Your Midwest Garden Podcast
A casual conversation about gardening in the Midwest with Toledo's Garden Guy, Mike O'Rourke and Rookie Gardener, Scott Sandstrom. Mike interviews various guests, from experts to local DIY gardeners in a relaxed conversation. While Scott keeps the subjects down to the weekend warrior level. We hope you enjoy each podcast episode, as even the most basic topics can reveal a surprise tip or hint you may not know about! Your Midwest Garden is sponsored by Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. Serving the Toledo, Ohio area since 1953!
Episodes
Six years... 6,958 minutes, 3,794 download cities, 162 episodes, 162 graphics, 162 uploads, 52 guests, numerous phone calls, texts, scheduling calendars and we are finally dropping the mics. Hope all our new gardening friends have learned from our discussions... been inspired to fail at the worst. But yet are enjoying the time they have had their hands in the dirt! I MEAN MEDIUM, sorry Mike! LOL
Listen all the way un...
Jesse Savou, from Bluebarrel Rain Water Catchment Systems, once again joins us to hear Scott's comments about building his blue barrel farm. Scott passes along a few "advanced" and "basic" tips in this episode. PLUS, Jesse discusses winterization for those of us that will have to put their barrel farms to bed for the winter.
Want to save some cash while building your system? Listen in for a c...
Scott had a record amount of Yucca Stalks this Summer, 14 to be exact and is not sure why the success. So we chat about Yuccas, Scott's approach, why they may not be as popular as they once were and can you distill them... come pop into our conversation!
Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!
Disclaimer: This ...
Scott brought in a new friend, who has a twist on over wintering Musa Basjoos... aka, hardy banana trees! We've talked before about Scott's banana trees, but he has not been as successful as Terry Keefe.
Terry and Scott never knew they lived in the same neighborhood and had the same drive... to re-create poolside tropics in Midwest Ohio.
Listen in as we discuss Terry's way(s) of having successful over ...
The guys throw some quick tips on dealing with the extreme Midwest heat that's scorching the area. A few things to do and to NOT do! Basically... keep an eye on your plants/garden/landscape & lawn! And water them, hose yourself down too!
Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and now Waterville Ohio!
https://blackdiamondgrows.com/
Please visit our Facebook and Instagram...
Today, we welcome back the Midwest Garden Gal, Lisa Hinzman Howard. Scott found her blog about hummingbirds and had a few encounters this spring with the cute little fliers, so here's some tips & advice on attracting these long distance migrators. Help a traveler out, would ya?
https://www.midwestgardengal.com/
https://www.midwestgardengal.com/attract-more-hummingbirds/
Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome ...
Mike discusses removing the stigma of Cannabis, especially in legalized states. We also invited in Alan Halterman, from Toledo Indoor Grows, to touch on some basics of growing Cannabis. All from the angle of growing a plant just like any other. Join us in an adult conversation...
Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and now Waterville Ohio!
https://blackdiamondgrows.com/
Pleas...
YMGP has found a new product that we think you are going to love! It's just recently been released and we are all on the ground floor. But don't be fooled the by packaging, it's not a gardener's lotion, but as colorful as the bottle is, it's a plant fertilizer!
So simple to use, not only will the beginner like the mild 7-7-7 no burn formula, but the experienced gardener will like the quick 4 ...
This episode is a follow up to our "Advantages of Rainwater" show in season four. Scott is installing a rain barrel system from Jesse's company at the garden center. This episode talks about siting the system and a bunch of tips from Jesse. So listen in, there's a lot of information here.
AND LISTEN IN FOR A PROMO CODE TO GET A DISCOUNT ON YOUR BLUE BARREL RAINWATER CATCHMENT SYSTEM PURCHASE!!!
Pi...
Em Shipman, Executive Director of Kidsgardening.org joins us to discuss kids learning through gardening. We discuss tips to get kids interested by playing in the dirt, experimenting with seed plantings and even just bringing toys into the garden bed. Developing an interest as to where food comes from by activities in and around the garden. Join us for a casual conversation, especially educators and childcare facilit...
In our first spring 2025 episode, with all the early seeds planted and doing the basement germination thing, Mike & Scott review what they learned over the winter gardening break. I'm sure you remember those essays in school when returning to class in the fall, What I Did On Summer Break... here's the gardener's version!
Some you may know what we learned, hopefully a few ideas you don't. And i...
And as promised, PRE-SEASON Episode number two, our fav flowering seeds to plant. Don't forget these can be annuals and or perennials you decide to sow. Take a listen as we discuss a few of our favs...
Anybody ever do a large perennial raised bed? Thinking about doing one extra large one at the garden center as a display. Maybe even just a section of the display yard...??? Hmmm...
And we are back! Well... it's a couple of PRE-SEASON Episodes to get the wires humming again. Besides, we are chatting about seed packets, as it's that time of year when you all buy seeds, prep them and back time their planting schedules. Take a listen as we discuss a few of our favs...
Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for o...
Today we wrap up season number FIVE! This final show of the season is a mixed bag of tidbits and wishes that you had a great gardening season. We know it was tough in the Midwest with another drought, Spotted Lantern Fly, Aphids and of course the sun and HEAT of the summer. Check out our final thoughts of this past gardening season.
Here's the link for your rain barrel system!
https://www.bluebarrelsystems.com
Today's episode recorded just before Summer 2024 ended, is a part two of sorts to our recent episode, The Forgotten Season. This episode has Lisa teaching us about building and using garden row covers. Which let's us to continue growing cool weather veggies all winter long. Doesn't some fresh veggies sound great in the dead of the winter? Here's how you can do it!
Direct link to her blog...
ENCORE EPISODE: Bringing back one you may have missed in the archives... listen into VINE TIME! Gourds, Pumpkins or Squash?
Mike has a mystery fruit growing in NW Ohio, bringing up the question about Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) or herbaceous vines in the gourd family. Then, the alternative use of pumpkin seeds... got to listen in for that ONE ALONE!
Welcome Black Diamond Nurs...
Today, along with the Midwest Garden Gal... we walk through the simple step by step process of growing garlic in the Midwest.
The good news is that this prcess is spread out over a nine month period and five of those months you don't have much to do at all... if ANYTHING!
Join us and bring a pencil & paper.
We once again welcome in our West of the Midwest podcast contributor, Lisa Hinzman Howard, also known ...
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ALERT EPISODE:
Today's episode stared with a conversation with a garden center customer. And took off from there...
Mike & I have brought on board a returning guest, Amy Stone, of The Ohio State Extension Office to discuss the invasive Tree of Heaven. And the tag along friend, the Spotted Lantern Fly. We chat about how hard it is to remove a Tree of Heaven from your property, to the attraction it offer...
The Midwest Garden Gal joins us once again to discuss The Forgotte n Season. The late planting season time to sow some more cool weather veggies right now in mid August! Take a listen and take advantage of the warm soil and soon to be cool morning dew. PLUS, get some cucumber scoop form the Iowa expert herself!
Here's the Grow guide:
https://www.midwestgardengal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/MGG...
The guys welcome in, returning guest from Season One... Melisa Sherman-Weckerlin! Melisa is the grower at Black Diamond Garden Centers, our business and sponsor, where she also oversees plant buying. Melisa and Scott have been discussing natives though-out the work days this year and it was time to bring her back to educate us with some plant types that work well in our backyards... mainly because they've been ...
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