Podcast · Leisure & Travel

Your Midwest Garden Podcast

by Mike O'Rourke, Scott Sandstrom · English · Leisure & Travel

A casual conversation about gardening in the Midwest with Toledo's Garden Guy, Mike O'Rourke and Rookie Gardener, Scott Sandstrom. Mike interviews various guests, from experts to local DIY gardeners in a relaxed conversation. While Scott keeps the subjects down to the weekend warrior level. We hope

New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 46 min
Latest: 27 Aug 2025
Language: English

Latest episode

27 Aug 2025 · 49 min

Mic Drop - Series Finale

Send us Fan Mail Six years... 6,958 minutes, 3,794 download cities, 162 episodes, 162 graphics, 162 uploads, 52 guests, numerous phone calls, texts, scheduling calendars and we are finally dropping the mics. Hope all our new gardening friends have learned from our discussions... been inspired to fail at the worst. But yet are enjoying the time they have had their hands in the dirt! I MEAN MEDIUM, sorry Mike! LOL Listen all the way until your player stops... remember the days of hidden tracks ...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S6 · E12 · 20 Aug 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Rain Barrel Reflections & Winterizing
Send us Fan Mail Jesse Savou, from Bluebarrel Rain Water Catchment Systems, once again joins us to hear Scott's comments about building his blue barrel farm. Scott passes along a few "advanced" and "basic" tips in this episode. PLUS, Jesse discusses winterization for those of us that will have to put their barrel farms to bed for the winter. Want to save some cash while building your system? Listen in for a check out promo code and get a discount for your own Bluebarrel Rainwater Catchment Sy...
S6 · E11 · 23 Jul 2025 · 36 min
Yakety Yak Yuccas
Send us Fan Mail Scott had a record amount of Yucca Stalks this Summer, 14 to be exact and is not sure why the success. So we chat about Yuccas, Scott's approach, why they may not be as popular as they once were and can you distill them... come pop into our conversation! Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commis...
S6 · E10 · 2 Jul 2025 · 43 min
Banana Tree Pups - Another Angle to over Wintering!
Send us Fan Mail Scott brought in a new friend, who has a twist on over wintering Musa Basjoos... aka, hardy banana trees! We've talked before about Scott's banana trees, but he has not been as successful as Terry Keefe. Terry and Scott never knew they lived in the same neighborhood and had the same drive... to re-create poolside tropics in Midwest Ohio. Listen in as we discuss Terry's way(s) of having successful over winter success. And yes, Scott is jealous! Previous episodes: S3 E1...
S6 · E9 · 25 Jun 2025 · 29 min
ALERT EPISODE: The Heat Is On!
Send us Fan Mail The guys throw some quick tips on dealing with the extreme Midwest heat that's scorching the area. A few things to do and to NOT do! Basically... keep an eye on your plants/garden/landscape & lawn! And water them, hose yourself down too! Support the show Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and now Waterville Ohio! https://blackdiamondgrows.com/ Please visit our Facebook and Instagram links! https://www.facebook.com/yourmidwestgardenpodcast @yourmidwestgarden...
S6 · E8 · 15 Jun 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Attracting Hummingbirds
Send us Fan Mail Today, we welcome back the Midwest Garden Gal, Lisa Hinzman Howard. Scott found her blog about hummingbirds and had a few encounters this spring with the cute little fliers, so here's some tips & advice on attracting these long distance migrators. Help a traveler out, would ya? https://www.midwestgardengal.com/ https://www.midwestgardengal.com/attract-more-hummingbirds/ Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business ...
S6 · E7 · 4 Jun 2025 · 46 min
Stirring The Pot Stigma
Send us Fan Mail Mike discusses removing the stigma of Cannabis, especially in legalized states. We also invited in Alan Halterman, from Toledo Indoor Grows, to touch on some basics of growing Cannabis. All from the angle of growing a plant just like any other. Join us in an adult conversation... Support the show Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and now Waterville Ohio! https://blackdiamondgrows.com/ Please visit our Facebook and Instagram links! https://www.facebook.com/your...
