Two Minutes in the Garden
Bite-sized informative updates on gardening basics, solutions, myths, news and other subjects of interest to gardeners both new and experienced. From the popular Empress of Dirt website (empressofdirt.net), home of creative and frugal ideas for your backyard garden.
Episodes
Slugs can cause a lot of damage to plants like hostas and lettuce and many others. Is there anything we can do to stop them?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How To Scarify Seeds Before Sowing For Better Germination Rates
There's been an outbreak in avian flu this year in much of North America. Do our bird feeders increase the risk of spreading the disease?
MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Choose the Best Birdseed
They're a common pest and one that's not easy to get rid of ... but there are things you can do to lower their numbers to a level plants can deal with.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: When Tomatoes Crack On The Vine (Now What?)
You'll find exuberant lists online with 10 or more uses for hydrogen peroxide in the garden -- is it something we should be using?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Spring Gardening: Is It Safe To Plant Outdoors Yet?
Physically and mentally, gardening has been shown to promote our health and well-being -- as exercise, an outlet for creativity and learning, relaxation, and more.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 45 Ridiculously Simple & Helpful Eco-Beneficial Garden Tips
They're two popular options as components of potting mix. What are they, what do they do, and what advantages do each provide?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Birdhouses Versus Nesting Boxes: What's Best For Birds
They're tiny but can cause big problems for your plants -- indoors and outdoors. How can you improve your odds of avoiding them, and what can you do once you have them?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Best (Cheap & Easy) DIY Tags For Indoor Seedlings & Plants
It has lots of fans for all sorts of uses in the garden. But do they have a scientific basis or are they just "it worked for me" stories?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How To Check If Seeds Are Viable (Home Germination Test)
Your tomatoes are coming along nicely and then -- out of nowhere -- they've got big cracks down the side. Now what do you do? And is there something you should have done to avoid it?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How To Deal With Fungus Gnats On Houseplants (What Works)
In compacted soil, it can be harder for roots to grow properly -- and that can reduce our plants' ability to access nutrients and water and create other problems. How can we prevent it from happening, or fix it if it does?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Why Vegetables Bolt & How To Prevent It
They're definitely annoying and possibly harmful to plants, although often not. What can you do to avoid fungus gnats? Or -- if that fails -- get rid of them?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 10 Delicious Foods Hiding In Your Garden (Forage at Home)
You see lichens growing on trees, rocks, walls and lots of other places. Do they harm trees? And what do they contribute to the garden?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 50 Flowers For Hummingbirds & How To Keep Them Coming Back
You've got a bunch of seeds that should still be viable to some degree -- is there a quick way to find out? What's the best test?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How To Grow Carrots Indoors At Home In Flower Pots
Not only are they easy to grow, but radishes are also one of the fastest growing vegetables and one of the first to plant in the spring.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 10 Tips For Choosing a Garden Shed (To Avoid Regrets)
You pick up a tomato and see that something's not right. Cut it open and there are some creepy looking sprouts growing inside. What's that about and what do you do with the tomato?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 30 Flower Seeds To Start Indoors (Late Winter & Spring))
They're one of the most popular garden vegetables -- and easy to grow -- but there are some things to know about peas before choosing ones for your garden.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Two Neat Ways To Store Garden Seeds (& Keep Organized)
Can you remove disinfectants from tap water before using it on your plants -- and do you know which disinfectant your water has? And can fluoride be toxic for plants?
FROM Empress of Dirt: Why Your Garden Needs Mulch & How To Do It Right
Is it safe to use unfiltered tap water on our plants? Lots of people do, but are there risks -- especially from substances like chlorine and fluoride added at water treatment plants?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 5 Good For The Earth (& You) Garden Resolutions (2022)
It's been more than 30 years since research at NASA showed that it's possible for plants to remove pollutants from the air. But is the air in our home fresher because we have houseplants?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Pros and Cons of Using Bt for Caterpillars (In Home Gardens)
We wouldn't have air as we know it without plants, but do our houseplants act as an air filter? And was that really proven by NASA?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: The Problem With Buying Beneficial Nematodes For Grub Control
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
It’s a lighthearted nightmare in here, weirdos! Morbid is a true crime, creepy history and all things spooky podcast hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist. Join us for a heavy dose of research with a dash of comedy thrown in for flavor.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Hosted by Laura Beil (Dr. Death, Bad Batch), Sympathy Pains is a six-part series from Neon Hum Media and iHeartRadio. For 20 years, Sarah Delashmit told people around her that she had cancer, muscular dystrophy, and other illnesses. She used a wheelchair and posted selfies from a hospital bed. She told friends and coworkers she was trapped in abusive relationships, or that she was the mother of children who had died. It was all a con. Sympathy was both her great need and her powerful weapon. But unlike most scams, she didn’t want people’s money. She was after something far more valuable.