The Organic Gardener

Doug takes calls from listeners and is joined by Justin Ellis with Dramm Corporation. 

Doug talks seeding and hydration as the summer months begin, as well as taking calls from listeners. He is also joined by Luke Warner from Davey Tree.

With a mixture of very warm and wet weather on the horizon, Doug talks prep work to really get your garden into the swing of things. Ms-Know-It-All checks in to fill everyone in on the status of her garden as well. 

Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, Doug talks about prepping the garden for the summer, and also has a chat with Rob Kruljac from The Davey Tree Expert Company.

Doug is joined by Steve Rapasky from Bee Control as they address rumors about the new "Murder Hornet". They also take questions from listeners 

Doug talks to gardeners about where to find seeds during quarantine. He also takes calls from listeners and chats with Eric Countryman from Davey Tree. 

Since there's plenty of rainy weather to go around, there's no better time to talk about planting grass seed. Doug also takes questions from listeners and chats with Ms. Know-It-All.

Doug celebrates National Garlic Day, while answering questions from callers, and having a chat with Rob Kruljac from The Davey Tree Expert Company.

Doug talks organic lawns and planting tomatoes before it's too late. He also takes calls from listeners and chats with Miles from Davey Tree. 

Doug gives listeners plenty of tips about staying busy in the garden during the quarantine.

Doug is joined by Davey Tree's Rob Kruljak to go over the spring time checklist that every gardener should use to prepare for the season. He also answers questions from listeners. 

Doug covers a number of topics for those of you prepping your gardens as the weather warms up, including grafting tomatoes, digging in the garden, and a personal anecdote about his favorite tree. 

Doug Oster joins Rob Pratte to answer questions from fellow gardeners around Pittsburgh, as well as let everyone know what products and knowledge they will be able to acquire if they attend the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. 

With spring ahead right around the corner, Doug Oster and Rob Pratte discuss what the necessary steps are to prepare your garden for an extra hour of sunlight, while also answering questions about listeners gardens. Be sure to check out Doug who will be on Facebook Live Monday at noon providing a FREE master class in pruning. 

The birds are out singing, and Doug is looking forward to spring. Doug starts the show by sharing details on organizing seeds and winter blooms. Doug has an upcoming Facebook Live Free Masterclass on pruning with Dick Till from Davey Tree and answers questions on pruning. Learn along with the callers as Doug also answers questions regarding growing lavender and tomato sprouts. 

Snow has finally arrived in Pittsburgh!  Doug says snowdrops are up but you don't need to worry about sprouting bulbs. Doug shares a tip on how to get indoor blooms on a forsythia and an essay about finding paradise in the woods. You can join Doug on a trip to Croatia in 2021, but space is limited so get in contact with him soon! Learn along with our callers as Doug answers questions on mole removal, getting rid of yuccas and how to cultivate blooms on an amaryllis.

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, and Doug is excited that spring will arrive early this year. He starts the show by sharing his new favorite hosta varieties and the story behind a tomato variety called Marianna's Peace. Doug is joined by Associate Director of Exhibits at Phipps Conservatory, Jordyn Melino, to preview the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show. Learn along with the callers as Doug answers questions on transplanting day lilies and more!

Doug is going back to what inspired him to garden in the first place - crazy crops! Doug shares information on the strange and unusual crops he is planning for his spring garden, like Huazontle and pepper xigole. Doug also has the details on a tomato seeds found during WWII. Learn along with the callers as Doug answers questions on growing corn, lime for soil PH control and how to construct raised garden beds. 

Doug & Jess are planning ahead for their spring gardens, but there is still so much to do in winter! Doug and Jess discuss winter interest shrubs and plants and how winter is the perfect time to track critters that come in and out of your garden. Doug also shares his favorite finds from the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, like Dragon Slayer Holly and the SunBelievable annual sunflower. Learn along with the callers as Doug and Jess answer questions on deer, fruit trees and lemongrass. 

The warm weather has Jess thinking about spring! She shares tips on how to reduce plastic consumption, cost effective mulch planning and how a perennial herb garden can scratch the seed planting itch. Mrs. Know It All calls in to share her favorite finds from the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show in Baltimore. Learn along with the callers as Jess answers questions on plum trees with advanced black not fungus and when to start tomato seeds. 

