Let's Garden with Scott Beuerlein 10/17/2026 Hour 3

This week on Let's Garden, Scott is joined by Sarah Geiger-Behm, a landscape designer with Wimberg Landscaping, and Brian Heinz, director of horticulture at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. Despite Scott's lingering cold, the trio dives into a fascinating discussion about the world's largest pumpkins, which can weigh over 3,000 pounds. They explore the genetics and care involved in growing these massive gourds, including the importance of selecting the right seed lineages, preparing the soil, and hand-pollinating the flowers.

The conversation also touches on the challenges of managing flying insects around indoor plants during the fall season. Scott shares his tips for bringing tropical plants inside, including removing the top couple of inches of soil, rinsing the plants with soapy water, and using beneficial nematodes to target fungus gnats. The hosts also discuss the importance of monitoring for pests and using sticky traps to catch any unwanted visitors.

In addition to these topics, the episode covers the latest plant releases and trends. The hosts discuss the new Haskap honeysuckle, which produces edible blue fruit, and the Boreal Bliss blueberry, which is extremely hardy and has notably higher sugar content. They also talk about the potential of sunflowers as a source of meat alternatives and highlight some of the top-rated plants from the Variety Day event.

The episode wraps up with a discussion about the fall color at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, where Brian shares his insights on the beautiful dogwoods, maples, and hazelnut shrubs that are starting to change color. The hosts also chat about the upcoming bulb planting season and the importance of choosing the right trees for the job.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.