Ken Johnson
University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator serving Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Morgan, and Scott Counties
Appears in 247 Episodes
Ep. 142 Dealing with dry weather and drought monitoring | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we discuss the dry, hot weather we’ve been having recently. We discuss Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford’s recent blog post ...
Ep. 141 Yard & Garden Considerations When Buying a Home | #GoodGrowing
This week on the Good Growing podcast we sit down with Illinois Extension communications specialist and first-time homeowner Emily Steele and walk through some of the ...
Ep. 140 Introducing the Illinois Pollinators website | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk with horticulture educator Ryan Pankau about the new University of Illinois Extension pollinator website, Illinois Pollina...
Ep. 139 Answering Soil Testing Questions | #GoodGrowing
This week Ken and Chris have compiled several homeowner questions all about soil testing. We share lots of resources to help the gardener and landscaper determine the ...
Gardenbite: Caring for spring blooming bulbs after flowering | #GoodGrowing
On this week's Good Growing Podcast, Ken Johnson talks about what we can do for our spring blooming bulbs to ensure a colorful display again next year. Check out th...
Ep. 138 Growing shiitake mushrooms | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing podcast we talk with Illinois Extension local foods educator Nick Frillman about growing gourmet shiitake mushrooms in your own backyard. N...
Ep. 137 Garden tools and gadgets | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we have a discussion about garden tools and gadgets. Learn about what we should be doing to get our tools ready for use this sprin...
Ep. 136 Garden Q&A: All about soil and compost | #GoodGrowing
This week on the Good Growing podcast we dive into the world of soil and compost. Ken and Chris answer your questions asked by actual home gardeners. Watch us on You...
Gardenbite: Companion Planting w/ Nick Frillman |#GoodGrowing
Do certain plants grow better together? While the research may be out for many claims of companion planting, some tried and true methods of vegetable garden plant comb...
Ep. 135 Spring Garden Q & A | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing podcast, Chris and Ken sit down to go through some more spring gardening questions about seed starting, planting outdoors, planting in pots...
Ep. 134 Growing Cut Flowers w/ Chris Lueking | #GoodGrowing
Never be without a vase full of flowers after listening to this episode of the Good Growing podcast. This week Ken and Chris chat with Chris Lueking, Illinois Extensio...
Ep. 133 Early Spring Gardening Questions | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing podcast Chris and Ken sit down to go through our piles of early spring gardening questions about frost dates, seed starting, and more. Plus...
Gardenbite: Growing Asparagus | #GoodGrowing
On this week's Good Growing Podcast, Ken Johnson talks about growing asparagus, including what type you should grow, how to plant, weed control, and fertilizing and ha...
Gardenbite: Our local food system through the eyes of bread | #GoodGrowing
This week Nick Frillman takes us on a journey of our local foods system through his very own kitchen and a single loaf of bread. Listen in to learn how you can support...
Ep. 132 Sunflowers for 2023 | #GoodGrowing
On this week's Good Growing podcast, we welcome back horticulture educator Emily Swihart to finally talk about sunflowers! We discuss the history of sunflowers, some o...
Ep. 131 New Flowers for 2023 | #GoodGrowing
On this week's Good Growing podcast, we welcome horticulture educator Emily Swihart to share the new and strange seed we have ordered for our flower gardens for the 20...
Ep. 130 New Veggies for 2023 | #GoodGrowing
On this week's Good Growing podcast, we welcome horticulture educator Emily Swihart to share the new and strange seed we have ordered for our vegetable gardens for the...
Ep. 129 Part 2 of growing ginger, turmeric, and galangal | #GoodGrowing
This week on the Good Growing podcast, we finish our conversation on growing ginger, turmeric, and galangal. Last week we got through pre-sprouting indoors, this episo...
Ep. 128 Growing ginger, turmeric, and galangal in Illinois, Part 1 | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we have the long-awaited, often teased episode on growing ginger, turmeric, and galangal in Illinois! We discuss what they are, wh...
Ep. 127 A year in review of our 2022 vegetable gardens | #GoodGrowing
On this week's Good Growing podcast, we look back at 2022 to review what went well in our vegetable gardens, and also some lessons learned from the struggles of growin...
Gardenbite - Amaryllis care and getting it to rebloom | #goodgrowing
On this week's Good Growing podcast Chris Enroth talks about amaryllis care and how to get it to rebloom for next year's holiday season. Check out the original text ...
Gardenbite: Some things to consider while going through garden catalogs | #GoodGrowing
Garden and seed catalogs have been arriving for a while now. When flipping through catalogs, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices. Unfortunately, you prob...
Ep. 126 Last-minute gifts for gardeners | #GoodGrowing
Did you put off gift-buying this year? You’re in luck! On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we’re talking about last-minute gifts for gardeners. Get some ideas for gif...
Gardenbite: Exploring reduced tillage in vegetable production | #GoodGrowing
This week on the Good Growing podcast local foods educator Nick Frillman examines the impacts of tilling the soil and alternatives to lessen the damage tilling can hav...
Gardenbite - Squirrels: Illinois species and their shenanigans
This week we take a clip from a webinar about wildlife damage in the landscape. In this clip Illinois Extension horticulture educator Ken Johnson talks about the diffe...
Ep 125 - Christmas trees: real, fake, potted, and alternatives
On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we’re talking Christmas trees. We discuss some of the different types of trees you can find, which are more sustainable cut or fak...
Ep. 124 The Local Thanksgiving Challenge | #goodgrowing
On this week's Good Growing podcast we welcome a new podcast contributor, Nick Frillman! Nick is a local food system and small farms educator with University of Illino...
Gardenbite: Growing and harvesting cranberries | #GoodGrowing
The holidays are coming up, which means cranberries will be on many of our menus. Learn more about growing and harvesting these popular native fruits.
Ep. 123 Growing and Eating Black Walnuts | #GoodGrowing
This week on the Good Growing podcast we talk all about black walnut. This episode is full of information on black walnut from growing it to eating it. We start with l...
Ep. 122 - Identifying and managing garlic mustard | #GoodGrowing
On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we talk with Illinois Extension Forestry Specialist Chris Evans and Media Communications Coordinator Emily Steele about garlic mus...
