Growing a Greener World

- Season 7

(2016)

If you've ever grown a vegetable garden, you've probably had more of something than you could use at the end of the season. That was the basis for how AmpleHarvest.org was formed. Gary Oppenheimer saw that his community garden was producing far more than the gardeners could consume, or even give away to family and friends. So he decided to find a way to get that fresh produce in the hands of neighbors in need, and that simple idea grew into a national non-profit network. The premise was to make it possible for anyone to have access to- or donate- fresh produce, ...

Once America's most productive manufacturing city, Detroit's economic landscape took a turn for the worse in the mid 1960s. But in recent years, green-minded citizens have begun to reclaim their city, with community gardens and urban farms providing two of the fastest roads to recovery. Today, over 1,300 such plots have sprouted up all across Detroit. They're providing an emotional boost to citizens, food for the hungry, and instant beauty to long-neglected areas - all while lifting spirits, creating new enthusiasm, and fostering a city-wide recovery for a better ...

A common misconception of food gardens is that they're ugly and unsuitable in front yards or as ornamental displays. Accordingly, they're typically relegated to out of sight corners in backyards. But landscape design pro Rosalind Creasy has been working to debunk that myth for over 35 years. Even her own home garden- starting right at the curb- is so beautiful that passersby usually don't even realize that it's almost exclusively an edible landscape.

We've all heard the term "sustainably grown." But have you ever stopped to consider that it can apply to more than food? In fact, the flowers you put on your dinner table (unless you grew them yourself) are likely loaded with pesticides that were applied when they were growing in foreign countries thousands of miles away. While the multi-billion-dollar floral industry creates a beautiful product, the growing practices to bring it to market are anything but. Fortunately, a new and local industry for organic and sustainably grown cut flowers is springing up and gaining ...

It's been said that necessity is the mother of invention. And when your resources are limited, you quickly learn to make the most of them, while protecting what you have. That's the way of life in one tiny Caribbean island. Commonly known as "The Nature Island," Dominica has unquestionably earned the nickname. Over two-thirds of the island is made up of protected rainforests. On the remaining third, sustainable agriculture and eco-tourism help the nation thrive, while serving as a role model for others.

While organic gardening is a great way to work in harmony with nature as we learn to garden and farm without chemicals, permaculture is all that and more. In fact, permaculture is becoming one of the hottest trending terms for those seeking to take their gardening and farming practices to the next earth-friendly level.

The next best thing to growing your own fresh produce is to have someone local do it for you. That's the basis of community supported agriculture co-ops, known as CSAs. Their popularity with consumers has swept the country. For those that don't have the time, space, or desire to grow their own food, it's the perfect partnership between farmer and consumer.

The natural first step to growing food is usually a small vegetable plot or garden. For many, the desire to expand their palate often finds them considering fruit trees or shrubs. Yet all too often, they stop short of taking that step for various reasons, including the belief that growing fruit will take too much room or require more work and extra care to battle pests and diseases. Yet with the right information and plant choices, growing fruit in a backyard of any size can be a successful and enjoyable experience, without all the work or chemicals you thought you ...

In all the years of producing episodes for Growing a Greener World, we've observed one theme that always holds true: place a student in a learning environment that includes growing plants or gardening, and you can't pull them away. They love everything about it - just don't tell them they're getting every aspect of the core curriculum including math, science, language arts, social studies, nutrition, and more.

Few people realize that less than 10% of all seed varieties commonly grown in 1900 are still with us today. They're extinct-gone forever, because no one took the time to preserve them for future generations. That risk is even greater today thanks to the genetic manipulation of a relatively few remaining seed varieties, combined with the massive buying up of smaller seed companies by overseas giants. The mission of protecting, preserving, and sharing today's precious seed and heirloom varieties has never been more important. Thankfully, one company established to do ...

Having an opportunity to participate in a community garden builds a sense of community like nothing else. It provides opportunities for exercise, education, therapy, relaxation and social interaction, along with preserving green space and conserving resources. By looking at several prime examples of community gardens in action, we demonstrate how the benefits of a neighborhood garden can reach far beyond the garden gates, bringing people closer to the earth and to each other.

The busier we get, the more we seem to seek a time when life wasn't so fast. A movement toward a simple yet flavorful lifestyle, often associated with the term "homesteading," is growing more popular all the time. And it's not just rural farm-types that are leading the charge. People from all walks of life, including professionals from the suburbs to city-dwelling urbanites are looking to raise their own chickens, grow their own organic food, can and preserve the harvest, and other practices more commonly associated with the activities of our parents and grandparents.

