesn't really hurt anything.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Put up with most people of flies. I can put
up with a tolerate.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
I could put up with all the pollinators very nicely,
but but I can't put up with things that are
killing trees.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
Okay, what was that bug that it looked like a
prehistoric animal prey man?
Speaker 4 (09:24):
No, not that I like them.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
No, the one that was in the vegetable garden when
it was up where the flower gart is.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Now, what was that thing?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
It was like, Oh, that's that's a vowle. That's I
don't know what. That's a rodent. Oh, they're different from insects.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Okay, you know you should know what a bowl is.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
I thought a bowl was like a squirrel.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
No, it's like a mole that lives under the ground.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Okay, that I did not know. Oh, we have questions
from the audience, So if you want to ask Martha
a question to make sure you identify yourself. First of all, all.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Right, Talia, this is this is thank you very much.
Speaker 6 (10:00):
Hi.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
How are you Hi? I'm fine, Thank you.
Speaker 7 (10:05):
I'm right that.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
My question is for Martha.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Are there any overlooked gardening tasks that you think people
should embrace more, especially ones that bring unexpected joy.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Overlooked gardening tasks? Well, I think it depends on where
you live and what kind of garden you have.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You sort of have to find your niche.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
If you're a city dweller, the windowsill is a very
nice place to grow certain things.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
The terrace is very nice.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
I do not suggest fire escapes because of danger and congestion.
You don't want to block people's egress or your own
or your ingress in case you want people to use
your fire escape, you know. But everywhere I think that
your love of gardening just develops. You You see something
and you think, oh my gosh, I want to have that.
(10:53):
Visiting botanical gardens, I think is a very nice way
to learn what you like and what you don't like.
Visiting fair We just went to a fair on Sunday.
I had a gardening book book signing up at the
Lime Rock Lime Rock Racetrack up in Connecticut. And they
also have Trade Secrets, which is a charitable organization up
(11:16):
there that raises money for battered women and homeless women.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And it's their twenty fifth anniversary and I've gone to this.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
They attract thousands and thousands of people every year because
they also attract the best plants men in the Northeast
and people from all over the country actually come to
this wonderful Trade Secrets fair. Lots of garden antiques, but
mostly wonderful plants. So you learn a lot when you
(11:44):
go to something like that, and they develop, as I say,
your own taste level for different kinds of things. If
you're gonna you love pumpkins, and you need a little
bit more land to grow some pumpkins, but you can grow.
Once you grow one kind of pumpkin, then you get
sort of like the bite and again that you get bitten,
and you want to grow every kind of pumpkin.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
And that's what happened to me.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
I just started to grow everything, and I do grow
pretty much everything I want to grow now.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
One hundred and fifty six acreds. You have a plenty
of skras.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I have plenty of room to grow things. I just
need a few.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
More one hundred gardeners to maintain it all. Maybe there
are some contenders here in the audience, all right, So
thank you Talia for that question.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
So we have a one from Eddie there.
Speaker 8 (12:28):
Eddie, I got a house recently upstate, about two years ago.
I ran a restaurant here in the city, so I'm
hardly upstate, but I left to garden, and I wanted
to see what three things are easy to garden, like
vegetables that don't need as much tender and care because
I'm not up there all the time.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Oh, so, ruth crops, root crops, are crops that grow
under the ground, like beets, like onions, like carsnips, carrots,
celariac or anything that is, you know, a hearty vegetable
that withstand a little neglect.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
But I would also suggest.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
You know, put in putting in a few, you know,
really hardy tomato plants, so that you'll have those on
the weekends when you go up there.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Do you go up every weekend? Oh? You wish you? Oh?
Once a month? Oh?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
So I stick stick to the hardy root crops, I think.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
And uh.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
And also berries, because when you get up there you
can pick blueberries or you can pick raspberries.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
I have every kind of berry imaginable.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Now right, you net them?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
No?
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Because I have a lot of birdberries, aren't they Well?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Sometimes this year I was thinking of not because last
year we got so many bloberries. I thought maybe they
could share with the cards, you could share, you know.
And this year, this year, I have such a crop
of strawberries.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Where is it a green point? That's nice?
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Don't crow lettuce, don't grow anything that grows real fast,
and you will never you know, you will never see
the rabbits will eat it before you get there.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
All right, Next one I'm supposed to read this one.
This actually is from our other friend. This is from Serena,
Serena Williams.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You have to say her last name. Nobody knows we
know Serena.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I just assume I say Serena. You know what I'm talking.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Serena and I were in a movie together. Remember I
remember that, that stupid little movie.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
I do remember. I do remember Serena's fun.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Neither of us made it as actresses.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
You've compensated in other ways.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Okay, Serena says, I've had a hard time growing carrots.
They always come out of the ground small and misshapen.
What am I doing wrong?
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Well, I think that Serena is not preparing her soil appropriately. See,
you have to double dig, double dig your soil.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
So what does that mean? I know what that means.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
But okay, you take.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Out the first shovel and put it over here, take
out another shovel and put it over here. Then you
take this shovel and put it in back in the ground.
Mix it with a little bit of sand. If you
want to grow the best carrots a little bit of sand.
You need to lighten up your soil and get all
the clumps out, and you have to really cultivate it nicely.
Then put your other top soiled back in and then
(15:01):
plant your carrots. You will have and and raised bid
would solve the problem if she would only make all
raised bids because all the soil is fresh, so.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
You have to double dig I know you don't have
to because.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
It's a brand new soil.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
When you when you make your raizor bids, you make
them out of wood or brick or stone. Ryan Murphy
just did the most beautiful race, gorgeous in my neighborhood.
Of course he has to come in and watching.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
You be jealous for me to see that.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I can hardly house now. And he put like as
big as this room is vegable. He has an eight
foot wall made out of stone, and then every bed
is stone about this high.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Stone walls of every bed.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
King Charles doesn't have a garden like that.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
He has a pretty nice one.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Remember that beautiful garden. But he doesn't have it's pretty nice.
It's what's the name of that place that he lives in.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Is double digging specific to carrots or is that just
in general with vegetables you need to know about double da.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Oh, then you're you're all set.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
He's a success.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
And you could also if you're worried about varmits and
put a little wire around, you know, a little chicken
wire or anything.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Okay, we have another question.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
This one's from Jenna Bush.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Where did all these celebrities come from? Martha, I'm an
amateur gardener.
Speaker 9 (16:26):
I'm really obsessed with the cutting of the flowers and
I'm ranging. One thing that I'm thinking about is starting
an herb or vegetable garden. What herbs should I grow
to make the best cocktails?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Well, first of all, you should should learn how to
say herb.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
Okay, okay, okay, one second, hold on, hold on, So
explain that because people come.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
To say herbert. Do you when you talk to your
friend herb, you say herb?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
So who got the idea.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
That herbs were herbs? You have to say herb. That's
the appropriate wate look it off. It's it's the English pronunciation.
Speaker 5 (17:04):
So, but I doesn't say herb when they leave this room, jets.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So, so, oh, there's mint. First of all, mint, but make.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Which is easy to grow?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Well, it's it's rampant and it's invasive. And so make sure.
