Serious Grower

Reminisce with me as I look back over our first season of Serious Grower podcast!  If you are new to the pod, this could be a great place to start.   Kasi wants to know about these wasps (conservation biological control)    Susan and Morgan are interested in early childhood education (how much do young children benefit from gardening?)    Caleb begrudgingly discusses plant sap (can you fertilize your way out of pest problems?)   Seth has a new plan for cabbage aphids  (overhead irrigation for organic management of cabbage aphids)    Kira lives for tomatoes (some of the science behind flavor)   Please reach out ([email protected]) if you are interested in being a co-host or if you have a question that needs some serious attention!    

Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we discuss Kasi's prize winning mullein and her aspirations for squash breeding.  Learn more about UNH's cucurbit breeding program! Gourds and squashes (Cucurbita spp.) adapted to megafaunal extinction and ecological anachronism through domestication   Music: With the Homies - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist; Heartbreaker - Gloria Tells; Suffocation - Sven Karlsson

Dr. Chris Hernandez is a geneticist and crop breeder at the University of New Hampshire. Steve Geddes is record-breaking giant pumpkin grower living and growing in New Hampshire. As far as Serious Growers go...you can't get much more serious than this! Elite level growing and fierce competition, overseen across the globe by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. Join Anna (an entomologist) as she embeds within a giant pumpkin growing project with the boys over at Brookdale Retirement community in Durham, NH. In part two of a multi-part series, we touch on just a few of the pests and diseases that are kind of unique to giants. Check out this article to see photos of precocious yellow "B" gene expressing itself in pumpkins and squash. Read about squash vine borer and the emerging cucurbit yellow vine disease.  Check out the One Ton Genome Project to learn more about the genetics of these giant pumpkins. You can also find information about how to contribute and make sure this project is fully funded!   Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstumentalist; Little Sandy - Daniel Binkley; Harvest Sun - Briar Edwards

Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we discuss how magnesium supplements have been helping Kasi avoid migraine headaches, get nostalgic about rhododendrons, and get a little twisted up making analogies between nutritional supplementation for human health and plant health.  Content warning! Talk to your doctor about supplementing your diet before taking any advice from two middle aged women without medical degrees. Also, we talk about our periods and other bodily functions a whole lot.  Music: With the Homies - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist; Papa Funk - Spring Gang; Funk Wife Punk Life - L.M. Styles

Kira is a regular lady from the Seacoast of New Hampshire who loves fresh, local produce and wants to get into varsity level growing, backyard tomatoes. We discuss low light levels in the home that are great for house plants but not quite enough for starting vegetable transplants, we try a de-goatified goat cheese, and develop a sensory panel activity to determine if farmers' market attendees can tell the difference between tomatoes that were picked green and allowed to ripen on the counter versus picked red and allowed to ripen on the vine.    Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Patinia - Ryan James Carr

Dr. Chris Hernandez is a geneticist and crop breeder at the University of New Hampshire. Steve Geddes is record-breaking giant pumpkin grower living and growing in New Hampshire. As far as Serious Growers go...you can't get much more serious than this! Elite level growing and fierce competition, overseen across the globe by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. Join Anna (an entomologist) as she embeds within a giant pumpkin growing project with the boys over at Brookdale Retirement community in Durham, NH. In part one of a multi-part series, Chris walks us through the nitty gritty of how to get started and we get some sage words of wisdom from Steve.  Check out the One Ton Genome Project to learn more about the genetics of these giant pumpkins. You can also find information about how to contribute and make sure this project is fully funded!   Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstumentalist; Jetski - Kiddo Keys; Fantasize, Bonafide - I'MIN; A Woman's Design is Devine - Blood Red Sun

Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we discuss garlic irrigation strategies, right to repair laws, and all the technologies that are showing up on the farm thanks to space exploration, including UV-C for water purification and disease management. Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; All the Freedom You Need - Terin Ector; Mechakucha - Sugoi; Snakes and Fire - Par Hagstrom; The Big Aisle - John Runefelt

Chuck is a commercial farmer in New Hampshire and an expert in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for fruit and vegetable crops.  This episode touches on how the scientific community is seeking alternatives tools & tactics to replace neonicotinoid pesticides in vegetable pest management and how science and policy influence the nitty gritty business of growing food.  From New Hampshire's House Spring 2026 legislative session HB-1086-FN and HB-1431-FN Full Interview with Dr. Brian Nault (Cornell University)   Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstrumentalist; Silvia, Acid Streets of Brazzaville - El Flaco Collective; Feelings - Ryan James Carr; Morning Reggae - Sir Gigalot

Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we touch on microbes, nitrogen amendments for growing flowers, invasive species, comfrey tea, "chop and drop" mulching, using compost tea as a liquid fertilizer and as a pesticide... and why Anna needs to get off r/permaculture. More information about how to interpret your soil tests from Vermont and Montana's extension services and The Compost Tea Brewing Manual.    Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Zigaboos Walk, Paper Cloth - El Flaco Collective; Happy Accident - Daniel Fridell

Jason wants to turn his lawn into an edible landscape and an amazing place for his family in Oregon. We’ll drop in throughout the year to hear how things are progressing. This conversation includes fitting tree fruit into small spaces, how to trap earwigs and why they are both good and bad, and why mail order pollinators could be causing more problems than its solving.    Listen to the full interview with Tracy Zarrillo about her work with wild bees in CT.