S6 · E6 · 7 May 2025 · 45 min
Bleume - The New Houseplant Fertilizer!
Send us Fan Mail YMGP has found a new product that we think you are going to love! It's just recently been released and we are all on the ground floor. But don't be fooled the by packaging, it's not a gardener's lotion, but as colorful as the bottle is, it's a plant fertilizer! So simple to use, not only will the beginner like the mild 7-7-7 no burn formula, but the experienced gardener will like the quick 4 pumps and disperse! Check out our interview with Sam Niemann, the inventor, res...
S6 · E5 · 16 Apr 2025 · 47 min
Rain Barrel Design
Send us Fan Mail This episode is a follow up to our "Advantages of Rainwater" show in season four. Scott is installing a rain barrel system from Jesse's company at the garden center. This episode talks about siting the system and a bunch of tips from Jesse. So listen in, there's a lot of information here. AND LISTEN IN FOR A PROMO CODE TO GET A DISCOUNT ON YOUR BLUE BARREL RAINWATER CATCHMENT SYSTEM PURCHASE!!! Pictures to follow along with: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ANyLY2HdD/?...
S6 · E4 · 11 Apr 2025 · 46 min
Engaging Kids to Learn Through Gardening
Send us Fan Mail Em Shipman, Executive Director of Kidsgardening.org joins us to discuss kids learning through gardening. We discuss tips to get kids interested by playing in the dirt, experimenting with seed plantings and even just bringing toys into the garden bed. Developing an interest as to where food comes from by activities in and around the garden. Join us for a casual conversation, especially educators and childcare facilities, to learn how Kidsgardening.org can help with lesson plan...
S6 · E3 · 26 Mar 2025 · 53 min
What We Learned over Winter Break!
Send us Fan Mail In our first spring 2025 episode, with all the early seeds planted and doing the basement germination thing, Mike & Scott review what they learned over the winter gardening break. I'm sure you remember those essays in school when returning to class in the fall, What I Did On Summer Break... here's the gardener's version! Some you may know what we learned, hopefully a few ideas you don't. And if you have more tips, message us and become a guest on the show! Remember, it's ...
S6 · E2 · 5 Mar 2025 · 25 min
YMGP Top Ten Seed Packets - Flowers
Send us Fan Mail And as promised, PRE-SEASON Episode number two, our fav flowering seeds to plant. Don't forget these can be annuals and or perennials you decide to sow. Take a listen as we discuss a few of our favs... Anybody ever do a large perennial raised bed? Thinking about doing one extra large one at the garden center as a display. Maybe even just a section of the display yard...??? Hmmm... Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local ...
S6 · E1 · 1 Mar 2025 · 32 min
YMGP Top Ten Seed Packets - Veggies
Send us Fan Mail And we are back! Well... it's a couple of PRE-SEASON Episodes to get the wires humming again. Besides, we are chatting about seed packets, as it's that time of year when you all buy seeds, prep them and back time their planting schedules. Take a listen as we discuss a few of our favs... Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a...
S5 · E22 · 15 Oct 2024 · 40 min
Season 5: Final Thoughts 2024 Season
Send us Fan Mail Today we wrap up season number FIVE! This final show of the season is a mixed bag of tidbits and wishes that you had a great gardening season. We know it was tough in the Midwest with another drought, Spotted Lantern Fly, Aphids and of course the sun and HEAT of the summer. Check out our final thoughts of this past gardening season. Here's the link for your rain barrel system! https://www.bluebarrelsystems.com Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & ...
S5 · E21 · 25 Sep 2024 · 1 hr 13 min
Growing under the Covers
Send us Fan Mail Today's episode recorded just before Summer 2024 ended, is a part two of sorts to our recent episode, The Forgotten Season. This episode has Lisa teaching us about building and using garden row covers. Which let's us to continue growing cool weather veggies all winter long. Doesn't some fresh veggies sound great in the dead of the winter? Here's how you can do it! Direct link to her blog on this subject: https://www.midwestgardengal.com/growing-under-the-covers-usda-zones-5...
