Growers Daily

On today's special episode of The No-Till Market Garden Podcast, Alex says goodbye to his old farm and embraces the change to running and setting up a brand new no-till site for Old City Acres. We chat with two special guests, co-founder Farmer Jackson, and first year farm partner Seth Torkelson-Regan, all about renting -vs- owning (can you afford it), setting up new beds, the emotional toll of owning your own land, and making hard business decisions on the farm with regard to your finances, time, and lifestyle.

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

Join Organic Growers School for their Spring Conference in Western North Carolina March 8-10, 2024, with 60+ workshops organized into 13 themed tracks. Plus, I (Jesse Frost) will be there leading half-day workshops.

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

Since 1972 Ohio earth food has been the go to source for the highest performing and most cost effective granular and liquid fertilizers, seed starting soils, foliar sprays and disease and insect controls. Feed your soil and let your soil feed the plants. Visit ohioearthfood.com.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming workshops & conferences...

• The Rough Draft Workshop Farm Tour Dates & Tickets
• Grow Riverside & Beyond in CA

Pirate radio with Mini Casteel.. keeping your nuts dry with "nutter" Justin Holt of the Asheville Nuttery. Justin has been a part of the agroforesty world since 2011--part of the Nutty Buddy Collective--he also leads tours and consulatancy around agroforestry and foraging. You going to want to listen to this one, it's quite the nut to crack.

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

Join Organic Growers School for their Spring Conference in Western North Carolina March 8-10, 2024, with 60+ workshops organized into 13 themed tracks. Plus, I (Jesse Frost) will be there leading half-day workshops.

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

Since 1972 Ohio earth food has been the go to source for the highest performing and most cost effective granular and liquid fertilizers, seed starting soils, foliar sprays and disease and insect controls. Feed your soil and let your soil feed the plants. Visit ohioearthfood.com.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming workshops & conferences...

• The Rough Draft Workshop Farm Tour Dates & Tickets

• Organic Growers School in NC

• Grow Riverside & Beyond in CA

Today, we are doing a podcast special with Farmer Jesse and Max Epstein of Krautgaart in Luxembourg, discussing his no-dig, pay-what-you can, collaborative CSA model and a whole lot more! To see a VIDEO version of the conversation with additional photos, check it out on YouTube!

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

Join Organic Growers School for their Spring Conference in Western North Carolina March 8-10, 2024, with 60+ workshops organized into 13 themed tracks. Plus, I (Jesse Frost) will be there leading half-day workshops.

High Country News provides unique on-the-ground reporting on the land, water, wildlife and communities of the region, with dedicated coverage of climate, environmental and Indigenous issues.

This February, join thousands of farmers like you from across the U.S. for three days of community building and farmer-led learning at the 35th annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming workshops & conferences...

• The Rough Draft Workshop Farm Tour Dates & Tickets

• Organic Growers School in NC

• Grow Riverside & Beyond in CA

One of the things that I, Natalie, love about doing this podcast is the freedom to talk to just about anyone and you may have noticed that I'm pretty agnostic when it comes to getting good information. I think you can find wisdom and knowledge from farmers, scientists, EVEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Candace Williams Anthony and Laura Starr who both work in the Soil Health Division of the NRCS. We focus on soil health practices in this conversation, but there are many MANY ways NRCS can work with you...

Mentioned in the show...

The Web Soil Survey

The USDA Urban Ag Initiative

The NRCS EQIP (high-tunnel) Program

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

High Country News provides unique on-the-ground reporting on the land, water, wildlife and communities of the region, with dedicated coverage of climate, environmental and Indigenous issues.

This February, join thousands of farmers like you from across the U.S. for three days of community building and farmer-led learning at the 35th annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Local Line, the all-in-one sales platform for farmers and food hubs. Start your free trial today and get a free premium feature for a year using our coupon code: NOTILL

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming workshops & conferences...

• The Rough Draft Workshop Farm Tour Dates & Tickets

• Dallas Innercity Growers Summit

• Organic Growers School

• Grow Riverside & Beyond

Mimi has another 'charming accent' interview, this time with Nicole Masters of Integrity Soils and author of For the Love of Soil. She a world leader in soil health, a very accomplished educator, and is focused on an outcomes-based approach to improving soils. She also has a joyous way of being and looking at the world, and is a delight to listen to.

Mentioned in the show...

Nicole's educatoinal organization Integrity Soils

Her Book, For the Love of Soil

The Soil Learning Center Online Courses

Jodi Roebuck's Robuck Farm

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

High Country News provides unique on-the-ground reporting on the land, water, wildlife and communities of the region, with dedicated coverage of climate, environmental and Indigenous issues.

This February, join thousands of farmers like you from across the U.S. for three days of community building and farmer-led learning at the 35th annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Local Line, the all-in-one sales platform for farmers and food hubs. Start your free trial today and get a free premium feature for a year using our coupon code: NOTILL

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming workshops & conferences...

• The Rough Draft Workshop Farm Tour Dates & Tickets

• Dallas Innercity Growers Summit

• Organic Growers School

• Grow Riverside & Beyond

Today, Alex Ball sits down with Kat and Kolin of Startty Ridge Farm in Petersburg, NY. They dig deep into successfully carving beds into the sid eof rocky hills, building a farm business with family, and marketing a diverse selection of local products to the community.

Mentioned in the show...

