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
An overview of vermicomposting -- worm composting. It provides very similar benefits to the garden as composting, but can be done indoors and stay active year-round, even in colder areas.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Save Seeds: Collecting Seeds From Your Garden Plants
Over the last 200 years, earthworms have gone from being despised by gardeners to being loved as signs of healthy soil. Many gardeners now even raise worms in their houses to create vermicompost. But it's not all rosy.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Simple Trick to Save the Best Seeds from Your Garden
Are today's fruits and vegetables -- the ones you buy at the store -- less nutritious than they used to be? You hear that a lot, but you'll also hear that it's a myth.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Outdoor Plant Tags & Markers that Last a Lifetime (Really)
We always used to be able to say that there were no GMO garden seeds. That's still true in most of the world but, in the U.S., gardeners can now buy seeds for the genetically engineered, high-antioxidant Purple Tomato.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: What to Know Before Reusing Old Potting Mix
A recent study claimed that urban-grown fruits and vegetables had a carbon footprint six times that of those from conventional farms. Rants ensued.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Monarch Butterflies: How Gardeners Can Truly Help
For the last 15 years, gardeners have been told that soil acts like an antidepressant, thanks to a particular bacterium. Is there anything to it?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Winter Sowing: Two Reliable Methods for Outdoor Seed Starting
It can do great things on farms, but does crop rotation make sense in a garden? What are the benefits claimed for crop rotation, and can we get those same benefits in easier ways?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How To Compost In The Winter (Easy Method)
Do nutrients really specialize in one aspect of plant growth, like roots or shoots? Why adding more of one nutrient to your soil, like phosphorus-heavy bloom boosters, often don't provide any benefit.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Growing Poinsettias: Year-Round Care & Reblooming Guide
Are you using a balanced fertilizer in your garden? It may seem like a simple and effective way to provide nutrients to your plants, but it could also cause problems for your soil and for the environment.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Indoor Seed Starting: Best DIY Setup on a Budget
Most countries use a confusing and outdated NPK labelling system for fertilizer packages. What do the numbers mean? Depending on where you live, it's probably not what you think. And why is a "balanced fertilizer" not so balanced after all?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: When to Take Down Hummingbird Feeders in Fall
Our plants can't live without them, but how do we know that they're getting them? Do we need to feed them to our plants? And what are these essential nutrients?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Make African Violets Bloom & Rebloom
Not everyone wants them in their garden, but others grow them deliberately. They aren't even plants. So what are mushrooms and are they okay around our plants?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 2023 Fall Hummingbird Migration (Canada & United States)
What kinds of soap should we be using -- or avoiding -- in the garden? What about liquid dish soap? And we're all familiar with soap, but what is it, exactly?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 25 Vegetables You Can Grow in Shade
Compost is great for your garden, but can you have too much of a good thing? What problems could there be if you use too much? Will it harm your plants ... or something else?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Bring Plants Inside: Timing & Debugging Tips
What can you add to your compost pile? Is it any organic material, or are there some things you may want to avoid? What about dryer lint or hair?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Hostas for Sun: Sun-Tolerant Options For Your Garden
Calculating C:N ratios? Regular turning? For anyone who's been put off from composting because it sounds too involved -- it really isn't as hard as it's sometimes made out to be.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Breaking the Eggshell Myth in Gardening
When it comes to building healthy soil, there may be no more important tool in the garden than compost. So what is compost, and how does it help our plants?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Propagate Sweet Potatoes to Grow New Slips
We've heard that humus is good for our garden, but do we know what it actually is? And, for that matter, does ANYONE know what it actually is? And why has humus become a controversial topic?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Why Frogs & Toads Are Good For Our Gardens
We're told not to overwater our plants, but some popular houseplants grow fine with their roots fully immersed in water and nearly all outdoor plants experience overwatering at times. How does that work?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Tips for Choosing the Right Clematis Trellis
No Mow May is a popular initiative that encourages people to stop mowing their lawns for a month to help bees and other pollinators. But does it really work? And what are the drawbacks? In this episode, we explore the pros and cons of No Mow May from a gardener’s perspective.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: The Surprising Benefits of Moths in Your Garden
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