My summer garden looks amazing! Everything is lush and thriving, in spite of challenging conditions common to the hot humid south. While I’ve come to expect that, experience has taught The p...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/liquid-worm-juice-superfood-for-my-organic-garden/
Knowing how to top tomatoes and what to do when tomato plants get too tall will give you the confidence to tame your plants while keeping them healthy and productive. The post How to Top Tomat...
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Sometime last summer, likely around the time my tomato plants were loaded with fruit and breaking branches right and left (again), I wrote a blog post lamenting about my fantasy The post Meet ...
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In my book, compost is the single best soil amendment you can add to your lawn and garden. Even better, you can make it for free. So not only is The post Can You Trust The Compost You Buy? ap...
I must admit, I have a pretty good job. Much of each year is spent traveling the country, visiting many of America’s most beautiful gardens for the television series I The post The Greatest ...
Celebrating the Resiliency of Nature on Earth Day I’m fortunate to have a job where travel allows and even requires me to see many beautiful gardens around the country. But The post The Resi...
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Junk food. That’s how I think of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides when it comes to lawncare. When you’re hungry- really hungry- what do you reach for to satisfy that craving? The post ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/organic-lawn-care-spring/
Pruning Primer: From Newbie to Ninja Every gardener has heard that pruning is important. But getting out in the garden and actually doing it is a frightening challenge to many. The post The ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/how-to-prune-like-a-pro/
The Three Biggest Steps I Took in 2014 to Make My 2015 Garden the Best Ever In boxing, every fighter eventually squares off in the ring against a particularly crafty The post How 3 Simple Step...
A term I’ve used often in the world of gardening is this: No matter how much you know about gardening, there’s always more to learn. Any time you’re at the The post My 3 Biggest Gardenin...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/biggest-gardening-mistakes-2014/
Sowing Seeds and Saving Lives – The Power of a Classroom Farm Imagine if more people adopted the philosophy of Stephen Ritz. Not willing to accept the things he can’t The post Green Bronx ...
From the Department of, “do as I say and not as I do”, I missed a great opportunity this year to try out my idea for the perfect tomato trellising The post In Pursuit of the Ultimate Tomat...
You’ve no doubt heard the phrase; “the world is your oyster”. It comes from a quote in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. The implication is that the world is The post Thinkin...
Building a composting bin using pallets is an incredibly easy project and a great use for these common items. Here’s what you need to know to build your own. Also be The post Building a Pal...
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With over 100 episodes spanning the past four years, we’ve been to a lot of amazing places and told some pretty incredible stories. And the more we do, the harder The post In the Life and Ga...
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By the time we finish editing our shows that you see on television or online, they’re very well mapped out.Yet even in the final hours, it’s not unusual for us The post Off the Grid, or at...
It Happened to Us! I say it often; it’s alright to make mistakes as long as you learn from them—especially in the garden. Well, I made a doozy recently and The post Killer Compost appeare...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/killer-compost-it-happened-to-us/
As they say, the third time’s the charm. Such was the case with this episode covering some of the most important things to know about starting plants from seeds. I The post The Show I Though...
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If every school administrator had the chance to see what I saw over the two days spent at The Manhattan School while filming our episode on The Greenhouse Classroom, there The post The Power o...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/the-power-of-a-classroom-garden/
The work on the Veteran’s Farm (Full Episode: 308) embodies occupational therapy, a science-driven, holistic profession that helps people recover from a wide range of physical and mental challe...
This behind-the-scenes post is by Co-Executive Producer, Theresa Loe. It was definitely a “white-knuckler” as we barreled down a Virginia dirt road in the pitch darkness of the early morning....
Whenever we set out to tell a story for Growing a Greener World, we look for the very best place to do so. That means going to the most perfect The post You Can’t Change the Weather; But you...
