bobtanem.com

What is BobTanemintheGarden?

BobTanemintheGarden is the companion website to a long-running San Francisco Bay Area radio gardening show. Bob Tanem, billed as "America's Happy Gardener," hosted a Sunday morning gardening program on KGO and later KSFO for 42 years, taking listener calls and dispensing practical advice for Northern California gardens. His last show aired on Father's Day 2022, and he passed away on July 10, 2022. The site is now run by his youngest daughter, Edie Tanem, who continues the broadcast Sundays from 9 to 10 a.m. Pacific on KSFO 810 AM and also offers it as a podcast.

What you'll find there

The site serves three main purposes:

• A show hub. It lists the live broadcast details, the call-in number (active only during the show), the podcast option, and upcoming guests.
• A family and history archive. Edie has posted background about her father and the family behind the program, aimed at longtime listeners and fans.
• Gardening tips and books. Bob wrote several region-specific titles, including Annuals for Northern California, Perennials for Northern California, Trees and Shrubs for Northern California, and Gardening Month by Month in Northern California, plus a booklet on deer-resistant planting.

A concrete example

Say you garden in Marin County and deer keep stripping your shrubs. The site's deer-resistant planting guide is a booklet compiled specifically for choosing plants that deer tend to leave alone — a narrow, locally grounded resource rather than a generic national list. According to the page, it can be ordered by mail for $5.45, with wholesale pricing available by email.

Who it's for, and the trade-offs

This is a niche site for Bay Area gardeners and radio listeners who want regional advice tied to a specific climate and a specific voice. The trade-off is that it is not a comprehensive gardening encyclopedia: content is organized around the show and the family's books, and much of the practical value arrives through the weekly broadcast, the podcast, or email questions rather than through a deep article library. If you garden outside Northern California, the plant recommendations will translate imperfectly.

A useful next step: if you have a question, email it during the week with "Garden" in the subject line, or tune in Sunday morning and call early — it's a one-hour show, so the lines fill quickly. For the books, search Amazon or check local nurseries; for the deer guide, mail a check to the San Rafael address listed on the site.

How can I listen to the In the Garden radio show live or via podcast?

You can hear In the Garden live on Sundays from 9–10 a.m. Pacific time on KSFO 810 AM, hosted by Edie Tanem. The show also says it is available "whenever/wherever you get your podcasts," so if you miss the live broadcast, search your usual podcast app for the show name.

Practical details for listening

• Live radio: Tune to KSFO 810 AM in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday mornings, or use the station's online stream if you are outside the broadcast area.
• Podcast: Look for In the Garden or Bob Tanem in the Garden in your podcast app. The site does not name a specific podcast platform, so availability can vary by app.
• Calling in: The live call-in number is 415-808-5600, active only during the show. The site advises getting calls in early because it is a one-hour program.
• Questions during the week: You can email [email protected]; put "Garden" in the subject line so it is routed correctly.

A sensible routine

If you want to participate rather than just listen, treat the live hour as the main event: note your question before Sunday, call early, and use the podcast only as a backup. If you mainly want gardening tips, subscribe in your podcast app and listen on your own schedule.

For show news, archived material and gardening tips, the family's site is BobTanemintheGarden. For the live station stream, use KSFO.

What gardening books has Bob Tanem written and where can I buy them?

Bob Tanem wrote several regional gardening books aimed at Northern California gardeners, plus a booklet on deer-resistant planting. According to the site, these are the titles:

• Annuals for Northern California
• Perennials for Northern California
• Trees and Shrubs for Northern California
• Gardening Month by Month in Northern California
• Deer Resistant Planting: A Guide List for Choosing Plants for Your Garden That Are Deer "Resistant" (a booklet)

Where to buy them depends on the title. The site says the books are available through Amazon and at some local nurseries; searching Amazon for "Bob Tanem" should surface the main titles. The deer-resistant booklet is handled differently: the site directs readers to mail a check for $5.45 to Edie Tanem, 130 N. San Pedro Rd, San Rafael, CA 94903, and to email [email protected] for wholesale pricing.

If you garden outside Northern California, note that the plant recommendations in the four main books are tuned to that region's climate and seasons, so they may transfer poorly to other zones. The deer-resistant booklet is the most broadly useful regardless of location, since deer browsing is a widespread problem.