I was going to just tell her to make sure
you put it in the spot, in its own little
raised bed so it doesn't go anywhere else, because pretty
soon you'll have mint everywhere.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Is a mint?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Nepa is a cat mint and that's only but.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
It is classified as a mint.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh, yes, it's a mint. Yes. And I would.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Grow basil because that makes beautiful basil mojitos and I
love basil mohitos. And then you should also grow rhubarb,
which is not a herb, but rubarbar.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
Is a bit huh really for a cocktail?
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Yeah, rubart?
Speaker 4 (17:54):
Oh is that what aparls made out of.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yes, that's what's apparrels made out of it. And you
can see you're somehow you're remembering something.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
Well, I'm not driving, but rubarb.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I love rubarbi and oh I love rubarbi.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
So what how do you prepare rubarb for a cocktail?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
I mean you stew it with sugar and little water
and then you strain it and you have that syrup
and that makes it makes delicious drinks that will make
a really good to margarita.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
And I had one the other night. I was salt
basil mint.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Time is also good if you will you know time well,
you know in a bloody mary you can put time
if you want, and you know the sprig of rosemary
is nice and you can make you can find a
use for pretty much any herb in your garden for
a cocktail.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
Good question. Okay, meet some Hi.
Speaker 10 (18:46):
So I actually interviewed you on Threads with my interview
series Loose Threads, and you talked about your book for
the first time. But I would just like to know.
I think gardening, much like recipe defining, and the trial
and araa that goes into that, uh, is kind of
the same as gardening. So I want to know, is
there any gardening trial and era that you've discovered that
you've you know, messed up on and you improved things yesterday?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Every day every day you just every day you do
something wrong and have to correct it.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
You really do. I don't anymore because I'm now I'm perfect.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
But Matt Matt OReGO, he's he just joined our little
team up in Bedford from the New York Botanical Garden.
But he went through the whole professional gardener's school at
the New York Botanical Garden and came highly recommended.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
But yesterday he.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Was planting a lot of expensive plants that I had bought,
perennials that I had bought at the Trade Secrets, and.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
He was not watering them as he put them in
the holes that he prepared.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
He prepared nice holes for them and took I saw
him take them out of the the pots nicely, but
he did not water them because he probably thought, well,
it's going to rain.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
And you know what, that is not a substitute.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
It is not a substitute for watering as you plant.
I mean, my father would have killed me if I
hadn't watered every plant.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Water your plants as you plant.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I mean, there's drink rules that you have to follow
and and they're important rules, and you want success. And
no feeding and no drink and no watering is is
akin to you not eating or drinking for a long time.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
I think people who aren't thinking assume that plants are
somewhat self sufficient, and they're not there.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
They are not and and and that's really the no
watering or overwatering or overfeeding or not feeding really is
torture to a plant. And I hate torture, right, And
I think I think if you think that way, it's
good think that way.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
I don't think a lot of people think that I
ate or I drank today, and so should the plant.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
So it's a good it's a good way.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
It is a good it's a good way. It is
a good good thing.
Speaker 5 (20:52):
I think there's a there's a false level of security
that plants take care of themselves, and they don't, especially
if they're potted. I've noticed because I I live in
New York and I have a terrace.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
And I get all his dying plants.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
I am.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
I am one of the largest contributors to the Marthas collection.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
My greenhouse is about maybe maybe a quarter full of
Kevin's failures failure anyway, which come back nicely as they
are fed and watered.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Correct. Okay, So the next question is, Oh, it's from you.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Hi, Hi, still Emily good. Can you help me understand
partial son? I live in northern California, and I live
in a little canyon, and I cannot, for the life
and may figure out how much sun I actually have?
And how do you know what is like a lot
of partial sun or.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
A little partial definition of what it means?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Well, like, how do you figure it out in your yard?
You know? Shadows?
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Okay, Okay, yeah, you can figure it out with the
shadows and you can time it. So when there's no sun, start,
you know, just start. Why don't you start with the
sun first? This place, Oh, there's a sudden there's sunlight
on the ground and it makes a shadow. Okay, but
you're standing right there. Then follow the sun and measure
(22:05):
how many hours is the that area is sunny.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Just you can do that.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Well, I've never actually heard anybody say shadows like that,
honestly that I'm hearing it that for the first time.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
That actually makes sense.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
If you have shadows, yeah that's a shady garden. But
if there are no shadows and its bright sun, it's
a sunny garden.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
But you can see see.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
With the movement of the the you know, the earth
is rotating around the sun.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
In your Instagram the other day, you you were talking
about the hosta garden. Martha has these metasachoias. Yeah, shade
that are underplanted with hostas. And you mentioned dappled light
and partial shade. I didn't know exactly. I mean, I
know what dappled light means, because you know, when you're
a stylist and stuff like that, and you're working with photographers,
(22:50):
you have to know what that is. But until partial
shade is kind of ambiguous, and that can mean different
things to different people. So to hear shadows that kind
of makes it simple defies it, which I think is
really helpful.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Okay, good Bill, I'm glad you learned something heaven I did.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
The next question comes from Threads, so I'm gonna read
this is Jack Gimmes and it said, what's the best
way to revive a basil plant that has seen some
things and would prefer not to talk about it.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
But basil plants, if you allow them to go to flower,
which is, you know, basically on its way to being
going to seed, they get weak, They get weak and leggy,
and you cut off the you know, you cut it
down and see if it re sprouts.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
If that will save your basil.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
When you say cut it down, like cut it.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Down halfway, just try it halfway? Yes, And we just
remember basil is an annual. It's not going to grow forever.
So that means it's one one year old, one season.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
Oh, this is our young Gravy so you know him
from mister Clean hit song mister Clean.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
But he's got a question for you.
Speaker 11 (23:58):
Hey, baby, it's young gravy, Martha, I miss you, just
wondering favorite flowers.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Three flowers, my three favorite then he's going to send
them to me.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
I don't want them to be strategic strategic.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
He came to my house. He had never seen the
Kentucky Derby. His his his producer lives around the corner.
So then he sent him over to my house to
see the Kentucky Derby there, and you.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Know we were there, Yeah, I remember, And I made him.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
I made him my special mint jewels and everything got
so drunk. And and he's very, very very tall.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Remember how tall he is.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
So what are your three favorite flowers?
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Three favorite flowers at present?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
It's the tree peony as opposed to the arbacious and
the herbaceous Paoni's number two, Yeah right now, because that's
what's the And the Martha Stewart rose, which is in
full bloom excellent.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
Okay, all right, okay, young Grady mar Rose for everybody
who doesn't know it.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
A rose grower wanted to name this.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
He gave me actually a choice of different roses, and
I chose this beautiful pink center fol of.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Your rose based on what why did you choose that scent?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Very beautifully scented, beautiful color pink sort of fading into
a kind of an orange yellow in the center. And uh,
it's full and beautiful and strong and glossy leaves and
it just as a beautiful rose bush.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
So I finally got my got.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It color scent?
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And what's the third color scent? And strength?
Speaker 4 (25:31):
Strength?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Yes, and it blooms a lot.
Speaker 7 (25:47):
Hi and Ali, so good to meet you. You're an icon.
Thank you for being such an inspiration. I wanted to
ask you. You know you have a lot of neighbors.
