236. From Mary: Earth First Gardening with Melanie Cotillo of Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm
About this episode
Mary interviews Melanie Cotillo about sustainable gardening practices and the philosophy behind Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm.
Spring has a way of pulling us back to the soil — and this season, Mary sat down with someone who has made the health of the soil and the well being of the pollinators and wildlife in her local ecosystem her first priority. Melanie Cutillo is the self-described Plant Wrangler in Chief at Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm in Mexico, New York, a backyard nursery nestled just east of Lake Ontario, where she grows native and wildflower plants entirely without plastic, peat, or synthetic inputs of any kind. It was a cold January morning walk to the mailbox and a chance encounter with a dried circle of New England aster in the snow that sent Melanie on a quest to grow native plants. The result is a farm, a philosophy, and a way of tending the earth that she calls "Earth First Gardening." This conversation is for every gardener who has ever come home from the nursery with a carload of beauty and a pile of plastic waste—wondering if there's a better way. Melanie and Mary talk about what it really means to be not just a gardener, but a guardian of the earth’s abundance. Whether you have many acres or simply a front porch, a city window or a community garden plot, this episode will remind you that…
People in this episode
Host: Mary
Guest: Melanie Cotillo
Topics covered
- sustainable gardening
- native plants
- pollinator health
- environmental stewardship
- local ecosystems
Keywords
- sustainability
- gardening
- native species
- pollinators
- environment
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm
Books & works: Earth First Gardening, New England aster
Places: Mexico, New York, Lake Ontario
More episodes of The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained
- 235. The Cost of Slow Living: How to Align Your Values Without Burning Out
- Mary & Emma: Rethinking Slow Living
- 234. A Conversation with Janna Hockenjos of Earth Friends —and an Announcement!
- Encore: Creating a Backyard Microfarm with Leah Webb, Author of "The 7 Step Homestead"
- 233. Embracing Our Medicine: A Conversation with Two Spirit Sister Madison Murphy Barney
- Our Fermented Lives: Bridging the Gap Between Modern People and Historic Food with Julia Skinner of Root Kitchens
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained podcast page.