Show Notes
Today’s newsletter podcast is a special treat for readers and listeners of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter/podcast who might also be weather nerds…and what gardener isn’t? It’s an interview with climate scientist Daniel Swain, who, besides being a University of California Ag and Natural Resources employee at the California Institute for Water Resources, is well known on social media. Swain runs the Weather West website as well as his frequent presentations talking about extreme weather conditions in California and the west on YouTube, Bluesky, and other social media outlets. The interview focuses on how gardeners can measure weather conditions more accurately in their own yards. We discuss the limits of simple thermometers and the value of weather stations that measure temperature, humidity, wind, rainfall, soil temperature, and other variables, emphasizing that equipment placement is important for getting readings that reflect actual garden conditions. Swain explains that temperature measurements depend heavily on location. A thermometer in direct sun, near asphalt, dirt, or a house wall can read much hotter or colder than the standard shade temperature used by weather services. He says the official comparison temperature is usually taken about two meters (78 inches) above the ground, in shade, and that exposed thermometers can produce misleading highs and lows. The conversation then turns to frost protection in gardens and orchards. Swain says the relevant temperature depends on the plant and its height, because vertical microclimates can differ significantly within a few feet. He explains that cold air can settle near the ground, while higher air may be warmer, and that this matters for citrus, vineyards, tomatoes, and fruit trees. He also notes that irrigation and soil moisture can change daytime and nighttime temperatures. Discussing wind measurement, Swain says rooftop-mounted wind sensors often do not measure ambient wind well because the house creates turbulence and eddies. He explains that spinning-cup anemometers are vulnerable to dirt, rust, and wear, while sonic anemometers have fewer moving parts and can be more reliable. For wind, he recommends placing sensors away from tall obstacles and in open areas. Among the main points in the podcast: * Don’t rely on a thermometer mounted outside your kitchen window; it won’t reflect real conditions in your garden or orchard, which can differ by 6–8°F or more. * Test any temperature sensor in several yard locations before committing to a permanent spot; look for where it runs coldest and where it gets the most sun. * Keep thermometers out of direct sunlight and off dark, heat-absorbing surfaces (asphalt, concrete, bare dirt). These cause false highs by day and false lows at night. * For frost/freeze protection on citrus, hang the sensor at the height you’re actually trying to protect (e.g., ~2 feet, in the canopy shade), not high on a wall or pole. * Remember that a few feet of vertical height can matter more than many feet of horizontal distance, since cold air pools near the ground at night (temperature inversion). * If protecting a ground crop vs. a citrus tree, measure separately near the canopy top and under the canopy. Conditions differ significantly. * Use inexpensive multi-sensor stations (one indoor display, several remote probes) to monitor several yard zones at once rather than a single point. * Consider planting on gentle slopes or hillsides when possible. Cold air drains downhill, giving lower spots more frost risk and slopes a degree or two of protection. * Irrigated soil and plant tissue hold heat longer than dry soil, so damp areas will show a different (often milder) temperature swing than dry ones. Factor this into sensor placement and expectations. * Don’t mount wind gauges (anemometers) on the roofline. House edges create turbulent eddies that produce inaccurate, artificially chaotic wind readings. * For accurate wind data, mount the anemometer o
More from Beyond the Garden Basics
The high points of our chat with Lance Walheim in today’s podcast: * Pick the right variety first. Sweet types like navel oranges struggle indoors, so go with acidic fruit that ripens with less heat. * Meyer lemons, kumquats, Bearss limes and calamondins are the best bets. They’re compact, bloom often and fit in containers. * Regular lemons and grapefruit can survive indoors, but don’t expect much edible fruit from them. * Moving trees in and out is workable, but you need a transition period. Going outside in spring, start in shade after the last frost and increase light over several weeks. Coming inside, reverse the process and reduce light gradually. * The shock is real. Outdoor humidity can top 50 or 60 percent, while a heated house can drop to around 10 percent.
