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Down The Garden Path Podcast

Down The Garden Path Podcast

By: Joanne Shaw
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 On Down the Garden Path Podcast, landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. She believes it is important and possible to have great gardens that are low maintenance. On Down the Garden Path, she speaks with industry experts and garden authors to educate listeners on how to seasonally manage their gardens and landscapes.Joanne Shaw
Episodes
  • Canada Gardener's Journal with Steven Biggs

    Canada Gardener's Journal with Steven Biggs
    Dec 10 2025
    This week, Joanne welcomes horticulturist Stephen Biggs back to the podcast to talk about his latest project, the newly expanded Canada Gardener's Journal. About Steven Steven was recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the "green gang" making a difference in Canadian horticulture. His home-garden experiments span driveway straw-bale gardens, a rooftop kitchen garden, fruit plantings, and an edible-themed front yard. He's a horticulturist, award-winning broadcaster and author, and former horticulture instructor with George Brown and Durham Colleges in Ontario, Canada. His other books include Grow Olives Where You Think You Can't, Grow Lemons Where You Think You Can't, Growing Figs in Cold Climates, Grow Figs Where You Think You Can't, and No-Guff Gardening, available at foodgardenlife.com. Tune in to learn more about Canada Gardener's Journal. Origins of the Gardener's Journal Started 34 years ago by Margaret Bennett AlderInspired by her father's paper booklets he used to manage tasks and medsMargaret used the format to track garden tasks, neat plant sources, and observationsFirst year: ~50 copies printed; grew to 500 the next yearBy the 25th edition (2017), and her retirement at age 90, over 18,000 copies soldMargaret passed away at 98; the journal is part of her gardening legacy Evolution of the Journal Originally the Toronto Gardener's Journal, then the Toronto & Golden Horseshoe Gardener's JournalTaken over by Helen and Sarah Battersby (TorontoGardens.com), who expanded its geographic scope and won awardsNow passed to Stephen, who has turned it into Canada's Gardener's Journal What's New in Canada's Gardener's Journal Now Canada-wide and bilingual, with information relevant across the countryIncludes average first and last frost dates using the most recent Environment Canada dataExpanded sources list featuring Canadian suppliers that ship across the country (seeds, nursery stock, etc.)Ongoing plan to update sources as new nurseries and seed companies are suggested From Toronto-specific to Seasonal Tasks Old version: weekly tasks tied to the Toronto area and similar zonesNew version: season-based task lists (spring, summer, fall, winter) Includes outdoor tasks and indoor prep (seed starting, planning, etc.) Better suited to different climates and zones across Canada (and similar U.S. regions) Perpetual Calendar Format Previously: a dated, year-specific planner (e.g., 2024, 2025) with fixed calendar weeksNow: a perpetual, undated week-by-week layout Gardeners can start using it at any point in the yearCan stretch use over more than one year if desiredFocuses on periods of active gardening rather than wasting pages in off-months Practical, Hands-On Focus Designed by a gardener for gardeners—light on theory, heavy on practical promptsSpace for gardeners to record:What they planted and whenWeather patterns and unusual seasonsSuccesses, failures, and plant sourcesActs as both a planner and a historical record for future decision-making Why Garden Journaling Matters Memory is unreliable: gardeners quickly forget how wet/cool or hot/dry a season actually wasNotes and photos together help explain: Why certain plants thrived or struggledHow changing climate and shifting zones affect timing and plant choices Useful for: Answering client questions (for designers like Joanne)Tracking long-term trends in weather and performanceDiagnosing issues (e.g., why tomatoes didn't ripen as usual) Climate Change & Updated Data Growing zones and frost patterns are shifting with climate changeThe journal uses the latest Environment Canada frost-date dataStephen expects ongoing updates in future editions as data and climate continue to changeHonouring Founder Margaret Bennett AlderMargaret was passionate about a plant-based diet, which she linked to her longevityThe journal has long included pages of her favourite plant-based resourcesStephen has expanded this section with new Canadian sources in her honour Availability & Price Price: $19.95 – positioned as an affordable gift or stocking stufferAvailable via foodgardenlife.com under the books sectionSome specialty garden retailers carry it; retailers are listed on the websiteStephen encourages buyers (especially Christmas shoppers) to email him via the site if they're unsure about shipping timelinesAlthough now truly Canada-wide, gardeners in northern U.S. border states with similar zones may also find it very useful Check out Stephen's books and Canada's Gardener's Journal on foodgardenlife.com. You can also find @foodgardenlife on YouTube. Resources Mentioned in the Show: Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden Are you a landscape or gardening expert? We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more. Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips ...
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    26 mins
  • Soil Testing with Amy Ellard-Gray