You've talked about them today. Has any neighbor had such
obscene landscaping and gardening that you've had to say something
or just go?
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Have you done it yourself?
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Oh? I live in a kind of farmy area Bedford.
Bedford's kind of casual and but behind the walls it's
not so casual.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
And I have friends who.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Have exquisite formal gardens, and it's it's outside the walls.
You don't know what's coming down the driveway and that anyway,
I wouldn't ever comment.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
On somebody's guard. I just encourage, I do. I encourage theming.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Like one man down the road on Route twenty two,
last year, he had a display of daffodils along outside
his stone wall that were so beautiful and Forcythia behind them,
and I stopped to take.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Pictures, and he came out of his house. What are
you doing? And I just said, I was so beautiful here.
I just want you to want you to know. And
he was.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
So happy, you know, because you know, he did it
not just for it for himself, but he was doing
it for the neighborhood too, and I thought that was
really nice.
Speaker 5 (27:02):
We were just Martha and I were just at a
fundraiser not that long ago, and Ralph Lauren's son in
law was speaking to me, and he didn't he Martha
wasn't part of the conversation. He said, you know what,
I just the best part of my day every day
is he lives next door to Martha. And he said
when I jog up and Martha had this year has
(27:23):
planted the outside of her walls with hundreds of thousands
of small bults, and he said, my day starts off
on the best possible start.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Because that's nice.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
She put that out there, and I made I dragged
him over to her, and I was like, you have
to tell her what you just told me because a
lot of thought and effort goes into that.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
So Kayla, Hi, my name is.
Speaker 9 (27:43):
Kayla Star Simmons, and my question for you is, what's
one gardening tip that you think every beginner should know?
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Well, know your limits and don't be over ambitious to starch.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
That's true, but.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Maybe it's one because people sometimes get so enthusiastic and
they'll go to the home depot and they'll buy everything
in sight, and then it'll all sit in the garage
or in the basement and never get used.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
So start by reading a book like this.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
And I don't mean to promote that so much, but
it's a good book and it.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Will really encourage you.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
So do that first and then and then you'll you'll see,
you know, what what areas you might be encouraged to
to pursue.
Speaker 5 (28:24):
It's interesting to hear you say give that advice, because
I've heard you say in multiple areas, whether it's like
throwing a dinner party or something like that, you always say,
understand where you're at before you get to where your
potential is. But you can't read.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
I know, it's like.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Really good for well, No, I mean, I've heard this
before and it's really interesting because it just helps you
understand where you could get to. If you understand where
you're at, it's nice anyway. The next one is, uh,
I can't believe.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Malibu, Barbie, Malibu Barbie.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
What is your best advice for taking care of rose bushes?
Speaker 8 (29:06):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (29:06):
This is good considering we're.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Talking about well that too.
Speaker 6 (29:09):
You know.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Read the chapter on roses and learn learn how to
take care if you're going to plant roses, learn how
to take care of them. Learn what magnesium sulfate or
ebs and salts are going to do for your rose.
Understand what rose tone is. Understand do you have to
spray or don't you have to spray? Where should you
put them in the shade, in the canyon or maybe
(29:32):
in the sunny spot? You have to know and so
before you start anything like that. And things are not
inexpensive nowadays gardening has become so popular and prices have.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Gone way way up.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
You know, a rose bush can cost you one hundred
dollars and you don't want it to die. You want
you want to take care of it. So no know
what it entails before you go in.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
And it's not particularly complicated.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
All you just have to know you got it.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
I did a TV show with Martha and part one
of the segments was we were actually planting one of
Martha's rose gardens and understanding what bear root is and
the technique of how you plant it and the gully
around it and all that was.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Really it's a remarkable thing.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
Okay, this is great for anybody who loves vander Pump Rules.
We have a video question from Stacy.
Speaker 12 (30:23):
Hi, Queen Martha, it's Stasi. I know we don't know
each other yet, but this is very exciting for me,
and I have a question for you. I am newly
in my gardening era and I wanted to know what
you think The most low maintenance plant is early flower.
(30:43):
That would make me look like I have my together.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Thank you. That's I don't know where she lives.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
I don't know she lives in California.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
She does, I would assume because she's on that show us.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
Oh that's easy. Yeah, it's not a flower, but I mean,
but succulence have flowers flower?
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Say if if she's in California where there is a
water shortage, and you're a beginner, succulents are such.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
So if a succulent succulent flowers. Does that mean is
that like its version of going to see.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
They're not dying.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
It might be dying. It might be going answer the
next phase. That doesn't mean going to see. It might
be that it's sending out the babies underneath. Succulents usually
multiply that way by sending sending.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
So there's an opportunity to propagate.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Yeah, this is another from another audience member.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Are you Harry, I'm Harry.
Speaker 11 (31:35):
My question for you is if you could be any
gardening tool, which one would you be? And why this
is a loaded question you have.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
Let's see, I guess I would be a horry horry.
What he said, Let's see here.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
I'll show you back up, I'll show you what is
this is a horry hurry.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
I would be a horry hurry because this digs, so
that's very useful. It cuts with the serrated edge, and
you can scarify anything. When you have a root ball
and you want to loosen the roots, you scarify with
this grat. Yes, this will also cut a rootball. And
you can divide plants. So say you have a hostile
(32:23):
plant that has like four four eyes on it, you
can cut it nicely with that and.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
You can kill someone with this you ask this stupid question.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
You can also.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
That that's a really it's called hor hory, which means
dig dig.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
You can also get it a QBC and it has
a bottle opener on it too, so if you need
a bottle of beer while you're gardening, it's there.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
All my gardeners carry this in the holster. It comes
with a holster which is missing from their self.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Oh. The other, the other really great tool I might.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
As well is this. This is otherwise known as a
tomato knife. You know, a little serrated knie that really
spices tomatoes so nicely.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
But I had found that if I have.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
A lot of agave's, tropical agovi's are gigantic and you
cannot cut those agave leaves with anything but this, and
you just itus right through those heavy, heavy leaves.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
And so I now love this tool.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
And anything, any big, heavy leafed plant can be cut
with this.
Speaker 5 (33:29):
What people don't understand is like in agave looks like
a giant succulent for someone who doesn't know, and if
you're trying to cut through those leaves, you think it's
going to be a smooth cut, but it's actually not,
which is why they call it a tomato knife because,
and I remember distinctly when this happened, Martha was putting
in a succulent in one of her faux block planters,
not unlike what you see here, which you can also
(33:51):
buy a QBC by the way, and Martha said, go
to the kitchen and get me a tomato knie, because
the leaves had been sort of damaged in transport. And
I didn't know what a tomato knife was first will
at the time, but I went into the kitchen, I asked,
and they told me, and I got it, and I
brought it out and she just sliced right through it,
cutting through a tomato. You know, a tomato has a
(34:12):
very thin, delicate skin, and if you want a clean cut,
you need a really sharp blade, serrated and so that
does that. So it's not just a silly, you know whatever,
lofty garden tool. It's actually practical and it really does
make a difference. So I'm glad we asked about that.
