Jerry Baker
Encyclopedia
Jerry Baker is an American author, entrepreneur, public speaker, and product spokesperson who has written numerous books on gardening
, home hints, and health topics. He is best known as America’s Master Gardener, and for creating his world-famous DIY tonics using common household products like beer
, baby shampoo
, castor oil
, and mouthwash
.
Baker began his career in the 1960s as an undercover cop in Detroit, Michigan
, posing as a gardener, tree trimmer, landscaper, and seed salesman. He left the police force and eventually went to work as a horticulture buyer for S. S. Kresge Corporation (which later became Kmart Corporation). Baker’s interest in gardening lead him to local radio and TV appearances in the Detroit area. He eventually became a frequent guest on Dinah Shore
’s daytime TV show, Dinah’s Place. The exposure he received from his Dinah’s Place appearances prompted him to write his first best-selling book, Plants Are Like People, in 1972. A full-length record album by the same name was released shortly after the book was certified as a bestseller. Baker also began the national craze of talking to your plants with the publication of his second best-selling book, Talk to Your Plants, the following year, in 1973.
In the 1970s, Baker was a frequent guest on TV shows like The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He hosted his own TV show, Plants Are Like People, on KMOX (a CBS affiliate) in St. Louis, MO. Baker also often appeared as a gardening expert on TV morning shows like Kennedy and Company in Chicago and on the ABC affiliates’ morning shows in New York
, Detroit, and Los Angeles
.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Baker had his own series of gardening shows that ran on Public Television stations in the USA and Canada. They were used by PBS as pledge drive specials; the programs featured Baker’s down-home wisdom and commonsense solutions to gardening problems. These shows are now available on DVD (see below), and various segments can also be viewed on YouTube
. Baker also has appeared on QVC
, selling his own private label merchandise. From 1987 to 2007, Baker hosted his own national call-in radio show called On the Garden Line, which was produced by Westwood One and broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting Network.
Over the years, Baker has served as a product spokesperson for Jacobsen Lawn Mowers, Hudson Sprayers, U.S. Gypsum, and Plantabs. His big break came from his affiliation with the Garden Weasel, a tool for loosening soil. Baker appeared as the Garden Weasel’s spokesperson in advertising materials, including radio and TV ads, print, and point-of-purchase displays. He became widely recognized for his signature line in the Garden Weasel TV commercial, “If you’re into gardening like I am…” In 1982, Baker returned to his roots, becoming the national gardening spokesperson for Kmart Corporation’s Garden Centers, a relationship that lasted until 1996.
In 1987, Baker helped found American Master Products, Inc. (AMP), a direct marketing and multi-media company based in New Hudson, Michigan. AMP owns and manages the Jerry Baker brand, develops content and private label products, and negotiates licensing deals.
AMP has published more than 50 books under the Jerry Baker brand name, with more than twenty million copies sold worldwide. AMP also published the popular “On the Garden Line” newsletter between 1988 and 2008.
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
, home hints, and health topics. He is best known as America’s Master Gardener, and for creating his world-famous DIY tonics using common household products like beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
, baby shampoo
Baby shampoo
Baby shampoo is formulated so that it is less irritating to the eyes than regular shampoo. Most contain sodium trideceth sulfate. Alternatively, baby shampoo may be formulated using other classes of surfactants, most notably non-ionics which are much milder than any charged anionics used. Baby...
, castor oil
Castor oil
Castor oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean . Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no odor or taste. Its boiling point is and its density is 961 kg/m3...
, and mouthwash
Mouthwash
Mouthwash or mouth rinse is a product used to enhance oral hygiene. Some manufacturers of mouthwash claim that antiseptic and anti-plaque mouth rinse kill the bacterial plaque causing cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath. Anti-cavity mouth rinse uses fluoride to protect against tooth decay...
.
Baker began his career in the 1960s as an undercover cop in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, posing as a gardener, tree trimmer, landscaper, and seed salesman. He left the police force and eventually went to work as a horticulture buyer for S. S. Kresge Corporation (which later became Kmart Corporation). Baker’s interest in gardening lead him to local radio and TV appearances in the Detroit area. He eventually became a frequent guest on Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
’s daytime TV show, Dinah’s Place. The exposure he received from his Dinah’s Place appearances prompted him to write his first best-selling book, Plants Are Like People, in 1972. A full-length record album by the same name was released shortly after the book was certified as a bestseller. Baker also began the national craze of talking to your plants with the publication of his second best-selling book, Talk to Your Plants, the following year, in 1973.
In the 1970s, Baker was a frequent guest on TV shows like The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He hosted his own TV show, Plants Are Like People, on KMOX (a CBS affiliate) in St. Louis, MO. Baker also often appeared as a gardening expert on TV morning shows like Kennedy and Company in Chicago and on the ABC affiliates’ morning shows in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Detroit, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Baker had his own series of gardening shows that ran on Public Television stations in the USA and Canada. They were used by PBS as pledge drive specials; the programs featured Baker’s down-home wisdom and commonsense solutions to gardening problems. These shows are now available on DVD (see below), and various segments can also be viewed on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Baker also has appeared on QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
, selling his own private label merchandise. From 1987 to 2007, Baker hosted his own national call-in radio show called On the Garden Line, which was produced by Westwood One and broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting Network.
