Good Growing

It's the annual Good Growing Halloween Spooktacular, and this year's costumes are as sweet as the topic. Join Chris the Chloroplast, Emily as Rosie the Riveter, and Ken as Cotton Candy as they take a deep dive into one of the world's most important plant products: sugar.
The episode starts at the source with a fascinating look at photosynthesis and how plants transform sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into the sugars that fuel nearly all life on Earth. From glucose and fructose to sucrose, Chris breaks down the science behind how plants create and transport these essential sugars.
Then Ken explores the surprisingly complex history of sugar production, tracing sugarcane's journey from New Guinea across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Along the way, the hosts discuss the development of sugar beets, the rise of the sugar industry, and some of the difficult historical realities tied to sugar production and global trade.
The conversation continues as Emily describes how sugar is extracted from both sugarcane and sugar beets, what happens during refining, the difference between white and brown sugar, and why sugar processing is more complicated than most people realize. The hosts even debate whether growing and processing homemade sugar might be a future gardening experiment.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Halloween episode without talk of trick-or-treating, favorite candies, candy corn controversies, parent candy taxes, and a Soup Talk segment that veers into a discussion about Cincinnati chili.
Skip to what you want to know:
01:21 Who or what did we dress as this year?
03:01 We dress up every year. Do we enjoy Halloween?                            
05:29 What is our favorite Halloween candy?                  
09:06 How is sugar made - in plants? An abridged look at photosynthesis.                      
20:10 Humans like sugar                          
23:05 What plants do we use to make processed sugar?                          
24:13 History of sugar cane.                    
28:55 Sugar has dark moments in its past.                       
30:45 History of sugar beets.                   
35:42 How is sugarcane grown commercially?                               
40:59 Sugar beet commercial production                         
46:01 The process of refining sugarcane and sugar beets into sugar                   
54:43 Sugar Stats                          
57:31 Will we try growing our own sugar?                          
1:03:36 Soup Talk! Cincinnati Chili...what is it?                             
1:11:24 Thank you, and coming up next week.   

Learn more about sugar:
The sugar beet – University of Illinois (1897)
Sugar beet experiments in Illinois – University of Illinois (1899)
The sugar beet industry in Illinois – University of Illinois (1900)
Instructions for growing sugar beets – University of Illinois (1902)
Sugarcane – University of Florida
Contact us! 
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu
Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu
 
Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing
Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe
 
Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.
 

Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk
 
--
You can find us on most podcast platforms.  
iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377     
Tunein - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/  
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR    
Vurbl - https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/    
Listen notes - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/    
Ivy - https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902    
Castbox - https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us

Baseball bats are such a familiar part of the game that we rarely stop to think about where they come from. Check out this week’s Good Growing Podcast as we explore the fascinating journey of baseball bats from tree to ballpark, learn why species like ash, maple, and birch are favorites among players, discover how bats are made, and uncover some surprising history behind America’s pastime.
 
Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcJlLBpvpNc 
 
Skip to what you want to know:  
  06:34 – A brief history of baseball and bats
  13:03 – What type of wood was used for early baseball bats?
  15:54 – Metal vs wood bats
  18:02 – Evolution of the bat from dead to live ball eras
  22:07 – MLB bat regulations
  24:18 – What species of wood is used in modern baseball bats?
  38:42 – Is the wood used in bats now different than 'back in the day'?
  46:10 – Manufacturing baseball bats
  54:25 – Other materials used to make bats
  57:36 – Soup talk
  58:43 – Wrap-up, what’s up next week, and goodbye!
 
 
Contact us! 
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu
Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu
 
 
Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing
Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe
 
Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.
 
 
Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk
 
--
You can find us on most podcast platforms.  
iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377     
Tunein - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/  
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR    
Vurbl - https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/    
Listen notes - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/    
Ivy - https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902    
Castbox - https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us

Fall is the perfect time to focus on apples. In this week’s episode of Good Growing, Ken Johnson and Emily Swihart are joined by Illinois Extension Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Grant McCarty to discuss fall apple tree care, harvesting times, storage tips, common orchard challenges, and exciting varieties for home growers. 
  
Watch us on YouTube: 
 
Skip to what you want to know:  
  03:38 – Welcome, Grant! Recap of weather and harvest.
  08:22 – Thinning defined.
  10:55 – Apple tree care in the fall.
  13:25 – Knowing when apples are ripe. 
  17:56 – Tips for storing apples.
  21:37 – Late-season pests and disease.
  25:57 – The challenge of small apples.
  27:58 – When to plant apples.
  29:40 – What does “rootstock” mean?
  34:54 – Cross-pollination 
  38:56 – Grafting
  45:36 – Red Delicious discussion
  47:52 – Finding orchards
  51:53 – Soup Talk
  54:00 – Wrap-up, what’s up next week, and goodbye!
Contact us! 
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu
Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu
 
 
Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing
Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe
 
Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.
 
