WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.232 --> 00:00:02.899 (upbeat music) 2 00:00:04.050 --> 00:00:06.180 Welcome to Hadley Presents. 3 00:00:06.180 --> 00:00:08.160 I'm your host, Ricky Enger, 4 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:10.920 inviting you to sit back, relax 5 00:00:10.920 --> 00:00:13.890 and enjoy a conversation with the experts. 6 00:00:13.890 --> 00:00:16.410 In this episode, we discuss gardening 7 00:00:16.410 --> 00:00:18.480 no matter your level of vision, 8 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:21.570 and our guests are Hadley's Chief Program Officer, 9 00:00:21.570 --> 00:00:24.960 Ed Haines, along with master gardener Sue Brasel. 10 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:26.490 Welcome to the show. 11 00:00:26.490 --> 00:00:27.455 Thank you. 12 00:00:27.455 --> 00:00:29.460 Yeah. Thanks Ricky, this is gonna be fun. 13 00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:32.070 Yeah, I agree. I mean, it's springtime 14 00:00:32.070 --> 00:00:33.570 as we're recording this, 15 00:00:33.570 --> 00:00:35.520 and you just step outside 16 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:39.090 and everything starts to smell so green and wonderful, 17 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:41.220 so I figured, what better time 18 00:00:41.220 --> 00:00:44.610 to talk about gardening and growing things? 19 00:00:44.610 --> 00:00:48.780 I'm so happy that both of you are here. 20 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:52.740 Before we get into actually talking about gardening, 21 00:00:52.740 --> 00:00:55.980 why don't we just do a couple of quick introductions? 22 00:00:55.980 --> 00:00:59.580 Ed, you are Hadley's Chief Program Officer 23 00:00:59.580 --> 00:01:02.610 and you've been on a number of these before, 24 00:01:02.610 --> 00:01:05.160 but you also enjoy gardening. 25 00:01:05.160 --> 00:01:07.020 Yeah, I sure do, Ricky. 26 00:01:07.020 --> 00:01:09.240 Yeah, I'm currently the Chief Program Officer 27 00:01:09.240 --> 00:01:11.790 but for many years at Hadley, 28 00:01:11.790 --> 00:01:14.250 I had the pleasure of teaching a gardening course. 29 00:01:14.250 --> 00:01:16.590 Gardening is just a wonderful activity. 30 00:01:16.590 --> 00:01:17.970 And I'm a gardener myself. 31 00:01:17.970 --> 00:01:19.080 My mother was a gardener, 32 00:01:19.080 --> 00:01:20.760 my grandmother was a gardener. 33 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:22.350 Getting enjoyment out of growing things 34 00:01:22.350 --> 00:01:23.850 goes way back in my family 35 00:01:23.850 --> 00:01:26.940 and it's so much fun to pass that on to other folks. 36 00:01:26.940 --> 00:01:28.110 That's awesome. 37 00:01:28.110 --> 00:01:30.990 And Sue, I know that at least some people 38 00:01:30.990 --> 00:01:32.880 will be familiar with your voice 39 00:01:32.880 --> 00:01:34.320 if they have participated 40 00:01:34.320 --> 00:01:36.900 in a few of our Hadley discussion groups. 41 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:40.350 You are certainly a great participant 42 00:01:40.350 --> 00:01:42.480 and have lots of knowledge to share 43 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:45.330 in our gardening group among other things, 44 00:01:45.330 --> 00:01:48.150 and why don't you just tell us a bit about yourself? 45 00:01:48.150 --> 00:01:51.690 I've been blind for about a decade now. 46 00:01:51.690 --> 00:01:53.370 When it happened to me, 47 00:01:53.370 --> 00:01:57.000 what I wanted to do was find something that I could do. 48 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:00.180 I didn't like all the things that I couldn't do, 49 00:02:00.180 --> 00:02:02.580 so I thought, I can do my hobbies. 50 00:02:02.580 --> 00:02:05.640 I can do, among them, gardening, 51 00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:08.220 and that has continued. 52 00:02:08.220 --> 00:02:12.360 I go outside and I work with my plants. 53 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:14.760 I have plants in the ground, 54 00:02:14.760 --> 00:02:16.470 and I have container gardens 55 00:02:16.470 --> 00:02:19.260 and I also have houseplants. 56 00:02:19.260 --> 00:02:21.750 So you have pretty much done the gamut 57 00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:23.970 of all of these types of gardening. 