736: Debra Knapke on Climate Resilient Gardens.
Encouraging every gardener to have some permaculture principles in their toolbox.
In This Podcast:
Debra Knapke and Greg discuss the climate shifts they have experienced in different parts of the country. Learn how to take these shifts into consideration by incorporating some basic permaculture principles into your garden planning. Treat the earth with respect, and your garden will be healthier and more resilient.
Our Guest:
After two previous careers, in 1992 Debra Knapke turned her avocation of plant study and gardening into her full-time career. Debra is passionate about gardening, sustainable garden design and the natural world, and enjoys sharing knowledge through her writing, public speaking, and garden consulting in the private and public sectors. In addition, she has mentored the future of the landscape industry at Columbus State Community College for 24 years. Debra boasts an eclectic garden packed into two thirds of an acre.
Listen in and learn about:
- Zones are changing. Ohio was a cold zone 5 and is now a warm zone 6
- By 2075 – Ohio sugar maples will no longer survive in Ohio, possibly even sooner
- Exploring southern species
- What is a climate resilient garden?
- Consider plants from elsewhere
- Have healthy soil
- Apply the Five Principles of Regenerative Agriculture
– Minimize or better yet eliminate tilling
– Cover the soil – mulch is good, green plants are better
– Plant with diversity in mind
– STOP Using Chemicals
– Integrate livestock
- Dynamic accumulation – deep-rooted plants like weeds and grasses drawing up nutrients from deep in the soil
- Spraying chemicals on your lawn? “What about the dogs?”
- The stunning amount of life in healthy soil
- Cultivars, nativars or somewhere in the middle?
- The Heritage Garden at the Ohio Governor’s Residence
As well as:
Her failure – Planting a Rocky Mountain garden in Ohio
Her success – Her kids, developing a teaching style that most people like, and her garden
Her drive – Passion, her love for the natural world and helping others to treat it with respect
Her advice – “Approach your garden with a beginner’s mind and an open heart.”
Books written by Debra:
Perennials for Ohio by Debra Knapke and Alison Beck
Annuals for Ohio by Debra Knapke and Alison Beck
Gardening Month by Month in Ohio by Debra Knapke and Alison Beck
Best Garden Plants for Ohio by Debra Knapke and Alison Beck
Herb Gardening for the Midwest by Debra Knapke and Laura Peters
Heartland Gardening: Celebrating the Seasons by Debra Knapke, Michael Leach, and Teresa Woodard
Debra’s Book recommendations:
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams
How to reach Debra:
Website: www.DebraTheGardenSage.com
UrbanFarm.org/TheGardenSage
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