Enumclaw garden guru Marianne Binetti has discovered yet another way to preach the gospel of all things green and growing.
The savvy horticulturist – a veteran of both print and electronic media – has again taken to the airwaves and recently debuted her new show, “Dig In Seattle.”
The program – one in a series of programs filling niche markets across the nation – is billed as a “garden to table” offering that teaches viewers how to cook the food they grow. The initial episode has aired and the schedule calls for new programs through the end of September. “Dig In Seattle” is shown at 7:30 a.m. Sundays on KZJO (Joe TV, channel 10) and on Dish/Direct TV channel 22.
The “Dig In” franchise first appeared in Denver in 2010. The roster was expanded to Dallas/Fort Worth in 2011 and Chicago in 2012. Along with Seattle, this spring’s new launch sites are Minneapolis/St. Paul and Atlanta.
The gardening and cooking advice offered in each program is geared to that area’s geography and climate.
A bonus, Binetti said, is the young masterminds behind “Dig In” know almost nothing about the world of plants.
“They aren’t gardeners, so they let me do whatever I want,” she said. And Binetti followers know they’re never in for a dry, academic lecture. “The producers realize this is about gardening, it isn’t rocket science. They don’t want all the botanical names,” she said.
The mix adds up to plenty of Plateau scenery and more than a few local faces.
“Enumclaw is more the star of the show than I am,” Binetti said. Filming has taken place in local gardens and at the area farm that produces Moo Doo, for example. One segment centers on the upcoming Enumclaw garden tour, a fundraiser for the Enumclaw Regional Healthcare Foundation.
Binetti is no stranger to mass media, already appearing as a regular guest and garden expert on HGTV. Her other credits include local television and radio programs and magazines like Better Homes and Gardens. She also has authored 10 gardening books, but the longest-running offering in the Binetti mix is her weekly column – The Compleat Home Gardener – which appears in more than a dozen daily and weekly newspapers, including the Courier-Herald offerings in Enumclaw and Bonney Lake.
In addition, she gives seminars at nurseries, home and garden shows and home improvement events throughout the year. Also in the mix, she and husband Joe frequently lead travel groups to visit beautiful gardens all over the planet. In the fall, she will lead a group to Ireland and, in the past, has guided excursions to Italy, Greece, Russia and Belgium.
A Plateau native, Binetti graduated summa cum laude with a degree in horticulture from Washington State University. She and her husband now garden on two rural acres near Enumclaw.