58 00:02:23.970 --> 00:02:27.420 I'm just now getting started with indoor gardening, 59 00:02:27.420 --> 00:02:29.370 and I'm really excited about that 60 00:02:29.370 --> 00:02:31.350 but I know that there's so much more, 61 00:02:31.350 --> 00:02:33.930 there's going outside, having fun with plants, 62 00:02:33.930 --> 00:02:36.240 there's growing things on your windowsill, 63 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:37.620 there's hydroponic gardening 64 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:41.392 which is what I'm dipping my toe into now. 65 00:02:41.392 --> 00:02:44.100 So many different ways to do this 66 00:02:44.100 --> 00:02:47.820 and I love that we're here to just talk about 67 00:02:47.820 --> 00:02:48.720 some of those things, 68 00:02:48.720 --> 00:02:50.820 and what you might wanna think about 69 00:02:50.820 --> 00:02:53.490 if you're losing your vision or have lost vision 70 00:02:53.490 --> 00:02:55.830 and maybe you were gardening before 71 00:02:55.830 --> 00:02:56.917 and now you're concerned about, 72 00:02:56.917 --> 00:02:58.860 "Oh, no, how am I gonna do that?" 73 00:02:58.860 --> 00:03:00.840 Or maybe you're just looking for a hobby 74 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.450 and this is a great one. 75 00:03:03.450 --> 00:03:08.310 Let's jump in then to talking about gardening, 76 00:03:08.310 --> 00:03:12.150 and there's one thing I was wondering about with you Sue, 77 00:03:12.150 --> 00:03:15.690 which is, you kind of alluded to the fact that 78 00:03:15.690 --> 00:03:18.450 gardening was always a hobby for you, 79 00:03:18.450 --> 00:03:21.570 and you started to lose your vision 80 00:03:21.570 --> 00:03:24.513 and you wanted to make sure that you could still do that. 81 00:03:25.590 --> 00:03:29.670 What were you thinking as your vision loss was happening? 82 00:03:29.670 --> 00:03:33.150 Were there particular things that you thought 83 00:03:33.150 --> 00:03:37.650 were going to be problematic with continuing to garden? 84 00:03:37.650 --> 00:03:40.800 One of the biggest problems that I still have 85 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:43.410 is telling the difference between the weeds 86 00:03:43.410 --> 00:03:45.660 and the plants that I really wanna grow. 87 00:03:45.660 --> 00:03:48.930 And then the other half of that is 88 00:03:48.930 --> 00:03:53.160 I have weeds that are growing among my plants. 89 00:03:53.160 --> 00:03:57.360 Like in my rosemary bush, I have poison ivy. 90 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:01.620 I wanna be very careful when I go into the rosemary 91 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:05.640 because it is still edible as long as I wash it 92 00:04:05.640 --> 00:04:09.510 and I try to keep that poison ivy away. 93 00:04:09.510 --> 00:04:12.390 The thing is, if you are allergic to poison ivy, 94 00:04:12.390 --> 00:04:15.780 you might be better off not even trying to eat 95 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:20.430 the plants that are growing right beside it, right among it. 96 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:22.560 You'd rather be safe than sorry. 97 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:23.393 Yeah, so those are some interesting 98 00:04:23.393 --> 00:04:24.226 things to think about, 99 00:04:25.530 --> 00:04:29.280 just how do you tell what is the thing that I want 100 00:04:29.280 --> 00:04:32.040 and what is the thing that I very much do not want? 101 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:33.720 And I suspect that happens 102 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.720 not only with the kinds of plants or weeds, 103 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:39.420 but also maybe pests, 104 00:04:39.420 --> 00:04:41.040 what's getting at my garden, 105 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:43.200 what's chewing up things that I don't want, 106 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:46.860 and also, what things might actually be beneficial 107 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:50.310 for the plant, so interesting to think about that. 108 00:04:50.310 --> 00:04:51.570 Ed, what about you? 109 00:04:51.570 --> 00:04:56.160 Do you have things that people tend to struggle with 110 00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:00.150 initially and even how do we work around those things? 111 00:05:00.150 --> 00:05:02.610 Sure, Ricky and Sue's exactly right, 112 00:05:02.610 --> 00:05:05.580 weeding is always a primary concern for folks 113 00:05:05.580 --> 00:05:08.160 who have lost a bit of vision and they still wanna garden. 114 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.370 There's no one right solution to that problem, 115 00:05:11.370 --> 00:05:14.160 but I do wanna say that gardening, 116 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:18.210 really contrary to maybe to our stereotypes of the activity, 117 00:05:18.210 --> 00:05:21.030 is primarily, it's a tactile activity, 118 00:05:21.030 --> 00:05:22.953 it's something you do with your hands, 119 00:05:23.970 --> 00:05:25.170 use your sense of touch. 120 00:05:25.170 --> 00:05:28.830 So as you garden and as you become a seasoned gardener, 121 00:05:28.830 --> 00:05:31.230 and I'm sure Sue knows this, 122 00:05:31.230 --> 00:05:32.580 you sort of become familiar 123 00:05:32.580 --> 00:05:34.950 with the different weeds that grow in your garden 124 00:05:34.950 --> 00:05:35.940 and what they feel like 125 00:05:35.940 --> 00:05:39.630 and you know the difference just by touch between those 126 00:05:39.630 --> 00:05:42.810 and between, say, the poison ivy and the rosemary. 