S5 · E20 · 18 Sep 2024 · 27 min
ENCORE EPISODE: Vine Time!
Send us Fan Mail ENCORE EPISODE: Bringing back one you may have missed in the archives... listen into VINE TIME! Gourds, Pumpkins or Squash? Mike has a mystery fruit growing in NW Ohio, bringing up the question about Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) or herbaceous vines in the gourd family. Then, the alternative use of pumpkin seeds... got to listen in for that ONE ALONE! Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over...
S5 · E19 · 4 Sep 2024 · 52 min
Garlic Fest '24 - Easy Step by Step Guide
Send us Fan Mail Today, along with the Midwest Garden Gal... we walk through the simple step by step process of growing garlic in the Midwest. The good news is that this prcess is spread out over a nine month period and five of those months you don't have much to do at all... if ANYTHING! Join us and bring a pencil & paper. We once again welcome in our West of the Midwest podcast contributor, Lisa Hinzman Howard, also known as The Midwest Garden Gal. https://www.midwestg...
S5 · E18 · 28 Aug 2024 · 55 min
Tree of Heaven-Troubles
Send us Fan Mail , ALERT EPISODE: Today's episode stared with a conversation with a garden center customer. And took off from there... Mike & I have brought on board a returning guest, Amy Stone, of The Ohio State Extension Office to discuss the invasive Tree of Heaven. And the tag along friend, the Spotted Lantern Fly. We chat about how hard it is to remove a Tree of Heaven from your property, to the attraction it offers the Spotted Lantern Fly. Which actually does NOT FLY... it's ...
S5 · E17 · 7 Aug 2024 · 53 min
The Forgotten Season
Send us Fan Mail The Midwest Garden Gal joins us once again to discuss The Forgotte n Season. The late planting season time to sow some more cool weather veggies right now in mid August! Take a listen and take advantage of the warm soil and soon to be cool morning dew. PLUS, get some cucumber scoop form the Iowa expert herself! Here's the Grow guide: https://www.midwestgardengal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/MGG_Zone5_GrowGuide.pdf Here's that Blog: https://www.midwestgardengal.com/...
S5 · E16 · 31 Jul 2024 · 1 hr
Natives for Your Landscape
Send us Fan Mail The guys welcome in, returning guest from Season One... Melisa Sherman-Weckerlin! Melisa is the grower at Black Diamond Garden Centers, our business and sponsor, where she also oversees plant buying. Melisa and Scott have been discussing natives though-out the work days this year and it was time to bring her back to educate us with some plant types that work well in our backyards... mainly because they've been here for hundreds of years. Please join us and bring a pencil &amp...
S5 · E15 · 21 Jul 2024 · 44 min
July's Garden Blues
Send us Fan Mail Mike & Scott touch on a number of mid-summer gardening issues. From using a "Phone A Friend" Lifeline to basic tomato end rot to save your next harvest. Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and...
S5 · E14 · 10 Jul 2024 · 35 min
Soil & Water Conservation Resources
Send us Fan Mail YMGP went on "on the road" today... we visited the Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District offices to discuss what they do and to find out about an event they are in charge of. So, if you are close by, plan on making a day trip to Holland, Ohio for the Lucas County Farm Connection, on July 20th, 2024. https://www.lucasswcd.org/lcfc24.html Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!Di...
S5 · E13 · 26 Jun 2024 · 16 min
YMGP Fan Appreciation Episode
Send us Fan Mail Just a quick update on some news for YMGP as Feedspot RSS Reader has listed our show in their top 15 gardening podcasts for 2024! The best Nursery podcasts from thousands of podcasts on the web and ranked by relevancy, authority, social media followers & freshness. Listen in for all the details, plus a few more tidbits. https://podcast.feedspot.com/nursery_podcasts/ Support the show Black Diamond Garden Centers; Toledo, Perrysburg and now Waterville Ohio! https://blackdi...
