DAVE WHITINGER’S NAME–or at least his first name–has been known to me for what seems like ever, as founder of the Dave’s Garden website that he sold a few years ago…and more important as the founder of the thriving, fast-growing All Things Plants, the community gardening site he created last year, and then on after that to National Gardening Association. We’ve both been in this garden world a long time, but never intersected. And then he called the other day to ask if we could do an interview–a conversation I suspect (hope!) will be the start of a longer one, because it felt like we could just talk forever. Which we almost did…

listen in now

YOU CAN LISTEN IN to my conversation with Dave Whitinger on All Things Plants, and be sure to say hello to Dave.

Our “gardens” couldn’t be more different: Master gardener Dave Whitinger gardens and farms a 90-acre site near Tyler, Texas, with livestock and all, where summer drought is no stranger and the prime growing months are when my garden is dormant or heading in that direction. It’s like we garden in different worlds, but you know how it is with gardeners, no matter their Zone or plant palette: They’re more alike than different.

On the important things about cultivating plants (including our beloved Kubota tractors–and yes, his is bigger than mine!) we’re kindred spirits–our list of favorite sources even matched up almost exactly. Dave has a strong commitment to land stewardship and soil care, as I do, though he sometimes thinks bigger (read: something called hugelkultur, oh my). He isn’t afraid of botanical Latin (me, neither–remember my Taxonomy Lite?) and loathes made-up genus names like “Superbena” and “Potunia” and such. Me, too!