This week: North End Organic Nursery, Lindsay Schramm, dirt, pesticides, gardens, and compost tea.

I had the pleasure of talking with Lindsay Schramm, the owner of the North End Organic Nursery, the area’s only completely organic nursery. We dug into Lindsay’s background, her passion for soil, food, her family, and her store.  As the conversation unfolded, Lindsay shared her background and how it has come to manifest itself into the North End Organic Nursery. As we were wrapping things up, we talked tips; when to start gardening, what to grow, and resources for the beginner.

Links & Resources:

North End Organic Nursery (official website)

Garden Minutes (Lindsay’s video tutorials & guides)

North End Organic Nursery Facebook Page

Instagram North End Organic Nursery

Let's play ball! Ready or not, it's time to register for youth softball and baseball in Boise and throughout the Treasure Valley.  In this episode, we discuss all of the opportunities for youth baseball and softball.  No matter the skill level or experience, there is something available for your son or daughter!

My special guest is the Vice President of the East Boise Youth Baseball and Softball program in East Boise.  He and I cover many of the frequently asked questions and also dive into things that most kids and parents never knew about youth baseball.  Between Eric and I, we have over 20 seasons of volunteer coaching and assistant coaching in the area.

Topics we cover:

• Where and how to register
• How much is registration might cost
• What gear is necessary and what's not
• When do seasons begin
• What kind of time commitment is expected 
• Club baseball

If you're new to baseball or softball, you're going to love the opportunities that are available for your kids.  In fact, youth baseball and softball in Boise is established well enough that your kids could play all the way from Tee-Ball through the University level, right here in town!  Youth baseball programs are great for health, relationships, team building, communities, and they're tons of fun!

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League Baseball & Softball
East Boise Youth Baseball & Softball
North Boise Little League
Kuna Youth Baseball
Southwest Ada Little League
West Valley Little League
West Boise Little League

Club Softball
Boise Blast
Crossfire
Nampa Pride
Golden Gloves

Club Baseball
Dalton Baseball
Boise Beasts
208 Rumblers
Nampa Clutch
Idaho Cubs

Thanks for joining us for Episode 4! As I've said multiple times, Short Term Rentals (STR's) are an amenity for the neighborhoods and cities within which they're located.  In this episode, I talk with a property owner and a short term tenant.  Tony owns an Airbnb in Boise along with other long term rentals.  Megan is a tenant that occupies Tony's Airbnb after her rental flooded and was left without a home.  In the dead of winter and with little options, Megan was able to secure a place to stay thanks to the availability of Tony's STR.

Tony and I discuss the challenges of making a profit in the residential rental market as well as the ways STR regulation would affect his investments. Megan shares her experience as she's transitioned from a rental to an STR, and her plans to travel abroad which has made the necessity of STR's like Airbnb a requirement.

Listen in as we talk about the challenges and opportunities that Airbnb's in Boise present.

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$3.7 Billion Dollars. That's the size of the tourism industry that employs more than 45,000 Idahoans and generates over $475 million dollars in local, State, and Federal taxes saving Idahos over $700 per year in property taxes.

In this episode, I go over the benefits and not so beneficial characteristics of Short Term Rentals and Airbnb's in our area. The benefits of Short Term Rentals (STR's) for neighborhoods and for the City of Boise are often overlooked and are instead replaced with hearsay and negative assumptions.

Obviously there are bad players in any sport and STR's aren't immune to absent owners or "list it and forget it" property managers. In my experience, however, Airbnb's that we manage are an asset to the neighborhoods in which they're located and are generally in a higher quality condition than surrounding homes.

With quality management, Airbnb's can greatly benefit the neighborhoods, communities, and cities where they exist. This isn't just a cool idea, it's an actual fact.

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Links & Resources:

Shared Opportunities: How Airbnb Benefits Communities
Idaho Commerce | Tourism Resources
Economic Costs & Benefits of Airbnb
Why Cities Should Embrace Airbnb
Economic Impacts of Airbnb

**Update 11/29/19** Mayor Beiter has retracted his proposal for his previously recommended Short Term Rental Regulations in Boise.  See the article here: http://bit.ly/2Oz1Ybg

In the second episode of the Real Boise Podcast, I discuss Short Term Rentals (STR's), what they are, the kinds of people that own them, and the kinds of people that stay in them.  I also share a bit about the benefits and drawbacks of owning STR's.  

As a quick note, it's important to mention that in Episode 1, I discuss the proposed STR regulation, but with a mayoral runoff it's clear that Mayor Beiter has retracted his support for regulation. If McLean is the successful Mayoral candidate, then it's likely that there will be an extended conversation about STR regulation in Boise.  That said, it's important to continue this series about the future of Short Term Rentals in Boise.