How to grind wheat berries and make fresh whole wheat pasta.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, July 18, 2012:
Download PlanterTomato 8_18_2012 Making Pasta From Wheat Berries
How to grind wheat berries and make fresh whole wheat pasta.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, July 18, 2012:
Download PlanterTomato 8_18_2012 Making Pasta From Wheat Berries
Posted at 08:16 AM in Food and Drink, Grain | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Fresh whole wheat pasta
In October of last year, I planted an heirloom wheat variety called Frassinetto. In this podcast, I'll let you know the results of this experiment as well as explain how to thresh, winnow and store the grain.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, July 7, 2012.
Posted at 01:13 PM in Grain | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Frassinetto wheat, thresh, winnow
This is shaping up to be a good garden year. Learn more about the harvest so far in the PlanterTomato garden.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, July 4, 2012:
PlanterTomato_7_4_2012 A Good Start
Earlier this year, I received sample packs of a number of new vegetable varieties from Renee's Seeds. One that I was particularly eager to test was a new type of arugula that is supposed to taste like wasabi. Learn more about it in this Podcast.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, June 17, 2012.
PlanterTomato 6_17_2012 Wasabi Arugula
Posted at 07:47 AM in Salad Greens | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: arugula, renees seeds, wasabi arugula
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that afflicts a wide range of crops including melons, cucumbers, squash, peas, tomatoes and even wheat. In this Podcast, I describe your options for dealing with powdery mildew.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Monday, May 28, 2012:
Posted at 01:12 PM in Misc. | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Copper, Fungicide, Neem Oil, Powdery Mildew, Serenade
How to add a low cost building to your property for a home office, gym, wood shop, studio or other use.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, April 28, 2012:
PlanterTomato 4_28_2012 Adding A Home Office of Studio to Your Garden
If adding a structure to your garden is of interest to you, check out some of these companies:
Posted at 10:29 AM in Misc. | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Garden shed, gym room, hobby room, Home Office, Studio
Here are five things that you can do that will help you save the planet while also improving your garden and putting some cash back in your pocket.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, April 22, 2012:
PlanterTomato 4_22_2012 Top 5 Ideas for Earth Day
Posted at 07:59 AM in Misc. | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Best Ideas for Earth Day, Earth Day
In this Podcast, I cover the pros and cons of various tomato staking systems so you can choose what's best for you.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, April 14, 2012:
PlanterTomato 4_14_2012 Choosing The Right Tomato Stakes
Posted at 05:00 PM in Tomatoes | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Cages, Stakes, Tomato, Trellis
Cherry blossom viewing in Japan and some tips on choosing and growing sweet and tart cherry trees.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, April 7, 2012:
Posted at 12:31 PM in Fruit Trees | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Hanami, Sweet Cherry, Tart Cherry
Its now so common to see eggs sold in cardboard cartons that its easy to assume that they were always sold that way
PlanterTomato Podcast for Tuesday, April 3, 2012:
PlanterTomato 4_3_2012 Eggs In Cartons 1929
Posted at 05:26 AM in Chickens and Chicken Coops | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Egg Cartons, Eggs
According to a report today in the journal Axiom, researches at the University of Warburg have reported a major breakthrough in genetic engineering of farmers and farm workers.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, April 1 2012:
PlanterTomato_April_1_2012 GMO People
How to identify the flower sources from which your honey bees are collecting nectar and pollen.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, March 31, 2012:
PlanterTomato 3_31_2012 Identifying Bee Flower Sources By Pollen Color
Posted at 07:28 AM in Bees & Beekeeping | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: honey bee, plant source, pollen basket
Last week, I attended the 2012 San Francisco Garden and Flower Show. While at the show, I had the opportunity to interview Jessi Bloom about her new book, Free Range Chicken Gardens, How to Create A Beautiful Chicken-Friendly Yard.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, March 28, 2012:
Posted at 08:50 AM in Chickens and Chicken Coops | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Chickens, Free Range, Garden Design
In this last of a series of three Podcasts, I describe the pros and cons of various seed starting containers and make my recommendations.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Monday, March 26, 2012:
Posted at 05:37 AM in Seeds | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Best Containers for Starting Seeds, vegetable seeds
In this Podcast, I cover the steps you should follow to successfully start vegetable seeds.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, March 24, 2012:
PlanterTomato 3_24_2012 How To Start Seeds 2
Posted at 09:15 AM in Seeds | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: seed starting, vegetable gardening
In this Podcast, I provide a free, down-loadable Excel spreadsheet that will automatically calculate the date to plant seeds for 45 vegetable types. All you need to do, is enter one bit of information and the spreadsheet does the rest of the work.
