‘Teaming With Microbes’ podcast: Gardening in the rain

Record rainfall has hit Southcentral Alaska. However, as the guys discuss this week, gardens — and gardeners — still thrive despite the wet conditions.

Welcome to our weekly podcast with longtime Anchorage Daily News garden writer and author Jeff Lowenfels and co-host Jonathan White. It’s a companion to Jeff’s weekly ADN gardening columns and his popular series of books.

Record rainfall has hit Southcentral Alaska. However, as the guys discuss this week, gardens — and gardeners — can still thrive despite the wet conditions.

Rainy Day Botanical Gardens

The team acknowledges that Alaskans are experts at gardening in wet soil. Jonathan points out that raised beds are excellent for rainy gardening, while Jeff mentions that containers are also effective. However, the best way to ensure your garden thrives in wet soil is to utilize the soil food web with ample amounts of compost. This approach creates healthy soil structure and drainage, also ensuring plants will fare well during dry spells.

After the break, the guys list various vegetables and plants that grow well in wet conditions, including:

  • Celery
  • Cranberries
  • Rhubarb
  • Forget-me-nots
  • Iris
  • Milkweed

Finally, they answer a listener’s question about managing leaf-rollers.

Have a question? Ask 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. Produced by Evan Phillips.

This podcast is a collaboration between the hosts and Anchorage Daily News.

Feedback: teamingwithmicrobes@me.com

Read Lowenfels’ weekly columns on gardening and growing at ADN.com.

Read Jeff’s books: “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,” “Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower’s Guide to Mycorrhizae,” among others.


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Jeff Lowenfels

Jeff Lowenfels has written a weekly gardening column for the ADN for more than 45 years. His columns won the 2022 gold medal at the Garden Communicators International conference. He is the author of a series of books on organic gardening available at Amazon and elsewhere. He co-hosts the "Teaming With Microbes" podcast.

Jonathan White

Jonathan White is the co-host, with Jeff Lowenfels, of the "Teaming with Microbes" podcast. He's an Anchorage small business owner, gardener and former journalist.