Horticulturalists and guru to all things gardening, Jeff Gillman, Ph.D literally wrote the book on the truth about organic gardening. He’s particularly fond of telling it like it really is, in his no-nonsense, practical and conversational style.
In this episode, Joe and Jeff spend time in and around the lawn and garden while confirming, debunking or discussing some of the most common but questionable gardening advice.
In our cooking segment, Chef Nathan prepares a delicious cherry and vanilla bean compote.
For more information:
The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Bottom Line
Chef Nathan’s Cherry and Vanilla Bean Compote
*Links related to books and merchandise are affiliate links
About GGWTV
Growing A Greener World is a national gardening series on Public Television that features organic gardening, green living and farm to table cooking. Each episode focuses on compelling and inspirational people making a difference through gardening. This gardening series covers everything from edible gardening and sustainable agriculture to seasonal cooking and preserving the harvest.
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Books and other product links are affiliate links.
I have been watching your show for 4 years now and have enjoyed every episode! This episode, not so much. I hope this isn’t a preview of things to come. While I abhor green washing, I abhor Monsanto and other reckless, irresponsible corporations much more. In the episode, cottonseed meal and blood meal were recommended. 90% to 98% of the cotton grown in the US is genetically engineered to contain Bt proteins. It is also one of the most heavily sprayed crops, and several of the toxic chemicals sprayed on it are banned in other countries due to their toxicity. This is not a sustainable or healthy option for gardeners. The blood meal is sourced from inhumanely raised animals from CAFO’s who have been given hormones, antibiotics and gm feed.
The talk about roundup(glyphosate) was disturbing also. This neurotoxin, carcinogen is so overused it has been found in up to 75% of rain samples tested around the world. This product should never be used by anyone! An extremely effective herbicide can be made from vinegar, salt, and dish detergent, if an herbicide must be used. There is always hand digging weeds or using boiling water. I so hope we won’t be seeing more unsustainable, unhealthy recommendations in the future. I think sometimes we forget that for thousands of years food was grown without the use of chemicals whatsoever.
Thank you, April
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here April. With over 150 episodes already produced and 13 more coming in 2016, this is just one of many.
One point I’d like to add about the homemade herbicide, you’re right, it can be very effective, but it is also highly toxic to small creatures we find amongst those plants, especially frogs, toads and lizards. Speaking of Dr. Gillman, he was using a vinegar herbicide solution when he noticed some of the spray had come in contact with a frog near the weed he was spraying. The frog died within a matter of minutes, but certainly not without suffering first.
I’m with you when it comes to dealing with weeds. Whenever possible, hand pulling is the best and safest option. I’m so much of a fan of this method, I find it hard to enjoy an uninterrupted walk in my garden or yard without constantly bending over to pull any weed in my path. I think I need to work on that obsession though.
Your show is great, enjoy it a lot. It is what Victory Garden used to be. I was watching episode 618 about organic gardening. You mentioned that I could find out more about organic gardening products in the episode notes. My computer skills aren’t the best and I can’t seem to fine the. Help!
Hi Connie. Here’s the link to that episode which includes the show notes. It is the same as a previous episode and there is a bit more information in this set of notes. Mainly, I suggest you get the book by Dr. Gillman that is linked in the notes. It is a great place to get started. Also, if you go back to our website and simply type in “organic” in the search field and hit enter, you will get a lot of information on organic gardening. Here’s the link to the show notes:
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode314/
Love the show on CREATE!