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.

Variegated Leaves: Causes and How to Keep Them 07/30/2021

Variegated Leaves: Causes and How to Keep Them Variegation is very highly sought after, both in houseplants and for the garden. What is variegation and what challenges can it create for gardeners? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19974161

Do Sunflowers Move to Follow the Sun? 07/24/2021

Do Sunflowers Move to Follow the Sun? Maybe the best-known attribute of sunflowers is that they follow the sun as it moves across the sky during the day. But do they? Or is it just a popular misconception? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19910555

Sunflowers: Not Always What They Seem to Be 07/19/2021

Sunflowers: Not Always What They Seem to Be Their flowers aren't exactly flowers and their seeds aren't actually seeds, but sunflowers are one of the world's most recognizable and loved garden plants. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19858175

How to Grow Sunflowers in Your Garden 07/19/2021

How to Grow Sunflowers in Your Garden Sunflowers are very easy to grow and pretty low-maintenance. You just need to get a few things right -- and make sure you buy the right seeds. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19849592

Double Flowers ... and Their Value to Pollinators 07/10/2021

Double Flowers ... and Their Value to Pollinators All those extra petals provide a dense bundle of color, so gardeners love them. But pollinators and other garden wildlife may take a different view. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19760168

Preventing Heat Damage to Your Plants 07/05/2021

Preventing Heat Damage to Your Plants Extended periods of hot temperatures can create stress for your plants and cause damage -- some that you can see and some you can't. What can you can do about it? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19700600

Bolting Vegetables: Can You Prevent It? 06/30/2021

Bolting Vegetables: Can You Prevent It? Bolting can ruin your vegetables in a blink of an eye. You can sometimes avoid it, but it's really just part of the natural lifecycle of plants. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19650818

The Science Behind Pruning and Deadheading 06/26/2021

The Science Behind Pruning and Deadheading Why would we ever want to wound our plants? Can we really get more growth by cutting parts off? And what about more blooms? READ MORE at Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19610576

Powdery Mildew: How to Treat or Avoid It 06/21/2021

Powdery Mildew: How to Treat or Avoid It It's one of the most common garden diseases and one that gardeners quickly learn to identify. What is it and can we do anything about it? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19542740

Using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to Control Pests 06/14/2021

Using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to Control Pests It's a popular organic insecticide touted for being effective on caterpillars and harmless to people. How does it work? And does it live up to its billing? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19458443

How Flowers Communicate with Pollinators 06/09/2021

How Flowers Communicate with Pollinators Some plants have developed flowers that send a message to pollinators -- hey come check this out, you won't be disappointed. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19406738

Does Planting By Moon Phases Work? (Part 3) 06/02/2021

Does Planting By Moon Phases Work? (Part 3) Concluding our look at moon gardening. Is there reason to believe we'd get better results in the garden if we planted by moon phases and the zodiac? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19320377

Does Planting By Moon Phases Work? (Part 2) 05/30/2021

Does Planting By Moon Phases Work? (Part 2) Lots of people love to do it, others have a hard time taking it seriously. Much of the growth in popularity in moon gardening over the last century is due to the influence of Rudolf Steiner. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19286549

Does Planting By Moon Phases Work? (Part 1) 05/26/2021

Does Planting By Moon Phases Work? (Part 1) Lots of people love to do it ... many others think it's wacky. Is there any basis for gardening by the phase of the moon? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19240436

Straw Bale Gardening: An Introduction 05/21/2021

Straw Bale Gardening: An Introduction It's been riding a wave of popularity since Joel Karsten's book came out in 2013. What is straw bale gardening, and why might you want to try it? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19184564

What is Square Foot Gardening? 05/18/2021

What is Square Foot Gardening? Millions of people have bought the book. Is square foot gardening something you might want to try in your garden? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19139870

Using Milk in the Garden 05/13/2021

Using Milk in the Garden You name it, and milk is suggested as a solution in the garden -- a fungicide, insecticide, bactericide, fertilizer, biostimulant, disinfectant, hand sanitizer and more. Is there actually something to it? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19086785

Should We Leave the Dandelions? 05/09/2021

Should We Leave the Dandelions? They're not always the most welcome plant in the garden, although many people like to have dandelions -- for themselves and ... maybe for bees too? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/19030472

What Does it Mean to Garden Organically? 05/04/2021

What Does it Mean to Garden Organically? Most of us would probably say we garden organically to some degree -- and maybe entirely. But what is organic gardening, exactly? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18959882

Can You Propagate a Patented Plant? 04/29/2021

Can You Propagate a Patented Plant? You buy a plant from the garden center, bring it home, love it, and decide to divide it or take some cuttings so you can have even more. But in some cases you're actually breaking the law. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18898760

Using Neem Oil as an Organic Insecticide 04/25/2021

Using Neem Oil as an Organic Insecticide It's widely touted as a safe, organic alternative to synthetic pesticides, and it will kill a long list of pests. But neem oil isn't for everyone. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18847802

Aphids and How to Control Them (Part 2) 04/21/2021

Aphids and How to Control Them (Part 2) They can drain the energy out of your plants and inject them with viruses. What can we do to stop aphids? What about ladybugs? Diatomaceous earth? Sticky traps? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18795551

Aphids and How to Control Them (Part 1) 04/17/2021

Aphids and How to Control Them (Part 1) They're tiny insects that can sap plants of their energy, give them viruses, and coat them with black mold. They're also born pregnant and can quickly multiply on your plants. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18755825

Mulch: What It Is and Why You Should Use It 04/10/2021

Mulch: What It Is and Why You Should Use It It's not just some pretty decoration for your garden! Mulch delivers benefits to your plants, your soil ... and will even save you some work. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18670133

Protecting Seedlings from Damping-Off 04/05/2021

Protecting Seedlings from Damping-Off One of the biggest threats our new seedlings face is damping-off. What can we do to improve our odds of avoiding it? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18598547

The Strengths of No-Dig ... and Objections 03/30/2021

The Strengths of No-Dig ... and Objections What is it about the no-dig approach that is so appealing, what are some of the objections, and what does the research say? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18528713

The Growth of No-Dig Gardening 03/27/2021

The Growth of No-Dig Gardening No-dig methods lower the apprehension of many new gardeners and have attracted lots of adherents over the years. Others question if a garden can really go without a good digging. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18482372

Does Brushing Seedlings Make Them Stronger? 03/23/2021

Does Brushing Seedlings Make Them Stronger? You can help strengthen your seedlings by giving them a quick, gentle brushing -- maybe with your hand or something lighter. NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18428237

Should We Be Shaking Our Houseplants? 03/19/2021

Should We Be Shaking Our Houseplants? It's a plant hack that has taken off on social media. Is shaking your plants just silliness, or is there actually something to it? NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18384449

Welcome Back Hummingbirds! 03/15/2021

Welcome Back Hummingbirds! In much of the U.S. and Canada, we will soon be welcoming hummingbirds back to our gardens. When will they arrive and how can we prepare? READ MORE AT Empress of Dirt: /episode/index/show/cultivatingstartups/id/18321320

Two Minutes in the Garden

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