So Peter's question was I want to plant a pair
(34:32):
espalier in my garden. What is the best condition for
them in terms of light and placement and soil, and
is it worth it but before you answer the question,
I would ask that this is me adding on to it.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Explain what an espalier is, because.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Not everybody else is a tortured tree that is pruned
to resemble something other than it is. So it usually
is a trunk and then they take the chew bottom
bottom branches and they they they it's basically tortury and
they force them outwards with a bamboo.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
So you're manipulating it.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Yeah, you're manipulating the shape of a tree. Then you can,
and they're very complicated, and then the leader of the tree,
then the next branch goes this way, and the next
branch goes that way.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
So that's just a simple espy.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
And then you can get much more complicated and take
branches go up and you can make them they can
you can make them go this way.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
You can do all kinds of things in an er.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
But was the intention to actually sun sun full sun
more if you want to if you're raising it.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
For for fruit, always to maximize.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
So to answer his questions, so, what are the what's
the conditions in terms of light and placement and soil?
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, sunny, sunny, rich soil. Okay, right, orchard tree got it.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Are those Asian pairs that I have? No, I mean
I put I put a.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Beautiful by a whole row of these sys right to
block off the goose yard in my in my garden,
and it's so pretty there, and.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
With them on my apartment outside, and they took and
all that.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
Yeah, filled chill is the next question from the threat.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
I have a few buckets planted with tomatoes. What would
be a good way to keep that soil fertile.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
By feeding it with what food?
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Like miracle grow and and you can add compost every year, okay,
compost or rich organic potting soil.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
So do people use coffee grinds for what?
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Not?
Speaker 2 (36:30):
For that? Don't don't do that.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Roses those are for that's for acidic loving plants, and
you don't. You don't want to and you don't want
your garden to smell like coffee. Use the use the
coffee grounds in the autumn and to enrich some of
your soil if if you have acid loving shrubbery or something.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
Okay, so miracle grow for tomatoes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
It works really well. Okay, the organic miracle grow.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
Okay, Podma has a question, Martha.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
It's Padma Lashni and My question is what edibles do
you recommend to plant when someone doesn't have a lot
of space, like if they're living in an apartment in
New York City, if they only have pots or window troughs,
or maybe they have limited space, so.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
Edible flowers, and it is best if you if you
have this pension for serving people flowers instead of real food,
you can That was.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Just so you know.
Speaker 5 (37:23):
That was code for Mark that does not think that's
a good idea.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
It's you can. You can grow nestershams.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
They're very nice and they need full sun and you
can eat the leaves of Nestersham and they're selling them
in the stores now, but you can get a whole
little box of Nestersham leaves.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
But I never buy. I never buy.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
I've never seen you serve anything that has.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
One thing that I do serve, and it's usually in
a drink, is boradge flowers, right, because they're bright blue.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
It's one of the few really true blue flowers.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
And they're also they're just pretty and they look like
blue stars and comes from a plant called borage, which
is a herb.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
But I don't really like putting a lot of flowers
in my salon. And stuff. I just think it's kind
of contrived.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
It's also a little on set.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
And I use herb leaves, I use basil leaves, I
use parsley leaves, I use coriander leaves, I use time these.
I use all the leaves of the herbs, which really
add a lot of fabulous flavor for a salad.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
And the flowers don't taste so good. I mean, they
really don't.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
I don't think people want this.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
I don't think they're like incentivized to eat a flower
like I wouldn't want to eat a marigold.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Thank you so much for your great questions today, and
special thanks to Threads and Meta for hosting this lovely
garden party which should have been outside, but of course
the weather is non precording. Be sure to follow me
on Threads at Martha's Stewart forty eight. That's my personal instagram.
There is another Martha Stewart Instagram also, which gives you
(38:55):
lots more retro stuff. Mine's the real thing. The forty eight,
all
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Right, is a lie.
Hello, Hello, Hello, this is incredible. They're literally packed to
the walls. I'm Emily Dalton Smith. I lead the threads up,
and I am delighted that we get to have Martha
Stewart here for an event with us talking about gardening,
which is one of my favorite topics. I have a
burning question for later, but we have an incredible room
(00:27):
of influencers and creators, which is so fitting since Martha
is the original influencer and I think has influenced all
of us. And she published her one hundred first book,
The Spring Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook, which is an encompassing
how to guide for the beginner to the advanced gardener,
(00:50):
so we're very excited to get to talk about that.
She's also more recently added the Martha Stewart Podcast to
her empire, where she talks to guests like Pamela Anderson
and and Glenn Powell. And we're just so lucky to
have her here as our guest today, answering our gardening
questions live here and teaching us how to hone our
green thumb. So thank you Martha very much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
So I wanted to thank Emily for introducing us.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
That was very nice, and I also want to thank
Errett Gottessman and all of my friends here at Threads
and at Meta for hosting this garden party and live podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I've been an avid.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
User of Threads since it launched, and I've also been
a very avid user of Instagram since twenty thirteen.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
I'm happy to be.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Here today talking about my new book, Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook,
and answering your questions about gardening.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
And to help me.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Here is the chief creative officer for my company, who
is also my friend, Kevin Sharky.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
So Kevin, if you've read.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
The magazine or know anything about me, Kevin's very close
friend as well as colleague and work together for how
many years.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
We're going on thirty two?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Only thirty two years more than half his life.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Sadly, only about a third of my life.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Not half of my happy life. So we're here talking
about one hundred and one books or the one hundred things,
only only about this book.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
Just came back, literally, I came back yesterday from Dubai.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And why were you in Dubai?
Speaker 5 (02:27):
I was in Dubai because Martha is opening stores in Dubai.
Freestanding Stewart stores, first time ever.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
We're super exciting. But it's not just Dubai. It's all
over the GCC. So pretty soon there were going to
be stores everywhere with Martha Stewart's name on the Wow.
Very excited.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
But anyway, somebody asked me while I was there, how
does Martha spend all of her time? And I said, well, Martha,
she were here, she would tell you that cooking is
her job, but gardening is her passion.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Well, I have been gardening since I was since I
can remember when it's about three years old, and father
Dad big ed. He would put me out in the
garden with a little tan cultivator and a little shovel
and actually there were no children's tools in those days,
and you had the big, heavy adult shovel in the
(03:27):
adult cultivator and a screwdriver to weed the little cobblestone
path that he had built in our little fifth of
an acre garden.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
We lived in Nottley, New Jersey.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
I got my first Blue ribbon when I was in
sixth grade for a lily I grew at the at
the Milk the Nutley Garden, a big pink lily.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
It was so pretty.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I just did one stem with it had actually had
about seven lilies on it.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So your dad you start.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
Your dad started your journey with gardening and with Alexis.
I know that you used to play this game.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
We made songs up of the Latin names of all
the plants. This is my Alexis and my daughter and
we had a little cottage in the Berkshires on fifty
acres where we gardened every single moment that we could.