Download - Download PlanterTomato Seed Starting Calculator v2
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, March 18, 2012:
PlanterTomato 3_18_2012 Free Seed Starting Calculator
Posted at 10:11 AM in Garden Planning, Seeds | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: direct sowing date, last frost date, Seed starting calculator, transplanting date
Basic priciples of companion planting and a link to an extensive list of companion plants -- plant list created by Ute Bohnsack
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, March 10, 2012:
PlanterTomato 3_10_2012 Companion Planting Guide
Posted at 11:50 AM in Garden Planning | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Companion Planting Guide
A stroll through the garden and photos of overwintered plants and some new arrivals.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, March 3, 2012:
PlanterTomato 2_3_2012 Early Signs of Spring
Blenheim Apricot
Baby Crawford Peach
Chandler Blueberry
Yukon Gold Potato
Thomas Laxton Pea
Purple Glazer Garlic
Carrots- Romeo?
Wheat
Bees
Posted at 01:49 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
A rare red fling corn variety from Italy.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Friday, March 2, 2012:
PlanterTomato 2_2_2012 Floriani Red Flint Corn
Posted at 07:46 AM in Corn, Grain | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Floriani Red Flint Corn
In this posting, I'll describe the historical development of sweet corn and describe various the various categories that are available to home vegetable gardeners.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, February 26, 2012:
PlanterTomato 2_26_2012 Choosing Sweet Corn Varieties
Posted at 05:56 AM in Corn, Grain | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: SE, SH2, SU, Sweet corn, SY
There are thousands of known tomato varieties so it's not surprising that gardeners can be confused by the options that are open to them. In this podcast, I explain the the terminology used in catalogs and seed packs to describe tomatoes so that it's easy for folks to sort through the various choices.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, February 19, 2012:
Posted at 07:31 AM in Tomatoes | Permalink | Comments (2)
Tags: heirloom, hybrid, open pollinated, tomato
Gardeners across the country are getting ready for spring plantings and one of the first crops to be sown are peas.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, February 12, 2012
Posted at 06:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: English pea, peas, snap pea, snow pea
Jere Gettle is founder and owner of Baker Creek Seed Company. In this last of a series of interviews conducted at the EcoFarm conference in Pacific Grove, CA, I speak with Jere about his company and about the seed collection.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, February 7, 2012:
PlanterTomato 2_15_2012 Jere Gettle Baker Creek
Posted at 06:47 PM in Seeds | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Baker Creek Seed Company, Jere Gettle
In the second interview of this series from the EcoFarm conference, I speak with Jim Adkins of The International Center for Poultry, an organization that educates people about standard poultry breeds and sustainable farming.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, February 5, 2012:
PlanterTomato 2_5_2012 Standard Breed Poultry
Posted at 06:12 AM in Chickens and Chicken Coops | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: International Center for Poultry, Jim Adkins
In this first of a series of three interviews conducted at the EcoFarm conference in Pacific Grove, CA, I speak with Chris Wagner, head of sales, for Modesto Milling. Modesto Milling produces a range of organic feed products for cows, pigs, rabbits, chickens and other livestock.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Saturday, February 4, 2012:
PlanterTomato 2_5_2012 Modesto Milling
Posted at 10:14 AM in Chickens and Chicken Coops | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Modesto Milling, Organic Chicken Feed
In this Podcast I cover the steps you need to prepare your hives for Spring.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, January 29, 2012:
Posted at 08:11 AM in Bees & Beekeeping | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Getting Ready for Spring, Honey Bees
In this Podast, I provide a delicious alternative to potato chips. Don't tell the kids, but they are also very healthy.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, January 25, 2012:
Posted at 07:45 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Kale Chips, Potato Chips
In this podcast, I cover three systems for determining which plants to grow in your area.