Redwood Barn Nursery owner Don Shor of Davis, California and myself finally got around to putting the 2026 Tomato season to bed…except for the ones that are hanging on for dear life. In today’s podcast, we sing the high notes and low notes of our tomato growing efforts this year, with lots of gardening advice thrown in for good measure. How was your tomato season? Any favorites? Any failures? Any surprises? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to mention where you were doing your gardening this summer. One of the first to comment was Keith, located in the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay area. He actually commented before the tomato season was ending: “When you two get together to talk about the 2026 tomato season, I'd like to put in a good word for my San Marzano tomato harvest in Contra Costa County. I had a good crop, mostly because the weather wasn't too hot. Tomorrow is sauce-making day! I have a set-up that lets me cook outside.” There’s a complete, human-edited transcript of the podcast near the bottom of this newsletter. Here are the main points of our podcast conversation:
In today’s podcast, I tell a long, drawn out story about what happened the night before my wedding in 1980. Yes, it is a garden story, about the Cecile Bruner rose. But, we quickly turn to a chat with Ben Hanna of heirloomroses.com, who describes how he and his wife came to own the company after leaving corporate life over a decade ago. He says their shared love of gardening and roses, plus the chance to work closer to family, made the business a good fit. He also notes that all five of his children have worked at the nursery in different roles. In the newsletter, it's a list of the best roses for fall blooming color!
In today’s podcast, we talk with Mark Seibert of Sturdi-Built greenhouses in Oregon. The interview covers key considerations for first-time greenhouse buyers, including choosing the right site, with emphasis on sunlight, southern exposure when possible, and local hazards such as trees or lawn equipment. It also discusses heat control and utilities, recommending ventilation, shade cloth, fans, water access, and electrical service with safety protections. Seibert also explains that lean-to greenhouses can work if the roof pitch and site conditions fit, and says a well-built greenhouse can last 20 to 30 years. Growing Hobby Greenhouse Tomatoes in the Winter If you really want to demonstrate to your friends what a great investment your greenhouse is, nothing beats serving them home grown tomatoes...on New Year’s Day. Here’s What You’ll Need to Grow Greenhouse Tomatoes for the Winter and Spring:
The discussion in today’s podcast focuses on pumpkins. Warren Roberts, Superintendent Emeritus of the UC Davis Arboretum, explains that the pumpkin is botanically a fruit, though it is usually eaten as a vegetable. He says the plant belongs to the genus Cucurbita, which is native to the Americas, especially Mexico and the Andes. He describes pumpkin types and notes that many large pumpkins are hybrids, often involving Cucurbita maxima. He contrasts these with the smaller typical pumpkin species, Cucurbita pepo. The conversation also covers the origin of jack-o’-lanterns, whose purpose, Roberts says, came from hollowed-out turnips or rutabagas used to carry coals before matches were available (a handy skill to remember when AI takes over). Short of Garden Room? Grow Mini-Pumpkins! Admittedly, I got a late start on planting pumpkins this year: in early summer (the 4th of July weekend), and I had only one raised garden bed, 4 feet by 8 feet, still available. So, I planted three pumpkin seeds that would eventually produce medium sized pumpkins, the “Jack O’ Lantern” variety, a fruit that gets about 15 pounds. I won’t make that mistake again. Fast-forward three months, and I have a jungle of green vines from those three seeds that have escaped the confines of the raised bed and are now proceeding to swallow the trunks of my adjacent fruit trees. And it looks like the end-result for Halloween decorations will be only four or five medium sized pumpkins. Not much production, considering the sprawl of the vines. And three of them are still green, making me wonder if they will be nice orange orbs ready for carving at the end of the month. Fortunately for gardeners, many seed catalogs and nursery seed racks feature pumpkin varieties that mature in about 90 days and don’t do much sprawling: the miniature pumpkins. There are several advantages to growing pumpkins that weigh less than a pound: quicker maturity, a smaller footprint, and versatility in shapes, color, and uses.