Two Minutes in the Garden: Gardening Tips, Science, Myths
Gardening
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.
Location:
Canada
Description:
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.
Twitter:
@empressofdirt
Language:
English
Website:
https://empressofdirt.net/
Email:
gary.will@gmail.com
Episodes
What Is Phenology -- and Why It Matters
8/4/2025
Phenology is the seasonal timing of events in plants and animals -- when things bloom, leaf out, set seed, fruit, and so on. We can't make plans in the garden without it, and it's steadily changing with warmer temperatures.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: August Garden Checklist: Tasks & DIY Projects
Duration:00:14:55
Attracting Fireflies to Your Garden: What They Need
7/4/2025
Fireflies are a summertime icon for many people, especially in North America. What are they and what can we do to attract fireflies and support them in our garden?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: July Garden Checklist: Tasks & DIY Projects
Duration:00:17:30
Are Synthetic Fertilizers From Fossil Fuels? Do We Need Them?
6/24/2025
Half the world now depends on synthetic fertilizers for food. But do we need them in the garden? And are they really derived from fossil fuels?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Root Pothos Cuttings
Duration:00:16:48
Peat in Gardening: What's the Problem?
6/5/2025
Peat has been a gardening staple for decades -- but at what cost? With growing concerns over climate and ecosystems, is it time we rethink our use of peat?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Why Hummingbirds Are Avoiding Your Feeders
Duration:00:21:50
Overpotting: Should You Pot Up or Go Big?
5/1/2025
Is overpotting just an old gardening myth we're still clinging to? Is potting up no longer needed? Some research suggests bigger pots might be better -- but it's not that simple.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Why Your Compost Pile Stinks & How to Fix It
Duration:00:13:30
Noticing Nature: From Gardener to Naturalist
4/20/2025
You may already be a wildlife gardener, but might you be interested in taking the next step in developing your curiosity about garden wildlife and becoming a naturalist? Inspired by Menno Schilthuizen's new book, The Urban Naturalist.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Tips for Creating a Wildlife Pond & Garden
Duration:00:13:51
Do Gravel Layers in Pots Improve Drainage?
3/17/2025
It's been a hotly debated issue for years: does it improve drainage in your containers if you first add a layer of gravel or some other course material to the bottom? Some new research puts it to the test.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 10 Surprisingly Simple Garden Tips You Might Be Overlooking
Duration:00:15:09
Can Weeds Reveal Soil Secrets?
12/9/2024
Are the weeds in our garden trying to tell us something about our soil? Is it reliable? And should we be taking action based on what they're saying?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Control Weeds Without Herbicides
Duration:00:12:28
Should You Water Plants with Ice Cubes?
11/11/2024
It's been a controversial suggestion for orchids for many years. It also gets recommended for houseplants in general. But is watering plants with ice cubes a good idea?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Propagate Orchids at Home
Duration:00:11:27
Are High Brix Levels the Key to Pest-Free Plants?
10/17/2024
Is it true that pests won't attack healthy plants? Can you really determine the health of your plant through one simple measurement? And where did these ideas come from?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: DIY Bee House Using Scrap Lumber
Duration:00:13:19
Ants in the Garden: Harmful or Beneficial?
8/7/2024
We don't want them in the house, but can we trust ants around our plants? Do we need to step in and do something, or might they be beneficial in the garden?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: 2024 Fall Hummingbird Migration (Canada & United States)
Duration:00:15:50
Vermicomposting -- It's Different From Regular Composting
6/17/2024
An overview of vermicomposting -- worm composting. It provides very similar benefits to the garden as composting, but can be done indoors and stay active year-round, even in colder areas.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How to Save Seeds: Collecting Seeds From Your Garden Plants
Duration:00:12:41
How Gardeners Came to Love Earthworms -- Soil's Tiny Engineers
5/29/2024
Over the last 200 years, earthworms have gone from being despised by gardeners to being loved as signs of healthy soil. Many gardeners now even raise worms in their houses to create vermicompost. But it's not all rosy.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Simple Trick to Save the Best Seeds from Your Garden
Duration:00:13:44
Are Today's Fruits and Vegetables Less Nutritious?
5/9/2024
Are today's fruits and vegetables -- the ones you buy at the store -- less nutritious than they used to be? You hear that a lot, but you'll also hear that it's a myth.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Outdoor Plant Tags & Markers that Last a Lifetime (Really)
Duration:00:11:27
The Purple Tomato: The First GMO Garden Seed
3/3/2024
We always used to be able to say that there were no GMO garden seeds. That's still true in most of the world but, in the U.S., gardeners can now buy seeds for the genetically engineered, high-antioxidant Purple Tomato.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: What to Know Before Reusing Old Potting Mix
Duration:00:13:17
Does Garden-Grown Produce Have A High Carbon Footprint?
2/11/2024
A recent study claimed that urban-grown fruits and vegetables had a carbon footprint six times that of those from conventional farms. Rants ensued.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Monarch Butterflies: How Gardeners Can Truly Help
Duration:00:14:52
Does Touching Soil Make Us Happier?
1/22/2024
For the last 15 years, gardeners have been told that soil acts like an antidepressant, thanks to a particular bacterium. Is there anything to it?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Winter Sowing: Two Reliable Methods for Outdoor Seed Starting
Duration:00:12:38
Do Gardeners Need Crop Rotation?
11/24/2023
It can do great things on farms, but does crop rotation make sense in a garden? What are the benefits claimed for crop rotation, and can we get those same benefits in easier ways?
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: How To Compost In The Winter (Easy Method)
Duration:00:11:34
Plant Nutrients (Part 4): "Up, Down, All Around" and the Phosphorus Myth
10/28/2023
Do nutrients really specialize in one aspect of plant growth, like roots or shoots? Why adding more of one nutrient to your soil, like a phosphorus-heavy bloom booster, often doesn't provide any benefit.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Growing Poinsettias: Year-Round Care & Reblooming Guide
Duration:00:10:25
Plant Nutrients (Part 3): The Trouble with Balanced Fertilizers
10/13/2023
Are you using a balanced fertilizer in your garden? It may seem like a simple and effective way to provide nutrients to your plants, but it could also cause problems for your soil and for the environment.
NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Indoor Seed Starting: Best DIY Setup on a Budget
Duration:00:12:05