Diggin’ in the Dirt!

This episode is for the birds! How exactly do these winged wonders help us out in the garden? We’ll talk to Gretchen Abrams from the Detroit Bird Alliance to find out! We’ll also hear our favorite birdsong “Birdies” from our very first album. Did you know Announcer Guy is bird-sitting Gertrude the Talking Parrot? We can’t wait for you to meet her on the only gardening podcast that’s just for kids: Gro-Town! Gro-Town   Executive Director, Gretchen Abrams, brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in environmental education and 15 years of management experience at local, national, and international non-profits to Detroit Audubon. Gretchen has a proven record of creating and growing programs that are not only beneficial for physical and mental well-being, but essential to nurturing future advocates, conservationists, and stewards of birds and the environment we share. Detroit Audubon | Birding | Conservation | Environment        

Flowers are fantastic and veggies are vital, but what about growing grains? Packed with power and tastefully tiny, grains can be a wonderful adventure in the garden! Today, we’re welcoming Claire Smith from Tenera Grains to tell us more! We’ll also tickle your ears with our original song “Quinoa”! It’s a great grain Gro-Town celebration!   Gro-Town   Claire grew up on a farm in Addison, Michigan (an hour south of Lansing) where she watched her grandparents run a 2,000-acre farm. When her parents decided to grow the ancient grains teff and buckwheat, Claire started a granola and snacks company called Tenera Grains using the teff and buckwheat that are now regeneratively grown. They're all about sustainable snacking that's good for you and good for the planet! https://eatteffola.com/    

Gardening can be part of a heathy lifestyle for everyone! Magnificent minerals, vibrant vitamins! To tell us more is Jacalenne Christian from the Michigan State University Extension’s Health and Nutrition Institute. We’ll also pay homage to one of our favorite healthy garden goodies with a song from our latest album: Fava Beans! All this plus Announcer Guy on the only gardening podcast that’s just for kids, Gro-Town! For more from the MSU Extension, visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/about/impacts_and_programming_in_michigan/health-nutrition/index Gro-Town      

It’s a very, merry Gro-Town Christmas! Today we celebrate the ultimate holiday plant: the Christmas tree! Where did this festive tradition begin? What would it take to grow one of our very own? We’ll talk to Christmas Tree Educator Bill Lindberg from the MSU Extension to find out! Stick around to hear Announcer Guy’s seasonal music composition - it’s really….something. For free videos, music, coloring pages and more, visit Gro-Town Music. Garden. Community. Gro-Town!

It’s all treats and no tricks on this very special Halloween episode of the Gro-Town gardening podcast for kids! Today we’re talking to Tim from the Cranbrook Institute of Science about all things spiders! They’re creepy, they’re crawly, they’re…good for our gardens? We’ll also celebrate a delicious, harvest-season favorite: corn! Plus, find out what Mr. Announcer Guy has up his sleeve to surprise Miss Danielle this Halloween! Gardening tips, laughs, music and more - welcome to Gro-Town!   www.gro-town.com FB @grotown Insta @grotownofficial   Cranbrook Institute of Science | #Halloween #Gro-town #Spiders #GardeningPodcast #KidsGardening

It’s a bounty of besties on this super-sized episode of Gro-Town! Sometimes working together in the garden is just as important as soil and seeds. Today, we’ll meet Jon Kent and Parker Jean from Sanctuary Farms to learn about their commitment to community and compost! Then, when Mr. Announcer Guy suffers an unfortunate gardening mishap, Miss Danielle knows exactly who to call - her physical therapist friend, Christa, with tips on how to keep our muscles healthy when we’re digging in the dirt! All this plus the podcast debut of ‘Peaches & Apples’ from our latest record, Green Album!   Happy growing!   Gro-Town   #GroTown #GrowingFriendship #MissDanielle #Farming #DiggingInTheDirt #PeachesAndApples #GreenAlbum #PrivateHealthTherapy #ChristaCarlomusto #SanctuaryFarms #Detroit #KidsGardening   Christa Carlomusto, PT, MPT, CLT, founder/owner of Private Health Physical Therapy and Wellness in Wixom, MI https://www.privatehealththerapy.com/   Learn more about Jon and Parker’s mission at https://www.sanctuaryfarming.com/    