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With two full seasons behind us now, it’s been an interesting exercise to look back on all the episodes we’ve done, the places we’ve been, and the subjects we’ve covered. The post Back...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/backyard-composting-so-much-to-say-so-little-time/
Before this season started, there was one episode I was most excited about shooting and this was it! I didn’t even know if such a place really existed but somewhere The post Back to School�...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/back-to-school-life-embedded-at-the-farm-school/
On occasion, some of the best segments that make it into our shows were never part of the original outline. Perhaps I shouldn’t admit that, but this blog is about The post The Accidental Pal...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/plug-a-3-minute-hole-with-a-pallet-garden/
Our episode on Gardening for the Hungry premiered today. And within hours, the questions started coming. Several were like one I’ve pasted below. It’s great if you already have a The post ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/garys-tips-on-starting-a-community-garden-on-the-cheap/
Part of what’s so cool about this local-living movement is all the new cottage industries cropping up as a result that involve food and gardening. Our Episode 219 featured the The post Livin...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/living-and-eating-locally-if-we-can-just-get-to-our-location/
This was a fun shoot. Most are good, but some are better than others and this was one of those. First off, we were in a beautiful setting; an organic The post If friends were flowers, I’d pi...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/if-friends-were-flowers-id-pick-jello-mold-farm/
Over the last two seasons of Growing a Greener World, we’ve covered some cool topics and interviewed some pretty amazing people along the way. But this show was a first. In one The post Th...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/the-real-rock-stars-of-food-and-gardening/
A lot of the reason I love my work so much is because of all the great inspirational stories we get to tell that include my favorite subject: gardening. And The post When Growing Up is Your On...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/when-growing-up-is-your-only-option/
The following post is written to accompany episode 213, on Young Farmers. It’s more of the backstory because we can never tell or show it all in 30 minutes. If The post Young Farmers; Real-l...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/young-farmers-real-life-super-heroes/
God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools. John Muir So here’s the backstory The po...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/shedding-light-on-good-trees-and-clueless-people/
I knew sooner or later we’d branch out beyond the contiguous 48. I mean after all, we are Growing a Greener World, right? So when Nathan called with an idea The post 3 Things I Learned on Ou...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/3-things-i-learned-on-our-ggw-road-trip-to-a-foreign-country/
As the GGW team looks back on all the episodes filmed for season two, the chicken show will be one we talk about a lot. Besides being so completely fun The post Sometimes You Have to Ruffle a ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/sometimes-you-have-to-ruffle-a-few-feathers/
Driving home that Friday evening from Athens, Georgia, after a long day of filming, I should have been more excited. The critter control show was pretty much in the can. The post When Life Giv...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/when-life-gives-you-dead-stuffed-rats/
I have to admit, of all the types of gardening I’ve tried, hydroponics is actually not one I’ve done yet! I guess I’m just a hands-in-the-dirt kinda guy. But all The post PodPonics and W...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/podponics-and-windowfarms/
Seattle is one of my favorite cities, and the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, is without a doubt, my favorite show if its kind. So when the idea of showcasing The post Sleepless in Seattle ...
A tenth of an acre may not sound like much at first! But after spending time in the home garden of our associate producer, Theresa Loe, this tiny plot proved The post Tloe’s Garden is Right ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/tloes-garden-is-right-on-time/
Now that I have time to catch my breath, I thought I’d share with you another part of my life when I’m not producing or hosting Growing a Greener World. The post Fiskars Project Orange Thu...
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Wow, what a ride! In September, we officially wrapped the first season of our national public television series, Growing a Greener World. We traveled the country, covering 18 states and The po...
If I were alive during the original Victory Garden campaigns of WWI and WWII, it wouldn’t have taken any convincing for me to get out there and start a food The post From WWI Straight into A...
I’ve always been fascinated by Thomas Jefferson, mostly for the same reasons most people feel that way. But the real hook was set for me when I started learning more The post If You Can’t ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/if-you-cant-stand-the-heat-get-to-monticello-anyway/
Having just come off an incredible day of shooting less than 24 hours prior at the Rodale Institute, we were ready to ride that wave for another productive day taping The post When it Rains it...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/when-it-rains-it-pours/
This blog coincides with episode 123 of Growing a Greener World. To enjoy this blog post to the fullest extent, be sure to watch the episode online here and listen The post The Rodale Story �...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/the-rodale-story-so-much-to-say-so-little-time/
Gardening is filled with plenty of its own rewards. One I never tire of is the joy of watching seeds I saved from a parent plant take root and begin The post Collecting and Saving Seeds appea...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/collecting-and-saving-seeds/
This post relates to our episode number 121 on community gardening. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, it’s available for viewing on our website here. Our challenge to tell the The post...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/so-many-community-gardens-not-enough-time/
Thanks to the help of many of our friends throughout the country, we learn about some of the people, places and organizations we feature on Growing a Greener World. We The post CSA’s – or ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/csas-or-the-way-to-my-heart-is-through-my-stomach/
Sometimes I have a hard time remembering that much of the country is dealing with severe water shortages, especially when I visit gardens like Nan Sterman’s in San Diego, California. The pos...
Hard to believe, but nearly a year ago I assembled a very impressive pool of talent from Boston, Atlanta and Philadelphia to converge on Greensgrow Farm, nationally recognized as the The post ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/my-very-cool-weekend-taping-pilot-for-pbs-series/
As we near the finish line for a series of episodes that have taken us coast to coast, I thought I’d have a little fun with the crew. This time The post We’re sleeping Where?!?! appeared ...