S5 · E12 · 14 Jun 2024 · 1 hr
Perennials for Pollinators
Send us Fan Mail Today we welcome back The Midwest Garden Gal for a pollinators discussion. But more so, since June is perennial month and pollinators week falls within the month of June, we decided to combine the subjects into one fun conversation. Lisa, The MGG, is based in Iowa and its nice to get that western midwest side of the gardening world news. Check out all things MGG style by visiting her website! Pollinator Week 2024 will take place June 17-23, 2024 https://www.midwestgardengal...
S5 · E11 · 5 Jun 2024 · 43 min
All the dirt on... ASIATIC LILIES
Send us Fan Mail It seems like a perennial, the Asiatic lilies are on the come back... popularity wise. These easy to care for "true" lilies have great size and colorful blooms. So stop reading this and hit PLAY on your favorite podcast player app and get the scoop on these sun loving, tropical looking lilies! Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you...
S5 · E10 · 22 May 2024 · 39 min
Zonal Geranium Tidbits
Send us Fan Mail What we thought would be a super fast episode... turned into a number of revealing tidbits unknown to Mike. But not to worry, Mike had a thing or two on that 5th Year Rookie. And Scott's hoping his one impressive tidbit find, YOU may not know either... listen in and find out! Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a pur...
S5 · E9 · 15 May 2024 · 46 min
The FOUR C's... A Garden's Best Friends!
Send us Fan Mail The FOUR C's for this show are not what all the ladies are thinking... today's diamonds are not carats (but carrots is a better guess). Nope, today's C's are Cosmos, Coleus, Cleome and Cabbage (?). A few sun loving plants we think need 15 seconds more fame than they are getting. So let Mike & Scott help introduce these plants to you, along with our guest from The Minnesota Extension Office... Master Gardener Theresa Rooney!!! And we dare you to take a chance this year and...
S5 · E8 · 2 May 2024 · 55 min
Cheap Tricks Gardening with The Midwest Garden Gal
Send us Fan Mail Steve, one of our loyal listeners introduced Mike & I to Lisa Hinzman Howard, aka The Midwest Garden Gal after he attended one of her garden show lectures. That gave us a chance to invite Lisa on the show to discuss her recent book, Cheap Tricks Gardening. Listen in as we talk about the western half of the midwest and about facets of her book! Cause you don’t need to spend a fortune for fabulous. PLUS... an EXCLUSIVE announcement from Lisa, heard here first!!! Ord...
S5 · E7 · 24 Apr 2024 · 49 min
Lawn Care: The Fertilization Steps + More
Send us Fan Mail Let’s talk lawns, subscribers. If you fertilize your own or have a lawn service company push the spreader, you should know the basics. And seeing that the first-round application is close to closing as this article prints, it’s time to get spreading. But the biggest advice is this; if you’re going to spend the money fertilizing, please don’t cut your lawn short! You can have a beautiful looking lawn that’s full and tall… and still look like a carpet. CATCH ALL OUR LAWN CARE...
S5 · E6 · 11 Apr 2024 · 46 min
Goldenrod's Bad Rap
Send us Fan Mail The guys get into the nitty gritty of the Goldenrod, which gets a bad rap as a ragweed. A native North American perennial wildflower that's tall, slim with fluffy golden flower spikes in various shades of yellow. Once an invasive species, we discuss the change in direction for this easy to grow beauty. Black Diamond Garden CentersWelcome Black Diamond Nursery & Lawn Service. We been a local business in Toledo for over 70 years!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliat...

About Your Midwest Garden Podcast

Your Midwest Garden Podcast is a English leisure & travel podcast from Mike O'Rourke, Scott Sandstrom. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Mike O'Rourke, Scott Sandstrom
Language: English
Category: Leisure & Travel
New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 46 min
Latest episode: 27 Aug 2025
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1502103531

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