And I had beautiful little I had visited Williamsburg and
I loved the Williamsburg gardens with the brick paths, and
I recycled a lot of old bricks up in Massachusetts,
(04:20):
and I built my paths and planted all the Williamsburg
y kind of gardens.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
It was very pretty.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
And Jude and Truman you also taught them how to garden.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
And Martha's grandchildren, yeah, the two New York grandchildren who
do grow a lot of things. And Jude has windowsills
filled with she steals with that she asks, but she
also takes.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Small, perfect curiates, the perfect.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Plants for my greenhouse. They all have to be small
kind of miniature plants. And she has up matching clay
pots on her windowsill, all with the perfect saucers underneath,
and every plant is meticulously cared for. And she's going
to be my gardener, and she's inheriting the farm because
she's already I've already put her name on the wheel
because she she has that, she has, she has the
(05:08):
gardening bug. We have been picking really virtually pounds and
pounds and pounds of asparagus from my new raised bid
garden which we established last year, and that the asparagus patch.
If you read about asparagus is growing, you will know
that it really once you get the big asparagus roots
and you get the mail order generally, or you can
(05:31):
probably find them at home depot and stuff, and three
or four in a bag. You plant them and they
tell you to wait for three years before you start
harvesting so that the roots can get established.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
So I called up mister Spear last year. Mister Spear is.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
In California and the northern California, and he supplies me
with my special asparagus and my special artichokes for Easter,
and I said, do you have any extra roots? And
he sent me roots about this big. Each root was
that big, and so now and it's this ninety foot
long asparagus bed. I have been harvesting so many second year.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
But if you're a normal person, I'm a normal person,
you're not an I am.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
And my initial bed that I have in my old
flower garden at Bedford, Bedford's my farm in Bedford. It's
about fifty miles from here. It's a beautiful one hundred
and fifty six acre farm right there in Bedford, Katona
Cross River.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
It's all a little town. And I tested all the
soil when I moved there, remember that. And the first
thing I planted was.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
An asparagus bed, and that is still very prolific. So
that's twenty that's about twenty three years later. I am
getting great asparagus from that garden. Even though that that
asparagus bed is now taken over by flowers for the
most part, it's still producing asparagus, all right.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
So we have a bunch of questions here that we
can jump into. The first one is from one of
our favorites, Seth Myers from Late Night. He wrote a.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Question he did well, he has a person that he's
going to We're going to look at it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
I've been on Seth Meyers Show so many times, and.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
We had him on the Gardening Show to remember that.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Well.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, and he came and stayed the night he lived.
He stayed in the hayloft, and his parents stayed in
the guest house.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
And his brother is also and his brother is also.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, they were such nice guests.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Hey, Martha, I have a question.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
What is the worst insect to see in your garden?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Oh, that's a very good question, answer off air. Okay,
that's a very very good question. Now, two years ago,
the ash beetle came and it's a very terrible and
it has killed every ash tree in the Northeast.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
That's why you have a bird sanctuary.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Now, yes, because we had to cut down all the
ash trees because they are all dead.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
It's the ash borr and it is horrible.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Green beech a climbs up underneath the bark and loosens
all the bark and kills the tree. And we're not
going to have any more baseball bats. Did you notice
that the Yankees have this new bat that's kind of
a different shape. They're trying to make bats out of
other kind of wood.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Now, I bet people didn't know that baseball bats were
made out of ashwood.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Yes, now there is another insect that is is attacking
and killing the massive beach trees, all the American beach
trees and the European beach trees. So you know that
whole grove of beach trees and you got to take
a look at them next week when you go up
to the farm. Not good, and I'm taking I'm trying
to take care of them by injecting the roots with
(08:39):
all kinds of different foods. Oh yeah, but we don't spray.
We're in an organic farm, so you know, there's nothing
to kill these these terrible invasive bugs.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
But and nobody knows.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
What to do for the beach so what's okay?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
So that's bad?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
And so that those are the sa to answer your question,
it's anything that is killing of things.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
I can put up with a butterfly, it's that's a bug,
but it doesn't really hurt anything.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Put up with most people of flies. I can put
up with a tolerate.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
I could put up with all the pollinators very nicely,
but but I can't put up with things that are
killing trees.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
Okay, what was that bug that it looked like a
prehistoric animal prey man?
Speaker 4 (09:24):
No, not that I like them.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
No, the one that was in the vegetable garden when
it was up where the flower gart is.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Now, what was that thing?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
It was like, Oh, that's that's a vowle. That's I
don't know what. That's a rodent. Oh, they're different from insects.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Okay, you know you should know what a bowl is.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
I thought a bowl was like a squirrel.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
No, it's like a mole that lives under the ground.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Okay, that I did not know. Oh, we have questions
from the audience, So if you want to ask Martha
a question to make sure you identify yourself. First of all, all.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Right, Talia, this is this is thank you very much.
Speaker 6 (10:00):
Hi.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
How are you Hi? I'm fine, Thank you.
Speaker 7 (10:05):
I'm right that.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
My question is for Martha.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Are there any overlooked gardening tasks that you think people
should embrace more, especially ones that bring unexpected joy.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Overlooked gardening tasks? Well, I think it depends on where
you live and what kind of garden you have.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You sort of have to find your niche.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
If you're a city dweller, the windowsill is a very
nice place to grow certain things.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
The terrace is very nice.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
I do not suggest fire escapes because of danger and congestion.
You don't want to block people's egress or your own
or your ingress in case you want people to use
your fire escape, you know. But everywhere I think that
your love of gardening just develops. You You see something
and you think, oh my gosh, I want to have that.
(10:53):
Visiting botanical gardens, I think is a very nice way
to learn what you like and what you don't like.
Visiting fair We just went to a fair on Sunday.
I had a gardening book book signing up at the
Lime Rock Lime Rock Racetrack up in Connecticut. And they
also have Trade Secrets, which is a charitable organization up
(11:16):
there that raises money for battered women and homeless women.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And it's their twenty fifth anniversary and I've gone to this.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
They attract thousands and thousands of people every year because
they also attract the best plants men in the Northeast
and people from all over the country actually come to
this wonderful Trade Secrets fair. Lots of garden antiques, but
mostly wonderful plants. So you learn a lot when you
(11:44):
go to something like that, and they develop, as I say,
your own taste level for different kinds of things. If
you're gonna you love pumpkins, and you need a little
bit more land to grow some pumpkins, but you can grow.
Once you grow one kind of pumpkin, then you get
sort of like the bite and again that you get bitten,
and you want to grow every kind of pumpkin.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
And that's what happened to me.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
I just started to grow everything, and I do grow
pretty much everything I want to grow now.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
One hundred and fifty six acreds. You have a plenty
of skras.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I have plenty of room to grow things. I just
need a few.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
More one hundred gardeners to maintain it all. Maybe there
are some contenders here in the audience, all right, So
thank you Talia for that question.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
So we have a one from Eddie there.
Speaker 8 (12:28):
Eddie, I got a house recently upstate, about two years ago.
I ran a restaurant here in the city, so I'm
hardly upstate, but I left to garden, and I wanted
to see what three things are easy to garden, like
vegetables that don't need as much tender and care because
I'm not up there all the time.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Oh, so, ruth crops, root crops, are crops that grow
under the ground, like beets, like onions, like carsnips, carrots,
celariac or anything that is, you know, a hearty vegetable
that withstand a little neglect.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
But I would also suggest.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
You know, put in putting in a few, you know,
really hardy tomato plants, so that you'll have those on
the weekends when you go up there.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Do you go up every weekend? Oh? You wish you? Oh?