PlanterTomato 1_22_2012 Hardiness Zone Systems
Posted at 07:17 AM in Garden Planning | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: hardiness zones, Heat Zone, Sunset Magazine, USDA
In this Podcast, I'll let you know what's going what's being added and dropped to my garden in 2012 and share my 2012 garden plan.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, January 15, 2011:
PlanterTomato 1_15_2012 My 2012 Garden Plan
Posted at 06:21 AM in Garden Planning | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Bush Slicer Cucumber, Calypso Bean, Danish Ballhead Cabbage, German Giant Radish, Jimmy Nardello Pepper, Kamo Eggplant, Lemhi Burbank, Mokum carrot, Orach, Petit Gris De Rennes, Pickle Bush Cucumber, Thomas Laxton Pea
In this Podcast, I highlight some new varieties that caught my eye as I thumbed through the pages of the 2012 seed catalogs. Some are new varieties, some are just new to me, and some are just plain wacky.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, January 11, 2012:
PlanterTomato 1_11_2012 Ten New Vegetables for 2012
Posted at 05:37 AM in Garden Planning, Seeds | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Ten Interesting New Vegetable Varieties for 2012
Over the course of the next several posts, I'll let you know what I believe is new or interesting in the 2012 seed catalogs and also share my 2012 garden plan with you. To get things rolling, I'm providing a list of twenty of my favorite seed companies from whom I've purchased over the years.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, January 8, 2012:
PlanterTomato 1_8_2012 Best Vegetable Seed Catalogs
Posted at 04:58 AM in Garden Planning, Seeds | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Top 10 Seed Companies
A citrus fruit that can be grown in temperate climates and harvested in Winter for holiday recipes.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Thursday, December 29, 2011:
Posted at 12:50 PM in Food and Drink, Fruit Trees | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Citrus ichangensis x C. reticulata, Citrus junos, Yuzu
This recipe for eggnog comes courtesy of House and Garden Magazine from the 1970's. It's made better if you are able to include fresh eggs from your own chickens, so I call it Chicken Lovers Eggnog.
Posted at 01:28 PM in Chickens and Chicken Coops, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Chickens, Eggnog, Fresh Egg Recipes
I've been experimenting with growing grain in my suburban backyard. It's fun to think of growing grain and then converting it to beer. In this Podcast, I provide information about the ingredients in beer and the four reasons why growing your own ingredients isn't practical.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, December 18, 2011
PlanterTomato 12_18_2011 Growing Ingredients for Beer
Posted at 12:09 PM in Food and Drink, Grain | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: barley, growing ingredients for home made beer, hops
Beginner vegetable gardeners always ask what they should be growing. In this Podcast, I provide guidance on the best choices for new gardeners.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, December 11, 2011:
PlanterTomato 12_11_11 Top Ten Vegetables for New Gardeners
Posted at 07:28 AM in Garden Planning | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: beginner, grow vegetables, new gardener, Top ten vegetables
A few fun facts about how bees survive the Winter.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, December 4, 2011:
PlanterTomato 11_4_2011 Honey Bees In Winter
Posted at 06:23 AM in Bees & Beekeeping | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Bees in Winter
With Thanksgiving behind us, it's time to start thinking about Holiday gifts for friends and family. Here is my list of holiday gifts for guy and gal gardeners:
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, November 27, 2011:
For photos and web links to items mentioned in this Podcast, check out my website posting on Holiday Gifts.
