A Better Yard – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Perfect lawns are a great business model and a terrible way to spend your weekends. We’re pushing back on the endless cycle of pre-emergents, blanket weed killer, multiple fertilizer rounds, and “technician” visits that make homeowners feel like they need a chemical calendar just to own grass. If you’ve got kids running around, pets rolling in the yard, and friends coming over for a barbecue, you don’t need a golf course. You need a lawn that holds up, looks pretty good, and doesn’t put your family in contact with stuff you’d never choose on purpose. 

We walk through an anti-chemical lawn plan built for normal people: mow high to shade out weeds and keep soil cooler, fertilize lightly (usually once in the fall) to support healthy turf without creating dependency, and stop blanket spraying herbicides. We also talk about why a “living lawn” with some clover, violets, or dandelions isn’t failure. It’s biology, and it can support pollinators, birds, and a healthier neighborhood ecosystem while still fitting in visually. 

You’ll get practical guidance on overseeding thin spots for thicker grass, watering smarter by season (deep when it matters, shallow when it counts), and using spot treatment only when noxious weeds truly require it. If this approach resonates, check out our Anti-Chemical Lawn Blueprint at abetteryard.org, then subscribe, share the show with a neighbor, and leave a review so more people can build safer, simpler lawns.

--> Grab the $7 Anti-Chemical Lawn Blueprint

--> ABY Member Blueprint and Show Notes access

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Audio from our free seasonal tasks masterclass on March 31  

Spring makes people want to rush outside and “fix” the yard, but we’ve learned that the fastest way to a healthier landscape is slowing down. We kick off with a practical Upper Midwest spring gardening checklist: last-chance dormant-season pruning for shrubs and fruit trees, a clear warning to leave oak trees alone once temperatures warm, and a gentler spring cleanup that protects overwintering native bees, caterpillars, and other beneficial insects. If you only tidy one spot, we suggest keeping it near high-visibility areas and leaving the rest of the habitat intact a bit longer. 

From there, we get into planting and maintenance decisions that actually make life easier. We talk about timing for perennials and native grasses, early cool-season vegetable seeding, and why “leave the leaves” still applies in spring. We also share our take on bed edging, why we minimize dyed mulch, when bird feeders should come down, and how lilacs are getting thrown off by climate patterns plus when to prune them without losing blooms. You’ll also hear how we aim for a realistic sweet spot with natives while still leaving room for fun color like dahlias and gladiolus. 

Then we shift into spring lawn care: overseeding a bee lawn with clover and other pollinator-friendly plants, mowing higher for deeper roots, why we skip No Mow May here, and the hard no on Weed and Feed. We cover irrigation timing, power raking myths, and a simple organic fertilizer approach including the half-pound nitrogen guideline. If you want a yard that saves water, stores carbon, and feeds pollinators, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a neighbor who loves their lawn, and leave a review with your biggest spring yard question.

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

I've been getting a lot of questions lately on the timing of spring gardening tasks. In this episode we talk through the timing on spring gardening tasks and how you want to accomplish them.

Download the Seasons Calendar at MinnesotaGardening.com for a list of gardening tasks and when to do them.

Join Minnesota Gardening today and get Two Weeks Free!!

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

In this episode of Minnesota Gardening Podcast, host Brad Tabke speaks with Stephanie Rose, author of 'Regenerative Garden.' They discuss Stephanie's journey into gardening as a form of self-healing, the principles of regenerative gardening, and the importance of community involvement in gardening. Stephanie shares insights on understanding soil health, the role of weeds, and how gardens can foster connections among neighbors. The conversation emphasizes accessible gardening practices for everyone, regardless of physical ability, and the joy that comes from nurturing both plants and community relationships.

Grab Regenerative Garden by Stephanie Rose on Bookshop.

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Madeline Wimmer is a guru of Upper Midwest fruit tree in the UMN Hort Department specializing in grapes and apples.

Lucky to have Madeline with us to talk care for midwest fruit trees.

Show notes, links, and transcript for members at MinnesotaGardening.com.

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Owen Wormser is the author of a wonderful book called Lawns Into Meadows  a "how-to book on growing your own wildflowers and native grasses is also about sustainability, regeneration, and beauty."

Show Notes, Links, and Transcript at MinnesotaGardening.com

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Show notes available to members at MinnesotaGardening.com.

Minnesota Gardening's 2025 Seed Starting Cohort is NOW OPEN!

The Seed Starting Cohort is FREE to Minnesota Gardening members and $197 for the cohort alone.

Check it all out including the Seed Starting Course, one-on-one Q&A, and the 2025 Seed Starting Cohort kickoff on Feb 16, 2025 at 8 pm. Learn more at MinnesotaGardening.com.

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Unveiling the renewed Minnesota Gardening focused on sustainability and helping Upper Midwest homeowners switch to more environmentally-friendly landscape and lawn care practices.

Right now, you can get an annual membership for only $127! That is 71% off the regular price.

Join today at MinnesotaGardening.com. 

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Connie Fortin and Kyra Oliver join me for a BONUS episode of Minnesota Gardening Podcast to talk all about Winter Design and efforts to reduce salt use and water pollution.

Connie Fortin has been working for 20 years with winter maintenance professionals trying to reduce salt by integrating science into winter maintenance. Now she finds herself in an engineering firm, Bolton & Menk, working to integrate low salt concepts into infrastructure design. Improved winter design is the most cost-effective way to get on top of the chloride problem and she is energized to share this new strategy. 

Kyra Oliver is a Water Resources Design Engineer at Bolton & Menk with a background in Landscape Architecture.  She began her career at a landscape design and build firm, with a focus in native plantings and rain garden design, construction, and maintenance.  In 2019, she earned a master degree in water resources engineering and now works to improve the health of the environment in urban areas by bringing water resources, landscape architecture, and natural resources together to create quality solutions.  She has gained experience in stormwater management in rain gardens, grading, vegetation, GIS mapping, site assessment, design, and construction documents.

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.

Learn more about getting your own Rebel Garden at ABetterYard.org.