A practical next step: check your local independent nursery first, since the site notes some stock the books, and you can flip through a copy before buying. For the booklet, email Edie Tanem before mailing a check to confirm current availability and shipping. You can also listen to the Sunday show, 9–10 a.m. Pacific on KSFO 810 AM, or find it as a podcast, and send questions to the same email address with "Garden" in the subject line. The show's site is Bob Tanem in the Garden.

How do I order the Deer Resistant Planting Guide and what does it include?

Order the Deer Resistant Planting Guide by mailing a check for $5.45 to Edie Tanem, 130 N. San Pedro Rd, San Rafael, CA 94903. For wholesale pricing, email [email protected] and put "Garden" in the subject line.

The guide is a booklet written by Bob Tanem described as a "Guide list for choosing plants for your garden that are deer 'resistant'." The site presents it as a plant-selection list rather than a full garden-design book, so the practical value is narrowing down what to plant where deer pressure is a problem. The word "resistant" is deliberately hedged: deer browsing varies by region, season and how hungry the animals are, so treat the list as a shortlist to test rather than a guarantee.

A practical next step

Before mailing the check, look at the site's other Northern California titles if you want broader guidance — Annuals for Northern California, Perennials for Northern California, Trees and Shrubs for Northern California and Gardening Month by Month in Northern California are noted as available through Amazon and some local nurseries. The deer guide is the low-cost, single-topic option; the regional books are the better fit if you also need planting timing and care advice.

One caution worth knowing: the site's own ordering route is a mailed check, which suits listeners who already know the show but is slower than buying a book online. If speed matters, ask about availability at a local nursery first.

What is VF-11 Plant Food and where can I purchase it?

VF-11 Plant Food is a specialty plant food that has been associated with Bob Tanem's Bay Area gardening audience. According to the site, it is back in production, and the site directs readers to the manufacturer's online shop at VF-11 Plant Food. If you want to buy it, that linked shop is the starting point; the Bob Tanem site itself is primarily a radio-show and gardening-information site, not a storefront.

For practical use, treat VF-11 as one input in a broader garden routine rather than a complete program. A Bay Area gardener growing vegetables in containers, for example, might use it alongside good potting mix, consistent watering and seasonal feeding, then judge results by plant vigor and yield over a full season. If you listen to the Sunday show, you can also email questions to the address listed on the site, putting "Garden" in the subject line, and hear guidance in context.

Where to look

• Manufacturer's shop: VF-11 Plant Food — the site's own purchase link.
• Local nurseries: Worth checking, since Bob Tanem's books were also sold through some Bay Area nurseries; availability of the plant food may vary by store.
• Radio show: Sundays, 9–10 a.m. Pacific on KSFO 810 AM, hosted by Edie Tanem, for regional gardening questions.

Before buying, confirm the current formulation, application rate and shipping options directly with the seller, since those details can change and are not specified on the Bob Tanem page.

Who is Edie Tanem and what is her role on the show?

Edie Tanem is the youngest daughter of Bob Tanem, the longtime host known as "America's Happy Gardener" who broadcast in the San Francisco Bay Area for 42 years. After Bob passed away in July 2022, Edie took his place as host of In the Garden, which airs Sundays from 9–10 a.m. Pacific on KSFO 810 AM. She also runs the show's website and handles listener contact, asking that questions and comments be emailed to [email protected] with "Garden" in the subject line.

Her role is both on-air and behind the scenes:

• Host: Leads the one-hour Sunday call-in show; listeners are encouraged to call early at 415-808-5600, during the show only.
• Listener contact: Fields emailed questions and comments during the week.
• Site steward: Maintains the site as a home for Bob's history, family background and gardening tips, and points listeners to the podcast version of the show.
• Guest booker: The site notes upcoming guests, such as garden writer, photographer and landscape master Saxon Holt.
• Merchandise and wholesale contact: She is the address for ordering Bob's Deer Resistant Planting Guide booklet and the contact for wholesale pricing inquiries.

If you want to reach her, email [email protected] with "Garden" in the subject line; for a question you'd like discussed live, call during the Sunday broadcast window.