127 00:05:42.810 --> 00:05:44.940 But there are some other things you can do 128 00:05:44.940 --> 00:05:48.810 to try to just mitigate the growth of weeds. 129 00:05:48.810 --> 00:05:51.270 The first thing is I always recommend containers 130 00:05:51.270 --> 00:05:53.340 and raised beds because at least 131 00:05:53.340 --> 00:05:56.820 you're controlling the perimeter of your growing medium 132 00:05:56.820 --> 00:05:58.140 so that you don't have weeds 133 00:05:58.140 --> 00:05:59.550 encroaching from the outside, 134 00:05:59.550 --> 00:06:01.770 so you know at least what's within the bounds 135 00:06:01.770 --> 00:06:03.450 of that container or raised bed, 136 00:06:03.450 --> 00:06:06.030 you sort of have an idea of what it's gonna be. 137 00:06:06.030 --> 00:06:10.380 Also, use good quality potting mix or potting soil 138 00:06:10.380 --> 00:06:13.440 because that generally has less weed seeds in it 139 00:06:13.440 --> 00:06:15.030 if you're using containers. 140 00:06:15.030 --> 00:06:17.220 And then I always tell everybody, 141 00:06:17.220 --> 00:06:18.450 mulch, mulch, mulch. 142 00:06:18.450 --> 00:06:19.830 You can mulch in containers, 143 00:06:19.830 --> 00:06:22.380 you can mulch in open beds, raised beds. 144 00:06:22.380 --> 00:06:24.870 There's lots of different mulch materials out there. 145 00:06:24.870 --> 00:06:26.820 But I hate to weed. 146 00:06:26.820 --> 00:06:28.920 It doesn't matter what level of vision you have. 147 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:31.050 Everyone hates to weed, for the most part. 148 00:06:31.050 --> 00:06:32.550 Some people find it therapeutic, 149 00:06:32.550 --> 00:06:35.100 but generally it's a chore, 150 00:06:35.100 --> 00:06:36.870 so if you mulch, you're eliminating 151 00:06:36.870 --> 00:06:38.940 a lot of the weed growth already, 152 00:06:38.940 --> 00:06:40.500 and you sort of have a limited area 153 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:42.090 where you have to worry about. 154 00:06:42.090 --> 00:06:45.090 Sue, as you were thinking about gardening, 155 00:06:45.090 --> 00:06:49.290 were there things that as you're losing your vision 156 00:06:49.290 --> 00:06:51.690 and you're like, okay, I got to figure out 157 00:06:51.690 --> 00:06:54.660 how I'm going to get rid of the weeds 158 00:06:54.660 --> 00:06:58.050 or tell what's growing and not touch the bad things 159 00:06:58.050 --> 00:06:59.640 and keep the good things going. 160 00:06:59.640 --> 00:07:00.840 Were there things that you thought 161 00:07:00.840 --> 00:07:02.580 were gonna be really straightforward 162 00:07:02.580 --> 00:07:04.470 and that actually did turn out 163 00:07:04.470 --> 00:07:06.780 to be an unexpected challenge? 164 00:07:06.780 --> 00:07:11.100 I think that growing anything is a challenge 165 00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:14.550 just because when the sun shines 166 00:07:14.550 --> 00:07:18.330 you can't always tell, is it going to hit my plants 167 00:07:18.330 --> 00:07:19.740 for the right amount of time, 168 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:24.330 for the right amount of wind affecting your plant? 169 00:07:24.330 --> 00:07:27.390 Those kinds of things will always be a challenge. 170 00:07:27.390 --> 00:07:30.390 But when you're looking at planting 171 00:07:30.390 --> 00:07:34.110 and realizing that not everything will grow 172 00:07:34.110 --> 00:07:35.940 the way you want it to, 173 00:07:35.940 --> 00:07:39.120 then as long as you can accept that, 174 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:40.920 then you're doing fine. 175 00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:41.753 That's actually a really good point is 176 00:07:41.753 --> 00:07:42.586 just to let go 177 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:49.590 of having complete control over things, 178 00:07:49.590 --> 00:07:51.870 and so having this vision 179 00:07:51.870 --> 00:07:54.780 for what things are gonna be and then it turns out, 180 00:07:54.780 --> 00:07:59.010 well, not exactly, but you have this instead. 181 00:07:59.010 --> 00:08:01.080 Yeah, that's a really good point. 182 00:08:01.080 --> 00:08:04.560 Do you have thoughts about figuring out 183 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:07.260 where the shade is and where the sun is, 184 00:08:07.260 --> 00:08:10.620 and so thinking about how to plant things, 185 00:08:10.620 --> 00:08:13.170 to take advantage of those things, 186 00:08:13.170 --> 00:08:18.090 like knowing where the shade is in your garden and such? 187 00:08:18.090 --> 00:08:20.850 It's always a challenge to figure out 188 00:08:20.850 --> 00:08:23.790 where the sun will shine the most 189 00:08:23.790 --> 00:08:27.120 because year to year, your trees grow, 190 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:31.200 so they will cover a larger portion 191 00:08:31.200 --> 00:08:33.360 that used to be in the sun. 192 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:37.470 That aside, you know or can figure out 193 00:08:37.470 --> 00:08:42.470 which part of your area is facing the north. 