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Radio shows push organics

"As the host of a gardening program on the radio, ... I think that gardening shows
have devoted and loyal audiences... what do the rest of you think?"
 
Garden shows certainly do have devoted, you might almost say fanatical followings in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, where organic and nonorganic gurus go head to head with several hours a week of radio programs, both bolstering their positions with megabucks book sales. Neil Sperry, the traditional one, has had a book in print for about 20 years, with the current edition selling for $37.00, and he has sold literally millions of them, largely through the positioning the radio show gives him. He also has a web site and a glossy magazine, and another show syndicated throughout the state. His authority is unquestionable to many listeners.
 
But Howard Garrett, the "organic" one, started a revolution about 8 years ago by sidestepping the powerful A&M universities and seeking out manufacturers who would work with him to develop products for the organic market, which he began to push on his show. The most successful of these has been a line of pet foods, but there are also composts, compost teas, and too many worm-casting-seaweed-fish-emulsion fertilizers to name. He also popularized neem and hort oil, but has backed completely away from pyrethrum in any of its natural or synthetic forms. His show has been phenomenally popular, and it's still going strong. You can definitely see his influence in the product mixes at local nurseries and feed stores, and even big-box garden centers, and that's year-round, which is when we garden here.
 
Garrett's popularity may be due as much to his good-ole-boy refusal to buckle to authority as to the worth of his ideas (some of which are pretty, shall we say, colorful). He's entertaining, too. You can hear what he has to say at this address:
 
 
 
 
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