Happy New Year from Doug & Jess! Doug and Jess discussed leftover garlic at Hahn's Nursery, heart to heart caladiums and Norfolk pines. Learn along with the callers as Doug and Jess answer questions on weeping Alaskan cedar trees, preventing tomato blight and more. 

Happy New Year from Doug & Jess! Doug is joined this week by special guest Robert Mulvihill, an ornithologist with the National Aviary to discuss how and why you should attract birds to your garden. Doug also shared information on growing indoor herbs and answered questions from callers regarding black walnuts, house plants and Brussels sprouts. 

Merry Christmas from Doug and Jessica! Doug and Jess discuss indoor herbs, easy to grow berries winter interest crops and winter interest crops to get you through the cold weather. Learn along with our callers as the Organic Gardners answer questions regarding abrbor vitae, beetle bumps red bud trees and flowering dogwood trees.

Doug joined Rob Pratte to discuss the exciting new additions to his garden, including Everleaf Emerald Towers basil and Park Seed and Stoke's Seeds. Doug also shared tips on how to evaluate the bones of your garden and outside of the box holiday plants.

Missing the garden already? Don't worry, Doug and Jessica have plenty of ideas on how to stay busy during the colder months. They share tips for how to start growing microgreens and also some gift ideas for the gardener in your life! 

December has finally arrived! Doug was out in the garden all weekend and finally got all of his planting completed. Jess shares how she found unexpected leafage in a plant she's overwintering. Doug and Jess discuss the importance of feeding the birds and establishing a foraging route. Learn along with the callers as Doug and Jess answer questions on planting garlic, saving an oak tree, perennial ground coverage plants for clay soil and transferring Mountain Laurel. 

Happy Thanksgiving from Doug and Jessica! Doug and Jess are thankful for all the bulbs that still need to be planted and the root crops they are looking after. They answer questions from callers on how to start a compost pile, orchid dormancy, planting garlic bulbs and more.

It's a great time of year to start a compost pile. Doug and Jess share their tips for composting and what to do with all the fall foliage. Doug and Jess also talk about how there are bulbs, bulbs, bulbs everywhere just waiting to be planted. They answer questions from callers regarding proper lawn care, garlic bulbs and bleeding-hearts.

Everything is done for the fall growing season. Doug and Jess share the success of their gardens and their tips for closing up for winter. Learn with the callers as Doug and Jess answer questions on small trees in pots, zinnias, ornamental sweet potato, butterfly bushes, perennials, geraniums and Lamb's ears.

It's the official end of the growing season for tender plants with the frost coming in, but there is always work do be done! Doug shares the wonderful weekend he's had in his garden and how excited he is to plant more bulbs. Learn along with the callers as Doug answers questions on shaping holly bushes, best time to prune lilacs, when to separate planted bulbs, how to keep an indoor, potted lilac and how to overwinter mandevillas 

Doug and Jess talk about preparing your garden for the chilly weather on the horizon. They take calls from listeners concerning a variety of subjects, including peat moss and blue bananas. Ms. Know-It-All joins in on the conversation to share some of her insight. 

It's slowly getting colder and it is time to prepare your plants for winter.  Learn along with the callers as Doug gives tips on how to overwinter potted asparagus and Boston ferns, how to keep a garden fertilized over winter and how to eliminate Hosta roots.  Doug also shared highlights from his recent trip to Isle of Man and shared how to keep bulbs safe from critters. 

It's time to harvest your squash and pumpkin! Jess shares how she celebrated the fall season at Soergel's Pumpkin Patch & how crucial it is to prepare your plants for the upcoming frost and winter. She answers questions from callers on how to prune a willow tree, trees losing their leaves, how to winter over a hibiscus and more!

Fall just arrived, but winter is just around the corner! Doug and Jess open the show talking about Epimedium growth and great bulbs. They also talk about how it has been a great growing year for plants with berries and a great use for button bushes. Dick Till of DaveyTree joins Doug and Jess to share essential tips for winter tree care. Learn with the callers as Jess and Doug answer questions on garlic stocks, fall cyprus trees, removing poplar trees and how to get groundhogs out of the garden. 

It's the perfect time for planting perennials and other garden plants that will come back year after year. Doug has all the details you need to know. Chad Whepley of the Pittsburgh Agway stores joins Doug to discuss the organic products they sell and the pride Whepley feels in running a family-owned business. Learn along with their callers as Doug answers questions about gladiolas, burning bushes, azaleas and peonies!

