A note from the autumn garden...

With a new program set to air at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, Be more Tuned In is happy to present a guest column from Shelley Ryan, the producer/host of The Wisconsin Gardener. Ryan writes a regular column like this for The Wisconsin Gardener E-Newsletter. If you would like to sign up for this newsletter, delivered monthly in your E-mail inbox, or to sign up for other WPT E-newsletters, visit this site.

SHELLEY RYAN'S COLUMN: CELEBRATE FALL!

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. Unlike spring when it's hurry, hurry, get the plants in the ground, fertilize, prune the trees ... autumn is a slower time of year. And thanks to global warming, autumn seems to last longer than it used to. I like that. I remember snow in early October.

A longer fall gives me time to get my houseplants cleaned up and put back in the house. It means my mums and ornamental kales will look great outdoors for weeks to come. It means I don't have to rush to get my garlic planted. Good thing, too, since I haven't gotten to that particular chore yet.

Many of my favorite plants are at their best in the fall, such as ornamental grasses, ornamental kales and cabbages, and the many colorful squashes and gourds. The newest episode of The Wisconsin Gardener, entitled "Celebrate Fall," highlights some of these wonderful plants.

It was a fun show to create. We discovered new gardens and made new friends along the way. We traveled to Bailey's Harbor in Door County to learn how to keep garden beds colorful and interesting well into late fall and even early winter. My guest, Caleb Whitney, was great fun and had tons of wonderful ideas. I particularly liked his colorful bottle trees. You’ll be seeing more of him in the future.

We also welcomed Wave Kasprzak, chef and co-owner of The Dining Room at 209 Main St. in Monticello, to our program. Wave created some wonderful recipes using onions, leeks and garlic. The caramelized onion pizza was a real hit with our camera crew. Okay, not just the crew; I think I ate about six pieces myself. I love having chefs on the show!

UW-Extension Plant Pathologist Brian Hudelson is a regular guest on The Wisconsin Gardener. In this episode he shared some of his favorite plant viruses. It's fun to watch Brian get excited about things the rest of us gardeners hate to see in our gardens.

We also traveled to Galesville near La Crosse to look at some wonderful ornamental grasses. My guest was La Crosse County UW-Extension Horticulture Educator Joyce Cielecki. She was great and you'll definitely be seeing more of her in the future as well. Thanks to her I'm thinking (once again!) of re-doing my garden with more ornamental grasses and fewer labor-intensive plants.

I sometimes think the greatest challenge of hosting The Wisconsin Gardener is creating only four new shows per year. I meet so many super people and wonderful gardeners. We get to talking and pretty soon we've come up with another five or 10 great ideas for future shows. Then I have to figure out how to cram all those people and ideas into only four shows. Maybe this is a problem for all gardeners. We have limited space, limited time, and yet there are still so many plants, trees and grasses we are just dying to possess. It hurts, but boy is it fun.

Shelley Ryan

Wired takes viewing beyond the television...

The newest science show on WPT is gaining all kinds of buzz from critics and viewers alike. Airing at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Wired Science -- from the folks at Wired Magazine -- offers a unique and innovative look at science in the world around us.

And just as the content of Wired Magazine expands from its pages, Wired Science isn't merely relegated to the television screen. This show's Web presence is immense. And it is as interactive as possible.

A current contest invites people to challenge master paper folder Robert Lang and upload images of their own origami creations. A Flickr community has been created to showcase all of the entries.

A series of blogs brings together scientists from Antarctica to Iowa to discuss their fields and research. Users on the go can follow the blogs via text updates or get instant updates from Twitter.

Also, a collection of online-exclusive features offers interesting information about wide-ranging topics, including how the United Nations listens for nuclear testing, what makes a curve ball curve and how a new wheelchair walks instead of rolling.

WPT Be more Tuned In Podcast -- UW Women's Hockey Coach Mark Johnson...

We spoke with Mark Johnson, the head coach of the University of Wisconsin women's hockey team, via telephone from his office in Madison. The mp3 podcast conversation can be downloaded here and can be enjoyed on your personal computer or loaded onto your personal mp3 player for on-the-go listening. You can also subscribe to our monthly podcasts via iTunes by clicking here.

Johnson has a long history with Wisconsin hockey. He played for the Badgers under the coaching of his dad, the legendary "Badger" Bob Johnson in the 1970s. In 1980, Johnson led the U.S. Olympic Team to a gold medal with eleven points, including two goals in the "Miracle on Ice" game against the Soviet Union. Following a long professional career, Johnson returned to UW-Madison as an assistant coach for the men's team. Since 2002, he has led the women's team to national prominence, including back-to-back NCAA championships the past two years.

After a successful two-win opening weekend, the Badger women's hockey team will have their home opener at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison.

The Badgers women's team will also be a part of WPT this year, with four games broadcast on the statewide network. They will join men's hockey and volleyball on the WPT Sports lineup. The first women's hockey broadcast is at 10:30 p.m. on Oct.13 against Ohio State. Volleyball kicks off the WPT Sports season at 11 p.m. Friday night with a match against Purdue. Find the full broadcast schedule of WPT Sports here.

In our interview, Johnson talked about his family's hockey heritage, his own hockey triumphs and how he is watching the sport of women's hockey grow.