Viv's Groovy Garden

Today on Midwest Access we learn how to change everything and 39 joyful habits, take steps to end Alzheimer's, go Local, take some Groovy trips and Robin Gwaltney helps us get ready for winter.

Today on Midwest Access we are helping Roman's Light shine, telling you how you can get access to skin care, turning back the clock to the 1920's, finding out why there are pumpkin problems, celebrating 150 years in Wykoff and getting our first look at Gameday.

Today on Midwest Access we are getting ready for the North Star Honor Flight, checking out the brand-new Rochester MN Local Youth Sports Guide, wearing pink on Wednesday to channel our inner mean girl, taking steps to end Alzheimer's, meeting a very good girl named Molly and making a Groovy batch of Tabouleh.

It’s time for another fresh recipe made with veggies harvested from the Groovy Garden. Get ready for a heart healthy, gluten-free and super delicious treat - Middle Eastern tabouleh. I based this recipe on one published by Epicurious.

Today on Midwest Access we are getting ready for Gameday, heading to the Fall Festival, learning about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, taking time for mental health, and creating a DIY Dalia Arrangement

Jumping worms (Amynthas spp) are a real problem in the Midwest and elsewhere. They’re a prohibited and nasty invasive species that live in the top few inches of soil. Jumping worms can trash your lawn, gut a garden and ravage a forest. One of my groovy garden gurus from the University of Minnesota Extension Olmsted County Master Gardener Volunteers - Carola Arndt - joined me in the studio with info on jumping worms, tips on how to prevent the critters from invading your property and advice on how to deal with them if you find them in your soil.

In this episode of Groovy Garden Guidance, I answered the following questions: What’s maiming my magnolias? What designates a plant as an heirloom? How often should I water trees and shrubs?

Today on Midwest Access we are heading to Wabasha for a new season at Widespot, finding out how to learn for LIFE, talking to a Groovy Garden Guru about jumping worms, hearing more about Free Dental Day and looking for a new home for Ollie the cat.

Today on Midwest Access we are learning how to make art out of seeds, sharing in shopping, community, wellness and Blue Daisy, walking Out of the Darkness to support each other, taking a trip to Grand Island and meeting a very good boy name Blue.

Today on Midwest Access we are finding out how local students are getting BOOST'D, getting money management advice for young adults, learning what's happening at the American Cooperative, joining the journey alongside cancer survivors and their caretakers and getting some groovy advice on seeds from a Master Gardener.

Today on Midwest Access we are getting Texas-Style BBQ in Minnesota, learning how to become the next generation of leaders, finding out what "kindergarten-ready" means, making salsa from the Groovy Garden, and finding out what's ahead on Gameday.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ. The experience was breathtaking, magical and even spiritual. After walking along the paths and among the plants, I became absolutely enamored with the desert.

Today on Midwest Access we are getting ready for Gameday, learning more about Gameday host Landon Theis, heading out to a Groovy Garden Desert and getting Guidance from Master Gardener Viv Williams

One of my favorite ways to cook zucchini is to peel it, shred it and whip up some garden-fresh fritters. For this episode of Viv’s Groovy Garden Grub, I gathered the ingredients and brought everything into the studio where Jesse and I tried out my recipe.

This summer I flew to Fort Collins, CO to visit Ted and his wonderful fiancé, Carly (yay, we’re so happy!). While there, they gave me a tour of their veg garden (and their chicken coop). Colorado summer weather is quite hot and very dry - two conditions that make gardening challenging. To solve those problems, Ted designed and incorporated natural and DYI elements into his city garden to create a better growing environment.

Its the start of a new week, and we have so many things planned for your Monday! We are getting geared up for the 6 days of fun in Spring Valley with Ag Days starting on August 18, then we are learning out the power of telling stories ahead of Winona's Sandbar Storytelling Festival in October. Plus, it's a Rochester daycare borne out of past of community and the Civic League Day Nursey is getting ready to stroll on September 18th. Master Gardener Viv Williams will be taking you on a trip to her son's incredible Groovy Garden in Colorado, plus offering guidance for your plants here at home.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world, I pulled on my sweatpants, grabbed the TV remote and embraced couch potatohood (yes, apparently that’s a real word). After a while, I decided I’d better get my act together and do something productive and/or meaningful. So, I got online and applied to become a Master Gardener - something I’d been thinking about doing for years but never had the time.