194 00:08:42.750 --> 00:08:47.130 That is going to typically be the most shade. 195 00:08:47.130 --> 00:08:51.570 If you look at it for the evening sun, 196 00:08:51.570 --> 00:08:55.830 when that sun comes and hits your plants in the afternoon, 197 00:08:55.830 --> 00:08:59.340 that's very, very hot for those struggling plants, 198 00:08:59.340 --> 00:09:00.990 so you keep that in mind 199 00:09:00.990 --> 00:09:04.200 and you may have to set up little trellis 200 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:07.080 and cover them so that they provide, 201 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:10.680 that trellis will provide some shade for your plants. 202 00:09:10.680 --> 00:09:12.690 And once you realize that, 203 00:09:12.690 --> 00:09:15.720 then you'll be a lot more successful. 204 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:19.470 Now, one of the things that I really like about a trellis 205 00:09:19.470 --> 00:09:22.860 is if you take a shower hook, 206 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:27.510 the kind that you put in your bathtub or over your bathtub, 207 00:09:27.510 --> 00:09:29.790 those are things that you can feel. 208 00:09:29.790 --> 00:09:34.050 If you can attach whatever kind of shade cloth 209 00:09:34.050 --> 00:09:38.130 you want to use for protecting your plants, 210 00:09:38.130 --> 00:09:39.540 attach that with a shower hook, 211 00:09:39.540 --> 00:09:42.300 you can always feel that shower hook. 212 00:09:42.300 --> 00:09:44.040 It's just like feeling your plant. 213 00:09:44.040 --> 00:09:45.540 You know where it is 214 00:09:45.540 --> 00:09:49.170 so that you can rearrange it if need be. 215 00:09:49.170 --> 00:09:51.960 Excellent. All of that makes a lot of sense. 216 00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:54.150 Ed, do you have anything to add? 217 00:09:54.150 --> 00:09:56.520 Beginning gardeners, and I'll totally agree 218 00:09:56.520 --> 00:09:57.353 with what Sue says, 219 00:09:57.353 --> 00:09:58.860 they make the mistake of assuming 220 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:00.090 that everything's going to grow 221 00:10:00.090 --> 00:10:01.653 the way they plan it to grow. 222 00:10:02.610 --> 00:10:04.590 We are partnering with Mother Nature here 223 00:10:04.590 --> 00:10:07.800 when we garden, so we don't have complete control 224 00:10:07.800 --> 00:10:10.350 over all the variables that are going to occur, 225 00:10:10.350 --> 00:10:12.390 especially if we're not lucky enough 226 00:10:12.390 --> 00:10:14.130 to have a greenhouse, for instance. 227 00:10:14.130 --> 00:10:16.770 I find that a lot of beginning gardeners, 228 00:10:16.770 --> 00:10:19.740 sometimes they're surprised by having too much success. 229 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.920 By that, I mean that they don't plan for the amount of space 230 00:10:22.920 --> 00:10:25.800 they're actually gonna need when those plants get big. 231 00:10:25.800 --> 00:10:27.330 You go to the gardening center, 232 00:10:27.330 --> 00:10:30.210 the plants are fairly small, they look wonderful, 233 00:10:30.210 --> 00:10:32.730 and you're full of hope and expectation. 234 00:10:32.730 --> 00:10:34.710 And a lot of times we tend to, 235 00:10:34.710 --> 00:10:36.240 I still do this as a gardener, 236 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:39.240 I buy too many seeds, I buy too many plants, 237 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:41.490 and I never have enough room to put them all in, 238 00:10:41.490 --> 00:10:44.130 and when they mature, I'm always pulling things out 239 00:10:44.130 --> 00:10:47.280 because I'm overgrown and they're not thriving 240 00:10:47.280 --> 00:10:50.130 because they don't get enough space or air, et cetera. 241 00:10:50.130 --> 00:10:51.240 I think beginning gardeners 242 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:53.550 are often surprised by their success. 243 00:10:53.550 --> 00:10:57.150 I think an interesting thing to consider, 244 00:10:57.150 --> 00:11:00.150 how big is this thing gonna be? 245 00:11:00.150 --> 00:11:02.910 You may believe that, 246 00:11:02.910 --> 00:11:06.300 okay, yeah, it's gonna be this tall, 247 00:11:06.300 --> 00:11:08.220 but you haven't accounted for 248 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:10.470 just how bushy it gets as well, 249 00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:11.910 and so I figure that some of that 250 00:11:11.910 --> 00:11:14.130 probably just comes with experience. 251 00:11:14.130 --> 00:11:18.090 And you will have a few imperfections 252 00:11:18.090 --> 00:11:20.790 before you get it exactly right. 