You Bet Your Garden

Is Your Garlic in the Ground Yet?

On this episode of You Bet Your Garden, our host Mike McGrath tells us all about garlic: what to plant, how to plant it, how to harvest and what to do with your harvest! Plus we hear some folk songs about lantern flies and other pests.

A Fresh Look At: Got ivy growing up your trees?

On this 'fresh look' episode of You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath tells us why ivy growing up a tree may or may not be a reason insurance companies could cancel a policy. Plus, Adrian Higgins from the Washington Post talks with us about why Bradford Pear trees might be the worst tree of all time and, as always, an extra heaping helping of your phone calls.

Name That Pest! Sawfly Edition

On this episode of YBYG, host Mike McGrath helps us name that pest and tell us what to do if Sawflies are wilting down your willow trees. Plus, we talk products that actually don’t protect you from mosquito bites. And, as always, we take your fabulous phone call questions!

What’s NOT on the deer’s menu of choice?

Deer need to eat 6-10 pounds of greenery a day, but what plants can you grow in your garden that aren’t on their list of top options? On today’s episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath gives us some advice on what to do! Otherwise, it’s a fabulous phone call show!

What kind of buzzing bee is living in your lawn?

On this episode of YBYG, our host Mike McGrath breaks down the difference between spring-time, non-stinging, native bees & late summer, aggressive yellow jackets. He also tells us how to deal with the potential danger living below the grass. Otherwise, it’s a fabulous phone call show!

What is the best out-of-season greenhouse?

Many gardeners who live in cold climate dream about growing plants in greenhouses. On this episode of You Bet Your Garden, our host Mike McGrath tells is why the inside of your home might be the best place to grow out of season.

Are evil squirrels eating your tomatoes & tree fruits?

On this episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath reveals several ways you can try and stop those “long-tailed servants of Satan” before they get to your plants. We also talk to a researcher from the Smithsonian who explains the connection between dangerously bitter squash and wooly mammoths! And, as always, we take your phone call questions!

Is it too late for pepper plants?

On this episode of YBYG, our host Mike McGrath reveals why peppers are perhaps the only “plants of summer” that will accept such tender mercies this late in the season. Otherwise, it’s a fabulous phone call question show!

Think twice before “improving” the soil when planting plants and shrubs!

On this episode of You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath tells us if service berry deserves tough love if its been growing in a nursery bed for a year, and why you should never “improve” the soil in the planting hole when installing new plants and shrubs in your garden. Otherwise, it’s a fabulous phone call show!

What is one of the worst landscaping practices?

On this episode of YBYG, our host, Mike McGrath, explains why grinding down above-ground tree stumps of healthy trees is one of the worst landscaping practices often seen at condo associations. Otherwise, it’s a fabulous phone call question show.