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.

Types of Seeds for Your Garden 02/24/2021

Types of Seeds for Your Garden Seeds all have different labels on the packets -- open-pollinated, hybrid, heirloom, organic -- so what do those labels mean? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18063563

Can You Clone Plants Through Seeds? 02/20/2021

Can You Clone Plants Through Seeds? When we propagate plants from seeds we usually get a genetic combination of two parent plants. But some plants can actually produce clones of themselves through seeds. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18013766

What's the Problem With Starting Seeds Early? 02/16/2021

What's the Problem With Starting Seeds Early? Many of us are getting to the time of year when we can start seeds indoors -- but we may need to hold off just a little bit longer. Why is that? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17961734

Is it Safe to Use Wood Ash in the Garden? 02/12/2021

Is it Safe to Use Wood Ash in the Garden? Many people end up generating a lot of ashes over the winter from fireplaces and wood stoves. There's some good stuff in there for plants, so can we use wood ash in the garden? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17919500

Why Plants Need Scientific Names 02/09/2021

Why Plants Need Scientific Names Some gardeners come to love scientific names and take pride in learning them ... for others they can seem a bit pompous. But there are good reasons that our plants need scientific names. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17874113

When is a Fruit Not a Fruit? 02/04/2021

When is a Fruit Not a Fruit? Juniper berries, ginkgo fruit and others may look like fruit, but botanists say otherwise. So, if they aren't fruit, what are those fruit-like structures produced by non-flowering seed plants? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17808416

Get Ready to Start Seeds Indoors 01/30/2021

Get Ready to Start Seeds Indoors We're heading into peak seed-starting season in this part of the world. If you haven't started seeds indoors before, this is a great year to start -- and now is the time to get ready. MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17745857

Using Manure in the Garden 01/27/2021

Using Manure in the Garden Manure from different animals is a popular addition to garden soil but you'll also hear a lot of warnings about its use. And what about using waste from your pets? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17702243

Do Plants Have Sexes? 01/21/2021

Do Plants Have Sexes? Have you heard the one about how you can tell a female bell pepper from a male? Well, that one's just a myth -- fruit isn't male or female. But plants can be. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17628368

Feeding Houseplants: Fertilizer Basics 01/16/2021

Feeding Houseplants: Fertilizer Basics It's very different from what we do with plants growing outdoors in the soil. With houseplants, it's all on us to make sure that the essential nutrients are available. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17568686

Mimicking Changing Seasons to Break Seed Dormancy 01/11/2021

Mimicking Changing Seasons to Break Seed Dormancy Stratification is a technique used to give dormant seeds the experience of changing seasons even when they've only gone from a drawer into our fridge. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17492150

Breaking Seed Dormancy with Scarification 01/07/2021

Breaking Seed Dormancy with Scarification There are things we can do with dormant seeds to prod them along and get them to germinate. One of the most important for gardeners is scarification. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17450987

How Seed Dormancy Helps Plants Survive 01/02/2021

How Seed Dormancy Helps Plants Survive Seed dormancy can be frustrating for gardeners -- having seeds that won't germinate -- but it's an important part of the survival of many plant species. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17394647

Creative Ways to Reuse a Christmas Tree 12/28/2020

Creative Ways to Reuse a Christmas Tree Most places now have recycling programs for Christmas trees -- or you can try one of the 25 creative projects from our list to put your tree to good use. MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17338739

The Benefits of Snow in the Garden 12/23/2020

The Benefits of Snow in the Garden It's no fun to shovel, and it can look lovely ... but is that blanket of snow good or bad for your plants? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17301980

Caring for Your Christmas Tree 12/17/2020

Caring for Your Christmas Tree Lots of reports this year that Christmas trees have been harder to find. Also lots of questionable advice out there about the best ways to care for your tree. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17226938

Growing Holly Bushes 12/14/2020

Growing Holly Bushes Holly is another of the popular plants of the Christmas season -- although they are considered to be invasive in many areas. And maybe just a little toxic too. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17177840

Poinsettias: The Christmas Plant You Can Keep Year-Round 12/11/2020

Poinsettias: The Christmas Plant You Can Keep Year-Round Native to Mexico, poinsettias have been a symbol of Christmas for over 100 years. They can be kept as perennials ... and, no, they aren't actually poisonous. MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17144405

Mistletoe: Toxic Parasite and Popular Decoration 12/06/2020

Mistletoe: Toxic Parasite and Popular Decoration One of our favorite Christmas decorations is a parasitic plant that feeds off of others and is sometimes thought to be toxic, although that part is often overstated. POPULAR THIS WEEK FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17077178

Grafting: What You Need to Get Right 12/01/2020

Grafting: What You Need to Get Right What needs to happen for a graft to be successful -- and what can we do to improve our odds that it actually does happen? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/17008598

A First Look at Grafting 11/28/2020

A First Look at Grafting Grafting is one of the fundamental techniques of plant propagation where you create a new plant by connecting pieces of different plants that have traits you know you want. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16975949

2020: A Great Year for Gardening 11/24/2020

2020: A Great Year for Gardening Lots of year-in-review articles and surveys have started to appear -- and, by all accounts, it was a fantastic year for garden centers and for gardening. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16927463

Are Plastics Safe for Gardening? 11/19/2020

Are Plastics Safe for Gardening? We know a lot about plastic in the ocean, but we're only beginning to understand its effect in soil. Are plastics safe for gardening and what can we do to make them safer? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16862153

Is Foliar Feeding Effective? 11/14/2020

Is Foliar Feeding Effective? Can you really give your plants the water and nutrients they need through their leaves from sprays instead of through their roots from the soil? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16800872

Why Cuticles are Essential to Plant Health 11/11/2020

Why Cuticles are Essential to Plant Health The cuticle is where your plants interact with the world. Among many roles, they largely control how effective plant sprays are. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16762583

Grow Avocado Plants from Seed 11/06/2020

Grow Avocado Plants from Seed You may never get fruit from it, but it's actually pretty easy to grow an avocado plant from seed. If you're fairly new to plant propagation, it's a great way to start. MORE FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16701374

Freezing vs Frost 11/01/2020

Freezing vs Frost We hear a lot about frost and freezing and the difference between them, but nothing suddenly happens with the first frost on the ground or with the first freezing temperatures. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16629620

First Frost: How the Cold Damages Plants 10/29/2020

First Frost: How the Cold Damages Plants In the fall, we may scramble to bring some plants indoors or cover them -- while others will make it through the winter fine. What do frost and cold temperatures do to plants? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16589693

What You May Not Know About Pumpkins 10/24/2020

What You May Not Know About Pumpkins They're one of the easiest plants to grow -- even if they are garden hogs -- and were one of the first vegetables ever cultivated. ALSO FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16522010

Do Leaves Rob the Soil? 10/19/2020

Do Leaves Rob the Soil? Some people are still reluctant to "leave the leaves" -- and one objection is that leaves will "rob the soil" of an essential nutrient. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/16451444

Two Minutes in the Garden

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