meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

417 - How Your Grandparents Knew When to Plant: Using Phenology (Like Lilacs & Oak Leaves) in Your Spring Garden

The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

Jill McSheehy

Gardening, Garden, How To, Education, Organicgardening, Home & Garden, Leisure, Homegardening, Beginninggardener, Vegetablegardening

4.4734 Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Have you ever wondered how gardeners knew when to plant before weather apps, frost charts, or ChatGPT? Today we’re talking phenology—the art (and science) of reading nature’s cues to time your planting.

🌼 Forsythia blooms, dandelion sightings, and dogwood flowers...
🌱 Old-school wisdom meets modern science
📝 Practical examples and tips to start your own phenology journal

Whether it’s frogs croaking or oak leaves the size of a mouse’s ear, nature has a lot to say—if we know how to listen.

🌿 Don't forget: Dream to Garden is now open for the LAST time this spring! Join now

📣 Sponsors:

  • Garden In Minutes – Simplify your watering with their all-in-one raised bed bundles & Garden Grid™ system. Use code JILL at journeywithjill.net/gardeninminutes to save 7%.

  • Organic REV – Boost transplant success with this microbial powerhouse. Use code JILL10 at OrganicREV.com.

  • Heirloom Roses – Start your dream rose garden with premium own-root roses. Visit HeirloomRoses.com and use code JILL to save 10% on your order.

My Products:
2025 Complete Garden Planner (plus several new editions!)
https://shop.journeywithjill.net/ 

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners Book: https://amzn.to/3TZeJux

Products I recommend:
Recommended Brands & Products page: 
https://journeywithjill.net/recommended-brands-and-products/ 

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thebeginnersgarden

Connect with Jill:   
Sign up for Friday Emails: https://journeywithjill.net/gardensignup

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneywithjillNet/videos  

The Beginner's Garden
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeginnersgarden/

Link to Beginner's Garden Podcast past episodes: https://journeywithjill.net/the-beginners-garden-podcast/ 

(*links above contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, we will earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Have you ever wondered how gardeners of old decided when to plant? I mean, they didn't have

0:07.0

access to the internet, chat GPT, or cooperative extension guides to give them their average

0:12.5

last frost date, and they didn't have a weather app to tell them if a cold front was coming

0:17.6

through soon. This has always fascinated me to realize that gardeners have

0:23.4

been growing food for thousands of years without the help of all of these things that are so

0:29.2

second nature to us. So, how in the world did they do it? We may think we're smart and advanced,

0:36.8

but if we were to sit down with

0:38.5

gardeners of old, we'd realize how much knowledge and wisdom we lack, especially when it comes

0:44.9

to reading nature's cues. But we do have technology now. We do have science and research. Should we

0:52.7

just throw all that away? I don't think so.

0:56.5

I think we are now in the best position to blend the two worlds so that we can make the most

1:03.4

informed decisions, especially dealing with a climate that seems to be changing by the year.

1:10.0

Today, we're going to explore what we do know

1:12.7

about what gardeners traditionally used to know when to plant. We'll talk about whether this has

1:18.7

any backing in what we now know scientifically, or if it's simply tradition and folklore. This is

1:25.4

the kind of episode that I hope you sit back and enjoy.

1:29.1

Trust me, it's a fun one. Before we get started, this episode is brought to you in part by

1:37.0

Garden in Minutes. Friends, gardening does not have to be complicated. Garden in Minutes

1:42.1

simplifies everything with their all-in-one

1:44.7

bundles and amazing garden grid watering system. Durable, tool-free, and easy, mine have lasted for

1:51.4

years, even through harsh winters. Plus, their raised beds now come in taller, waist-high options.

1:59.0

Visit Journey Withjill.net slash garden in minutes and use code

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jill McSheehy, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jill McSheehy and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.