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Planting the Plains
Airs Thursdays at 10:30 am CT and Saturdays at 8:35 am CT

Every week, Anthony Reardon presents Planting the Plains, a weekly feature designed to provide the High Plains with timely, yet timeless, research-based, reliable, horticultural information that can assist in bettering everyday lives by easing the burden of troublesome landscape issues.

Each episode will bring a new horticultural, entomological, or wildlife topic to the forefront, furthering practical knowledge on how that topic pertains to the average person, and how that person may need to address such a topic in their own backyard.

To reach Anthony with questions or comments, please send him an email!

Latest Episodes
  • When bolting occurs, it's the process of a frost-tolerant, edible plant going to seed sooner than we'd like. This week, we'll discuss why this occurs, how to tell when it's happening, and what you can do to help prevent it!
  • With a bit of forethought, your vegetable garden can provide you with a bountiful harvest to help feed and sustain your family. But it’s also important to consider various vectors for possible food-borne illness, to help keep anyone from getting sick! This week, we’ll talk more about how to minimize the risk, and the steps you can take to keep your newly grown food safe for eating.
  • Some of your vegetables will have different growing timespans; for example, asparagus can produce in the same location for three decades, but requires a few years of growth before it should even be harvested. Learn when it makes sense to move your plants around in your garden, and when you should leave them where they are!
  • February is a great time for pruning of many different varieties of fruiting plants; why is this, and how do you do it best? You'll get the best results with a few simple tips, which we'll cover in this week's episode!
  • While we're thinking about the spring planting, this is a great time to be considering the ideal temperature ranges for your fruit trees. Ensuring that your plants won't suffer during a sudden cold snap, or that they're planted once the temperature range is best for their ideal growth, can make a big difference in the success of your planting. Learn more about tracking your trees' temperature range for ideal growing!
  • Spring flowering bulb emergence is just around the corner! But a lot of folks don't realize that spring flowering bulbs should be fertilized as they first emerge from the ground, not when they're blooming, because at this stage, they're more able to absorb the nutrients in the fertilizer...and it's wasted if you apply the fertilizer when the plant is already flowering. Learn more fertilizing tips in this week's episode!
  • Now that we're in the new year, it won't be long before the soil starts to soften, and it'll be time to plant this year's new garden. So now is a great time to think about what you'd like to plant, and to start growing seedlings in the warmer weather indoors, so that you'll be ready to transplant them once you're ready to start gardening for the year. With a little research, and some good time management, you can ensure that all of your intended crop is ready for planting at the same time!
  • Soil is the literal foundation of your plant’s growth, and seeing to its health will make a big difference in the success of your gardening. Learn what makes up your soil, how much to water, and how to optimize your soil’s pH balance for your chosen crop in this week’s episode!
  • Whether you’re new to gardening, or an old hand with two green thumbs, it’s important to consider the placement of your vegetable garden. Locating your garden where there’s good soil, ideal lighting, and moisture drainage will help your plants be nourished and grow in the best way possible. This week, we’ll discuss the things you should think about when planning your next planting season!
  • Take the time to read the information on your seed packets! You’ll learn a ton of useful tidbits about the best time to plant, what type of light your plants require, how long to expect them to grow, and so on. This will also help you begin to compare the needs of various plants, and help you to time your harvests. This week, we’ll talk about what this information means, and how to get started on implementing what you learn!