What’cha Growin? Podcast Episode #5 Derek Powazek

whatcha growin episode 5

I’ve known this week’s guest, Derek Powazek, for ages and while he claims to have only become a gardener 7 years ago when he moved into a home with a yard, I can’t recall thinking of him in any other way. In my mind he was always a gardener without a garden; his apartment full of orchids and several large tropicals named Fred. These days Derek blogs about his menagerie of plants and his experiences growing them in San Francisco at Plantgasm, a website that should win an award for best plant nerd name ever. In this conversation we chat about succulents, monster plants, the challenge of growing tomatoes in San Francisco, and botanical tattoos.

Episode #5: Derek Powazek | San Francisco Fog Forest

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Derek Powazek
Photo of Derek by Heather Champ. All other images courtesy Derek Powazek.

About My Guest

Derek Powazek has worked the web since 1995 at pioneering sites like HotWired, Blogger, and Technorati. His day job is as Head of Product for Exposure, a photo storytelling site, where he’d love to see you document your garden. Derek lives in San Francisco with his wife, two nutty Chihuahuas, and a house full of plants named Fred.

Derek Powazek San Francisco Garden
Derek’s San Francisco Garden

Potted Succulents in Derek Powazek San Francisco Garden
Derek’s Back Deck is full of potted succulents, many of which can stay outside year-round in his San Francisco garden.

Derek Powazek favourite Aeonium
Derek’s favourite Aeonium.

Derek Powazek Passiflora Tattoo
Derek’s passionflower tattoo that he has dubbed, Passiflora idealii.

Potted Succulents in Derek Powazek San Francisco Garden

Derek Powazek Potted Succulents
Succulents in pots including gorgeous Aloe ‘Delta Lights.’

Derek Powazek Carnivorous Plants
Carnivorous plants.

Brugmansia in Derek Powazek San Francisco Garden
A big Brugmansia and another view of the garden.

Further Resources

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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4 thoughts on “What’cha Growin? Podcast Episode #5 Derek Powazek

  1. Gayla, just wanted to say how much I love the podcast! It’s fascinating, fun, and so informative. I found myself the other day calculating when the next podcast would download. Thank you for sharing these great garden voices and personalities with the rest of us!

  2. This podcast was great and reminded me of home. I am opposite of Derek. I grew up in Northern California, Sonoma County, (and understand San Fran weather.) I now live in Southern California, coastal San Diego. I was surprised to find out both locations are gardening zones 10b. Also, in San Diego, many gardeners will grow tomatoes year round. Anyways, loved the podcast, always love learning more about gardening.

  3. Very enjoyable conversation. Regarding the aeoniums, I attended a talk about them by a succulent guy last week who just returned from the Canary Islands. He emphasized that they are winter growers and fairly dormant in summer. So….in your zone they are even more of a challenge since they are stuck indoors in winter. I am completely on your page regarding the black thumb comments – makes me crazy!

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