Ferns are not only some of the oldest plants on the planet, but they’re also some of the most interesting. The Staghorn Fern, named after its antler-like leaves, is no exception. In our final bonus episode of the summer, discover how it grows and works in colonies and its favorite kind of food. 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 partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff."  Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 "Humans Growing Stuff."  Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Tera is a Senior Scientist at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. For more helpful tips on composting, check out BonniePlants.com. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff."Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff."Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 @transgenerationalfarm for more updates. For more information on gardening and plant care, check out the Miracle-Gro Website. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 gardening and to connect with other growers in your area, download The Backyard app from your friends at Miracle-Gro. Scotts Miracle-Gro is a collaboration partner with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff."Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 them, Leslie F. Halleck (Certified Pro Horticulturist and author of the book “Tiny Plants”). Mangesh also discovers the connection between tiny houses and tiny plants with brothers, Jesse and Ethan Waldman. And we catch up with comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and learn about her own growing obsession and her thoughts on these adorable mini plants and their hilarious names.  For more helpful tips on gardening, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and learn about How to Care for Air Plants. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.You can follow The Tiny Chef on Instagram and find all of the videos referenced in this episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 own small farms with a sustainable vision of the future of agriculture. In this episode, Mango calls up first-generation, millennial farmer Hannah Gongola of H2Grow and learns about what drove her to run a farm focused on regenerative agriculture. Garden coach Jamie Brennan, shares how she started Boise, Idaho’s first and only kitchen garden consultant company Gold Feather Gardens and gives us great tips and insights into how we can all adopt regenerative farming and sustainable growing practices in our own gardens. We’ll also hear from Brooke Burke, TV host, author, fitness guru, founder of the Brooke Burke Body fitness app and avid gardener. Mango and Brooke talk about the importance of organic gardening and the optimism she feels when making more sustainable changes in her garden and home.  For more helpful tips on gardening, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and learn about the Benefits of Raising Chickens or discover How to Plant a Small-Space Organic Garden. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff."Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 men based on their plant preferences. We’ll also hear from men across the country about their own views on plant care and masculinity. For more helpful tips on gardening, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and learn about Orchids with Floral Designer Carlos Franco or discover Vertical Gardening with Gardenier Jim Cunneen. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff."Follow Humans Growing Stuff on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 her Sip of Paradise community garden for bartenders and how to think about drinking from our garden. Then, Mango talks to Executive Chef Katie Coss from Nashville’s Husk about preserving native southern plants with a seasonal menu. For more helpful tips on growing your own edible garden, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and learn about everything from growing hot peppers to canning your homegrown food. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 share the top plant care habits to adopt this spring. Mangesh explores the folklore and myth around spring weather patterns and talks to Erin Schanen (creator of "The Impatient Gardener" blog and YouTube channel) about how we can get our gardens ready now at the end of winter to prepare for spring.For more helpful tips on getting started this spring, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and find helpful resources around the best time to plant spring bulbs and even how to grow giant pumpkins. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mango and the team are back with a brand new season of growing stuff. Join us this spring for new episodes, new interviews and new experiences as we grow and learn together. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 be the gateway to fitness and in this episode, host Mangesh Hattikudur chats with fitness and travel journalist Annie Daly about her reporting on gardening as a workout. Mango also does some stretching with author and founder of Yoga on the Lane Naomi Annand as they discuss the connection between yoga and gardening. For more helpful tips on growing and gardening, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and learn from articles like, How to Plant Almost Anything. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 with life. Host Mangesh Hattikudur dives into the delicate balance among the many living things with which we share our backyards. In this episode, Mango speaks with comedian, writer and actor Jim Gaffigan about observing all of these interdependent connections in our backyard. We also hear from Michelle Bertelsen, an ecologist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center about the science of invasive species. For more helpful tips on creating a balanced backyard, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and learn tips like, How to Attract Hummingbirds. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 introduce sustainable gardening solutions to help communities gain access to fresh produce and healthy foods. In this episode, Mango checks in with Kamal Bell, founder of Sankofa Farms, and Gary Oppenheimer, founder of AmpleHarvest.Org, and learns about what they've been doing to combat food apartheid.For more information, check out the Miracle-Gro Website and learn about initiatives like GroMoreGood. Your friends at Miracle-Gro are collaboration partners with iHeart Radio for "Humans Growing Stuff." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.