Once a month? Oh?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
So I stick stick to the hardy root crops, I think.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
And uh.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
And also berries, because when you get up there you
can pick blueberries or you can pick raspberries.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
I have every kind of berry imaginable.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Now right, you net them?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
No?
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Because I have a lot of birdberries, aren't they Well?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Sometimes this year I was thinking of not because last
year we got so many bloberries. I thought maybe they
could share with the cards, you could share, you know.
And this year, this year, I have such a crop
of strawberries.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Where is it a green point? That's nice?
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Don't crow lettuce, don't grow anything that grows real fast,
and you will never you know, you will never see
the rabbits will eat it before you get there.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
All right, Next one I'm supposed to read this one.
This actually is from our other friend. This is from Serena,
Serena Williams.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You have to say her last name. Nobody knows we
know Serena.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I just assume I say Serena. You know what I'm talking.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Serena and I were in a movie together. Remember I
remember that, that stupid little movie.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
I do remember. I do remember Serena's fun.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Neither of us made it as actresses.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
You've compensated in other ways.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Okay, Serena says, I've had a hard time growing carrots.
They always come out of the ground small and misshapen.
What am I doing wrong?
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Well, I think that Serena is not preparing her soil appropriately. See,
you have to double dig, double dig your soil.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
So what does that mean? I know what that means.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
But okay, you take.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Out the first shovel and put it over here, take
out another shovel and put it over here. Then you
take this shovel and put it in back in the ground.
Mix it with a little bit of sand. If you
want to grow the best carrots a little bit of sand.
You need to lighten up your soil and get all
the clumps out, and you have to really cultivate it nicely.
Then put your other top soiled back in and then
(15:01):
plant your carrots. You will have and and raised bid
would solve the problem if she would only make all
raised bids because all the soil is fresh, so.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
You have to double dig I know you don't have
to because.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
It's a brand new soil.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
When you when you make your raizor bids, you make
them out of wood or brick or stone. Ryan Murphy
just did the most beautiful race, gorgeous in my neighborhood.
Of course he has to come in and watching.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
You be jealous for me to see that.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I can hardly house now. And he put like as
big as this room is vegable. He has an eight
foot wall made out of stone, and then every bed
is stone about this high.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Stone walls of every bed.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
King Charles doesn't have a garden like that.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
He has a pretty nice one.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Remember that beautiful garden. But he doesn't have it's pretty nice.
It's what's the name of that place that he lives in.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Is double digging specific to carrots or is that just
in general with vegetables you need to know about double da.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Oh, then you're you're all set.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
He's a success.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
And you could also if you're worried about varmits and
put a little wire around, you know, a little chicken
wire or anything.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Okay, we have another question.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
This one's from Jenna Bush.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Where did all these celebrities come from? Martha, I'm an
amateur gardener.
Speaker 9 (16:26):
I'm really obsessed with the cutting of the flowers and
I'm ranging. One thing that I'm thinking about is starting
an herb or vegetable garden. What herbs should I grow
to make the best cocktails?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Well, first of all, you should should learn how to
say herb.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
Okay, okay, okay, one second, hold on, hold on, So
explain that because people come.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
To say herbert. Do you when you talk to your
friend herb, you say herb?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
So who got the idea.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
That herbs were herbs? You have to say herb. That's
the appropriate wate look it off. It's it's the English pronunciation.
Speaker 5 (17:04):
So, but I doesn't say herb when they leave this room, jets.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So, so, oh, there's mint. First of all, mint, but make.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Which is easy to grow?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Well, it's it's rampant and it's invasive. And so make sure.
I was going to just tell her to make sure
you put it in the spot, in its own little
raised bed so it doesn't go anywhere else, because pretty
soon you'll have mint everywhere.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Is a mint?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Nepa is a cat mint and that's only but.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
It is classified as a mint.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh, yes, it's a mint. Yes. And I would.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Grow basil because that makes beautiful basil mojitos and I
love basil mohitos. And then you should also grow rhubarb,
which is not a herb, but rubarbar.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
Is a bit huh really for a cocktail?
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Yeah, rubart?
Speaker 4 (17:54):
Oh is that what aparls made out of.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yes, that's what's apparrels made out of it. And you
can see you're somehow you're remembering something.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
Well, I'm not driving, but rubarb.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I love rubarbi and oh I love rubarbi.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
So what how do you prepare rubarb for a cocktail?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
I mean you stew it with sugar and little water
and then you strain it and you have that syrup
and that makes it makes delicious drinks that will make
a really good to margarita.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
And I had one the other night. I was salt
basil mint.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Time is also good if you will you know time well,
you know in a bloody mary you can put time
if you want, and you know the sprig of rosemary
is nice and you can make you can find a
use for pretty much any herb in your garden for
a cocktail.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
Good question. Okay, meet some Hi.
Speaker 10 (18:46):
So I actually interviewed you on Threads with my interview
series Loose Threads, and you talked about your book for
the first time. But I would just like to know.
I think gardening, much like recipe defining, and the trial
and araa that goes into that, uh, is kind of
the same as gardening. So I want to know, is
there any gardening trial and era that you've discovered that
you've you know, messed up on and you improved things yesterday?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Every day every day you just every day you do
something wrong and have to correct it.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
You really do. I don't anymore because I'm now I'm perfect.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
But Matt Matt OReGO, he's he just joined our little
team up in Bedford from the New York Botanical Garden.
But he went through the whole professional gardener's school at
the New York Botanical Garden and came highly recommended.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
But yesterday he.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Was planting a lot of expensive plants that I had bought,
perennials that I had bought at the Trade Secrets, and.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
He was not watering them as he put them in
the holes that he prepared.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
He prepared nice holes for them and took I saw
him take them out of the the pots nicely, but
he did not water them because he probably thought, well,
it's going to rain.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
And you know what, that is not a substitute.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
It is not a substitute for watering as you plant.
I mean, my father would have killed me if I
hadn't watered every plant.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Water your plants as you plant.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I mean, there's drink rules that you have to follow
and and they're important rules, and you want success. And
no feeding and no drink and no watering is is
akin to you not eating or drinking for a long time.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
I think people who aren't thinking assume that plants are
somewhat self sufficient, and they're not there.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
They are not and and and that's really the no
watering or overwatering or overfeeding or not feeding really is
torture to a plant. And I hate torture, right, And
I think I think if you think that way, it's
good think that way.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
I don't think a lot of people think that I
ate or I drank today, and so should the plant.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
So it's a good it's a good way.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
It is a good it's a good way. It is
a good good thing.
Speaker 5 (20:52):
I think there's a there's a false level of security
that plants take care of themselves, and they don't, especially
if they're potted. I've noticed because I I live in
New York and I have a terrace.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
And I get all his dying plants.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
I am.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
I am one of the largest contributors to the Marthas collection.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
My greenhouse is about maybe maybe a quarter full of
Kevin's failures failure anyway, which come back nicely as they
are fed and watered.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Correct. Okay, So the next question is, Oh, it's from you.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Hi, Hi, still Emily good. Can you help me understand
partial son? I live in northern California, and I live
in a little canyon, and I cannot, for the life
and may figure out how much sun I actually have?
And how do you know what is like a lot
of partial sun or.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
A little partial definition of what it means?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Well, like, how do you figure it out in your yard?
You know? Shadows?
