The Grow Guide

Subscribe to our Patreon to listen to our full-length episodes with guest interviews and more. This month we interview UK gardening author & journalist, Kim Stoddart about her new book The Climate Change–Resilient Vegetable Garden: How to Grow Food in a Changing Climate. Learn more about our listener call-in, Ursula by visiting Disset Chocolate.

Subscribe to our Patreon to listen to our May full-length episode with two guest interviews, covering the topic of Pride and the paralells between our 2SLGBTQI+ community and the garden. Full episode show notes are available here on our website.

Hi Grow Guiders, we’re back at last and have missed you dearly! To subscribe to our next full-length episode head over to our new Patreon page linked here. The first 100 subscribers will be sent a free pack of organic seeds. You can find the full episode show notes with time stamps on topics discussed here on our website To keep up with Dave and his business, head over to the Sage Garden Greenhouses website linked here. To keep up with Maggie and her blog, head over to the From Soil to Soul website linked here.

With Maggie's baby due date literally days away, this is the last episode of our official spring season... and we've packed this week's pod full of awesome Earth-honouring gardening info! First up, we get a glimpse under the mulch in Dave and Maggie's gardens after our start-and-stop spring. Then we get to hear about a little season-extending experiment in Maggie's greenhouse and a mini potato planting tutorial from Dave, as part of our favourite things segment. Our listener question of the week addresses timing when it comes to transplanting community-sown seedlings, a topic that a number of people have been asking about. Then, our guest Melanie Mercier from Araucaria Gardening Services shares a deep dive into how she tackles transforming manicured urban lawns into flourishing gardens that are not only gorgeous but specifically designed to host and support the diverse organisms that make up a healthy ecosystem.

Gardening can be a big investment of both time and money, so this week Dave and Maggie brainstorm practical ideas to extend the gardening budget, while also making planting simpler and easier-care. Before the thrift-minded back and forth, your hosts note what they see in their zone 3 gardens now that the snow has melted, Maggie gets real about the imminent arrival of her baby and we learn about when to pull back mulch as Dave and Maggie answer this week’s listener question.

Ever wonder if you could grow grains in your home garden? This week we are joined by certified organic grain farmers Dan and Fran DeRuyck who walk us through the many questions that come up as we contemplate a world full of backyard micro-farms. The conversation takes us to many interesting places, with lessons on cover cropping, the value of regionally adapted seeds and heirlooms, companion planting, the strengths of an organic approach and ultimately the challenge of yields and processing of grains.

For gardeners in northern climates, April is the in-betweener month: not quite time to get into the outdoor dirt, but it feels so close! Our guest today is Alberta-based garden coach Sharon Murphy, who is here to help us take advantage of this final opportunity to plan and prepare for our best gardens yet. Sharon has “chlorophyll” in her blood, having grown up in a family greenhouse business and then later operated a cut flower farm on a tropical island. Needless to say, she is a fearless garden problem solver and here to share a wide range of tips with Grow Guide listeners.

With colder weather hanging on in Manitoba, it feels all the more compelling to dream about the incredible range of edible plants that can be grown across Canada. Our guest, Annette Clarke, from Exotic Fruit Nursery in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, takes us on a virtual field trip to her farm and greenhouse where we learn about remarkable fruits and how we can grow them in colder zones. Some of the topics covered include Chocolate Vines, Blue Sausage Fruit, Persimmons, Mulberries and Pawpaw!

Spring is officially here and Dave and Maggie are thrilled to be back behind the Grow Guide mics. The show kicks off with some BIG news: Maggie is expecting a baby, due this April! Maggie shares some of the ways her spring arrival will change her 2023 gardening strategies, but there is no holding her back and she is fully embracing the beautiful season ahead. After getting good and caught up, Dave and Maggie spend the second part of the show comparing notes on their seed-starting process, answering a series of questions that bring to life the fundamentals of seed-starting, and then some!

Thank-you to this week's sponsor, HealthiStraw. Browse their extensive list of retail partners in Canada and the U.S. In the final part of this episode, you'll hear guest Curtis Stone share his insights on 3-season gardening, DIY greenhouse builds and more. Find the full episode show notes on our website.

Thank-you to this week's sponsor, HealthiStraw browse their extensive list of retailer partners in Canada & the U.S to find their products nearest you. We're thrilled to have the one and only Curtis Stone on our Fall Finale! Catch part 2 of this interview next week. Find full episode show notes with links to everything discussed on our website.

Thank-you to this week's sponsor, Plant Vitamins. Use code GROWGUIDE for 10% off your purchase at plantvitamins.ca. In this episode, Maggie and Dave welcome on Floriday-based carnivorous plant expert and author, Kenny Coogan to share all about this wonderful, unusual world of houseplants. Find full episode show notes and links to everything discussed on our website.

Thank-you to this week's sponsors, West Coast Seeds and Bonadea Gardens. This week Maggie and Dave welcome on Mary Phillips from the NWF to share her passion about protecting our endangered pollinator species, like the monarch butterflies. There's so much you can do in next year's garden to help out pollinators. Find full episode show notes with links to everything discussed on our website.

Thank-you to this week's sponsor, West Coast Seeds. To enter this week's giveaway for your chance to win a $100 West Coast Seeds gift card, head over to our website and comment on the episode show notes.

Thank-you to this week's sponsor, West Coast Seeds. Today we chat with a returning Canadian guest, Steven Biggs. Steven is a Toronto-based gardening educator, blogger and podcaster who chats with The Grow Guide about the various Mediterranean edibles he grows in his garden. Get inspired to add figs, lemons and olives to your Northern garden next season. Find the full episode show notes with links to everything discussed on our website.

Welcome back to another episode of The Grow Guide Podcast. We’ve reached the mid-way point in our Fall season and have another 5 episodes for you before our Winter break. This week's guest, Lea Coté is a Winnipeg local and the the compost program coordinator at Winnipeg’s Green Action Centre. She joins the pod to chat Winter composting, vermicompost, the bokashi method, counterop composters and more.

Thank-you to today's sponsors HealthiStraw and Sproutbox Garden. Maggie and Dave are back chatting all things garlic today with the one and only, Niki Jabbour. Niki shares her wisdom for garlic growing your own organic hardneck or softneck garlic in any sized garden space. Find links to everything discussed in our episode show notes on our website.

Thank-you to today's sponsor, HealthiStraw. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to our neighbouring Grow Guiders. Maggie & Dave catch-up on their Fall gardens before welcoming back for a second time the one and only, Joe Lamp'l. Learn about his hands-on tips for protecting your garden during the off season. Find links to everything discussed in our episode show notes on our website.

Thank-you to this week's sponsor, Sproutbox Garden. It's the first Fall episode of October and Maggie & Dave are feeling the spooky vibes. This week's guest, Jess Robison shares practical tips and advice for transforming your yard into a food forest. Learn about about planting fruiting trees this wall, site selection, perennial food planting and more. Find links to everything discussed in our show notes on our website.

Thank-you to this week's sponsor Evolve Organic Fertilizer. We’re back for another Fall-focused episode and Maggie has lots to catch Dave up on. Check out our episode show notes for behind-the-scenes photos of Maggie's From Soil to Soul Harvest Dinner. Homesteader, Kate Schat from Venison for Dinner then joins the show to share her secrets to canning, storing veggies and raising livestock. Find links to everything discussed in our show notes on our website.