Episode 66: What's Growing On? Personal & Garden Updates in April

Pumpkins should be extinct. Wild squash was so bitter that only mastodons could eat it, and when the mastodons died out, the only animal left to save it was us.This week on Garden Girls, we dig into the surprisingly wild history of pumpkins. Botanically, there's no such thing as a pumpkin: it's five squash species sharing one nickname, and it's technically a berry. We go back 10,000 years to a cave in Oaxaca, follow the squash bees north, and land in colonial New England, where people had "pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon" and one Connecticut town moved Thanksgiving over a molasses shortage.Then the fun stuff: why the first jack-o'-lanterns were terrifying carved turnips, what's actually in your can of pumpkin, how nutmeg once beat Manhattan, why the pumpkin spice latte had no pumpkin in it for twelve years, and the giant pumpkin growers chasing a 2,819-pound world record. 🎧 New podcast episodes every week.Our website:https://gardengirlspod.comOur main accounts:@meggrowsplants @thecottagepeach Listen on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-garden-girlsFollow us on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-girls-podcast/id1763113032Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gardengirlspod/Follow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gardengirlspod***Links***Dagny's Tea Garden E-Book:https://shop.thecottagepeach.com/products/growing-your-own-tea-garden-ebook-copyMeg's Planting Calendar:https://meg-grows-plants.myshopify.com/collections/allSupport our podcast and get exclusive bonus content:https://www.patreon.com/c/GardenGirlsPodcastEpic Gardening:https://shop.epicgardening.com/GARDENGIRLSCode for 5% off!GARDENGIRLS*These codes are affiliate links that we receive commissions from and help to support the podcast!*

This year our friend Kelsey ( ⁨@sproutsnstories⁩ ) went to more garden festivals than most of us go to in a lifetime, so we had to sit her down and get ALL the details. 🌷In this episode we chat about which festivals were actually worth the trip, the best plant hauls, what to bring (and what to leave at home), and the one festival she'd go back to in a heartbeat. If you've ever wondered whether a garden festival is worth the drive, this one's for you. Grab a coffee and hang out with us! 🎧 New podcast episodes every week. Check out Kelseys Podcast: Garden Like PodcastOur website:https://gardengirlspod.comOur main accounts:@meggrowsplants @thecottagepeach ⁨ @sproutsnstories⁩ Listen on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-garden-girlsFollow us on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-girls-podcast/id1763113032Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gardengirlspod/Follow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gardengirlspod***Links***Dagny's Tea Garden E-Book:https://shop.thecottagepeach.com/products/growing-your-own-tea-garden-ebook-copyMeg's Planting Calendar:https://meg-grows-plants.myshopify.com/collections/allSupport our podcast and get exclusive bonus content:https://www.patreon.com/c/GardenGirlsPodcastEpic Gardening:https://shop.epicgardening.com/GARDENGIRLSCode for 5% off!GARDENGIRLS*These codes are affiliate links that we receive commissions from and help to support the podcast!*

For thousands of years, one late frost could mean a hungry winter for a whole village. So people tried everything: singing to apple trees, braiding the last of the harvest into straw dolls, leaving fields unplowed for the spirits. Some of it sounds unhinged now, but a surprising amount of it was good agricultural science dressed up in folklore.In this video we dig into the history, the magic, and the plain necessity behind old garden rituals. We look at which ones worked and why, which ones didn't (sorry, Pliny), and what the so called witch's garden was really growing.https://gardengirlspod.com🎧 New podcast episodes every week.Our main accounts:@meggrowsplants @thecottagepeach Listen on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-garden-girlsFollow us on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-girls-podcast/id1763113032Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gardengirlspod/Follow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gardengirlspod***Links***Dagny's Tea Garden E-Book:https://shop.thecottagepeach.com/products/growing-your-own-tea-garden-ebook-copySupport our podcast and get exclusive bonus content:https://www.patreon.com/c/GardenGirlsPodcastMeg's Planting Calendar:https://meg-grows-plants.myshopify.com/collections/allEpic Gardening:https://shop.epicgardening.com/GARDENGIRLSCode for 5% off!GARDENGIRLS*These codes are affiliate links that we receive commissions from and help to support the podcast!*

Most people think a pond means digging, liners, pumps, and a weekend you don't have. We're breaking down why a mini pond is the opposite of that, and what it does for your garden once it's in.In this episode of the Garden Girls Podcast, we talk through how we each built our DIY mini ponds, what we'd do differently, and why a few gallons of standing water changes who shows up in your yard. Pollinators, dragonflies, birds, and the occasional frog all start treating your garden like a destination.We also get into the part nobody warns you about: mosquitoes, algae, and what actually keeps a small pond balanced without constant fiddling.🎧 New podcast episodes every week.Our main accounts:@meggrowsplants @thecottagepeach Listen on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-garden-girlsFollow us on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-girls-podcast/id1763113032Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gardengirlspod/Follow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gardengirlspod***Links***Meg's Planting Calendar:https://meg-grows-plants.myshopify.com/collections/allEpic Gardening:https://shop.epicgardening.com/GARDENGIRLSCode for 5% off!GARDENGIRLS*These codes are affiliate links that we receive commissions from and help to support the podcast!*

October is here, but the garden definitely isn’t done yet! This week, we’re chatting about everything we’re growing, planting, and planning in our October gardens.Meg gardens in Zone 8a in North Carolina, while Dagny gardens in Zone 6, so we’re comparing what October looks like in two very different fall gardens—from cool-season veggies and flowers to garlic, overwintering crops, and all the little garden tasks on our lists right now.Grab a coffee and come hang out with us while we talk about what’s going in the ground this month, what we’re still harvesting, and what we’re doing to get our gardens ready for the colder months ahead. 🎧 New podcast episodes every week.Our main accounts:@meggrowsplants @thecottagepeach Listen on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-garden-girlsFollow us on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-girls-podcast/id1763113032Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/gardengirlspod/Follow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@gardengirlspod***Links***Meg's Planting Calendar:https://meg-grows-plants.myshopify.com/collections/allEpic Gardening:https://shop.epicgardening.com/GARDENGIRLSCode for 5% off!GARDENGIRLS*These codes are affiliate links that we receive commissions from and help to support the podcast!*