“Garden Thyme Podcast” hosts and horticulture educators, from left, Emily Zobel, Rachel Rhodes and Mikaela Boley started recording in 2020 right before the pandemic, and have found it a good tool for reaching their audience. (Photo by Edwin Remsberg)
While “True Crime” and other crime and mystery podcasts get the most limelight, have you discovered the large niche of home and gardening podcast shows? There is so much to learn from them to improve your own gardening skills and practices, without learning how to bury your spouse in one.
You can even hear from local ladies in the University Maryland Extension.
It seems like there’s a podcast for every topic and viewpoint, with chatty folks coast-to-coast posting episodes.
Gardening is no exception and podcasts can be a great companion when you are outside caring for your plants.
Podcasts are easy to use and the app is standard on your phone already- just hiding waiting for you to use it.
If you have an iPhone, it will be Apple podcasts, and Androids use Play Music. You could also download an app like Spotify.
Hit subscribe if you like the style of a podcast or if you are looking for something specific, use the search bar. If you get confused, simply ask your nearest teenager.
There are so many podcasts out there, you can find one that caters to your liking: Sustainable gardening, flower gardening vegetable gardening, gardening with kids, running a farm or flower business, DIY projects, indoor plants and living off the grid are just a few topics.
Podcasts are practically like being able to chat with any expert you can think of on any topic.
If you love flowers, the aptly named “The Flower Podcast” can help you grow, arrange, or even just get lost in your imagination that you are lost in a field of flowers.
They have a variety of guests, from owners of dreamy Floret Flowers in Washington to design teams you’ve seen in magazines to inspiring stories of how flowers have brightened spirits. They bring lots of petal power to immerse yourself in.
Another one of the highest rated gardening podcasts is by one of Martha Stewart’s former staff, Margaret Roach, who was the editorial director.
Also a columnist at The New York Times, Roach’s popular show has been on the air for about ten years, with weekly half-hour episodes.
You can find just about anything in her episode catalog from ripening your tomatoes to healing plants and learn from experts in landscaping and gardening.
She also appeals to the naturalist side with native plants, attracting birds, and more.
Many podcasts include notes and transcripts with links and resources you might want to follow up on.
No matter which of the thousands you tune into, take note of the zone the podcaster is from.
Don’t let a Florida gal give you advice on growing oranges in your yard! Of course, it’s still fun to listen to how folks in other regions manage their plants, just take it with a grain of salt.
If you don’t want to be teased with California’s dreamy growing conditions, there’s an Eastern Shore-based gardening podcast.
The “Garden Thyme Podcast” was created by the Queen Anne’s County Master Gardeners of UME and is anchored by Mikaela Boley, Senior Agent Associate for Horticulture in Talbot County; Rachel Rhodes, Agent Associate for Horticulture in Queen Anne’s County; and Emily Zobel, Senior Agent Associate for Agriculture in Dorchester County.
The three of them have worked together for about seven years and known each other for even longer, and started chatting about a podcast for the region in 2019.
They started recording in 2020 right before the pandemic, and found that the podcast was a good tool for reaching their audience, pandemic or not. Each monthly episode covers seasonal and current themes such as shade gardening and winter pruning.
You’ll also hear the “Native Plant of the Month,” “Bug of the Month” and “Garden Tips of the Month. The monthly episodes are about 45 minutes long, though they admit to editing out a snack break or two along the way.
Extension offices have long been on the receiving end of calls with mysterious and even off-the-wall questions, but many times the three hosts found they often receive calls with the same questions.
Once they had planned on a rain garden episode, but found themselves inundated with ant and termite questions so they pivoted their topic.
They’ll also take notes for the following year as they record episodes up to a month ahead of time.
Another fun episode is the “Garden on the Go” episodes, one of which included a visit to Longwood Gardens to chat with the folks there. (They all recommend giving that one a listen).
Traveling adds a level of fun and interest, and they plan to explore more next year, like a visit to Penn State’s horticulture program.
While the three are used to speaking to gardeners one-on-one and giving in-person presentations, they said the podcast allows them to better explain things than in writing, newsletters or other outreach.
It also reaches an audience who is listening on the way to work or home with family responsibilities who may not be able to make it into an in-person lecture.
Now in their fourth season, they’ve done lots of fine tuning of audio, format and more.
They’ve learned that sometimes a topic may not lend itself to a podcast format.
Tool sharpening for example, was part of a spring podcast but was getting hard to explain (safely) so instead they pivoted, reminding listeners why it was important and linking out with their preferred how-to videos. Most of their podcast listeners are in North America if not regional, but they’ve had pings in each continent except Antarctica. (They very much would appreciate a listen if you happen to be in Antarctica soon though.)
The trio has a few podcast recommendations of their own, one of which they even had a guest spot on: The Garden DC podcast, which has a Gold Medal for Podcast Series from the GardenComm Media Awards.
Hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, the postcast keeps its focus on the Mid-Atlantic region and sticks to Jentz’s philosophy that growing plants should be stress-free and enjoyable.
Boley recommends the The Native Plant Podcast, while Rhodes enjoys tuning into Gardening with the Royal Horticultural Society.
Though it’s based in England, there’s still quite a bit of tips that can be gleaned into our gardens.
If you are someone who likes to chat and mutter to themselves while you go about your deadheading and clean up, add a podcast in the mix. You may find yourself laughing out loud and learning something new.
