The Mike Nowak Show

The Mike Nowak Show


Latest Episodes

What a Long, Strange Garden Trip It’s Been
June 11, 2022

On our final show (for awhile), we talk about the Depave Movement across the world. Katya Reyna from Depave Portland and Mary Pat McGuire of Depave Chicago report on their respective programs. Judy Po

Tomatomania V: Off to the Races
June 04, 2022

Tomato experts Craig LeHoullier ("Epic Tomatoes") and Keith Mueller ("KC Tomato") return yet again to impart their wisdom about America's favorite fruit in Tomatomania V. They talk growing strategies

Monarch Butterflies: Yet Another Species on the Brink
May 28, 2022

The monarch numbers from Mexico were just released and they're...okay. Which means that the iconic species is still threatened. Horticulturist Dolly Foster returns to the show to talk about choosing p

How to Discover a Wild Area in the 21st Century
May 21, 2022

What's it like to "discover" a high-quality natural area in the Midwest? We talk to naturalist Steve Sass, who helped identify Indiana's Lydick Bog in 2014. He is joined by fellow naturalist Amanda Sm

The Sky’s the Limit for Women in Arboriculture
May 14, 2022

ISA certified arborist Megan Kacenski from Bartlett Tree Experts stops by to talk about how she became an arborist representative and what kind of opportunities exist for women in the tree care indust

The Hidden Dangers of Artificial Turf
May 07, 2022

Thousands of artificial turf fields have popped up across the country in the past few decades. The argument is that they're cheaper, easy to maintain and perfectly safe. Really? We talk to a group of

The Regeneration Miracle That Is Compost
April 30, 2022

The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki helps the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition kick off International Compost Awareness Week. Merleanne Rampale from SWALCO, James Kim from Vernon HIlls Park District,

The Marvelous Melinda Myers Makes It Better
April 23, 2022

The Marvelous Melinda Myers returns to talk spring gardening. We learn about the changes in the latest version of her "Midwest Gardener's Handbook," As always, we'll answer as many gardening questions

Doug Tallamy on Fighting to Save Trees and Natural Areas
April 09, 2022

Author and educator Doug Tallamy returns to the show to talk about the importance of protecting and creating spaces to promote biodiversity. Jeannette Hoyt from Save Jackson Park and David J. Nowak fr

The Possibilities of Amazing Native Plants
April 02, 2022

The subject is native plants and the instructors are brothers Kelsay and Tristan Shaw, who, between them, have put in about 50 years' work at Possibility Place Nursery in Monee, Illinois. On this show