The modern farmer often bears no resemblance to the old stereotype. Many young farmers today are growing much more than just healthy crops. They're thinking outside the plot to raise healthy communities and lifestyles around organically grown food, school and community gardens, even eco-conscious resorts. Daron Joffe (a.k.a. "Farmer D") is one such farmer and entrepreneur breaking down the walls of traditional farming. Today, his services and projects can be found all around the country, and the proven results of his efforts are in high demand by some of the most ...

Producing wines that are as good for the earth as they are on the palate is a proposition far too risky for most wineries. But not for Fetzer Vineyards-one of America's largest commercial wine producers. Their commitment to being earth-friendly is reflected in everything they do. From the sustainable methods used to grow and manage their crops, to how they process waste, even to the energy consumed to run their company; it's all green.

Most homeowners understand the value of gardening in an eco-friendly manner, but many of us need guidance on how to do it properly. Every day, we unwittingly make poor choices for the environment when we are simply trying to beautify our landscapes. Something as simple as choosing the right plant for the right space can greatly reduce the impact we have on the earth.

Having an eco-friendly garden is catching on as homeowners strive to create more sustainable outdoor spaces. Today, we visit a Florida couple to discuss the sustainability project they took on in their yard, the use of natives vs. non-natives and smart irrigation. It also demonstrates to the viewer how taking just a few of these simple steps will create healthier plants, tastier produce and a safer environment for us all to enjoy. And in the GGW kitchen, Chef Nathan features eggplant from their garden to make a roast eggplant caponata.

When overseas travel became possible, exotic plants were common cargo on ships all across the world. Unfortunately, many of those plants proved to be far more aggressive outside of their native range. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we explain why some non-native plants are dangerous, how gardeners can prevent further spread of some of the more aggressive species, and how using the right native plant for a particular space can make gardening easier for people and better for the planet. We also visit a backyard Certified Wildlife Habitat and look at some of...

Green roofs are gaining popularity in commercial and residential design, offering a nearly untapped, limitless space to plants perennials, shrubs, even trees. They also cool the air in and above our homes and offices, absorb carbon dioxide, return oxygen, reduce runoff, filter pollutants and provide habitats for birds and other wildlife. They even offer a welcomed respite for mind and body.

With the constant expansion of urban sprawl, gardeners and designers are looking up for new ways to add green spaces. As a result, living walls are one of the newest and hottest trends in outdoor design. They're not only beautiful, they add the perfect link by providing new life in an ever-growing concrete jungle.

Each year, millions of plastic plant containers and tons of other horticultural debris never make it to the recycling bin. Instead, they clog our solid waste stream in a growing but avoidable problem. The good news is that many companies are working hard to fix this problem.

At the height of our nation's industrial revolution over 100 years ago, wealthy businessman Henry Phipps built the Phipps Conservatory as a gift to the city of Pittsburg. Today Phipps has become a model for public gardens and conservatories around the world for its sustainable building practices, energy conservation and eco-friendly methods.

With severe water shortages and drought grabbing an ever growing piece of our daily news, it only stands to reason, conserving this precious resource is more important than ever. Gardeners and weekend warriors typically waste over 50% of what water they use for outdoor irrigation.

Beyond the popular beneficial lady beetle, lies a host of not-so-well known insects and organic products that are surprisingly efficient at keeping pest populations and plant diseases in check. Today we look at using natural predators and insects to keeps pests in check. We'll also explore natural remedies for dealing with some common plant diseases in the home garden.

Just as athletes have trainers, gardeners can have personal coaches to help us confidently achieve the landscape of our dreams. Today, we accompany a Seattle-based garden coach to learn how she and others in her profession guide, teach and empower us to be better gardeners on any skill level. We also visit with another horticulturalist for some practical design tips we can all us in our own home garden and landscape.

Most of us have never experienced true hunger. Yet for much of the world, the assurance of a next meal can be anything but certain. Fortunately, many are working to change that. One such group is ECHO-A Ft. Meyers, Florida-based organization empowering students and overseas workers with the agricultural skills to share their resources around the world with those who may be just one failed crop away from starvation.

The foundation of any healthy garden starts with the soil. In fact, the health of everything above ground starts with what's below it. To get a better understanding on the real dirt of healthy soil and compost, we go to the source with a tour of a Soil Testing lab and the U.S. Composting Council so we can all learn how to create the best foundation in our own home garden and landscapes.