Welcome to our weekly podcast with longtime Anchorage Daily News gardening writer and author Jeff Lowenfels and co-host Jonathan White, which accompanies Jeff's weekly ADN gardening column and his popular series of books.
This week, Jeff and Jonathan deal with the flood of cottonwood seeds flying around South Central Alaska. Jonathan explains how the seeds cause allergies, and Jeff shares some science facts. For example, did you know that cottonwood trees can produce 1 to 2 million seeds per year? Plus, some of the cottonwood seeds are edible and can even be harvested for syrup.
After a break, they discuss Japanese Knotweed, an invasive plant that is invading parts of Alaska. Japanese Knotweed is a beautiful plant, but its roots spread incredibly fast and deep underground, meaning it could cause big problems if it gets into South Central Alaska.
Finally, they answer some questions from listeners and return to last week's thoughts on electric composters and garden tools.
Have questions? Contact Jeff and Jonathan at teamingwithmicrobes@me.com.
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Sponsored by Number 2 Organics, Big Foot Microbes, and Down to Earth Fertilizers
Hosts: Jeff Lowenfels and Jonathan White. Producer: Evan Phillips.
This podcast is a collaboration between our hosts and the Anchorage Daily News.
Feedback: teamingwithmicrobes@me.com
Read Lowenfels' weekly gardening and growing column on ADN.com.
Check out Jeff's books, such as Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener's Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition, and Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower's Guide to Mycorrhizae.
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