Welcome to our weekly podcast with longtime Anchorage Daily News garden writer and author Jeff Lowenfels and co-host Jonathan White. It’s a companion to Jeff’s weekly ADN gardening columns and his popular series of books.
Last week the guys talked about applying organics to the garden to nurture the soil food web. This week, they talk about another contributor to healthy soil: Springtails!
Springtails are very small insects that break down organics by ingesting bacteria and fungi. They can also jump about 2 feet. This means when they jump around, they carry bacteria and fungal spores with them, which helps spread around the good stuff to the soil and gardens.
After the break, the team dives into more discussions about things you can do to prepare your gardens for the fall / winter transition. This includes collecting brown and green piles for your compost, putting down organics, and staking and labeling your perennials.
Finally, they answer a listener’s question about planting micro-clover in the fall.
Have a question? Ask Jeff and Jonathan at teamingwithmicrobes@me.com
Sponsored by Number 2 Organics, Big Foot Microbes and Down to Earth Fertilizers
Hosts: Jeff Lowenfels and Jonathan White. Produced by Evan Phillips.
This podcast is a collaboration between the hosts and Anchorage Daily News.
Feedback: teamingwithmicrobes@me.com
Read Lowenfels’ weekly columns on gardening and growing at ADN.com.
Read Jeff’s books: “Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web,” “Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition,” “Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower’s Guide to Mycorrhizae,” among others.
