Seeds & Weeds Podcast

It’s easy to “eat the rainbow” when you’re growing one right in your own backyard!

Author and gardener Sandra Mao is joining us to talk about her new book Vibrant Harvest.

Sandra started to grow fruit trees and other edibles when she moved to California. Because of the blessings of the weather and lack of freezing temperatures, she is able to grow most vegetables and fruits year-round - though her content is aimed at gardeners from a...

We’re digging into one of the most overlooked plants in our landscape, dandelion, specifically Taraxacum officinale. What most people see as a weed, we see as a powerhouse of flavor, nutrition, and medicine...and we’re excited to share why.

We walk you through how to properly identify dandelion (and avoid common lookalikes), when and how to harvest each part of the plant, and why timing makes all the difference. From there, we head ...

We sit down with horticulturist, garden designer, and author Frank Hyman to dig into his new book Ripe Tomato Revolution. With over 40 years of experience, Frank shares practical, no-nonsense techniques to help you grow more tomatoes with less work—whether you’re planting in rows, raised beds, or containers.

From smart seed-starting strategies to choosing the right supports (and why rebar might be your new best friend), this convers...

In this episode of the Seeds and Weeds podcast, we're sharing our list of the ten plants we think every gardener should grow!

With so many amazing crops to choose from, narrowing it down wasn’t easy — but we selected plants that are reliable, beautiful, productive, and useful in more than one way. Many of these crops offer dual or even triple purposes, giving you food, medicine, pollinator support, and garden beauty all in one ...

In this flavor-packed conversation, we dive deep into the vibrant world of peppers—from seed to harvest, kitchen to apothecary. Timed perfectly for late-winter seed starting, this episode walks you through everything you need to know to successfully grow thriving pepper plants, including seed-starting tips, heat and light requirements, transplanting, and maximizing yields in the garden.

But the journey doesn’t stop at the harvest. Y...

Unlock the secrets to a low-maintenance, high-yield garden. Gardening expert and author Charlie Nardozzi shares how his book The Continuous Vegetable Garden helps growers maximize harvests while reducing time and effort. 

From perennial vegetables and self-seeding crops to succession planting, overwintering, and season extension, this episode delivers practical, approachable techniques to help gardeners enjoy fresh food from early s...

In this first episode of Season 4, we dive into the art and science of herbal extracts—simple, powerful ways to turn the plants you grow, forage, or purchase into food, medicine, and everyday remedies. Explore how the dormant season is the perfect time to slow down, take stock, and work with herbs in the kitchen and apothecary.

This episode breaks down four essential extraction methods—water, fat, alcohol, and vinegar—explaining wha...

✨ Celebrate the Season of Rest and Reflection ✨

In this Winter Solstice special of Seeds & Weeds, we slow down, look back, and dream forward. As the longest night of the year arrives, we reflect on a season of growth—both in the garden and beyond—celebrating milestones, lessons learned, and the rhythms that guide a life rooted in the land.

This episode weaves together solstice traditions from around the world, personal highlights...

From soothing teas to immune-boosting brews, this episode is a winter wellness treasure chest. 

Listeners get an exclusive behind-the-scenes moment as we celebrate submitting a ginormous new manuscript— a major project set to hit bookshelves in July 2027. 

From there, it’s all about the herbs: 

Peppermint & Spearmint for digestion, mocktails, and holiday calm
Ginger for warming tea blends and digestive support
Fennel &am...

From growing and harvesting to seed saving and cooking, we’re exploring everything you need to know about squash!​ Learn the difference between summer and winter squash, how to cure them for long-term storage, and discover creative ways to use squash in the kitchen—from roasted seeds to pumpkin puree and even edible leaves and flowers! 🍂

Plus, we’re sharing the incredible benefits of nutrient-rich pumpkin seed oil, including its us...

🍂 Celebrate the Season of Transition with Seeds and Weeds! ​ 🌱

In this special Autumn Equinox episode, the Seeds and Weeds podcast dives into the magic of fall! ​ From the crisp air to the golden hues, we embrace the beauty of the season while sharing practical tips and inspiration for gardeners, foragers, and herbalists alike. 🌻

✨ Highlights include:

• A deep dive into the versatile herb sage—its culinary, medicinal, and gardeni...

We’re diving into the juicy world of tomatoes—the ultimate summer garden staple. ​ 🍅 From growing tips to recipes, seed-saving techniques, and expert advice, this episode is your one-stop shop for everything tomato.

🎙️ What’s Inside This Episode?

Tomato Varieties Galore: From cherry tomatoes to beefsteaks, indeterminate to determinate, and even wild varieties, we explore the incredible diversity of tomatoes. ​ T...

Flowers offer us food and medicine in addition to beauty. Let's explore some of our favorite summer flowers and the many ways we can enjoy them in the kitchen and apothecary. 

Some of our favorite summer flowers include Chamomile, Rose and Yarrow. We share some recipes and advice on how to make the most of these summer delights.

We'll also talk about some creative ways to use the bounty of herbs and veggies that are availab...

Celebrate the Sun in our Summer Solstice Special Episode! 

Herbalist Mary Colvin joins us to talk all about lemon balm; in the kitchen, garden and apothecary - we love this amazing herb! 

We share some recipes for herbal jellies, special stuffing for the Solstice feast, using salt to preserve herbs, and dig into the many medicinal uses for lemon balm. Mary shares info on lemon balm tea, topical uses for infusions and some of her favo...

Some herbs we can grow, others we can gather.. while some herbs might need to be purchased. In this episode we're exploring the many ways we acquire herbs!

We'll chat about some of the best herbs for growing and why we love having an herb garden. 

Hear from forager George Barnett about when to gather our herbs and why its so important to be safe and responsible foragers!

Learn more about George's work at The Hungry Fora...

We're taking a deep dive into seeds! Let's explore our relationship with seeds and how seeds can be found everywhere! 

We also talk about how to grow a Three Sisters Garden, sharing our experience after reading Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden. You can watch our full Three Sisters Youtube video at https://youtu.be/0SyKclXdz-A?si=pFijygMfF5_sGMd_ This is one of our most popular videos! 

Bevin shares advice for growing health...

Spring has returned and we're ready to celebrate! 

This is the season of renewal and we're talking about some of our favorite spring plants.. What are we planting and what's popping up in the wild? We also dig a little deeper into one of our favorite spring herbs - stinging nettles! Learn more about this important plant - where it grows, how to harvest it plus the many ways that we can make use of this powerful ally i...

It's time to start planning and planting the garden! This is one of the most exciting times of year - dreaming and scheming for our best garden yet!

In this episode we cover three simple steps to get the garden growing, from sun and soil to seeds and lights.

We talk about soil testing, seed starting mix, transplanting schedules and germination tests. 

We also dig into the seed stash and talk about all the seeds we're plannin...

We're kicking off our third season with something new and different. Today we're celebrating SEED SWAP DAY!

What's seed swap day? We're glad that you asked - you'll learn all about this national seed sharing initiative when we travel back in time to the year 2021!

Learn more about National Seed Swap Day on Youtube: https://youtu.be/dzORyZTYmjA?si=_PEYsKtzpFDNdLBl
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