Doug and Jess have trees on their minds - they open the show talking about the different varieties of trees they would like to plant and how to protect the ones they currently have. Of course, the garden gets some love as well - Jess shares her plans for kale and oat cover crops. Miles Stephens with Davey Tree joins in to discuss this warm, dry tree planting season. Learn along with their callers on how to care for patchouli over winter, growing a pineapple plant, proper planting procedure for a Paperbark maple tree and what could cause brown spots on a tree's leaves. 

Fall has arrived and there is so much to do! Doug and Jess talk about cold weather crops, using a cold frame, cover crops, weed management and the joy of starting a garden for the first time. Learn how to transplant a redbud tree, replant and divide houseplants like Swedish ivy and peace lilies, identify wild garlic, caring for a gerbera daisy over winter and why a winter pear tree might lose leaves earlier than expected.

It's your last chance to plant vegetable crops for the fall, and Jess breaks down if and when you should plant your trees and shrubs. Jess explains the history of plant patents to Rob Pratte and Mrs. Know It All calls in to talk knockout roses. Jess answers questions from callers on a phalaenopsis orchid during dormancy, bagworms on a pine tree, pruning pumpkins and a diseased dogwood tree.

Dick Till from Davey Tree joins Doug and Jess this week to talk fall care for trees. Callers ask about Juniper tip blight, early leaf drop, and more. Mrs. Know-It-All joins the program to talk about the proper pruning of trees. 

It's not fall just yet! Doug tells Rob Pratte all about plants that will grow well in the late summer. Doug has suggestions for greens, like the tatosi he's growing, that will thrive heading into colder weather. Mrs. Know It All shares her love for Detroit Dark Red beets and the importance of soil testing. Doug answers questions from callers on shaping rose bushes, when to plant fall seeds, transplanting Rose of Sharon bushes, ground cover plants and how to handle moss and crabgrass. 

Jess is joined in-studio by horticulturist and fig and lemon growing expert Steve Biggs. His daughter and published author, 14-year-old Emma, tells Jess about over 130 varieties of tomatoes she grows alongside other unusual plant varieties. Eric Countryman from Davey Tree joins Jess to discuss tree health during the recent dry spell. Mrs. Know It All calls in about canning. They answer questions from callers on apple scab disease, hard cores in tomatoes, transplanting roses and more!

Doug and Jessica answer questions and talk about hydrangeas that refuse to bloom this growing season. Doug is having an issue with squirrels and shares his experience with the Van Gogh exhibit at Phipps Conservatory. They also answer questions from callers about yellow oxheart tomato seeds, a tree covered in scale, how to bug proof plants coming inside, brown rot on a peach tree and a cucumber plant that might not be what it seems. 

Doug joins Rob Pratte to talk about the importance of deadheading to keep plants blooming, what kind of plants to look for during bargain hunting this late in the season, the return of his rabbit "visitor" and the delightful peaches at Janoski's. Miles Stephens from Davey Tree talks with Doug about when and why you should consider hiring a certified arborist.

The Organic Gardeners & Jess' blog won national awards at the 2019 GardenComm Annual Conference & Expo! Doug and Jess talk about what cicada damage looks like, wrens eating cabbage worms in Jess' garden and how Doug's tomato plants have avoided blight this season. Mrs. Know It All calls to discuss her tall tomato plants. They also answer questions from callers on Japanese beetles, stink bugs, lilac bushes and pruning a Japanese maple tree. 

Jess talks about powdery mildew and other diseases that are popping up from the rain. She also shares a tip on keeping Japanese beetles away from her blueberries. Dick Till from Davey Tree joins Jess to talk about insects and diseases that can impact trees. They answer questions from callers on Siberian irises, stripped cucumber beetles, a split tree branch and when to trim a weeping cherry.

Doug shares the details of his next international trip to Portugal. Luke Werner with Davey Tree talks with Doug about how the increased rainfall impacts trees, mulching, and more. Mrs. Know It All talks glass gem ornamental corn, silk road lilies and shares a funny zucchini story. Doug and Luke answer questions from callers on hot pepper wax, dogwood trees and limelight hydrangeas.