163 - Developing Your Strategy for This Year's Bugs - Susan Mulvihill

Susan Mulvihill is passionate about growing vegetables! Her organic growing methods and pest control have yielded some mighty good eating.She and her husband, Bill, live and garden on 5 acres in Spokane, Washington. Their large raised-bed garden where they grow all sorts of edible crops has been featured on the popular public television program, “Growing a Greener World” (episode 809 and 1202), hosted by Joe Lamp’l.In the  last year Susan’s book, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, has proven to be very popular nationwide. She is also the co-author of the Northwest Gardener’s Handbook.Helping other gardeners be successful has driven Susan to produce and host over 400 hundred YouTube videos on her channel, Susan’s in the Garden. She is the longtime garden columnist for the Sunday edition of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington.Been a Spokane County Master Gardener for 20 years.Her website can be found at SusansintheGarden.com and contains resources for organic pest control along with many other guides designed for gardening success. This is a remix and encore presentation.In this episode of The Garden Question Podcast, Susan shares her extensive experience with organic gardening and pest control, emphasizing the importance of integrated pest management (IPM), beneficial insects, and creating a diverse garden ecosystem.Susan highlights practical organic solutions for pest problems and offers insights from her books, 'The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook' and 'The Northwest Gardener's Handbook.'Additionally, the episode covers the fascinating concept of insect hotels and the value of keeping a garden journal for continuous improvement.Listeners will find Susan’s tips on soil health, garden planning, and the role of beneficial insects incredibly useful for maintaining a thriving garden.Time Line00:00 Welcome to The Garden Question Podcast00:40 Meet Susan Mulvihill: A Gardening Virtuoso02:30 Tackling the Bug Dilemma: Strategies and Insights06:48 Embracing Beneficial Insects: Attracting Good Bugs to Your Garden08:59 Identifying Insects: Tools and Tips12:56 Susan's Gardening Philosophy: Organic Methods and Pest Management14:05 Creating Insect Hotels: A Sanctuary for Beneficial Bugs20:14 Gardening Wisdom: Keeping a Journal and Learning from Experience24:11 Susan's Earliest Gardening Memories and Her Garden Today27:04 Exploring the Hoop House: Extending the Growing Season29:37 Indoor Gardening: Growing Microgreens at Home30:17 Gardening Lessons: Adapting to Weather and Soil Conditions33:28 The Journey of a Garden Communicator43:31 Gardening Challenges and Solutions46:00 Advocating for Organic Gardening and Edible Landscapes54:51 Future Gardening Projects and Organic Pest Control56:14 Insights from the Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook58:03 Connecting with Susan Mulvihill: Gardening Tips and Resources