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Okay, Okay, yeah, you can figure it out with the
shadows and you can time it. So when there's no sun, start,
you know, just start. Why don't you start with the
sun first? This place, Oh, there's a sudden there's sunlight
on the ground and it makes a shadow. Okay, but
you're standing right there. Then follow the sun and measure
(22:05):
how many hours is the that area is sunny.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Just you can do that.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Well, I've never actually heard anybody say shadows like that,
honestly that I'm hearing it that for the first time.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
That actually makes sense.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
If you have shadows, yeah that's a shady garden. But
if there are no shadows and its bright sun, it's
a sunny garden.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
But you can see see.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
With the movement of the the you know, the earth
is rotating around the sun.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
In your Instagram the other day, you you were talking
about the hosta garden. Martha has these metasachoias. Yeah, shade
that are underplanted with hostas. And you mentioned dappled light
and partial shade. I didn't know exactly. I mean, I
know what dappled light means, because you know, when you're
a stylist and stuff like that, and you're working with photographers,
(22:50):
you have to know what that is. But until partial
shade is kind of ambiguous, and that can mean different
things to different people. So to hear shadows that kind
of makes it simple defies it, which I think is
really helpful.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Okay, good Bill, I'm glad you learned something heaven I did.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
The next question comes from Threads, so I'm gonna read
this is Jack Gimmes and it said, what's the best
way to revive a basil plant that has seen some
things and would prefer not to talk about it.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
But basil plants, if you allow them to go to flower,
which is, you know, basically on its way to being
going to seed, they get weak, They get weak and leggy,
and you cut off the you know, you cut it
down and see if it re sprouts.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
If that will save your basil.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
When you say cut it down, like cut it.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Down halfway, just try it halfway? Yes, And we just
remember basil is an annual. It's not going to grow forever.
So that means it's one one year old, one season.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
Oh, this is our young Gravy so you know him
from mister Clean hit song mister Clean.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
But he's got a question for you.
Speaker 11 (23:58):
Hey, baby, it's young gravy, Martha, I miss you, just
wondering favorite flowers.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Three flowers, my three favorite then he's going to send
them to me.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
I don't want them to be strategic strategic.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
He came to my house. He had never seen the
Kentucky Derby. His his his producer lives around the corner.
So then he sent him over to my house to
see the Kentucky Derby there, and you.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Know we were there, Yeah, I remember, And I made him.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
I made him my special mint jewels and everything got
so drunk. And and he's very, very very tall.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Remember how tall he is.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
So what are your three favorite flowers?
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Three favorite flowers at present?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
It's the tree peony as opposed to the arbacious and
the herbaceous Paoni's number two, Yeah right now, because that's
what's the And the Martha Stewart rose, which is in
full bloom excellent.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
Okay, all right, okay, young Grady mar Rose for everybody
who doesn't know it.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
A rose grower wanted to name this.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
He gave me actually a choice of different roses, and
I chose this beautiful pink center fol of.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Your rose based on what why did you choose that scent?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Very beautifully scented, beautiful color pink sort of fading into
a kind of an orange yellow in the center. And uh,
it's full and beautiful and strong and glossy leaves and
it just as a beautiful rose bush.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
So I finally got my got.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It color scent?
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And what's the third color scent? And strength?
Speaker 4 (25:31):
Strength?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Yes, and it blooms a lot.
Speaker 7 (25:47):
Hi and Ali, so good to meet you. You're an icon.
Thank you for being such an inspiration. I wanted to
ask you. You know you have a lot of neighbors.
You've talked about them today. Has any neighbor had such
obscene landscaping and gardening that you've had to say something
or just go?
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Have you done it yourself?
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Oh? I live in a kind of farmy area Bedford.
Bedford's kind of casual and but behind the walls it's
not so casual.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
And I have friends who.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Have exquisite formal gardens, and it's it's outside the walls.
You don't know what's coming down the driveway and that anyway,
I wouldn't ever comment.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
On somebody's guard. I just encourage, I do. I encourage theming.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Like one man down the road on Route twenty two,
last year, he had a display of daffodils along outside
his stone wall that were so beautiful and Forcythia behind them,
and I stopped to take.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Pictures, and he came out of his house. What are
you doing? And I just said, I was so beautiful here.
I just want you to want you to know. And
he was.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
So happy, you know, because you know, he did it
not just for it for himself, but he was doing
it for the neighborhood too, and I thought that was
really nice.
Speaker 5 (27:02):
We were just Martha and I were just at a
fundraiser not that long ago, and Ralph Lauren's son in
law was speaking to me, and he didn't he Martha
wasn't part of the conversation. He said, you know what,
I just the best part of my day every day
is he lives next door to Martha. And he said
when I jog up and Martha had this year has
(27:23):
planted the outside of her walls with hundreds of thousands
of small bults, and he said, my day starts off
on the best possible start.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Because that's nice.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
She put that out there, and I made I dragged
him over to her, and I was like, you have
to tell her what you just told me because a
lot of thought and effort goes into that.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
So Kayla, Hi, my name is.
Speaker 9 (27:43):
Kayla Star Simmons, and my question for you is, what's
one gardening tip that you think every beginner should know?
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Well, know your limits and don't be over ambitious to starch.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
That's true, but.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Maybe it's one because people sometimes get so enthusiastic and
they'll go to the home depot and they'll buy everything
in sight, and then it'll all sit in the garage
or in the basement and never get used.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
So start by reading a book like this.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
And I don't mean to promote that so much, but
it's a good book and it.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Will really encourage you.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
So do that first and then and then you'll you'll see,
you know, what what areas you might be encouraged to
to pursue.
Speaker 5 (28:24):
It's interesting to hear you say give that advice, because
I've heard you say in multiple areas, whether it's like
throwing a dinner party or something like that, you always say,
understand where you're at before you get to where your
potential is. But you can't read.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
I know, it's like.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Really good for well, No, I mean, I've heard this
before and it's really interesting because it just helps you
understand where you could get to. If you understand where
you're at, it's nice anyway. The next one is, uh,
I can't believe.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Malibu, Barbie, Malibu Barbie.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
What is your best advice for taking care of rose bushes?
Speaker 8 (29:06):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (29:06):
This is good considering we're.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Talking about well that too.
Speaker 6 (29:09):
You know.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Read the chapter on roses and learn learn how to
take care if you're going to plant roses, learn how
to take care of them. Learn what magnesium sulfate or
ebs and salts are going to do for your rose.
Understand what rose tone is. Understand do you have to
spray or don't you have to spray? Where should you
put them in the shade, in the canyon or maybe
(29:32):
in the sunny spot? You have to know and so
before you start anything like that. And things are not
inexpensive nowadays gardening has become so popular and prices have.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Gone way way up.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
You know, a rose bush can cost you one hundred
dollars and you don't want it to die. You want
you want to take care of it. So no know
what it entails before you go in.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
And it's not particularly complicated.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
All you just have to know you got it.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
I did a TV show with Martha and part one
of the segments was we were actually planting one of
Martha's rose gardens and understanding what bear root is and
the technique of how you plant it and the gully
around it and all that was.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Really it's a remarkable thing.
Speaker 5 (30:16):
Okay, this is great for anybody who loves vander Pump Rules.