Over the years, Baker has served as a product spokesperson for Jacobsen Lawn Mowers, Hudson Sprayers, U.S. Gypsum, and Plantabs. His big break came from his affiliation with the Garden Weasel, a tool for loosening soil. Baker appeared as the Garden Weasel’s spokesperson in advertising materials, including radio and TV ads, print, and point-of-purchase displays. He became widely recognized for his signature line in the Garden Weasel TV commercial, “If you’re into gardening like I am…” In 1982, Baker returned to his roots, becoming the national gardening spokesperson for Kmart Corporation’s Garden Centers, a relationship that lasted until 1996.
In 1987, Baker helped found American Master Products, Inc. (AMP), a direct marketing and multi-media company based in New Hudson, Michigan. AMP owns and manages the Jerry Baker brand, develops content and private label products, and negotiates licensing deals.
AMP has published more than 50 books under the Jerry Baker brand name, with more than twenty million copies sold worldwide. AMP also published the popular “On the Garden Line” newsletter between 1988 and 2008.
Books
- Plants Are Like People
- Talk to Your Plants
- The Impatient Gardener
- The Impatient Gardener's Lawn Book
- Make Friends with Your Lawn
- Make Friends with Your Roses
- Make Friends with Your Annuals
- Make Friends with Your Fruit Trees
- Make Friends with Your Vegetable Garden
- Make Friends with Your Evergreens and Ground Covers
- Make Friends with Your Bulbs
- Make Friends with Your Shade Trees
- Make Friends with Your House Plants
- Make Friends with Your Flowering Trees
- Make Friends with Your Flowering Shrubs
- Make Friends with Your Perennials and Biennials
- Jerry Baker's Fast, Easy Vegetable Garden
- Jerry Baker's Happy, Healthy House Plants
- Jerry Baker's Supermarket Super Gardens
- Jerry Baker's Dear God...Please Help It Grow!
- Secrets from the Jerry Baker Test Gardens
- Jerry Baker's All-American Lawns
- Jerry Baker's Bug Off!
- Jerry Baker's Terrific Garden Tonics!
- Jerry Baker's Giant Book of Garden Solutions
- Jerry Baker's Backyard Problem Solver
- Jerry Baker's Green Grass Magic
- Jerry Baker's Terrific Tomatoes, Sensational Spuds, and Mouth-Watering Melons
- Jerry Baker's Great Green Book of Garden Secrets
- Jerry Baker's Old-Time Gardening Wisdom
- Jerry Baker's Backyard Birdscaping Bonanza
- Jerry Baker's Backyard Bird Feeding Bonanza
- Jerry Baker's Year-Round Bloomers
- Jerry Baker's Flower Garden Problem Solver
- Jerry Baker's Flower Power!
- Jerry Baker's Perfect Perennials!
- Grandma Putt's Home Health Remedies
- Nature's Best Miracle Medicines
- Jerry Baker's Supermarket Super Remedies
- Jerry Baker's The New Healing Foods
- Jerry Baker's Cut Your Health Care Bills in Half!
- Jerry Baker's Amazing Antidotes
- Jerry Baker's Anti-Pain Plan
- Jerry Baker's Oddball Ointments, Powerful Potions, and Fabulous Folk Remedies
- Jerry Baker's Giant Book of Kitchen Counter Cures
- Jerry Baker's Cleaning Magic!
- Jerry Baker's Homespun Magic
- Grandma Putt's Old-Time Vinegar, Garlic, Baking Soda, and 101 More Problem Solvers
- Jerry Baker's Supermarket Super Products!
- Jerry Baker's It Pays to be Cheap!
- Jerry Baker's Garden Line Series
- Jerry Baker's Problem Solver Series
DVDs
- Jerry Baker's Garden of Herbal Delights
- Jerry Baker's Gardening Wisdom
- Jerry Baker's Gardening Special—Lawn Problems
- Jerry Baker's Gardening Special—Flower Power
- Jerry Baker's Gardening Special—Tree, Shrub & Evergreen Care
- Jerry Baker's Super Growing Secrets
- Jerry Baker's Amazing Houseplants Tips & Tricks
- Jerry Baker's Lawn Care Tips & Tricks
- Jerry Baker's Year ‘Round Flower Care
- Jerry Baker's Year ‘Round Lawn Care
- Jerry Baker's Year ‘Round Rose Care
- Jerry Baker's Year ‘Round Tree, Shrub & Evergreen Care
- Jerry Baker's Year ‘Round Vegetable Gardening
- Jerry Baker's Around the Yard I
- Jerry Baker's Around the Yard II
- Jerry Baker's Garden Magic I
- Jerry Baker's Garden Magic II