 
Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk
 
--
You can find us on most podcast platforms.  
iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377     
Tunein - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/  
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR    
Vurbl - https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/    
Listen notes - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/    
Ivy - https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902    
Castbox - https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us

Sedums are some of the toughest and most versatile plants in the garden, but they're also at the center of a botanical identity crisis. This week on the Good Growing podcast, we dig into the world of sedums (or should we call them stonecrops... or even Hylotelephium?) and explore how advances in plant genetics have reshaped our understanding of this popular group of succulents.
Learn about the different types of sedums, from low-growing groundcovers to upright favorites like Autumn Joy, along with their ideal growing conditions, landscape uses, pollinator value, and propagation techniques. We'll also discuss why these drought-tolerant plants thrive in challenging sites, common problems like flopping stems, and a few standout cultivars worth considering for your garden. Plus, we'll attempt to shine a light on the new taxonomy of sedum. Your sedum may not be a sedum anymore.
Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/WwY2aOPimAc 
00:30 Hey Ken and Emily!
02:09 Why is there now confusion about what makes a sedum a sedum?
08:18 What characteristics do sedums have?
09:08 The three types of "sedum"
12:29 Pollinators
19:29 Sedum's use on green roofs
22:24 Propagating sedum
24:14 What growing conditions are ideal for growing sedums?
27:45 Dividing upright sedum. 
28:20 Dealing with floppy sedums
32:26 The popularity of Autumn Joy
34:03 Some of the newer upright sedums (Hylotelephium)
35:29 Designing with bold structure and colors of upright sedums (Hylotelephium)
38:18 Companion plants for sedum
39:27 Do sedums really want hot and dry weather to grow in?
43:30 Soup Talk: a podcast within the Good Growing Podcast
45:52 What sedums do we grow? Or ones we would like to try after reading about them?
50:36 Where do sedums come from?
51:24 Native sedum
56:26 Thank yous and coming up next week
Resources Mentioned:
Linnaeus's folly – phylogeny, evolution and classification of Sedum (Crassulaceae) and Crassulaceae subfamily Sempervivoideae https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/tax.12316
Sedum Mats https://columbia-green.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Sedum-Mat-All-Standard-Mixes-TIS.pdf
Illinois Pollinators Website Plant Profile - Wild Stonecrop https://illinoispollinators.org/plant/wild-stonecrop/
Contact us!
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu
Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing
Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe
Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

Barnyard Bash: https://freesfx.co.uk/
--
You can find us on most podcast platforms.
iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377
Tunein - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR
Vurbl - https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/
Listen notes - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/
Ivy - https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902
Castbox - https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us

Illinois has experienced no shortage of weather headlines this year. Check out this week's Good Growing Podcast as we talk with Illinois State Climatologist Dr. Trent Ford about a year of tornadoes, heavy rainfall, record hail, and sticky summer weather. Learn what fueled these weather events, why El Niño is making headlines, and what may be in store for us this fall and winter.
 
Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7UM5oYiCkS4

 
Skip to what you want to know:  
  01:18 – Welcome, Trent! Recap of summer 2026 weather.
  07:31 – Why were there so many tornadoes this year in Illinois?
  12:15 – Why is there a bubble around Jacksonville (or other cities) that keeps the rain away?
  14:59 – Does corn sweat keep the temperature slightly cooler than it could if there were less humidity? 
  20:37 – What do we have to look forward to this fall weather-wise?
  26:36 – What is El Niño?
  32:08 – Will the El Niño this year be like The Day After Tomorrow (weather chaos)?
  43:44 – Will we still be at risk of having a polar vortex? Are they somehow linked to El Niño?
  50:57 – Do we see more sudden stratospheric warming events with climate change?
  55:03 – Does our climate and weather lag behind the CO2 effects in the atmosphere? 
  59:06 – 3d printing of state record hailstone
  1:02:21 – Wrap-up, what’s up next week, and goodbye!
 
 
Illinois State Climatologist website
 
Contact us! 
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu
Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu
 
 
Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing
Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe
 
Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.
 
 
Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk
 
--
You can find us on most podcast platforms.  
iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377     
Tunein - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/  
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR    
Vurbl - https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/    
Listen notes - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/    
Ivy - https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902    
Castbox - https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us