Today on Midwest Access we are celebrating three anniversaries at the History Center of Olmsted County, going on an artful nature hike at Eagle Bluff, finding out how to become a master gardener, finding out a dentist's favorite ways to keep your smile bright at home and meeting Kit, the PCHS Pet of the Week.

Last year, Steve - a Midwest Access viewer and fellow gardening enthusiast, sent me a packet of Chinese long bean seeds that he got from a friend. This year, I planted them, and WOW, have they grown!

Welcome to a new week! The Upper Mississippi Jazz Society is playing us into their 39th Annual Jazz Festival happening this weekend in Winona. And it's time to plan for a walk with a purpose with the Mind Over Miles Mental Health Awareness Walk on September 13. And you can find a fluffy, scaley or petal-ly new addition to your home at the Rochester Pet and Plant Expo. Plus, Viv is helping you to grow a better garden and bring a sustainable garden inside.

Happy Monday! Welcome to a new Midwest Access week. Today we are heading to Power Girls Scout Camp, meeting the Rochester Salvation Army's newest Officers, Playing-It-Forward with SPARK, visiting a Fresh Cut Flower Garden and getting Groovy Garden Guidance from Master Gardener Viv Williams.

Today on Midwest Access we are mixing our Mahjong with mixed drinks, pools, beautiful tiles and more, find out how to catch the hottest names in comedy, looking for redemption in a small Wisconsin town at the Commonweal Theatre, dining on a garden fresh Classic Greek Salad and meeting a very good boy named Kermit.

Today on Midwest Access, we help improve mental healthcare access to rural areas through BBQ and Country Music, head to the Tailgate Party that helps teens at a time they need it most, tee off to help support compassionate friends, battle beetles in the groovy garden and find out to help our tomatoes and pumpkins grow strong.

Every July, I’m on high alert for the arrival of Japanese beetles. Right around the 4th holiday, the gluttonous insects emerge from the earth to feed on the leaves, flowers and fruits of many types of plants. And when they appear, I’m ready for them!

This Wednesday on Midwest Access, we are getting our first listen of what's to come at the Wheat Trail Festival as Hayden Ashworth of Foster Grand, performs his original song "A Call Away", Lace up for Hope 2026 with The Landing MN and TerraLoco at Little Thistle Brewery, eat some Groovy Garden Grub with Viv at Holldandberry Pannekoeken, find out how we can prevent gum disease from Dr. Katie Post of Northwest Dental Group and meet the Paws and Claws Humane Society Pet of the Week, Parker.

Want a gorgeous garden that's low-maintenance and critters like deer or rabbits won't eat? Choose native perennials and pollinators!

Today on Midwest Access, we're getting s sneak peak of this year's Rochester Garden & Flower Club Community Garden Tours, teeing off to honor some of Rochester's finest golfers and helping the next generation hit the links, checking out the beginning of The TABLE's Mural Project, learning about native plants with Scott Moon and Viv is helping your garden grow better with her groovy guidance.

Rochester is buzzing with summer activity—from pollinator-friendly upgrades at Grand Park and July events at the History Center of Olmsted County with Executive Director Valerie Wassmer to Broadway Laundromat owner Dan Zimmer’s new solar investment. For family fun, the Manorville Theatre Company’s The Treasure of Shiver River invites audiences to cheer, boo, and join in the laughs.

Today on Midwest Access, we've got spirit, yes, we do; we celebrate 40 years of making Minnesota dance with its premier cover band, head on a groovy field trip to pick berries, and get guidance on keeping berries fresh and garden veg safe from tiny predators.

When my friends at Minnesota Grown suggested I check out Blue Fruit Farm in southeastern Minnesota, I said “YES!”