Mid-American Gardener

In this episode of Mid-American Gardener, Tinisha is joined by horticulturists Karen Ruckle and Ella Maxwell for hands-on advice on how to keep your garden thriving all summer! 

Take a walk through one of east-central Illinois' hidden treasures as Mid-American Gardener visits the Bunker Hill Herb Garden at Kennekuk County Park. 

This week we get out of the studio and into the sunshine at Meadowbrook, one of Urbana’s oldest and largest organic community gardens, where folks have been growing since the mid-1970s.

We finally get out of the studio and take a trip to the Idea Garden in Urbana, a public “demonstration garden” designed to inspire everyone from seasoned horticulturists to casual lunchtime visitors.

Spring is in full swing but you don’t have to put everything in the ground just yet…The MidAmerican Gardener crew spent the month of May getting you ready for the planting season!

In late March and April, the MidAmerican Gardener crew headed back into the studio to help get you ready for the planting season and talk all things early-season gardening, including finding out how to balance tidiness with supporting pollinators and beneficial insects.

Spring has Sprung and you’re almost out of time to get that last minute pruning done before it’s too late for the season. Late winter, early Spring is prime time pruning season and to discuss this and learn all about the perfect technique we’ve brought in a local expert in forestry and a friend of our show through the University of Illinois Extension office, Ryan Pankau. 

Before you grab the pruners or plant those seeds, here’s what to trim now, what to leave alone, and how to start seedlings the right way. 

Pruning peaches, planting onions, and what to sow in early March. It’s almost spring and we’re getting our seeds, minds and garden ideas ready. 

Large loofah harvest! Now what? Jennifer Nelson shows us her haul from last summer, and shares some possible ideas of what she’ll do with the unusual fruit. Then, Martie answers questions about pruning dormant trees and shrubs, and when to start cool season crops, as well as early spring flowers every gardener needs!