You Bet Your Garden

Mike McGrath loves radio, but he’s always down to show off in front of a crowd. This week’s You Bet Your Garden is a very special treat: excerpts from Mike’s talk at Meadowbrook Farm in Abington, PA earlier this summer. Subjects include tomato pollination, diversity of native bees, rosemary vs St. John’s wart, and so much more!

Your tomatoes and peppers are under attack; big chunks are missing! On the latest You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath identifies the most likely suspects and reveals if the leftovers are safe to eat. Plus, your fabulous phone calls! Question of the Week: I believe that my garden has recently been visited by these pests. The question is: do I throw away all the veggies they have taken a chunk of? Or try to salvage the parts that may still be consumable? — Vicki in Madison, AL Can Mike identify the culprit?

Got lots of ripe tomatoes coming in? More than you can eat? On the latest You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath walks you through the cooking and processing of superior tomato sauce, with an emphasis on using the fewest garden fresh ingredients. Plus, your fabulous phone calls! Question of the Week: I’m in tomato heaven; and I just got a Vitamix high-powered blender. I am SO excited to be able to just toss whole tomatoes into that mixer! Now, when I make the sauce—adding spices, herbs, sweetener and a bit of balsamic vinegar—can I can them up without adding lemon juice? I worry that it would ruin the whole thang. (And yes, Stef did type ‘thang’.) —Steffanie in Illinois How to make tasty tomato sauce »

In fall, a young man’s fancy turns to…killing greasy grubs! On the latest You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath lays out your organic grub control options and explains why this is the time of year to strike. Plus, your fabulous phone calls! Question of the Week: When is the best time to apply milky spore to control Japanese beetle grubs in the lawn? And how often should it be applied? —Stephen in Ellicott City, Maryland How to get rid of grubs »

If you’ve been to a home show, you’ve seen the rival franchises selling mosquito spray packages to homeowners. On the latest You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath responds to a listener concerned about her neighbor’s use of such a service, and does a bit of sleuthing to figure out exactly what’s in those sprays. Plus, your fabulous phone calls!

Nobody wants to work hard outside. On the latest You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath reveals that cheaters always win—especially when they perfect the lawn care and pruning practices that minimize hard work in the summertime. Also, Jenny Rose Carey, senior director at the Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s Meadowbrook Farm, joins the show to talk about the perfect plants for shady spots. Plus, your fabulous phone calls! Question of the Week: You do a great job and I follow all your advice exactly (as long as it’s convenient and cheap). For example, I always cut my lawn at the advised time…as long as that happens to fall on a weekend and the kids aren’t keeping me too busy. For those not as committed as me, do you have any advice on how to…well…how to…cheat? Basically, the Cliff Notes version of garden care? For instance, how do I get rid of lawn weeds without harming the dog or the kids and do it quickly? And what if my wife tells me it’s time to trim a plant when the calendar disagrees? Calendars can’t make me sleep in the spare bedroom, my wife can. —Chad in Gaithersburg, Maryland How Chad can save time and energy while keeping his garden looking good »

Your garlic harvest is in…now what? Use it fresh before it sprouts? On the latest You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will expose the secret to getting a season of good seasoning from your harvest—or from the great garlic you’ll find at local farmer’s markets. Plus, your fabulous phone calls!

Mosquito prevention time is over; now is the time to switch tactics to protection. On the latest You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath reveals how to attract dragonflies and explains why white is the color to wear this mosquito season. Plus, your fabulous phone calls! Question of the Week: I’m a 13-year-old boy and live with my grandparents on seven acres of land. We have a pond, but absolutely no dragonflies. We’re way out in the country, and you’d think we’d have plenty, but we have not seen any. It’s like they vanished. Is there any kind of smell or food we could use to attract them? We need them badly; I just counted thirty bites on my legs! Bug spray has been no help, so our only hope is dragonflies… —Ethan in Brokaw, WI How to attract dragonflies »

A listener wants to attract beneficial insects, but instead is beset by flies! On the latest You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath discusses how this might not be the worst thing to happen to an urban gardener. Plus, your fabulous phone calls!

Is it ever right to use your grass clippings as a garden mulch?? On the latest You Bet Your Garden, we’ll bend–but not break–the rules as Mike McGrath looks at the pros and cons of collecting those clips. Plus, your fabulous phone calls! Question of the Week: My son has been trying to make compost out of three large piles of grass contained by plastic fencing. With all the rain we’ve had, the piles have become wet, compacted, dense and very heavy. What can be done to make these piles more effective at breaking down? They have been turned, but we recently added a lot of grass—and that plus the rain has made things a compacted mess. I examined one pile today and it’s actually like “green manure”; you know, all soft and squishy. That should be really great for the garden…no? —Elizabeth in North Plainfield, New Jersey How Elizabeth can fix her compost »