There may be no more politically complicated fruit than the tomato. The tomato has started arguments over botany, taxes, agriculture, food traditions, seed ownership, biotechnology, and even what counts as a vegetable. Today we're going to follow the tomato through history, from its wild ancestors to indigenous agriculture, European colonization, Italian cuisine, American politics, industrial farming, and finally into a controversial subject- why do we call a tomato a vegetable?

You know that moment in spring when you look at your garden and realize your bulbs are standing twelve inches apart, like they're waiting for a bus, one yellow tulip here, one purple crocus there, and one lonely daffodil wondering where everybody went. And that's what I call floral punctuation. Today, we're talking about designing bulbs differently, using drifts, layers, naturalizers, and some seriously underrated bulbs to make spring look intentional from February through May.

Eating foraged plants should only be done by experts, eating foraged plants may result in being poisoned. While the edibility of plants is discussed in this podcast, you should not consume foraged plants or mushrooms without the in-person advice from an expert.

The Petal & Plot Pod features seasonal plant origin stories and seasonal garden tips. Hosted by Aneesa Adams and Eric Ketchum, owners of Petal & Plot Garden Design in Minnesota.

Email garden questions to: petalnplot@gmail.com

Follow us on Instagram: @petalnplot

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Theme music by Mia Calhan Burgstede and CB Compton.