November 22, 2023
Episode 25:
USDA Map Heats Up! + Five Questions w/ Peggy Riccio
One of the biggest things happening in the (gardening) world right now is the new USDA Hardiness Zones Map! Plus horticulturist and garden educator Peggy Riccio is joining us on the podcast to talk about her information-packed garden website resource, pegplant.com!
Episode Guest
Peggy Riccio is a horticulturist and garden communicator in Northern Virginia. Her website, pegplant.com, is an online resource for gardeners in the DC metro area and beyond. She publishes a free, local gardening newsletter, Pegplant’s Post Gardening Newsletter, and she initiated a Facebook group called Culinary Herbs and Spices. She has written more than 100 articles for gardening magazines and gives presentations to garden clubs, nurseries, and master gardeners. Although Peggy grows many different types of plants in her suburban garden, her passion is herbs – plants that have multiple uses. Peggy served four years as the chair of the Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America and currently serves as the Mid-Atlantic District Delegate for the Herb Society.
Learn more about Peggy’s work at https://pegplant.com/
Need help in the garden? Pegplant.com to the rescue! In today’s episode, horticulturist and garden educator Peggy Riccio is joining us on the podcast to talk about her information-packed garden website resource and to answer 5 Questions!
Peggy talks about why basil is her favorite garden herb… and not just Genovese basil, but all of the basils! She also shares her recipe for flavorful Thai Basil Syrup.
Peggy runs the well-known garden resource website PegPlant.com https://pegplant.com/ and during the pandemic she launched a Facebook group dedicated to Culinary Herbs and Spices.
Peggy’s shoutout today was True Love Seed’s podcast, Seeds & Their People.
This is a wonderful seed company dedicated to the preservation of seeds, stories, cultures and cuisine!
Before the interview, Bevin shares some big news from the gardening world! First, Baker Creek Seed Company’s annual Whole Seed Catalog is starting to arrive in mailboxes across the country! This is always an exciting time of year. The catalog is the largest in the world, 532 pages! The Whole Seed Catalog is loaded with beautiful photos and seed stories, including a couple of seed stories, researched and written by Bevin. He’s giving away a free copy of this incredible catalog in the Seeds & Weeds Facebook Group!
One of the biggest things happening in the (gardening) world right now is the new USDA Hardiness Zones Map. The last map was released in 2012 and since then, more than half the country has shifted up a half-zone warmer!! Bevin shares his thoughts on this situation and reads an excerpt from a recent Associated Press article.
Join the Seeds & Weeds Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/seedsandweeds
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