I love her podcast. She is amusing and charming. It is terrible for her that she lost all her plants. But how great is it for us! Now we will get to watch her start again with leaves and and plantlets and end up with show plants. Who knows maybe some of us hobbyist will end up with a show plant just from watching. And even if we don't our plants are bound to benefit. Personally I am a very visual learner.

I listen to Bob Tanem In The Garden on Sunday mornings 7AM-10AM. You can find him on KSFO 560 AM, and there are archives/podcast available to download. He is a longtime Marin County nurseryman and lecturer, and has a wonderful infectious laugh and friendly manner. He offers advice that steers people away from using toxic chemicals in their garden, and instead explains how to use low toxicity soap/oil sprays, beneficial insects, etc to get rid of diseases and pests. I like the fact that he takes the approach of using less harmful methods first, then resorts to stronger chemicals when absolutely necessary, and talks about how to use them responsibly. Most of us gardeners want to minimize chemical usage, but when there are times when you need to get serious with a problem, it is nice to have a person well educated in both natural and the "unnatural" products steer you in the right direction.

Matt Risinger has a bunch of videos on YouTube. I think Springtime Homes has a couple of things up too.

Dave, what books have you found useful/invocative/thought provoking? I read Bringing Nature Home and Planting in a Post Wild World which were both enjoyable reads and had helpful takeaways. I've liked what I read by Michael Pollan also and there was a neat one about a guy doing a big but small organic tomato farm I cant remember the author or title of... I definitely agree with the local garden clubs and neighbors being an invaluable source of information, second only to experience. When I worked for the landscaping company the older customers who used to maintain everything themselves were all a wealth of knowledge. Once they realized I was interested and enthusiastic they happily would give advice and talk while I worked, or normally while they prevented me frlm working. I had lots of classes about bees from Mr. Quinn while he stood infront of my mower. When I realized that the older gardeners had all the experience I needed to learn from, and that the Master Gardener course was offered at the end of winter during the slow time of year, I got involved there. I have learned a ton, and been able to help other people figure things out as well which is great. Its like in person GardenWeb. Maybe the pallets are chipped up and bagged for sale at a lot of the big box stores, and if that is the case maybe I shouldnt be so taken aback at McGraths objections to it. Most mulch around here is from yard waste recycling, dropped off by municipal utility workers, tree companies, landscapers, and home owners. From what I have seen it breaks down pretty well and makes nice stuff over time. Maybe not quick enough, I am using arborist wood chips in some vegetable beds and compost as mulch like McGrath recommends in some this year to see which works out better.