Follow Starry Ridge Farm on Instagram

Follow Alex Ball & Old City Acres on Instagram

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

High Country News provides unique on-the-ground reporting on the land, water, wildlife and communities of the region, with dedicated coverage of climate, environmental and Indigenous issues.

This February, join thousands of farmers like you from across the U.S. for three days of community building and farmer-led learning at the 35th annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Local Line, the all-in-one sales platform for farmers and food hubs. Start your free trial today and get a free premium feature for a year using our coupon code: NOTILL

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming conferences...

• Marbleseed Organic Farming

• Dallas Innercity Growers Summit

• Organic Growers School

• Grow Riverside & Beyond

Farmer Jesse here with an interview of my own, this one with Mr. Eric Nordell Of Beech Grove Farm in PA. Eric and his wife Anne are LEGENDS in the small farm community. I first learned about their work on the Farmer-to-Farmer Podcast, but they have been organic farmers for forty-odd years. Today's topic... low/not-till farming with horses! We get into everything from weed management, to garlic production, and a whole lot more. You can read more about their farming on their blog-here-and they also have a timeless booklet you can check out called Weed the Soil, Not the Crop.

Mentioned in the show...

The Beech Grove Farm Blogsite

The Weed the Soil, Not the Crop Booklet

The garlic video mentioned by Eric

Beech Grove on The Farmer-to-Farmer Podcast

The Real Organic Project

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

High Country News provides unique on-the-ground reporting on the land, water, wildlife and communities of the region, with dedicated coverage of climate, environmental and Indigenous issues.

This February, join thousands of farmers like you from across the U.S. for three days of community building and farmer-led learning at the 35th annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Local Line, the all-in-one sales platform for farmers and food hubs. Start your free trial today and get a free premium feature for a year using our coupon code: NOTILL

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming conferences...

• Marbleseed Organic Farming

• Dallas Innercity Growers Summit

• Organic Growers School

• Grow Riverside & Beyond

Natalie talks with LEGEND Will Bonsall and we're really excited to bring this conversation to you! Will is legendary for his seed saving efforts, the Scatterseed Project, as well as his radical homesteading in western Maine. He is the first to admit that he is not a market gardener and some of the things he does on his homestead aren't feasible if you're trying to make a living selling food, but many of them are! I love his approach to what he calls "eco efficiency" and there is a lot to learn with how Will has designed his systems to use plants to their maximum capacity and make the most of his land.

Mentioned in the Show...

Will's Wikipedia Page

The Scatterseed Project

Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening

Farmers of Forty Centuries by F.H. King

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

Farmers Friend for well-designed, quality tools, tunnels, and equipment for small-scale farms and gardens.

Local Line, the all-in-one sales platform for farmers and food hubs. Start your free trial today and get a free premium feature for a year using our coupon code: NOTILL

High Mowing Organic Seeds for 100% organic, Non-GMO Project Verified vegetable, flower and herb seeds trialed for optimal performance in organic growing systems.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming conferences...

• Marbleseed Organic Farming

• Organic Association of Kentucky

• Dallas Innercity Growers Summit

• Organic Growers School

• Grow Riverside & Beyond

On today's episode of the No-Till Market Garden Podcast, Alex of Old City Acres LITERALLY sits down for a very special live and in-person conversation with Devon Wilson of Sunlight Gardens located in downtown Battle Creek, MI. They discuss starting an urban farm in shared community lots and backyards, developing his on-site farm & natural convenience store, and using social media to connect with his local community.

Mentioned during show...

Sunlight Gardens farmsite

Sunlight Gardens on Instagram

Michigan double-up food bucks

Follow Alex of Old City Acres on Instagram

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

Johnny's Selected Seeds for vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

RIMOL Greenhouses for high-quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Certified Naturally Grown a grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

Farmers Friend for well-designed, quality tools, tunnels, and equipment.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming conferences...

• Marbleseed Organic Farming

• Organic Association of Kentucky

• Utah Food and Farm Conference

• Dallas Innercity Growers Summit

• Organic Growers School

Natalie is back with dear friend and soil scientist--and national soil judging champion!--Deirdre Griffin LaHue. Deirdre's work in Washington state has led to some incredible long-term soil health projects. They also discuss the how she transitioned from studying nutrition to soil health, the current science of biodegradable mulches, and unconventional crops in the state.

Mentioned in the show...

The Washington State University Soil Health Website

The Mulch Matters Podcast RSS feed (also on Apple & Spotify)

The Healthly Soils State Legislation Map

Folks who support The No-Till Market Garden Podcast...

Johnny's Selected Seeds for vegetable, flower, and cover crop seeds. Visit the Growers Library for a wealth of growing resources.

RIMOL Greenhouses for high-quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Certified Naturally Grown a grassroots, peer-to-peer, holistic certification.

Farmers Friend for well-designed, quality tools, tunnels, and equipment.

... and, as always, our work is powered by the individual growers who support us every month over at patreon.com/notillgrowers. You can pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you don't have one already, as well as a No-Till Growers hat or other merch, check out our YouTube channel, and you can ask you questions or share your insights into ecological market gardening on our free growers forum at notillgrowers.community.chat

Find Farmer Jesse at these upcoming conferences...

• Marbleseed Organic Farming

• Organic Association of Kentucky

• Utah Food and Farm Conference

• Dallas Innercity Growers Summit

• Organic Growers School