This week I am talking with Lauren Cormier about pears! Lauren works for the Maine Heritage Orchard and is exploring, documenting and preserving the old pears of Maine. She tells me about the history of pears, their cultural needs and the issues they might run into, we also discuss the late Blaine Fortin, a hyrid pear breeder. After Lauren's interview I've cut together a bunch of clips from phone video I shot of Blaine last October while visting his orchard.

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This week on Propaganda By the Seed Shorts I’m talking about composting. It's a big topic so even though this is a bit longer than average for a short episode, it's really just an introduction to the topic. I'll cover how different types of composting work and then focus in on my favorite, the static pile.

In the Q&A we're talking berry rakes.

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In this episode I chat with Linda Black Elk about a few of her favorite plants. Linda is a ethobotanist and plant educator who is currently the Educational Programming and Community Outreach Director at North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. You can follow her on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and Youtube

In the Q & A I try to answer Oliver's question about how much biodiversity is enough.

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This week on Propaganda By the Seed Shorts I’m talking about the problems with permaculture and attempting to answer Emma’s questions about the implications of hybridization on native plant populations. For more on the A topic you might try The Poor Prole’s Almanac episode What's Wrong with Permaculture, Anyway?

 

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In this episode I’m talking with Tatiana and Arthur of the Rich Earth Institute about peecycling (the use of human urine as a fertilizer). We cover all the ins and outs of collecting, storing and utilizing urine in a home garden as well as how this could work on community and larger scales. The Rich Earth website has lots of great info including a home use guide, a farm use guide, a community guide and plenty of research.

 

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The outro song is Urine Speaks Louder Than Words by  Wingnut Dishwasher’s Union, check out Pat’s new band Friends in Real Life.

In this week’s episode of Propaganda By the Seed Shorts, I’m talking about garden hoses and how to keep them from being a pain in the butt. Basically you need to keep them in good repair with hose menders / rubber washers, and keep them where they should be with hose guides. I really like the combo of a brass ball valve and a Dramm 400PL Water Breaker for nearly all watering jobs. In the Q&A section Alex is asking about tips for new nursery producers.

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This week on Propaganda By the Seed I’m talking to Neftalí Duran about Corn / Maize. Our conversation covers Corn culture past and present as well as some of the excellent projects Neftalí has been working on. You can follow his instagram at @neftaliduran_, as well as Proyecto Rosenda at @proyectorosenda and I-Collective at @i_collective_ 

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In this shorts episode I offer some of my favorite informational resources, from vague concepts to specific books to the exceptionally obvious. Many are linked in the show notes. At the end I try out a new style of Q&A, will it work? Only time will tell.

 

State level organic associations:  MOFGA in Maine or NOFA in other northeast states

Clubs: NAFEX, NNGA, and their facebook groups.

Podcasts: Perennial AF from the Savanna Institute, Poor Prole’s Almanac, In Defence of Plants, Live Like the World is Dying, Cultivariable

 

Books: Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Dirr and Heuser, The Holistic Orchard by Michael Phillips, Cornucopia II : a source book of edible plants by Stephen Facciola

, Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke and Eric Toesmeier, Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy, Tree Fruit Field Guide to Insect, Mite, and Disease Pests and Natural Enemies of Eastern North America by Plant and Life Science Publishing. The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery , Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties by Carrol Deppe, Secrets of Plant Propagation by Lewis Hill. Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth.

Online resources: BONAP, Plants For A Future, The Woody Plant Seed Manual | US Forest Service Research

This week we have another awesome cross pollination with Live Like the World is Dying, our comrades in the Channel Zero podcast network. This time we’re talking tree crops. Many of the trees we talk about in this episode have had their own episode on Propaganda By the Seed, so if you want more info look back in this feed or check out these links. Be sure to follow Live Like the World is Dying on your favorite podcast app or whatever social media you use for more informative content for what feels like the end times.

Cornelian Cherry (PBTS episode), Figs (PBTS episode), Paw Paws (PBTS episode), Hazelnuts (PBTS episode), Eating Acorns (PBTS episode), The way I collect and process Acorns (blog page), Mulberries (PBTS episode), Siberian Peashrub (PBTS episode), Pigeon Peas on Seeds and Their People, Northern Nuts and the genus Carya (PBTS episode), Chestnuts (PBTS episode), Mt. Joy Orchard - A free to pick public orchard in Portland, Maine - IG  // website, Rethinking Black Walnut Allelopathy on In Defence of Plants,

Trees with Edible Leaves - free book , Trees with Edible Leaves PBTS episode,

Grafting (PBTS episode)

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In this episode of Propaganda By the Seed Shorts I’ll tell you about my favorite garden tools and answer a question about apple and pear rootstocks. 

If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!