253 00:11:20.790 --> 00:11:24.810 When I talked to my friends who are gardeners 254 00:11:24.810 --> 00:11:27.840 and they're planning what they're gonna do, 255 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:29.040 they're always like, 256 00:11:29.040 --> 00:11:31.560 oh, I'm gonna plant these yellow flowers 257 00:11:31.560 --> 00:11:33.360 and it's really gonna make things pop 258 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:37.170 next to this green herb or what have you. 259 00:11:37.170 --> 00:11:39.420 A lot of times, they're talking so much 260 00:11:39.420 --> 00:11:43.680 about the visual aspects of gardening. 261 00:11:43.680 --> 00:11:48.680 When you are thinking about planting your garden Sue, 262 00:11:48.780 --> 00:11:51.660 I imagine that there's a lot more that goes into it 263 00:11:51.660 --> 00:11:55.590 other than just, how is this gonna look when it grows? 264 00:11:55.590 --> 00:11:58.680 What kinds of things do you consider 265 00:11:58.680 --> 00:12:00.990 as you're figuring out what you're gonna plant 266 00:12:00.990 --> 00:12:02.880 and where you're gonna plant it? 267 00:12:02.880 --> 00:12:05.520 A few of the things that I like to consider 268 00:12:05.520 --> 00:12:07.530 are the height of the plant. 269 00:12:07.530 --> 00:12:12.530 When it is mature, you don't want those nice tall plants 270 00:12:13.140 --> 00:12:16.320 to be blocking the tiny little plants, 271 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:19.080 so you wanna put the tall ones either in the center 272 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:20.970 if it's a walk-around kind of garden, 273 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:23.370 or toward the back of the garden 274 00:12:23.370 --> 00:12:27.474 so that the smaller ones get their day in the sun 275 00:12:27.474 --> 00:12:29.760 and shine like that. 276 00:12:29.760 --> 00:12:33.300 The other thing is because where a lot of us 277 00:12:33.300 --> 00:12:35.520 are touching and feeling our plants, 278 00:12:35.520 --> 00:12:40.020 we like to let the oils of the plants come out, 279 00:12:40.020 --> 00:12:42.540 and so as you're rubbing the rosemary, 280 00:12:42.540 --> 00:12:44.580 you smell that on your hands, 281 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:48.570 if you have lemon verbena, you're gonna smell the lemon. 282 00:12:48.570 --> 00:12:52.380 So many plants have wonderful smells. 283 00:12:52.380 --> 00:12:56.190 I really enjoy the nice-smelling garden. 284 00:12:56.190 --> 00:12:57.023 Yeah, it sounds like that certainly 285 00:12:57.023 --> 00:12:57.856 adds to the appeal, 286 00:13:00.810 --> 00:13:02.160 not just how it looks, 287 00:13:02.160 --> 00:13:05.490 but what is this going to taste like when I use it, 288 00:13:05.490 --> 00:13:06.930 and what does it smell like 289 00:13:06.930 --> 00:13:10.170 as I'm walking through or touching it? 290 00:13:10.170 --> 00:13:13.770 Ed, do you have anything that you would add to that? 291 00:13:13.770 --> 00:13:16.980 Sure. Sue alluded to this before. 292 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:18.630 Sometimes you just need to plant 293 00:13:18.630 --> 00:13:21.330 for your specific growing conditions you need. 294 00:13:21.330 --> 00:13:23.700 Your plants have to be compatible with the amount of sun 295 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:27.300 and shade you have, your distance from water source, 296 00:13:27.300 --> 00:13:30.060 just their adaptability to your environment 297 00:13:30.060 --> 00:13:31.890 and what kind of space you've got. 298 00:13:31.890 --> 00:13:36.150 Then a visual component of a garden is nice, that's great, 299 00:13:36.150 --> 00:13:38.430 and flower gardens can be lovely 300 00:13:38.430 --> 00:13:40.770 but there's so much more to plants 301 00:13:40.770 --> 00:13:42.390 than just the flowers. 302 00:13:42.390 --> 00:13:45.990 For instance, a lot of people garden just using foliage 303 00:13:45.990 --> 00:13:49.170 and the different types of foliage as a visual feature, 304 00:13:49.170 --> 00:13:50.400 but then actually that becomes 305 00:13:50.400 --> 00:13:52.590 a really wonderful tactile feature. 306 00:13:52.590 --> 00:13:54.240 Then as Sue alluded to, 307 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:56.850 there's all sorts of scented plants, all sorts. 308 00:13:56.850 --> 00:13:58.860 A lot of them very easy to grow, 309 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:01.710 that just give you another dimension to your garden. 310 00:14:01.710 --> 00:14:03.270 Then people garden for utility, 311 00:14:03.270 --> 00:14:06.540 so some folks just want to garden to grow food, 312 00:14:06.540 --> 00:14:08.460 and some people wanna grow herbs, 313 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:12.090 and then a lot of folks just plant flowers or plants 314 00:14:12.090 --> 00:14:13.620 that attract birds or butterflies 315 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:15.330 because that's what they enjoy. 