Recombination Nation

Shane reflects on his oldest vegetable landrace crop, the humble shallot or spring onion (Allium fistulosum), an indispensable fresh leafy vegetable that deserves a place in just about every warm climate garden.

The general principles and steps in developing your own landraces are explored, plus the numerous long lasting benefits.

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks to Jason about his extraordinary passion for breeding diverse, aromatic and hardy basil that goes so far beyond the common leafy green type most people know.

Check out more of Jason's work at the links below

The Basically About Basil main page where you can buy diverse basil seed and select plants

https://basicallyaboutbasil.com

The highly informative Basically About Basil Youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@BasicallyaboutBasil

Email Jason directly at- [email protected]

Shane argues for the advantages of direct sowed seed over transplants, and outlines the key ingredients to achieve success sowing your own seed where it will grow.

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane talks to Professor Ugo Bardi about his recent book "Exterminations: Preparing for the Unthinkable" about the limits to growth and social, cultural and political responses to civilisational collapse.

Check out more of Professor Bardi's work.

Exterminations: Preparing for the Unthinkable

The Seneca Effect

This episode calculates the minimum area of land needed to provide water, calories, protein and vegetables to a perfectly efficient human being under industrial and preindustrial circumstances. What would such a society look like? Luckily we have a real life example to explore.

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane chats with Evalisa McIllfaterick about her collaborative watermelon breeding project in chilly Canada.

Evalisa's Market Farm- Root Cellar Gardens: rootcellargardens.com

Superior Seed Producers (the local seed collective mentioned): https://superiorseedproducers.wordpress.com/

Lakehead University Sustainable Food Lab/ Breeding Diversity, Community, and Health: Mobilizing Landrace Seeding Breeding in Northwestern Ontario (2024 – 2027) project: https://foodsystems.lakeheadu.ca/agroecology-in-canada/

Robin Wall Kimmerer's essay about corn/maize: https://emergencemagazine.org/feature/corn-tastes-better/

Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario Farmer-Led Research: https://efao.ca/farmer-led-research/

Seedlinked- a database of crop variety performance for home and market gardeners: https://app.seedlinked.com/en-US/seeds/search

This episode reviews the book "Agriculture of the Hidatsa" which can be read for free online. Rare first hand accounts of pre-industrial agriculture are a valuable resource for anyone contemplating the nitty gritty details that lie ahead for those forced to develop post-agricultural systems.

Shane interviews Professor Porcupine about the ways that young people without access to their own land can nevertheless get involved in crop breeding and low input agriculture.

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

This is an audio version of a blog post from the Zero Input Agriculture substack.

In it, Shane explores the deep history of life on Earth and the recurring imbalances in the biosphere that led to disasters that dwarf the current human impacts we worry so much about.

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/

Shane interviews Sam Bonney about his journey into low input agroforestry and the challenges of breeding slower growing crop species.

You can find more of Shane’s work at:

Zero Input Agriculture blog: https://zeroinputagriculture.substack.com

Taming the Apocalypse ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Apocalypse-Shane-Simonsen-ebook/dp/B0D2XCLJ85/

Taming the Apocalypse audiobook - https://www.kobo.com/au/en/audiobook/taming-the-apocalypse-2

Our Vitreous Womb - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Vitreous-Womb-Book-1-4-ebook/dp/B0C7H9N1K3/