Episodes

Sarah and Hanna review their resolutions from last year, plan their 2025 garden projects and share their predictions of what will be in and what will be out this year. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox on Pinterest Learn more about Bloom Box: https://plantnebraska.org/b...

Bob Henrickson joins us to announce the 2025 Great Plants for the Great Plains selections! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox on Pinterest Learn more about Bloom Box: https://plantnebraska.org/bloom-box Learn more about the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: https://plantneb...

Friluftsliv, translated as "free air life", is the Norwegian value of time spent in the outdoors. Michelle, whose family fully embraces friluftsliv, introduced us to the idea last episode during our book review. We've thought of several ways that we practice the free air life, intentionally or naturally, to share and have decided to join Norway in declaring 2025 the year of friluftsliv! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us y...

We're kicking off the holiday season with our annual book review and gift guide! Michelle DeRusha joins us again this year and we share some of the garden related books we read this year (or are looking forward to reading). We also share our list of gift ideas for the gardener in your life, or for your own wish list. For more in-depth show notes, including a full list of the books and gifts we listed, visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions ...

Dr. Dennis Ferraro, herpetologist, joins us to talk about the reptiles and amphibians that live in and around our gardens. Nebraska is home to many cool species, some can find habitat in our yards and some cannot. Learn more about his work on his website which includes an identification guide. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox...

Hanna and Sarah talk about their fall garden plans, cleanup and compost. Dr. Amy Schmidt, a livestock bioenvironmental engineer and professor at UNL, joins us for an interview about how manure can be used to improve our garden soil.  For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox o...

Hanna and Justin talk about trees and shrubs as weeds. Which species are problematic and how to manage them. Justin has many years of experience working with towns, parks and larger conservation areas to manage invasive and weedy species and shares some of his best tips! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagr...

Sarah is back! Hanna and Sarah are joined by Carina and Kim from the Nebraska Recycling Council to talk about recycling and other waste reduction practices. We learn about how recycling works broadly, how recycling and waste reduction help our communities and our environment, and what we can strive for as individuals. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail...

In this episode, Hanna gets some late summer gardening advice from the all-knowledgeable Bob Henrickson. They talk about watering, weeding, prepping garden beds, planting trees, and more. Listen now and learn how you can set yourself up for success this fall for next year! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Insta...

Hanna is joined by Kim Slezak, Wood Utilization expert with the Nebraska Forest Service, to talk about how to use wood. There are so many ideas, from biochar to furniture to woodchips, we can give you a way to use your trees if they must come down. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingw...

Christina Hoyt from the Nebraska Forest Service is back as promised to talk with Hanna about the history and trends in community forestry in Nebraska. Listen now to learn easy ways you can support community forestry right in your own neighborhood. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwi...

Our song of the summer is the sound of cicadas. Jody Green from Douglas-Sarpy County Extension joins Hanna to talk about the essential Nebraska summer insects, cicadas and fireflies. Learn how to support these bastions of summer in your yard and garden by listening now. Update: Soil drenching can kill the eggs of cicadas, but it doesn't appear to impact nymphs. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingw...

Christina Hoyt from the Nebraska Forest Service joins Hanna to talk about how their gardens are looking this summer, how to be a more relaxed gardener, and answer a listener question about community trees. CORRECTION: Christina mentions Solidago rigida as used in her patio pond, but the actual species is riddellii. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail....

Hanna is pleased to talk with Dan Moore from Kinghorn Gardens all about what it takes to manage the beautiful and environmentally friendly gardens on the Assurity Center campus in Lincoln near Union Plaza.

An intro conversation to the water cycle and how water gets to our homes and gardens. Hanna interviews her sister Dr. Lundon Pinneo, professor of education at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox on Pinterest Learn more about Bloom B...

Jennifer Morris, Forest Health Specialist for the Nebraska Forest Service, joins us this week to help us recognize tree problems. She walks us through deciding if this is a 'wait and see', 'I can fix it', or 'call an arborist' issue. For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox on ...

In this episode, we talk about the struggles and fun of gardening with pets. Toby joins us to talk about his experience and Sarah and Hanna share their tips. For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox on Pinterest Learn more about Bloom Box: https://plantnebraska.org/bloom-box ...

Tired of having a yard full of grass? Whether you are trying to create habitat, save water, be more sustainable, or are just plain tired of mowing we have some ideas for you! From small changes you can make today to be more environmentally friendly to full lawn replacements, and a few wild ideas just for fun. For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow...

Let us help you learn how to design your own pollinator garden! Our online subscription provides everything you need to be your own landscape designer; Hanna and Sarah walk through how to use the Build-Your-Own Bloom Box program and offer suggestions on how to design without the materials or if you are outside the Great Plains. Learn more about Build-Your-Own Bloom Box at plantnebraska.org/bloom-box For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podc...

Spring Affair 2024 is right around the corner! Hanna and Sarah highlight a few plants that you should know about. They also share a few tips for shopping and making the most of the event. Spring Affair dates are: Thursday April 25th (Preview Party, visit website for tickets) Friday April 26th, 2-6 PM (open sale) Saturday April 27th, 9-noon (open sale). For more information on sale dates and to view the full plant list visit: https://plantnebraska.org/resources-events/events/spring-affair.htm...

This week we are switching things up and talking about our favorite annuals for pots or temporary garden beds! For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox on Pinterest Learn more about Bloom Box: https://plantnebraska.org/bloom-box Learn more about the Nebraska Statewide Arboret...

Thinking about adding fruit trees or shrubs to your landscape this year? Bob Henrickson and Brad Kindler join us to talk about native fruits and more traditional fruits we can grow in our home landscapes, acreages or farms. We also talk about what to consider when deciding what to plant and how to choose fruits that will fit your gardening style and your family. For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingw...

Kyle Martens, friend of the podcast and garden enthusiast, joins us to talk about how he starts vegetable seeds at home. He has some great tips on timing, supplies, and realistic expectations for beginners. He credits Community Crops, a local nonprofit based in Lincoln, NE with much of what he has learned but there is no doubt he has expanded on what they taught him! For more in depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at gr...

Hanna and Sarah are joined by Justin Evertson and Kendall Weyers to hear what advice they would give someone who wanted to start a project in their town. Justin, Kendall, Brad Kindler and Sarah make up what we call the Green Infrastructure team; we manage the project funding programs that the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum offers, consult on projects and offer landscape design services (among many other things of course). If you have ever daydreamed about planting trees or creating a native landsc...