Today’s episode is a real page turning, library loving, garden growing adventure! We’ll take a field trip to the Detroit Public Library to explore a bounty of beautiful gardening books! We also meet Rae Chesny, author of Zora’s Garden (learn more about this amazing children’s book below)! Delight your ears with the podcast debut of Avocado from our latest record Green Album…and what surprises does Announcer Guy have up his sleeve this time? It’s the only gardening podcast that’s just for kids: Gro-Town!   For videos, music, free coloring pages, and more, visit www.gro-town.com FB @grotown Instagram @grotownofficial   #GroTown #GardeningBooks #DetroitPublicLibrary #Gardening #KidsGardening #RaeChesny #ZorasGarden #ZoraNealeHurston #GreenAlbum #GroTownAvocado    - Grow it Again (Kids Can Do It) - Elizabeth MacCleod  - Growing Things - DK Publishing   Zora’s Garden:   In the Florida town of Eatonville, Zora experiences magic…  With the loving wisdom of her mother, Lucy, Zora learns the perfect recipe for creating stories and growing gardens. Join in the fun as Zora learns about the power of storytelling and the delight of gardening.  This heartfelt adventure honors the real Zora Neale Hurston with the perfect mix of fact and fiction crafted by Zora Neale Hurston Scholar Rae Chesny.  Each copy of Zora’s Garden comes with flower or vegetable seeds from Farmstead Seed Supply. www.raechesny.com        

We’re bound to run into a few creepy crawlies while digging in the dirt, but are some better for the garden than others? We’ll hear from Tim Urban from the Cranbrook Institute of Science to tell us more! Plus, from our latest record, Green Album, we’ll catch the podcast debut of Ladybug! Which pests are best? Let’s find out!   For videos, music, free coloring pages, and more, visit www.gro-town.com FB @grotown Instagram @grotownofficial Cranbrook Institute of Science |   #LadyBugs #Gro-Town #Bugs #GreenAlbum #DanielleCarlomusto #TimUrban #BugExpert  

Super tasty and super fun to say, the Saskatoon is the teeny tiny berry with big, delicious flavor! Just what makes this “super berry” so super, anyway? Miss Danielle welcomes Carole the Saskatoon farmer to tell us! Also, we’ll find out what Mr. Announcer Guy has been up to all winter (spoiler alert: it’s…a lot)! Plus, you’ll hear the big debut of “Saskatoon Berry” from our latest record, Green Album! Celebrate growing season with the only gardening podcast that’s just for kids! Growing tips, music, and plenty of laughs - it’s Gro-Town’s season two premiere!   For videos, music, free coloring pages, and more, visit www.gro-town.com FB @grotown Instagram @grotownofficial Follow Christofferson’s Farms on Facebook    

It’s a Halloween harvest of fun! Join Miss Danielle as she gets the dirt on pumpkins and why they’re the superstars of the garden this time of year! Plus, a beautifully bewitching introduction to our favorite nighttime garden pollinators: bats! Music, laughs, gardening tips and more on the only gardening podcast that’s just for kids! It’s sure to be a spooooky good time - boo! www.gro-town.com Insta @grotownofficial FB @grotown   Our bat expert: Sara Pavliscak Our pumpkin expert: Darby Anderson works as the Sustainable Agriculture Instructor at Michigan State University Tollgate Farm and Education Center in Novi, Michigan. Tollgate provides the unique opportunity to experience agriculture hands-on in an urban environment through classes, workshops, field trips, camps, and events. It is also home to the Sustainable Agriculture Program, a 5-acre vegetable production distributed through a 250-member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). As the Sustainable Agriculture Instructor, Darby oversees the day-to-day operation from planting to harvesting to weeding and hosts a 6-month Beginner Farmer Training Program each season.