Humans Growing Stuff

As the summer begins to wind down, we’re thinking about our favorite way to keep and preserve the garden’s bounty: pickling! From fermentation methods that help your gut to Kool-Aid Pickle recipes, we’re sharing some of our favorite facts about pickling and pickles themselves. It may even inspire you to try a peanut butter and pickle sandwich in the process. 

For information on how to get your own garden growing this summer, check o...

Plants are pretty amazing things, and each seems to have its own special talents and abilities. But what about a plant that brings itself back to life after years without water? This bonus episode, we’re sharing incredible facts about the resurrection fern, a plant that plays dead during drought and bounces back to life once it’s watered again. 

 For information on how to get your own garden growing this summer, check out the Miracl...

We’ve seen a lot of extreme weather this summer, from high winds and flooding to record breaking heat and drought. In this bonus episode, Mangesh is giving you tips for protecting your plants and garden through the various types of weather phenomena you may experience wherever you live. 

For information on how to get your own garden growing this summer, check out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration...

What do potholes, abandoned train tunnels, ball gowns, and the depths of the ocean have in common? In this bonus episode, Mangesh explores some of the most interesting and unusual places people have grown vegetable gardens! That's right—no matter the space, planting the garden of your dreams is always possible!

For information on how to get your own garden growing this summer, check out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Mirac...

We’re taking a summer field trip to Governors Island in New York City for this special bonus episode. We learn about the green ways the island is keeping the invasive plant species in check (with sheep!) and discover the incredible lavender fields growing different species of lavender. 

For information on how to get your own garden growing this summer, check out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration ...

In this bonus episode, Mangesh is beating the heat this summer with a field trip to a plant nursery as he searches for a new house plant. Listen and discover the plant diversity and expertise of local garden and plant centers. Plus, learn about the surprising polka dot plant Mangesh takes home. 

For more information, check out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Huma...

We’re using this summer as an opportunity to dig into composting. We’ve heard a lot about this soil-enriching organic matter over the past two seasons, but there’s still a lot to learn about the science of compost and how you can actually get started in your own backyard. In this bonus episode, Mango gets insights from compost experts Cary Oshins and Tera Lewandowski. Cary is the Associate Director of the US Composting Council and ...

In this summer bonus episode, we’re celebrating Pride and speaking with Jayne Henson, founder of TransGenerational Farm in New York. Our host Mangesh Hattikudur learns about Jayne’s journey to starting her own farm and how she has made it her mission to create a safe space for the LGBTQ community in agriculture and grow produce through “responsible regenerative practices.” You can follow TransGenerational Farm on Instagram @transge...

As part of our summer bonus series, we’re sharing our interview with Scott Cain, founder of Boys with Plants. Host Mangesh Hattikudur spoke with Scott earlier this year and learned about how the popular Instagram account @Boyswithplants began and how the Plant Daddy movement has fostered an online community of men who love plants. 

For more helpful tips on gardening and plant care, check out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at ...

It’s our last episode of the season and we’re looking back at the many lessons plants have taught us about being better humans. 

Join Mango as he talks to fitness guru and garden geek Mark Peacock about the resiliency of plants. We also call up designer, lifestyle influencer and CEO of The Little Market Lauren Conrad and talk about her gardening journey and the lessons she’s taught her kids in the garden. 

For more helpful tips on ga...

From micro toms (the world’s smallest tomato plant) to miniature orchids, tiny gardens and miniature plants are right up there on the trend list with tiny homes. LA Times predicts that mini plants and tiny trees will be one of the biggest gardening trends of 2021. And this isn’t surprising, because the internet loves miniatures. 

 Join Mangesh as he learns about why we love tiny plants so much from the person who wrote the book on t...

If you think about it - the garden is the little sibling to the farm. Smaller in scale and generally tended by fewer parents, the garden has much to learn from the farm, especially as farming evolves from long-standing generational farms and methodologies into newer and greener growing practices led by younger, first-generation farmers. Today, we're seeing more and more millennials pick up and move out of cities and onto their very...

Who says gardening and tending to the flowers is a gendered activity? From house plants to flowers, the plant daddies and Miracle-Bros are infusing their personality into growing culture and redefining what masculinity means. 

In this episode, Mango reconnects with friend of the pod Michael “Mr. Plant Geek” Perry as they talk about living your truth among the plants. New York drag queen Missleidy The Plant Lady stops by and reads me...

Farm-to-table restaurants have been some of our favorites dining establishments. These days, we’re doing less and less dining out, but we’re coming up with exciting new ways to use the harvest from our own gardens and finding new ways to keep the human connection through sharing food alive with garden cooking and cocktail mixing. In this episode, renowned Atlanta mixologist, Keyatta Mincey Parker tells Mango about the origins of he...

Early spring is an important time of year; it’s when we begin to slowly shake off the chill of winter and see our first few signs of early green life. But how can we be absolutely sure when it's safe to start planting for Spring? Is there an official start date that all growers know about? And after a long and cold winter, where do we even start? Our friend Jade, The Black Plant Chick (host of "Black Plant Chick Pod"), returns to s...

Have you ever come in from the yard after planting and pruning actually felt sore? It’s as if you went to a high intensity workout class, but you were actually just turning the compost. You’re not alone! Gardening does a body good. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gardening qualifies as actual exercise and just 30-45 mins tending to the plants in your backyard can burn up to 300 calories. Gardening can b...

There’s a whole world in your backyard with multiple layers and symbiotic relationships. While we may take on the role of watering, pruning and planting, there are creatures and plants that have their own responsibilities and roles to play that are seen and unseen. Together they create an entire infrastructure and network. And while some are more helpful than others, ultimately it all works together to create a green oasis brimming...

In the age of free two-day shipping and groceries on demand, it may still be shocking to know that many low-income residents of cities still suffer from a scarcity of affordable or quality fresh food. These are food deserts, and they still exist in thralling metropolises like New York City and Atlanta. Host Mangesh Hattikudur speaks to growers and organizations who are growing for good. These are community members and outsiders who...