I learned a thing or two from working on this episode on Native Plants and Certified Wildlife Habitats. One, I really like Austin, Texas, and two, never try to fit The post Go Native appeared...
Near the Los Angeles International airport and surrounded by a concrete jungle, an oasis grows on less than one-tenth of an acre. Theresa Loe, aka “Tloe” is living homegrown fresh The post...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/living-homegrown-fresh/
Pruning. It’s often feared to a fault. In fact, I have a good friend that is a self-proclaimed “prunaphobic”. On the other hand, some people think nothing of shearing off The post Prunin...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/pruning-the-good-the-bad-and-thequestionable/
For every plant we put in the ground, there’s usually a pot associated with it. From those annoyingly thin plastic, crinkly six-pack containers to the giant buckets that hold large The post ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/the-ugly-truth-about-gardening/
After seven years of traveling the country hosting gardening television shows, I have to say, this day was the best day ever so far. In that time, I’ve seen the The post Sonoma County Worm F...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/sonoma-county-worm-farm-my-best-day-ever/
I met Farmer D almost a year ago when he showed up at a community garden installation I was doing for Fiskars’ project Orange Thumb. He was still around as The post My day with Farmer D app...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/my-day-with-farmer-d-aka-daron-joffe/
As I sat down to write the introduction to my latest book: The green Gardener’s Guide; simple, significant actions to protect and preserve our planet, I realized that this relatively simple ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/an-eco-friendly-garden-is-good-for-all-2/
I’ve been on the mailing list for Annie’s Annuals for years. Her catalogs would faithfully arrive and I’d thumb through them. I get a LOT of catalogs. But Annie’s for The post Good Thi...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/good-things-do-come-in-small-packages/
*Joe’s Note: Presumably, you’re picking up here from the previous post where I wrote about our visit to Annie’s Annuals for the taping of an episode featuring her nursery and The post An...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/annies-annuals-sowing-more-than-just-seeds/
You don’t have to drink wine to enjoy the beauty of a vineyard. But I must admit, having an appreciation for it surely does make a visit all the sweeter. The post The Earth-friendly Vineyard...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/earth-friendly-all-toast-to-that/
With 19 out of 26 episodes of Growing a Greener World already in the can, I have been ordered by my family and crew to cease and desist immediately for The post We Interrupt this Program…for...
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It was everything I had imagined and more. That was my feeling after spending the day taping episode 108 at the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California. As a longtime fan The post Seven Hour...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/seven-hours-in-heaven-the-edible-schoolyard-berkeley-ca/
Take time to study any living creature and you’ll be amazed at what you learn, from the highly sophisticated dolphin, down to the lowly worm. But if I had to The post The importance of honey...
Today was perhaps the most memorable day of my life as it relates to my gardening television career. In traveling the country to tell the story of people, places and The post Not your grandmot...
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Very soon we’ll be launching a brand-new website right here at GrowingaGreenerWorld.com, where the conversation continues long after the episode airs on public television! Here you’ll find ad...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/growing-a-greener-world-new-website/
OK all you professional or wanna be graphic designers (like me), here's your chance to have your work seen on National TV every week and more. If you come up The post Logo Design Contest for N...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/logo-design-contest-for-new-national-pbs-series/
Last week I was in Baltimore to install another Community Garden for Fiskars, under their Project Orange Thumb initiative. Believing that community gardens can provide the catalyst and inspira...
This week marked a big milestone in The Twenty-five Dollar Victory Garden. I officially crossed over the 100-pound mark of harvested vegetables! But what do I really show you to The post 105 P...
Things have slowed down a lot in my garden. That explains why the posts are less frequent lately. It also has a lot to do with my lack of motivation The post Closing in on 100…(pounds that i...
What a difference a couple of weeks make. The picture in this post represents a bittersweet milestone in the Twenty-five Dollar Victory Garden. I took this shot four days ago. The post A Bitte...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/a-bittersweet-day-in-the-twenty-five-dollar-victory-garden/
Here’s a quick update on the garden. I’m very excited to report that as of today, my cumulative harvest exceeds 50 pounds! That’s on a total investment of $15.05. So The post Fifty Pou...
Wow, mid July and The Twenty-five Dollar Organic Victory Garden has produced almost 35 pounds of vegetables. Although the lettuce is pretty much finished, everything else is still producing away....
There’s something about that first tomato harvest that just seems to make the summer garden official. Not that the 25 pounds of fresh veggies picked so far don’t already speak The post Hom...
I admit to being a little slack this week. I had the best intentions to have this latest post and video up before the forth of July holiday. But the The post A Shrinking Budget – My Quest fo...
