Master Gardener Kathy Cropp’s guest for this episode is Darcy Cropp. Darcy holds a horticulture degree and runs two businesses, including King & the Cropp Farm in North Carolina. Together they’ll make your seed buying experience easier by explaining the differences in seed types and the varieties to choose from. They’ll also introduce you to a few of their favorite seed companies. This info-packed episode will have you well on your way to saving money and growing your best garden yet.
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You can find more information at it relates to this podcast at the Garden How-To Resource page at Gardeners Four Generations. There you will find handouts, some book recommendations, Cooperative Extension websites and more.
Visit the links below for a copy of the books mentioned in this podcast:
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About Kathy Ballard Cropp
Kathy is a gardener of two generations: her grandfather-who gardened out of necessity and her father, who gardened purely from the love of it. She started out with indoor plants when they lived in Chicago and Atlanta, she and her father then begin teaching her children about growing vegetables, roses and anything else green since they moved to Virginia in 1987. She took the Master Gardener training class in September 2006, is a member of the Danville Master Gardener Association and in 2010 achieved her 1,000 hour award. She is also a member of the Garden Writers Association, Virginia Master Gardener Association and the Southern Virginia Botanical Gardens. She has been the executive producer and co-host of a local master gardener radio show called "Here’s the Dirt" that was on WBTM AM in Danville, VA for almost four years. Kathy has spoken locally, state-wide and nationally, through her local cooperative extension, the VA Master Gardener College, and the Garden Writers Symposium in Dallas, Texas. She will be a presenter at the International Master Gardener College which is being held in Charleston, WVA in October, 2011. She has been asked by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company to be part of a national group of garden radio hosts who are spending time working with the company on a national education outreach program through radio. This year she and her 3 adult children have started a company called Gardeners Four Generations and will be producing podcasts for Horticulture magazine’s, Horticulture Radio. They will also be using other forms of social media to draw other gardeners for more research-based gardening information.
Kathy Cropp, your address GHTU@fwmedia.com is not accepting emails. Here’s what I tried to send you:
Hi Kathy,
Just started your online course and first impression is good. High quality presentation materials, etc. I have yet to complete the additional reading but soon will.
A couple of recommendations if you intend to update this course for the future.
1. My Garden Information (data gathering) – you might want to include something about ‘Challenges/Restrictions’ . For example Deer are a tremendous challenge around here. Thus some limitations on certain types of plants that can be grown in open accessible gardens. A ‘restriction’ example can be covenants. There are some developments that actually restrict or have approval needs on garden designs, changes or additions. Other examples could be such as pest problems (e.g. fire ants, amadillos, etc) that one may have to learn how to deal with.
2. In your presentation you discuss the differences between Cold tolerance and Heat tolerance but you might want to add some specific examples of where that comes into play regarding plant selection (especially since some gurus (like Tony Avent) poo pah the Cathey Heat chart). My parents in Oregon are in the same zone as we are when it comes to average minimum temperatures (Zone 8A here (Lake Oconee Georgia) and there (Roseburg Oregon)). The can grow Gunnera and Meconopsis. I love both of them but can’t grow them here. They can’t stand our heat/humidity/night time temperatures here. I’ve killed Gunnera 3 times trying.
3. In regards to zones it might be appropo to introduce folks at this time to plant selection based on origins of plants. For example often times what does well in England and Oregon don’t do well here or Japan. Yet we grow a lot of plants from Japan and China that don’t do well in Oregon.
Just some food for thought. Let me know if you’d like me to keep these coming as I progress through your classes.
Regards,
Willis Johnson
P.S. I was raised in gardens, have gardened my whole life, addicted to all things gardening, 64 years old, master gardener (P.S.S. you didn’t mention them as resources for identifying plants and you might want to do that as I have done a lot of that for folks).