    Soil Testing with Amy Ellard-Gray
    Nov 25 2025
    This week on the podcast, Joanne discusses soil testing with The Hobby Homestead's Amy Ellard-Gray, who grows 75% of her family's fruits and vegetables in her Guelph backyard. About Amy Amy runs The Hobby Homestead in suburban Guelph, where she cultivates over 100 varieties of native plants to support the local ecosystem. Through her YouTube channel, Instagram, website, and in-person consultations, she helps people design and troubleshoot their own food-growing spaces. Her mantra, "growing food in harmony with nature," guides everything she does, from tending soil life to welcoming wildlife into the garden. Topics discussed in this episode: "How much compost is too much?" Amy questioned the popular "just pile on compost" / no-dig approach (e.g., growing directly in municipal compost).After consulting an agronomist, she learned you can overdo compost, especially because compost often has high soluble salts that can stress plants.General rule of thumb from the agronomist: for established beds, about ½ inch (1 cm) of compost as a top-dressing per year is usually enough, but every garden is different. Why test compost and soil? Amy now plans to lab-test her own compost (about $20) for salts and nutrients before using it widely.Lab tests are often similar in price to store-bought kits and usually include a quick consult to interpret results.Soil tests are especially valuable for: New builds or new-to-you properties.High-value plants (e.g., Japanese maples, fruit trees).Chronic problem areas like failing lawns or veggie beds. Home test kits vs lab tests Simple garden-center test kits can be unreliable, especially if old or poorly stored.Nitrogen is hard to test accurately because it changes quickly in the soil; even lab reports often base nitrogen recommendations on plant symptoms, not just numbers.Labs can tailor tests to what you're growing (lawn, ornamentals, vegetables, etc.). pH: the quiet troublemaker Amy's big lesson: pH controls nutrient availability. Low pH can lock up phosphorus.High pH (common in parts of Ontario) ties up iron, manganese, and zinc. Just adding fertilizer won't help if pH is off and plants can't actually access those nutrients.Raising pH with lime is relatively straightforward; lowering pH (for blueberries/azaleas) is hard, requires repeated sulfur, and soil tends to drift back—Amy has nearly given up on blueberries because of this. Choosing soil: bulk vs bags, municipal compost Amy strongly prefers high-quality bulk triple mix from a trusted supplier (often with nutrient analysis available).She's wary of: Bagged soil/compost of unknown origin, age, and quality.Municipal compost giveaways, due to uncertain inputs (treated lawns, herbicides, diseased plants) and inconsistent processing. Leftover bulk soil gets used in pots, extra beds, or stored for future top-ups—she never feels like she has "too much soil." Building and maintaining soil in raised beds & pots Raised beds: start with good triple mix, then top up yearly with a thin layer of compost and mulch (leaves, straw, chop-and-drop).Containers: use potting mix or triple mix plus perlite for drainage; reuse soil but amend and top up rather than dumping it every year.She only uses extra fertilizer (like fish emulsion) when pushing density in containers (e.g., many beets in a small pot). Rotation, disease, and "messy" gardens Classic crop rotation is more critical at farm scale; in small backyards, many diseases are airborne, so simply shifting crops a few feet often doesn't prevent them.Rotation still matters for certain soil-borne diseases (Amy rotated tomatoes after Alternaria collar rot), but it's not the magic solution some make it out to be.Leaving more plant material, leaves, and roots in place supports soil life and natural pest-predator balance, instead of resetting everything with a "clean" fall garden. Amy's message for gardeners Shift your mindset from "feeding the plants" to "feeding the soil."Healthy, living soil is what ultimately feeds healthy, productive plants. Find The Hobby Homestead at www.thehobbyhomestead.com and on Instagram and YouTube. Resources Mentioned in the Show: Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden Are you a landscape or gardening expert? We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more. Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing ...
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    51 mins
  • Transitioning to Indoor Gardening

    Transitioning to Indoor Gardening
    Nov 11 2025
    This week on Down the Garden Path, Joanne shares her passion for indoor gardening with practical winter houseplant care tips and a reminder that there's always something new to learn and grow. Topics discussed: 1. From Annuals to Houseplants It's time to turn your attention to houseplants as gardening shifts indoors.Don't rush out to buy new plants: friends and family often have extras or cuttings to share. 2. Winter Care Basics During shorter days and lower light levels, houseplants slow down their growth.Do not fertilize in winter; they're not actively growing.Keep watering moderately: it's better to underwater than overwater.Use a moisture meter or finger test to check the soil before watering. 3. Refresh and Repot Check plants for dryness, dust, or signs they've outgrown their pots.Wipe dusty leaves with a damp cloth to help them absorb light.Consider repotting if roots are showing through the drainage holes.Use potting soil, not garden soil, and choose soil types suited to plant varieties (succulents, orchids, etc.).Avoid decorative pots without drainage for valuable plants. 4. Easy Propagation and Gift Ideas Take cuttings from plants like pothos, philodendron, and peperomia.Start them in water using clear containers to monitor root growth.Plant swaps are a fun and inexpensive way to expand your collection.Propagated plants make meaningful, affordable holiday gifts. 5. Learning and Experimenting Joanne shares her experiences with low-maintenance plants (snake plant, ZZ plant, pothos).Recently inspired to try more demanding varieties like Alocasia.Discusses challenges like insect issues and learning about proper soil mixes. 6. The Joy and Benefits of Houseplants Houseplants add life, colour, and calm to indoor spaces during the winter.Handling soil can improve mood and mental health.Every room benefits from having at least one plant.Notes the outdated NASA air-purifying study—plants don't clean air significantly but do add humidity and beauty. Resources Mentioned in the Show: Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden Have a topic you'd like me to discuss? Email your questions and comments to downthegardenpathpodcast@hotmail.com, or connect with me on my website: down2earth.ca Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @downthegardenpathpodcast. Down the Garden Path Podcast On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. Don't forget to check out Down the Garden Path on your favourite podcast app and subscribe! You can now catch the podcast on YouTube.
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    28 mins
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