We have a video question from Stacy.
Speaker 12 (30:23):
Hi, Queen Martha, it's Stasi. I know we don't know
each other yet, but this is very exciting for me,
and I have a question for you. I am newly
in my gardening era and I wanted to know what
you think The most low maintenance plant is early flower.
(30:43):
That would make me look like I have my together.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Thank you. That's I don't know where she lives.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
I don't know she lives in California.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
She does, I would assume because she's on that show us.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
Oh that's easy. Yeah, it's not a flower, but I mean,
but succulence have flowers flower?
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Say if if she's in California where there is a
water shortage, and you're a beginner, succulents are such.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
So if a succulent succulent flowers. Does that mean is
that like its version of going to see.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
They're not dying.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
It might be dying. It might be going answer the
next phase. That doesn't mean going to see. It might
be that it's sending out the babies underneath. Succulents usually
multiply that way by sending sending.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
So there's an opportunity to propagate.
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Yeah, this is another from another audience member.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Are you Harry, I'm Harry.
Speaker 11 (31:35):
My question for you is if you could be any
gardening tool, which one would you be? And why this
is a loaded question you have.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
Let's see, I guess I would be a horry horry.
What he said, Let's see here.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
I'll show you back up, I'll show you what is
this is a horry hurry.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
I would be a horry hurry because this digs, so
that's very useful. It cuts with the serrated edge, and
you can scarify anything. When you have a root ball
and you want to loosen the roots, you scarify with
this grat. Yes, this will also cut a rootball. And
you can divide plants. So say you have a hostile
(32:23):
plant that has like four four eyes on it, you
can cut it nicely with that and.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
You can kill someone with this you ask this stupid question.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
You can also.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
That that's a really it's called hor hory, which means
dig dig.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
You can also get it a QBC and it has
a bottle opener on it too, so if you need
a bottle of beer while you're gardening, it's there.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
All my gardeners carry this in the holster. It comes
with a holster which is missing from their self.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Oh. The other, the other really great tool I might.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
As well is this. This is otherwise known as a
tomato knife. You know, a little serrated knie that really
spices tomatoes so nicely.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
But I had found that if I have.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
A lot of agave's, tropical agovi's are gigantic and you
cannot cut those agave leaves with anything but this, and
you just itus right through those heavy, heavy leaves.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
And so I now love this tool.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
And anything, any big, heavy leafed plant can be cut
with this.
Speaker 5 (33:29):
What people don't understand is like in agave looks like
a giant succulent for someone who doesn't know, and if
you're trying to cut through those leaves, you think it's
going to be a smooth cut, but it's actually not,
which is why they call it a tomato knife because,
and I remember distinctly when this happened, Martha was putting
in a succulent in one of her faux block planters,
not unlike what you see here, which you can also
(33:51):
buy a QBC by the way, and Martha said, go
to the kitchen and get me a tomato knie, because
the leaves had been sort of damaged in transport. And
I didn't know what a tomato knife was first will
at the time, but I went into the kitchen, I asked,
and they told me, and I got it, and I
brought it out and she just sliced right through it,
cutting through a tomato. You know, a tomato has a
(34:12):
very thin, delicate skin, and if you want a clean cut,
you need a really sharp blade, serrated and so that
does that. So it's not just a silly, you know whatever,
lofty garden tool. It's actually practical and it really does
make a difference. So I'm glad we asked about that.
So Peter's question was I want to plant a pair
(34:32):
espalier in my garden. What is the best condition for
them in terms of light and placement and soil, and
is it worth it but before you answer the question,
I would ask that this is me adding on to it.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Explain what an espalier is, because.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Not everybody else is a tortured tree that is pruned
to resemble something other than it is. So it usually
is a trunk and then they take the chew bottom
bottom branches and they they they it's basically tortury and
they force them outwards with a bamboo.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
So you're manipulating it.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Yeah, you're manipulating the shape of a tree. Then you can,
and they're very complicated, and then the leader of the tree,
then the next branch goes this way, and the next
branch goes that way.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
So that's just a simple espy.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
And then you can get much more complicated and take
branches go up and you can make them they can
you can make them go this way.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
You can do all kinds of things in an er.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
But was the intention to actually sun sun full sun
more if you want to if you're raising it.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
For for fruit, always to maximize.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (35:37):
So to answer his questions, so, what are the what's
the conditions in terms of light and placement and soil?
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, sunny, sunny, rich soil. Okay, right, orchard tree got it.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Are those Asian pairs that I have? No, I mean
I put I put a.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Beautiful by a whole row of these sys right to
block off the goose yard in my in my garden,
and it's so pretty there, and.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
With them on my apartment outside, and they took and
all that.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
Yeah, filled chill is the next question from the threat.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
I have a few buckets planted with tomatoes. What would
be a good way to keep that soil fertile.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
By feeding it with what food?
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Like miracle grow and and you can add compost every year, okay,
compost or rich organic potting soil.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
So do people use coffee grinds for what?
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Not?
Speaker 2 (36:30):
For that? Don't don't do that.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Roses those are for that's for acidic loving plants, and
you don't. You don't want to and you don't want
your garden to smell like coffee. Use the use the
coffee grounds in the autumn and to enrich some of
your soil if if you have acid loving shrubbery or something.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
Okay, so miracle grow for tomatoes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
It works really well. Okay, the organic miracle grow.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
Okay, Podma has a question, Martha.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
It's Padma Lashni and My question is what edibles do
you recommend to plant when someone doesn't have a lot
of space, like if they're living in an apartment in
New York City, if they only have pots or window troughs,
or maybe they have limited space, so.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
Edible flowers, and it is best if you if you
have this pension for serving people flowers instead of real food,
you can That was.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Just so you know.
Speaker 5 (37:23):
That was code for Mark that does not think that's
a good idea.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
It's you can. You can grow nestershams.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
They're very nice and they need full sun and you
can eat the leaves of Nestersham and they're selling them
in the stores now, but you can get a whole
little box of Nestersham leaves.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
But I never buy. I never buy.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
I've never seen you serve anything that has.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
One thing that I do serve, and it's usually in
a drink, is boradge flowers, right, because they're bright blue.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
It's one of the few really true blue flowers.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
And they're also they're just pretty and they look like
blue stars and comes from a plant called borage, which
is a herb.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
But I don't really like putting a lot of flowers
in my salon. And stuff. I just think it's kind
of contrived.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
It's also a little on set.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
And I use herb leaves, I use basil leaves, I
use parsley leaves, I use coriander leaves, I use time these.
I use all the leaves of the herbs, which really
add a lot of fabulous flavor for a salad.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
And the flowers don't taste so good. I mean, they
really don't.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
I don't think people want this.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
I don't think they're like incentivized to eat a flower
like I wouldn't want to eat a marigold.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Thank you so much for your great questions today, and
special thanks to Threads and Meta for hosting this lovely
garden party which should have been outside, but of course
the weather is non precording. Be sure to follow me
on Threads at Martha's Stewart forty eight. That's my personal instagram.
There is another Martha Stewart Instagram also, which gives you
(38:55):
lots more retro stuff. Mine's the real thing. The forty eight,
all
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Right, is a lie.
Host
Martha Stewart
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