316 00:14:15.330 --> 00:14:17.880 And to go along with what Ed just said, 317 00:14:17.880 --> 00:14:20.790 one of the most interesting ways of planting 318 00:14:20.790 --> 00:14:25.790 is to keep in mind the things that grow native to your area. 319 00:14:26.040 --> 00:14:28.920 Those are the ones that time has tested 320 00:14:28.920 --> 00:14:33.450 and because of that plant in that location, 321 00:14:33.450 --> 00:14:36.660 then you have this crop of insects. 322 00:14:36.660 --> 00:14:39.630 The beneficial insects will outnumber 323 00:14:39.630 --> 00:14:41.700 the non-beneficial ones. 324 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:46.700 The area of the butterflies or the other aspects 325 00:14:46.710 --> 00:14:49.020 that make a garden a total picture 326 00:14:49.020 --> 00:14:51.210 rather than just a plant. 327 00:14:51.210 --> 00:14:52.110 Yeah, that's a good point. 328 00:14:52.110 --> 00:14:53.970 You don't just have plants, 329 00:14:53.970 --> 00:14:57.060 it's a part of a bigger system. 330 00:14:57.060 --> 00:14:59.430 You have birds, you have bugs, 331 00:14:59.430 --> 00:15:04.430 you have the kind of soil that you're planting in. 332 00:15:04.530 --> 00:15:08.070 And as I'm talking about this, I'm thinking, 333 00:15:08.070 --> 00:15:12.420 wow, there are people who are listening to this 334 00:15:12.420 --> 00:15:15.540 and they've never gardened before and they're like, 335 00:15:15.540 --> 00:15:18.720 oh, no, this is way too much to think about. 336 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:22.770 I feel like I would need to take several classes 337 00:15:22.770 --> 00:15:24.030 or read several books 338 00:15:24.030 --> 00:15:26.520 before I would even start to do this, 339 00:15:26.520 --> 00:15:29.280 but I know that you got to start somewhere. 340 00:15:29.280 --> 00:15:34.020 Do you have thoughts about how can a beginner gardener 341 00:15:34.020 --> 00:15:37.080 get started with the most likelihood of success? 342 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:38.490 We'll start with you, Sue. 343 00:15:38.490 --> 00:15:42.030 One of the things that I think is most important is 344 00:15:42.030 --> 00:15:45.720 get a container, just one container to start, 345 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:47.970 and fill it with potting soil. 346 00:15:47.970 --> 00:15:50.310 Not the soil from the ground. 347 00:15:50.310 --> 00:15:52.860 Because like Ed had mentioned before, 348 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:54.840 it will have the weed seeds 349 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:58.980 and it may have different things that you don't want. 350 00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:01.860 The potting soil is a real good mixture 351 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:04.080 for beginning plants. 352 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:07.770 Put the plants that you really like in there. 353 00:16:07.770 --> 00:16:12.360 Depending on how big this container that you find is, 354 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:14.730 you may have just one plant, 355 00:16:14.730 --> 00:16:17.010 you may have several plants. 356 00:16:17.010 --> 00:16:20.613 If you're talking of a two-foot-around container, 357 00:16:21.540 --> 00:16:23.850 you can have many plants. 358 00:16:23.850 --> 00:16:27.660 But just keep in mind that these plants will grow, 359 00:16:27.660 --> 00:16:30.630 and when they start growing, 360 00:16:30.630 --> 00:16:32.490 you may be overwhelmed at, 361 00:16:32.490 --> 00:16:35.220 oh, am I going to run out of space? 362 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:40.220 Keep that in mind and just enjoy whatever success you have. 363 00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:43.650 The other thing is, if you have no success, 364 00:16:43.650 --> 00:16:46.080 if you forget to water your plants, 365 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:48.150 if you don't check on them 366 00:16:48.150 --> 00:16:52.290 and they are overwhelmed with insect destruction, 367 00:16:52.290 --> 00:16:55.440 you can always paint a rock green, 368 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:58.800 one that is preferably shaped long and skinny, 369 00:16:58.800 --> 00:17:01.500 like a finger, put it in some soil, 370 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:04.413 and say, at least I have a green thumb. 371 00:17:05.291 --> 00:17:09.930 [laughs] Ed, I'm actually happy to say 372 00:17:09.930 --> 00:17:12.210 that when you mentioned container gardening, 373 00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:14.970 I was sitting here clapping my hands going, 374 00:17:14.970 --> 00:17:16.920 Hadley has workshops on that. 375 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:21.570 So we can point right to a set of workshops 376 00:17:21.570 --> 00:17:24.360 that talk about just how to do container gardening, 377 00:17:24.360 --> 00:17:27.840 so what excellent advice for the beginner. 