Once again, this is not a video but I just had to show you my first harvest of note where I actually had a complete meal from the bounty. Everything The post First Harvest Meal from the Twenty...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/first-harvest-meal-from-the-twenty-five-dollar-victory-garden/
This post does not include a video but if you'd like to see them for this series on The Twenty-five Dollar Organic Victory Garden Challenge, click here to view The post Thought You’d Like...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/thought-youd-like-to-see/
(To watch this video in better High Definition, click here to view it on Vimeo). So I survived nearly week away, without my nightly ritual of spreading homemade deer repellent The post Keeping...
(If you'd like to watch this video in better HD quality, click here to view it on Vimeo) So, this is what I love about gardening. There is never a The post Oh Deer! – My Quest for the Twenty...
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If you’d like to watch this video in better HD quality, view this episode on Vimeo by clicking here. Well, in spite of all the rain, my garden is finally The post Smoking Grass is good for y...
To watch this video in better HD, click here to view on vimeo. So this video was shot two weeks ago. As you’ll see, I gave you a taste of The post Maybe I Should have Planted a ‘Rain Garde...
If you want to watch this video in better HD quality, click here. In this video you can see that the hard work is paying off. I finally have a The post The Bed is Ready to Plant! – My Quest ...
It’s finally beginning to look a lot like a garden, or at least the makings of one. Now that that I’ve cleaned the slate, it’s time to roll up my The post Garden Bed Finally Taking Shape...
It’s no secret, gardeners are optimists. But I have to tell you, if I’ve ever been challenged on that one personally, it’s right about now. Seriously, since the day I The post Reality Bi...
Episode 5: Joe vs. Nandina dumbasstica – My Twenty-five Dollar Victory Garden Challenge from Joe Lamp'l on Vimeo. The video posted with this blog entry chronicled a period spanning about The...
I never thought as a gardener I’d be saying this but I am SO sick of the rain!!! Just as I placed my soil into my new garden spot, down The post Should I be Building an Ark Instead of a Gard...
Freecycle.org comes through again. So far, it’s helped find a taker for my Nandina plants I needed to have removed to make room for my Twenty-five Dollar Victory Garden, and The post Salvagi...
The Outside Reveal – My Twenty-five Dollar Victory Garden from Joe Lamp'l on Vimeo. Finally, it only took four video episodes to reveal the actual place where my Twenty-five Dollar The post ...
Recently I had the great opportunity to talk about starting a vegetable garden for another GMA related segment in New York. And specifically, they gave me plenty of opportunity to The post Beh...
It's been a very hectic travel schedule lately and some of that includes coveage of my Twenty-five Dollar Victory Garden Challenge. This included another trip to NYC for my next The post Mor...
Well, the video editing backlog is starting to pile up. I taped this segment two weeks ago and finally pieced together enough time during my travels over the last week The post Episode Two; I�...
Hello all. We interrupt my quest for the Twenty-Five Dollar Victory Garden to let you know I'm on the road until the end of this week. Before I left I The post An Update from the Road appeare...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/an-update-from-the-road/
Ironically, as much time as I’ve spent over the last several years being involved in the TV business, I have NO experience shooting video myself. Sadly, my girls are 9 The post My First Vide...
It was a fun and busy weekend for me with this twenty-five dollar victory garden project! On Saturday, I checked my mail and just as I had hoped, it included The post Virtual Friends Share The...
What a great day for a little positive gardening PR. Thanks to so many of you writing, blogging, tweeting and basically shouting about all the important benefits of gardening, the The post A L...
Well, it’s only been two weeks today, since making the announcement to start my twenty-five dollar victory garden. A lot has happened since then. As I write this quick post, The post Good Mo...
Today's post is by guest blogger Vanessa "Nessa" Richins. You've likely seen her all over the twittersphere (@treesandshrubs) and she writes for About.com on trees and shrubs. Nessa is one The...
Until now, I’ve never really considered how much of what you need to start and maintain a garden can be acquired for free or nearly free. But in my quest The post 10 Ways to Equip Your Gar...
No sooner had I made the first post announcing my plans for my twenty-five dollar victory garden, when Daniel left a comment, questioning my word choice. Her concern was valid; The post The ...
Four days ago, I threw out a ‘tweet’ on Twitter regarding my crazy idea to install an organic Victory Garden at my house, sufficient to feed my family of four The post One Man’s Trash is...
There’s a popular country song out there these days with this refrain; “What was I think’n?” I doubt that songwriter was regretting anything remotely related to gardening, but today I ...
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/my-twenty-five-dollar-organic-victory-garden-challenge/