Posted at 01:54 PM in Misc. | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: best garden gifts, Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, top garden gifts
If you haven't decided what to put next to your Turkey this Thanksgiving, here's a side dish that is easy to prepare and delicious.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, November 24, 2011:
Posted at 08:17 AM in Food Preservation & Storage | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Roasted root vegetable recipe
Every Thanksgiving I make a pumpkin pie but my twist on the classic recipe is to substitute a winter squash grown in my garden for the pumpkin in the ingredient list. In my opinion, a pie made with fresh winter squash leaves pie made with canned pumpkin in the dust. Learn the recipe and more about the Galeux D'Eysines squash in this Podcast.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, November 20, 2011:
Posted at 06:45 AM in Food and Drink, Squash | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Galeux D'Eysines, Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Honey wine, known more properly as "mead," is probably the first alcoholic beverage created by humans, predating the now much more popular wine and beer. While not commonly available as a commercially produced product, mead is very easy to make at home. In this posting, I'll tell you a little bit about this ancient beverage and give you basic instructions on how to make it.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, November 13, 2011:
PlanterTomato 11_13_2011 How To Make Mead or Honey Wine
Posted at 08:17 AM in Bees & Beekeeping, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: fermentation, Honey wine, mead
A recent article by Food Safety News suggests that honey purchased at most grocery and club stores may be adulterated or contaminated.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, November 9, 2011:
PlanterTomato 11_6_2011 Dangerous Honey
Posted at 09:58 AM in Bees & Beekeeping, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Adulterated honey, contaminated honey, heavy metals, pesticides
In this Podcast, I describe the steps you need to grind home grown flint or dent corn and how to calculate your yield in bushels per acre.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, November 6, 2011.
PlanterTomato 11_6_2011 Grinding Corn
Posted at 05:11 AM in Grain | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Calculating Yield per Acre, Flint Corn, Grain Mill, Grinding Corn, Making Corn Meal
In this Podcast, I'll show you how to preserve sweet peppers.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, October 30, 2011:
PlanterTomato10_30_2011 Canning Sweet Peppers
Posted at 08:29 AM in Food Preservation & Storage | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: How to can sweet peppers
An awesome pasta sauce that uses two secret ingredients to make the dish.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Wednesday, October 26, 2011:
In this Podcast, I provide a check list of things you need to do to prepare your hives for the cold months of Winter.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, October 23, 2011:
PlanterTomato10_23_2011 Bees Winter Checklist
Photo: During my most recent inspection, I found that both hives have more than enough honey to get through our temperate Northern California Winters.
Posted at 07:55 AM in Bees & Beekeeping | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Bees, Check list, How To Get Hives Prepared for Winter, Winter
How to grow the Minnesota Midget
PlanterTomato Podcast for Tuesday, October 18, 2011
PlanterTomato_11_18_2011 Minnesota Midge
In this Podcast, I tell you how to grow wheat in your home garden and provide information about an heirloom variety of that is reputed to be excellent for pasta and bread.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday October 16, 2011:
Posted at 06:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Frassinetto wheat, How to overwinter wheat, preventing lodging
In this Podcast, I provide some ideas to get you thinking about Halloween and information on how to carve a great jack-o-lantern.
PlanterTomato Podcast for Sunday, October 9, 2011:
PlanterTomato_10_9_2011 Fantastic Halloween Pumpkins
Posted at 08:28 AM in Misc. | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Carving Halloween pumpkins
Now is the time to get your onion and garlic sets. Learn all about onions and garlic in this Podcast.
Posted at 01:08 PM in Misc. | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Overwintering garlic and onions
This is a quick gourmet pasta dish that is a nice change from traditional tomato or cream based pasta dishes. It's made with Italian Sausage and Puntarelle (Italian Dandelion).
PlanterTomato Podcast for Thursday, September 14, 2011:
PlanterTomato_9_14_2011 Puntarelle & Suasage Pasta
Posted at 11:45 AM in Food and Drink, Salad Greens | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Puntarelle & Sausage Pasta Recipe, Putarelle