378 00:17:27.840 --> 00:17:29.310 I appreciate that. 379 00:17:29.310 --> 00:17:33.420 Ed, do you have anything you would add to that? 380 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:34.770 I would say right off the bat, 381 00:17:34.770 --> 00:17:37.050 if you're interested in gardening, 382 00:17:37.050 --> 00:17:40.200 find a gardener that's in your neighborhood, 383 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:43.590 because there may be reclusive gardeners out there 384 00:17:43.590 --> 00:17:45.810 that don't wanna talk about what they're doing 385 00:17:45.810 --> 00:17:48.690 but in general, gardeners love to brag 386 00:17:48.690 --> 00:17:49.830 about their own gardens 387 00:17:49.830 --> 00:17:51.300 and they love to show off their gardens, 388 00:17:51.300 --> 00:17:56.300 and most important, they love to share with new gardeners 389 00:17:56.520 --> 00:17:58.260 what works in their environment, 390 00:17:58.260 --> 00:17:59.580 what's worked for them, 391 00:17:59.580 --> 00:18:03.660 what plants are hardy in their particular neighborhood, 392 00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:07.950 and even better, most gardeners are eager to share plants, 393 00:18:07.950 --> 00:18:09.150 and so it's a great source 394 00:18:09.150 --> 00:18:12.090 of getting free advice and free plants. 395 00:18:12.090 --> 00:18:13.890 Gardening can be a community. 396 00:18:13.890 --> 00:18:15.840 It has a community aspect to it 397 00:18:15.840 --> 00:18:17.610 as well as a solitary activity, 398 00:18:17.610 --> 00:18:20.820 so don't miss out on the community of gardening. 399 00:18:20.820 --> 00:18:23.130 Also, Sue mentioned this, be prepared for failure. 400 00:18:23.130 --> 00:18:25.140 It's kind of a war of attrition out there 401 00:18:25.140 --> 00:18:26.730 in the natural world. 402 00:18:26.730 --> 00:18:29.280 Some things are just not gonna do well, that's okay. 403 00:18:29.280 --> 00:18:30.930 Doesn't mean you need to get discouraged. 404 00:18:30.930 --> 00:18:33.720 I have things every year that fail, 405 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:34.920 but I have things that succeed 406 00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:35.880 when I don't expect it, 407 00:18:35.880 --> 00:18:38.760 so that's just the nature of the beast. 408 00:18:38.760 --> 00:18:40.650 Then start with easy stuff. 409 00:18:40.650 --> 00:18:43.560 I've noticed folks are pretty ambitious right at the start 410 00:18:43.560 --> 00:18:46.290 and they wanna grow things like roses or corn 411 00:18:46.290 --> 00:18:50.430 or maybe some pretty intense tomatoes. 412 00:18:50.430 --> 00:18:51.900 Start with stuff that's easy. 413 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:53.670 There's lots of flowering plants 414 00:18:53.670 --> 00:18:57.390 that you can grow that are very hearty and insect resistant. 415 00:18:57.390 --> 00:18:59.370 They'll tolerate all sorts of abuse. 416 00:18:59.370 --> 00:19:01.770 Culinary herbs are great for that. 417 00:19:01.770 --> 00:19:03.990 Then finally, I would just say 418 00:19:03.990 --> 00:19:05.790 if you're gonna try gardening, 419 00:19:05.790 --> 00:19:09.240 try at least to grow a few things from seed 420 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:11.640 because there's nothing more satisfying 421 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:13.620 than putting a seed in the ground 422 00:19:13.620 --> 00:19:18.150 and eventually enjoying a fully grown plant, 423 00:19:18.150 --> 00:19:19.792 just nothing equals it. 424 00:19:19.792 --> 00:19:21.930 That's the advice I'd give 425 00:19:21.930 --> 00:19:25.020 To add to what Ed said, start with seeds, 426 00:19:25.020 --> 00:19:29.820 and go ahead and put your seeds in water. 427 00:19:29.820 --> 00:19:32.310 What I do is I make sprouts, 428 00:19:32.310 --> 00:19:36.240 and so you don't want those to come to maturity. 429 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:38.160 If you're growing sprouts, 430 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:40.740 you're hoping for a harvest within a week. 431 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:44.040 And there is a lot of instruction online 432 00:19:44.040 --> 00:19:45.540 that you can go to find out 433 00:19:45.540 --> 00:19:48.300 how to grow sprouts particularly. 434 00:19:48.300 --> 00:19:50.790 I have a lot of fun growing sprouts 435 00:19:50.790 --> 00:19:55.790 because they're edible and you can use sprouting seeds. 436 00:19:56.190 --> 00:19:59.820 You can use seeds from the grocery store, 437 00:19:59.820 --> 00:20:02.010 such as dried peas and beans. 