Growing a Greener World

- Season 8

(2017)

Here in the north Atlanta, GA area, gardening is easily a year-round event, if you allow it. The problem is, most people we know around here who have a summer garden, quite by mid-July. That is such a shame. Some of the best parts about gardening happen after summer ends.

Here in the north Atlanta, GA area, gardening is easily a year-round event, if you allow it. The problem is, most people we know around here who have a summer garden, quite by mid-July. That is such a shame. Some of the best parts about gardening happen after summer ends.

Epic Tomatoes was inspired by Craig LeHoullier's book Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. For anyone who loves growing heirloom tomatoes, and the stories behind them, this is a must-read book for sure and a great addition to your own, or anyone's library for that matter.

Gardening for butterflies and other pollinators was one of the most common responses In a survey Growing a Greener World sent out to our email subscribers, as one of their most important gardening goals in the upcoming year. Many responded that they planned on creating a butterfly or pollinator garden soon and would like more information on how to attract and protect them.

Redeeming your ground. It's an interesting concept. And one we've all likely consciously or subconsciously thought about at least once. Taking back an untamed space and making it your own.

Gardening in the desert southwest isn't difficult. It's just different. You almost have to unlearn what you know about gardening as it relates to timing and understand that here in the desert, Mother Nature is on a different schedule.

Spend any amount of time talking to farmers, and you're sure to hear some inspiring stories: people working with their hands - people working with nature - people working for better communities. And while growing food is often something that's passed down from generation to generation, some of the best stories come from men and women for whom farming is a second career.

It only takes a moment after meeting Stephen to know that this is a man devoted to changing the lives of his students. Through passion, patience, and the power of a plant that produces real food (as in fresh fruits and vegetables), Stephen Ritz and his Green Bronx Machine are building healthy minds and bodies and empowering thousands of children to discover and exploit the potential they never knew they had.

Spokane, WA resident, Susan Mulvihill is a good friend of the show. As a Master Gardener, long-time garden writer and columnist for the Spokesman-Review, blogger, nature lover, and passionate birder, she keeps busy doing all the things we love to cover.

Who hasn't wanted a behind-the-scenes looking into the private garden of a public gardener? Bringing your work home with you can actually be a very good thing - when both your vocation and your avocation relates to gardening. Such is the case for Dan Benarcik and his wife Peggy Anne Montgomery. Both work in professional horticulture: Dan, at Chanticleer - one of the country's most admired public gardens, while Peggy is a champion of native plants and the important role they play in the landscape.

The Compost Pedallers, an eco-minded startup in Austin, TX is on a mission to lighten the city's environmental footprint while reducing waste going into landfills. Many urban and suburban homeowners know that composting is a great way to do both. Yet not everyone is ready to take the dive into managing a backyard heap of food scraps and yard debris.

About an hour and a half southeast of Atlanta, you'll find the tiny town of Sparta. It's located in Hancock County, which was the most populous county in Georgia in 1800 - a time when cotton was king. A century later, the boll weevil decimated the industry.

We're told that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And then there's Brie Arthur, our correspondent for design and foodscaping. She looks at lemonade as just the starting point when mother nature throws lemons at her. In fact, Brie knocks them out of the park.