438 00:20:02.010 --> 00:20:05.010 That's awesome and it actually does help 439 00:20:05.010 --> 00:20:07.380 if you are somewhat impatient 440 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:10.440 and you want to see success right away, 441 00:20:10.440 --> 00:20:12.930 that sounds like a nice way to do it. 442 00:20:12.930 --> 00:20:16.380 If you're doing sprouts and they do so quickly, 443 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:18.480 maybe just having that success 444 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:22.860 will get you more excited than to try even more things. 445 00:20:22.860 --> 00:20:25.320 I know that has certainly been true for me. 446 00:20:25.320 --> 00:20:30.320 I've just started a very tiny hydroponic garden 447 00:20:30.930 --> 00:20:35.250 and now that things are sprouting and growing, 448 00:20:35.250 --> 00:20:37.170 I wasn't sure what to expect, 449 00:20:37.170 --> 00:20:39.870 I thought that I had very much a brown thumb, 450 00:20:39.870 --> 00:20:41.400 and now that's happening, 451 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:44.160 I'm very much curious to do more. 452 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:48.690 Thank you both for sharing all of this great advice, 453 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:50.970 a few tips and tricks that you have. 454 00:20:50.970 --> 00:20:54.330 Is there one thing that each of you 455 00:20:54.330 --> 00:20:55.770 would leave the audience with 456 00:20:55.770 --> 00:20:58.320 that we really didn't touch on just yet, 457 00:20:58.320 --> 00:20:59.700 but that you think is essential 458 00:20:59.700 --> 00:21:03.270 that people walk away with when it comes to gardening? 459 00:21:03.270 --> 00:21:05.340 I would just say try it. Try it. 460 00:21:05.340 --> 00:21:07.890 Just one small pot, or as Sue said 461 00:21:07.890 --> 00:21:09.000 try growing sprouts. 462 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:11.220 Just one small thing you'll find the rewards 463 00:21:11.220 --> 00:21:13.410 are just greatly outweigh 464 00:21:13.410 --> 00:21:15.540 any effort you'll put into the project. 465 00:21:15.540 --> 00:21:16.710 Excellent. Thank you. 466 00:21:16.710 --> 00:21:18.000 Sue, how about you? 467 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:19.860 I like what Ed said. 468 00:21:19.860 --> 00:21:22.050 He said "community." 469 00:21:22.050 --> 00:21:25.950 If you find a mentor who will help you, 470 00:21:25.950 --> 00:21:28.650 not only do you get their knowledge 471 00:21:28.650 --> 00:21:31.890 but you get companionship. 472 00:21:31.890 --> 00:21:36.360 And one of the wonderful things about that is 473 00:21:36.360 --> 00:21:39.690 you have the plants that someone gave you 474 00:21:39.690 --> 00:21:42.480 that will regrow and regrow and regrow. 475 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:44.790 And I've got plants in my yard 476 00:21:44.790 --> 00:21:48.960 that have been given to me from people 477 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:52.290 who are no longer alive and I'm so thankful 478 00:21:52.290 --> 00:21:53.910 I had them as friends. 479 00:21:53.910 --> 00:21:56.040 Yeah, what a nice memory, 480 00:21:56.040 --> 00:21:59.433 a living memory to take with you of people. 481 00:22:00.390 --> 00:22:03.150 I just love the community aspect, 482 00:22:03.150 --> 00:22:04.560 and speaking of which, 483 00:22:04.560 --> 00:22:08.700 if you are interested in talking more about gardening, 484 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:11.640 whether it's sharing what you're doing now, 485 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:13.200 or maybe you're a beginner gardener 486 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:16.620 and you wanna come in and ask some questions 487 00:22:16.620 --> 00:22:19.530 from people who have done this for a little while, 488 00:22:19.530 --> 00:22:24.390 we do have a gardening group, Hadley Growers, 489 00:22:24.390 --> 00:22:27.510 and we'll have information about that in our show notes. 490 00:22:27.510 --> 00:22:29.490 We hope you'll join us. 491 00:22:29.490 --> 00:22:33.390 Thank you Ed, and thank you Sue, for dropping by 492 00:22:33.390 --> 00:22:36.450 and just sharing your gardening knowledge, it's wonderful. 493 00:22:36.450 --> 00:22:37.283 Thank you. 494 00:22:37.283 --> 00:22:39.390 Thanks, Ricky. It was great to be here. 495 00:22:39.390 --> 00:22:40.890 Got something to say? 496 00:22:40.890 --> 00:22:43.980 Share your thoughts about this episode of Hadley Presents 497 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:46.560 or make suggestions for future episodes. 498 00:22:46.560 --> 00:22:48.270 We'd love to hear from you. 499 00:22:48.270 --> 00:22:52.470 Send us an email at podcast@hadley.edu, 500 00:22:52.470 --> 00:22:57.470 that's P-O-D-C-A-S-T @ Hadley dot E-D-U, 501 00:22:57.720 --> 00:23:01.893 or leave us a message at (847) 784-2870. 502 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:05.541 Thanks for listening. 503 00:23:05.541 --> 00:23:08.208 (gentle music)